Carib Scope

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  • Adompretur holds Ordinary General Assembly, outlines key institutional progress and upcoming projects

    Adompretur holds Ordinary General Assembly, outlines key institutional progress and upcoming projects

    On Saturday, September 5, the Dominican Association of Tourism Press (Adompretur) held its annual Ordinary General Assembly in Santo Domingo, gathering more than 50 voting members at the Instituto Nacional de Formación Técnico Profesional (INFOTEP) to address critical organizational priorities. The meeting was intentionally scheduled to align with World Tourism Journalism Day, centering discussions on core governance matters, transparent financial reporting, and long-term strategic growth for the association.

    One of the opening highlights of the session was the formal swearing-in of Tony Arias Gil to the role of Director of Institutional Relations. Adompretur President Sarah Hernández led the oath ceremony, which was captured in an official photograph released by the organization. Following the leadership induction, Hernández presented a comprehensive public management report, walking attending members through key administrative and financial achievements the association has delivered over the past term.

    Members in attendance approved a landmark debt resolution that resolves long-standing financial obligations between Adompretur and the Dominican College of Journalists (CDP). Under the agreement, CDP forgave approximately 2 million Dominican pesos in historical debt held by Adompretur, and the two organizations negotiated a fixed, stable monthly fee for Adompretur’s use of its headquarters space, eliminating ongoing financial uncertainty for the tourism press group.

    Association leadership also outlined tangible infrastructure upgrades completed in recent months. These improvements include the full restoration of Adompretur’s physical office space, the complete digitization of the association’s decades-old archival records, and a full redesign and update of the organization’s official web portal to improve accessibility and member engagement. Attendees also held productive discussions on updates to internal bylaws, processed new membership applications, confirmed the successful recovery of operations for the association’s inactive Florida branch, and approved plans to reactivate the Constanza branch in the coming months.

    Looking ahead, the assembly set clear priorities for upcoming initiatives. Members formally kicked off planning for the 22nd iteration of the Epifanio Lantigua National Tourism Journalism Award, scheduled for 2026, which will carry the unifying theme “Storytellers”. The group also confirmed that funding from the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) has been secured for the award program, and shared that ongoing development work for the long-planned Museum of Dominican Tourism remains on track.

  • Is your bill damaged? Central and commercial banks can exchange it

    Is your bill damaged? Central and commercial banks can exchange it

    Many currency holders in the Dominican Republic hold a common misconception: that a banknote torn, worn, waterlogged or even partially destroyed by fire automatically forfeits its face value. To clear up this confusion and clarify public rights, the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) and all authorized institutions across the country’s financial system have established formal, transparent regulations outlining which damaged banknotes and coins qualify for exchange, and the proper channels to complete this process.

    For any financial institution to approve an exchange—issuing a crisp replacement banknote or depositing the full value into the customer’s account—the damaged note must first meet two core baseline requirements: it must be confirmed as authentic, and it must retain a minimum level of integrity. Beyond these baselines, the rules lay out clear, specific scenarios where exchange is guaranteed.

    First, banknotes degraded by regular circulation or age, marked by heavy creasing, uneven discoloration, loss of paper stiffness or general wear from years of use, remain full legal tender. By regulation, commercial banks are required to accept these worn notes to withdraw them from circulation and issue new replacements to customers.

    Second, fragmented or torn banknotes are eligible for exchange as long as more than 50% of the original banknote’s surface is preserved. A critical requirement for these cases is that at least one of the note’s two unique serial numbers remains intact, allowing officials to verify the note’s authenticity.

    Third, banknotes torn into multiple pieces but taped back together with clear transparent tape are also accepted without any fees or value deductions, as long as all pieces can be confirmed to belong to the same original banknote.

    Fourth, even partially burned or heat-damaged banknotes can be exchanged, provided the remaining structure is recognizable, more than half of the original note is preserved, and key anti-counterfeiting security features can still be validated by examiners.

    Finally, accidentally waterlogged, washed, lightly stained or marked banknotes (including those with minor ballpoint pen markings) retain their full value, so long as the damage does not block the authentication of security features.

    While the regulations cover most common damage scenarios, there are specific cases where on-counter direct exchange will be denied. If a banknote is missing 50% or more of its original surface, it does not qualify for immediate exchange. If severe damage from fire, chemical exposure or tearing has completely erased both serial numbers and the banknote’s security thread, exchange is also turned down. Attempts to reconstruct a single banknote from fragments of two different notes (confirmed by mismatched serial numbers) will also be rejected. Most notably, banknotes stained with the pink, green or purple security dyes released from ATMs or armored car anti-theft systems cannot be exchanged at commercial bank counters, as these stained notes are almost always linked to theft or illegal tampering.

    For citizens looking to exchange damaged banknotes, the process is split between two tiers of financial institutions based on case complexity. Straightforward cases, including minor tears, worn aged notes, and properly taped notes, can be processed directly at any commercial bank or savings and loan association counter across the country. For more complex cases, such as severely burned, heavily mutilated or chemically damaged notes, holders can either submit the note directly to the BCRD for a formal technical assessment by the bank’s specialized department, or drop it off at a commercial bank that will forward it to the central bank for evaluation.

  • The Dominican Republic is building a new fence on its border with Haiti to curb smuggling.

    The Dominican Republic is building a new fence on its border with Haiti to curb smuggling.

    The Dominican Republic has launched a new phase of its comprehensive border security strategy, starting construction on a 14.5-kilometer fortified perimeter fence along its southern shared border with Haiti, the nation’s Ministry of Defense confirmed in an official statement released Saturday. The new infrastructure project, which will reach a total height of 3.9 meters, includes six purpose-built watchtowers, 35 culverts, and seven-meter-wide patrol lanes running along both sides of the fence to boost military mobility and surveillance capabilities. The construction is taking place in Hoya de Enriquillo, a district of Independencia Province that the Dominican government identifies as one of the most critical and historically challenging points on the entire shared border. For decades, this region has struggled with persistent unregulated cross-border activity, including large-scale smuggling of contraband goods. As the location of one of the largest formal binational trade markets between the two countries, the new infrastructure is designed to crack down on illicit activity while fostering more organized, transparent, and rule-compliant cross-border commerce, according to the defense ministry. The patrol lanes, a core component of the project, are engineered to allow security forces to deploy faster and respond more effectively to any emerging security threat along this section of the border. This new construction is the second phase of the broader national ‘Strong Border’ initiative, an all-encompassing government strategy aimed at upgrading security, modernizing infrastructure, and driving sustainable development across the entire Dominican-Haitian border region. Similar fortified fence segments were already completed in previous phases in Jimaní Province, and to date, approximately 55 kilometers of border fencing has been finished across the country: 38 kilometers along the northern border, with additional segments in the central province of Elías Piña and southern provinces of Independencia and Pedernales. Beyond physical fencing, the ‘Strong Border’ plan integrates multiple layers of security, from increased military presence to cutting-edge surveillance technology and coordinated inter-agency cooperation. According to Dominican Minister of Defense Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre, the full project includes 1,500 solar-powered security lights, fiber-optic communications infrastructure, AI-enabled smart surveillance cameras, and a network of drones all operated from a central command center run by the Ministry of Defense. Backing this technology and infrastructure is a deployment of roughly 11,000 trained military personnel along the entire border defense line, supported by specialized surveillance and patrol equipment to reinforce security operations. The new fence construction comes as the Dominican government continues to implement a sweeping deportation policy launched in October 2024, which targets a goal of repatriating 10,000 undocumented Haitian migrants per week to curb irregular immigration. Official government data shows that between January and July 2024 alone, Dominican authorities deported more than 250,000 undocumented Haitian nationals back to Haiti, a country currently grappling with a widespread multidimensional political, economic, and humanitarian crisis.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Delegation Completes Agricultural Training in China

    Antigua and Barbuda Delegation Completes Agricultural Training in China

    In a step forward for South-South agricultural cooperation, four professionals from the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda have wrapped up a cutting-edge training program hosted by China centered on modern water-conserving agriculture and advanced irrigation systems.

    The participating delegation brought together a diverse cross-section of Antigua and Barbuda’s agricultural and academic sectors: two young farmers, Jerres George and Clementina Morgan, who are active members of the Antigua and Barbuda Agricultural Forum for Youth (ABAFY); independent local farmer Claire Thomas; and Alsiah Benjamen, a secondary school science educator. Their varied backgrounds reflect the country’s holistic approach to upgrading agricultural capacity, bringing together on-the-ground producers and education professionals to spread new knowledge across the sector.

    The 14-day training initiative, officially named the Seminar on Water-Saving Irrigation in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions for Developing Countries, ran from August 19 to September 1, 2026, and was organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Sciences Group Co., Ltd. (CAAMS), a leading Chinese institution in agricultural technology innovation and international knowledge sharing. The program was designed specifically to address the growing challenges of water scarcity that many small island developing states (SIDS) like Antigua and Barbuda face amid shifting climate patterns.

    Over the course of the seminar, delegates traveled across four key agricultural and technological hubs in northern China: Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, and Tianjin. The curriculum balanced theoretical technical sessions, hands-on practical training exercises, and immersive on-site field visits, giving participants first-hand exposure to a wide range of advanced agricultural tools and practices. Topics covered included next-generation automated irrigation infrastructure, targeted water conservation strategies, precision soil quality monitoring, and the integration of digital smart agriculture systems into small and medium-scale farming operations.

    One of the most anticipated segments of the program was the CAAMS Strategic Workshop for International Partners, a collaborative event that brought together trainee delegations from multiple developing nations. During the workshop, the Antigua and Barbuda team paired up with delegates from neighboring Caribbean country Grenada to develop a joint presentation on adapting water-saving technologies for small island contexts. The collaborative effort earned the team second place overall in the workshop’s presentation competition, highlighting the strength of their problem-solving and cross-national partnership skills.

    Beyond technical skill-building, the training program placed significant focus on fostering long-term strategic partnerships, expanding international agricultural cooperation, and encouraging innovative solutions to shared development challenges. Having returned to Antigua and Barbuda after completing the program, the delegation now carries a portfolio of actionable knowledge and practical experience that is expected to drive meaningful improvements across the country’s agricultural sector. Experts anticipate the new skills will support more efficient water resource management, advance the transition to more climate-resilient sustainable agriculture, and boost a culture of innovation that addresses the unique needs of Antigua and Barbuda’s farming community.

  • Grieving Parents Demand Justice System Reforms After Losing Their Children

    Grieving Parents Demand Justice System Reforms After Losing Their Children

    For three grieving Antiguan and Barbudan parents, the pain of losing a child has been compounded not just by grief, but by repeated institutional breakdowns that have left them chasing answers for months and even years. Now, Joycelyn O’Garro-Piper, Vangetta Hector-Francis and Khalid Shabazz are amplifying their calls for sweeping changes to the nation’s criminal justice system, arguing that deep-rooted failures in communication and inter-agency coordination have only deepened their trauma.

    The trio laid out their experiences in a public appearance on *Observer AM*, detailing the systemic barriers they faced while seeking information about their children’s cases. For O’Garro-Piper, the wait for answers stretched more than two years after her 33-year-old son Rodney Piper was beaten to death in September 2023. It took 30 months of persistent follow-up before she learned that law enforcement had made an arrest in the case — a delay she called unacceptable for families already reeling from loss. To address this gap, O’Garro-Piper is pushing for the creation of a dedicated customer service unit within the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, tasked with proactively updating victims’ next of kin on case progress, rather than forcing families to initiate repeated contact for basic updates.

    Hector-Francis shared a similar ordeal following the 2023 killing of her son Vonde Bowers in an incident involving multiple teenagers. She told listeners that critical developments in her son’s case were often relayed to her informally via WhatsApp messaging, rather than through official communication from investigating authorities, leaving her uncertain about the status of the investigation and feeling disrespected by the lack of formal process.

    For Shabazz, the failure extended beyond poor communication to blatant disregard for court-ordered care. His son Rashawn died while in state custody, after court orders requiring the young man to receive psychiatric treatment at Clearview Psychiatric Hospital were never enforced. Shabazz said the failure to follow the court’s direction directly contributed to his son’s death, leaving the family without justice.

    The three parents have outlined a clear slate of proposed reforms to address these gaps. Beyond the new police customer service unit, they are calling for stronger mandatory coordination between courts, prisons, and mental health facilities to ensure court orders for care are enforced. They are also pushing for updates to the country’s juvenile justice legislation, and a reinstatement of full-time school truancy officers to address youth-related violence and harm before it escalates.

    Ultimately, the parents say their proposed changes aim to guarantee that future bereaved families receive timely, transparent information, that court directives are uniformly respected by state institutions, and that all families seeking answers after a loved one’s death are treated with the accountability and compassion they deserve.

    Current and legal stakeholders have acknowledged the core of the parents’ complaints, offering guidance for families facing similar barriers. Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Nuffield Burnett confirmed that law enforcement holds a legal obligation to keep complaining parties updated throughout the course of criminal investigations. Burnett advised that any family experiencing unreasonable delays or inadequate communication should file a formal complaint with the police force’s Office of Professional Standards. Independent legal expert Warren Cassell further urged affected families to pursue independent legal counsel, noting that court orders are legally enforceable when state bodies fail to comply with their terms.

  • Govt moves to tackle traffic chaos amid public transport indiscipline

    Govt moves to tackle traffic chaos amid public transport indiscipline

    Decades of growing traffic gridlock around the Constitution River Terminal in Barbados have pushed transport officials and law enforcement to announce a dual-pronged plan: targeted revisions to local traffic routes paired with aggressive enforcement against widespread road indiscipline among public service vehicle (PSV) operators and commuters. The intervention comes after sustained pressure from the Alliance Owners of Public Transport, which has repeatedly flagged crippling congestion at key chokepoints including Nursery Drive and the Charles Duncan O’Neal bridge.

    To immediately ease flow for vehicles accessing the terminal, the government has confirmed it will reopen the Nursery Drive access point opposite Queen’s Park, a change designed to streamline entry and cut down on idle time at the busy interchange. But senior leaders have stressed that infrastructure adjustments alone cannot fix the root causes of the island’s persistent road problems.

    Speaking on the crisis, Minister of Transport Kirk Humphrey noted that while many PSV operators consistently follow road rules, the overwhelming share of bottlenecks in the Constitution River area stem from deliberate violations by operators who refuse to use the purpose-built terminal facilities. “We created the terminal for the vehicles to go inside and park. They’re supposed to pick up and drop off there, but they don’t want to do it,” Humphrey explained. “If indiscipline is going to be your nature, no matter what system I try to put in place in terms of where traffic is allowed to go, indiscipline is going to be indiscipline.”

    Humphrey called out common reckless behaviors, highlighting that operators of the island’s iconic ZR minibuses often stop in no-stopping zones, and that drivers frequently park for extended mid-trip conversations that block entire lanes. He emphasized that while operators are justified in requesting infrastructure improvements to ease congestion, the current lawless behavior cannot be blamed on anyone other than the violators themselves. Going forward, he warned, the government will pair ongoing community consultations with stepped-up legal enforcement, with repeat offenders facing immediate penalties.

    Jason Bowen, Chief Technical Officer of the Ministry of Transport and Works, confirmed the details of the route adjustments, noting that the current terminal entrance configuration creates unnecessary hazards and delays for ordinary private motorists as well. “We have had discussions with the Traffic Branch of the police and the Transport Authority, and we are going to recommend that traffic be returned to the Nursery Drive access. Too much congestion is occurring on the other end, and we cannot allow that to continue,” Bowen said. Additional strict restrictions are also planned for the Nelson Street and Green Hill corridors, including time-bound drop-off zones and the rollout of automated surveillance cameras to track vehicles that loiter in unauthorized areas.

    Ruth Holder, Director of the Transport Authority, added that commuters share a large portion of the blame for the ongoing chaos, saying passengers often actively encourage illegal stops and push back against enforcement actions. “When we offload vehicles at the entrance because of safety infractions, we get cursed by passengers because they have to walk further. It doesn’t make it any easier for us,” Holder explained. She revealed that the authority has ramped up enforcement efforts since late last year, now reviewing public and social media-submitted video evidence to penalize reckless operators. Between December 2023 and the end of July 2024, authorities suspended 82 PSV operating permits for repeated violations.

  • Knight Riders beat Tridents in WCPL Opener

    Knight Riders beat Tridents in WCPL Opener

    The 2026 edition of the Limacol Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) kicked off at Bridgetown’s iconic Kensington Oval on Saturday, September 5, with an exciting opening clash that saw pre-tournament contender Trinbago Knight Riders claim an emphatic 21-run victory over three-time defending champions Barbados Tridents Women.

    After Tridents skipper won the pre-match coin toss and elected to send the Knight Riders into bat first, the tournament’s new entrants faced an early setback that could have derailed their innings. Fast bowler Shawnisha Hector thought she had claimed the early wicket of opener Bhatia via a caught-and-bowled, but the delivery was ruled a no-ball, gifting the Indian international a critical second life. Bhatia made no mistake in capitalizing on the reprieve, partnering with Laura Harris to build a devastating opening stand that dominated the PowerPlay overs.

    Harris proved particularly unplayable for the Tridents bowling attack, bludgeoning 38 runs off just 19 deliveries, while Bhatia chipped in with a steady 35 to consolidate the innings. By the time the opening pair was broken in the final over of the PowerPlay, Knight Riders had raced to 71 runs from the six overs, putting the Tridents on the back foot early. The home side tried four different bowlers in the PowerPlay in a bid to stem the flow of runs, but none could find consistent containment. Later in the innings, Suzie Bates and Quiana Joseph turned the tide for Tridents, combining to take five wickets that dragged the contest back into balance and restricted Knight Riders to a total of 155 all out, a challenging but achievable target for the defending champions.

    Chasing 156 for victory, Barbados got off to a promising start, with all of their top four batters getting off to solid starts. Debutant Kiran Navgire showed her quality with a quick 28, while Joseph contributed a 21-ball 25 to keep the Trident’s run chase on track. However, the Knight Riders’ pace attack gradually turned the screw, applying consistent pressure that broke the backbone of Barbados’ pursuit. All-rounder Deandra Dottin and Indian seamer Shikha Pandey combined to claim five wickets between them, derailing the Tridents’ middle order. As the pressure mounted on the lower order, Knight Riders’ spinners mopped up the remaining wickets to cap off a dominant all-round bowling performance and seal the 21-run win.

    The result hands Trinbago Knight Riders the perfect start to their 2026 WCPL campaign, sending an early statement of their title credentials to the rest of the competition. For the three-time defending champions, the opening day defeat leaves them with work to do, needing to regroup quickly ahead of their next group stage fixture after being outplayed in the second half of the contest.

  • RPTC pushes closer police-prosecutor collaboration

    RPTC pushes closer police-prosecutor collaboration

    Across the Caribbean, justice system stakeholders are pushing for reforms to streamline criminal case processing, and a recent training initiative in Barbados marks a major step forward in this effort. The Regional Police Training Centre (RPTC), based in Seawell, Christ Church, wrapped up its 2026 Prosecutors and Enhanced Constables’ Development Courses Friday with an awards and closing ceremony, capping off five weeks of collaborative skill-building designed to reshape how law enforcement and legal prosecution teams work together.

    In his remarks to graduating participants and program organizers, RPTC Deputy Commandant Lawrence Collymore emphasized that cross-team coordination is not just a procedural improvement, but a foundational requirement for delivering more effective, reliable outcomes in the criminal justice system. For decades, institutional silos have separated investigative police units from prosecution teams, creating miscommunication gaps, procedural delays, and avoidable errors that weaken cases and undermine public trust in justice systems across the region. To tackle this long-standing problem, the 2026 training cycle was built from the ground up to integrate both groups into a shared learning experience.

    “A primary strategic objective of this training cycle was the dismantling of the silos that traditionally separate investigators from prosecutors by integrating both groups in a programme to establish a collaborative ecosystem that mirrors the requirements of a high-functioning justice system,” Collymore explained. This integrated approach directly addresses the well-documented weaknesses that often arise during the handoff of a case from the investigative phase to prosecution, a pain point that has plagued regional justice systems for years.

    The five-week program, which launched on August 12, brought together dozens of law enforcement and prosecution professionals from across the Caribbean region, creating a space for cross-jurisdictional learning as well as cross-team collaboration. Unlike traditional training that trains investigators and prosecutors in separate cohorts, this course put both groups through the same hands-on practical exercises, including simulated crime incidents ranging from traffic accidents to residential burglaries, structured debates on procedural best practices, and mock suspect interviews. Facilitators ran a rigorous evaluation process throughout these activities, closely observing participants to catch procedural errors early and correct them at their source, rather than allowing bad habits to carry over into real-world case work.

    By the end of the cycle, Collymore confirmed the initiative had met and even exceeded expectations, particularly when it came to building habits of real-time collaboration between the investigative and prosecution branches of regional law enforcement. Looking ahead to future training cycles, Collymore outlined two key recommendations to strengthen the program further. First, he called for continuing the practice of mixing junior new officers with seasoned veteran professionals in all integrated courses, a structure that supports intergenerational knowledge transfer and ensures that classroom learning remains rooted in the real-world practical experience that only veteran officers can bring. Second, he pushed for a greater focus on modern practical skills, including electronic evidence interviewing techniques and advanced crime scene management, to keep training aligned with evolving criminal tactics and investigative technologies.

    The 2026 training cycle comes as regional law enforcement communities increasingly prioritize systemic improvements to address rising rates of transnational crime and strengthen public confidence. This integrated training model is now positioned to become a permanent framework for future professional development at the RPTC, with the potential to be adopted by other justice training institutions across the Caribbean.

  • Dry weather, rising temperatures push global food prices higher

    Dry weather, rising temperatures push global food prices higher

    WASHINGTON, DC – A new wave of upward pressure is hitting global food markets, as climbing global temperatures and increasingly erratic weather patterns linked to climate change threaten agricultural output across major producing regions. Climate-driven extreme heat, prolonged drought and other environmental risks have emerged as key stressors for supply chains, stirring widespread concern among policymakers and industry stakeholders.

  • iciHaiti – Education : Closing of the «Back to School» Camp

    iciHaiti – Education : Closing of the «Back to School» Camp

    On September 4, 2026, Haiti officially concluded its week-long government-sponsored “Back to School” mega summer camp during a closing ceremony held at the Delmas Municipal Palace. The event brought together top officials from multiple national government bodies, including Pythagore Dumas, the country’s Minister of Youth, Sports, and Civic Action (MJSAC), alongside representatives from the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Women’s Rights, Institute of Social Welfare and Research, Haitian National Police, National School Feeding Program, and Dignité School Transportation Company.

    Running from August 31 to September 4 under the official patronage of Haiti’s Prime Minister’s Office, the socio-educational initiative operated across four municipalities in Haiti’s capital region: Delmas, Port-au-Prince, Pétion-Ville, and Kenscoff. It drew more than 2,000 young participants between the ages of 7 and 17, drawn from both local communities across the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and temporary settlements that house families displaced by ongoing instability in the country.

    Aligned with the national government’s core campaign theme, “Every child in school is the Government’s priority,” the camp was designed to support vulnerable young people amid a period of widespread economic and social hardship that has left many Haitian families struggling to access stable education and basic support services. Beyond academic preparation for the upcoming school year, the program used organized sports activities to teach participants foundational life values including personal discipline, mutual respect, fair play, collective solidarity, and social cohesion, bringing together young people from varied backgrounds to connect and collaborate.

    During the closing ceremony, Minister Dumas delivered a keynote address to assembled participants, stressing that the momentum and lessons of the camp must be carried forward into the new school year. He also called on parents across Haiti to step up investment in their children’s protection and development, emphasizing the critical role of safe, respectful, and trusting home environments in supporting young people’s success.

    Pedrica Saint Jean, Haiti’s Minister for the Status of Women, also addressed the crowd, urging all students to return to their classrooms with courage, self-discipline, and unwavering determination. She encouraged participants to respect their teachers and peers, reject violence in all forms, and commit to their educational goals. In a special message directed at the camp’s young female participants, Saint Jean challenged girls to embrace their full potential, telling them, “Never let anyone make you believe that you are incapable.”

    The closing ceremony wrapped up in a joyful, celebratory atmosphere. Young campers took the stage to perform a series of original dance and poetry pieces for the gathered audience before popular local entertainment group “La bande à Pipo” led interactive games and activities for attendees. The event concluded with the distribution of complete school supply kits to every participant, providing them with the essential materials they need to start the new school term prepared.