Carib Scope

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  • New education initiatives aim to boost student, teacher support

    New education initiatives aim to boost student, teacher support

    As students and educators across the country prepare to return to classrooms for a new academic year, the Ministry of Education has announced a bold suite of targeted initiatives designed to uplift school communities, expand learning access, and create more inclusive pathways for young people to reach their potential.

    In an official back-to-school address delivered Monday evening, Education Minister Kenson Casimir framed the new policy package as a shift toward more intentional, student-centered and educator-focused governance for the national education system. At the top of the ministry’s priorities is addressing the often-overlooked crisis of teacher mental health and occupational burnout, a challenge that has strained school communities globally in recent years.

    To give both teaching staff and students extended time to recharge mid-semester, a new midterm break has been formally added to the national school calendar. Casimir emphasized that the well-being of educators is inextricably linked to the quality of learning outcomes for students, directly addressing the teaching workforce to affirm: “Your mental health matters, your well-being matters, and you matter.”

    Beyond calendar adjustments, the ministry is expanding on-site psychosocial support for school communities by adding eight new school counselors and two additional full-time social workers to staff across the country. These new hires will bring much-needed mental health resources to students and staff who have long faced shortages of support personnel in many education systems.

    To tackle the persistent issue of student absenteeism, which has grown into a major barrier to learning post-pandemic, the ministry has recruited two dedicated truancy intervention officers. Unlike traditional truancy staff that only track and record unexcused absences, these new officers will take a proactive, holistic approach: they will engage directly with disconnected students and their families to address root causes of disengagement and support learners in returning to regular classroom participation. “We cannot simply record these absences,” Casimir explained, adding that the core goal of the role is to rebuild connections between young people and their education.

    A flagship new program, titled Educational and Skills Pathways for At-Risk Youth, will also launch this academic year to serve both current students and young people who have already left the education system. The initiative is designed to provide targeted knowledge and hands-on vocational training that help participants re-engage with formal education, access job-specific training, or enter the workforce directly. Casimir stressed that the program is rooted in the principle that young people thrive on different timelines and through different routes, and divergent pathways do not equate to diminished potential. The program forms a core part of the ministry’s broader strategy to reduce the number of young people who become permanently disconnected from learning opportunities.

    To advance whole-child development beyond core academic instruction, the ministry is also pushing to expand extracurricular and co-curricular enrichment activities across all schools, with a target that every campus will host at least one student-led enrichment club by the end of the academic year. Casimir argued that effective education cannot be limited to traditional textbook and classroom learning, and that schools must create space for young people to explore and nurture their unique talents. “Education must develop the whole child,” he said, noting that school campuses across the country are home to emerging musicians, entrepreneurs, athletes, debaters and scientists who need intentional opportunities to grow their skills outside of core classes.

    Finally, the ministry plans to establish a new National Parent-Teacher Community Association to strengthen coordinated collaboration between homes, schools and local community groups. Casimir noted that when all three stakeholders align their efforts to support students, young people see meaningful improvements in attendance, engagement and academic outcomes, making the association a key complementary piece of the broader reform package.

  • PM Browne Impressed by New Cruise Port Development Ahead of November Opening

    PM Browne Impressed by New Cruise Port Development Ahead of November Opening

    As the Caribbean tourism industry continues its post-pandemic rebound, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has offered glowing praise for the ongoing construction of the nation’s new state-of-the-art cruise port, confirming the landmark facility remains on track to welcome its first visitors this November.

    During a recent on-site inspection of the development project, Browne walked through the newly completed passenger terminals, reviewed the expanded docking infrastructure, and met with construction crews and project managers to discuss the final stages of work. He told reporters after the tour that he has been deeply impressed by the pace of work, the quality of craftsmanship, and the attention to detail that has gone into every aspect of the facility. When complete, the port will be able to accommodate the world’s largest modern cruise ships, a capability that the existing port infrastructure has never been able to support.

    The new cruise port is one of the Browne administration’s flagship infrastructure investments aimed at supercharging Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism sector, which accounts for more than 60% of the nation’s gross domestic product and employs a majority of the local workforce. Project leaders noted that the development has already created hundreds of local construction jobs, and once operational, it is expected to generate thousands more permanent positions in tourism, hospitality, retail, and port services across the island.

    Browne emphasized that the expanded port capacity will allow Antigua to capture a larger share of the growing global cruise market, which has seen record bookings in 2024 as travelers resume international leisure travel. He added that the facility will also include new public amenities, including a waterfront promenade, local craft retail spaces, and improved access for local residents who use the area for recreation.

    Despite early concerns about supply chain delays that impacted infrastructure projects across the globe over the past three years, the project’s developers confirmed that all key materials have been delivered on schedule, and the construction is running slightly ahead of the original timeline. That puts the November opening date firmly within reach, with final testing and cosmetic finishing work set to be completed by the end of October. Local business leaders have already expressed optimism that the new port will drive a significant increase in visitor spending, boosting the incomes of small business owners across the island from taxi operators to restaurant workers and souvenir vendors.

  • Eight Students Receive Rotary Sunrise Scholarships

    Eight Students Receive Rotary Sunrise Scholarships

    On September 1, 2026, eight outstanding high school students in Belize received prestigious scholarships through a long-running collaborative program between the Rotary Club of Belize Sunrise and global energy firm Puma Energy, marking seven years of the partnership’s commitment to expanding educational access across the country.

    This year, roughly 15 students submitted applications for the competitive awards, which were presented to the selected recipients during a formal recognition ceremony. At the event, leadership representatives from both partnering organizations delivered remarks urging the new scholars to remain focused on their academic journeys and leverage the full range of support the program provides.

    Adelaide Sabido, past president of Rotary Sunrise, emphasized that the initiative is far more than a recognition of past academic success. “This scholarship is not only a reward for what you have already accomplished. It is an investment in what we know you are capable of achieving,” Sabido told the assembled recipients and guests.

    Unlike many traditional scholarship programs that only provide one-time financial aid for tuition and school materials, the Rotary Sunrise-Puma Energy initiative offers holistic ongoing support. Rotary Club president Maynor Larrieu explained that program coordinators track each recipient’s academic progress throughout the year. Scholars struggling with core subjects including mathematics and English can access free additional tutoring, and the program also provides dedicated support for students’ mental wellness needs.

    For the 2026 recipients, the award has already made a tangible difference in their lives and their families’ financial stability. Ari Salano, a student at Anglican Cathedral College, shared that the scholarship has motivated him to push harder toward his long-term goals while reducing the financial strain his family has faced covering education costs. Mitchaelyn Fuller, an aspiring physician attending St. Catherine’s Academy, echoed that sentiment, noting the support eases the burden on her single mother, who manages school expenses alongside daily household bills.

    Freddie, a representative from Puma Energy, reaffirmed the company’s long-term commitment to the initiative, noting that the seven-year collaboration centers on investing in education to nurture the next generation of Belizean community and national leaders. “You were chosen because of your talents, drive, and potential,” Freddie told the new and returning scholars in his congratulatory remarks.

    As Belize has expanded access to free public education in recent years, the scholarship program has adapted its offerings to meet evolving student needs, Larrieu explained. Rather than focusing solely on tuition coverage, the Rotary Club now targets complementary support gaps, including funding for extracurricular activities and other unmet educational requirements that free public education does not cover.

    The program also maintains continuous support for students who received awards in previous years, with some recipients who first joined the initiative during primary school now advancing into high school. Larrieu noted that the program adjusts its level and type of support as students progress through different stages of their education, with the end goal of helping students graduate and go on to become engaged leaders in their local communities.

    In closing, Sabido challenged the new scholarship recipients to not only advance their own education but also to pass on the support they have received once they achieve their own goals. “One day, you will be in a position to open a door for someone else. When that day comes, open it wide,” she said.

  • SIB Breaks Down the Survey Belizeans Didn’t Believe

    SIB Breaks Down the Survey Belizeans Didn’t Believe

    In the wake of widespread public pushback following last week’s release of a report showing a marginal uptick in Belize’s national consumer confidence, the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) has stepped forward to demystify the methodology behind the closely watched economic indicator and address public misperceptions. News Five recently sat down with Jacqueline Sabal, who heads the Economic Statistics Department at SIB, to break down how the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) is calculated and what the latest July data actually signals for Belize’s economy.

    Sabal walked through the core design of the monthly index, which draws its data from a structured national telephone survey distributed across every district in Belize. The sampling framework is carefully calibrated to reflect the population size of each district, ensuring the results are representative of the full range of consumer sentiment across the country. The CCI tracks three distinct components of public perception: how households assess their current financial standing compared to 12 months prior, what consumers anticipate for their financial outlook over the coming year, and whether the public believes current conditions are favorable for making large-ticket purchases such as homes, vehicles, or major household furniture.

    “Our questions center on two time horizons: current conditions, which asks respondents to compare their household finances and overall economic conditions today to where they were a year ago, and future expectations, which asks whether they anticipate conditions will improve, stagnate, or worsen over the next 12 months,” Sabal explained. “We also add a targeted question about willingness to make major purchases, which gives us insight into consumers’ long-term spending plans.”

    A key point Sabal emphasized is that the CCI is not a hard, objective measure of actual economic output or performance. Instead, it is a perception-based study designed to forecast future consumer spending, one of the largest drivers of overall economic activity. “This index doesn’t measure the economy itself—it measures how people feel about the economy,” she noted. “If consumers are broadly optimistic, we can reasonably expect they will increase their spending, which will in turn boost overall economic activity across the country. If sentiment leans pessimistic, on the other hand, consumers are more likely to tighten their belts and increase savings, leading to slower economic growth.”

    To address the root of public frustration over the recent report, Sabal directly clarified the state of Belizean consumer confidence: while the July reading did mark a small increase, the overall index remains firmly in pessimistic territory. The CCI uses 50 as a baseline threshold: any reading above 50 signals broad optimism among consumers, while scores below 50 reflect overall pessimism. The July index came in at 42.6, still well below the 50 benchmark that separates positive and negative sentiment.

    Sabal added that the July uptick was the first monthly increase in the CCI recorded since the beginning of 2026, following a steady, months-long downward trend in consumer confidence. Even with this small improvement, however, she warned that one month of positive movement is not enough to confirm a lasting shift in consumer sentiment. “A single monthly increase doesn’t tell us much about the direction of the trend,” Sabal explained. “To confirm that this slight uptick represents a genuine, sustained change in how Belizeans feel about the economy, we need multiple months of consistent data. We have to see if the index will continue to climb in the coming months, or if it will resume its downward trajectory or hold steady. For 2026 as a whole, the broader trend has still been downward.”

    The clarification from SIB comes after the initial report of rising consumer confidence sparked disbelief and backlash among Belizeans, many of whom questioned how the index could show improvement amid ongoing economic challenges facing the country. SIB’s breakdown aims to create greater transparency around how the index is compiled, helping the public better interpret the monthly economic indicator.

  • White Water Village tones down Heritage Month activities due to MV Barima tragedy

    White Water Village tones down Heritage Month activities due to MV Barima tragedy

    As Guyana prepares to mark its annual Amerindian Heritage Month in September 2026, one north-western community has made the somber decision to reimagine this year’s celebrations, choosing reflection and spiritual solidarity over traditional festivities in the wake of one of the country’s deadliest maritime disasters in recent memory.

    On July 19, the passenger vessel MV Barima capsized roughly 10 miles off Guyana’s Essequibo Coast while traveling from the capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma. The disaster has already claimed more than 100 lives, with official records listing 76 recovered deceased, eight of whom hailed from White Water, a tight-knit Indigenous village of roughly 3,000 residents. To date, the sunken vessel has not been salvaged, and a presidential commission of inquiry convened to investigate the tragedy has not yet begun public hearings, leaving many grieving families still waiting for answers.

    In an official statement released ahead of Heritage Month, the White Water Village Council announced that all typical celebratory programming—including commercial sales, alcohol service, and public entertainment events—would be canceled this year. The decision was made intentionally to honor the lives lost and stand with grieving families and survivors who continue to grapple with trauma and the long-term impacts of the disaster.

    “This is a departure from the traditional celebrations our community has come to look forward to each year, but we believe this choice is necessary to bring our community together in this extremely difficult moment,” the council explained. “Standing in solidarity with all those affected, this year’s observance will center on reflection, collective worship, prayer, community unity, and spiritual encouragement for all who are hurting.”

    Instead of large public festivals, this year’s events hosted at the White Water Central Playfield between September 25 and 27 will focus on faith-based programming, including religious crusades, an interdenominational worship and thanksgiving service, and a gospel concert. Traditional Indigenous foods will still be prepared and distributed to community members on the final Sunday of the observance, preserving a small part of the annual cultural tradition.

    While White Water adjusts its local programming to honor the tragedy’s victims, national-level observances are moving forward as planned. The Guyanese Ministry of Amerindian Affairs launched its 2026 Amerindian Heritage Month celebrations on September 1 with a large-scale Amerindian Heritage Cultural Extravaganza held at Amerindian Village in Sophia. The event, held under the theme “Observing Our Cultural Heritage During Our Diamond Jubilee,” is designed to showcase the depth and diversity of Guyana’s rich Indigenous cultural heritage through traditional performances, craft displays, and cultural exchange activities.

  • New report challenges Flavio Bolsonaro’s account regarding film

    New report challenges Flavio Bolsonaro’s account regarding film

    A recent bombshell investigation published by Brazilian investigative magazine *Piaui* has uncovered new financial details that directly contradict public statements made by Liberal Party presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, throwing a fresh wave of scrutiny over the controversial financing of a biographical film about his father, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The core discrepancy centers on the timing of a key six-figure transfer from Salvador Vorcaro, owner of Brazilian financial institution Banco Master, to a U.S.-based film production fund.

    Per the investigation, which draws on official data from Brazil’s Council for the Control of Financial Activities (Coaf), Vorcaro transferred $1.666 million to the Havengate Development Fund, the American entity tasked with managing capital for the film *Dark Horse*, on September 16, 2025. This directly contradicts Flavio Bolsonaro’s earlier claim during a televised GloboNews interview, where he asserted that Vorcaro’s final payment for the project had been completed back in May 2025.

    Court documents and previously leaked communications from the ongoing investigation show that the September transfer was initiated just eight days after Flavio Bolsonaro personally demanded that Vorcaro settle all overdue payment installments for the film project. With this additional disbursement added to prior contributions, the total amount Vorcaro has funneled into the *Dark Horse* project now sits at $12.3 million, up from the previously reported $10.6 million. At the 2025 exchange rate, that total equals more than 65 million Brazilian reais, according to *Piaui*’s calculations.

    Vorcaro has remained in pre-trial detention in Brazil’s capital Brasilia since March 2025, as part of the Federal Police’s high-profile “Operation Compliance Zero.” That probe centers on allegations of large-scale financial fraud at Banco Master, which investigators say has left public and private stakeholders with billions of reais in total losses.

    Beyond the conflicting timeline of the transfer, the *Piaui* report also published previously unreleased content from a WhatsApp conversation dated October 22, 2025, between Vorcaro and Thiago Miranda, the advertising executive who led private fundraising efforts for *Dark Horse*. The contents of that exchange are expected to provide new clues for investigators probing the flow of capital for the film.

    Currently, Brazilian federal authorities are pursuing two core lines of inquiry related to the Havengate fund. First, they are working to confirm whether the full sum of capital received by the U.S. entity was actually used for *Dark Horse* production costs, or if a portion of the funds was diverted for other uses. Second, investigators are seeking to clarify what role Flavio Bolsonaro’s brother, former federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, played in the management and oversight of the fund’s resources.

  • Cuba: Start of school year, an achievement of social protection

    Cuba: Start of school year, an achievement of social protection

    As the 2026-2027 academic year kicks off across Cuba, the Caribbean nation has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to protecting universal free education, a core social achievement that external pressures have repeatedly sought to undermine. This year, more than 1.5 million students are returning to classrooms across the country, a milestone that stands as a direct rebuke to efforts designed to economically and politically strangle the Cuban people.

    The official opening ceremony was held in Havana’s historic Prado district, a site steeped in national symbolic meaning: it is where Jose Marti, Cuba’s revered National Apostle and foundational independence thinker, received his early education. President Diaz-Canel led the ceremony, joined by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero for the occasion.

    Speaking ahead of the new term, Cuban Minister of Education Naima Ariatne Trujillo acknowledged that this academic year begins against a backdrop of persistent national adversity. Even so, Trujillo stressed that the Cuban people have never accepted defeat, and access to high-quality public education remains a non-negotiable pillar of the country’s social contract.

    On his official X (formerly Twitter) profile, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez highlighted that the smooth return of students to classrooms reflects the unified determination of Cuba’s Communist Party, national government, and general public. This collective effort ensures the continued operation of essential public services and upholds a fundamental right that the country has guaranteed to all citizens free of charge for nearly 70 years.

    Rodriguez asserted that no combination of energy blockades, political threats, intensified trade embargoes, or punitive secondary sanctions will divert Cuba from its path of preserving and expanding the transformative social gains of the Cuban Revolution, first forged under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.

    To back this commitment with tangible investment, the Cuban government has allocated 71.983 billion pesos to the education sector for 2026. This funding makes up 20 percent of the country’s total annual state expenditure, ranking education as one of the largest line items in the national social protection budget. Only public health receives a larger share of state spending in Cuba, reflecting the government’s long-standing prioritization of social welfare for all citizens.

  • BEL Says Second Blackout Tied to Mexico Supply Loss

    BEL Says Second Blackout Tied to Mexico Supply Loss

    Belize is grappling with its second widespread national power outage in seven days, with Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) confirming the failure stemmed from an unexpected interruption to imported electricity from Mexico’s national power utility Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), at a time when domestic generation capacity was already struggling to meet customer demand.

    Data released by BEL details the tight supply balance that left the national grid vulnerable on August 31. On that date, total available in-country generation capacity reached only 109 megawatts, while total customer demand hit 117 megawatts – an 8-megawatt gap that left no buffer for an interruption to cross-border imports. This imbalance mirrored conditions exactly one week prior, on August 25, when local generation hit just 103 megawatts against an evening peak demand of 122 megawatts. In both incidents, the sudden loss of CFE supply when the domestic margin was already razor-thin led to full grid outages across the entire country.

    CFE later clarified the root cause of its supply interruption: two high-voltage transmission lines in Mexico were forced offline following deliberate acts of vandalism. The outage impacted CFE customers across four Mexican states – Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Chiapas – before service began to be progressively restored overnight.

    BEL has noted that domestic generation capacity has been constrained for months, with output affected by a combination of seasonal weather patterns, scheduled routine maintenance at existing facilities, and unplanned reduced output at a number of operational power plants. The company had already warned of potential 2026 supply gaps as early as October 2025, prompting an official emergency declaration from Belize’s Cabinet under the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) Request for Proposal Regulations. This emergency status cleared the way for BEL to secure contract for temporary floating generation capacity, which is currently being installed at the country’s Westlake Facility. The new capacity is on track to enter service by mid-September 2026, and will remain operational for an initial six-month period to shore up grid reliability.

    The additional temporary generation is designed to provide a critical buffer for the national grid during periods of peak demand, or when core supply sources experience unexpected outages. BEL also confirmed that a formal assessment letter submitted to the PUC on August 26 is part of a broader ongoing review of national electricity supply requirements for the next 12 months, which may lead to additional capacity measures being approved.

    Even with the upcoming temporary capacity addition, BEL has warned that controlled targeted power interruptions, or rolling load shedding, may still be required occasionally to prevent full grid collapse and maintain overall system stability. This risk remains particularly high if another major supply source is unexpectedly taken offline. The utility has stated that it will continue implementing mitigation measures to reduce disruption to residential and commercial customers across the country as it works to resolve the long-term supply imbalance. The news comes as Belizean consumers already face rising electricity bills, with longer-term renewable energy transition projects intended to fix structural supply gaps still delayed in development.

  • “I Was the One Who Identified My Daughter’s Body”

    “I Was the One Who Identified My Daughter’s Body”

    On a seemingly ordinary Monday night in Belize City, a routine decision to leave the front door unlocked for a young woman heading to volleyball practice became the opening chapter of a devastating family tragedy that has once again put the persistent threat of gun violence in the Caribbean nation under the spotlight.

    Fitzroy Myvette, a long-time Belize City resident, told his wife not to secure their home’s front door that evening. His 20-year-old daughter Brianna, an employee at Belize Central Prison, had left the house around 7:30 p.m. for her regular volleyball training, following a routine she stuck to week after week: after practice, she would stop to grab a late-night snack before heading home to settle in for the night. Myvette planned to stay awake to let her in, so he told his wife to leave the door unlatched.

    What no one in the family could have anticipated was that this ordinary evening would end in senseless violence. Shortly before midnight, Brianna was seated in a parked car alongside a friend outside a Freetown Road restaurant when an unknown gunman opened fire on the vehicle. Struck by gunfire, the 20-year-old did not survive the attack.

    Exhausted after hours of waiting, Myvette had fallen asleep before his daughter returned, still holding out hope he would hear her key turn in the lock. It was not Brianna’s footsteps that woke the family past 11 p.m., but a sharp, unexpected bang on their front door. When Myvette opened it, he found uniformed police officers waiting outside, who asked a family member to accompany them to the local hospital to identify a shooting victim. Myvette was the one who went, and he was forced to confirm that the life cut short was his own daughter’s.

    As of the latest update, investigators have not yet identified a suspect or determined a clear motive for the shooting. The killing has left another Belize City family grappling with unfathomable grief, marking the latest young life lost to the ongoing problem of unregulated gun violence in the community.

  • Cotino bezorgd over nieuwe verhoging salarissen rechterlijke macht en DNA

    Cotino bezorgd over nieuwe verhoging salarissen rechterlijke macht en DNA

    As Suriname prepares to implement a planned 15% salary adjustment for all civil servants at the end of September, a ruling party parliamentarian has issued an urgent warning that the policy will exacerbate long-standing, highly controversial pay inequities across the country’s three branches of government that have yet to be resolved.

    Rossellie Cotino, a member of the National Assembly (DNA) representing the National Democratic Party (NDP), brought the pressing issue to the floor during a public plenary session of the legislature on September 1. She emphasized that public outcry over excessive overpay for senior officials in certain sectors—most notably the judiciary—has already been building for months, with some senior public servants currently earning as much as four times the annual salary of the country’s president.

    Years ago, government launched a formal review process to correct the extreme pay skew between the executive, legislative and judicial branches. To date, however, no final regulatory framework to address the disparities has been drafted, debated, approved or enacted into law. That gap means the upcoming across-the-board civil service salary hike will automatically flow to senior legislative and judicial officials, whose pay scales are legally tied to the civil servant salary system. If the adjustment goes forward as planned, Cotino argues, the already problematic gap between the highest and lowest paid public officials will widen even further.

    “It makes no logical sense to grant this across-the-board increase now, only to turn around and roll it back later once the pay reform is finalized,” Cotino told the assembly. As an immediate stopgap measure, she proposed that National Assembly President Jennifer Simons explore capping her own salary for a temporary period, which would halt automatic increases for all positions whose pay is linked to the presidential pay scale.

    Cotino is calling on the administration to intervene urgently, pausing the planned salary adjustment for senior linked positions until a comprehensive solution to the existing pay disparities is reached. Her goal is to prevent a policy designed to improve the economic standing of rank-and-file civil servants from inadvertently further inflating the already controversial compensation of top public officeholders.