Carib Scope

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  • Organisers happy with execution of NSC Netball Competition

    Organisers happy with execution of NSC Netball Competition

    One of the most anticipated annual youth netball tournaments in the region wrapped up this week with a dramatic final, leaving organizers and spectators praising the quality of play and seamless event execution. Tracey Leacock, senior netball coach at the National Sports Council, delivered a glowing assessment of the 2024 Pedialyte Sport Primary Schools Competition following Wednesday’s championship match, where Shirley Chisholm Primary extended its historic winning streak to five consecutive titles with a hard-fought victory over runner-up West Terrace Primary.

    In Leacock’s assessment, every stage of this year’s tournament — from the early zonal qualifying rounds to the final championship clash — went far better than many expected. She highlighted three key factors behind the event’s smooth running: meticulous advance planning by organizers, cooperative, favorable weather that eliminated weather-related delays, and well-coordinated logistics across every venue. “The execution was almost seamless this year,” Leacock shared in a post-final interview. “We had the competition in the zones which ran really well and even the weather cooperated this year. We went on to our playoffs, which were held in Gall Hill St John and that too went off effortlessly and culminated in a successful final.”

    Beyond the smooth event logistics, Leacock expressed particular satisfaction with the dramatic improvement in playing standards across all participating schools this year. She attributed this rising quality to a growing grassroots passion for the sport, with more young female athletes competing regularly outside the primary school tournament, including in the Barbados Netball Association (BNA) league. “The final was tremendous and generally throughout the tournament we’ve seen high standards of netball,” Leacock said. “I believe this can be attributed to girls playing more netball, playing in the BNA league as well and just generally having a love for netball and playing more. So we were able to see a very high standard of netball, especially from the playoffs where teams had to literally fight tooth and nail to advance.”

    Wednesday’s final cemented Shirley Chisholm Primary’s status as the undisputed dominant force in primary school netball over the past decade. With five back-to-back championship titles, the Vauxhall-based school has set a benchmark that other competing programs are now actively working to match. Leacock noted that Shirley Chisholm’s consistent success stems from intentional extra work put in by players and coaches behind the scenes, a model that rival programs have begun adopting to close the performance gap.

    “Over the years, we have recognised that the schools who have succeeded are the ones who are putting in the extra work,” Leacock explained. Even runner-up West Terrace Primary, she pointed out, has built a reputation for consistent hard work that brought them to the final this year. Competing schools including All Saints Primary and Christ Church Girls have also taken note of the winning formula, and are increasing their training commitments to earn a spot in future championship matches. “We are seeing across the board, persons are working hard so that they too can come to the finals,” Leacock added.

  • Grenada Diaspora Homecoming 2026 kicks off with warm welcome for returning nationals

    Grenada Diaspora Homecoming 2026 kicks off with warm welcome for returning nationals

    Thousands of Grenadians who have built lives across the globe are now heading back to their Caribbean home, kicking off the highly anticipated Grenada Diaspora Homecoming 2026 – a two-week national event designed to celebrate shared identity, foster cross-border collaboration, and drive forward the island nation’s ongoing development. The official opening ceremony took the form of a warm Welcome Reception hosted at the iconic, history-rich Belmont Estate, where Foreign Affairs, Trade and Export Development Minister Joseph Andall personally greeted returning diaspora members and invited stakeholders.

    Unlike a simple family or community reunion, this year’s Homecoming initiative is built on a deliberate, purpose-driven framework that goes far beyond nostalgic celebration. The multi-day agenda weaves together cultural immersion activities, community service projects, targeted investment roundtables, professional networking sessions, and structured opportunities for diaspora contributions to local growth. Held within the sprawling, culturally significant grounds of Belmont Estate, the opening reception brought together a diverse cross-section of attendees: returning Grenadians from every corner of the world, sitting government officials, local community leaders, domestic business partners, and other key stakeholders. The evening was rooted in core themes of reconnection and collective national pride, setting a collaborative tone for the weeks ahead.

    In his opening address to attendees, Minister Andall underlined the critical, long-standing role that overseas Grenadians play in the country’s social and economic progress. “Grenada’s diaspora has never been an afterthought – it has always been a core chapter of our national story,” he told the crowd. “This Homecoming is about extending a warm welcome that is rooted in purpose. It gives us space to deepen the bonds between Grenadians at home and abroad, reinforce shared ties of identity and belonging, and explore how our collective connection can drive meaningful, lasting development across the country.”

    Terrance Forrester, Ambassador for Diaspora Affairs, expanded on the initiative’s long-term goals, noting that the program was intentionally structured to build durable partnerships that deliver sustained benefits to Grenada. “Grenada Diaspora Homecoming is about far more than just coming back to visit,” Forrester explained. “It is about intentional reconnection. Our diaspora represents an incredible, untapped network of talent, global influence, specialized expertise, and untold possibility. When we create intentional spaces for Grenadians at home and abroad to meet, exchange ideas, and experience our country side by side, we unlock new doors for collaboration, foreign direct investment, global advocacy, and long-term national value that will benefit generations.”

    Opening night guests got an early taste of Grenadian hospitality, traditional cultural practices, and the tight-knit community spirit that organizers have centered as a core pillar of the entire Homecoming experience. The opening reception also served as a launchpad for the full lineup of events scheduled across the two-week program, which will be hosted across Grenada and its sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Key activities on the agenda include immersive cultural heritage experiences, grassroots community outreach projects, guided island tours highlighting ecological and historical sites, the high-profile Diaspora Forum and Marketplace, the National Spice Replanting Day environmental initiative, and dozens of smaller community-focused events.

    Running from June 21 through July 5, 2026, the initiative is organized around five core pillars: reconnection, national celebration, cross-sector collaboration, business development, and national pride. Event organizers and government officials share the long-term vision of continuing to strengthen people-to-people and institutional ties between local and overseas Grenadians, while unlocking new opportunities for cross-border investment, knowledge sharing, and inclusive, sustainable national growth for the entire country.

  • Regering investeert SRD 635 miljoen in modernisering AZP

    Regering investeert SRD 635 miljoen in modernisering AZP

    On June 25, the government of Suriname officially launched a SRD 635 million large-scale modernization project for the Academisch Ziekenhuis Paramaribo (AZP), the country’s leading tertiary medical facility, as a core pillar of a sweeping national healthcare reform agenda.

    The multi-component project, branded the Healthcare Facilities Readiness Initiative, is broken into four interconnected sub-projects designed to address longstanding infrastructure gaps at the hospital. These include a full renovation and expansion of the Thoracic and Cardio Coronary Care Unit, the second phase of reconstruction for the hospital’s west wing which houses the radiology department, main laboratory and basement facilities, upgrades to the clinical chemistry and microbiology laboratories and the hospital mortuary, and the second phase of renovations to the busy emergency department.

    According to the Communication Service of Suriname, construction work has already commenced on portions of the project, with remaining components in advanced stages of pre-construction preparation. During the official launch ceremony, President Jennifer Simons emphasized that this capital investment aligns with the government’s broader goal of systemic healthcare improvement amid Suriname’s ongoing period of national economic and social recovery.

    Simons framed the hospital modernization as a critical milestone to strengthen primary, secondary, and tertiary care across the country. She outlined the administration’s ambition to position 2027 as the year of transformative change for Suriname’s healthcare system, noting, “We must guarantee that every Surinamese retains access to high-quality care. Beyond upgrading medical infrastructure, we must also place far greater focus on preventive health, starting from primary school education.”

    André Misiekaba, Minister of Public Health, Welfare and Labor, reiterated that a fully functional AZP is foundational to addressing Suriname’s most pressing public health challenges. He confirmed that a revised pay scale for healthcare workers remains a top policy priority, though additional time is needed to finalize the framework for implementation.

    Misiekaba highlighted that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cancer, diabetes, hypertension and chronic lung conditions account for more than 70% of the country’s total disease burden, a statistic that underscores the urgent need for expanded preventive action. “Most risk factors for these conditions are modifiable,” he explained, urging the public to adopt healthier lifestyles through balanced diets, adequate hydration, increased physical activity, tobacco cessation, and reduced excessive alcohol consumption. He added that the Ministry of Public Health will roll out nationwide public awareness campaigns to drive greater adoption of preventive health practices.

    Claudia Marica-Redan, Director of AZP, described the government’s investment as a landmark turning point for Suriname’s entire healthcare system. She outlined the hospital’s outsize role in national care delivery: AZP provides 65% of all secondary care and 100% of acute and tertiary care across Suriname, serving more than 100 daily emergency patients, over 2,000 outpatient visits, and supporting more than 500 inpatient admissions every 24 hours.

    For years, Marica-Redan noted, the hospital has struggled with persistent shortages of staff, treatment capacity, medical supplies and core infrastructure, which has placed severe strain on the quality of care it can deliver. She expressed deep gratitude for the government’s investment, noting that the funding will not only support infrastructure renovations but also cover expanded stock of pharmaceuticals, upgraded medical equipment and essential consumables. She expects the initiative will lay the groundwork for a more accessible, safe, and affordable healthcare system for all Surinamese.

  • CDB economists warn Caribbean faces mounting global pressures amid structural vulnerabilities

    CDB economists warn Caribbean faces mounting global pressures amid structural vulnerabilities

    Against a backdrop of rising geopolitical friction, economic volatility, accelerating climate change and rapidly evolving global alliances, the Caribbean region faces a growing web of interconnected threats. But according to leading economists at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the most critical barrier to long-term stability is not new global shocks — it is decades-old structural flaws that have left the bloc uniquely sensitive to outside disruptions.

    This finding served as the core takeaway from a special policy session titled “Shockwaves: How Global Crises Are Hitting the Caribbean,” held as part of CDB’s EDGE X: Analytics Unlocked series during the Bank’s 56th Annual Meeting in Nassau, The Bahamas. The event brought together lead researchers Dr. Oronde Small and Xavier Ajani Malcolm to unpack the cascading impacts of overlapping global crises on Caribbean economies and outline actionable policy strategies to boost regional resilience.

    During the presentation, Malcolm emphasized that Caribbean nations are not confronting one isolated crisis, but a perfect storm of simultaneous challenges originating both at home and abroad. On the external front, the region grapples with climate-fueled natural disasters, protectionist “America-first” trade frameworks, growing fragmentation in global multilateral institutions, the ongoing conflict in Iran, heightened U.S. military engagement in the broader Caribbean and Venezuelan region, and the long-running humanitarian crisis in Cuba.

    These external pressures are amplified by deep-seated domestic weaknesses that have persisted for generations, CDB’s official press release confirms. Key structural vulnerabilities include limited economic diversification across most Caribbean states, extreme reliance on just a handful of export markets, heavy dependence on imported essential goods, chronically low productivity levels, and a large, unregulated informal economic sector that undermines government revenue and policy stability.

    Trade policy uncertainty emerged as another top risk highlighted during the session. Recent shifts in global trade rules, particularly the expansion of U.S. tariffs and persistent ambiguity around future tariff adjustments, threaten to dampen cross-border investment, raise financing costs for regional governments and businesses, and slow intra-regional trade. Economists stressed that tourism-reliant economies, which form the backbone of most Caribbean national incomes, face the greatest exposure to these trade disruptions.

    The region’s heavy dependence on imported food and fossil fuels creates additional volatility, leaving national budgets and consumer prices hostage to unpredictable swings in global commodity markets. This dependency makes it far more difficult for central banks and governments to control inflation and maintain steady economic growth, CDB researchers noted.

    Another worrying trend raised at the meeting is the steady decline in international development assistance. Global net official development assistance dropped by more than 8% in 2024, and multiple Caribbean nations saw deep cuts to U.S. development financing in 2025. This pullback comes at a critical moment, when Caribbean countries need massive capital investment for infrastructure upgrades, development projects and climate adaptation measures. Reduced aid will likely limit access to low-interest concessional financing, putting these critical goals out of reach for many nations.

    Climate change remains the single most pressing long-term threat to the region, Malcolm confirmed. Caribbean small island developing states already experience far higher levels of damage from climate-fueled natural hazards than most other small states globally. Rising sea levels, increasing average temperatures, more intense and frequent hurricanes, and regular climate-related disruptions continue to erode progress on economic growth and sustainable development.

    Malcolm also pointed out that climate shocks do not need to hit the Caribbean directly to impact regional economies. Climate disasters hitting major trading partners and key source markets for tourism can cut visitor arrivals, depress consumer spending in source countries and reduce foreign direct investment, creating indirect but severe economic headwinds for the region.

    Dr. Small added that recent rapid shifts in global geopolitics have added a new layer of uncertainty for a region that has always been heavily dependent on global economic and political conditions.

    “It’s becoming increasingly clear that these are not episodic events. They are structural features of the global space and have potentially significant implications for [the Bank’s] Borrowing Member Countries,” he told session attendees.

    Despite the long list of daunting challenges, both researchers stressed that the Caribbean has clear, actionable pathways to build greater resilience. The core policy recommendations from CDB include expanding economic diversification to broaden both export products and trading partners, accelerating the transition from imported fossil fuels to domestic renewable energy, strengthening national food security, boosting productivity through targeted investment in innovation, upgrading climate adaptation and disaster preparedness infrastructure, improving public financial management to reduce fiscal vulnerability, and deepening cross-border regional cooperation to share resources and reduce individual country risk.

    In their closing remarks, the economists concluded that Caribbean countries with strong, accountable public institutions — particularly robust, transparent fiscal frameworks — will be far better positioned to weather current and future external shocks. Building long-term resilience will require proactive, forward-thinking policy choices and sustained collaborative action across the region, they emphasized, to help Caribbean economies navigate an increasingly uncertain global landscape.

  • Banking customer service ‘leaves a lot to be desired’, says advocate

    Banking customer service ‘leaves a lot to be desired’, says advocate

    A top Barbadian consumer rights leader has issued a sharp rebuke of declining customer service standards across the island’s commercial banking sector, arguing that an over-dependence on inflexible, one-size-fits-all protocols is eroding practical, common-sense decision-making and leaving countless customers dissatisfied and disillusioned.

    Maureen Holder, executive chair of the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN), told local outlet Barbados TODAY that the prevailing banking culture on the island has flipped priorities backwards: procedure now takes precedence over professional discretion and logical problem-solving. In her remarks, she posed a pressing question that many local consumers have been asking privately: Are Barbadian commercial banks prioritizing rigid rule-following so heavily that they are sacrificing good customer service, common sense, and the modern risk-aligned decision-making that global standards now demand?

    Holder pointed out that global banking regulation has transformed dramatically over the past 20 years. Today, international best practice encourages financial institutions to adopt a risk-based framework for both compliance and customer service. The core goal of this approach is simple: target genuine threats of fraud, money laundering, and other financial crime, while cutting out unnecessary red tape that burdens law-abiding customers. Even with this global shift, Holder says thousands of Barbadian consumers still run into situations where tiny administrative hiccups blow up into insurmountable barriers.

    To illustrate her point, Holder shared a recent firsthand example. One customer presented a properly signed cheque that had one small, clear correction to the date. Despite the correction being fully visible and properly initiated by the account holder, bank staff refused to process the transaction solely because the correction did not include the initials of a second authorized signatory. When the customer asked for a clear explanation of what specific risk the uninitialed correction posed to the bank or the customer, staff could not give a satisfactory answer.

    Holder stressed that her criticism is not aimed at the existence of bank procedures themselves. Banks absolutely have the right to create internal protocols to manage risk, she noted. The core problem, she argued, is that these procedures are rarely applied with intelligence or proportionality. International standards recognize that rules cannot be applied blindly, without context. Financial institutions are supposed to empower their staff to exercise trained professional judgment. When a transaction carries little to no identifiable risk, and all details can be easily verified, frontline teams should have the authority to pursue practical solutions instead of automatically turning customers away.

    Across Barbados, Holder says consumers feel trapped in a banking ecosystem that values checking compliance boxes far more than it values positive customer outcomes. This issue is not limited to cheque processing, she added. Customers regularly report similar problems across nearly every banking interaction: overly strict requirements that make opening new accounts unnecessarily difficult, long delays fixing simple administrative errors, excessive requests for redundant documentation, painfully slow resolution of formal complaints, and a widespread reluctance among frontline staff to use any discretion even when it makes clear sense to do so. What makes this situation particularly frustrating for consumers, Holder notes, is that Barbados has long marketed itself as having a modern, sophisticated financial sector. Local consumers, she argues, have every right to expect the same high level of flexible, customer-focused service that is standard in other leading modern financial centers.

    Holder also questioned how effective current consumer complaint mechanisms actually are, arguing that the role of key regulators like the Central Bank of Barbados should not be limited only to protecting overall financial stability. Regulators also have a responsibility to push for fair treatment of consumers and encourage local financial institutions to update their outdated customer service practices, she said. While the Central Bank has done important work to keep public confidence in Barbados’ financial system strong, many consumers continue to report that minor service-related problems often fall into an unaddressed regulatory gap, where no clear authority takes responsibility for resolving the issue.

    Consumers who run into unreasonable service restrictions often find there is no simple, independent channel to resolve their disputes, Holder added. The outcome of this gap is widespread customer frustration, wasted hours of personal time, and a growing public belief that banks face almost no accountability for poor, unresponsive customer service decisions.

    Holder emphasized that a truly modern financial system needs more than just strong capital reserves and checkbox compliance with regulation. It needs institutions that understand the purpose behind the rules they enforce. Policies are supposed to protect customers from risk, not create unnecessary inconvenience when there is no meaningful risk present to begin with.

    To address these ongoing concerns, BCEN will be launching a nationwide survey to collect firsthand experiences from consumers across Barbados about their interactions with local banks. Holder says the solution to these problems is not less regulation. Instead, it is smarter regulation that targets real risk, stronger independent consumer protection mechanisms, and a renewed cultural focus on professional judgment among bank staff. Frontline bank employees should be trained not just to memorize procedures, but to understand why those procedures exist, and when flexibility is appropriate to serve both the bank and the customer, she argued.

    Holder closed by stating that Barbadian consumers deserve banks that can strike the right balance: strong security paired with accessible, responsive service, full regulatory compliance paired with common sense, and clear procedures paired with practical problem-solving. Until that balance is achieved, she warned, many consumers will continue to feel that they are served by a system where rules have become more important than the people those rules are meant to protect and serve.

  • Belize, Guatemala Sign Joint Declaration Ahead of ICJ Ruling

    Belize, Guatemala Sign Joint Declaration Ahead of ICJ Ruling

    As the international community awaits a final legal resolution to one of the Western Hemisphere’s longest-running territorial conflicts, Belize and Guatemala have taken a landmark step toward peaceful dispute settlement, signing a joint declaration that reaffirms their shared commitment to abiding by the upcoming ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

    The agreement was reached on June 24, 2026, on the sidelines of the 56th Regular General Assembly Session of the Organization of American States (OAS), which was convened in Panama City. Signing the document on behalf of their respective nations were Oscar Arnold, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Carlos Ramiro Martínez, Guatemala’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

    Beyond restating long-held pledges, the joint declaration codifies both governments’ legal and political obligation to recognize the ICJ’s final judgment as binding under international law, and to carry out its terms in full good faith. This formal commitment comes months ahead of the ICJ’s highly anticipated ruling on Guatemala’s multi-faceted claim against Belize, which covers contested territorial, insular, and maritime boundaries.

    In addition to committing to the ruling, the two nations issued a joint request for the OAS to sustain its existing diplomatic and operational support for ongoing confidence-building agreements between the two states. They specifically called for the OAS to maintain its long-standing presence in the contested Adjacency Zone, the buffer area between the two countries, until the ICJ delivers its official judgment.

    The declaration also extends a broader appeal to the OAS and the wider global community. Belize and Guatemala are asking for targeted international assistance across several key priority areas once the ruling is issued: formal territorial demarcation, cross-border conflict prevention, resource mobilization to support implementation, and any additional measures that may be required to operationalize the court’s decision.

    The pending ICJ judgment is poised to close a chapter of tensions that have stretched across generations. The dispute, which first emerged decades ago, has cast a shadow over bilateral relations and cross-border cooperation between the two Central American neighbors. With this latest declaration, both governments have signaled their willingness to set aside historical tensions and pursue a peaceful, rules-based resolution to their shared conflict.

  • Unfair Police Promotions? Compol Says “Stop Listen to Stupidity”

    Unfair Police Promotions? Compol Says “Stop Listen to Stupidity”

    A fresh controversy is unfolding within the Belize Police Department, as anonymous insider sources have raised serious allegations of widespread procedural violations in a recent round of senior officer promotions. According to details obtained by local media outlet News Five, multiple officers have been elevated to higher ranks through channels that bypass the institution’s long-standing formal recruitment and advancement rules.

    One of the most high-profile cases at the center of the scandal involves the son of a currently serving high-ranking police official. Sources confirm that this officer previously resigned from the force, only to be rehired shortly afterward, and was fast-tracked to the rank of corporal in the recent promotion cycle without completing the full required evaluation process.

    A second troubling case cited by insiders involves an officer promoted directly to the rank of sergeant, who sources say completed skipped the mandatory written examination and formal interview that are required for all advancement candidates. Compounding these allegations, this same officer was already advanced through the same promotion process in 2022, making them ineligible for a second accelerated advancement under existing department rules. The unnamed officer has also previously been linked to the high-profile Joseph Budna kidnapping investigation, though no formal criminal charges have ever been filed against them in connection to the case.

    When approached by reporters for direct comment on the claims that dozens of promotions were approved for candidates who never took the mandatory promotional exam, Belize’s Police Commissioner Dr. Richard Rosado struck a dismissive tone. “Sometimes you have to stop listen to stupidity,” Rosado told reporters, pushing back against the allegations outright.

    Rosado went on to reaffirm that all police promotions in the department are strictly governed by the formal Police Act, outlining a multi-step, transparent process that requires candidate applications, thorough background vetting, shortlisting of eligible candidates, formal written examinations, and a final selection vote by an independent promotional board.

    Another controversial appointment that has drawn public outcry is the promotion of Wilbert Cob to the rank of sergeant. Cob gained infamy last year after surveillance footage surfaced showing him physically assaulting a woman in Benque Viejo, in an incident that sparked widespread public anger over police misconduct.

    When pressed specifically to address why Cob was approved for promotion despite his documented assault case, Commissioner Rosado defended the department’s decision, saying all formal protocols were followed. “In this case, as I was briefed, the victim asked us to respect her decision, that she would seek family counselling instead of pursuing prosecution. Hence, there was no legal impediment preventing Cob from being promoted,” Rosado explained.

    The promotion has renewed public scrutiny, however, as it directly contradicts Rosado’s previously stated public commitment to a policy of zero tolerance for domestic violence perpetrated by serving police officers.

  • Matthews: We’re still not quite firing with the bat

    Matthews: We’re still not quite firing with the bat

    In a high-stakes Group Two top-of-the-table clash at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Wednesday, West Indies Women fell to a 35-run defeat against England, leaving their automatic semifinal dreams on hold heading into the final group stage match against Ireland this Saturday.

    West Indies captain Hayley Matthews opened up about the result in a post-match press interaction, acknowledging that her side’s batting unit has yet to hit its peak performance at the tournament. “We’re still not quite firing with the bat,” Matthews admitted, noting that both she and star batter Deandra Dottin have yet to register significant scores at the event. She did point to a bright spot, however, highlighting that fellow batter Chinelle Henry turned in a promising performance against England, a win that moves the European side one step closer to securing a semifinal spot.

    Despite the setback, the West Indies skipper emphasized that her team still controls its own path to the knockout round, a position she says the squad is grateful to hold. “It’s all in our hands, and that puts us in a wonderful position. Coming into this World Cup, if you’d said we’d only need to beat Ireland in our final group game to lock in a semifinal spot, we’d have grabbed that opportunity with both hands,” Matthews said. She added that the team’s internal message remains focused on confidence and consistency: “We’re in a very strong place right now. The message to the group is just to keep believing, and keep playing the quality cricket we’ve shown so far.”

    Looking ahead to the must-win clash with Ireland, Matthews expressed quiet confidence in her side’s prospects, while giving full respect to their upcoming opponent. “Against a team like Ireland, if we play at our best or even near our best, we should come away with the result we need. I’m not underestimating them by any means, but we’re going in feeling pretty confident,” she said.

    Matthews also broke down the key turning points that swung the result in England’s favor, acknowledging that her own missed catch off England captain Heather Knight proved to be a pivotal moment. “With the ball, England was able to keep finding boundaries consistently, and full credit to them – they played excellent cricket. That’s the nature of modern T20, after all. But I think we let ourselves down a little in the field, too. My missed catch on Heather Knight made a massive difference to the game’s momentum,” she admitted.

    The captain also addressed her own controversial dismissal earlier in the West Indies innings, which came after a third umpire review upheld an on-field caught-behind decision. Matthews explained that while she respects the official ruling, she did not make contact with the ball. “When I cut at the delivery, I heard a noise that I thought was my bat handle, so I told the on-field umpires right away what I’d heard. But I also knew I was far from making contact, and I made that clear,” she said. “The third umpire has to work with the technology available, and she saw a spike on the snickometer, even though I think you could see a clear gap between bat and ball. At the end of the day, you have to respect the decision that’s given.”

    The result leaves Group Two finely poised heading into the final round of group matches, with West Indies knowing a single win against Ireland will book their place in the tournament’s semifinal stage.

  • WINDREF: Invitation for Prequalification of Contractors

    WINDREF: Invitation for Prequalification of Contractors

    The Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF), based at St. George’s University in Grenada, has secured grant financing from the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) to advance the transformative Telescope’s Living Shoreline (TLS) Project, a coastal resilience initiative focused on stabilizing eroding shorelines in Grenada’s Grenville Bay Area. As the project’s lead implementing agency, WINDREF has opened a prequalification round for contractors bidding to deliver the project’s core construction works, ahead of a full tender invitation expected in July 2026.

    Located along the shores of Little Bay in the Telescope community, the TLS project centers on implementing nature-centered and hybrid shoreline stabilization measures to protect the vulnerable coastline from erosion and storm damage. While final design work is still underway as part of an ongoing parallel design review and optimization consultancy, the core construction scope is already outlined. The works will impact approximately 550 metres of coastal shoreline, covering activities including in-water and intertidal marine construction, installation of armour stone structures both onshore and offshore, excavation works and toe stone placement, coastal zone backfilling, temporary access road and stockpile area development with full post-construction restoration, and comprehensive quality control for all construction materials including boulders, structural blocks and fill sediment.

    The prequalification process follows the formal regulations set out in Grenada’s 2014 Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act and 2015 accompanying regulations, and is open to all eligible contractors, whether applying as individual firms or as joint venture (JV) partnerships. WINDREF explicitly encourages regional construction firms to partner with international specialists in both grey and green infrastructure to meet project requirements, and particularly promotes joint ventures that combine local marine construction expertise with specialized global experience in ecosystem restoration.

    To qualify, bidders must meet strict financial, experience and compliance criteria. For joint venture partnerships, the lead partner is required to satisfy at least 50% of the combined financial and experience requirements, with the full JV team required to meet 100% of all standards. Financially, bidders must demonstrate a minimum average annual turnover of EC$5.4 million (equivalent to approximately US$2.0 million), calculated over the top five years of the last seven full operating years, as well as verifiable accessible cash flow or credit lines totaling at least EC$1.1 million (US$400,000).

    In terms of relevant experience, bidders must have served as prime contractor on at least two similar coastal or marine construction projects completed to at least 80% progress within the last seven years, with each project valued at a minimum of EC$3.6 million (US$1.3 million). Preference will be granted to teams that can demonstrate prior experience integrating Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) such as mangrove habitat rehabilitation, vegetation-fueled dune stabilization, or eco-engineered marine infrastructure into their work. Bidders must also provide a minimum of two professional reference letters from past clients for successfully completed similar projects, a signed declaration confirming no major environmental or social compliance breaches, regulatory fines, or project suspensions related to E&S non-compliance over the last five years, and documented proof of a dedicated Health, Safety and Environment (HSE)/Safeguards Officer with prior experience implementing environmental management plans in sensitive marine coastal ecosystems.

    Interested contractors can request additional project information from co-project managers Kendon James and Carol Forbes between 8 am and 4 pm Grenada local time, Monday through Friday, via the contact emails listed in this announcement. All prequalification submissions must be prepared in English, delivered exclusively via email in PDF format (with a maximum total file size of 30MB), and received by 2 pm local Grenada time on July 20, 2026. The email subject line for submissions must follow the format: “[Company Name or Abbreviation] — TLS Prequalification Documents”.

    WINDREF notes that the burden of proof for confirming successful submission receipt falls to the bidding party, and a simple read receipt or sent folder confirmation from the bidder’s email system will not be sufficient to confirm delivery. The organization also reserves the right to accept or reject any late submissions, cancel the prequalification process at any stage, and is not required to provide reasoning for any prequalification outcomes. WINDREF will not cover any costs incurred by bidders during the preparation and submission of prequalification materials.

  • Man Urinates on Treasury Desk During Back Pay Dispute

    Man Urinates on Treasury Desk During Back Pay Dispute

    In a stern rebuke of unacceptable harassment targeting public workers, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant has issued a strong condemnation of abusive and threatening behavior directed at employees of the national Treasury, as the agency works through a massive backlog of outstanding back-pay claims for public servants.

    Speaking at the post-Cabinet media briefing held Thursday, Merchant clarified that despite widespread public frustration over delayed payments and perceived shortcomings in customer service, Treasury staff have been pushing forward with extraordinary effort, even putting in extra hours on weekends to fulfill the government’s financial commitments to eligible workers. He noted that one recent incident crossed all lines of acceptable public conduct, after an individual unhappy with the update they received on their back-pay claim allegedly urinated on a workspace inside the Treasury building and issued threats to return with a weapon.

    Merchant emphasized that this kind of aggression has no place in interactions with public employees, and appealed to the public for patience as the Treasury and relevant line ministries work systematically to resolve every outstanding claim. He addressed a widespread misconception about the processing delays, explaining that the government has already allocated the full funds required for the back payments; delays stem not from a lack of available money, but from the mandatory administrative protocols that must be followed to ensure accurate disbursement.

    He further explained that some claims are delayed because eligible workers were accidentally left off initial back-pay rosters, but the correct path to resolution is to follow the established administrative chain of inquiry: questions should first be raised with the applicant’s employing ministry, which then submits corrected information to the Treasury for processing.

    While Merchant openly acknowledged that members of the public have legitimate concerns about customer service standards across the public sector, he stressed that no grievance, no matter how valid, can justify violence, intimidation or abusive treatment of staff carrying out their duties. He closed by urging all residents to practice patience and maintain good decorum when engaging with public workers, noting that government employees deserve humane respect even as the agency works to clear the backlog of unpaid claims.