Carib Scope

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  • Adventists roll out free health services across St Elizabeth

    Adventists roll out free health services across St Elizabeth

    Residents across five communities in Jamaica’s St Elizabeth parish are set to access a wide range of no-cost essential health services starting May 18, through a multi-organizational medical mission health fair running through May 22. The outreach initiative is a collaborative effort between U.S.-based healthcare provider AdventHealth, Jamaica’s Andrews Memorial Hospital Limited, the Jamaica Union Conference, and the West Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, developed as part of ongoing disaster recovery support for communities impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

    Hurricane Melissa, a powerful Category 5 storm, made landfall on Jamaica in October 2024, leaving widespread devastation that upended the lives of thousands of residents across western parts of the island. For Donmayne Gyles, president and chief executive officer of Andrews Memorial Hospital, this upcoming health fair is far more than a one-off charity event—it is the fulfillment of a public promise made in the immediate aftermath of the storm to stand alongside affected communities through their long recovery journey. This marks the fifth targeted outreach effort the hospital and church partnership has delivered to impacted western parishes since the hurricane hit.

    “When Hurricane Melissa destroyed homes, disrupted livelihoods and upended entire communities, we committed as a hospital and faith network that we would not leave affected residents to rebuild alone,” Gyles explained in a statement ahead of the event. “This Medical Mission Health Fair is how we turn that commitment into tangible support for the people of St Elizabeth. We are deeply grateful that AdventHealth, our U.S. partner, shared our vision of extending healing and hope to this region, and they have joined our local clinicians to deliver compassionate, free care to residents in five hard-hit communities.”

    Attendees will have access to a comprehensive suite of services that address both the physical and emotional toll of the 2024 hurricane. Beyond core medical offerings including general practitioner consultations, eye screenings, dental checks and free prescription medications, the mission also integrates dedicated pastoral support and professional psychosocial care to help residents process the lingering trauma and stress of the disaster. This holistic approach was designed to respond to the overlapping social, emotional and financial strains that continue to impact local families months after the storm.

    The mobile health fair will rotate through a new community location each day, with consistent operating hours across all five stops. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. each day, with clinical and support services running from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The outreach kicked off on Monday at the Junction Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, with the next stop scheduled for Tuesday at New Market SDA Church. On Wednesday, the care team will set up at InTown SuperCentre on School Street in Black River, before moving to White Hill SDA Church on Thursday. The mission will wrap up its five-day run on Friday at Santa Cruz SDA Church.

    The initiative has garnered broad support from a range of local and regional corporate sponsors, including Comprehensive Eyecare, Three Angels Pharmacy Limited, LASCO, Facey Commodity Company Limited, Denk Pharma, Apotex, Cari-Med Group Limited, and Massy Distribution. Organizers are actively encouraging all St Elizabeth residents who need care, particularly those still recovering from hurricane-related disruptions to their access to healthcare, to note the location closest to their home and take advantage of the free services being offered.

  • Spanish Ambassador highlights strong economic ties with the Dominican Republic

    Spanish Ambassador highlights strong economic ties with the Dominican Republic

    In remarks timed to coincide with Europe Day, Spanish Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Lorea Arribalzaga Ceballos has emphasized that the partnership between the two nations extends far beyond formal diplomatic relations, rooted in shared community contributions and deepening economic cooperation across the Atlantic.

  • Abinader says freedom requires responsibility and constant commitment

    Abinader says freedom requires responsibility and constant commitment

    MIAMI, Fla. — In a high-profile address to an international audience of political and business leaders Saturday, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader used his acceptance of the Champion of Freedom Award to deliver a sharp, thoughtful meditation on the fragile nature of liberty in the modern world. Presented with the honor by Florida International University’s Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom, a nonpartisan think tank launched in 2020 to advance free-market principles and global prosperity, Abinader emphasized that freedom cannot be taken for granted as a permanent inheritance — it demands continuous responsibility and active commitment from every generation.

    The award recognizes Abinader’s tenure-long leadership advancing pro-market policy reforms in the Dominican Republic. In his remarks, he framed the honor as less a personal accolade and more an opportunity to renew public dialogue around what liberty means for 21st-century democratic societies. Warning of a growing risk that democratic communities erode their own freedoms when citizens trade autonomy for short-term security or comfort, Abinader rooted his argument in the core ideas of Adam Smith, the father of modern free-market economics, noting that durable economic freedom cannot exist without foundational commitments to justice, transparent institutional rules, and public trust in governing bodies.

    Abinader outlined that his administration has centered its policy agenda on four core pillars aligned with these principles: strengthening independent governing institutions, embedding transparency across public operations, upholding the rule of law, and expanding accessible economic opportunity for all Dominicans. Drawing on centuries of political and philosophical thought to reinforce his argument, the president quoted the iconic literary figure Don Quixote and referenced works by seminal thinkers Alexis de Tocqueville and Isaiah Berlin to explain that true freedom carries two complementary dimensions: it requires freedom from unnecessary coercion, as well as the material and social opportunity for every person to build a dignified, self-determined future.

    Against a global backdrop of rising political polarization, Abinader called for renewed commitment to cross-ideological dialogue, pluralism, and collaborative consensus-building. “Growth is not just about producing more. It is about allowing each person to imagine and build their own future,” he told the crowd, stressing that meaningful freedom and shared economic prosperity are inherently inseparable goals.

    The invitation-only event drew a roster of high-profile attendees spanning government, global business, and international sports governance, including former Colombian President Iván Duque and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom, which conferred the award, was established in 2020 as an independent, nonpartisan research institution focused on advancing policy frameworks that expand economic freedom and drive human prosperity worldwide.

  • Driver jailed in the UK for smuggling cocaine in shipment of Kim Kardashian underwear

    Driver jailed in the UK for smuggling cocaine in shipment of Kim Kardashian underwear

    LONDON (AFP) – In a major bust that exposed how organised criminal networks hide narcotics inside legitimate commercial shipments, a Polish truck driver has been handed a 13-and-a-half-year prison sentence for smuggling 90 kilograms of cocaine valued at over £7 million ($9.3 million) concealed within a shipment of Kim Kardashian’s popular shapewear brand Skims, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed Monday.

    The smuggling operation was uncovered last September, when UK Border Force officers pulled over Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, after his heavy goods vehicle entered eastern England following a crossing from the Netherlands. A subsequent inspection of the lorry revealed that criminals had made deliberate modifications to the vehicle, building secret compartments within the inner lining of the trailer’s rear doors to hide the Class A drugs. At the time of the stop, the lorry was carrying 28 full pallets of Skims clothing, a legitimate global cargo that the criminal network had exploited to avoid suspicion.

    Following a months-long NCA investigation, Konkel was formally convicted and sentenced at a UK court this week. NCA operations manager Paul Orchard noted that the conviction and seizure mark a major blow to the organised crime group behind the plot. Criminal networks routinely rely on complicit drivers like Konkel to move high-value Class A drugs across European borders, hiding contraband in entirely legal commercial shipments to fly under the radar of border enforcement, Orchard explained.

    “Taking this large shipment of cocaine off the streets not only prevents the harm this drug would have caused to UK communities, it also deprives the criminal group behind the plot of millions in illicit profit,” Orchard said. “With Konkel’s conviction, they have also lost a key facilitator that helped them move their contraband across borders.”

  • OAS mission recommends major electoral reforms in Bahamas

    OAS mission recommends major electoral reforms in Bahamas

    After the conclusion of The Bahamas’ latest general election that saw incumbent Prime Minister Philip Davis secure a second consecutive term, the Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission has released a detailed package of targeted recommendations designed to reinforce the integrity and efficiency of the Caribbean nation’s electoral processes.

    Headlined by Sherry Tross, a veteran former diplomat from St. Kitts and Nevis, the mission’s top proposal calls for the creation of a fully independent electoral commission that operates outside of direct government oversight. The delegation also emphasized the urgent need for expanded investment in the country’s Parliamentary Registration Department, calling for boosted funding, advanced technical resources, and expanded staffing to support consistent, accessible election administration.

    To modernize vote counting and data management, the mission has pushed for the adoption of a digital electronic results transmission system, alongside wider rollout of biometric voter identification cards and public online voter verification portals. Recognizing growing global threats to election infrastructure, the panel also stressed the critical importance of upgrading cybersecurity frameworks to protect sensitive electoral voter and results data from unauthorized access or manipulation.

    Additional reforms put forward by the OAS team target transparency across all stages of the electoral cycle. The recommendations include updated requirements for clearer, more accessible campaign finance regulation, which would implement formal limits on both anonymous and foreign political donations to prevent outside influence over Bahamian elections. The mission also called for updated training protocols for poll workers, revised and more accessible electoral dispute resolution mechanisms, and new measures to boost transparency throughout campaign and voting periods.

    In a nod to persistent gender gaps in Bahamian political representation, the delegation further proposed targeted policy measures to remove barriers to increased women’s participation in electoral politics and establish formal frameworks to address and reduce the prevalence of gender-based political violence, a challenge that disproportionately discourages women from entering public office across the region.

    The May 12 general election delivered a clear outcome for the country, returning Prime Minister Philip Davis and his administration to office for a second consecutive term, setting the stage for policymakers to review and act on the OAS mission’s reform proposals in the coming months.

  • What causes victims to drop domestic violence complaints in the Dominican Republic?

    What causes victims to drop domestic violence complaints in the Dominican Republic?

    In the Dominican Republic, a groundbreaking new analysis from the Judiciary’s Gender Equality Commission has pulled back the curtain on the systemic and personal barriers that lead hundreds of thousands of gender-based violence survivors to abandon legal proceedings against their abusers each year. Led by Supreme Court Justice Nancy I. Salcedo Fernández, the research reviewed thousands of court rulings issued across a four-year window from 2020 to 2024, covering a wide spectrum of gender-based harm: domestic abuse, physical torture, brutal assault, and modern cyber-enabled violence, among other offenses.

    The study’s most striking finding centers on the deep structural and psychological challenges that force victims to step back from active participation in their own cases. Researchers identified five core drivers that push survivors to withdraw from legal processes: crippling fear of retaliation from abusers, persistent emotional dependence on perpetrators, overwhelming pressure from family members to drop charges, clinical depression stemming from prolonged abuse, and long-term trauma that leaves survivors unable to navigate the complexities of the legal system. When victims withdraw or limit their involvement, courts lose access to critical direct testimony, significantly weakening the state’s ability to prosecute and hold abusers accountable.

    To quantify this gap, the research team analyzed a sample of 20 recent domestic violence rulings, finding that only four victims chose to formally join proceedings as active plaintiffs. The vast majority of survivors participated only as witnesses, or opted out of any active role in the case entirely. The report also confirmed patterns long observed by anti-violence advocates: over 75% of all gender-based violence attacks are carried out by current or former romantic partners, most attacks take place inside the victim’s own home, and abuse is rarely an isolated incident, with most cases involving a repeated pattern of harm over months or years.

    Broader national data included in the report underscores the scale of the gender-based violence crisis in the Dominican Republic. Between 2020 and 2024, national authorities received more than 341,000 formal violence complaints across the country, and 77.5% of those complaints were tied to either gender-based violence or domestic abuse. The study did not limit its scope to physical violence alone; researchers also examined extreme, life-altering attacks involving corrosive substances that leave survivors permanently disfigured, as well as the growing threat of cyber violence, which includes digital harassment, stalking, and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images – a tactic increasingly used by abusers to control and humiliate their victims.

    The findings of the study fill a critical gap in local research on gender-based violence in the Dominican Republic, providing lawmakers and judicial leaders with actionable data to reform legal processes and better support survivors seeking justice.

  • Arajet expands fleet with 15th aircraft, named Isla Catalina

    Arajet expands fleet with 15th aircraft, named Isla Catalina

    Santo Domingo – Low-cost Dominican airline Arajet has marked a major milestone in its aggressive regional growth strategy, taking delivery of its 15th aircraft from American aerospace manufacturer Boeing. The delivery not only accelerates the carrier’s expansion plans but also cements the Dominican Republic’s growing status as a key emerging aviation hub across the Americas.

    The newest addition to Arajet’s fleet, a Boeing 737 MAX branded “Isla Catalina” in honor of one of the Dominican Republic’s most popular protected nature reserves, was officially handed over during a ceremony at Boeing’s primary delivery center in Seattle, Washington. Leading the Arajet delegation at the event was Manuel Luna, the airline’s director of communications and public affairs. Senior Dominican aviation regulatory and infrastructure leaders also joined the ceremony to mark the national significance of the delivery, including Héctor Porcella, president of the Dominican Civil Aviation Board, Víctor Pichardo, director of the country’s Airport Department, and Paola Plá, a senior representative of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC).

    In remarks following the delivery, Luna explained that integrating the new 737 MAX directly aligns with Arajet’s core strategic vision: to position the Dominican Republic as the central connecting hub for air travel across North America, Central America, South America, and the entire Caribbean basin.

    Dominican government officials echoed that perspective, emphasizing that the steady growth of Arajet’s fleet delivers widespread economic benefits beyond the airline itself. The expanded capacity will boost overall regional air connectivity, draw more international tourists to the Dominican Republic’s world-famous leisure destinations, and streamline cross-border trade flows across the region.

    The “Isla Catalina” is scheduled to complete its delivery flight to the Dominican Republic this coming Monday, and is set to enter active commercial service immediately after arrival. With 15 fully operational aircraft now in its fleet, Arajet continues to roll out new routes across the region and reinforce its standing as one of the fastest-growing commercial airlines in all of Latin America.

  • President Abinader receives Champion of Freedom Award in Miami

    President Abinader receives Champion of Freedom Award in Miami

    Over the weekend, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader traveled to Miami, Florida, to accept one of the most prestigious recognitions from the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University: the Champion of Freedom Award. This annual honor is reserved exclusively for international leaders who have shown unwavering dedication to upholding democratic values, expanding shared human prosperity, and advancing policy frameworks that prioritize and protect economic freedom around the globe.

    Founded in 2020 as an independent, nonpartisan think tank, the Adam Smith Center has built its reputation around advancing the core principles of individual liberty and inclusive economic development. In its citation for the 2024 award, the center highlighted Abinader’s track record of implementing carefully calibrated, fiscally responsible free-market policies that have transformed the Dominican Republic into a standout model of consistent economic expansion and robust institutional stability across the Caribbean and Latin American region.

    Beyond the formal recognition, this year’s award ceremony carried additional strategic importance. The event, which has a long history of convening sitting heads of state, top global business executives, and influential figures from across public and private sectors, provided a high-profile international platform to showcase the Dominican Republic’s notable progress in three key areas: advancing government transparency, accelerating broad-based economic development, and strengthening the country’s commitment to the rule of law. For attendees and international observers alike, the award and the accompanying showcase of Dominican progress reinforced the country’s growing reputation as a stable, attractive destination for global investment and a leader in democratic governance in the region.

  • 46 children, adults kidnapped in southern Nigeria schools attack—Christian group

    46 children, adults kidnapped in southern Nigeria schools attack—Christian group

    LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP) — A coordinated, multi-school attack in southwest Nigeria last week left 46 people, the vast majority of them children between the ages of two and 16, in the hands of kidnappers, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed Monday in an update on the brazen assault.

  • WATCH: KSAMC continues removal of illegal signs across Corporate Area

    WATCH: KSAMC continues removal of illegal signs across Corporate Area

    On a recent Sunday, the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) pressed forward with its sustained enforcement campaign targeting unauthorised signage and billboards, focusing its latest efforts on commercial plazas situated in the busy Half-Way-Tree district of Kingston, Jamaica.

    Robert Hill, chief executive officer of the KSAMC, reported that compliance with local signage regulations has climbed in recent months, reflecting growing awareness among business owners and signage operators across the parish. Between January and March, and through the subsequent enforcement phase, municipal officials observed a clear uptick in voluntary removal of unapproved structures, as stakeholders developed a clearer understanding of the regulatory requirements. Even with this progress, Hill noted that enforcement operations remain necessary, and the corporation will send formal notices to non-compliant business operators to urge resolution of outstanding regulatory violations. He expects compliance rates to climb further as ongoing enforcement reinforces public understanding of the initiative’s purpose.

    Hill emphasized that the campaign is a required statutory duty under Jamaica’s Town and Country Planning Act, meaning the KSAMC cannot pause its work despite disappointment that full voluntary compliance has not yet been achieved. “We are a little bit disappointed that we still have to be doing this, but we have our duties to do. The law requires us to carry out these duties, and we have to do it. Yes, we’d want a greater level of compliance and a greater level of recognition of why we’re doing this, but it is necessary,” Hill stated, reaffirming the corporation’s commitment to upholding its legal mandates moving forward.

    Beyond regulatory enforcement, the KSAMC has announced a major accessibility investment to improve public spaces for disabled residents across Kingston and St Andrew. The corporation has earmarked $10 million in earned revenue to upgrade ramps, sidewalks and driveway access points, making public and commercial spaces easier for disabled people to navigate. To ensure the upgrades align with best practices for disability inclusion, the KSAMC is partnering with the University of the West Indies Centre for Disability Studies on the project. Hill framed the investment as a core public safety and equity initiative, designed to prioritise the safety and access needs of vulnerable disabled community members.

    The dual announcements mark the KSAMC’s ongoing work to both enforce local planning rules and advance equitable infrastructure development across the capital parish, addressing two key public priorities simultaneously.