Carib Scope

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  • Kintyre Holdings enters EV market through partnership with Florida-based Rush Hour Engineering

    Kintyre Holdings enters EV market through partnership with Florida-based Rush Hour Engineering

    Jamaica-based Kintyre Holdings (JA) Limited has marked a major milestone in its aggressive global diversification and expansion strategy, officially stepping into the fast-growing electric vehicle industry through a new strategic alliance with Florida-based Rush Hour Engineering. The joint venture will operate under Kintyre Holdings’ existing subsidiary Affinity Ventures Group Limited, with the new automotive division branded as Affinity Automotive Group.

    Per an official press release from Kintyre, the company will hold a majority controlling stake in the Caribbean dealership network, which is designed to lead the rollout and growth of the EV brand across the region, starting with its home base of Jamaica. Kintyre will also maintain a minority stake in the direct distribution entity that partners directly with the original vehicle manufacturer.

    The core focus of the new venture is to introduce and distribute electric vehicles manufactured by China’s Jiangxi Jiangling Group Electric Vehicle Co., better known as JMEV, across Jamaica first, before expanding to markets across the broader Caribbean. JMEV, a joint venture co-owned by global automaker Renault and the Chinese government, has already built a growing presence across the global EV landscape in recent years.

    This move places Kintyre among a rising cohort of Caribbean businesses tapping into the global transition to renewable energy and zero-emission transportation, positioning the firm to capture early market share in a rapidly expanding regional sector. Edwin Xiao, CEO and co-founder of Rush Hour Engineering, shared strong optimism about the partnership and the untapped potential of Caribbean EV markets.

    “The Caribbean is primed for major growth in electric mobility, and Jamaica serves as a critical gateway to the entire region. Teaming up with Kintyre Holdings gives us a robust local foundation, backed by ambitious leadership and a clear long-term expansion vision,” Xiao explained.

    To lead the new operation, Brandon Fernandez, a former executive with Kia Automotive, has been tapped as general manager for the dealership. Fernandez will oversee regional sales strategy, customer experience development, and the full rollout of operational frameworks across the region.

    In a sign the venture is already moving forward quickly, Kintyre confirmed it has successfully imported three JMEV ELIGHT electric sedans to Jamaica. The vehicles will soon be open to the public for viewing and test drives, as the team works to introduce Jamaican consumers to the benefits of electric mobility and sustainable transportation.

    Tyrone Wilson, Chairman, President and CEO of Kintyre Holdings, framed the partnership as a transformative step for the company’s long-term trajectory. “Kintyre is building a strong, resilient business platform, and we are incredibly proud of the progress we have delivered to date. This international partnership aligns perfectly with our key strategic objectives for this year. We are thrilled to collaborate with Edwin Xiao and his team, and to take the lead building this EV brand across the Caribbean. Our initial priority will be targeting fleet sales, while we scale up our direct-to-consumer division over time,” Wilson said.

    Adrian Smith, Kintyre’s Deputy CEO and Chief Investment Officer, added that the partnership aligns with the firm’s broader investment strategy of targeting scalable industries with strong long-term growth upside. “This is another strategic move for Kintyre as we continue to build out diversified revenue streams and position the company in high-growth global sectors. Electric vehicles and renewable transportation are the future, and we are pleased to secure an early leadership position in the Caribbean market,” Smith noted.

    Kintyre has announced that further details, including confirmed dealership locations, charging infrastructure partnerships, and updated regional expansion timelines, will be shared publicly in the coming months.

    The EV market entry comes on the heels of a strong quarterly performance for the firm. In the first quarter of 2026, Kintyre Holdings reported $531.33 million in net profits, driven largely by strong gains in its real estate portfolio. The company also recorded rising revenue from another of its subsidiaries, Bold Manufacturing and Distribution, with all of Kintyre’s business units currently reporting positive growth.

  • Marileidy Paulino wins Doha Diamond League opener

    Marileidy Paulino wins Doha Diamond League opener

    The 2026 Diamond League circuit kicked off in Doha, Qatar, and Dominican sprint star Marileidy Paulino sent a clear warning to her rivals with a dominant victory in the women’s 400-meter event at the Qatar Sports Club meeting. The Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist, making her first international competitive appearance of the year, crossed the finish line in a new season-best time of 48.91 seconds, more than a full second ahead of her closest challenger.

    From the opening gunshot to the final stretch, Paulino controlled the pace of the race, never ceding the lead to any of her competitors. The result not only secured her the top spot on the Doha podium but also cemented her status as one of the most formidable elite 400-meter runners in global track and field. Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka claimed the runner-up position with a time of 50.10 seconds, while Cuban sprinter Roxana Gómez rounded out the top three in 50.23 seconds.

    This win marks another key milestone in Paulino’s already decorated career, which has elevated her to become one of the most recognizable names in international athletics. Entering the opening race of the Diamond League season with the explicit goal of posting a leading competitive time, she delivered on her target with a commanding performance that set the tone for her 2026 campaign.

    Beyond the Diamond League, the Doha victory also serves as a critical preparation step for Paulino ahead of the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games, scheduled to be hosted in her home region of Santo Domingo from July 24 to August 8. Paulino is already pegged as the leader of the Dominican national delegation for the women’s 400-meter event, a competition where she claimed gold at the previous edition of the Games held in San Salvador. Her strong opening to the season has already built widespread anticipation for her performance at the upcoming home Games.

  • Almost 1,000 Westmoreland residents benefit from medical outreach mission

    Almost 1,000 Westmoreland residents benefit from medical outreach mission

    SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland, Jamaica — A two-day medical and humanitarian outreach led by the Jamaica Nurses’ Association of Florida (JNAF) wrapped up on June 18 in this rural Jamaican parish, leaving nearly 1,000 low-income residents with access to critical care, free medication, and educational supplies they could not otherwise obtain. Organized as an official initiative under the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, the mission brought together a cross-regional team of licensed physicians, registered nurses, dentists, and student volunteers from across the United States, all donating their time and skills to address unmet needs in a community still reeling from a recent natural disaster.

    The outreach was launched specifically to help communities that suffered widespread damage from Hurricane Melissa, explained Dr. Beverlin Allen, JNAF’s immediate past president and the mission’s lead coordinator. Allen noted that volunteers traveled from as far as Florida, Atlanta, and other U.S. regions to set up pop-up clinics, bringing with them specialized medical equipment including EKG machines, a full stock of prescription and over-the-counter medications, and educational supplies for local students. A board-certified cardiologist from Miami also joined the team to provide on-site specialized consultations for patients with chronic heart conditions, eliminating the need for many low-income residents to travel long distances for care.

    Beyond medical services, the mission integrated back-to-school support for local students. Clinicians offered free mandatory medical clearance exams required for school enrollment, and distributed new backpacks stocked with personal care and school supplies to hundreds of youth. On the first day of the outreach, the team operated out of Godfrey Stewart High School, where they provided care and documentation to nearly 200 students. The second day of the mission was held at the Savanna-la-Mar United Church, opening services to the broader community of all ages, from young children to elderly residents.

    For JNAF, this type of cross-border outreach is nothing new: the organization has been running recurring medical missions across Jamaica for more than 20 years, rooted in its members’ commitment to supporting their home country. This year’s initiative was significantly expanded through partnerships with local and U.S.-based nonprofits, including American Friends of Jamaica, Miami Dade College, and the Rachel Dixon Memorial Fund.

    Oswald Dixon, president of the Rachel Dixon Memorial Fund, said his organization has collaborated with JNAF for years, aligned by a shared core mission of advancing public health and educational access across Jamaica. “We are firm believers that health and education are the foundations of strong communities,” Dixon noted. Currently, the fund provides full scholarships to five Jamaican students pursuing higher education, and the organization is already preparing for its next outreach event scheduled for next month at Devon Primary School in Manchester Parish.

    For local residents who benefited from the Westmoreland mission, the support came at a critical moment. Lionel Campbell, a longtime resident of Darling Street in Savanna-la-Mar, emphasized that Hurricane Melissa left long-term disruption to local healthcare services and economic stability, making the free care especially meaningful. “This mission didn’t just check my blood pressure—it filled a gap that has been left open since the storm,” Campbell said. Another beneficiary, Aldina Dunn of Big Bridge, echoed that sentiment, praising organizers for bringing critical resources directly into the community instead of requiring residents to travel to distant urban hospitals for care.

    The event, documented by the Jamaica Information Service, marks another milestone in the ongoing partnership between Jamaican diaspora organizations in the United States and local communities on the island, demonstrating how transnational civic action can address immediate and long-standing public needs in vulnerable regions.

  • Venezuelan opposition leader heads to US after transition talks

    Venezuelan opposition leader heads to US after transition talks

    Less than 24 hours after stepping back onto Venezuelan soil following eight years in exile to kickstart new negotiations over the country’s political future, opposition figure Dinorah Figuera has announced she will travel to the United States for a series of strategy meetings, the opposition leader confirmed to AFP in a Friday interview.

    The former lawmaker, who enjoys U.S. government backing for a plan to advance democratic transition after the ousting of longtime authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro, made an unannounced arrival in Caracas on Thursday, where she held a landmark sit-down with the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly. In audio messages sent to AFP via WhatsApp, Figuera explained that the trip to Miami is intended to assess next steps in the political process, though she declined to name the parties she will meet with during her U.S. visit.

    The meeting between Figuera and National Assembly leader Jorge Rodriguez marks a critical opening milestone in a deliberate, long-term effort to build a free, inclusive democratic society for Venezuela, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott emphasized in an official statement released after the talks.

    The current political shift in Venezuela follows a major development in January, when Maduro, the country’s former president, was apprehended during a U.S. military operation and taken into custody on federal drug trafficking charges. Since his arrest, the country’s executive branch has been led on an interim basis by Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.

    In the days following her return, Figuera has already drawn a clear line between her political initiative and that of fellow opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who recently rolled out her own separate framework to negotiate a democratic transition for the crisis-battered nation.

  • Daniellia Dixon leads girls’ Under-20 400m qualifiers

    Daniellia Dixon leads girls’ Under-20 400m qualifiers

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — On the opening day of semi-final competition at the Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Championships, rising young sprinter Daniellia Dixon delivered a standout performance, clocking a new personal best time of 53.47 seconds to secure the top qualifying position for Sunday’s highly anticipated Under-20 girls 400-meter final.

    Dixon, a former standout athlete from William Knibb Memorial High School, has built consistent momentum heading into this weekend’s national showdown. Earlier this athletics season, she claimed fourth place in the girls Class Two final at the prestigious ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, one of Jamaica’s most high-profile high school track and field competitions. She went on to match that fourth-place result at the regional Carifta Games, a key developmental tournament showcasing top young talent across the Caribbean. Now, Dixon is targeting more than just a national medal: a strong finish on Sunday would earn her an individual berth on Jamaica’s team for the World Under-20 Championships, scheduled to take place this August in Eugene, Oregon.

    She is far from the only promising young Jamaican sprinter advancing to the 400m final. Shameika McLean of Foga Road High, who enters the championships as the fastest schoolgirl in Jamaica this season with an personal best of 52.22 seconds, also booked her spot in the final after crossing the finish line in 53.90 seconds in her semi-final heat. Joining Dixon and McLean in the final field are Davine Dickenson of Immaculate Conception, who posted a time of 54.78 seconds; Shanika Lindsay of Alphansus Davis High, who finished her semi in 54.92 seconds; and Kristen Herbert of Holmwood Technical, who clocked 55.10 seconds to advance.

    In addition to the 400m semi-finals, Friday’s competition schedule crowned a new national champion in the throwing events. Shamanda Wilmot, representing Holmwood Technical, claimed the gold medal in the Under-18 girls’ javelin competition with a winning throw of 43.55 meters, closing out the day of preliminary and final action with another strong performance from a Jamaican young athlete.

  • Brazil president Luiz Lula jokes Neymar ‘working remotely’ at World Cup

    Brazil president Luiz Lula jokes Neymar ‘working remotely’ at World Cup

    RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew laughs on Friday with a lighthearted joke about star striker Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading men’s international goalscorer, who remains sidelined by a lingering calf injury at the ongoing World Cup hosted in the United States. The 34-year-old, who has notched 79 goals for the Seleção since his senior debut, only stepped back into collective training with the national squad this week after completing his rehabilitation from a right calf injury picked up in late May. This fitness setback has already forced him to miss Brazil’s opening group stage clash against Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and head coach Carlo Ancelotti opted to leave Neymar out of the matchday squad for the nation’s second group game against Haiti, scheduled for the same day as Lula’s quip.

    Speaking at a public hospital inauguration ceremony in Belo Horizonte, a major city in Brazil’s southeast, Lula responded to a young attendee who brought up Neymar’s name with playful surprise. “Neymar? He is not even playing!” Lula said, before doubling down on his joke: “Neymar is the first player to be called up (to the national team) who is working remotely.”

    This is not the first time the Brazilian president has leaned into football-related humor in recent days, following a viral joke from earlier this week that he was considering calling up Argentine icon Lionel Messi — Neymar’s long-time club teammate at Barcelona — to wear the Brazil shirt. The quip came just days after Brazil’s opening draw with Morocco, and has gone viral across Latin American social media.

    Neymar’s fitness has been a persistent concern throughout 2024. After leaving Paris Saint-Germain to return to his boyhood club Santos earlier this year, the striker has missed nearly half of his side’s domestic matches due to repeated niggling injuries and major fitness setbacks. He has not represented Brazil at international level since October 2023, and his inclusion in the final World Cup squad sparked widespread surprise given his inconsistent availability over the past 12 months.

    Local Brazilian media reports that Ancelotti and his coaching staff have deliberately taken a cautious approach to Neymar’s comeback, unwilling to rush the star back into competitive action and risk worsening his injury ahead of potential knockout stage matches later in the tournament. Neymar finally joined his teammates for full training for the first time on Wednesday, marking a key milestone in his recovery. The striker has been a core part of Brazil’s squad in the last three World Cup tournaments, bringing experience and attacking flair that few other players in the squad can match.

    Brazil will wrap up its group stage campaign against Scotland in Miami on June 24, and fans are still waiting to see whether Neymar will be fit enough to feature before the knockout rounds get underway.

  • Kemba Nelson wins women’s 100m on Diamond League debut

    Kemba Nelson wins women’s 100m on Diamond League debut

    DOHA, Qatar — Jamaican sprinter Kemba Nelson, a World Championships relay medalist, delivered a standout performance in her long-awaited Diamond League debut on Friday, claiming top honors in the women’s 100m at this rescheduled event. Crossing the finish line in a wind-assisted 10.88 seconds with a wind reading of 2.5m/s, Nelson held off a strong field of elite international sprinters to secure her first major Diamond League title.

    Nelson, who had clocked 11.08 seconds three times heading into the Doha meet, got out of the starting blocks with an explosive early pace that put her ahead of the pack before holding off challenges from the chasing pack. Italy’s Zaynab Dosso, the reigning World Indoor 60m champion, took second place with a 11.01-second run, while Luxembourg’s Patrizia van der Weken rounded out the top three in 11.03 seconds.

    In the men’s triple jump competition, Jamaica’s Jordan Scott delivered a personal best leap of 17.69m with a legal 1.7m/s wind, but it was only enough to earn him a second-place finish. Scott entered the competition holding the world leading mark of 17.66m, and jumped to the top of the leaderboard in the opening round. However, Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo, making his first outdoor appearance of the 2024 season, overtook Scott in the second round with a winning jump of 17.71m in 0.4m/s wind conditions. Algeria’s Yasser Mohammed Triki claimed third place after breaking his own national record with a 17.67m leap.

    Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton, the country’s national 400m hurdles champion, continued her consistent podium streak, picking up a second consecutive second-place finish at a Diamond League meet. Clayton lowered her season’s best time to 53.05 seconds, but was outpaced by in-form Slovakian athlete Emma Zapletalova. Zapletalova notched her fourth straight Diamond League victory, breaking her own Slovakian national record with a 52.30-second run that extended her world leading time and toppled the previous meet record of 53.61 seconds set by American Dalilah Muhammad back in 2019. Bahrain’s Kemi Adekoya took third place with a season’s best 53.67 seconds.

    In the final Jamaican result of the meet, two-time World Indoor medalist Raymond Richards finished fourth in the men’s high jump, clearing a height of 2.20m. This report was contributed by Paul A Reid.

  • Government says JCE registers 90% of hospital births nationwide

    Government says JCE registers 90% of hospital births nationwide

    In a remarkable policy win for inclusive governance and children’s rights, the Dominican Republic has boosted its hospital birth registration coverage from just 61% in 2018 to over 90% as of 2025, the national Cabinet for Children and Adolescents (GANA) has announced. The milestone was formally marked this week during a ceremony renewing a cross-agency cooperation framework focused on eliminating birth under-registration across the country, extending the joint initiative for an additional four years through 2030.

    The sweeping progress recorded over the past seven years stems from a series of targeted interventions rolled out by participating state institutions. National outreach and awareness campaigns have reached more than 700,000 expectant women across the country, educating them on the importance of timely birth registration for their children’s access to future services. In addition, authorities launched the specialized “Express Route” program, designed to streamline processes for people facing barriers to obtaining required supporting documentation. Most notably, permanent Civil Registry offices have now been established in every maternal and child health facility nationwide, bringing registration services directly to the point of birth.

    The renewed cooperation agreement unites 18 key national stakeholders, including GANA, the National Council for Children and Adolescents (CONANI), the Central Electoral Board (JCE), the Ministry of the Presidency, and 14 other government and civil society bodies. The overarching goal of the extended partnership remains the same: to achieve universal birth registration within the country’s legal timeframe by ensuring every newborn is documented immediately after birth.

    As part of the new phase of the initiative, authorities will upgrade cross-agency operations through new digital infrastructure. CONANI has led development of the innovative Registry System for Children and Adolescents (SIRENNA), a centralized digital platform that will enable secure real-time information sharing across all entities part of the national child protection system. The new tool is expected to drastically improve interinstitutional coordination and streamline public access to identity-related services.

    In a key governance adjustment included in the renewed agreement, overall coordination of the initiative’s interinstitutional monitoring committee will be transferred to the JCE. The shift formally recognizes the JCE’s constitutional mandate as the state authority responsible for overseeing civil registry operations and all official identity documentation.

    Speaking at the official signing ceremony, Dominican First Lady Raquel Arbaje underscored the life-altering impact of the work, stressing that no child should be discharged from a hospital without an official birth certificate. Arbaje noted that access to education, healthcare and nearly all other fundamental rights enshrined in national law depend entirely on holding formal legal identity documentation.

    National officials emphasized that the extended cross-agency partnership will strengthen and embed a long-term public policy focused on upholding the fundamental right of every Dominican child to a legal identity. Once fully implemented, the initiative will ensure all children in the country can fully access the protections, social services and life opportunities guaranteed under Dominican law.

  • U.S. Embassy and PUCMM examine impact of American independence on the Caribbean

    U.S. Embassy and PUCMM examine impact of American independence on the Caribbean

    A collaborative keynote conference hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo and the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) has convened a diverse cross-sector audience of academics, researchers, university students, and public policy specialists to explore the far-reaching legacy of U.S. independence across the Hispanic Caribbean region.

    Leading the core discussion at the event was historian Javier Alemán Iglesias, who delivered a comprehensive breakdown of the multifaceted political, economic, and social transformations that U.S. independence set in motion for Caribbean societies. He also examined how these historical shifts have shaped the long-standing bilateral dynamics between the United States and nations across the Hispanic Caribbean. Alemán Iglesias’ address was framed as a central activity of the Freedom 250 initiative, a multi-event project created to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The initiative is designed to spark inclusive public dialogue around core principles including freedom, national self-determination, democratic governance, and grassroots civic engagement.

    After the conclusion of Alemán Iglesias’ keynote address, the historian joined a follow-up panel discussion alongside two leading Dominican scholars: sociologist Fernando Ferrán and political scientist Flavio Darío Espinal. The panel centered on unpacking the enduring economic, social, and political ripple effects of historical independence movements across the Caribbean basin and the broader Americas, drawing connections between 18th and 19th century shifts and modern regional dynamics.

    This conference marks the centerpiece of Alemán Iglesias’ three-day visit to the Dominican Republic, held from June 16 to 18, which is sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s official American Lecturers Program. Beyond the main public conference, Alemán Iglesias participated in a full schedule of closed-door workshops, smaller targeted lectures, and collaborative working meetings with local academics and researchers. All activities during the visit are aligned with broader goals of expanding bilateral educational exchange, strengthening academic ties between the two nations, and encouraging more nuanced, in-depth analysis of the deep historical connections linking the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.

  • Viva Hotel in Bayahibe engulfed in flames as firefighters battle blaze

    Viva Hotel in Bayahibe engulfed in flames as firefighters battle blaze

    A major uncontrolled fire has broken out at the Viva Hotel, located in the popular coastal tourist destination of Bayahibe in the Dominican Republic’s La Romana province, triggering an urgent large-scale response from local emergency services. Multiple fire crews from across La Romana province have been deployed rapidly to the scene, where firefighters are working around the clock to bring the destructive blaze under control.

    Early reports from the area confirm that dense plumes of dark smoke are billowing from the multi-building hotel complex, and user-generated footage and photos capturing the extent of the fire have spread quickly across various social media platforms, drawing widespread public attention to the incident.

    As of the latest update, local authorities have not released any confirmed information about what sparked the fire, and official investigations into the origin and cause of the emergency are still in their early stages. Crucially, there have been no official announcements of injuries, fatalities or missing persons connected to the blaze to date.

    Emergency response teams remain positioned on site, focusing both on fully extinguishing existing hotspots and stopping the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings and other properties within the larger resort area that hosts the hotel. This is an actively developing situation, and local officials have indicated that additional updates, including more details on the cause, impact and any potential casualties, will be released as emergency operations and investigative work progress.