Carib Scope

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  • Bailey brothers to make history as deputy police chiefs

    Bailey brothers to make history as deputy police chiefs

    In a landmark overhaul of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ national security apparatus, Deputy Prime Minister and National Security Minister St. Clair Leacock has confirmed that two biological brothers will occupy top leadership posts in the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, as part of a wide-ranging restructuring that also touches school security and the national fire service.

    Speaking on NBC Radio on Wednesday, May 13, Leacock laid out the timeline and details of the senior leadership changes: when current acting Police Chief and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Frankie Joseph retires upon the expiration of his upcoming leave, veteran officer Trevor “Buju” Bailey will step into the role of acting DCP. His younger brother Dwayne Bailey, a superintendent who has overseen the country’s prison system since 2021, will return to the police high command as a second DCP. The appointments mark the first time two siblings from the same household will serve simultaneously at the most senior levels of the national police force, a development Leacock described as unprecedented in the country’s history.

    The restructuring leaves current Commissioner of Police Enville Williams in his post, and follows the newly elected New Democratic Party (NDP) government’s approval of an additional DCP position in the national budget passed in February. When the budget was approved, Leacock had previously suggested the extra post might remain unfilled in 2026, with allocated funds directed to stipends for acting corporals. He clarified Wednesday that those stipends will continue even as the government fills the two new DCP roles, emphasizing that Dwayne Bailey’s return to top command will strengthen the force’s operational capacity. Leacock framed Dwayne Bailey’s shift from prisons to police as an almost lateral rank change, but a strategically critical move for public safety. Before his 2021 appointment to run prisons, Dwayne Bailey was a leading frontline crime-fighter with the police’s Rapid Response Unit, and took over the prison system after convicted murderer Veron Primus escaped twice while awaiting trial.

    The Bailey brothers’ appointments are just the centerpiece of a much broader reshuffle that includes multiple promotions and reassignments across senior ranks. One of the most notable promotions goes to Brenton Smith, a former Station Sergeant with a Master of Science in police leadership and management, who will jump directly from his current rank to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). Smith was fired from the force in 2021 under the previous Unity Labour Party government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and later served as NDP’s general secretary until last December. He was reinstated with all full benefits under the new NDP government’s policy of restoring roles to workers dismissed over the mandate. In his new role as head of the police’s human resource development department, Smith will tackle longstanding complaints about promotion stagnation, including cases where officers remain constables for 20 to 25 years while others rise to senior rank in just a few years. His portfolio will cover performance appraisals, training, recruitment, and manpower planning to streamline force operations.

    A second senior superintendent, Junior Simmons, a longtime police spokesperson and intelligence specialist, will also be promoted to the rank of ACP. Final confirmations for the new promotions are on hold while current ACP Christopher Benjamin, who is currently on leave, prepares to retire after his leave ends. Leacock added that an additional ACP appointment may be announced in the near future once all acting role transitions are finalized.

    The restructuring has already sparked public controversy, particularly over the reassignment of two current ACPs, Benzil Samuel and Hezran Ballantyne, to oversee national school security. Critics have argued that posting senior police officers to schools is unnecessary and amounts to over-policing, but Leacock pushed back against that criticism, noting that school security has long been inadequate across much of the country. Many schools lack proper perimeter fencing, and understaffed auxiliary police forces are often overwhelmed managing campuses with hundreds of students, while auxiliary officers do not always carry the same authority as regular police. Leacock said the decision to assign senior ACPs to overhaul school security follows direct requests from school leaders and parent-teacher associations, and is rooted in on-the-ground assessments by police command. He added that rising concerns about unruly public behavior across the country make the upgrade to school security a pressing priority, and the government will move forward with the plan despite objections.

    Leacock also rejected claims that the widespread leadership and structural changes amount to a government power grab that will turn St. Vincent and the Grenadines into a “police state”, calling the accusations far-fetched. The entire restructuring, he emphasized, is driven by a practical need to address longstanding operational challenges, target so-called “bad actors” fueling crime and public disorder, and rebuild depleted capacity across the full national security spectrum—including police, prisons, fire services, and auxiliary security forces.

    The leadership reshuffle has opened up vacancies across every rank of the police force, from constable up to superintendent, and the government plans to launch new recruitment drives to fill these gaps. Leacock also announced plans to strengthen specialized police units, which have been depleted in recent years, leading to inconsistent security details for embassies, judges, and senior government officials, particularly on weekends. To address this gap, the government is considering creating a dedicated formal guard unit, staffed by a mix of specially trained auxiliary officers and tactical unit personnel, to take over permanent responsibility for these security details. Moving forward, Leacock added, the government will end the practice of arbitrarily reassigning highly trained specialized officers to regular beat duty, a shift designed to increase operational efficiency through deeper specialization.

  • Antigua Cruise Port Highlights Progress on Waterfront Upland Development

    Antigua Cruise Port Highlights Progress on Waterfront Upland Development

    Antigua Cruise Port has dropped a fresh progress update for its transformative waterfront upland development project at St. John’s Harbour, offering the public a bird’s-eye view of ongoing construction via newly published aerial drone imagery. The visual update confirms that major works at the site are advancing according to schedule, with preparations now underway for a key ancillary component of the larger scheme: an expanded vehicle parking zone. The proposed additional parking lot has already been demarcated with perimeter fencing, and preliminary site clearing has been completed to make way for full construction work to begin. Project leaders anticipate that the expanded parking capacity will cut down on congestion and boost overall accessibility, delivering greater convenience for both local Antiguans going about their daily lives in the area and the thousands of cruise tourists that visit the port each year. In a public statement shared alongside the new imagery, Antigua Cruise Port emphasized that the broader waterfront transformation initiative is designed to deliver far more than just infrastructure upgrades. The organization says the end goal is to craft completely new visitor experiences, expand usable public green and gathering spaces, and cultivate a completely reimagined, vibrant waterfront atmosphere that will serve as a new landmark for St. John’s. This ongoing waterfront development is not an isolated project: it forms a core part of a wider, multi-million dollar portfolio of port and tourism infrastructure upgrades being rolled out across Antigua by Global Ports Holding, operating through its local subsidiary Antigua Cruise Port. The larger upgrade program is aimed at boosting Antigua’s competitiveness as a top Caribbean cruise destination, supporting long-term growth in the island nation’s key tourism sector and creating new economic opportunities for local communities.

  • SLBMC Welcomes ABCAS Interns Across Multiple Departments

    SLBMC Welcomes ABCAS Interns Across Multiple Departments

    A new cohort of aspiring healthcare workers has begun their professional training at Antigua and Barbuda’s Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre (SLBMC), through a collaborative internship initiative with the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies (ABCAS). Hospital leaders have framed the program as a strategic investment in the future of local healthcare, designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and on-the-job clinical practice.

    Unlike traditional classroom-based education, the internship offers students unmatched hands-on experience in a real hospital setting, while also letting them make tangible contributions to patient care and daily hospital operations. In an official announcement shared by the medical center, representatives noted that this program marks the start of a transformative journey for the young trainees, one where academic knowledge directly translates to meaningful impact for patients and the broader healthcare system.

    Oversight of the internship will be handled entirely by SLBMC’s in-house Learning and Development Unit, which will organize structured mentorship, personalized guidance, and regular professional development sessions throughout the full duration of the traineeship. Hospital officials emphasized that the core mission of the partnership extends far beyond simple workplace exposure: it is intentionally crafted to equip emerging professionals with the practical skills, clinical confidence, and professional networks they need to build long-term careers in healthcare, while building a pipeline of skilled talent for the island nation’s healthcare sector long into the future.

  • Saint Lucia gets tool to detect outbreaks faster

    Saint Lucia gets tool to detect outbreaks faster

    Ten Caribbean countries and territories have successfully upgraded their diagnostic capabilities with cutting-edge Molbio rapid PCR testing platforms, a development that is set to revolutionize how the region detects and responds to infectious disease outbreaks. The rollout, completed by March 26 under the Pandemic Fund Project, is led by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), which confirmed Saint Lucia, Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago as the participating member states.

    Unlike traditional testing setups that can take multiple days to deliver results, the new platform delivers accurate diagnostic outputs for a wide range of pathogens in under two hours. The technology is designed to detect more than a dozen high-priority infectious diseases that pose major threats to public health in the region, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, cholera, malaria, HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, salmonella, leptospirosis and rabies. It also has the capacity to test for pathogens with high pandemic potential, such as Nipah virus and norovirus, filling a critical gap in the region’s early warning systems.

    Following the completion of installations, the initiative is moving into its next operational phase: routine diagnostic testing across all participating sites. All testing data will be compiled and shared on a weekly basis with CARPHA through the platform’s integrated digital reporting system, enabling seamless aggregation of information into regional public health surveillance networks. This connected data infrastructure allows for continuous monitoring of platform performance and supports coordinated, fast-acting responses when new disease threats emerge.

    Complementing the hardware rollout, CARPHA has also completed targeted training for more than 50 laboratory professionals across the participating countries, building sustainable local technical capacity to operate and maintain the new systems. This hands-on training ensures that national health networks can leverage the full potential of the technology long after the initial deployment.

    CARPHA Executive Director Dr. Lisa Indar framed the successful completion of installations as a transformative milestone for regional public health infrastructure. “By combining cutting-edge diagnostic technology with targeted workforce training, CARPHA is ensuring that countries are better prepared to detect, respond to and manage public health threats in real time,” she said.

    The initiative has already demonstrated its value in emergency response scenarios. During Hurricane Melissa that impacted Jamaica in October 2025, the platform was installed and local staff were fully trained within just a few days, enabling immediate emergency testing and boosting the country’s disaster response readiness. Looking ahead, the upgraded diagnostic systems are expected to cut turnaround times for diagnosis from days to under two hours, enabling earlier case identification, faster isolation of infected individuals, and more effective containment of outbreaks. This progress ultimately strengthens regional surveillance capabilities and boosts the long-term resilience of national health systems across the Caribbean.

  • Cultuurdragers zien Heritage Month als stap naar meer nationale eenheid

    Cultuurdragers zien Heritage Month als stap naar meer nationale eenheid

    In a series of collaborative consultation sessions held at Suriname’s Congress Hall, cultural leaders, civil society organizations, and youth representatives have united around building momentum for the country’s first-ever National Heritage Month, scheduled to launch this coming August. Organized by the Presidential Working Group for Heritage Month, the two-day gathering held earlier this week centered on the unifying theme “However we came together here – how we move forward together”, framing the inaugural event as a landmark step for the South American nation’s diverse social fabric.

    Nearly all participants expressed enthusiastic support for the initiative, echoing a shared belief that the month-long celebration will strengthen national unity, foster a collective sense of shared identity, and reinforce social cohesion across Suriname’s famously multicultural population. Renowned Surinamese author and historian Cynthia McLeod emphasized that the initiative fills a critical gap, given the nation’s layered, centuries-long history and extraordinary cultural diversity. For McLeod, it is essential that all Surinamese people develop a deep awareness of their collective inherited heritage, and gain tools to pass these cultural narratives down to future generations. She also publicly called for organizers to turn Heritage Month into an annual recurring tradition, rather than a one-off event.

    Beyond its social and cultural value, McLeod noted that Suriname’s unique cultural diversity holds enormous untapped potential for the country’s tourism sector. “Our heritage is so fantastic, so diverse, and yet together we form this beautiful Suriname,” she told attendees, urging all segments of Surinamese society to actively participate in the full schedule of planned activities for the inaugural month.

    Tanuya Manichand, a respected cultural bearer, dance instructor, and oral storyteller, echoed McLeod’s support, framing the broad stakeholder consultation process itself as a promising first step. She pointed out that the high level of engagement from cultural leaders and community groups across the country demonstrates clear public demand for a dedicated, ongoing platform that centers culture and collective identity as core national priorities. Like McLeod, Manichand stressed that the event should not remain a one-time project, noting “We need to build something that people can keep looking forward to year after year.” She added that the celebration should maintain a clear focus on answering two core questions: What does it mean to be Surinamese, and what shared values bind the nation’s diverse communities together?

    Florence Jamin-Wangsabesari, chair of the Suriname Pencak Silat Association, brought the perspective of a practice already recognized globally as intangible cultural heritage. Pencak Silat, the traditional Indonesian martial art, has deep roots in Suriname’s multicultural communities, and Jamin-Wangsabesari explained that her association does not just promote the discipline as a sport – it uses it as a living tool to preserve shared cultural heritage, which is already recognized by UNESCO. She emphasized that cross-ethnic, cross-cultural collaboration is central to the success of any national heritage initiative, and argued that young people must be more actively included in cultural programming to prevent long-held traditions from fading over time. In line with this goal, her association already brings Pencak Silat programming directly to Surinamese schools to reach new generations.

    Rachel Pinas, chair of the 2026 Presidential Working Group for Heritage Month, confirmed that youth engagement is a core priority from the earliest planning stages. “Young people are the future heritage bearers, and they are the ones who will carry our cultural stories forward for the next generation,” she explained, noting that all feedback and ideas shared by youth participants during the consultation sessions will be integrated directly into the final planning and execution of the inaugural Heritage Month.

    Youth participants have responded overwhelmingly positively to being included in the early planning process. Ceejay Wiebers, one of the young attendees at the consultation, noted that bringing the next generation into the process early is critical to preventing cultural loss, as young people will be the ones stewarding these traditions going forward. Urvin Doekoe, representing The Colors Foundation Suriname, added that the Heritage Month initiative aligns perfectly with his organization’s core work, which centers on supporting youth and elevating the cultural heritage of Suriname’s Maroon and Indigenous communities.

  • First in 30 Years: Bahamas Re-Elects Its Prime Minister

    First in 30 Years: Bahamas Re-Elects Its Prime Minister

    In a historic outcome that reshapes Bahamian politics, incumbent Prime Minister Philip Davis of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has secured a decisive re-election victory, marking the first time a sitting leader has won back-to-back terms in nearly three decades. The snap vote, held on a Tuesday in May 2026 months ahead of the originally scheduled October poll, delivered a landslide for Davis and his party, which claimed more than 30 out of the 41 total seats in the national parliament. The early election was strategically called by Davis to avoid potential disruption from the annual Atlantic hurricane season, a decision that ultimately paid off for the ruling party. In his first public address following the confirmation of his victory, Davis struck a humble tone, acknowledging the will of the Bahamian people. “The Bahamian people have spoken, and I receive their verdict with humility and gratitude,” Davis said. “This victory is a mandate to keep moving The Bahamas forward, to expand opportunity, strengthen security, ease the pressure on families, and deliver progress across our islands.” The main opposition bloc, the Free National Movement (FNM), faced a devastating rout in the election. The party was projected to walk away with just 8 parliamentary seats, and both its sitting chair and deputy leader lost their bids for re-election. The losses extended to former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, who was denied the FNM’s nomination for his long-held seat and launched an independent campaign to retain the post he had held for nearly 20 years. Minnis ultimately failed to secure enough support to hold the seat, closing a major chapter in the FNM’s recent history. Cost of living pressures dominated voter concerns throughout the campaign, with skyrocketing housing costs and stagnant wage growth emerging as the top issues driving Bahamian voters to the polls. Davis’ ability to address these public anxieties, paired with his strategic decision to call an early vote, cleared a path to his historic re-election, breaking a three-decade pattern of leadership turnover in the island nation.

  • PAHO announces regional agreement to secure pandemic influenza vaccines for Latin America and the Caribbean

    PAHO announces regional agreement to secure pandemic influenza vaccines for Latin America and the Caribbean

    Against the backdrop of ongoing global circulation of high-risk zoonotic viruses such as avian influenza, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched a landmark public-private partnership with Australian pharmaceutical firm CSL Seqirus to strengthen pandemic preparedness across Latin America and the Caribbean, ensuring more equitable and timely access to pandemic influenza vaccines when the next public health emergency strikes.

    At the core of the new agreement is a pre-negotiated dose allocation mechanism that earmarks a fixed portion of CSL Seqirus’ global pandemic influenza vaccine production exclusively for participating PAHO member states. If a pandemic is declared, participating nations will immediately gain access to an initial pre-reserved pool of doses, eliminating the chaotic bidding wars and supply shortages that left many regions scrambling for vaccines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This framework is built directly on hard-won lessons from the global COVID-19 crisis, which exposed deep gaps in regional preparedness and global vaccine equity, particularly for middle-income countries.

    To add resilience to the regional supply chain, partial vaccine manufacturing will take place locally in Argentina in collaboration with domestic biotech firm Sinergium Biotech. This arrangement not only brings production closer to end users but also supports long-term growth of regional biomanufacturing capacity, a key priority identified in post-COVID-19 public health reforms. CSL Seqirus will lead global development of pandemic influenza vaccines and support technology transfer to regional partners, drawing on the company’s decades of specialized expertise in influenza research and large-scale vaccine production.

    PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa emphasized that the agreement marks a transformative shift for regional health security. “This agreement is a direct response to the hard lessons of COVID-19 and a major step forward in strengthening health security and pandemic preparedness across the Americas,” Barbosa said. “Through our Regional Revolving Funds, countries are joining forces to secure a reserved share of vaccine production, helping protect those at risk when it matters most.”

    Barbosa added that for the first time, countries across the Americas are approaching future pandemic response as a unified bloc rather than fragmented individual markets, putting the region on far more equal footing with wealthy nations that typically outcompete lower and middle-income countries for limited global vaccine supplies. By pooling collective demand through PAHO’s Regional Revolving Funds, participating countries can negotiate better terms and ensure access even when global demand surges.

    David Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager at CSL Seqirus, called the partnership a model for proactive pandemic preparedness. “This agreement puts pandemic preparedness best practices into action, bringing together reserved doses, regional manufacturing capability, and a long-term public-private commitment,” Ross said. “We’re proud to establish this kind of partnership in Latin America and the Caribbean for the first time.”

    Alejandro Gil, President and CEO of Sinergium Biotech, noted that the deal builds on more than a decade of collaboration between his firm, PAHO, and CSL Seqirus. Fifteen years of investment in infrastructure and workforce development have now positioned Sinergium to deliver high-quality vaccines to the region, aligning with PAHO’s regional public health strategies. “For Sinergium, it is a source of pride to be able to contribute in such a significant way to public health in the region,” Gil said.

    The agreement, which followed a full year of negotiations and an international competitive procurement process, addresses a longstanding structural gap that has disadvantaged middle-income countries during global health crises. These nations often lack the purchasing power to secure early vaccine access from manufacturers, but are also excluded from the emergency support programs offered to the world’s poorest countries.

    When a pandemic does occur, dose allocation from the reserved pool will be guided by real-time epidemiological data and formal risk assessments, with high-priority access guaranteed to the most vulnerable populations. PAHO officials stressed that this framework shifts the region from a reactive crisis response model to a proactive, pre-planned system that can cut through supply chain delays and global competition to deliver doses when they are needed most.

    Public health experts have repeatedly identified animal-borne influenza viruses as one of the highest-risk pathogens for triggering the next global pandemic, making proactive preparedness for a pandemic influenza event a top global health priority. PAHO officials noted that this new agreement sets a precedent for regional cooperation that could be replicated in other parts of the world to improve global pandemic preparedness overall.

  • Police renew appeal for three wanted men

    Police renew appeal for three wanted men

    Law enforcement authorities in Barbados have stepped up their efforts to locate three men wanted for questioning linked to severe criminal activity, reissuing public appeals for community assistance this week.

    On Wednesday, the Barbados Police Service published updated wanted alerts for Ricardo Cortez Browne, who also goes by the alias “Ricky”, Jevon Obrien Richardson, and Akeem Deshawn Carter. Each suspect has been provided with clear instructions on how to surrender to authorities legally, with permission to be accompanied by a personal legal representative.

    Authorities have released detailed physical descriptions and last known residential locations to help members of the public identify the three men. Browne, whose last confirmed address is in Coral Land, Haggatt Hall, St. Michael, is described as a 5-foot-10-inch man of medium build with brown complexion and a prominent bulbous nose. Police have directed Browne to turn himself in at the Black Rock Police Station alongside his chosen attorney.

    The second suspect, Richardson, last resided at Walmer Lodge in Black Rock, St. Michael. He stands approximately 6 feet tall, has a slim build, dark complexion, and short, messy black hair. Law enforcement has requested that Richardson surrender to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) based at the District ‘A’ Police Station on Station Hill, St. Michael, again with legal counsel present.

    The third wanted man, Carter, lists Bartlett Tenantry in Sargeant Village, Christ Church as his last known address. Officials describe Carter as a 5-foot-9-inch man of stocky build with dark complexion, and note he has two distinguishing tattoos: the word “Loyalty” inked on his left hand, and the initials “QTF” marked on his right hand. Carter has been instructed to report to the CID unit at Oistins Police Station with his attorney.

    In addition to asking the three suspects to surrender voluntarily, police are calling on any member of the public with information about the current whereabouts of Browne, Richardson or Carter to come forward immediately. Tips can be submitted to multiple contact points: the Black Rock Police Station at 417-7500 or 417-7505, District ‘A’ CID at 430-7242 or 430-7270, Oistins CID at 418-2608 or 418-2612, the national 24/7 police emergency line at 211, anonymous Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, or any local neighborhood police station.

    Officials have also issued a clear reminder to the public that concealing the location of a wanted person or providing any form of assistance to help them avoid arrest constitutes a serious criminal offense under Barbados law, and anyone found guilty of this action can face prosecution.

  • Skerrit links rising fuel costs to international conflict, highlights geothermal energy benefits

    Skerrit links rising fuel costs to international conflict, highlights geothermal energy benefits

    In a recent press briefing addressing growing economic pressure on Dominican households, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has traced the sharp spike in domestic fuel prices to the ongoing geopolitical conflict between the US, Iran and Israel, while crediting the country’s emerging geothermal energy project with preventing even more dramatic electricity cost increases for consumers.

    Skerrit outlined the timeline of price increases, noting that when the conflict erupted on February 28, 2026, gasoline retailed at $14.96 per gallon and diesel stood at $13.84 per gallon on the island. In the months following the conflict’s start, global crude oil markets have seen a dramatic upward swing, sending ripple effects through fuel markets worldwide and reaching local consumers in Dominica directly.

    “Since that date, global crude prices have jumped more than 30 percent, which has driven local pump prices up to $17.98 per gallon for gasoline — a 20.2 percent increase — and $20.53 per gallon for diesel as of May 7 this year,” Skerrit told reporters. He added that American consumers have faced even steeper jumps, with some reports showing domestic fuel prices in the U.S. rising as much as 50 percent since the conflict began.

    The prime minister openly acknowledged the intense financial strain that elevated fuel costs are placing on everyday Dominican families, admitting that the current price of diesel is an enormous burden for households. Crucially, he noted that the island nation has no control over global geopolitical developments or international commodity prices that drive these increases.

    To cushion the blow for consumers, the Dominican government has maintained fuel subsidies, but Skerrit explained that this policy is putting unsustainable new pressure on the country’s national budget. The government is already facing rising operating costs across critical public sectors, including schools, hospitals, and general public services, alongside ongoing recovery and reconstruction work following devastating floods that hit the island’s eastern and northeastern regions in April.

    With diesel prices climbing 48 percent since February and global crude markets expected to remain volatile through the rest of 2026, Skerrit emphasized that fuel subsidies have become a growing drain on public finances. This budget pressure, in turn, limits the government’s ability to allocate funding to other core priorities: public health, education, infrastructure expansion, and ongoing disaster recovery.

    In response to this balancing act, the prime minister announced that the government will implement monthly reviews of fuel pricing and subsidy policy, aiming to strike a sustainable balance between protecting consumers from sudden price shocks and maintaining responsible long-term fiscal management for the country.

    Turning to a bright spot in the island’s energy landscape, Skerrit highlighted the critical role that Dominica’s investment in geothermal energy is already playing, even before the new geothermal power plant holds its official commissioning. The project is already supplying power to the national grid, and the prime minister said this domestic renewable capacity has insulated the country from far steeper increases in electricity prices.

    “If we had not moved forward with geothermal development — even though the plant is not yet officially open, we have been drawing geothermal power for some time — every Dominican would be facing massive jumps in their electricity bills right now because of the war,” Skerrit explained. He noted that the Dominican electricity utility DOMLEC would otherwise rely almost entirely on imported diesel for power generation, leaving electricity prices directly tied to volatile global oil markets.

    Looking forward, Skerrit reaffirmed that the government’s sustained investment of time and funding into geothermal development is a strategic move to strengthen Dominica’s long-term energy security and cut the country’s exposure to unpredictable swings in global crude oil prices. “We understand fully why the government has dedicated so many resources to advancing geothermal,” he added.

  • Thirteen-year-old girl missing

    Thirteen-year-old girl missing

    Law enforcement authorities in Barbados are turning to the public for help in their search for a missing teenage girl from the parish of St Michael. 13-year-old Kemera Murray, who resides at Block 1B, Meadow Road in the Wildey neighborhood, has not been seen since Tuesday, May 12, and investigators are asking community members to come forward with any details that could help locate her.

    Police have released a detailed physical description to aid public recognition. Murray stands approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, has a slender build, and a dark complexion. Her hair is styled in short cornrow plaits. When she was last observed, she was wearing a blue cropped dress paired with black form-fitting leggings. Investigators also noted that the teen is known to regularly visit the Oistins area located in Christ Church, a southern parish of the island nation.

    Multiple contact channels have been set up for members of the public to share any information they may have about Murray’s current location. Those with tips can reach out directly to District ‘A’ Police Station via phone at 430-7242 or 430-7246, contact the national police emergency line at 211, submit anonymous information through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, or visit any local police station to share details in person. Police emphasize that even small pieces of information could prove critical to bringing the missing teenager back to her family safely.