Carib Scope

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  • Parenting workshop brings relief and encouragement to families recovering from Melissa

    Parenting workshop brings relief and encouragement to families recovering from Melissa

    KINGSTON, Jamaica – In the rural communities of Bartons and Newton in Jamaica’s St Elizabeth parish, hundreds of parents and caregivers are walking away with renewed confidence, practical tools, and a stronger sense of community support after taking part in a trauma-informed parenting workshop organized by the Children First Agency (CFA) in collaboration with UNICEF Jamaica.

    The workshop, branded “From Surviving to Thriving”, was designed specifically to address the overlapping mental health and parenting challenges families have faced in the months after Hurricane Melissa swept through the region. The event filled a critical gap for storm-battered households, giving caregivers a structured space to process their grief, connect with other community members facing similar struggles, and learn actionable strategies to support their children’s development amid ongoing recovery.

    Facilitated by Dionne Levy, a seasoned counselor and veteran educator, the session centered on four core pillars: positive child-rearing practices, stress management, child protection protocols, and healthy family communication. During the interactive workshop, Levy guided participants through discussions on how unprocessed post-disaster stress and unresolved personal trauma can unconsciously shape parenting approaches and strain family dynamics. She introduced participants to evidence-based techniques centered on emotional self-regulation, intentional caregiver self-care, and self-compassion – tools that not only boost caregivers’ own mental well-being but also help build nurturing, stable connections with children.

    For many attendees, the impact of the day was immediate and deeply meaningful. Kaydia Wright, a single mother of three who lost her home’s roof during the hurricane, shared that the workshop left her feeling reenergized and grounded. “I liked every part of the session, especially the group counseling portion led by Dionne. After Melissa hit, most of us here are still picking up the pieces of our lives, struggling to get back on our feet. Just having this space to be heard took so much weight off my shoulders, even for just one day. Workshops like this motivate us and teach us real, usable ways to support our kids and ourselves,” Wright explained.

    Unlike top-down training models, CFA uses a community-led group facilitation approach that invites caregivers to reflect on their own parenting habits, share lived experiences, and co-develop solutions that work for their households. This structure fosters a non-judgmental, supportive environment that encourages lasting positive behavior change. Beyond supporting individual families, the model also strengthens protective parenting practices, lowers the risk of household violence, and speeds up collective community recovery in the wake of the storm.

    Claudette Richardson Pious, executive director of the Children First Agency, emphasized that sustained, accessible support for caregivers is critical to breaking harmful intergenerational patterns. “Without targeted, coordinated support, many parents fall back on the parenting approaches they experienced as children, which can sometimes involve harmful disciplinary methods without them even realizing it,” she noted. Richardson Pious called on government actors and civil society partners to expand this type of support to reach more storm-affected families across the island.

    Olga Isaza, representative for UNICEF Jamaica, echoed that commitment, noting that supporting caregivers is a core part of UNICEF’s post-disaster recovery mandate. “As communities rebuild after Hurricane Melissa, UNICEF’s top priority is making sure every child grows up surrounded by stable, supported caregivers. Our partnership with CFA allows families to build positive parenting skills and create the safe, nurturing environments kids need to heal, learn, and grow,” Isaza said.

    This initial workshop in Bartons and Newton marks the first launch of a full series of parenting support sessions that are part of a larger psychosocial recovery initiative led by CFA and UNICEF Jamaica. The project also receives financial and programmatic support from the government of the United States and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

    The initiative builds on years of CFA’s existing work advancing family support across Jamaica, including the Social Justice (SO JUST) Project, which trained caregivers in positive discipline, open communication, and trauma-informed care, and the Spotlight Initiative, which expanded gender-responsive parenting practices and established the national Parenting League community support group. For caregivers across the country who cannot attend these in-person workshops, additional support is available through the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), which operates community parent hubs, a free national parenting support helpline, and a structured parent mentorship program.

  • Larry and The Mento Boys to re-release ‘Jamaica Farewell’ album in summer

    Larry and The Mento Boys to re-release ‘Jamaica Farewell’ album in summer

    In the vibrant landscape of Jamaican popular music, a beloved early classic is making a comeback: Larry and The Mento Boys’ 2013 album *Jamaica Farewell*, a collection of iconic mento tracks, is set to be reissued this summer by Tad’s International Record. The project anchors itself to the original *Hill And Gully*, a foundational mento standard that has recently seen new popularity as the inspiration for the viral Hill And Gully riddim from acclaimed dancehall producer Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, led by Masicka’s bold hit track Slip & Slide.

    The reissued *Jamaica Farewell* features 18 tracks, drawing heavily from the core mento songbook. Standouts include fan-favorite staples like the patriotic *Island In The Sun*, *Shame And Scandal*, *Big Bamboo*, and the album’s namesake *Hill And Gully*. Beyond traditional mento fare, the album also includes the band’s distinctive interpretations of three Bob Marley classics — *No Woman No Cry*, *Three Little Birds*, and *One Drop* — plus a cover of *Ma & Pa*, the track that first rose to fame through Trinidadian performer Lord Creator.

    Tad Dawkins, founder and leader of Tad’s International Record, shared the backstory of the re-release with Jamaica’s *Observer Online*. He explained he was first introduced to Larry and The Mento Boys by veteran broadcaster and performer Bob Clarke, who spent decades entertaining guests at tourist hotels across Jamaica’s St Ann and St Mary parishes, where he built a longstanding connection with the band.

    “There’s something timeless about mento that carries listeners back to simpler, earlier days, and the tracks on this album are genuinely great,” Dawkins said. “Even today, there remains a strong, dedicated market for authentic Jamaican mento music.”

    For many music scholars, mento holds the distinction of being Jamaica’s first commercially popular genre, laying the cultural and sonic groundwork for reggae and dancehall that would rise to global fame in later decades. The genre broke through to mainstream audiences across the 1940s and 1950s, driven by charismatic performers like Lord Flea, who earned enough international notoriety to appear on iconic U.S. variety programs including *The Perry Como Show*.

    Mento retained its place on Jamaican radio through the 1970s, even as roots-reggae dominated the national music scene, largely thanks to the work of legendary artist Stanley Beckford. Beckford scored multiple major hits with tracks like *Soldering* — which later received a high-profile cover from pop duo Hall and Oates — *Broom Weed*, and *Leave my Kiselo*, and he took home top honors at Jamaica’s Festival Song Competition on multiple occasions.

    In more recent decades, Portland-based group The Jolly Boys have led a renewed interest in traditional mento. Their 2010 album *Great Expectation* earned rave reviews from leading international outlets including *The New York Times*, and opened the door for the band to headline tour dates across the United States and United Kingdom, introducing the genre to a whole new generation of global listeners.

  • ‘A life well lived’: Friends, colleagues remember Dhiru Tanna’s quiet impact

    ‘A life well lived’: Friends, colleagues remember Dhiru Tanna’s quiet impact

    On April 27, more than 40 corporate directors, alongside close friends and long-time colleagues, convened at the Jamaica National Group (JN Group) headquarters to celebrate and pay tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Dhiru Tanna, the organization’s late deputy chairman. Dr. Tanna passed away on April 14 at the age of 82, leaving behind a decades-long legacy of leadership that spanned business, public service and academia. The memorial gathering drew a roster of prominent figures from across Jamaica’s private and public sectors, including former Jamaica Olympic Association president Michael Fennell, attorney-at-law Monica Ladd, Blue Power Group chairman Jeffrey Hall, JN Group director and Office of the Prime Minister Permanent Secretary Ambassador Rocky Meade, former Cabinet Secretary Dr. Carlton Davis, Wisynco Group chairman William Mahfood, and retired KPMG managing partner Tarun Handa.

    In the solemn, intimate gathering, attendees reflected on the profound, far-reaching impact Dr. Tanna had on both the JN Group and the wider Jamaican community. Consistent themes emerged from every tribute: widespread admiration for Dr. Tanna’s sharp intellectual depth, unflappable judgment, and rare humility that shaped organizational decisions and nurtured generations of leaders over his decades of service. Tributes painted a portrait of a leader who mastered strategic planning, corporate governance, and people management, and who remained deeply committed to the core mission and inclusive culture of the JN Group. To those who served alongside him, Dr. Tanna was far more than an executive: he was a trusted mentor, a confidant, and a dedicated Jamaican patriot whose quiet wisdom carried unmatched weight in every discussion.

    Elizabeth Ann Jones, current chairman of the JN Group, recalled her first introduction to Dr. Tanna in Jamaica’s private sector, where she immediately recognized his extraordinary breadth of knowledge and sharp business acumen. Later, when the two served together on the board of the Jamaica National Building Society, Jones came to rely on Dr. Tanna as the consistent voice of reason amid tense board deliberations. “He was a steady presence who shared his knowledge, expertise and foresight during countless board discussions,” Jones noted.

    Earl Jarrett, JN Group chief executive officer, who collaborated with Dr. Tanna for more than 30 years, shared how he repeatedly benefited from Dr. Tanna’s thoughtful guidance over the decades. Jarrett described Dr. Tanna as a true polymath whose leadership extended across multiple Jamaican industries, noting that his unique abilities and forward-thinking vision helped numerous organizations navigate periods of transition and expansion. Colleagues across sectors regularly turned to Dr. Tanna for his broad range of knowledge and balanced perspective, Jarrett added.

    Longtime JN Group board member Peter Morris shared that he admired Dr. Tanna’s intellect and business sense from their very first meeting. Morris recalled that Dr. Tanna carried himself with quiet authority, balancing a deep commitment to delivering meaningful value and exceptional customer experiences for JN members with a relentless insistence on the operational discipline required to run an efficient, sustainable and profitable business. To Morris, Dr. Tanna was an elder statesman of the board and an invaluable mentor to many rising leaders, including himself.

    Parris Lyew-Ayee, chairman of the JN Foundation, highlighted another core trait that set Dr. Tanna apart: his deep respect for all people and their differing beliefs. A practicing Hindu, Dr. Tanna consistently encouraged fellow leaders to ground their own decisions in their personal values, rather than imposing his beliefs on others. Lyew-Ayee noted that Dr. Tanna’s sharp intellect, meticulous attention to detail, and calm confidence set him apart from the earliest days of his career. “He always seemed to be several steps ahead, quietly analysing, guiding and shaping outcomes with wisdom and clarity,” Lyew-Ayee said.

    Michael Fennell echoed these sentiments, describing Dr. Tanna as a man of quiet brilliance whose full depth was often only visible to those who had the privilege of working closely with him. Fennell emphasized that Dr. Tanna was an exceptional individual who carried his many accomplishments with profound humility, never seeking attention or praise, but leaving a lasting impact through his actions and his mentorship of young professionals. “[A] fantastic individual in every way, so unassuming, not pretentious in any way,” Fennell said. He added that Dr. Tanna’s greatest strength lay not just in what he knew, but in how carefully and thoughtfully he shared his knowledge with others.

    Former Cabinet Secretary Dr. Carlton Davis framed Dr. Tanna as an exceptional Jamaican whose intellect, humility, and wide-ranging contributions left an indelible mark on the entire nation. Davis noted that Dr. Tanna could not be confined to any single professional role: he excelled equally as an academic, a leading business executive, and a dedicated public servant. “He was a remarkable gift to Jamaica,” Dr. Davis said, adding that the country benefited immeasurably from Dr. Tanna’s choice to make Jamaica his permanent home.

    Keith Senior, assistant general manager at the JN Group, captured the deep personal and professional influence Dr. Tanna had on staff across all levels of the organization, saying he left “fingerprints on our souls.” Senior reflected on the widespread respect and admiration Dr. Tanna inspired across the company, noting that memories of him have become treasured keepsakes for colleagues. “There are people who simply pass through life, and then there are those who leave an indelible mark. Dhiru was one of those,” Senior said, portraying him as a towering figure whose influence stretched far beyond the walls of the boardroom.

    Dr. Laura Tanna, Dr. Tanna’s widow, offered a heartfelt note of gratitude to attendees for the outpouring of tributes to her late husband. She shared that hearing stories of his mentorship, friendship, and professional impact brought her renewed comfort during her time of grief, adding that the remarks from attendees revealed new dimensions of her husband’s life that she had not always witnessed firsthand. “Hearing how he has mentored people, hearing the stories of your friendship, it means a great deal to me,” she said.

  • AFJ to honour three leaders for Hurricane Melissa response at Miami gala

    AFJ to honour three leaders for Hurricane Melissa response at Miami gala

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — When Hurricane Melissa swept across Jamaica, it left behind a trail of widespread destruction that stretched the island’s recovery resources to their limit. Months later, as rebuilding work continues across affected communities, the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) has announced a plan to recognize three outstanding contributors to the island’s storm recovery effort at its 2026 Jamaica Charity Gala. The three honorees, who come from the non-profit and private sectors, will be celebrated for their critical work delivering life-saving aid and coordinating large-scale rebuilding projects in the wake of the disaster.

    The award ceremony will take place on June 6 in Miami, where the three leaders will accept their honors before guests from South Florida’s Jamaican and philanthropic communities. The honoree list includes Michael Capponi, founder of the Global Empowerment Mission (GEM); Edward Raine, president and chief executive officer of Food For The Poor; and Norman Horne, executive chairman of Jamaica’s ARC Manufacturing Limited.

    In a statement ahead of the event, AFJ Executive Director Caron Chung emphasized that the recognition goes beyond one-time disaster response: the three leaders are being honored for both their immediate, on-the-ground action and their sustained, long-term leadership that has kept recovery efforts moving forward months after the storm passed. Chung noted that the awards also shine a spotlight on the critical partnership between private sector and non-profit organizations that amplified the Jamaican government’s national recovery work, filling gaps that public resources alone could not address.

    Capponi’s GEM was one of the first organizations to mobilize support after Hurricane Melissa made landfall. Leveraging prepositioned supply warehouses across the region and pre-established coordination networks with local and regional emergency agencies, the group moved more than one million pounds of emergency supplies into affected areas within the first seven days after the storm hit. By early 2026, GEM’s total shipments to Jamaica have grown to approximately four million pounds, and the organization has shifted its focus to longer-term recovery work, including installing temporary roofing for displaced households and repairing critical damaged community facilities.

    Under Raine’s leadership, Food For The Poor took on a core logistical leadership role in the national response effort. The organization oversaw end-to-end management of inbound aid shipments, managed all customs clearance processes for incoming humanitarian goods, and coordinated the last-mile distribution of supplies to hard-hit communities across the island. Raine’s team committed more than US$4 million to the recovery effort, established two new regional logistics hubs in Montego Bay and Spanish Town to speed up delivery, and scaled up operations to deliver food supplies to thousands of vulnerable households every day at the height of the response. Building on this immediate work, Food For The Poor has now launched a multi-phase housing reconstruction programme to help permanently rehouse families who lost their homes in the storm.

    Horne’s ARC Manufacturing filled a key gap in the relief logistics network, expanding response capacity beyond what air freight could accommodate. Working alongside AFJ and other private sector partners, ARC Manufacturing coordinated large-volume sea freight deliveries of critical supplies including food, temporary shelter materials, and clean water infrastructure that allowed relief operations to keep up with the massive need across the island.

    Beyond the award ceremony, the 2026 Jamaica Charity Gala serves as one of AFJ’s primary annual fundraising events for Jamaica-focused development initiatives based in South Florida. This year’s event will feature a silent auction of donated goods and experiences, a formal dinner, and live entertainment for attendees. All proceeds from the gala will go toward supporting AFJ’s ongoing grant programmes across Jamaica, spanning key development areas including education, healthcare, and community-led economic development.

  • WATCH: Truck driver escapes injury after unit overturns on Spur Tree Hill

    WATCH: Truck driver escapes injury after unit overturns on Spur Tree Hill

    MANCHESTER, Jamaica — A truck driver walked away with barely a scratch after a harrowing crash on one of Jamaica’s most dangerous stretches of roadway Tuesday morning. The incident unfolded just after 8 a.m. along the Spur Tree Hill main road in Manchester, when the driver lost control of their box truck while navigating a sharp bend, leading the vehicle to tip and overturn.

    The force of the rollover left the truck’s cargo hold significantly damaged, releasing dozens of boxes filled with grocery goods that spilled across the full width of the road. Local authorities have confirmed no instances of looting have been reported in the wake of the crash, a rare positive detail amid the disruption.

    This latest incident is far from an isolated event on the notoriously dangerous highway, which has seen three serious collisions in just over a month. Only two weeks prior, two elderly motorists escaped major harm when their car veered off the road and plunged down a steep cliff face near the same stretch of Spur Tree Hill. On April 7, two people lost their lives when a cement-carrying heavy truck left the roadway in another fatal crash.

    The string of crashes has reignited questions about road safety measures along Spur Tree Hill, a route long flagged by local communities as high-risk for accidents due to its winding, hilly terrain.

  • Abaco residents angry over wiped power bills

    Abaco residents angry over wiped power bills

    Six years after Hurricane Dorian devastated large swathes of Abaco, leaving thousands of residents homeless and economically shattered, anger is boiling over over the Davis administration’s last-minute pre-general election decision to erase all outstanding electricity bills for residents of Grand Cay and Moore’s Island – while leaving similarly devastated mainland Abaco communities without any comparable relief.

    Survivors across hard-hit mainland settlements including Marsh Harbour, Dundas Town, Spring City and Murphy Town have decried the selective relief as a transparent, insulting political gambit that ignores the ongoing suffering of thousands of Dorian survivors who have yet to recover from the 2019 storm.

    Neulessa Major, a lifelong Marsh Harbour resident whose home suffered catastrophic damage during Dorian, described the unequal treatment as a slap in the face to all mainland Abaco residents still picking up the pieces. Her $55,000 home roof was completely destroyed, all her personal belongings were ruined by storm surge and wind, and she was unable to move back into her repaired property until 2022. Today, she says massive outstanding utility bills burden most families and business owners across central Abaco – none of whom were offered the debt forgiveness extended to the two smaller island communities.

    “When I learned that only certain groups were getting their entire balances wiped clean, I was shocked,” Major said in an interview. “All of central Abaco was hit just as hard, with these enormous bills that people can’t possibly pay. Six years on, we still have people living in tents and temporary dome shelters. A lot of homes look finished from the street, but step inside and there aren’t even floor tiles. The government acts like everything is fine for us here, but it’s not.”

    The controversial debt cancellation came two weeks ahead of the national general election, after Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis visited Grand Cay and publicly promised the relief to voters there. Government officials defended the move, framing it as a resolution to long-running billing disruptions triggered first by Hurricane Dorian and later by the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials noted that Grand Cay and Moore’s Island residents faced unique hardships including limited banking access, extended travel and business restrictions, and that accumulated debt accrued through circumstances outside consumers’ control. The government confirmed the outstanding balances would be covered through an offsetting agreement with Bahamas Power and Light.

    But that explanation has done little to ease the anger among mainland Abaco residents, who point out they weathered the same storm and the same subsequent economic crisis, with many still struggling to rebuild. Major emphasized that many Marsh Harbour residents did not wait for government aid to begin rebuilding their homes and businesses, only to be saddled with crippling utility debt that the government has refused to address.

    She also called out the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) for a separate recently revealed government-funded gift card program that saw small $300 gift certificates distributed to Abaco residents just ahead of the vote – a move she dismissed as insufficient and politically motivated. The Tribune previously confirmed that more than $200,000 in public funds was used for the gift certificates, which bear the signatures of PLP officials despite being a government initiative.

    “A $300 gift certificate six years after we lost everything? What is that even supposed to cover?” Major asked. “A lot of people might celebrate a small handout right before an election, but that doesn’t fix what’s broken here. I was even offered $500 in cash at my door by campaign workers – I refused it. I don’t want a personal payout. I want the government to actually do something for our community.”

    Lorane Burrows, a Dundas Town resident whose home was damaged in Dorian, shared Major’s fury, noting she was forced to pay outstanding water and sewerage bills even after her storm damage left her facing major financial strain. “They need to get out,” Burrows said. “This was a slap in the face to all of us. They’ve done nothing for Abaco, nothing for people like me who are still hurting. They failed us entirely.” Burrows confirmed she and all eight voting members of her household will not support the PLP in the upcoming election.

    Rochelle Lightbourn, a 55-year-old Spring City resident who lost all her belongings when her rented home was destroyed in Dorian, argued the selective relief is a clear political calculation. “I think they’re doing this because they know they’re going to lose these districts, and they’re trying to buy back support,” she said. “It’s not going to work. I still haven’t even replaced everything I lost six years ago.”

    Lottie Williams, a 64-year-old Spring City resident who lost the entire back section of her home in the storm and had to be rescued by emergency crews, said relief should have been extended to every Abaco resident impacted by Dorian. “Ninety-five percent of the homes in Spring City were destroyed,” she noted. “I understand those outer cays have challenges, but we fought for our lives here, we came home and rebuilt on our own, and we got zero help from this government. High electricity bills affect all of us. It’s just not fair to only write off bills for two small communities when we’re all struggling. That money should have been spread out to everyone who needed it.”

    Many residents also recalled the slow, burdensome process of restoring power after the storm, noting that even long-term local residents were forced to produce extensive documentation just to reconnect service, despite the small community where most homeowners and occupants were already well-known to utility officials. For many, the compounding stress of Dorian’s destruction followed by the economic collapse of the COVID-19 pandemic left them unable to keep up with accumulated utility costs – a hardship the government has only chosen to address for a select few, weeks before voters head to the polls.

  • WHO says two hantavirus cases confirmed, five suspected on cruise ship

    WHO says two hantavirus cases confirmed, five suspected on cruise ship

    GENEVA, Switzerland – The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an official update Tuesday confirming two laboratory-verified hantavirus infections and five additional suspected cases among passengers and crew aboard a cruise ship anchored off the coast of Cape Verde, with three people already dead from the outbreak.

    In a formal statement, the UN health agency outlined that as of May 4, 2026, the cluster of infections includes one patient in critical condition and three others experiencing only mild symptoms. The vessel, the MV Hondurus operated by Dutch expedition cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions, was carrying a total of 147 people representing 23 nationalities when the outbreak unfolded during a voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina, to its destination off West Africa. The first onset of illness among those affected was recorded between April 6 and April 28, 2026.

    Symptoms of the infection reported on the ship follow the typical severe profile of hantavirus: patients initially develop fever and gastrointestinal distress, which progresses rapidly to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and life-threatening shock. Further epidemiological and clinical investigations are still underway to map the origin and spread of the virus, per WHO.

    The first two fatalities were a Dutch married couple: the husband died on board the vessel on April 11, and his wife, who had already developed gastrointestinal symptoms, disembarked at Saint Helena to accompany his remains for repatriation. She grew progressively worse during a commercial flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg on April 25, and died after arriving at a South African emergency department the following day. Her infection was confirmed as hantavirus via PCR testing on May 4. In response to this exposure event, WHO has launched contact tracing efforts to reach every passenger who shared that April 25 flight with the infected woman, to screen for potential new cases.

    Of the seven confirmed and suspected cases, three have already left the MV Hondurus, while four remain on the stranded vessel. A third fatality, a German national, died on board on Saturday. According to Oceanwide Expeditions, a British passenger is currently receiving treatment in intensive care in Johannesburg, while two additional crew members – one British and one Dutch – require urgent medical intervention.

    The ship currently holds passengers and crew from a wide range of origins, including the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States and the Philippines, where most of the crew hail from.

    WHO experts emphasized that while the outbreak is concerning for those on the ship, the overall risk of widespread transmission to the global population remains classified as low. The agency noted it will continue maintaining active surveillance and monitoring of the situation as investigations progress.

    As a pathogen, hantavirus causes rare but often severe, potentially fatal infections in humans. Most infections are acquired through direct or indirect contact with urine, feces, or saliva from infected rodent populations. However, WHO confirmed that limited human-to-human transmission has been documented in past hantavirus outbreaks in other regions.

  • Spain says no decision taken on hantavirus cruise ship

    Spain says no decision taken on hantavirus cruise ship

    MADRID, Spain — In an ongoing public health standoff involving a cruise ship carrying confirmed cases of hantavirus, Spanish health authorities announced Tuesday that no final decision on a port of entry will be made until a full review of all relevant epidemiological data is completed. The announcement came via an official social media post from Spain’s Ministry of Health, published only moments after the World Health Organization’s top official for epidemic and pandemic preparedness, Maria Van Kerkhove, stated from WHO headquarters in Geneva that the vessel was en route to the Canary Islands.

    Spanish health officials clarified that the appropriate docking location will be determined exclusively by an analysis of data gathered during the ship’s recent stopover in Cape Verde. The ministry confirmed it has already communicated this position to the World Health Organization, emphasizing that no binding choice will be made before the review concludes.

    The situation has sparked disagreement between regional and national authorities over the optimal handling of the stranded vessel. Manuel Dominguez, vice president of the Canary Islands regional government, has publicly pushed for the ship to be diverted to mainland Spain instead of the archipelago. In an interview with local radio, Dominguez argued that the Spanish mainland holds far more extensive public health and medical resources to safely manage the situation, noting that docking elsewhere would be preferable for the Canary Islands. He added that any final decision must be made with the maximum possible public safety guarantees to protect local communities.

  • Stop interfering!

    Stop interfering!

    Political interference in Jamaica’s flagship multi-million dollar road infrastructure initiative is triggering costly project delays and rising financial risks, top government infrastructure officials have warned. The caution came from National Works Agency (NWA) Chief Executive Officer EG Hunter during a recent appearance before Parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), where he outlined growing challenges plaguing the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme.

    China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), the lead contractor heading SPARK which includes 27 local and international sub-contractors, formally documented the issue in correspondence shared with NWA. In the letter, CHEC detailed that repeated disruptions from political actors, ranging from sitting Members of Parliament to local partisan representatives, have held up segments of road projects for months at a time. Contractors frequently face demands to alter pre-approved road alignments and design plans, which were settled through earlier public consultation processes, forcing work stoppages while disputes are resolved.

    Hunter emphasized that these unplanned changes do not just slow progress — they almost always lead to formal cost adjustment claims from the contractor, driving up public expenditure for the programme. To maintain legal clarity and project accountability, he noted that the Jamaican government, as the client, only maintains a formal working relationship with the lead contractor, not outside third parties seeking to alter project terms. He laid out a clear formal channel for concerns from elected representatives: all issues should first be directed to a constituency liaison officer, a role for which each MP was previously invited to nominate a representative. Unresolved concerns can then be escalated to project engineering staff, and ultimately to Hunter himself, who also serves as SPARK’s chief engineer.

    When contacted for further comment, Minister of Works Robert Morgan confirmed the government has already taken formal action to address the growing problem, tabling a formal Ministry Paper in Parliament outlining binding guidelines to curb unregulated third-party interference. Morgan specifically called out newly elected Opposition Members of Parliament, who have increasingly pushed to alter pre-selected road routes that were finalized through public input, creating contractual conflict between the government and CHEC. Since contractors have signed fixed-price agreements to deliver specific pre-approved work, outside interference that changes project scope puts the government in a legally and financially vulnerable position, he explained.

    Morgan pushed back against claims from some MPs that they were unaware of the new guidelines, noting that the document was properly presented to Parliament during sitting, and that MPs who missed the notification simply failed to pay attention to official business. He added that many elected officials have been directly engaging with contractors outside the approved governance framework, exposing the government to avoidable legal and financial risk.

    The formal guidelines, titled *Guidelines governing the involvement of third parties in the implementation of road infrastructure projects*, outline clear boundaries for all external stakeholders — a group that includes MPs, councillors, community residents, civil society groups, private businesses, and non-prime contractors. The framework is designed to align all third-party engagement with Jamaican law, improve transparency, protect project integrity, and eliminate unauthorized political influence.

    Under the new rules, third parties are permitted to participate in public sensitization meetings, represent constituent needs related to local infrastructure, and flag implementation challenges. MPs are also guaranteed formal notification of all contractual work taking place in their constituencies, with cross-constituency projects triggering notifications for all affected representatives. However, the rules explicitly prohibit third parties from participating in any stage of procurement or contract administration, including attempts to influence contract awards, which could constitute violations of procurement standards and criminal offenses under the Integrity Commission Act. All procurement decisions are reserved for official procuring entity leadership, accounting officers, the Public Procurement Committee, and Cabinet as appropriate. Third parties are also barred from managing project funds, signing contracts, approving payments, or overseeing project financial administration.

  • New trade order?

    New trade order?

    Against a backdrop of rising geopolitical instability and interconnected global markets, India’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has delivered a clear call to action for Jamaican business leaders: expand into new markets and build diversified supply chains, as shifting political landscapes continue to upend long-standing global trade patterns.

    Jaishankar shared his insights during a Monday ministerial luncheon hosted by Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce at Kingston’s AC Hotel, where he framed modern commerce as inherently tied to global political dynamics. He emphasized that businesses can no longer afford to operate ignoring cross-border spillover effects from global crises, pointing to three major recent disruptions that have reshaped international trade: the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, and escalating tensions in the Middle East.

    “In our deeply globalized world, any crisis or conflict anywhere carries global consequences,” Jaishankar explained. “Thousands of miles can separate us from a conflict zone, but events there still shape energy prices, drive global inflation, impact national fiscal deficits, and even threaten political stability in smaller nations, as we saw after the invasion of Ukraine.”

    The minister noted that years of repeated trade disruptions have laid bare the critical risks of overreliance on a narrow set of traditional supply routes and trading partners, a risk amplified by growing global trends toward economic nationalism and domestic protectionism.

    “The COVID-19 pandemic proved that supply chain reliability cannot be taken for granted,” he said. “Years of volatile tariff policy have also shown that market access is not guaranteed. At the same time, rapid technological advancement has opened new pathways for business growth and new global partnerships. Just as we see the global political order shifting, a parallel transformation is underway in global commerce. Every nation is now actively seeking new, alternative trading partners.”

    Against this shifting landscape, Jaishankar encouraged Jamaican and Caribbean businesses to broaden their strategic outlook and carve out new positions in a rapidly evolving global economy, where nations across the world are prioritizing the development of alternative, more resilient trade networks.

    “In today’s uncertain world, the key question is how we build more strategic options, how we expand our partnerships, how we diversify our connections,” he said. “This is the same advice I give to Indian businesses: go out, explore new markets, leverage regional hubs, pursue nearshoring opportunities. You cannot afford to limit your operations to your home market in this new climate.”

    To illustrate his point, Jaishankar shared India’s own recent experience adapting to supply chain disruption. When conflict in the Gulf region threatened critical liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies— a primary cooking fuel for hundreds of millions of Indian households— via the Strait of Hormuz, New Delhi was forced to rapidly secure alternative suppliers. That scramble ultimately opened new, durable trade opportunities with partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Jaishankar said.

    “Ten years ago, we would never have considered this region as a major LPG supplier, and the economic logistics would have been far too prohibitive anyway,” he noted.

    He also highlighted the fast-growing commercial ties between India and the broader Latin American and Caribbean region, where annual bilateral trade now nears $50 billion and continues to climb year over year.

    Jaishankar added that major advancements in global logistics, infrastructure development, and digital technology have dramatically eroded the barriers that geography once created for small and mid-sized economies. This shift opens unprecedented new opportunities for nations like Jamaica to deepen bilateral trade and investment links with major global economies like India, he said.

    He pointed to India’s own massive recent infrastructure expansion— including new interstate highways, expanded airports, and upgraded national rail networks— alongside its booming digital economy as proof of the country’s growing competitiveness and capacity to expand global commercial partnerships.

    As India continues to establish itself as a leading global economic power, Jaishankar confirmed that the country is eager to strengthen trade and investment ties with Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. Both regions stand to benefit from searching out new opportunities to offset global uncertainty, he said.

    “I know Jamaica has a great deal to offer, from its strategic geographic location to its growing domestic demand, to its ongoing post-pandemic recovery and national modernization agenda,” Jaishankar told gathered business leaders. “I am confident that across a wide range of sectors, we will see Indian companies, Indian expertise, and Indian innovation expand their presence here far more than ever before. I urge you to explore the mutual opportunities this new partnership can deliver.”