Carib Scope

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  • Potholes complaints, bus tracking top Pearly app usage – developer

    Potholes complaints, bus tracking top Pearly app usage – developer

    A newly launched digital civic engagement platform in Barbados has already surpassed early adoption projections, with road infrastructure complaints and public transit tracking emerging as the two most popular features among local users, according to the app’s developer.

    Ramon Dummett, founder and chief executive officer of local tech firm Touch Star — the company behind the Pearly platform — shared details of the app’s early performance in an interview with Barbados TODAY, revealing that the tool has already notched more than 10,000 downloads since its launch. Dummett noted that the overwhelming user engagement signals a major shift toward digitized public participation in the country’s civic processes.

    Of all the user-submitted reports logged through the platform’s public portal, pothole damage accounts for the vast majority of submissions. Dummett explained that this trend aligns with everyday experiences for most Barbadians: nearly all residents rely on the island’s road network for daily travel, making damaged pavement one of the most visible and pressing quality-of-life concerns. The platform allows residents to geotag specific road defects and submit reports directly to the relevant government agencies, creating a centralized, searchable database of public infrastructure priorities that was not available through traditional reporting channels.

    To handle the unexpected flood of public reports, Dummett said government agencies are currently working through a structured onboarding process to adapt their existing workflows to the new digital system. Touch Star is leading technical implementation, providing hands-on staff training, and offering ongoing operational support across multiple government ministries to streamline the new complaint resolution process. The ultimate goal of the digital overhaul is to cut response times from weeks to days, and in some well-defined cases, just a few hours, Dummett said.

    Dummett asked for the public’s patience as agencies adjust to the new system, projecting that operational kinks will be ironed out within one to two months. Once the initial backlog of early reports is cleared, residents will start to see noticeably faster resolutions for their submitted requests, he added.

    Beyond infrastructure reporting, Pearly’s real-time public bus tracking feature has quickly become the platform’s second most heavily used tool. The service lets commuters track the exact location of Barbados Transport Board buses in real time, eliminating the uncertainty of waiting at stops for delayed or rerouted services. Dummett noted that the tool delivers tangible quality-of-life benefits, giving back valuable time to residents who would otherwise wait for buses that do not arrive on schedule.

    To improve the tracking feature’s reliability across the entire island, Touch Star is currently upgrading the GPS infrastructure installed on the full Transport Board bus fleet. Unlike consumer GPS systems that can suffer from signal dropouts in remote or built-up areas, the Pearly system uses a long-range, highly stable signal network that operates similarly to traditional AM radio, ensuring consistent coverage across the entire island.

    Dummett emphasized that Pearly is far more than a simple public complaint app: it functions as a full, comprehensive government operating system built on Touch Star’s proprietary Sunsuite digital platform, which can host multiple civic and administrative tools at once. The architecture is designed to be flexible enough for white-labeling, meaning the core platform could be exported to other countries seeking to digitize their own civic services in the future. Just as general-purpose operating systems like Windows or macOS host a wide range of productivity apps, Pearly’s underlying framework powers multiple interconnected tools to help government agencies manage and track public requests from start to finish.

    Touch Star is already preparing to launch several new modules for the platform in the coming months. Upcoming features include real-time emergency alerts, live streams of government public broadcasts, and a dedicated emergency management mode to support vulnerable populations during national crises. The team is also putting the final touches on Pearly Maps, an intelligent traffic management system that leverages anonymized historical transit data from the Transport Board fleet to predict congestion, suggest optimal departure times, and recommend alternate routes before drivers hit gridlock.

    Integration for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is currently in live testing, with the team targeting a full launch of the navigation feature ahead of the upcoming school term, when traffic volume typically increases across the island.

    Reflecting on the platform’s early performance, Dummett expressed confidence in his 40-person local engineering team, noting that real-world use over the first few months has already proven the platform is resilient and scalable enough to support national-level public service delivery for Barbados.

  • “Create Your Own Market”: DYS Teaches Youth Stained Glass, Free

    “Create Your Own Market”: DYS Teaches Youth Stained Glass, Free

    In a transformative initiative aimed at equipping young people with marketable, unconventional skills, Belize’s Department of Youth Services (DYS) has concluded its three-day free stained glass workshop for youth in Belize City, awarding completion certificates to more than 15 local participants. By the end of the program, attendees had mastered the full process of creating stained glass art, from initial design and glass cutting to final assembly, with all projects drawing inspiration from Belize’s iconic national symbols.

    This workshop is just one of over 40 free youth skill-development programs DYS has organized across the country this summer. Leading the instruction was Jokeeta Savariau, a former architectural and aviation engineer who previously worked in the United States and has dedicated 11 years to running themed youth camps across Belize. Each year, Savariau shifts the camp focus to explore new fields; past programs have covered topics ranging from robotics to traditional crafts, and she often weaves cross-disciplinary learning into hands-on activities.

    Recalling a previous stained glass camp held in Punta Gorda, Savariau explained how the craft was tied to historical education: participants created patterns based on the Underground Railroad, allowing them to learn about the history of slavery and the movement toward emancipation while also applying practical geometry, mathematics, and core scientific principles to solder glass pieces safely and correctly.

    DYS Youth Officer Kyle Miller noted that the choice to bring this specific workshop to Belize City was a deliberate, strategic decision. Unlike common trades taught in standard youth programs, stained glass art is rarely practiced or seen across Belize, meaning there is no saturated existing market for the craft. Miller emphasized that this gap is exactly what makes the opportunity valuable: instead of competing in crowded local industries, young artisans can carve out their own niche and “create your own market” for their work.

    Trent Clarke, one of the workshop attendees, shared his positive experience of the program, saying that with Savariau’s thorough guidance, he feels confident now pursuing stained glass art independently as a potential small business. Looking ahead, Miller has issued an open call for more young Belizeans to sign up for DYS’s upcoming free skill camps, encouraging youth to take advantage of these accessible opportunities to build new talents and explore alternative career paths.

  • Rechterlijke Macht verkort jaarlijkse zittingsvrije periode naar één maand

    Rechterlijke Macht verkort jaarlijkse zittingsvrije periode naar één maand

    In a landmark vote held at its recent annual general meeting, Suriname’s Judiciary has approved a major reform that will cut the annual court recess period to just one month starting from the 2027-2028 judicial term. Under the new policy, the annual recess will run uniformly from September 1 to 30, replacing the longer break that was previously scheduled.

    The core goal of this adjustment is to upgrade public judicial services and eliminate unnecessary long delays in active court proceedings that currently leave cases stalled for extended periods. Court leaders emphasized that the decision to shorten the recess is rooted in prioritizing the needs of people seeking legal resolution, and aligns with broader ongoing efforts to make the national justice system faster and more accessible for all citizens.

    Speaking at the conclusion of the annual meeting, Court President Iwan Rasoelbaks outlined the Judiciary’s core mission: to serve the Surinamese public through speedy, accessible, and transparent judicial proceedings. Rasoelbaks noted that more efficient judicial operations directly strengthen public trust in the rule of law, adding that the Judiciary also plans to further boost both internal and external communication with the broader society.

    Rasoelbaks also extended public recognition to the hard work of sitting judges and public prosecutors, acknowledging that the branch has operated under significant challenging conditions in recent years. He highlighted that chronic understaffing has forced current judicial personnel to take on double the expected workload, pointing to the global standard of one judge or prosecutor per 10,000 citizens that Suriname currently fails to meet. “I am exceptionally proud of all judges, prosecutors, and the understanding the legal profession has shown for the steps we have taken in recent years to strengthen the rule of law,” Rasoelbaks said.

    The Judiciary’s annual general meeting serves as a key planning session for the upcoming judicial term. Members routinely confirm core operational arrangements, including judge work allocation, sitting schedules for first-instance and appellate cases, cross-practice coordination across different legal areas, and appointments to judicial committees and disciplinary boards. For the upcoming 2026-2027 term, organizers have already incorporated newly trainee judge candidates (RAIO’s) into the official work planning.

  • Co-op society lands to be regularised for housing shortly- Attorney General

    Co-op society lands to be regularised for housing shortly- Attorney General

    GEORGETOWN, Guyana – August 6, 2026 – Guyana’s Ministry of Legal Affairs has announced a clear timeline to resolve long-running land tenure questions for residents of Melanie Damishana-Non Pariel on the East Coast Demerara, with formal property titles set to be issued to qualifying occupants within the next fortnight.

    Speaking at a community consultation focused on the country’s model village initiative held at the Melanie Damishana Nursery School this Thursday, Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall confirmed that the decades-long cooperative land disputes affecting the area will be fully and finally resolved within 14 days, with government representatives deploying on-site to complete the process.

    Nandlall explained that the land regularisation initiative, which first launched years ago to formalise tenure for dozens of occupied residential parcels in the area, was delayed after the former CEO of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwin Greaves, left his position. To get the process back on track, the minister confirmed that his ministry’s dedicated land regularisation unit will hold a planning meeting in Georgetown next week ahead of its on-site deployment to wrap up outstanding work.

    Years of preliminary work has already laid the groundwork for the final step: the Guyanese government has already formalised its commitment to issuing full property titles – referred to locally as transports – to all qualifying homestead occupants, and a full occupational survey of the area has already been completed to clear the way for the final approval and issuing of documents. Following interministerial discussions with Cooperatives Minister Keoma Griffith and Housing Minister Collin Croal, the housing ministry has assigned a new liaison officer to support the Legal Affairs Ministry in moving the process forward. Nandlall appeared alongside Croal at Thursday’s community gathering, which was presided over by Guyana President Irfaan Ali.

    The announcement came in direct response to questions raised by local residents during the consultation’s open question-and-answer session. One resident from nearby Bare Root, East Coast Demerara, pressed government officials for a clear timeline for title delivery, noting that he had already been organizing local residents to prepare for formal tenure by encouraging neighbors to begin paying required rates and taxes ahead of receiving their documents.

    The regularisation process will convert land previously held under long-term lease to a cooperative society into formally titled individual residential properties, unlocking property rights, access to financing, and legal security for hundreds of local residents who have resided on the land for years.

  • Dominicans to Keep More of Their Pay Under New 2027 Tax Plan

    Dominicans to Keep More of Their Pay Under New 2027 Tax Plan

    In a landmark policy announcement delivered Tuesday during the 2026-2027 national budget presentation, Dominica’s Finance Minister Dr. Irving McIntyre has unveiled the largest income tax reduction in the nation’s history, a sweeping reform that will replace the country’s long-standing progressive tiered tax system with a uniform 10% flat income tax rate starting January 1, 2027.

    The reform eliminates the current three-bracket progressive structure, which imposes rates of 15%, 25%, and 35% on different income tiers, marking the conclusion of 20 years of incremental tax relief efforts by the Dominican government. Crucially, the existing annual personal tax-free threshold of 30,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars (roughly equal to 22,319 Belize dollars) will remain unchanged, ensuring that low-income earners making this amount or less will still be fully exempt from personal income tax obligations.

    Alongside the rate and structural overhaul, the government introduced a second major change to the country’s tax rules: beginning in 2027, both resident and non-resident individuals will only be taxed on income generated within Dominica’s borders. All income earned from sources outside the country will no longer be subject to Dominican income tax, a shift expected to boost the island nation’s attractiveness for international workers and foreign investment.

    Dr. McIntyre emphasized that the reform is designed to deliver dual benefits for Dominica: streamlining a cumbersome, complex tax system while putting more discretionary income directly into the pockets of working residents. “It is the most significant income tax relief ever granted to the people of Dominica,” he stated during the budget address. “It will deliver meaningful savings to workers and make our tax system simpler and fairer.”

    Policy analysts note that the shift to a flat tax structure aligns Dominica with a small but growing group of economies that have adopted simplified flat-rate tax systems in recent decades, with the goal of reducing tax avoidance, encouraging labor force participation, and stimulating economic growth by leaving more capital in the hands of workers and consumers.

  • Son, Hollywood actress-activist to headline Marcus Garvey Day events

    Son, Hollywood actress-activist to headline Marcus Garvey Day events

    Barbadian government officials announced Thursday an ambitious line-up of high-profile guests and community-focused events for this year’s Marcus Garvey Day celebrations, a month-long series of programming centered on expanding public dialogues around emancipation, reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, and Black achievement across the global African diaspora.

    Headlining the guest list is Dr. Julius Garvey, son of trailblazing pan-Africanist leader Marcus Garvey, who will join his wife for a private rededication ceremony of the historic Steel Shed amphitheatre at Bridgetown’s Queen’s Park on August 18. The venue holds profound cultural significance for the pan-African movement: it was the site of Marcus Garvey’s iconic 1937 lecture *Intelligence Versus Ignorance*, which was attended by a 17-year-old Errol Walton Barrow, who would go on to become Barbados’ first prime minister.

    Acclaimed Hollywood actress, singer, author and activist Jenifer Lewis – widely known as the “Mother of Black Hollywood” for her decades-long career centering Black storytelling on screen and stage – will serve as the featured guest for the celebrations’ flagship public event on August 17, held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. According to Rodney Grant, programme advisor for Barbados’ Division of Youth and Culture and Office of Pan African Affairs and Heritage, Lewis will lead an intimate fireside chat and open public conversation aimed at reframing how the global community discusses emancipation.

    “Our goal is to move the conversation of emancipation beyond just the trauma of slavery,” Grant explained at the celebrations’ official media launch. “We want to center the achievements of people of African descent, while building stronger connections with the broader African diaspora.”
    Grant noted that recent global discussions on reparations, held during a pan-African gathering in Accra, Ghana, underscored the shared struggles and experiences of Black communities across continents. From the transatlantic slave trade and colonial oppression to the 20th-century civil rights movement, Black communities across the diaspora have fought parallel battles for equity and self-determination. “It’s important that we are able to move the conversation then to where we are at now as Black people, and examine the achievements that we are making… because people of African descent would have had to engage in specific struggles, and therefore achievements for us were never easy,” Grant added.
    Beyond her flagship public talk, Lewis has specifically requested a meeting with young Barbadian creatives, scheduled for the morning of August 18 at the Wildey Gymnasium. The gathering will include participants from local summer artistic camps and cultural youth groups, giving emerging Black creators an opportunity to connect with the veteran artist and activist. Lewis, whose 40-plus year career includes iconic roles in hit sitcoms *Black-ish* and *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*, has long been a vocal advocate for mental health access and African American cultural equity, and has frequently partnered with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on public outreach campaigns.
    This year’s celebrations will also mark a major milestone for the Marcus Garvey Entrepreneurship Pitch, a competition designed to support emerging Black-led businesses in Barbados. Grant highlighted that the competition has seen explosive exponential growth since its launch in 2023: starting with just 15 applicants in its first year, the pitch drew 30 entrants in 2024, 63 in 2025, and 130 submissions for 2026, nearly doubling the applicant pool every year since inception. Judges are currently narrowing the field of 130 competitors down to five finalists, who will compete for three cash prizes during the August 17 main event. The first-place winner will take home BBD $20,000, with second and third place receiving BBD $7,000 and BBD $3,000 respectively.
    All public events for the 2026 Marcus Garvey Day celebrations are open to the public free of charge. Tickets can be obtained in advance from three locations across Barbados: the National Library Service in Bridgetown, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) office in Warrens, and the Division of Culture at SkyMall.

  • $50 Ticket? No. A $50,000 Winning Ticket Ahead of GST-Free Weekend

    $50 Ticket? No. A $50,000 Winning Ticket Ahead of GST-Free Weekend

    An unexpected life-changing windfall has fallen into the lap of a Punta Gorda resident, who is now celebrating a $50,000 top prize from a Scratch & Win lottery ticket – a win that carries an extra layer of timing, coming just weeks ahead of the region’s upcoming GST-free shopping weekends on August 15 and 29.

    The winner, who has chosen to keep her identity private, shared that her moment of triumph came with a funny case of misreading at first. When she initially scratched off the ticket’s coating, she caught a glimpse of the number “fifty” and immediately assumed she had won a modest $50 payout. She set the ticket aside without a second thought and moved on to scratch three other tickets she had purchased.

    After walking away with a small $20 win from one of the other tickets, the casual lottery player circled back to the ticket she had discarded earlier. That was when she noticed the detail she had missed the first time: three extra zeros trailing the number 50, turning a $50 win into a 1,000-times larger jackpot of $50,000.

    Recounting the shock of the moment, the winner said, “I was like, ‘Wow, I won fifty thousand dollars. I felt happy and excited, and I said, ‘I can’t believe it.’”

    The lucky ticket was bought at a local retail outlet in Punta Gorda, a detail that has already drawn quiet interest from other regular lottery players in the area. Unlike many big jackpot winners who rush to plan major purchases, the Punta Gorda resident says she is in no hurry to decide how to use her new winnings. She plans to take several weeks to weigh her options before committing to any large financial decisions.

    For the winner, this big prize marks a major shift from her usual lottery experience. She told lottery officials she only buys Scratch & Win tickets occasionally, and in the past, her wins have almost always been small payouts – usually just $2 or $20. Even with the huge windfall under her belt, she says she has no plans to step away from the game, and is already looking forward to trying her luck again on future tickets.

  • NIS pension increase coming- Ali

    NIS pension increase coming- Ali

    On Thursday, 6 August 2026, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali committed to advancing a long-overdue adjustment to National Insurance Scheme (NIS) pensions, confirming that an increase will be finalized and implemented before the government tables its next national budget. The promise came in direct response to a question raised by a long-serving NIS pensioner during public model village consultations held at the Melanie Damishana Nursery School in East Demerara.

    The retired contributor, who has drawn an NIS pension since 2007, told the head of state that his monthly payment had not seen any adjustment in seven years. He explained that his current benefit, which once sat above the minimum pension threshold, has now been nearly matched by incremental increases to the minimum NIS pension, leaving him with effectively no real gains amid rising cost of living. The pensioner pressed Ali to provide a clear timeline for addressing the stagnation in payments for non-minimum pension recipients.

    Official NIS records show that the monthly minimum old-age pension has already been adjusted incrementally in recent years, rising from GY$35,000 in 2020 to GY$43,075 as of 1 January 2025. Notably, NIS Board Chairman Ramesh Persaud highlighted the scheme’s solid financial standing in comments made back in late June 2026. Persaud noted that NIS has posted consistent surpluses for the past five consecutive years, with all excess funds being reinvested to secure long-term benefits for future generations of pensioners — a result he described as a significant, positive achievement for the social security system.

    Ali’s public commitment signals that the government is moving to address inequities in pension adjustments that have left long-time recipients facing eroded purchasing power, leveraging the scheme’s current strong financial position to deliver relief before the start of the next budget cycle.

  • VIDEO: Farmer charged with murder over shooting death

    VIDEO: Farmer charged with murder over shooting death

    A fatal shooting in a small local community has resulted in a licensed cannabis cultivator being placed behind bars ahead of a preliminary investigation into the death of a fellow resident. Law enforcement authorities have taken 33-year-old Rhyse Henry, a farmer based in Dickson Village, into custody and formally charged him with the murder of 35-year-old Clydon Cato, a local laborer who also resided in the same community. The shooting incident that claimed Cato’s life occurred on Saturday inside the village.

    Following the shooting, investigators conducted several days of inquiries before formally levelling the murder charge against Henry on Wednesday. The accused made his first court appearance on Thursday at the Serious Offences Court, where a judge denied his bail application. As a result of the ruling, Henry has been ordered to stay in prison custody until his preliminary inquiry gets underway, which will lay the groundwork for any upcoming trial proceedings in the case.

  • $500 Reward Offered After 12-Year-Old Girl Reportedly Robbed in Golden Grove Extension

    $500 Reward Offered After 12-Year-Old Girl Reportedly Robbed in Golden Grove Extension

    A violent street robbery targeting a pre-teen has prompted a desperate public appeal for information from the victim’s mother, who is putting up a $500 cash bounty for tips that unmask the perpetrator. The incident, which unfolded in the residential neighborhood of Golden Grove Extension, left 12-year-old Yalissa Love physically hurt and emotionally shaken, according to her mother, who has been identified publicly only as Love.

    Love detailed the assault to media, stating the unidentified attacker forced her young daughter up against a neighborhood fence before stealing her most cherished piece of jewelry: an 18-karat gold double-plated necklace engraved with Yalissa’s name on a custom nameplate. The physical confrontation left visible injuries to the 12-year-old’s neck, and the sudden, frightening encounter has caused lasting psychological trauma for the child, Love added.

    Local law enforcement has already been notified of the robbery and assault, investigators are currently moving forward with the next steps of the case, which includes reviewing hours of surveillance footage collected from nearby residential properties. This footage is seen as a key lead in helping detectives track down and identify the accused attacker.

    Beyond offering the cash reward, Love is issuing a urgent warning to the local community: she is asking any person who may be offered the engraved necklace for sale to refuse to purchase it, and instead reach out to authorities with information about who is trying to sell it. She is also calling on all local residents with any knowledge of the June incident, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward to help hold the attacker accountable and bring peace of mind to her family.