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What would happen in the Dominican Republic if a double earthquake like the one in Venezuela occurred? Osiris de León explains.

As Venezuela remains under a state of emergency four days after a destructive double earthquake killed more than 900 people, a leading Dominican geologist has issued a stark analysis of what a similar seismic event could mean for his Caribbean nation. In a recent interview on the radio program *La Universidad de la Calle (LA UCA)* hosted by Brea Frank, geologist Osiris de León outlined that the scale of damage from any major earthquake depends on two core factors: the proximity of active geological faults to populated areas, and the composition of local soil.

De León drew a direct comparison between the recent Venezuelan disaster and the Dominican Republic’s seismic risk profile, noting one critical difference: the fault that triggered the Venezuelan quake runs directly through the country’s most densely populated coastal corridor. “In Venezuela’s case, the fault responsible for the tremor cuts straight through Maiquetía airport, and runs straight through the populated communities of Macuto and La Guaira — that concentration of infrastructure and people directly above the fault is what drove such extreme destruction,” de León explained. “In the Dominican Republic, our most active faults are located much farther from major population centers.”

The geologist highlighted that the closest active fault to the capital city of Santo Domingo sits 70 kilometers off the southern coast, while the fault nearest to the northern city of Puerto Plata is roughly 50 kilometers inland from the urban core. This greater distance, he noted, naturally weakens seismic waves as they travel, reducing the potential damage to populated areas compared to the Venezuelan event. But distance alone is not enough to eliminate catastrophic risk, de León warned.

The second critical factor, he explained, is the type of soil where seismic waves make landfall. Soft, organic soils — common across the Dominican Republic’s fertile Cibao Valley — amplify seismic activity rather than absorbing it. Historical records bear this out: the massive 1562 earthquake on December 2 completely destroyed the Cibao Valley cities of Santiago and La Vega. This pattern could repeat if a major quake strikes near the northern coast today, de León said.

“If an earthquake of the same magnitude as Venezuela’s recent double event hits off the coast near Puerto Plata, Luperón, or Sosúa, the Cibao region could see damage just as bad — or even worse — than what Venezuela is currently facing,” he cautioned. The warning extends to multiple major Cibao communities including Santiago, La Vega, Bonao, San Francisco de Macorís, Moca, Villa Tapia, and Tenares, all of which are built on rich black organic soils ideal for agriculture but extremely dangerous for construction during seismic events. “These soils amplify the entire seismic spectrum, turning a moderate tremor into a catastrophic event for infrastructure above,” de León added.

Across the border in Venezuela, the aftermath of the mid-week double quake continues to unfold. Saturday marked the fourth consecutive day of the national state of emergency declared after the disaster. As of the latest official update, the death toll from the quake has reached 920, with more than 3,300 people injured. Rescue teams from nine countries have deployed to the impacted region to support search operations for survivors and recovery efforts for victims.

27 6 月, 2026
Director of the Institute of Cardiology highlights that AI is transforming cardiovascular medicine

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC — At the 51st annual graduation ceremony of the Dominican Institute of Cardiology Association (AIDC), 12 early-career cardiac specialists marked the completion of their rigorous training on Wednesday, as the institution’s leadership highlighted how artificial intelligence and emerging digital tools are rapidly reshaping the future of cardiovascular medicine.

Josué Pichardo, AIDC’s medical director, opened the ceremony held in the Don Amadeo Barletta auditorium by recognizing the extraordinary commitment required of practitioners in one of medicine’s most challenging subspecialties. “Medicine, as we all know, is a demanding profession, but cardiology is something more,” Pichardo told the gathered graduates, their families, and AIDC faculty. He went on to celebrate the years of sacrifice and long-term dedication that brought each trainee to the milestone, noting that their professional journey began years before they started their specialized cardiology training.

Twelve specialists officially received their caps and gowns during the event: echocardiographers and cardiac surgery interns Genesis Masiel Espinal, Jenifer Lugo, Johanny De Los Santos, Jose Daniel Acevedo Sosa, Jonathan Jose Rodriguez Fernandez, Jose Luis Guerrero Gomez, Jose Ramon Acosta, Samuel Ivan Bencosme Hernandez, Javier De Leon, Maria Linares, Nelson Osiris Acosta, and Jose Armando Gomez. The ceremony’s head table was led by Pichardo alongside senior AIDC experts Natividad Días and Santiago José, with department heads Lismary Pineda, Edgar Cadena, Cleisy Galvá, Carlos Vivera, and José Rolando Encarnación also leading proceedings.

In his keynote address, Pichardo emphasized that today’s generation of cardiologists is entering a field undergoing unprecedented transformation, driven by cutting-edge scientific and technological innovation. “We live in an era of extraordinary scientific and technological advances: artificial intelligence, precision medicine, telemedicine, and new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that are transforming the way we understand and treat cardiovascular diseases,” he said. The integration of AI into cardiovascular care has unlocked major improvements in everything from early disease detection to personalized treatment planning, opening new doors for improved patient outcomes across the country.

The event also paid tribute to AIDC’s 60-year legacy of expanding access to cardiac care across the Dominican Republic, rooted in its founding motto “Cardiology for all”. The institution traces its origins back to February 4, 1964, when Dr. Héctor Mateo Martínez carried out the first dedicated cardiovascular operations at Doctor Francisco Moscoso Puebla Hospital, working out of just four beds reserved for cardiac patients. As demand for specialized cardiac care grew steadily across the nation, the small program was relocated and formally reorganized into the national Institute of Cardiology that stands today, training generations of specialists to serve communities across the country.

27 6 月, 2026
Aid: Supérate delivers Emergency Bonus to 1,766 families

In the wake of devastating April rains and floods that left thousands of households across Greater Santo Domingo displaced and financially strained, the Dominican Republic’s Supérate Social Development Directorate has kicked off the distribution of targeted emergency cash assistance, rolling out the Emergency Bonus as a core component of the country’s national Adaptive Social Protection (PSA) strategy.

The program is designed to deliver much-needed relief to 1,766 hard-hit families across three municipalities: Los Alcarrizos, Santo Domingo Oeste, and Pedro Brand. Each qualifying household will receive a one-time payment of RD$7,000, bringing the total value of this round of aid to RD$12,362,000. The funds are earmarked to help families repair flood-damaged homes and cover urgent basic needs after the disaster.

Speaking at the launch of the distribution held Friday, May 26 at Los Alcarrizos’ Multipurpose Center, Supérate Director General Mayra Jiménez emphasized that the initiative aligns with the current government’s commitment to centering vulnerable communities in public policy. “We have strengthened our national social protection framework to ensure that no family facing an emergency is left without support from their government, working hand-in-hand with all state institutions and local authorities,” Jiménez said. “This bonus fills critical gaps for those who lost everything, were out of work for weeks, went into debt to make ends meet, or need to purchase essential medication.”

Local leaders echoed that commitment, highlighting the broader scope of the government’s post-flood response. Los Alcarrizos Mayor Junior Santos noted that alongside direct cash assistance, the national government has advanced critical infrastructure upgrades, including new drainage and sanitation projects designed to reduce future flood risk for at-risk communities. Santos added that new mitigation interventions will launch across other high-risk sectors of the municipality in the coming days, and recapped the wide-ranging aid already deployed after the April floods: more than 7,000 household appliances, thousands of essential home goods, over 20,000 food rations, and other critical supplies have already been delivered to affected families.

Santos also confirmed that 69,000 additional families across the country were added to the national Bonoluz utility assistance program in May, 3,500 of which are Los Alcarrizos residents.

The distribution schedule has been structured to ensure safe, efficient access for all recipients. After the first day of distribution in Los Alcarrizos, the program will move Saturday, May 27 to Professor Germán Martínez High School in the National District’s Los Ríos sector, where mobile units from Banco de Reservas have been deployed to process payments on-site. Distribution to eligible families in Santo Domingo Norte is scheduled to begin next week.

To guarantee that aid reaches the most vulnerable households, all beneficiaries were selected through rigorous surveys and validation checks managed by the Single Beneficiary System (Siuben), which uses the Basic Emergency Form (FIBE) to assess damage severity and need. This vetting process ensures that support goes to households that suffered the worst flood impacts.

The Emergency Bonus is a core pillar of the Dominican government’s Adaptive Social Protection policy, which was created to deliver fast, targeted support to vulnerable households during emergencies, natural disasters, and other unforeseen crises. Beyond the current emergency assistance, Supérate already maintains broad ongoing social protection coverage across the three affected municipalities. In total, more than 93,000 local families receive regular support through government programs including Aliméntate, Bonogás, and Bonoluz: 43,039 in Los Alcarrizos, 36,213 in Santo Domingo Oeste, and 13,813 in Pedro Brand.

27 6 月, 2026
Seismic activity is being monitored in the Dominican Republic due to the historical frequency of large earthquakes.

Located on the tectonic boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates, the Dominican Republic has long stood as one of the most seismically vulnerable nations in the Caribbean. Now, leading seismic engineering researchers are expanding targeted monitoring initiatives across the country’s two most dangerous active fault lines to better understand earthquake patterns and strengthen disaster risk preparedness.

Claudia Germoso, a seismic engineer and research professor at the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC), explains that geological records show large earthquakes in the region tend to strike roughly every 50 years on average. This historical pattern has kept the country’s seismological community on high alert, even as specialists universally acknowledge that precise earthquake prediction remains beyond current scientific capabilities.

The Dominican Republic’s history of catastrophic seismic events underscores the urgency of this work. In August 1946, the island of Hispaniola (which the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti) was hit by the largest earthquake recorded in its instrumental seismic history, an event documented by the National Center of Seismology of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (CNS-UASD) that set a benchmark for the nation’s disaster risk planning.

Currently, the highest priority for monitoring efforts is the Septentrional fault, a major strike-slip geological fracture running through the Dominican Republic’s northern region. Stretching from the coastal town of Montecristi across the Cibao Valley, through Samaná Bay, and out into the Atlantic Ocean, this horizontal slip fault is classified as the country’s most seismically hazardous geological structure. As part of a new dedicated monitoring project, research teams have begun installing a network of specialized seismic sensors along the fault’s full length. These sensors will capture granular data on small-scale seismic activity, allowing scientists to build a far more detailed picture of how the fault behaves under tectonic pressure. Germoso notes that the deployed monitoring stations are already delivering more accurate recordings of seismic activity, significantly strengthening geological risk assessments for the northern region.

Monitoring efforts are not limited to the north, however. Researchers are also keeping close watch on the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault, the country’s second major high-risk fault line located in southern Hispaniola. This strike-slip fault stretches from Jamaica across southern Haiti and into southwestern Dominican Republic, running along the edge of the Sierra de Bahoruco before extending into the Caribbean Sea. The fault gained global attention in 2010, when it generated a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that killed more than 300,000 people and left widespread destruction across Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, cementing its reputation as a major tectonic threat.

For planning and construction purposes, the Dominican Republic’s current national seismic code divides the country into two zones: high seismic hazard and moderate seismic hazard, a classification that guides building safety standards across all regions. Germoso emphasizes that continuous investment in scientific monitoring of both major active faults is critical to improving the nation’s understanding of regional seismic activity, and ultimately to more effective disaster risk management that saves lives and protects infrastructure.

For context, seismic faults are fractures in the Earth’s crust where blocks of crustal rock have shifted relative to one another, driven by constant tectonic plate movement. When stress along these fractures builds up over decades and is suddenly released, the energy release generates the shaking associated with earthquakes and tremors. Both the Septentrional and Enriquillo faults form part of the larger boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates, whose ongoing horizontal movement generates nearly all of the Dominican Republic’s seismic activity.

27 6 月, 2026
They are asking for more resources for the treatment of people with addictions in the Dominican Republic.

On the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, stakeholders across the Dominican Republic have advanced complementary but distinct calls to action around national drug policy, highlighting growing momentum to reframe addiction as a public health issue rather than a criminal justice problem.

Leading the advocacy push is Hogar Crea Dominicano, a leading non-profit dedicated to supporting people struggling with substance use disorders. The organization marked the international observance with two public commemorative events: a community awareness walk through the capital of Santo Domingo, and a solemn floral tribute laid at the iconic Altar of the Fatherland. Beyond these observances, Hogar Crea’s leadership has issued an urgent appeal to the Dominican national government for increased public funding to expand treatment access. The organization says additional financial resources are critical to building new care facilities that can accommodate the growing number of people seeking support for addiction recovery.

In a repeated, clear message to policymakers and the public, Hogar Crea’s director emphasized that people who use substances should not be marginalized or penalized as criminals, but treated with compassion as patients managing a chronic health condition. This framing aligns with global guidance from the International Drug Policy Consortium, an independent global policy network that has long pushed for reformed drug laws. The consortium echoed the non-profit’s call, stressing that policy should center support for people who use drugs rather than punitive measures that push addiction underground and block access to life-saving care.

While reform advocates push for a public health-centered approach to addiction, Dominican law enforcement agencies are reaffirming their commitment to cracking down on the supply side of the drug trade. The National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), the country’s lead anti-drug agency, reiterated that it will sustain and intensify targeted operations to dismantle transnational and domestic drug trafficking networks that bring illicit substances into the country. Alongside its enforcement work, the DNCD also issued a public appeal to Dominican families, urging households to maintain open, active supervision of young people and provide consistent guidance to prevent youth substance use before it develops into addiction.

27 6 月, 2026
DSB ziet sterke groei in digitaal bankieren

Suriname’s DSB Bank has closed out its 2025 fiscal year with record-breaking performance, highlighting explosive growth in digital financial services that has become a core driver of the bank’s expansion, strong loan growth, and improving operational efficiency. The bank’s leadership shared these results during a recent press conference outlining annual performance, noting that consistent, steady growth across nearly all key financial metrics has been maintained since 2021, culminating in last year’s record profit and a return to dividend payouts for shareholders.

A standout trend DSB Bank has documented is the rapid shift among its customer base toward digital banking. Increasing numbers of clients now manage their daily financial activities entirely through online and digital channels, with sharp growth recorded across both debit card transactions and online banking transfers over the past five years. Data presented by the bank shows just how dramatic this shift has been: back in 2021, customers completed roughly 3.4 million debit card transactions totaling 2 billion Surinamese dollars (SRD). By 2025, that number had jumped to 9.7 million debit transactions, with a total combined value of SRD 11.5 billion. The growth in online banking transactions has been equally striking: from 9 million recorded transactions in 2022, the volume more than doubled to over 17 million by 2025.

This digital transformation has also powered substantial growth in the bank’s lending division. In 2025, DSB reported a 72% year-over-year increase in personal loans and a 78% rise in auto financing. Bank executives attribute this double-digit growth directly to the digital overhaul of the loan application process. Today, customers can submit and complete their entire loan application fully online, cutting the average processing time from 26 days just a few years ago to only four days currently. In addition to faster processing, the digitization effort has also driven a notable reduction in late payment defaults, improving the quality of the bank’s loan portfolio.

Looking ahead, the bank expects digital banking adoption to accelerate even further following the rollout of Suriname’s new national instant payment infrastructure. On June 8, the Central Bank of Suriname and the Suriname Bankers Association launched the first phase of the Suriname National Electronic Payments System (SNEPS), a modernized interbank payment network. DSB Bank Chief Operating Officer Alexander van Petten explained that under the first phase, interbank transfers processed during standard weekday business hours now clear within 15 minutes at most.

The second phase of the SNEPS rollout is scheduled to launch later this year, which will extend instant processing to all interbank transfers outside business hours, including weekends, and will apply to all currencies traded in the country. “Once this second phase goes live, transfers will be completed in minutes any time of day, any day of the week, for all currencies,” van Petten emphasized. DSB Bank’s leadership expects this broader modernization of the country’s payment ecosystem will drive even faster growth in digital banking adoption across the nation in the coming years, cementing the shift away from traditional in-person financial services.

27 6 月, 2026
Canada and CARICOM renew partnership, focus on security, Haiti and climate resilience

On the sidelines of the 2026 Organization of American States General Assembly held in Panama City, Panama, foreign ministerial representatives from Canada and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) convened a high-stakes bilateral meeting, emerging with a unified recommitment to deepening long-standing cooperation across shared priority areas.

Co-chaired by Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Barbados Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Christopher Sinckler – who chaired the session on behalf of CARICOM’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) – the talks built on the foundations of the Canada-CARICOM Strategic Partnership formally established just three years prior in 2023. Ministers opened the discussion by acknowledging a shifting global landscape marked by rising geopolitical volatility, a reality that has elevated the urgency of tighter cross-regional collaboration to address shared challenges. By the close of the session, both sides reaffirmed their mutual dedication to advancing four core pillars: regional security, inclusive economic prosperity, climate adaptation and resilience, and upholding democratic governance norms across the hemisphere.

Following a comprehensive review of progress delivered under the existing strategic framework, ministers formally approved a renewed three-pillar Action Plan to guide cooperation moving forward. The plan centers on three key priorities: building competitive, shock-resistant regional economies; accelerating collective climate action; and shoring up regional security and stability. Attendees agreed that the final version of the plan will incorporate clear implementation timelines, quantifiable performance targets, and commitments to sustainable resourcing to ensure tangible outcomes, rather than symbolic agreements.

Security emerged as one of the most heavily debated topics on the meeting agenda, with ministers addressing a cascade of transnational threats ranging from transnational organized crime and pervasive gang violence to irregular migration and the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian and security crisis in neighboring Haiti. Attendees uniformly agreed that expanded regional coordination is critical to boosting domestic institutional capacity, strengthening maritime border security, and cracking down on cross-border illicit trafficking networks that exploit weak governance across the region. They further noted that modern security threats are deeply interconnected, requiring coordinated action across maritime defense, cyber resilience, cross-border intelligence sharing, and the systematic dismantling of transnational criminal syndicates. Canada received widespread praise from CARICOM delegates for its sustained support of regional security efforts, including ongoing capacity-building programs, targeted interventions, and frontline operational partnerships.

The ongoing crisis in Haiti dominated much of the security discussion, with ministers voicing deep alarm over the country’s persistent political gridlock, widespread violence, and catastrophic humanitarian conditions, as well as the spillover effects that have destabilized the broader region – including a sharp rise in drug and weapons trafficking across Caribbean borders. Ministers stressed that sustained international backing for Haiti’s multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) remains non-negotiable, framing the deployment as a critical tool to help Haitian authorities restore basic security across the country. The delegation also pledged full collective support for renewing the GSF’s mission mandate at the United Nations Security Council when the vote comes up in early autumn.

Participants acknowledged incremental progress made by already deployed GSF personnel, including the establishment of command structures, ongoing frontline training, and targeted capacity-building efforts for local security actors. Ministers reiterated their long-held position that the Haitian people must be the sole arbiters of their country’s political future, and reaffirmed CARICOM’s full backing for Haiti’s interim transitional authorities as they work to organize inclusive, credible general elections at the earliest possible date. They also emphasized the urgent need to combat systemic corruption and widespread impunity in Haiti, calling for the immediate activation of the country’s two newly established specialized anti-corruption judicial units. To keep global attention focused on Haiti’s ongoing crisis, ministers agreed to convene expanded multi-stakeholder consultations during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly to map out both immediate relief interventions and long-term collective strategies to address the country’s deep-rooted challenges.

Beyond security, economic development and climate resilience were framed as mutually dependent priorities for the bloc. Ministers highlighted that reliable, affordable access to energy is a fundamental prerequisite for broad-based economic expansion, industrial growth, and private sector innovation across the Caribbean. They also pointed to untapped opportunities to expand bilateral trade and investment, strengthen resilient regional supply chains, and advance sustainable development through deeper commercial integration between Canada and CARICOM member states. The discussion specifically spotlighted the enduring value of the CARIBCAN program, the Commonwealth Caribbean Countries Tariff initiative that grants duty-free access to the Canadian market for most goods originating from 18 Commonwealth Caribbean countries and territories.

Against the backdrop of persistent global economic uncertainty and escalating geopolitical tensions, ministers noted that small island Caribbean nations face disproportionate exposure to external shocks, ranging from global supply chain disruptions to intensifying climate-related extreme weather events. The joint statement called for continued collaborative action to build national and regional resilience, while also advocating for sweeping reforms to the global international financial system and expanded access to concessional financing for vulnerable middle-income Small Island Developing States, which often face barriers to affordable funding despite their high exposure to climate and economic shocks. The meeting further underscored the urgency of scaling up disaster preparedness infrastructure, expanding access to clean and renewable energy, preserving critical correspondent banking relationships for regional financial institutions, and increasing access to climate finance and concessional funding tailored to the specific vulnerabilities and shock absorption capacity of small island states.

Looking ahead, ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the Canada-CARICOM Strategic Partnership as a foundational framework for advancing shared interests. They directed senior bureaucratic officials to finalize the renewed Action Plan by identifying high-impact priority initiatives, developing a detailed implementation workplan, and strengthening accountability and reporting mechanisms to track progress. A dedicated Senior Officials’ Dialogue has already been scheduled for this coming autumn to advance implementation of the plan and update ministers on achieved milestones. The 2026 foreign ministerial gathering brought together senior leadership from across the CARICOM bloc, including representatives from The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the CARICOM secretariat.

27 6 月, 2026
ZHTF validates strategic plan 2026-2030

On June 18, the Zero Hunger Trust Fund (ZHTF) hosted a critical stakeholder validation workshop in Kingstown, marking a key milestone in the finalization of its five-year strategic framework covering 2026 to 2030. This collaborative gathering brought together a diverse cross-section of actors, including senior representatives from national government ministries and departments, local non-governmental organizations, youth advocacy groups, civil society bodies, and other core implementing partners. The core objective of the session was to conduct a comprehensive review of the draft strategic plan and collect targeted feedback to refine the fund’s proposed direction for its next operational cycle.

Facilitated by experienced strategic consultant Kevin Hope, the workshop formed a central component of a broader inclusive planning process. This process was intentionally designed to guarantee that the finalized strategy fully aligns with St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ national development priorities, reflects existing institutional capacities and constraints, and centers the on-the-ground lived experiences of vulnerable communities across the islands.

The validation session built on preliminary stakeholder consultations held earlier in March, where community leaders and partner organizations shared on-the-ground insights into the rapidly shifting food and nutrition security landscape across St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Input from those initial consultations already helped shape the refocused draft framework, which prepares the fund for its second decade of operations, impact delivery, and systemic food system transformation.

During the day-long working session, participating stakeholders assessed whether the draft plan accurately upholds ZHTF’s statutory mandate, matches national priorities, and responds to the evolving challenges that shape food and nutrition insecurity in the country. Attendees examined every core component of the draft, including its proposed vision, mission statement, overarching strategic theme, dual core mandate, holistic full food systems approach, six defined strategic pillars, and priority implementation actions. They also flag areas requiring additional clarification, identified opportunities to strengthen alignment across stakeholder roles, and submitted concrete recommendations to streamline the plan’s final approval, publication, and rollout.

At the heart of all workshop discussions was a shared consensus that hunger and systemic food insecurity cannot be resolved through disconnected, standalone interventions. In response, the draft strategic plan adopts an integrated, cross-sectoral systems approach that connects diverse policy and programming areas, including social protection, public health nutrition, local food production, agriculture, fisheries, livelihood development, market access, climate resilience, data-driven governance, and community-led participation.

This model is rooted in the recognition that long-term sustainable solutions require coordinated action across multiple sectors, and stronger linkages between two critical priorities: immediate food and livelihood support for vulnerable households, and long-term strategic investments in building climate-resilient local food systems.

Addressing assembled participants, Safiya Horne-Bique, Director and CEO of ZHTF, emphasized that meaningful stakeholder engagement is non-negotiable to ensure the final strategic plan is practical, credible, and fully relevant to the national context. “The goal of this workshop is that we leave with a clearer, stronger and more validated strategic framework that can guide the work of the Zero Hunger Trust Fund from 2026 to 2030 and position the Fund for its second decade of impact,” Horne-Bique stated.

Encouraging open, constructive feedback from all attendees, she added: “Help us ensure that this document is not only a good strategic plan on paper, but also a useful national instrument for action.”

As ZHTF prepares to mark 10 years since its founding, Horne-Bique noted that the organization must not only celebrate its past achievements, but also adapt its operating model to respond to new and emerging challenges facing the country. “The environment in which the Fund now operates is very different from the one that existed in 2016. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines faces deeper climate and disaster risks, rising food prices, high food import dependency, shifting dietary patterns, youth unemployment, an ageing population, and continued vulnerability among households and communities. These realities require us to think beyond individual programmes and to look at the food system as a whole. That is the central purpose of this Strategic Plan.”

Horne-Bique further explained that the fund’s future direction must strike a critical balance between delivering immediate assistance to vulnerable populations and advancing long-term work to reduce systemic vulnerability, strengthen community livelihoods, and build overall food system resilience. “This workshop is not intended to be a ceremonial exercise. It is a working session. We are here to validate the strategic direction of the Fund for the period 2026 to 2030 and to ensure that the final plan is ambitious, but realistic; nationally relevant, but institutionally deliverable; visionary, but measurable.”

The draft strategic plan also clarifies and sharpens ZHTF’s unique value proposition as a national institution. The fund does not aim to replace existing government ministries or community-based organizations; instead, it positions itself as a catalytic, flexible, and partnership-driven intermediary that connects policy development, financing, on-the-ground programming, community leadership, and evidence-based learning. Through this niche role, ZHTF is positioned to mobilize much-needed resources, pilot innovative intervention models, directly support vulnerable groups, strengthen local food systems, and turn national food and nutrition security priorities into actionable, results-driven work.

For his part, consultant Kevin Hope highlighted the immense value of the input collected across the full consultation and validation process. He noted that workshop discussions reinforced both the critical importance of ZHTF’s mandate and the need to build broader public understanding of the fund’s role in advancing food and nutrition security across the islands. “It is now for us to work together on how we align our initiatives, how we use the activities ZHTF is doing to catalyse other investment, and how we deliver on the mandate. The mandate is ending hunger, food security and sustainable livelihoods,” Hope said.

He added that meaningful food security and food sovereignty must become embedded in national culture and daily community practice, rather than remaining abstract policy concepts reserved for government documents. “How do we target interventions and work together collaboratively to reduce poverty and vulnerability in communities using agriculture and fisheries as mediums? How do we strengthen and support livelihoods in these communities, and how do we ensure that food sovereignty and food security are not just buzzwords, but part of our lived culture? I am hopeful that at the end of this strategic planning exercise, there will be greater public awareness and stronger buy-in as to the ‘why’.”

Moving forward, all feedback and recommendations collected during the June 18 validation workshop will be integrated into the draft to produce the final version of the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, which will then be submitted for official government approval. Once finalized, the plan will serve as the official roadmap guiding ZHTF’s work to end hunger, strengthen food and nutrition security, support sustainable livelihoods, deepen cross-sector partnerships, and contribute to the development of resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems across St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

27 6 月, 2026
Basketball finals come down to Game 3

The race for the coveted Ricky “Skecky” Estwick Trophy has reached a fever pitch, as defending champions Soufrière Kings locked the three-game KFC National Basketball League Finals at a 1-1 tie after a hard-fought 47-43 victory over the Bonne Terre Blazers on Friday night at the Beausejour Gymnasium.

Nicknamed the squad from Sulphur City, the Kings delivered a masterclass in defensive intensity to set up a winner-takes-all showdown scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday at the same venue. The Blazers, who claimed the 2023 league title, had drawn first blood in the best-of-three series, securing a narrow 62-59 win in Game 1 this past Wednesday.

From the opening tip-off, Soufrière jumped out to an early advantage, anchored by a suffocating defensive game plan targeting the Blazers’ star Louison brothers, Troy and Andre. Capitalizing on a string of unforced errors from Bonne Terre — including multiple shot clock violations and eight-second turnover calls — the Kings took a 24-19 lead into the halftime break.

After the interval, the west coast side extended their momentum, stretching their lead to 15 points through disciplined offensive sets and consistent long-range shooting. Though the Blazers mounted a gritty second-half comeback, piercing Soufrière’s tight defense to trim the deficit down to just four points, they could not complete the comeback. The Kings held firm through the final minutes to lock in the critical win.

One of the standout performers for Soufrière was Sidney Didier, who bounced back from a quiet Game 1 to dominate both ends of the floor early in the contest. The versatile wing finished the night with an impressive all-around stat line of 11 points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Forward Kimani Charles also delivered a balanced performance, notching eight points, six steals, five rebounds, and five assists. While Jayzee Saltibus only scored eight points, he was an unstoppable force on the glass, pulling down a remarkable 24 rebounds to secure second chances for his squad.

For the Blazers, offensive inefficiency proved to be their undoing. The squad converted just 18 of their 82 total field goal attempts throughout the game. Leading scorer Troy Louison put up 18 points, nine rebounds, and three steals, but he needed 29 shot attempts to reach that scoring total. Guard Kyanni Elwin finished with 10 points on 19 shots, while Andre Louison contributed 12 rebounds, six steals, and five assists — but only connected on three of his 17 field goal tries.

Even after two games, the two title contenders remain closely matched. Though Bonne Terre won the turnover battle 24 to 27, both squads finished with an even 53 total rebounds. When the two most recent champions meet again on Saturday, every possession will count, with the league trophy and championship glory hanging in the balance.

27 6 月, 2026
UWI urges preparedness after major Venezuela earthquakes

On Wednesday, two massive earthquakes, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 respectively, struck Venezuela just 39 seconds apart — the strongest seismic events the country has recorded in more than 125 years. By Friday, the United Nations confirmed the death toll had climbed to at least 235, with expectations of further increases as search and recovery operations continue.

The worst damage is concentrated in La Guaira state, roughly 30 kilometers north of the capital Caracas, where at least 250 structures have been damaged or completely destroyed. Critical public infrastructure across the affected area remains severely impaired: electricity grids, water supplies, and telecommunications networks are largely non-functional, road and air transport networks are blocked. Maiquetía International Airport, the country’s primary international gateway, remains closed due to structural damage, local hospitals are operating under mass casualty response protocols, and emergency shelters have been established to house hundreds of displaced families.

Immediately after the quakes, a regional tsunami warning was issued for Caribbean coastal areas, but officials canceled the alert within days after specialists analyzed data from regional monitoring stations and deep-ocean tsunami detection systems. No measurable large tsunami was detected, and forecast wave heights remained far below dangerous thresholds.

The back-to-back major seismic events sparked widespread public concern across the Caribbean, particularly after a separate earthquake was recorded between Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada shortly after the Venezuela quakes. Officials at the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC), the leading agency responsible for monitoring earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis across the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean, have moved to calm growing public anxiety while emphasizing the ongoing need for proactive preparedness in the seismically active zone.

Erouscilla P. Joseph, director of the UWI-SRC, explained that while both the Venezuela quakes and the smaller tremor near Trinidad and Tobago fall within the broad Caribbean-South American plate boundary zone, they stem from distinct tectonic processes. “At this time, there is no evidence that the earthquakes are directly related to the same fault system,” Joseph noted. While large seismic events can alter stress distribution across nearby tectonic structures, she added, establishing a direct causal link between separate individual events is rarely scientifically feasible.

UWI-SRC has recorded a small uptick in regional seismic activity following the Venezuela earthquakes, a common geologic adjustment after major stress release, the agency confirmed. Joseph emphasized that while a magnitude 7.5 quake qualifies as a major regional event, such events occur somewhere across the globe nearly every year. Though the Venezuela quake ranks among the largest global seismic events of 2026, it is not among the most powerful recorded worldwide in the last decade. What makes the event unusual, Joseph explained, is its proximity to heavily populated areas and the extremely short interval between the two major quakes. “It is relatively uncommon but not unprecedented,” she said, adding that the 39-second gap between the 7.2 and 7.5 events points to a complex rupture process that released massive accumulated tectonic stress over just a few minutes. Preliminary analysis confirms the quakes occurred within the active Caribbean-South American plate boundary, which hosts major fault systems including the El Pilar-San Sebastián network and associated offshore structures. Detailed surveys are still ongoing to pinpoint the exact fault segment responsible for the rupture.

Addressing concerns that the Venezuela quakes could trigger a major seismic event closer to Trinidad and Tobago, Joseph confirmed that aftershocks are expected in the immediate vicinity of the original quakes, and some of these may be felt in southern Caribbean nations. However, she stressed that there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest the Venezuela events have directly increased the risk of a major earthquake in Trinidad and Tobago. Echoing the UWI-SRC’s core guidance, Joseph said, “The public should not be alarmed, but they should be prepared. Trinidad and Tobago, like Venezuela and many other Caribbean countries, is located within an active seismic region where earthquakes can occur. Events such as this remind us of the importance of preparedness.”

Joseph also outlined how the impact of a similar magnitude quake near Trinidad and Tobago would vary based on multiple key factors: the event’s depth, its distance from population centers, local geologic ground conditions, and the seismic resilience of existing buildings and infrastructure. Older structures constructed without modern seismic building codes are far more vulnerable to damage than newer builds, and a strong nearby quake could cause widespread damage to critical infrastructure including utilities, transportation networks, and public and commercial buildings. Because of this, Joseph noted that ongoing investment in updating building codes and improving public preparedness remains a critical priority for all regional governments.

In a public safety guidance update, Joseph addressed common reactions during strong shaking, such as the instinct to run outside immediately, which has been captured in viral videos from the Venezuela quakes. She warned that moving during intense shaking dramatically increases the risk of injury from falling debris, broken glass, or collapsing structural elements. The internationally recommended safety protocol remains “Drop, Cover and Hold On” until shaking stops, after which people can calmly evacuate to a safe open area away from damaged structures if needed.

UWI-SRC is urging all members of the public across the Eastern Caribbean to use this high-profile event as an opportunity to update their personal and family emergency preparedness: residents are encouraged to review earthquake safety protocols, identify pre-planned safe spots in homes and workplaces, secure heavy furniture and appliances that could topple during shaking, assemble emergency supply kits, and confirm family emergency communication plans.

“It is natural to feel concerned when a major earthquake affects a neighbouring country, particularly one with which we share such close ties,” Joseph said. “The SRC remains committed to monitoring seismic activity across the region and providing timely, reliable information so that individuals, communities and governments can make informed decisions. This earthquake is a reminder that while we cannot prevent earthquakes, we can reduce their impacts through preparedness. The goal is not to be fearful, but to be ready.”

The agency maintains continuous real-time monitoring of seismic activity across the Eastern Caribbean, and publishes updates through its official website and social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). UWI-SRC is encouraging all residents to follow these official channels for accurate, up-to-date information and to prioritize emergency preparedness in the seismically active region.

27 6 月, 2026