Carib Scope

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  • Mystar tipped for top municipal police post

    Mystar tipped for top municipal police post

    A major leadership transition is unfolding at the top of the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service (TTMPS), coming on the heels of a shocking on-duty murder and unfolding allegations of widespread illegal weapons diversion linked to serving officers. Senior police and government sources confirm that current Assistant Commissioner of Police Wayne Mystar has been tapped to replace outgoing TTMPS head Surrendra Sagramsingh, who was placed on immediate administrative leave earlier this week to facilitate the ongoing investigation.

    As of Thursday evening, however, Mystar had not yet received formal written documentation of his appointment, multiple sources close to the process confirmed to local media. Discussions to finalize the leadership change have already been concluded at the highest levels of both the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, with Mystar the unanimous pick to take over the troubled municipal force.

    Sagramsingh, who has led the TTMPS for the past six years, publicly confirmed this week that he had been placed on leave. In a phone interview with the Express, he acknowledged the administrative action, noting that the decision was framed as a necessary step to preserve the impartiality and transparency of the ongoing probe into the murder of 33-year-old corporal Anuska Eversley and the theft of government firearms and ammunition from the San Fernando Municipal Police Station.

    “Because of the investigation ongoing; and they wouldn’t want you to be around performing duty; and to ensure transparency in case they see a connection,” Sagramsingh explained of the official rationale. The long-serving officer added that while he would have preferred to remain on active duty, he has fully complied with the government’s directive. “The fact is I am in my career as a police officer (and) have been bent on service. So, definitely you would have preferred to have served. But if the authorities feel that is the best thing to do at the time, I am compliant,” he said.

    The formal administrative order placing Sagramsingh on leave is laid out in an April 21, 2026 letter from acting permanent secretary Peter Mitchell. The letter clarifies that the leave is a precautionary procedural measure, not a finding of wrongdoing or liability on Sagramsingh’s part. He has been ordered not to report for duty or exercise any of his former official powers until further notice, but is required to remain accessible to investigators and fully cooperate with all inquiries.

    The crisis rocking the TTMPS began early Sunday morning, when Eversley — a mother of three — was found dead inside the San Fernando Municipal Police Station at approximately 4:40 a.m. A post-mortem examination conducted this week confirmed the 33-year-old officer suffered blunt force trauma before being strangled and stabbed to death. To date, police have taken 10 people into custody for questioning in connection with Eversley’s killing.

    Preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation have uncovered disturbing ties between the murder and a wider alleged criminal ring operating within the municipal police force. Senior investigative sources told the Express that early probes point to a group of serving municipal officers who have allegedly been stealing police firearms and ammunition and selling the weapons to criminal gangs and underworld networks. Sources say the illegal trafficking operation is believed to have been active for between six and eight months, raising urgent questions about systemic oversight failures within the TTMPS that allowed the alleged scheme to continue undetected for months.

  • THA passes Marine Parks Bill

    THA passes Marine Parks Bill

    On April 23, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) approved the landmark Tobago Marine Parks Bill 2026 during a special sitting held at the Assembly Chamber in Scarborough. The date of the vote carried profound symbolic weight: it marked the eighth birthday that Angelica Saydee Jogie, a young child killed in a high-profile jet ski collision off Tobago’s Pigeon Point beach in April, would have celebrated.

    Angelica lost her life on April 8 when an out-of-bounds jet ski collided with her and her family during what was meant to be a pre-birthday getaway. Speaking ahead of the vote, THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, who sponsored the bill, reflected on the tragedy that pushed forward this long-stalled legislation. The family had traveled to Tobago specifically because the island represented joy, peace and natural beauty to their children, Augustine noted. What should have been a celebratory trip turned into an unthinkable nightmare for the Jogie family, he added, joining their call for urgent regulation of unregulated recreational watercraft after the incident. Angelica’s mother Salisha Jogie has repeatedly called for a full ban on jet skis across Tobago’s public swimming beaches in the wake of her daughter’s death.

    The core purpose of the new bill is to establish a formal, enforceable legislative framework for the protection, adaptive management and sustainable use of all of Tobago’s marine protected areas. It aims to preserve fragile coastal biodiversity, secure marine ecosystems for future generations, and clarify enforcement powers to crack down on unsafe or illegal watercraft activity in designated swimming zones. Key enforcement provisions outline steep penalties for anyone who interferes with authorized inspectors – including police officers and Coast Guard personnel – carrying out their official duties under the law. Individuals convicted of obstructing enforcement face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 12 months of imprisonment, sending a clear signal about the seriousness of regulatory compliance.

    Augustine confirmed that following the THA’s approval, the bill will move to Trinidad and Tobago’s national Parliament for final consideration within the next two to three weeks. He noted that while the legislation shares core foundations with a 2020 bill drafted when the People’s National Movement (PNM) controlled the THA, the previous PNM-led national government allowed the proposal to languish for years without action. He criticized former PNM Prime Minister Keith Rowley for publicly calling for a jet ski ban after leaving office, pointing out that Rowley’s own administration failed to advance the necessary legislation when it had the power to do so. Augustine emphasized that the THA can only set policy; enforceable national law is required to put that policy into practice, a point Rowley omitted in his post-office commentary.

    The Chief Secretary also raised pointed concerns about ongoing enforcement gaps at the popular Buccoo Reef Marine Park, noting that just one week after Angelica’s death, jet ski operators were still found operating illegally in zones marked exclusively for swimmers. He accused the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) of failing to intervene against these trespassing operators, warning that if any future incident leads to legal action against the THA, his administration will direct its legal team to shift responsibility to the Attorney General and the national central government. Augustine argued that the THA has fulfilled its duty by creating policy, running public education campaigns and marking restricted zones, but it cannot enforce rules without the full backing of national law and active cooperation from national law enforcement agencies, which have left the THA unable to act effectively to date.

  • Gonsalves shows ‘stunning lack of imagination’ on dev’t bank (+video)

    Gonsalves shows ‘stunning lack of imagination’ on dev’t bank (+video)

    A sharp political clash has erupted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines over plans for a new national development bank, with Prime Minister Godwin Friday launching a blistering rebuke of Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves, framing the former prime minister’s criticism as evidence of the outdated governance that led to his Unity Labour Party (ULP)’s landslide defeat in November 2024’s general election.

    The debate unfolded in Parliament on Tuesday, April 21, 2025, during discussion of a motion tabled by government senator Chelsea Alexander, advancing the New Democratic Party (NDP)’s campaign pledge to reestablish a national development bank. The incoming NDP government revived the proposal after the ULP shut down the country’s original development institution shortly after taking power in 2001.

    Under the NDP’s plan, Alexander explained, the new national development bank will expand affordable access to development capital for small and medium-sized enterprises, small-scale producers, fisher folk, and other underserved vulnerable sectors that have long struggled to secure funding from existing fragmented financing frameworks.

    Gonsalves, whose ULP held power for 25 years before the NDP’s decisive 14-1 election victory, pushed back forcefully against the proposal. He argued that the country already maintains a network of specialized, fit-for-purpose public institutions and programs that already deliver the core services the new bank is intended to provide. These include the 1960s-founded development corporation that was later restructured into the development bank his administration closed, the Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Student Loan Company, the Farmer Support Company, and targeted initiatives including the PRYME program and zero-down-payment mortgages for public servants, all introduced under his leadership.

    Beyond questioning the need for a new standalone bank, Gonsalves raised serious concerns about the institution’s long-term viability. He challenged the NDP to identify a source of cheap, sustainable funding to support the bank’s preferential lending mission, warning that high borrowing costs, steep administrative overhead, and risks of rising non-performing loans could leave the project insolvent. “You may well end up with your national development bank where the funding is just not available at rates of interest and on terms to make it viable,” he told the chamber.

    Friday rejected every element of Gonsalves’ argument, dismissing the opposition leader’s stance as proof of a “stunning lack of imagination” and a stubborn attachment to outdated governance models. The prime minister tied the opposition’s criticism directly to the ULP’s historic election defeat, arguing that the result was not just a routine electoral loss, but a full repudiation of the ULP’s backwards-looking approach to governing.

    “You can’t govern based on simply everything that you saw in the past. You have to plan for the future,” Friday said. “And that is what we bring to the table… a fresh approach, a new way of looking at things, more creativity, more diligence, hard work and putting the people of this country first.”

    The prime minister also pushed back against Gonsalves’ claim that consolidating multiple functions into one new bank would be inefficient, pointing to major flaws in the existing fragmented system that the NDP is seeking to fix. He noted that 75% of loans issued by the ULP-established Farmer Support Company currently go unrepaid, arguing that the new structure will deliver far better outcomes for public finances and beneficiaries alike. Contrary to claims that the bank would add unnecessary bureaucracy, Friday stressed that the proposal is a deliberate effort to rationalize the current patchwork of support programs, creating a single, more coherent and accountable institution to deliver development financing, rather than adding an extra layer of government.

    Friday also framed the opposition’s opposition as a rejection of support for ordinary Vincentians, telling constituents: “Let the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines register this: the opposition opposes the national development bank, an institution that is there to give small business people, ordinary people, fisher folk, access to capital, to guidance so that they could build themselves up. They are against that.”

    When the allocated time for private members’ motions expired at 5 p.m. Tuesday, the debate on the motion was adjourned to a future sitting of Parliament.

  • Housing payments moved to Treasury following corruption scandal

    Housing payments moved to Treasury following corruption scandal

    In a sweeping overhaul of accountability measures for a national post-disaster housing repair and reconstruction initiative, the new government has ordered all program payments to be routed exclusively through the national Treasury, eliminating direct disbursements by the Ministry of Housing. The policy shift comes in the wake of shocking discoveries of widespread mismanagement and corruption that left contractors fully paid for unbuilt homes and construction materials distributed with no transparent oversight.

    Housing Minister Andrew John outlined the reforms in a parliamentary address Tuesday, responding to questions from opposition Senator Carlos James about the 2026 housing recovery program for properties damaged or destroyed by two successive major natural disasters: the April 2021 eruption of the La Soufriere volcano and Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall on July 1, 2024.

    John explained that the new administration, which took office after winning November’s general election, inherited a deeply troubled program from the Unity Labour Party, which held power for 25 consecutive years before being voted out. The scope of the financial and operational mismanagement is so severe, he told lawmakers, that housing ministry officials are now completely barred from processing direct payments to contractors or suppliers.

    “Everything now must go through the Treasury system so that we have proper accountability. No longer will we have cases where 10 or 15 homes are marked as built in a constituency, but no one can find them,” John told parliament.

    The minister confirmed that unfulfilled legacy contracts from the previous administration represent one of the largest barriers to delivering the 2026 housing program. “We have discovered that what consumes a large portion of the budget allocated for 2026 is contracts issued by the prior government where contractors received full payment but never built the scheduled homes,” he said.

    The ongoing mismanagement has been formally referred for investigation to Minister of National Security St. Clair Leacock, who also serves as Member of Parliament for Central Kingstown. John has already briefed Prime Minister Godwin Friday on irregularities found in Friday’s Northern Grenadines constituency, and is preparing a similar briefing for Leacock on issues in Central Kingstown. “These are serious issues, and they will impact the outcome of our performance,” John acknowledged.

    A second major unresolved challenge is a massive backlog of unpaid debts owed to both local and international building material suppliers and service providers, carried over from the previous administration. John framed the shift to centralized Treasury payments as a core step in a broader effort to rebuild financial discipline, transparency, and resilience to the troubled housing recovery effort.

    “This government is a government with a vision, is a government of action, and so we will overcome these problems,” John said. Going forward, stricter contractual enforcement will be paired with the new payment system to hold contractors accountable. The minister confirmed he has referred multiple problematic legacy contracts to the Attorney General to enforce contractual obligations, noting the sheer scale of the prior mismanagement is deeply troubling. “I don’t know how people could get full payment under a contract and walk away without delivering the work. It’s really, really troubling,” he said.

    Despite the challenges, John confirmed that critical roof repair and rehabilitation work is continuing, with a renewed focus on “rebuilding better” ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially begins June 1. For the remainder of this year, the majority of housing activity will focus on retrofitting and rehabilitating damaged properties to improve disaster resilience.

    The government is also hiring and training new assessors in every parliamentary constituency to ensure allocations of construction materials match actual on-the-ground needs, with mandatory follow-up inspections to confirm materials are used appropriately for disaster-resilient repairs. “We are encouraging all homeowners not just to rebuild, but to rebuild better, and prepare for the possibility of another major disaster,” John said.

    With the new centralized payment system and enhanced oversight now in place, John reaffirmed that the housing recovery program is back on track for 2026. “I’m pleased to announce that we are on track once again to rebuild people’s homes,” he said. “We are on track — and not only are we on track now, but we are on track in a more responsible manner.”

  • URGENT : Yellow alert for 3 departments, reinforcements expected

    URGENT : Yellow alert for 3 departments, reinforcements expected

    On April 24, 2026, Haitian national disaster authorities issued a yellow-level heavy rain alert for three of the country’s northern departments, as a lingering cold front brings forecasts of intense precipitation that could trigger life-threatening flash floods and mudslides across large swathes of the nation.

    While the segment of the cold front currently impacting Haiti has begun to weaken, its residual effects continue to disrupt local atmospheric conditions, leaving unstable weather patterns across the system’s entire path. Forecasters note that lingering frontal instability, paired with the inflow of mildly moist air masses pushing into Haiti’s southern regions, has already sparked scattered rainfall across the Upper Artibonite, Lower Northwest, and multiple southern localities.

    These ongoing showers, which carry a high chance of turning into severe thunderstorms, are projected to grow in intensity through Friday afternoon, evening, and into overnight hours, eventually expanding to cover nearly the entire Haitian archipelago. The most extreme precipitation is expected to concentrate in Haiti’s far northern region, where dangerous conditions are forecast to persist longest. While gradual weather improvement is set to begin in the far north by overnight Friday, many low-lying areas in the far south can expect a soggy start to Saturday, April 25, with scattered wet conditions continuing through the morning.

    Meteorological projections estimate total 24-hour rainfall accumulations ranging from 100 millimeters to 200 millimeters across the far north, with steep, mountainous zones potentially recording totals in excess of 250 millimeters. Periodic wind gusts reaching 20 to 40 kilometers per hour will accompany the storm system, adding additional risk to already hazardous conditions.

    Haiti’s Hydrometeorological Unit (UHM), operating under the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), partnered with the General Directorate of Civil Protection (DGPC) to issue the alert. In coordination with the National Disaster Risk Management Plan (SPGRD), the DGPC kept the yellow heavy rain alert active Friday for the Northwest, North, and Northeast departments. Officials have indicated emergency reinforcements are on standby to respond to potential disasters, as pre-existing saturated soil across the region creates high susceptibility to rapid flash flooding and landslides if the predicted heavy, intermittent rainfall materializes.

  • Efforts to restore thermal power generation capacity continue unabated

    Efforts to restore thermal power generation capacity continue unabated

    Cuba’s national energy expansion and restoration initiative is making steady progress, with the full reconstruction of the Felton Thermoelectric Plant’s Unit 2 moving forward entirely through local, homegrown solutions, according to official statements from the country’s energy leadership. Once completed, the strategic unit will add 250 megawatts of stable generation capacity to Cuba’s National Electric System. This project sits at the core of the nation’s 2026 plan to restore national generation capacity relying exclusively on domestic resources and local innovation, as outlined by Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la O Levy during an appearance on the national television program Mesa Redonda.

    Levy explained that rather than relying on imported original factory components, the restoration initiative leverages locally developed solutions forged through domestic innovation, adaptive engineering, and targeted technological substitution. The 2026 roadmap sets a target of restoring 570 megawatts of total thermal generation capacity across the country by the end of the year. Official data shows that Cuba has already outpaced its first-quarter interim goal: while the target called for adding 365 MW by the end of March, the country successfully brought 370 MW of restored thermal capacity online in the first three months of the year.

    Levy credited key completed projects for this early overachievement, including the successful reactivation of Unit 2 at the Santa Cruz del Norte thermoelectric plant following comprehensive maintenance, and the integration of Céspedes 4 into the national grid. He noted that Céspedes 4 faced unplanned delays after a critical malfunction was detected during its synchronization process with the National Electric System, but the project still moved forward enough to contribute to the first-quarter results.

    Edier Guzmán Pacheco, Director of Thermal Generation at Unión Eléctrica, Cuba’s national electric utility, detailed the background and current progress of the Felton Unit 2 reconstruction project. The Lidio Ramón Pérez thermoelectric plant in Felton holds unique strategic importance for Cuba because it is designed to run on domestically produced crude oil, a feature that directly supports the country’s energy sovereignty efforts.

    Guzmán recalled that the unit was knocked offline after a fire broke out in its boiler several months ago. The blaze damaged a core structural component of the boiler, which in turn caused cascading damage to the rest of the facility that left the original structure unrepairable, eliminating any possibility of reusing the original boiler framework. The 250 MW unit had been a key contributor to national generation before the incident, so its outage created a significant gap in Cuba’s power supply.

    Given the extensive scope of the damage, Cuban energy officials made the decision to launch a full, complex reconstruction of the unit rather than scrapping the project. All structural components for the new boiler are being manufactured locally in Las Tunas province, even though the full restoration requires working with highly complex internal engineering parts. Guzmán emphasized that work on the reconstruction has proceeded without interruption since the project launched. Officials prioritized continuous progress to get the unit back online as quickly as possible, given its outsized role in boosting Cuba’s energy independence and sovereignty by running on local crude oil supplies.

  • Like a rifle, the pen at the ready for the Fatherland

    Like a rifle, the pen at the ready for the Fatherland

    On a Thursday held at the Council of Ministers headquarters in Cuba’s Palace of the Revolution, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz headlined a formal gathering to join the nationwide “My Signature for the Fatherland” movement, a grassroots initiative galvanizing national unity amid escalating external pressure on the island nation.

    Marrero Cruz was joined at the event by José Amado Ricardo Guerra, Major General and Secretary of the Council of Ministers — both of whom hold seats on the Political Bureau — alongside deputy prime ministers and other senior government officials. Palace of the Revolution workers also added their signatures to the movement, aligning with the core goals that have driven the initiative since it launched across the country on April 19.

    Far more than a simple exercise in public participation, the movement stands as a deliberate, collective reaffirmation of Cuba’s revolutionary values, a public condemnation of the U.S. trade embargo that has crippled the country’s economy for decades, and a defense of Cuban national sovereignty that organizers say is non-negotiable. Every signature collected through the campaign represents a individual commitment to protecting the nation’s right to self-determination, free from external interference, economic coercion, or military aggression against the Caribbean nation.

    The gathering at the Palace of the Revolution comes against a backdrop of intensifying external sanctions, marked most acutely by a worsening energy blockade and coordinated international disinformation campaigns targeting Cuba’s government. In this context, participants used the event to send a clear message: the Cuban people reject all destabilizing external measures and remain steadfast in their defense of the foundational principles of the Cuban revolution.

    Thursday’s signatures also formalized support for a call issued by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Party’s Central Committee and President of the Republic. During a ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution, Díaz-Canel called on Cubans to spread the unfiltered truth about Cuba’s reality and struggle to every corner of the globe.

    Organizers and participants alike reaffirmed that the movement’s collective voice stands for a nation committed to upholding global peace, advancing cross-border dialogue, upholding international solidarity, and safeguarding hard-won independence at any cost. As the campaign continues to spread across every region of Cuba, the gathering at the seat of national government served as a high-profile demonstration of the commitment of the country’s leadership and public sector workers to the movement’s core mission.

  • Díaz-Canel Highlights Digital Transformation and AI Adoption at the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery

    Díaz-Canel Highlights Digital Transformation and AI Adoption at the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery

    Against the backdrop of decades of intensified economic and energy blockades that have strained resource access across every sector of Cuban society, one of the nation’s most prestigious medical institutions is emerging as a trailblazer for digital transformation in public health. On a working visit in April 2026, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez—accompanied by senior government officials including Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez Díaz, Public Health Minister José Angel Portal Miranda, and Communications Minister Mayra Arevich Marín—highlighted the groundbreaking work of the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, praising its team for turning resource constraints into a catalyst for innovation.

    Díaz-Canel’s institutional visits across Cuba are a core component of the national government’s digital transformation strategy, which prioritizes innovation in three critical public sectors: healthcare, K-12 education, and higher education. Since the close of 2025, the president has conducted monthly site visits to leading health centers, which have been designated as the vanguard of the country’s push to integrate digital tools into public services. During his tour of the 64-year-old neurology institute, Díaz-Canel emphasized that the team’s ability to advance ambitious digital projects despite severe external limitations is a powerful example of what Cuban officials term “creative resistance.” “On each of these visits, we see teams raise the bar higher, launch new initiatives, consolidate existing progress, and scale results to bring more institutions into these processes,” the president noted during discussions with facility leadership and clinical staff. He added that the institute’s longstanding national and international prestige made it a fitting leader for this national shift.

    Founded shortly after the Cuban Revolution, the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery stands as the nation’s leading hub for specialized neurological care and research, leading national working groups for both neurology and neurosurgery. While the facility is compact in terms of bed count and physical footprint, its leadership says it punches far above its weight in the scope of specialized care it delivers to patients across the country—from complex neurosurgeries on pediatric patients to specialized care for adults. During the recent 2025-2026 Chikungunya outbreak, the institute stepped in to manage all national cases of the virus presenting with neuropathic pain, a responsibility its team was able to take on due to pre-existing specialized training and preparedness, according to institute director general Dr. Orestes López Piloto.

    For the institute, the push into digital transformation and telemedicine did not begin overnight. Digital pilot programs first launched at the facility back in 2012, and work accelerated dramatically starting in 2018 when the Cuban government identified digital transformation as a core national priority. Dr. Duniel Abreu Casas, deputy director of Diagnostic Services at the institute, explained in an interview that while the country’s prolonged blockade has created steep barriers to accessing critical technology components and specialized software, the team’s collective commitment to advancing care has allowed the project to cross key milestones. “We’ve already won 50% of this battle,” Abreu Casas noted, pointing to persistent challenges such as accessing specific software application packages that are often blocked by international sanctions.

    Despite these obstacles, the institute has achieved widespread digitization across its core operations. All diagnostic laboratories have transitioned to digital record-keeping, feeding directly into a centralized national electronic health record system that clinicians can access remotely from any workstation on the facility’s internal network. Three dedicated high-definition teleconsultation stations have been established, enabling real-time collaborative care between the institute’s specialists and medical teams at regional facilities across Cuba, as well as partner clinicians abroad. Digital storage of medical imaging and patient documentation has also eliminated the space constraints and retrieval delays associated with physical paper records, giving clinicians instant, location-independent access to critical patient data.

    Abreu Casas emphasized that telemedicine is not just a technological upgrade for the Cuban healthcare system—it is a practical solution to the resource shortages imposed by the blockade. “While it is technically demanding, telemedicine delivers significant long-term savings across paper, printing, and clinical time, which is why the entire world is shifting toward this model,” he explained. “For us, it is a strategic way to address the tremendous shortages we face.”

    Following his tour, Díaz-Canel left a note of tribute in the institute’s guestbook celebrating the team’s achievements. “It is very heartening, in these difficult times we are living through—marked by severe shortages and the impact of the intensified blockade, compounded by the energy blockade—to witness the dedication, determination, professionalism, tenacity, and drive to excel demonstrated by the staff of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery,” he wrote. “The progress made in the development of the digital transformation process and the use of AI at this important institution is particularly noteworthy. If we can do it today, we can always do it.”

    Dr. López Piloto shared that the visit was a point of deep pride for the institute’s entire staff, from veteran clinicians with decades of experience to early-career researchers. For 2026, the institute’s core priorities are consistent: expanding access to high-quality neurological care for patients across Cuba, while continuing to scale up its work in telemedicine, digital transformation, and tele-education to share the institute’s expertise across the national healthcare system.

  • F15 Softball Cricket Week 3 results

    F15 Softball Cricket Week 3 results

    The third week of the highly anticipated F15 Softball Cricket Tournament 4.0 delivered four days of high-octane, edge-of-your-seat action across a weekend of competition, with two matches held on Saturday and two additional clashes closing out the schedule on Sunday.

    The weekend’s action kicked off with Match 7, where RS Production Kombat Warriors won the pre-game coin toss and opted to take the batting crease first. The side was bowled out after 14.3 overs, posting a total of 78 runs. Danroy Fergus emerged as the team’s top run-scorer with 17 runs, while Lesroy Richards contributed a solid 14 runs to the total. The Spring Super Sixers bowling attack put in a clinical display to restrict Kombat Warriors: Watson Seaton led the dismantling with an impressive 3 wickets for just 21 runs across his 3 overs, and Rikel Stapleton matched Seaton’s figures, also claiming 3 wickets for 21 runs.

    Chasing a modest target of 79 runs to claim victory, Spring Super Sixers reached the required mark in 14.5 overs, finishing at 79 for 7 to secure a hard-fought 3-wicket win. Stapleton delivered a standout all-round performance, adding 24 runs with the bat to his three wickets with the ball, earning him the well-deserved Man of the Match award. For Kombat Warriors, Kamal Jackson turned in an exceptional bowling spell of his own, picking up 3 wickets for only 5 runs, while Romano Pierre claimed 2 wickets for 13 runs.

    In Saturday’s second fixture, Match 8, BoSVG All Stars won the toss and also elected to bat first. The side put on an explosive batting display, posting an imposing total of 147 runs for the loss of 4 wickets from their full 15 overs. Asquith Mapp anchored the innings with a brilliant unbeaten knock of 48 runs, a performance that earned him Man of the Match honors, while Kody Horne provided valuable support with a quick 34 runs. Against the total, Spring Super Sixers’ Rikel Stapleton and Damal Gould each claimed one wicket, finishing with identical figures of 1 wicket for 24 runs.

    Chasing 148 runs for victory, Spring Super Sixers put up a determined fight but ultimately fell short, finishing their 15 overs at 117 for 5. Akiel Mason shone for the chasing side with an aggressive unbeaten half-century, scoring 50 runs from just 29 balls. For BoSVG All Stars, Kelly Murray impressed with 2 wickets for 16 runs from 2 overs, while Earl Pope chipped in with 1 wicket for 8 runs from 3 overs to help lock in the 30-run win.

    Sunday’s action opened with Match 9, where Valley Boys won the toss and chose to bat first. The side posted a total of 66 runs for the loss of 5 wickets from their 15 overs. Lyndon Lewis led the scoring for Valley Boys with 24 runs from 35 balls, with only minor additional contributions coming from the rest of the batting order. Dr. Thomas Injectors’ Kentish Phillips delivered a match-changing bowling spell, finishing with 2 wickets for just 9 runs from 3 overs, while Kevin Jack supported with 1 wicket for 11 runs from 2 overs.

    In response, Dr. Thomas Injectors made light work of the low chase, reaching the required 67 runs in just 10.3 overs, finishing at 68 for 4 to secure a comfortable 6-wicket victory. Wendel Corridon guided his side home with a composed, unbeaten innings of 25 runs from 25 balls. For Valley Boys, Clinton Keir picked up 2 wickets for 13 runs from 2 overs, and Javon Jack added 1 wicket for 14 runs from 3 overs.

    The weekend’s fixtures concluded with Match 10, where Richmond Hill United won the toss and elected to bat first. However, the side was skittled out for just 49 runs in 13 overs, with Marvin Harry posting the highest score of the innings: 13 runs from only 10 balls. Fairban United’s bowling attack put on a devastating display, led by Antonio “The Great One” Barker, who recorded remarkable match-winning figures of 4 wickets for just 4 runs from 3 overs. Chrisston Williams supported Barker with 2 wickets for 15 runs from 2 overs.

    Fairban United made similarly quick work of the chase, cruising to the 50-run target in just 5.3 overs, finishing at 50 for 1 to secure a dominant 9-wicket victory. Andrew Glasgow led the batting charge with a blistering quick-fire knock of 27 runs from 11 balls. For Richmond Hill United, Collin Lee claimed the only wicket to fall, finishing with 1 wicket for 7 runs from 3 overs. A flawless all-round performance from Fairban United sealed their commanding win to close out Week 3 of the tournament.

  • SVG-Taiwan ties secure despite shift to ‘performance‑based’ diplomacy

    SVG-Taiwan ties secure despite shift to ‘performance‑based’ diplomacy

    When the New Democratic Party (NDP) won general elections in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) last November, it signaled a new direction for the Caribbean nation’s foreign engagement. That policy shift was laid out clearly to lawmakers this week by Foreign Minister Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble, who outlined the government’s pivot to a results-driven “performance-based diplomacy” model that prioritizes tangible domestic development gains over traditional ceremonial diplomacy — while explicitly confirming that the 45-year diplomatic relationship with Taiwan will remain unchanged.

    Speaking in Parliament on April 21 in response to a question from opposition senator and former foreign minister Keisal Peters, Bramble opened with a straightforward confirmation of SVG’s commitment to Taipei. “We appreciate and value the relationship that we have built over the last 45 years with the government and people of Taiwan,” he said, adding that the administration is preparing to take part in enthusiastic celebrations of the sapphire anniversary of diplomatic ties, scheduled for August 15.

    Bramble, a career former diplomat whose portfolio also covers foreign trade, foreign investment and diaspora affairs, explained that the NDP’s new diplomatic framework marks a deliberate break from the previous model, which centered primarily on diplomatic presence and protocol. Under the revised approach, overseas missions and consulates will no longer be assessed by the flags they fly or ceremonial events they attend, but by the tangible economic and social value they generate for SVG’s 110,000 residents.

    “Foreign policy is not ceremonial, and I’m sure we all know this,” Bramble told parliamentarians. “It is economic policy, social policy and national security policy projected beyond our borders.” For a small island developing state like SVG, which lacks global military or geopolitical influence, the priority of foreign engagement must be advancing the welfare of the national population, he added. “We have to make sure that our people cannot only eat and survive, but they can thrive and develop… with a decent standard of living. That is exactly what our overseas missions will be doing under the guidance of this new government.”

    Under the new model, SVG’s overseas diplomatic posts — particularly those in North America and the United Kingdom, which host large segments of the SVG diaspora — will be repositioned to act as active engines of economic development. Key priorities for diplomatic engagement include facilitating trade connections for local exporters, attracting high-quality foreign investment in targeted high-growth sectors including renewable energy, sustainable tourism, the blue economy and agro-processing, and expanding market access for Vincentian goods and services, with a particular focus on diaspora niche markets for creative industries, ICT services and skilled professional services.

    Multilateral diplomatic participation will also be tied to clear, actionable national priorities, Bramble said, with core advocacy focused on climate financing, global recognition of small island developing states’ economic vulnerability, and expanded access to concessional lending.

    The administration is also reframing its engagement with the global SVG diaspora, treating the community as a strategic economic partner rather than merely a source of remittances. Bramble noted that the government will work to mobilize diaspora members as investors, entrepreneurs, mentors and contributors of professional skills and expertise to support domestic development.

    Turning again to the question of SVG’s relationship with Taiwan, Bramble noted that a large community of Vincentian students and diaspora members already reside in Taiwan. The government will work to streamline support for Vincentian students to complete their education, he said, while leveraging the community’s connections to turn any potential brain drain into a “brain gain” that advances national development. As with all of SVG’s international partnerships, the NDP administration will work to deepen ties with Taiwan and translate the relationship into measurable, tangible benefits for SVG citizens, he added.

    The confirmation of continued relations with Taiwan closes a chapter of uncertainty that stretches back to 2016, when the NDP, then led by now-retired leader Arnhim Eustace, announced that it would cut diplomatic ties with Taipei if elected. Since winning November’s election in a landslide, the party has fully reversed that earlier position: Prime Minister Godwin Friday met with Taiwan’s ambassador to Kingstown as one of his first diplomatic engagements after taking office, and the administration appointed Taiwan-trained Mandarin-speaking journalist Kenton X. Chance, who holds a master’s degree in international affairs, as SVG’s resident ambassador to Taipei in March. Later that month, Deputy Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock led a four-member official delegation to Taipei, where he publicly reaffirmed the new government’s commitment to maintaining the long-standing bilateral relationship.