Carib Scope

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  • Mosquitoes can learn to love common repellent, scientists find

    Mosquitoes can learn to love common repellent, scientists find

    A groundbreaking new experimental study published Thursday in the *Journal of Experimental Biology* has upended long-held assumptions about how the world’s most widely used insect repellent, DEET, works against disease-carrying mosquitoes. The research, led by an international team of scientists, demonstrates that mosquitoes can be conditioned to associate the scent of DEET with the promise of a food source — even learning to prioritize biting human skin that has been treated with the repellent.

    Lead researcher Claudio Lazzari, an emeritus professor at the University of Tours’ Insect Biology Research Institute in France, was quick to clarify that these surprising lab results, collected under highly controlled experimental conditions, do not undermine DEET’s proven track record as the global gold standard for mosquito bite prevention. Developed in the 1940s in the United States, DEET has been credited with saving millions of lives by reducing transmission of life-threatening mosquito-borne illnesses, and it remains the go-to repellent recommended by the World Health Organization for disease control.

    Despite DEET’s success, Lazzari noted that the scientific community has long lacked a full understanding of why the compound deters mosquitoes in the first place. Researchers have debated for decades whether DEET is toxic to the blood-feeding insects, blocks their ability to track human scent, or simply produces an odor that mosquitoes find naturally unpleasant. To answer this question, the team turned to a classic conditioning experiment modeled after Ivan Pavlov’s famous dog studies, which first demonstrated how animals can learn to link unrelated stimuli to rewards.

    For their tests, the researchers focused on *Aedes aegypti* mosquitoes — the species responsible for spreading dangerous pathogens including dengue fever, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. In initial trials, mosquitoes were placed in mesh enclosures and presented with warm sheep’s blood, which the insects immediately fed on, as expected. When DEET scent was introduced alone, mosquitoes predictably moved away from the food source, consistent with DEET’s repellent properties.

    The conditioning phase followed: over three repeated trials, scientists gave mosquitoes access to warm blood for 20 seconds, releasing DEET scent during the final 10 seconds of feeding. After this training, mosquitoes were re-exposed to DEET scent with no blood present. Astonishingly, more than 60% of the trained mosquitoes still attempted to bite the test fabric, conditioned to link the DEET scent with food. To confirm the result, a researcher offered the trained mosquitoes a choice between two bare hands: one untreated, and one covered in DEET. The insects overwhelmingly chose the DEET-coated hand. The team repeated the experiment using sugar instead of blood (to reflect mosquitoes’ natural diet of plant nectar in the wild) and observed the same outcome.

    Co-author Clement Vinauger, a researcher at Virginia Tech in the United States, explained that the study challenges the long-standing paradigm that DEET repels mosquitoes purely through its inherent chemical properties. “What we are showing is that the mosquito’s brain can rewrite that response based on experience,” Vinauger said. “What the insect has learned matters just as much as what the chemical does. That, I think, is a paradigm shift.” Lazzari added that the repellent effect does not stem from DEET being toxic to mosquitoes; instead, mosquitoes’ innate avoidance of the compound is a learned response to how their brains interpret the chemical scent, which can be reshaped by experience.

    Lazzari emphasized that this learned preference for DEET is extremely unlikely to occur in natural settings, as the specific controlled conditions of the lab experiment are not easily replicated in the wild. He reiterated that the public should continue to follow product instructions for DEET-based repellents, which remain a critical tool for preventing mosquito-borne disease. The findings, however, point to an urgent need for continued research into new repellents that are more effective, more eco-friendly, and less likely to trigger allergic reactions in human users, building on this new understanding of mosquito behavior.

  • Jean Suriel warns of massive Saharan dust cloud affecting Dominican Republic

    Jean Suriel warns of massive Saharan dust cloud affecting Dominican Republic

    Residents of the Dominican Republic are now facing the arrival of the second Saharan dust outbreak of 2024, with this event marking the largest dust intrusion of the year so far according to leading regional meteorological analyst Jean Suriel. Stretching an extraordinary 6,890 kilometers across the Atlantic basin, this massive aerosol mass is nearly 100 times the total land area of the Dominican Republic itself, forming an unbroken atmospheric bridge that connects the arid regions of North Africa all the way to the coastlines of Central America. In a public update shared to his popular Instagram channel, Suriel noted that while a low-pressure trough moving through the region could trigger scattered moderate rainfall over the next 24 hours, the thick blanket of Saharan dust will act as a natural barrier, suppressing the development of the heavy, sustained downpours that the region would otherwise see under similar conditions. The most impactful phase of this weather event is still on the horizon: Suriel projects that the densest core of the dust cloud will pass over most of the Caribbean between Friday afternoon and Saturday, bringing a cocktail of uncomfortable and potentially dangerous conditions including elevated regional temperatures, persistent hazy skies that reduce visibility, and sticky, increased humidity across the affected area. Unlike short-lived atmospheric events, this Saharan dust outbreak is expected to linger over the region for as long as 12 days, creating an extended period of elevated public health risk. The fine particulate matter carried in the dust cloud is projected to worsen a range of adverse health outcomes, from common seasonal allergic reactions to chronic respiratory, ocular, and skin conditions that already impact millions of regional residents. Compounding this public health concern, Suriel’s forecast also indicates that a second, even denser Saharan dust mass is on track to reach the Caribbean as early as next Tuesday. In his public advisory, the meteorologist has urged all residents to take basic preventive precautions, with a specific call for heightened vigilance to protect vulnerable groups including young children and elderly residents who face the highest risk of dust-related health complications.

  • Jevaughn Gordon named among Ignite Caribbean’s 30 Under 30 Changemakers

    Jevaughn Gordon named among Ignite Caribbean’s 30 Under 30 Changemakers

    Against a backdrop of systemic disadvantage and personal tragedy, a young Jamaican communications leader and youth advocate has emerged as one of the Caribbean’s most compelling voices for generational change, earning a spot on Ignite Caribbean’s prestigious 30 Under 30 Changemakers list. For Jevaughn Gordon, who grew up in the low-income neighborhood of Princess Field in Linstead, this honor is not just a career milestone—it is a powerful affirmation that young people from marginalized communities can drive lasting, meaningful transformation across the entire Caribbean region.

    Gordon’s path to recognition was shaped by steep challenges that many young people in his community face daily. Growing up in an area marked by pervasive gang violence, drug activity, and a stark lack of upward mobility, Gordon says success long felt like an abstract outcome reserved for others, not something he could achieve for himself. Compounding these structural barriers was the early loss of his mother, which left him navigating significant financial instability from a young age. Despite these obstacles, Gordon remained unwavering in his commitment to education, community leadership, and public service—core experiences that continue to define his professional mission and personal worldview today.

    Professionally, the 30 Under 30 recognition reinforces Gordon’s long-held commitment to leveraging media, narrative storytelling, and youth engagement as foundational tools for regional development. Over the course of his career, he has built a diverse professional portfolio spanning investigative journalism, content production, digital communications, educational programming, and grassroots community outreach, all anchored to a central focus on measurable social impact.

    “My work has always existed at the intersection of storytelling and tangible change,” Gordon explained in an interview following the announcement of the award. “Whether I’m working on a journalism piece, developing youth programming, or rolling out a community initiative, this recognition confirms that blending strategic communication with targeted social action is not just useful—it is necessary for progress across our region.”

    While Gordon acknowledges the sense of validation that comes with being honored for work built entirely from the ground up, he emphasizes the award is ultimately more of a motivator than a final endorsement. “Validation is a nice side effect, especially when you’ve had to build every opportunity yourself from nothing,” he said. “But I’ve never been driven by awards or recognition—my work has always been driven by purpose.”

    That clear sense of purpose has guided Gordon’s work across multiple major regional media platforms, where he has centered his reporting on amplifying underheard voices of young leaders across Jamaica and the broader Caribbean. His programming, including flagship shows *GENZED*, *All Angles*, and *Beyond the Headlines*, consistently highlights the achievements of young innovators and changemakers who are often overlooked by mainstream regional media.

    Gordon firmly believes that intentional storytelling is one of the most undervalued powerful tools for advancing equitable development across the Caribbean. Through a range of impact-driven projects—including *Youth Migration*, *Zoom University*, and *Broken Blue*, a documentary examining plastic pollution and coastal conservation—he has centered critical issues that disproportionately impact young Caribbean people and marginalized local communities. “These challenges do not stop at national borders,” he noted. “What affects a young person in Jamaica affects a young person across the Caribbean—we all share these struggles.”

    Beyond his media work, Gordon has a long track record of direct grassroots intervention to address systemic educational inequality and expand access to opportunity for low-income youth. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when widespread school closures exposed deep gaps in digital access across the region, Gordon converted part of his own home into a free, safe learning space for local students who had no way to participate in remote classes. “It was not a large, multi-million dollar intervention,” he reflected. “But it made a real difference for the young people who needed it, and that is what matters.”

    Gordon’s commitment to youth development also extends through his long-standing work with local and national organizations, including the Princess Field Youth Club and the former Jamaica Millennium Vision for Youth. Through these groups, he has worked as a tutor and mentor for low-income students preparing for their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), with a particular focus on supporting students in high-demand subjects like Mathematics and English.

    Closing access gaps remains the core issue Gordon is most passionate about addressing. He speaks from personal experience: “I know firsthand what it feels like to have the drive and potential to succeed, but not have the resources or pathways to turn that potential into reality. That is why so much of my work is focused on building those pathways for the next generation.”

    Gordon is also a leading voice calling for greater cross-regional collaboration between Caribbean nations. He argues that shared, transnational challenges—including persistent youth unemployment, increasing climate vulnerability, and widespread systemic education gaps—cannot be solved by individual small states acting alone. “The Caribbean is made up of small nations with limited individual resources,” he explained. “But when we work together collectively, we have incredible power to create change.”

    His participation in youth-focused dialogues hosted by the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and forums organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has only reinforced his view that young Caribbean people share connected realities and common aspirations, regardless of which island they call home.

    Even as he celebrates his own recognition, Gordon points out that the region as a whole still fails to lift up the stories of young innovators and changemakers like himself. Mainstream regional narratives still focus disproportionately on negative framing—crime, underdevelopment, and limitation—he says, which erases the work of an entire generation of young leaders driving transformative change across the region. “There are so many young Caribbean people doing incredible, innovative work to improve our communities, and their stories are almost never told,” he noted.

    For the changemaker who grew up in Princess Field, the work continues with a single unifying goal: to create new pathways to opportunity, amplify underheard youth voices, and build stronger, more connected communities across the entire Caribbean region.

  • Italy declares red heatwave alert for Rome, four other cities

    Italy declares red heatwave alert for Rome, four other cities

    An unseasonal early heatwave pushing across Southern Europe has prompted Italian health authorities to activate the nation’s highest heat warning for five major Italian urban centers, marking the first red-level heat alert of 2025 for the Mediterranean country.

    On Thursday, Italy’s Ministry of Health rolled out the red heatwave alert for Rome, Florence, Bologna, Brescia and Turin. The country’s top-tier red warning is specifically designed to flag elevated risks of heat-related health impacts even for otherwise healthy people who regularly engage in outdoor activity, and public health officials are urging all residents and visitors to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight during peak temperature hours.

    On the ground in Rome Thursday, crowds of international tourists gathered near the iconic Colosseum reported struggling with oppressive, muggy conditions, even as temperatures hit 32 degrees Celsius – a reading well above the seasonal average for this time of year. Many visitors shared their personal strategies to beat the early-season heat, prioritizing hydration and shade to avoid heat exhaustion.

    Spanish visitor Nana Martinez Garcia told reporters her group was drinking large volumes of cool water to regulate body temperature. Her friend, Maria Angeles Mellinas Tello, added that the pair makes a point of staying in shaded areas whenever possible while sightseeing. American tourist Josh Ren explained he had adjusted his entire travel itinerary to avoid the hottest midday window: “We get up early to knock out outdoor attractions before temperatures spike, take frequent rest breaks, and spend peak heat hours in air-conditioned spaces like restaurants and museums,” he said.

    So far, Italy has avoided the extreme record-breaking temperatures that have already hit Northern Europe in recent days. The United Kingdom logged its hottest May temperature on record earlier this week, when a reading of 35.1 degrees Celsius was recorded, breaking a decades-long national record for the month. France has also seen unseasonal high temperatures across much of the country, prompting early heat warnings there as well.

    Climate scientists have repeatedly emphasized that human-caused climate change is driving the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events across the globe. Early-season unseasonal heatwaves, alongside prolonged droughts, catastrophic flooding, and severe storm systems, are becoming far more common as global average temperatures continue to rise, researchers note.

  • SBAJ welcomes Anderson’s appointment to NaRRA

    SBAJ welcomes Anderson’s appointment to NaRRA

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s top small business advocacy group is throwing its support behind the newly appointed leader of the country’s flagship infrastructure agency while calling for long-overdue changes to how major infrastructure contracts are awarded.

    The Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ) has extended congratulations to retired Major General Antony Anderson, who was tapped to serve as the first chief executive officer of the National Road Reconstruction Agency (NaRRA), the newly formalized body tasked with guiding the country’s large-scale road network upgrades.

    Prime Minister Andrew Holness first revealed Anderson’s appointment during a dedicated post-Cabinet media briefing held Wednesday at the Jamaica House banquet hall. Alongside the announcement, Holness confirmed that the NaRRA Bill — the legislation that formally established the agency — had been successfully passed into law, with Anderson set to take up his new leadership role starting June 1.

    In an official statement released to the public Thursday, SBAJ President Garnett Reid framed Anderson’s appointment as a milestone coming at a critical juncture for Jamaica’s infrastructure development trajectory. Reid emphasized that Anderson’s decades of decorated public service have equipped him with extensive expertise, a well-documented history of delivering results, and deep institutional knowledge that makes him well-suited to lead the new agency.

    Reid also called on all public and private stakeholders to extend full collaboration and backing to Anderson, noting that robust coordinated support will be key to helping him execute NaRRA’s mandate effectively and efficiently.

    But beyond welcoming the new leadership, Reid outlined a core priority the SBAJ is pushing for under Anderson’s tenure: guaranteeing that local small and medium-sized contractors get a fair share of the billions in infrastructure investment set to roll out through NaRRA.

    “My only hope is that small and medium-sized contractors get some of the contracts from the NaRRA investments,” Reid stated plainly.

    He underscored that structured, transparent procurement processes will be non-negotiable to correct a long-standing gap in Jamaican infrastructure development. For decades, smaller local construction firms have been sidelined for major projects, with most large contracts going instead to bigger, often international companies.

    Reid further made the economic case for prioritizing local businesses, arguing that awarding contracts to Jamaican firms keeps investment capital circulating within Jamaica’s domestic economy, fuels growth of local small enterprises, and builds long-term resilience for the national economy. In contrast, he explained, when large multinational corporations win major infrastructure contracts, a large share of the financial benefits from those investments flow off the island, leaving minimal lasting impact on local communities.

    Looking ahead, the SBAJ says it is eager to build a collaborative, productive working relationship with both Anderson and the entire NaRRA team. The group’s end goal is to ensure that Jamaica’s ongoing national infrastructure expansion doesn’t just improve the country’s roads — it also drives inclusive, sustainable economic growth that benefits Jamaican businesses and workers at the grassroots level.

  • Supermarket mogul dead at 88

    Supermarket mogul dead at 88

    A towering figure in Bahamian business and economic development, grocery industry pioneer Rupert Roberts Jr, OBE, has died at the age of 88, just one day before what would have been his 89th birthday. He passed away peacefully on Tuesday night at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, surrounded by his immediate family — wife Margaret, daughter Candy and granddaughter Paige — according to an official statement released by the Super Value group he founded. Roberts is survived by his wife, three children, multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a wide network of extended family, and thousands of employees across his business enterprises.

    Roberts’ career in retail began long before he launched his own brand. He cut his teeth at City Markets, working his way up from an entry-level supervisor role to store manager at a time when the entire Bahamian grocery sector was overwhelmingly dominated by foreign-owned companies. Breaking into an industry with little space for local entrepreneurs, he founded Super Value in 1965, turning a single standalone store into the nation’s largest Bahamian-owned supermarket chain over nearly six decades of steady growth. Today, the brand operates 13 locations across New Providence, balancing offerings of international consumer brands with dedicated shelf space for Bahamian farmers and local suppliers — a priority Roberts championed throughout his career. The company expanded its footprint in 2012 with the launch of Quality Markets, a subsidiary brand that extended its reach further across the local retail landscape.

    Beyond the grocery sector, Roberts built a diverse business portfolio spanning real estate and multiple commercial ventures, including stakes in South Bimini International Ltd, Bahamas Paper Converting, Discount Mart Limited and Global Bahamas Limited. Alongside his commercial success, he maintained a longstanding commitment to charitable giving and community development across the archipelago, embedding social impact into his professional legacy.

    Roberts also left an indelible mark on Bahamian banking. Following the 1984 Bahamianisation of Commonwealth Industrial Bank Limited — later renamed Commonwealth Bank — he was appointed as the institution’s first domestic chairman. During his tenure, the bank’s total assets surged by more than 700% to surpass $125 million, while net income grew from $1.3 million in 1984 to $4 million by 1992. Though he stepped down from the chairman role in 1988, he retained his seat on the bank’s board of directors for 36 years, continuing to shape its strategic direction for decades.

    In the later stages of his public life, Roberts emerged as one of the most prominent and outspoken voices in national conversations around food pricing, inflation, import costs, taxation and strained supply chains. As ordinary Bahamian households struggled with soaring grocery bills, his insights and advocacy consistently placed him at the center of national economic debate.

    One of his final interviews with local outlet The Tribune came after he spent nine weeks receiving treatment in the United States, having been airlifted abroad for medical care. In that conversation, he shared a heartfelt message of gratitude for the outpouring of support and prayers from across the country, and urged Bahamians to prioritize their health, warning: “You could develop an illness that The Bahamas is not equipped to solve. A medical condition can develop into something more expensive than you can afford.” Even amid his ongoing health challenges, Roberts made clear he had no plans to step away from work, saying: “No, no…not at all! They advised me to keep going and never stop!”

    Following news of his passing, tributes poured in from across Bahamian politics, business and civil society on Wednesday. Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, who recalled working under Roberts at City Markets in the 1960s before Roberts rose to become one of the nation’s top business leaders, honored Roberts as a foundational figure in The Bahamas’ economic growth, highlighting his decades of philanthropy and community support.

    Opposition Leader Michael Pintard praised Roberts as a fierce advocate for Bahamian agriculture and local production, pointing to his consistent work to expand shelf space for domestic goods in retail outlets across the country. Pintard also noted that Roberts maintained an independent stance on business and economic policy, collaborating constructively with both major political parties while prioritizing national interest over partisan alignment. “I respected the fact that he did not allow politics to cloud his judgment in terms of what was in the best interest of the country, and so today I join thousands of Bahamians who mourn his passing and who thank God for the kind of life that he lived that contributed to so many persons’ upliftment, and so may he rest in peace,” Pintard said.

    Don Williams, chairman of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation, described Roberts as a leading voice for the private sector whose input shaped national discussions on pricing, retail operations and sustainable business growth. Former Retail Grocers Association president Philip Beneby remembered him as a true trailblazer for the domestic grocery industry, who partnered with stakeholders across the sector to drive growth for decades. Civil society group the Organisation for Responsible Governance also confirmed that Roberts had served on its board since the organization’s founding, playing a key role in advancing its governance and sustainability mandates.

  • Opposition leader slams budget, demands accounting of funds

    Opposition leader slams budget, demands accounting of funds

    As the Bahamian government tables its 2026/2027 national budget, the country’s Opposition Leader Michael Pintard has launched a sweeping critique of the fiscal plan, centered on a fiery demand for answers over an alleged scandal involving hundreds of thousands in public funds misused for political gain ahead of the last general election.

    At the heart of the controversy is a reported $200,000+ in publicly funded gift certificates said to have been distributed to voters in Abaco, framed as Hurricane Dorian disaster relief, but issued under the names of ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidates and party officials. According to Chris Lleida, chief executive officer of Premier Importers — the commercial entity that printed and distributed the vouchers — the entire cost of the gift certificates was covered directly by the Ministry of Finance.

    Speaking in response to Finance Minister Michael Halkitis’s official budget presentation, Pintard argued that Halkitis had a non-negotiable obligation to address the unaddressed allegations in his opening address to parliament. Pintard called the apparent diversion of public treasury funds to partisan political campaigning a clear case of illegal misappropriation, saying the public deserves a full accounting of how public money left the ministry of finance and ended up in Abaco to benefit the governing party’s election effort.

    “At a minimum, the Minister of Finance should have advised the country on the status of any investigation into how public monies were moved from the Treasury to advance a political campaign,” Pintard said. “Our minister of finance must give an accounting for that.”

    Pintard’s demands over the Abaco voucher scandal formed the opening of a broader rejection of the government’s full budget proposal, which he scored at less than 50 out of 100, arguing the plan fails to deliver tangible policy improvements that would ease daily burdens for ordinary Bahamian citizens. He pushed back against the governing administration’s claims of progress on three key voter priorities: energy sector reform, cost of living relief, and accessible affordable housing, saying everyday residents have not experienced the positive changes the government has touted.

    The Opposition Leader also challenged the government’s narrative of improving national public finances, accusing the administration of hiding major unacknowledged fiscal risks and failing to explain a sharp, unexpected uptick in the country’s total public debt. Official data from the Ministry of Finance puts total public sector debt at an estimated $14.1 billion as of the end of March 2026 — a $689.2 million increase from just nine months prior in June 2025, and a $57 million rise from the end of December 2025.

    Pintard noted that the government’s original annual borrowing plan had explicitly stated no new borrowing would be needed over the period, raising urgent questions about how the national debt grew by nearly $700 million without the administration returning to parliament to secure additional borrowing approval. He accused the government of consistently avoiding parliamentary oversight of public spending, warning that this new debt burden will create fiscal strain that extends far beyond the current 2026/2027 fiscal year.

    Further, Pintard claimed the administration is intentionally shifting public fiscal exposure to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) through off-budget loans, long-term contracts and financing arrangements that do not appear in the full budget figures shared with lawmakers. He pointed to a dramatic surge in direct Treasury lending to public authorities, which he said grew from less than $100 million at the end of 2022 to more than $600 million today.

    “In just over three years, more than a half a billion dollars have been advanced to state-owned entities, and all of those have been under the guise of loans,” he said. “We’ve not been told which budgetary appropriations these funds came from. What was the legal authority that allowed the government to do this, and what are the terms of each of these loans, and how will these funds be repaid? This matters because the law is clear: the government lending must come from properly appropriated funds approved by parliament. If these loans were not drawn from such appropriations, the government must explain what legal basis it relied on — and over and over, their answer has been silence.”

    Using Bahamas Power and Light, the country’s primary national utility, as a key example, Pintard said tens of millions of dollars in Treasury funds have been transferred to the state-owned power provider without any adequate public explanation. He added that he has submitted formal questions to Prime Minister Philip Davis and raised the issue repeatedly in the House of Assembly, but has yet to receive any substantive response.

    Pintard also backed up his claims by referencing official warnings from the independent Fiscal Responsibility Council, which has flagged unreported fiscal risks tied to SOEs, missing key fiscal data, and liabilities that are not properly disclosed in national public accounts. He added that the government is artificially inflating its reported surplus by relying on unpaid public bills, and structuring large infrastructure projects in opaque ways to hide their full total cost from the public and parliament.

    While the bulk of Pintard’s address was critical, he did acknowledge a small number of positive housing-focused measures included in the budget, most notably value-added tax reductions for first-time home buyers and owners of multipurpose properties. Even on housing policy, however, Pintard raised unaddressed questions about $40.2 million in public spending allocated to the Carmichael Village Project, part of the government’s broader Housing Project Renaissance initiative. He said neither current nor former housing ministers have explained how the public funds allocated to the development were spent, and called for the issue to be fully debated during parliament’s budget consideration process, questioning whether the completed housing stock delivers public value matching the investment.

    Closing his response to the budget presentation, Pintard rejected the government’s optimistic assessment of the national economy, emphasizing that public trust in government depends entirely on full transparency around how public money is used. “We do not believe that this budget speaks to the real issues Bahamians are dealing with,” he said. “Transparency is not optional. It’s the price for public trust.”

  • PM silent on Gardiner crash amid ‘Politician-1’ protests

    PM silent on Gardiner crash amid ‘Politician-1’ protests

    A growing political firestorm has engulfed the Bahamas’ ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) this week, after a recent plane crash off Florida’s coast linked to a well-known figure with alleged drug trafficking connections opened up fresh allegations of corruption and inappropriate ties between senior government officials and organized crime. The opposition Free National Movement (FNM) has taken to the streets outside Parliament to demand transparency, while top PLP leaders have repeatedly refused to address pressing public questions about the incident.

    The crash, which left 11 survivors after the unlicensed aircraft suffered dual engine failure and was forced to ditch into the ocean, centers on Eric “Player” Gardiner, a passenger who was reportedly found carrying $30,000 in cash when rescue teams reached him. One survivor told U.S. local media that Kingsley Smith, a sitting PLP member of parliament for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, helped secure their seats on the chartered flight traveling from Marsh Harbour to Grand Bahama. To date, Smith has not responded to repeated requests for comment on his role in arranging the flight.

    When reporters approached Prime Minister Philip Davis and Aviation Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis on Wednesday to ask about the crash, both officials dodged all questions. Davis walked away without answering queries about any potential PLP connections to Gardiner or details of how the flight was authorized, while Coleby-Davis ignored questions about whether a full investigation would be launched into how an unlicensed aircraft was permitted to operate in Bahamian airspace.

    The opposition has amplified its demands, focusing additional scrutiny on Top Notch Builders, a construction firm linked to Gardiner that has been awarded multiple government contracts. FNM leader Michael Pintard has publicly questioned whether Finance Minister Michael Halkitis ever held a leadership role as president or director of the company. Halkitis has denied holding any such position, but has declined to explain how a firm tied to a convicted drug trafficker was able to secure public sector contracts.

    Outside the House of Assembly on Wednesday, FNM deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright led a small protest of around a dozen demonstrators holding signs calling for the public identification of the unnamed “Politician-1” referenced in recent U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) court filings. Opposition members wore custom name tags reading “not politician-1”, a gesture Pintard said was meant to signal that FNM members are not the individuals targeted in U.S. law enforcement investigations.

    Pintard launched a blistering attack on the Davis administration, accusing the prime minister of turning a blind eye to “gangsterism” within his own government. He claimed Davis has long been aware of the alleged ties between PLP officials and criminal figures, pointing to past public housing and infrastructure projects that have been linked to individuals now in U.S. custody. “We’re saying that he should speak up and deal with the individual or individuals,” Pintard said. “This is the same prime minister who was clearly aware when he signed the contracts related to the housing project, or he was involved as minister of works with the Eight Mile Rock project that involves a Bahamian now in US custody, he knew all along who the individuals were.”

    Pintard also criticized Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell for dismissing the entire controversy as a “nothingburger” that will fade away once all facts come to light, arguing that the downplaying of the allegations ignores severe damage to the Bahamas’ international reputation. “It’s a nothingburger to somebody who lacks concern about the reputation of the country being savaged, because people believe politicians are working with gangsters to move drugs from south to the US through The Bahamas,” Pintard said. “Five years of having people in government positions working with gangsters is worrisome. We’re gonna have more of this, more reputational damage, and that’s the cause for deep concern.”

    Speaking during the protest, Cartwright emphasized that a generic statement from the Prime Minister’s Office does not go far enough to address public concerns, and that continued silence from government leaders is unacceptable. He pointedly questioned how an elected MP who took their parliamentary oath just one week prior is alleged to have attempted to arrange a cocaine deal. “Today, as the government chuckled into the House of Parliament, one of those persons is Politician-1,” Cartwright said.

    Cartwright stressed that the prime minister has a clear constitutional and ethical duty to protect the Bahamas’ international standing and answer the questions that Bahamian citizens are asking. He warned that dismissing the serious allegations as an overblown controversy will only further erode public trust in government and democratic institutions. “This cuts at the heart of our democracy, and every day, every session that the government does not give answers, it will continue to leak confidence from this government and continue to call into question this institution,” he said, adding that Bahamian citizens are “enraged, hurt and disgusted” by the DEA allegations that a sitting MP was involved in coordinating drug trafficking activities from within Parliament.

  • Over $24k raised for Bimini boy shot in head by brother

    Over $24k raised for Bimini boy shot in head by brother

    A horrific accidental shooting in the Bahamas’ Bimini has left an 8-year-old boy fighting for his life, and a community-driven crowdfunding effort has already generated more than $24,000 in emergency support to help his family cover mounting costs.

    Eight-year-old Duran Saunders suffered two life-threatening gunshot wounds to the head on May 23, after his 12-year-old brother found a loaded firearm while the pair played together at a commercial property on King’s Highway in North Bimini. The weapon discharged accidentally, striking Duran above his left eyebrow and at the back left of his head. Emergency responders rushed the injured child to Bimini Community Clinic just after 9 p.m. that same day, where clinical staff immediately contacted local law enforcement. Attending doctors classified Duran’s injuries as severe, prompting an urgent request for airlifted advanced care.

    Stepping in to coordinate critical emergency transport was American couple Raul and Yarelys Rodriguez, second homeowners with deep personal ties to the North Bimini community. The pair arranged and funded the emergency air ambulance that transferred Duran to a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hospital, where he underwent immediate life-saving brain surgery. As of the most recent update, the young patient is listed in stable condition, though he remains in critical care.

    In the wake of the accident, the Rodriguezes launched a GoFundMe campaign to support the Saunders family, who now face staggering medical bills and unexpected legal fees related to the incident. The fundraiser set a total goal of $100,000, and in the week following the shooting, 77 individual donors have contributed a cumulative $24,766 – nearly a quarter of the targeted amount – marking a massive outpouring of public support for the struggling family.

    On the campaign’s page, the Rodriguezes described the accident as “every family’s worst nightmare,” emphasizing that the 12-year-old responsible for the shooting is not a dangerous criminal, but a child himself traumatized by a tragedy that has permanently altered both boys’ lives. He remains in custody in Bimini following the incident, leaving his family grappling with simultaneous emotional distress over two of their children.

    “Their family is now facing unimaginable emotional pain along with overwhelming medical and legal expenses,” Yarelys Rodriguez explained, noting that she and her husband felt compelled to act out of their longstanding care for the Bimini community. The couple has issued a public appeal for continued support, asking for both prayers for the boys and their family and additional donations to help the Saunders family weather their crisis.

    “Every donation, no matter the size, can make a difference when people come together to help a family in crisis,” the Rodriguezes said.

  • Fedomu claims electricity companies owe municipalities millions

    Fedomu claims electricity companies owe municipalities millions

    A public dispute over reciprocal financial obligations has erupted between Dominican Republic’s municipal governments and the country’s main electricity distribution companies (EDEs), with the nation’s top municipal association leader challenging recent claims that local governments owe hundreds of millions in unpaid power bills.

    Speaking publicly this Wednesday, Nelson Núñez — who leads the Dominican Federation of Municipalities (Fedomu) and also holds the position of mayor of Samaná — pushed back against recent remarks from economist and former public official Celso Marranzini. Marranzini recently drew attention to the growing debt of municipal governments, arguing that unpaid electricity bills from local councils have become a massive strain on Dominican public finances, hitting a total of roughly US$300 million by last year.

    While Núñez does not dismiss the existence of outstanding municipal payments for power used by public infrastructure and street lighting, he says the narrative that only local governments are in debt is deeply one-sided. He argues that the EDEs have themselves failed to uphold binding legal requirements laid out both in the country’s General Electricity Law 125-01 and a 2013 landmark ruling from the Dominican Constitutional Court.

    That specific ruling, labeled TC/0100/13, establishes a clear reciprocal framework: electricity distributors are required to transfer 3% of all revenue they collect from customers within each municipal jurisdiction and municipal district to local governments every month. In exchange, local governments are legally obligated to cover the cost of electricity for public streetlights and municipal-owned public facilities.

    Crucially, Núñez clarified that the 3% transfer is not an arbitrary tax imposed on power providers, as some critics have framed it. The Constitutional Court itself explicitly confirmed that the payment qualifies as a legally authorized compensation fee for municipalities, he noted.

    Yet according to Fedomu’s records, the EDEs have failed to comply with this ruling consistently ever since it was issued in 2013. The cumulative sum that power distributors owe to municipalities across the country is “incalculable,” Núñez stated, and this long-running noncompliance has been a major contributing factor to the tight financial straits many local councils now face. The missing funds have made it especially difficult for municipalities to cover the very street lighting costs they are obligated to pay, exacerbating the current standoff over mutual debts.

    Núñez closed by emphasizing that financial responsibilities run both ways: if municipalities owe the EDEs for power delivered, the power distributors owe municipalities for the legally mandated funds they have withheld for more than a decade.