Carib Scope

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  • Roadworks Underway in Oliver’s, Mount Pleasant and Carty’s Hill

    Roadworks Underway in Oliver’s, Mount Pleasant and Carty’s Hill

    The Ministry of Works in Antigua and Barbuda is making significant headway with its comprehensive infrastructure enhancement initiative, targeting multiple residential communities with critical road and drainage upgrades. This strategic program represents a concerted effort to fortify public infrastructure and elevate living conditions for residents across the nation.

    Substantial progress is being reported from the Oliver’s housing area, where construction teams are actively executing concrete floor slab pours as a fundamental component of the community’s extensive road rehabilitation project. These structural improvements are designed to create more durable and reliable roadway surfaces.

    Simultaneously, in the Mount Pleasant district, specialized drainage enhancement operations are underway to optimize water runoff efficiency and substantially mitigate flooding risks during heavy precipitation events. Additional roadwork initiatives are progressing in the Carty’s Hill vicinity, demonstrating the program’s widespread implementation.

    Through consistent public communications, the Ministry has maintained transparency regarding these developmental projects, which collectively aim to reinforce critical infrastructure networks and upgrade transportation corridors within established residential neighborhoods throughout the twin-island nation. This multi-community approach underscores the government’s commitment to systematic infrastructure modernization and community resilience.

  • The UWI’s Historic Hosting of Nigerian Vice-Chancellors

    The UWI’s Historic Hosting of Nigerian Vice-Chancellors

    In a landmark move for South-South cooperation, twenty newly appointed Vice-Chancellors from Nigeria concluded a transformative three-day summit at The University of the West Indies (UWI) headquarters in Jamaica last week. The high-level delegation, representing Nigeria’s extensive network of approximately 280 public and private universities, engaged in intensive dialogues with Caribbean academic leaders from February 10-12.

    The initiative, orchestrated by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), sought to expose emerging university leaders to UWI’s acclaimed institutional model. Times Higher Education ranks UWI among the top 3.6% of global universities, making it an exemplary case study for institutions navigating contemporary challenges in higher education.

    Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles characterized the gathering as “a spiritual moment” during opening ceremonies, reflecting on Nigeria’s profound intellectual influence on UWI’s development. “We cannot tell our history without connecting to those fundamental moments,” Beckles noted, emphasizing the deeply rooted historical ties between the regions.

    The summit agenda featured robust exchanges on strategic planning, research development, curriculum quality, and preparations for global competitive rankings. A particularly pressing topic involved strategies for achieving greater institutional impact with constrained financing—a challenge familiar to many universities across the Global South.

    Dr. Gervan Fearon, President of George Brown Polytechnic and prominent West Indian diaspora member, delivered a powerful keynote address advocating for purpose-driven universities and indigenous publishing systems. His presentation highlighted the critical need to amplify research from Global South institutions on the international stage.

    Professor C. Justin Robinson, Pro Vice-Chancellor of UWI Five Islands Campus, delivered closing remarks that framed the collaboration as strategic imperative rather than optional partnership. “South-South collaboration is not a consolation prize,” Robinson asserted. “The solutions to challenges facing developing nations will increasingly come from institutions like ours—working together, learning from one another, and refusing to wait for permission to lead.”

    The enthusiastic participation of all UWI Principals and Pro Vice-Chancellors throughout the event demonstrated institutional commitment to the ONE UWI vision, fostering an atmosphere of genuine collaboration and meaningful dialogue that participants expect to catalyze future joint initiatives.

  • Details of fatal motorcycle accident in Louisville yesterday from full police report

    Details of fatal motorcycle accident in Louisville yesterday from full police report

    A fatal traffic incident on Valley Road has resulted in the death of a 45-year-old motorcyclist, prompting an ongoing investigation by the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force’s Traffic Department. The collision occurred on February 16, 2026, near the Louisville junction, claiming the life of Mackie McKenzie of River Street while his passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

    Preliminary investigation reports indicate the tragedy unfolded when a Mitsubishi Fuso fighter truck was traveling eastbound while McKenzie operated his SH Scooter (registration #PY768) in the opposite direction. According to official statements, the motorcycle rider attempted evasive maneuvers upon noticing the approaching truck but subsequently lost control, veered off the roadway, and impacted a curb with significant force.

    The violent impact ejected both McKenzie and his pillion rider, identified as Shaquille Hector, also of River Street, from the vehicle onto the southern roadside. Emergency responders transported both individuals to the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department for immediate medical attention.

    Despite receiving prompt medical care, McKenzie was pronounced deceased at 12:48 hours on the day of the incident. Hector remains under medical supervision at the Alford Ward, with medical authorities confirming his injuries, while serious, are not considered life-threatening. The Traffic Department continues to examine the precise circumstances surrounding this tragic roadway incident.

  • Twenty-year-old facing possession, manufacturing firearm charges

    Twenty-year-old facing possession, manufacturing firearm charges

    Barbadian law enforcement authorities have formally charged Tevin Alijermaine Campbell, a 20-year-old resident of The Belle Main Road in St. Michael, with multiple serious firearm-related offenses. The charges stem from alleged criminal activities occurring on February 8 at Belle Gully Main Road, where Campbell stands accused of unlawfully manufacturing seven firearms according to police reports.

    In addition to the manufacturing charges, Campbell faces seven separate counts of unlawful firearm possession alongside ammunition-related offenses. Court documents indicate he was found in possession of ten rounds of ammunition without proper authorization on the same date, further compounding the legal allegations against him.

    In a separate but concurrent development, the young defendant has been charged with committing fear of violence on February 7, one day prior to the firearm-related incidents. This additional charge suggests a pattern of alleged threatening behavior that authorities have deemed serious enough to pursue through the judicial system.

    The case is scheduled for preliminary hearing at the Oistins Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, where prosecutors will present evidence supporting the multiple charges. Legal experts note that firearm manufacturing charges represent particularly serious offenses in Barbados, where gun control measures have been strengthened in recent years to combat rising violence.

    This case emerges against the backdrop of ongoing regional efforts to address illegal weapon trafficking in the Caribbean, where homemade firearms have become an increasing concern for law enforcement agencies. The severity and quantity of charges suggest prosecutors consider this a significant enforcement action against alleged weapons proliferation activities.

  • Financing gap holding back women entrepreneurs, Caribbean leaders told

    Financing gap holding back women entrepreneurs, Caribbean leaders told

    Caribbean economic development is being severely constrained by systemic gender inequality in business financing, regional leaders were warned at a major EU-Caribbean Parliamentary Assembly forum in Antigua and Barbuda. Isiuwa Iyahen, Deputy Representative of UN Women’s Caribbean Multicountry Office, delivered a stark assessment that gender disparities represent a fundamental development challenge rather than a peripheral social issue.

    The high-level forum, building on discussions from last year’s Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), revealed that women-owned businesses receive approximately ten times less financing than male-owned enterprises. While women own 40% or more of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across many Caribbean nations and dominate vital sectors including tourism, hospitality, retail, and creative industries, they face severe financial exclusion.

    Alarming data presented at the assembly showed medium- and long-term loans to women-led enterprises average just US$156,000 compared to US$1.5 million for male-owned businesses. This financing gap persists despite women’s central role in economies where MSMEs account for over half of GDP and employment. Limited access to collateral continues to restrict women’s ability to formalize operations, expand businesses, and enter export markets.

    Iyahen characterized this disparity as ‘active marginalisation of women’s economic potential’ and emphasized that barriers often dismissed as social concerns—including unpaid care burdens, financial exclusion, and personal safety issues—actually function as direct economic constraints affecting trade participation. The International Finance Corporation estimates women-led MSMEs globally face a US$1.7 trillion financing gap, with Caribbean women particularly disadvantaged in accessing trade finance and export guarantees.
    Delegates heard that higher interest rates and tighter lending conditions disproportionately affect women entrepreneurs, who are overrepresented in small or new businesses that financial institutions typically perceive as high-risk. When liquidity contracts and microfinance providers scale back operations, women-owned enterprises are typically the first affected.

    The forum called for gender-responsive macroeconomic policies that deliberately measure and address financing disparities, alongside strengthened support for women’s leadership in economic strategy development. The European Union received commendation for existing regional partnerships promoting decent work, equal pay, and entrepreneurship, though participants acknowledged the Caribbean continues to struggle with slow regional integration and persistent inequalities that limit women’s full economic participation.

  • St. Lucia PM confirms ‘people lost their lives’ in latest US strike

    St. Lucia PM confirms ‘people lost their lives’ in latest US strike

    CASTRIES, St. Lucia — Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre has officially confirmed fatalities resulting from a recent United States military operation in the Caribbean Sea, escalating regional tensions over Washington’s aggressive counter-narcotics campaign. The strike, executed by the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), targeted a vessel allegedly operated by narco-traffickers, resulting in three confirmed deaths.

    Addressing the nation through an official statement on Facebook and subsequent press briefings, Prime Minister Pierre emphasized that his government is utilizing established diplomatic and security channels to verify critical details surrounding the incident. While acknowledging loss of life, he stopped short of confirming the nationalities of the deceased, citing a lack of official notification regarding the circumstances of their deaths.

    The operation, directed by SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L. Donovan under the Joint Task Force Southern Spear, was described by U.S. authorities as a “lethal kinetic strike” against a vessel transiting known drug trafficking routes. Military intelligence indicated the boat was engaged in narco-trafficking operations, classifying those onboard as “narco-terrorists.” A subsequently released video appears to show a missile strike obliterating the target vessel.

    Controversy emerged when the St. Vincent Times published photographs of boat remnants allegedly from the strike that surfaced near Canouan in the Grenadines. Local fishermen who discovered the wreckage reported no bodies in the vicinity, though the newspaper suggested possible connections to three missing St. Lucians who departed for sea last Monday.

    The incident’s location—whether in international waters or within St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ territorial waters—remains unclear, with neither government issuing official statements. This ambiguity raises significant legal questions under international law, with human rights experts previously characterizing such strikes as extrajudicial executions.

    This event occurs amidst growing regional opposition to U.S. counter-narcotics operations. Last month, families of two Trinidadian men killed in an October strike filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government in Boston’s federal court, with legal representatives condemning the actions as “lawless killings in cold blood.”

    According to available data, the U.S. has conducted at least 36 vessel strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific since September last year, resulting in over 120 fatalities. The Trump administration maintains these operations target “narco-terrorists” transporting drugs that harm American communities.

    Prime Minister Pierre concluded his statements by emphasizing his government’s “disciplined, fact-based approach” to matters of national security and regional stability, asserting that “speculation has no place” while prioritizing the protection of St. Lucian citizens and interests.

  • American Civil Rights icon, Jesse Jackson, dead at 84

    American Civil Rights icon, Jesse Jackson, dead at 84

    Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, the monumental civil rights leader whose transformative advocacy reshaped American political discourse and social justice movements, has died at age 84. His passing was confirmed by his family through the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the nonprofit organization he founded to advance civil rights causes.

    Jackson’s remarkable journey began as a key lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s civil rights movement. Following King’s tragic assassination in 1968, Jackson emerged as a powerful voice for racial equality and economic justice. His groundbreaking presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 fundamentally altered perceptions about Black political viability in American presidential politics, inspiring generations of minority candidates.

    Throughout his decades of activism, Jackson remained an unwavering advocate for voting rights, criminal justice reform, and economic empowerment for marginalized communities. As recently as 2021, at age 79, he was arrested while leading a voting rights demonstration, demonstrating his lifelong commitment to direct action.

    The civil rights champion had faced significant health challenges in recent years. He was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological disorder, and had been hospitalized multiple times, including for COVID-19 treatment in August 2021 and for injuries sustained during a protest at Howard University later that year.

    Jackson is survived by his wife of six decades, Jacqueline Jackson, their five children—Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef, and Jacqueline—and a sixth child, Ashley. His legacy endures through the countless activists and politicians he inspired and the structural changes he helped achieve in American society.

  • Youth to face court on firearm, wounding charges

    Youth to face court on firearm, wounding charges

    A 21-year-old resident of St. Michael, Barbados, is scheduled for a court appearance this Tuesday to answer multiple serious firearm-related charges. L’Shayne Omari Clarke, residing at 3rd Avenue Skeets Road in Ivy, faces allegations stemming from two distinct criminal incidents earlier this year.

    The most severe charges against Clarke involve wounding with intent and unlawful use of a firearm connected to an event that occurred on January 16. According to court documents, these charges suggest a violent confrontation where firearms were allegedly employed to cause intentional harm to another individual.

    In a separate case from February 11, Clarke faces additional weapons charges including illegal possession of a firearm and possession of 17 rounds of ammunition. The dual cases indicate ongoing investigations into firearms-related criminal activity in the community.

    The legal proceedings will commence at the Oistins Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutors are expected to present evidence from both incidents. The consecutive nature of the charges within a short timeframe suggests heightened law enforcement attention to firearms offenses in the region.

    This case emerges against the backdrop of increasing concerns about gun violence across Caribbean communities, with authorities implementing stricter measures to combat illegal weapons trafficking and usage. The court’s handling of this matter will be closely watched by community advocates and law enforcement officials alike.

  • Jesse Jackson, iconisch burgerrechtenleider en presidentskandidaat, overleden

    Jesse Jackson, iconisch burgerrechtenleider en presidentskandidaat, overleden

    Reverend Jesse Jackson, the charismatic civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and two-time U.S. presidential candidate, has died at age 84. His family announced the passing on Tuesday, marking the end of an era for America’s racial justice movement. Jackson, who grew up in the segregated South and worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., remained an inspirational voice in the fight for equality throughout his life.

    Born on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson experienced firsthand the brutal reality of Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. He began his activism as a student at a historically Black university, quickly becoming a trusted associate of Dr. King. Jackson was present at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis when King was assassinated in 1968.

    In the 1970s, Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) and later established the National Rainbow Coalition, organizations dedicated to advancing civil rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights. These merged in 1996 to form the Rainbow-PUSH Coalition, which Jackson led until 2023.

    Jackson’s political campaigns in 1984 and 1988 Democratic primaries broke significant barriers for people of color in American politics. Though he never won the presidency, his powerful oratory and broad support among African American and liberal voters brought national attention to issues of poverty and inequality. His 1988 Democratic Convention speech, calling for unity and hope, remains one of the most memorable moments in modern political history.

    Beyond domestic activism, Jackson served as an international diplomat and mediator, helping secure the release of American prisoners in Syria, Cuba, Iraq, and Serbia. He acted as a special envoy for President Bill Clinton in Africa and was a regular commentator on CNN. In 2000, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

    Even in his later years, Jackson continued advocating for social justice, notably supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017, he remained active in civil rights work until his health declined.

    Jackson is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jacqueline Brown, and their five children, including former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. His legacy endures as a testament to relentless pursuit of equality and justice for all marginalized communities.

  • Lashley prioritises access to justice in reform agenda

    Lashley prioritises access to justice in reform agenda

    In his inaugural address as Barbados’ newly appointed Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice, prominent defense attorney Michael Lashley has committed to implementing comprehensive reforms aimed at transforming the nation’s judicial landscape. Speaking to journalists during Monday’s cabinet swearing-in ceremony at CARIFESTA House, Lashley outlined a visionary strategy focused on three fundamental pillars: enhancing accessibility to justice, streamlining judicial processes for ordinary citizens, and significantly improving systemic efficiency.

    The seasoned legal expert emphasized that true reform must eliminate barriers that prevent common Barbadians from navigating the justice system effectively. Beyond mere physical access to court facilities, Lashley’s approach encompasses simplifying complex legal procedures, dramatically reducing case backlogs, and ensuring public comprehension of legal rights and responsibilities. He substantiated his vision with international research indicating that expedited judicial proceedings directly correlate with reduced crime rates.

    Lashley presented a balanced perspective on criminal justice, asserting that meaningful reform must equally address the rights of the accused and the needs of victims. He stressed the importance of developing tailored programs for both groups while highlighting the interconnected nature of justice reform with broader social development initiatives. The minister specifically noted the critical need for inter-ministerial collaboration and targeted interventions for at-risk youth aged 11-15, proposing structured engagement programs to steer younger generations toward constructive activities and away from potential criminal behavior.

    The newly appointed minister concluded that delays in judicial proceedings not only undermine public confidence in the legal system but potentially encourage criminal activity. His reform agenda promises to create a more responsive justice system that serves as both deterrent to offenders and reassurance to victims and communities alike.