Carib Scope

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  • Hanover hosts first youth entrepreneur competition

    Hanover hosts first youth entrepreneur competition

    HANOVER, POINT — A pioneering initiative aimed at unlocking the entrepreneurial potential of young Jamaicans has officially launched in the parish of Hanover, bringing transformative opportunities for 48 ambitious student business owners and aspiring founders. Dubbed the Youth Entrepreneur Programme (YEP) Competition, the first initiative of its kind across Jamaica, is the result of a collaborative partnership between the Social Development Commission (SDC) and Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, with additional support from local political leadership. The launch ceremony was hosted Wednesday at the Grand Palladium Hotel, drawing attendees from across the education, finance and public sectors.

    The programme draws participants from four of Hanover’s six high schools: Rusea’s High, Green Island High, Merlene Ottey High, and Knockalva Technical High. The 12-week competition will run through to a final judging and awards event scheduled for June 10, giving young founders time to launch and scale their ideas. Every approved participant — whether entering as an individual or a small team — will receive JMD $10,000 in seed capital, deposited directly into a dedicated Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union youth savings account. To secure a spot in the competition, all submitted ventures were required to meet three core criteria: they must address an unmet need in the participants’ school or local community, feature a clear element of innovation, and demonstrate viable potential for long-term operation beyond the programme timeline.

    For many participating students, the programme offers a critical stepping stone to grow ideas they have already begun building from scratch. Jessica Gray, a ninth-grade student at Rusea’s High, already runs a small successful business operating across neighboring St James and Hanover, supported initially by family, friends and community members. Speaking to reporters at the launch, Gray shared her excitement for the opportunity to scale her venture, noting that the seed funding will allow her to purchase additional inventory to better serve her growing customer base. Beyond her business ambitions, Gray plans to pursue a career in law, building her enterprise alongside her academic studies.

    Other students are launching new ventures tailored to gaps they have observed in their own school communities. Orlando Hylton, an upper-sixth-form student at Green Island High, is launching a stationery business to address the absence of an on-campus bookstore for students. Open about the inherent risks of entrepreneurship, Hylton said the programme’s support gave him the confidence to move forward with his idea. Like many participants, Hylton balances his business goals with long-term professional plans: he aims to work as an airline pilot and operate a livestock farm in his spare time, and has already made plans to pass the stationery business on to a classmate if he chooses not to continue running it long-term.

    Kamachia McBean, a 10th-grade student at Merlene Ottey High, already runs a thriving cookie business that draws strong support from her peers and generates solid profits. She has already mapped out how she will use her seed funding: expanding her product line to include doughnuts and assorted snacks to grow her customer base. McBean’s long-term career plans include nursing as her primary goal, with flight attendant and professional chef as alternate paths, but she emphasized that she intends to keep running her food business regardless of which career direction she chooses.

    Beyond seed funding, the programme includes a robust structure of ongoing support and recognition for all participants. Every contestant will receive comprehensive training and mentorship in core business skills including general entrepreneurship, marketing strategy, and social media marketing. Business expos will be hosted at each participating high school, giving students a platform to showcase their products and services to peers, school staff and local community members. When the competition concludes in June, top-performing participants will receive additional grant funding to scale their ventures: first place will take home a trophy, certificate and JMD $90,000 business grant, second place earns a trophy, certificate and JMD $60,000 grant, and third place receives a trophy, certificate and JMD $30,000 grant. Special school-level awards will also be distributed, and every participant will receive a certificate of participation to acknowledge their work.

    Tova Trench-Anderson, SDC Parish Manager for Hanover, emphasized the transformative long-term impact the programme aims to deliver. “We commend these schools for answering the call and taking the bold step to invest in their students’ entrepreneurial potential,” she said. “By the end of this programme, we expect our participants to demonstrate increased confidence, stronger leadership skills, improved financial discipline, and practical experience in running a business. More importantly, they will have laid a solid foundation for future entrepreneurial pursuits.”

    Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union has contributed nearly JMD $1 million in total funding to the programme, in addition to providing expert mentorship for participants. Conroy Ward, Regional Sales Manager for Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union, outlined the practical guidance the credit union’s team will provide to young founders. “We are going to guide the students along the way, giving information on how to budget, how to save, how to create a cash flow and how to create a network,” Ward explained.

    Local MP for Hanover Eastern Andrea Purkiss also announced at the launch that she would be adding extra funding to the programme’s prize pool, after being impressed by the quality and creativity of the students’ business ideas. “I am really delighted that the children are so creative in Hanover. I sat in that room and I listened to the business concepts, the names of the businesses that they came up with on their own,” Purkiss said. She also noted that in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which recently impacted the region, building portable, income-generating skills for young people is more important than ever, giving students a reliable source of income they can depend on amid economic uncertainty.

  • Teen charged after ‘confessing’ to beating homeless man with board in Port Maria

    Teen charged after ‘confessing’ to beating homeless man with board in Port Maria

    In the northern Jamaican parish of St Mary, a violent assault on a vulnerable homeless elder has ended with one juvenile suspect in police custody, as law enforcement continues a manhunt for a second attacker. The case dates back to the early hours of April 1 this year, when emergency responders were dispatched to the Port Maria Market area following a disturbing report: a 70-year-old man had been found lying unconscious on the ground, suffering from a critical head wound.

    When officers arrived at the scene, they found the victim bleeding heavily from a deep blunt-force injury to his skull. Emergency medical teams immediately transported him to the local Port Maria Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was later transferred to the larger Kingston Public Hospital to receive specialized, ongoing care. Police confirmed that forensic and medical examinations matched the victim’s wounds to blunt force trauma consistent with being struck by a hard object.

    Two weeks after the attack, on April 14, 2026, Jamaican law enforcement captured the 16-year-old suspect during a targeted operation. Per Jamaican legal protections for minors, the teen’s name and other identifying details have not been released to the public. The suspect was questioned in the presence of his legal representation, and during that interrogation, he openly admitted his role in the assault. According to official police statements, the teen confessed that he and an unidentified accomplice attacked the elderly man while he slept near the market, beating him with a wooden board. Two days after his arrest, on Thursday, the juvenile was formally charged with wounding with intent.

    Investigations remain active as the St Mary Police division works to track down and arrest the second suspect who has not yet been taken into custody. Local authorities have issued a public appeal for any community member with information related to the attack, the suspect’s identity, or his current whereabouts to come forward. Tips can be submitted directly to the Port Maria Police station via two dedicated phone lines at 876-994-4222 or 876-333-9530, or anonymously through Jamaica’s Crime Stop hotline at 311.

    Shortly after the assault occurred, Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s Local Government Minister, publicly condemned the unprovoked attack on the homeless man. McKenzie called for full collaboration between the Jamaican public and law enforcement to ensure both attackers are quickly apprehended and held accountable for their actions.

  • WATCH: Several injured after bus overturns on PJ Patterson Highway

    WATCH: Several injured after bus overturns on PJ Patterson Highway

    A road traffic incident in St Catherine, Jamaica has left multiple people injured after a passenger bus overturned on the PJ Patterson Highway Saturday afternoon. According to local reports, the crash unfolded at approximately 4:30 p.m., when a Toyota Coaster carrying seven occupants was traveling along the wet thoroughfare. The vehicle lost traction on the rain-soaked pavement, skidding out of control before colliding with the highway’s central median and flipping onto its side. Emergency response teams were dispatched to the scene shortly after the accident. All injured passengers, who are reported to have sustained only minor injuries from the crash, were transported to a nearby medical center to receive urgent care and evaluation. A local journalist, Llewellyn Wynter, captured video footage of the crash site following the incident. Road safety officials have noted that wet driving conditions significantly increase stopping distances and the risk of skidding, reminding motorists to reduce speed and exercise extra caution during and after rainfall. No further updates on the victims’ conditions have been released as of the latest report.

  • Driver damages fresh concrete as road works continue in Bathlodge

    Driver damages fresh concrete as road works continue in Bathlodge

    An act of disregard for construction zone safety has thrown a wrench into ongoing road improvement works in Bathlodge, after a motorist intentionally broke through clearly marked barriers and drove across uncured, freshly poured concrete. The incident has left infrastructure teams dealing with unexpected damage, pushed back project timelines, and driven up costs for the public works initiative.

    This road upgrade project forms a small part of a nationwide infrastructure program designed to revitalize road networks across multiple communities. From the start of works in Bathlodge, construction teams put in place clear warning signage and physical barriers to block off the section of fresh concrete, which needs sufficient time to fully harden before it can bear vehicle weight.

    In an official public statement, local authorities confirmed that the motorist deliberately crossed the restricted boundary, causing irreversible damage to the uncured surface. Construction officials emphasized that even if a newly paved surface appears dry to the naked eye, it has not finished the curing process and cannot withstand vehicle traffic. Relying on visual inspection alone to judge a surface’s readiness, they noted, often leads to preventable damage like the incident in Bathlodge.

    In the wake of the damage, road work crews have issued an urgent call to all road users—both motorists and pedestrians—to respect all safety protocols at active construction sites. They are urging the public to stick to clearly marked detour routes, follow all posted road signs, and adhere to instructions from on-site construction workers at all times.

    The damage has already forced a delay to the completion of the Bathlodge section of the project, adds unplanned extra costs to the initiative, and disrupts the carefully mapped progress of the wider infrastructure upgrade. Despite this setback, authorities have expressed gratitude for the general public’s ongoing patience and cooperation as they work to complete upgrades that will benefit the community’s road network long-term.

  • Hero Rat Honoured with World’s First Statue in Cambodia

    Hero Rat Honoured with World’s First Statue in Cambodia

    On the eve of 2026 International Day for Mine Awareness, a historic ceremony in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province revealed a one-of-a-kind tribute: the world’s first statue honoring a landmine-detecting rodent, Magawa, the extraordinary African giant pouched rat whose life-saving work made large swathes of the Southeast Asian nation safer.

    Over his five years active service, Magawa’s sharp nose helped locate more than 100 buried landmines across an area of contaminated land spanning more than 141,000 square meters, a plot roughly equal to 20 soccer fields. Trained by APOPO, the Belgian non-profit organization that develops detection animals for humanitarian mine clearance, Magawa leveraged unique biological advantages that set him apart from human-led demining teams. His small, light frame never weighed enough to trigger the sensitive explosives he sniffed out, allowing him to cross dangerous minefields without risk, and he could clear an area the size of a tennis court in just 20 minutes, a task that would take a human deminer many hours to complete.

    Magawa’s groundbreaking contributions earned him a spot in humanitarian history in 2020, when he became the first rat ever awarded the PDSA Gold Medal, the prestigious honor recognizing animal bravery and devotion to duty in saving human lives. After a career marked by consistent, life-saving work, Magawa retired from active duty in 2021 and passed away in 2022 at the age of 8, an advanced lifespan for his species.

    Today, as Cambodia works toward its national goal of eliminating all landmines from its territory by 2030, Magawa’s legacy continues. A new generation of APOPO-trained HeroRATS continues his mission, clearing contaminated land to allow communities to return to farming, building homes, and using land that has been off-limits for decades. This new permanent statue ensures that Magawa’s extraordinary contribution will not be forgotten, standing as a reminder that the most impactful heroes often come in the most unexpected packages.

  • VIDEO: Grieving mother on murder charge arrives in court

    VIDEO: Grieving mother on murder charge arrives in court

    A 46-year-old Layou security guard, grieving the fatal shooting of her son just seven days prior, has made her first court appearance alongside a 22-year-old local man, after the pair were hit with conspiracy and murder charges over the death of a 19-year-old labourer.

    Rosia John and Augustus Mathews, a Layou resident, face two formal criminal allegations connected to the killing of Perrance Mathews, a 19-year-old Layou-based labourer. Court documents outline that between April 10 and April 13, 2026, the two defendants conspired to carry out a plan that would have culminated in a murder. The second, more severe charge accuses them of intentionally and maliciously causing Perrance Mathews’ death by shooting him multiple times across his body.

    Authorities confirm the alleged crimes took place in Buccament, a coastal community in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. On Friday, April 17, 2026, John and Mathews appeared at Kingstown’s Serious Offences Court for the formal reading of their charges, an event that was captured on video by local media.

    The court appearance comes exactly one week after a double shooting in Kingstown’s Stoney Ground neighbourhood that claimed the life of John’s 29-year-old son, Enrique John, also known locally by the nickname Shoubu. Raheem Guy, 22, was also killed in that same April 10, 2026 attack. The overlapping timeline of the two violent incidents — the double killing that left Rosia John bereaved, followed just days later by her being charged in the murder of 19-year-old Perrance Mathews — has cast a spotlight on the surge of violent gun crime impacting the small Caribbean nation.

  • Fiery ABC Highway crash hurts five; road safety chief urges caution

    Fiery ABC Highway crash hurts five; road safety chief urges caution

    A devastating early-morning collision involving four vehicles on Barbados’ ABC Highway left five people hospitalized on Thursday, after two of the involved cars burst into flames following impact. The crash unfolded at the height of the Thursday rush hour, around 7:30 a.m., along the stretch between the Kingsland junction near Deighton Griffith Secondary School and the Henry Forde Roundabout in Newton.

    Initial accounts of the incident confirm that three of the vehicles were traveling in the direction of Kingsland, while the fourth was moving along the opposite carriageway when the collision occurred. Emergency response teams rushed to the scene immediately after reports of the fire broke out, and all five injured casualties were quickly transported via ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to receive urgent medical care. Local law enforcement has launched a full investigation into the crash, with no definitive findings on contributing factors released to the public as of yet.

    In the wake of the incident, the president of Barbados’ Road Safety Association, Roland Lowe, spoke exclusively to Barbados TODAY to renew urgent calls for heightened driver vigilance across the island, pointing to a troubling upward trend in road accidents in recent months. Lowe, who has personally observed the increasing frequency of both minor and serious collisions during his own travels, emphasized that the growing rate of incidents is a major cause for public concern.

    Lowe highlighted driver inattention as one of the most persistent, preventable causes of collisions across the country, singling out mobile phone distraction as a particularly common dangerous habit. “It only takes a split second of looking away from the road to cause a catastrophic crash,” he noted, urging all road users to remain fully focused on their surroundings behind the wheel.

    He also called out the rising trend of reckless risky overtaking, especially among less experienced drivers, warning that attempting to overtake multiple vehicles in unsafe conditions endangers not just the reckless driver, but every other person sharing the road. “There is no reason to take these unnecessary, dangerous risks,” Lowe stressed. Given Barbados’ small geographic size, he added, cutting corners behind the wheel to save a few minutes makes no sense: “If you have an appointment to keep, the simplest solution is to plan ahead and leave your home a few minutes early, rather than risking lives to make up time.”

    Lowe also flagged a relatively new potential hazard on Barbados roads: the growing fleet of electric vehicles. Having tested multiple electric models himself, Lowe noted that the sharp, instant acceleration of EVs catches many drivers new to the technology off guard, as the relationship between accelerator input and vehicle response differs significantly from traditional gasoline-powered cars. “Drivers who are not familiar with how EVs handle need to take extra time to adjust and exercise extra caution on the road,” he said. It remains unclear whether any electric vehicles were involved in Thursday’s ABC Highway crash.

    Closing his statement, Lowe reiterated his call for consistent patience, attentiveness, and responsibility from all drivers, framing these simple habits as the most effective tools to cut collision rates and make Barbados roads safer for everyone.

  • Slechts één sterilisatie- en castratieproject dit jaar door gebrek aan geld

    Slechts één sterilisatie- en castratieproject dit jaar door gebrek aan geld

    On Wednesday, the U.S.-based non-profit Caribbean Spay Neuter launched its 21st annual spay and neuter initiative for dogs and cats across Suriname at the Indra Mayu complex. A long-running staple of the country’s animal welfare efforts, the project has operated annually since 2016, with a core mission to curb the growing overpopulation of domestic cats and dogs, reduce widespread animal suffering, and cut down on public nuisance caused by unmanaged stray populations.

    This year, however, the ongoing session will be the only one held in 2026 — a change from the organization’s usual schedule of two projects per year — caused by a critical shortage of funding that has forced the group to scale back its operations.

    Angelique Tjang-A-Sjin, treasurer of Caribbean Spay Neuter, explained that the overpopulation crisis is driven in large part by economic barriers facing local pet owners. Most Surinamese pet owners cannot afford the high fees charged by private local veterinarians for sterilization procedures, leaving many animals unaltered and allowing stray populations to surge rapidly. “When owners can no longer care for unexpected litters of puppies and kittens, they often end up abandoning the animals on the street, and that’s when the cycle of hardship begins,” Tjang-A-Sjin noted.

    Registration for the 2026 project opened in early March, with heavily subsidized participation rates made possible by private donations: just 500 Surinamese dollars for a dog procedure, and 300 Surinamese dollars for a cat, a fraction of the 2,000 Surinamese dollar price tag for the same procedure at a private clinic. The initiative brings together a mixed team of international and local volunteers, with a goal of completing at least 700 sterilization procedures during the current session. Even unowned stray animals are included in the effort, with volunteers trapping, feeding, and caring for the animals before and after their procedures.

    Tjang-A-Sjin added that the organization relies almost entirely on the voluntary goodwill of international supporters, who even cover their own travel and accommodation costs to participate in the project. The group has long called on Suriname’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to develop long-term, structural policy to manage cat and dog populations, noting that without consistent sterilization efforts, the number of unmanaged stray animals could grow by thousands in just a few years.

    Project founder and chair Karin Wanner, who resides in the United States, was unable to attend the 2026 launch due to personal health issues. She continues to coordinate the initiative remotely from the U.S., where she mobilizes a team of volunteer veterinarians drawn mostly from the U.S. and Nicaragua. The visiting medical team works alongside 20 local volunteers, including university students and working professionals, to carry out the daily procedures and care for participating animals.

    Joyce Kerstens, a board member of local animal welfare group Stichting Help Save Animals Suriname, emphasized that the low-cost initiative fills a critical gap in the country’s animal welfare infrastructure, making life-saving population control accessible to low-income owners and reducing systemic animal suffering. Local pet owner Anand Khemai, who brought two of his own cats to be sterilized through the project, praised the effort as a vital public and social good. “Uncontrolled population growth creates so many problems for both animals and communities,” Khemai said. “This project addresses a real need that no other local service is filling.”

  • Government, iSTEAM formalise agreement to strengthen intergenerational engagement

    Government, iSTEAM formalise agreement to strengthen intergenerational engagement

    BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts – In a move designed to deepen connections between young people and older community members, the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis has formalized a formal partnership with youth-led nonprofit iSTEAM: The Academy of Arts and Sciences via a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

    The official signing ceremony took place April 15 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Ageing, and Disabilities. Honourable Isalean Phillip, Minister of State, signed the agreement on behalf of the national government, while Clilia Davis, Managing Director of iSTEAM, signed for the organization.

    This binding agreement cements and expands the ongoing collaborative work between iSTEAM and the ministry, with a core focus on supporting Saddlers Home for the Elderly. For some time, iSTEAM’s young volunteers have carried out regular intergenerational engagement activities for the facility’s residents, alongside delivering critical supplies, personal gifts, and other donations to meet residents’ needs.

    In remarks following the signing, Minister Phillip praised the youth-led organization for its commitment to improving the quality of life for senior citizens across the federation. She emphasized that cross-sector partnerships with community groups are a cornerstone of policy delivery across the portfolios she oversees.

    “It is incredibly encouraging to see community stakeholders recognize the investments our government is making to support vulnerable groups, and step forward to contribute their own time and effort to that mission,” Phillip said.

    The minister added that the MOU holds particular significance because it aligns directly with the ministry’s strategic priority: strengthening intergenerational engagement to build a cohesive community culture where younger people both care for and learn from older generations. She specifically commended Davis for her longstanding leadership in this space, noting that iSTEAM has built a strong track record of empowering young people while delivering meaningful support to seniors across Saint Kitts and Nevis.

    Officials from both sides say the partnership highlights how intentional collaboration between government and community organizations can drive measurable positive social change and improve well-being for at-risk and vulnerable population groups.

  • MBS pharmacies to close early for staff meeting

    MBS pharmacies to close early for staff meeting

    An official public advisory has been released by the Medical Benefits Scheme, confirming that every pharmacy operating under the organization’s network will wrap up operations earlier than usual this coming Wednesday, 22 April. The scheduled early closure has been arranged to accommodate an all-staff meeting that requires attendance from personnel across the entire MBS pharmacy network.

    Per the terms of the published notice, all participating locations will cease customer services and lock their doors by 12:00 noon on the affected day. The temporary shutdown will disrupt normal access to prescription filling, over-the-counter purchases and other routine pharmacy services for MBS beneficiaries and general customers across the whole network.

    Normal operating hours are scheduled to resume promptly the following day, 23 April, with all locations set to open back up to the public at their regular start time of 08:00. In the advisory, the Medical Benefits Scheme extended a formal apology to patients and customers for any disruptions or inconveniences that the early closure may cause. The organization also encouraged all community members to plan ahead, adjust their visit schedules, and make any required arrangements for medication pickups or other pharmacy needs ahead of the temporary shutdown.