Carib Scope

分类： society

  • Villagers: ‘We’re Facing An Ant Invasion!’

    Villagers: ‘We’re Facing An Ant Invasion!’

    Nestled in Belize, the quiet small community of Scotland Halfmoon Village has been upended by an escalating crisis that local officials have so far left unaddressed: a massive, spreading black ant infestation that took root in the aftermath of Hurricane Lisa, and has now overrun private properties, farmlands, and multiple residential homes.

    For years, this creeping ecological nuisance has grown steadily worse, turning daily life for dozens of local residents into a constant fight against the invasive insects. Norman Anthony, one of the hardest-hit villagers, shared his ordeal with local outlet News 5, describing how the ants have completely changed the way residents interact with their own land. “Right now if you walk in the yard, they will start crawling all over your feet,” Anthony explained. He also noted a striking shift in the local insect population: the black invaders appear to have displaced the native red ant population entirely, leaving the village dominated by this far more disruptive species.

    According to Anthony’s estimates, the infestation currently stretches across 40 to 50 acres of the village’s land, impacting roughly five to six households. Unlike many pest outbreaks that are concentrated in a handful of nests, these black ants are scattered across the entire affected area, making large-scale eradication efforts far more difficult for residents to carry out on their own. Lifting any object left resting on the ground, Anthony says, reveals hundreds of visible white ant eggs, confirming the population is still growing rapidly.

    The damage caused by the invasion extends far beyond mere nuisance. The ants have been attacking local fruit orchards, burrowing into tree roots and slowly killing valuable crops that many residents rely on for food and income. They also pose a direct threat to local livestock: newborn farm animals have been harmed as the ants crawl into their sensitive eyes and soft tissues. When rainy weather approaches, the colonies surge into residential homes in search of higher ground, forcing families to coexist with the insects inside their own living spaces.

    Local residents have not stood idly by. They have tested a wide range of commercial pesticides and homemade eradication strategies, but none have delivered long-term relief. While some treatments temporarily drive the ants away from small areas, the colonies always rebound and return within days, leaving residents trapped in a cycle of repeated, futile efforts to control the population.

    Community leaders and affected residents say they formally requested assistance from the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) weeks ago, but as of yet no inspection team has been dispatched to the village to evaluate the scale of the crisis. For the villagers, their ask is modest: they do not demand immediate, large-scale relief, only that a representative from a relevant government agency visit the community to see the infestation firsthand, and work with residents to develop a viable solution to eliminate the ants and restore normal life to the village. “It’s really terrible,” Anthony said of the ongoing crisis, echoing the frustration of the entire affected community.

  • OECS launches ‘PEARL Legacy’ campaign to sustain education transformation across the region

    OECS launches ‘PEARL Legacy’ campaign to sustain education transformation across the region

    As the official implementation phase of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Programme for Educational Advancement and Relevant Learning (PEARL) approaches its June 30, 2026 end date, regional education leaders are shifting focus to cementing the initiative’s decades of progress and embedding transformative change into local education systems across the Eastern Caribbean.

    To guide this critical transition, the OECS Commission has announced the launch of a new Communication for Development (C4D) initiative named “The OECS PEARL Legacy.” The campaign marks a deliberate shift away from centralized regional project management, moving into a new era centered on local ownership and community-led progress for education across the bloc’s eight participating member states.

    Over the course of PEARL’s implementation, the programme delivered sweeping improvements to education across the Eastern Caribbean. Key achievements included targeted investments in school infrastructure, comprehensive updates to outdated curricula, landmark policy reforms for early childhood education (ECE) and special education needs (SEN) support, and the rollout of regional digital learning infrastructure to boost classroom teaching and remote learning access.

    The PEARL Legacy campaign is built on the foundation of these gains, with a core goal of transferring long-term stewardship of the programme’s improvements from regional project teams to national and local education stakeholders. The initiative engages a broad cross-section of the education ecosystem, from cabinet-level policymakers and school administrators to classroom teachers, parents, and primary caregivers, to mobilize continued action at every level of the system.

    Beyond simply preserving existing progress, the campaign frames its work as advancing “educational regeneration” — a long-term vision that lets local leadership, community innovation, and broad public participation drive continuous evolution of regional education systems. To advance this mission, the initiative centers on six clear priority areas designed to strengthen PEARL’s lasting impact:

    First, the campaign will support regional education leaders to translate overarching PEARL policy frameworks into actionable national education policies and on-the-ground initiatives. Second, it will prioritize educator wellbeing, pushing for the elimination of non-essential administrative tasks that contribute to widespread teacher burnout across the region.

    Third, the campaign will expand the role of the OECS Learning Hub, home to the bloc’s Harmonized Primary Curriculum. Leaders are positioning the platform as a culturally responsive, locally tailored alternative to generic global AI learning tools, designed specifically to meet the unique needs of OECS students and classrooms.

    Fourth, the initiative advocates for sustained long-term public and private investment in three core areas: early childhood education, special education needs programming, and curriculum and assessment infrastructure, to guarantee equitable access to opportunity for all students across the region. Fifth, it aims to reframe public perception of national and regional diagnostic assessments, shifting the narrative from these tools being seen as high-stakes evaluations to diagnostic “educational health checks” that drive student growth and systemic improvement. Sixth, the campaign will highlight the value of the MyPD teacher professional development platform, demonstrating how ongoing upskilling for educators directly translates to broader social and educational progress across the Eastern Caribbean.

    To reach diverse stakeholders across the region, the OECS Commission has developed a full suite of multi-channel outreach tools and engagement activities, including branded posters, data infographics, explanatory videos, live virtual broadcasts, stakeholder surveys, regular newsletters, and press updates. The three-month campaign will run through June, July, and August 2026, leveraging a mix of traditional and digital channels: from in-person community meetings and regional broadcast programming to social media, email campaigns, and local print newspapers, to ensure broad public access and participation.

    The launch of the PEARL Legacy initiative coincides with the upcoming OECS PEARL official close-out conference, scheduled to take place in Saint Lucia from June 24 to 26, 2026. The OECS Commission is encouraging education stakeholders and members of the public to follow official social media channels of the Commission and national education ministries across the region for the latest updates. It has also extended an open invitation to media organizations and community members to join this historic transition from a time-bound regional project to permanent, community-owned education transformation across the Eastern Caribbean.

  • Elmer Nah’s Sentencing Adjourned!

    Elmer Nah’s Sentencing Adjourned!

    Three and a half years after a horrific New Year’s Eve shooting left three members of a Belmopan family dead and one injured, the long-awaited sentencing of convicted former police corporal Elmer Nah has been adjourned at the eleventh hour. Presiding trial judge Justice Nigel Pilgrim announced Thursday that he requires additional time to thoroughly review all legal and victim submissions presented to the court, pushing the final sentencing decision to 9 a.m. Friday.

    Nah was found guilty on May 29 of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the 2022 attack that targeted the Ramnarace family in their Belmopan home. The gun violence immediately claimed the lives of brothers Jon and David Ramnarace. Jon’s wife, Vivian Belisle Ramnarace, survived the initial shooting but ultimately died from her injuries later. The fourth victim, Yemi Alberto, escaped the attack with his life.

    During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, prosecution attorneys and surviving members of the Ramnarace family pushed the court to deliver the maximum possible penalty: a life sentence. Their argument centered on the extreme brutality of the crime and the irreversible, lifelong harm the massacre has inflicted on the victim’s extended family and community, asserting that the severity of Nah’s actions demands the harshest punishment allowed under Belizean law.

    The guilty verdict in Nah’s trial rested heavily on a pivotal piece of evidence: the testimony that Vivian Belisle Ramnarace gave prior to her death. In his May ruling, Justice Pilgrim characterized her first-hand account of the attack as consistently credible and reliable, noting that surveillance and body camera video evidence collected by investigators aligned perfectly with her description of the event. The judge also fully rejected Nah’s attempts to account for his whereabouts the night of the shooting, concluding that the former law enforcement officer had intentionally fabricated his story to mislead both investigators and the court.

  • Castle Bruce Police strengthen community ties through district patrols

    Castle Bruce Police strengthen community ties through district patrols

    Law enforcement teams based at the Castle Bruce Police Station are pressing forward with targeted community-focused programs designed to lift public safety standards and build closer, more collaborative bonds with local residents and business operators across the district.

    A public statement released by the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) confirmed that two serving officers – Corporal Earl George and Constable Valmond – recently conducted a highly visible uniformed mobile patrol throughout the Castle Bruce area. This patrol formed a key part of the station’s long-term proactive strategy, which prioritizes pre-emptive crime reduction and consistent engagement with the communities it serves.

    Over the course of the patrol, the officers stopped at a wide cross-section of local commercial establishments, ranging from retail stores and casual dining spots to local bars and independent street vending operations. They held face-to-face discussions with business owners and on-site managers to address a range of safety concerns, walk proprietors through practical enhanced security protocols, and refresh operators on the mandatory operating hours outlined in their official business licenses.

    In a move to strengthen long-term partnerships between police and local commercial stakeholders, the officers distributed up-to-date emergency contact details to every business they visited. This step ensures that proprietors can reach law enforcement directly and without delay should a critical incident or emergency arise on their premises. Beyond community outreach, the team also provided critical operational support to two bailiffs from the neighboring Roseau District, Bailiff Emmanuel and Bailiff Hector. The assistance included helping to locate individuals named in court documents, serving official legal summonses, and executing a series of outstanding warrants within Castle Bruce’s jurisdictional boundaries.

    The CDPF reported that the proactive outreach effort was met with overwhelmingly positive responses from the local business community. The majority of proprietors who interacted with the officers welcomed the increased visible presence of law enforcement in the area, and openly expressed their gratitude for the ongoing support and consistent engagement from the Castle Bruce Police Station.

    Per the police force’s official statement, initiatives of this kind deliver far-reaching benefits to the entire district. They create a solid foundation for ongoing cooperation between law enforcement agencies and members of the public, help cultivate mutual trust between police and community members, and contribute to measurable improvements in overall public safety for everyone who lives, works, and visits Castle Bruce.

  • Two Dominican police officers earn regional CVQ training and development certification

    Two Dominican police officers earn regional CVQ training and development certification

    The Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) has publicly recognized two of its members for a key professional milestone, following their successful graduation from a region-wide specialized training program focused on upgrading law enforcement instructional and training capabilities across the Caribbean.

    Corporal Kerry Shillingford and Acting Corporal Bernard Darroux are the two officers who have recently wrapped up the requirements for the Training and Development Level 4 Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ). The intensive 21-day course was hosted at the Regional Security System (RSS) Training Institute, with funding provided by the RSS and logistical and instructional support delivered by the TVET Council.

    Unlike standard operational law enforcement training, this program was specifically built to cultivate skilled in-house trainers across regional police forces. It gathered law enforcement staff from multiple Caribbean island nations to collaborate and build core competencies needed to design, run, and assess effective professional development courses within their own home agencies. Participants left the program with hands-on practical skills and evidence-based knowledge that they can immediately apply to internal training initiatives.

    In an official statement released after the graduation, leadership of the CDPF extended full congratulations to Shillingford and Darroux, highlighting their consistent dedication to personal improvement and institutional advancement throughout the course. The force emphasized that the new skills and qualifications earned by the two officers will deliver long-term value to the entire organization, by boosting the quality of internal training, strengthening leadership pipelines, and lifting overall operational capacity through structured staff development.
    “This achievement is a clear reflection of the two officers’ commitment to upholding high standards of excellence in policing, and their proactive efforts to lift up both the institution and their fellow officers,” the statement added.

  • Sentencing Day for Elmer Nah

    Sentencing Day for Elmer Nah

    Three years after a horrific New Year’s Eve shooting destroyed a Belmopan family, a disgraced former law enforcement officer convicted of the brutal massacre is set to receive his official sentence Wednesday.

    Elmer Nah, once a decorated police corporal, will appear before the Belize High Court this afternoon for the final phase of one of the nation’s most high-profile homicide cases. He was found guilty in late May of three counts of murder and one additional count of attempted murder for the bloodshed that unfolded at the Ramnarace family residence on December 31, 2022.

    The gunfire left brothers Jon and David Ramnarace dead at the scene. Jon’s wife, Vivian Belisle Ramnarace, pulled through the initial assault but died from her complications two weeks after the attack. The fourth person targeted in the attack, Yemi Alberto, escaped with his life and survived the shooting.

    Presiding Justice Nigel Pilgrim is scheduled to issue the official ruling on punishment at 1:00 p.m., closing the book on a case that has gripped public attention across Belize for years. A key turning point in the trial came from a dying declaration recorded by Vivian Belisle Ramnarace before her passing. In his May verdict, Justice Pilgrim emphasized that her account was both credible and consistent, adding that surveillance video evidence aligned perfectly with her description of the attack and the attacker.

    The court also entirely rejected Nah’s claims about his location during the shooting, finding that the former officer had intentionally provided false information to both investigators and the judicial panel. This finding of deliberate perjury was cited as a major factor supporting the guilty convictions handed down last month. Today’s sentencing will bring long-awaited closure to a case that has shocked the small Central American nation since the deadly 2022 attack.

  • St Andrew man remanded on attempted murder charge

    St Andrew man remanded on attempted murder charge

    A young man from St Andrew has been placed in pre-trial custody at Dodds Prison following his arraignment on a serious charge of attempted murder.

    25-year-old Zaire Keshon Goodman, who resides at Radcliff Way in the Belleplaine Housing Area, made his first court appearance on Thursday before Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick at the District ‘A’ Criminal Court. The charge stems from an alleged violent incident that took place on June 8, according to court records.

    As the offense against Goodman is indictable — meaning it will proceed to a higher trial court if the case proceeds — the defendant was not required to enter a formal plea during this initial hearing. Court officials have scheduled Goodman’s next appearance in the criminal court for July 16, when the case will be revisited as the legal process moves forward. No further details about the alleged incident or the alleged victim have been released alongside the court announcement.

  • 55 Teachers Begin Training to Support Differently-Abled Students

    55 Teachers Begin Training to Support Differently-Abled Students

    For decades, Belizean families raising children with disabilities and learning differences have grappled with a persistent, systemic gap: a severe shortage of educators trained to meet their children’s unique learning needs. That gap is finally beginning to close, as the country’s Ministry of Education launched a landmark national inclusive education training initiative this week, backed by funding and technical support from two leading global education and development organizations, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Global Partnership for Education.

    The initiative kicked off with an inaugural cohort of 55 participants, comprising practicing classroom teachers and veteran Special Education Officers, who are currently undergoing a seven-day intensive in-person training split across two of Belize’s key educational hubs. Trainees split their time between the main campus of the University of Belize in the capital city of Belmopan and the facilities of the ITVET Institute in Belize City, the country’s largest urban center, working with leading education specialists to build core skills in adaptive instruction and inclusive classroom design.

    Once participants complete all program requirements and earn their official certification, they will step into new roles as Special and Inclusive Education Coaches tasked with cascading their knowledge across the entire national education system. Unlike traditional one-off training workshops, this scalable coach model is designed to create a sustainable network of trained educators across Belize: each coach will be responsible for training and ongoing mentoring of classroom teachers in their regions, equipping local educators with the skills to develop customized Individual Education Plans for students who require extra support, and adapt classroom spaces, curricula, and teaching methods to welcome and accommodate learners of all abilities.

    The intensive in-person kickoff is only the first phase of the initiative. Following the opening week of on-site training, participants will continue their development through a structured program of online coursework and long-term one-on-one mentoring from international inclusive education experts. When fully rolled out, program organizers project that the initiative will ultimately reach and upskill more than 500 teachers across every region of Belize, laying the foundation for a more equitable national education system that leaves no student behind.

  • SLBMC Staff Hold Memorial Walk to Honour Late Surgeon Dr. Subbiah Radhakrishnan

    SLBMC Staff Hold Memorial Walk to Honour Late Surgeon Dr. Subbiah Radhakrishnan

    On a quiet, reflective gathering at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, hundreds of clinical and administrative staff came together to participate in a memorial walk celebrating the life and enduring legacy of Dr. Subbiah Radhakrishnan, a beloved consultant surgeon who left an indelible mark on Antigua and Barbuda’s healthcare system.

    The walk drew cross-departmental participation, from attending physicians and bedside nurses to hospital executives and behind-the-scenes support staff, all united by shared memories of the doctor known affectionately to the community as Dr. Krishnan. As participants walked the pre-planned route through the hospital grounds, attendees shared personal anecdotes that highlighted the decades of selfless, dedicated service Dr. Krishnan gave to patients and colleagues across the twin-island nation.

    Colleagues universally remembered him for three key traits that defined his decades-long career: exceptional surgical skill that raised the standard of care at the medical centre, unwavering professionalism that set an example for every team member, and a deep, abiding commitment to delivering compassionate, high-quality treatment to every patient he treated. Beyond his clinical work, many younger medical professionals in attendance highlighted his consistent willingness to serve as a mentor, passing down his knowledge, work ethic, and patient-centric approach to the next generation of Antigua and Barbuda’s healthcare workers.

    By the end of the event, participants shared that the walk was far more than a ceremonial gathering: it was a fitting tribute to a physician who earned the respect of everyone he worked with, and whose positive influence on the country’s medical community will continue to be felt for generations to come.

  • Viva Hotel in Bayahibe engulfed in flames as firefighters battle blaze

    Viva Hotel in Bayahibe engulfed in flames as firefighters battle blaze

    A major uncontrolled fire has broken out at the Viva Hotel, located in the popular coastal tourist destination of Bayahibe in the Dominican Republic’s La Romana province, triggering an urgent large-scale response from local emergency services. Multiple fire crews from across La Romana province have been deployed rapidly to the scene, where firefighters are working around the clock to bring the destructive blaze under control.

    Early reports from the area confirm that dense plumes of dark smoke are billowing from the multi-building hotel complex, and user-generated footage and photos capturing the extent of the fire have spread quickly across various social media platforms, drawing widespread public attention to the incident.

    As of the latest update, local authorities have not released any confirmed information about what sparked the fire, and official investigations into the origin and cause of the emergency are still in their early stages. Crucially, there have been no official announcements of injuries, fatalities or missing persons connected to the blaze to date.

    Emergency response teams remain positioned on site, focusing both on fully extinguishing existing hotspots and stopping the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings and other properties within the larger resort area that hosts the hotel. This is an actively developing situation, and local officials have indicated that additional updates, including more details on the cause, impact and any potential casualties, will be released as emergency operations and investigative work progress.