In a landmark decision that underscores the Dominican Republic’s rising profile in global public health governance, the Caribbean nation has been elected to lead the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA), the World Health Organization’s top decision-making body. The unanimous vote took place during the opening plenary session of the assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, which named Dominican Public Health Minister Víctor Atallah to the one-year presidential post.
分类： world
-
Dominican Solidarity with Haiti marks Flag Day with a call for peace and cooperation
On the annual observance of Haiti Flag Day, a Dominican-based civil society organization, Dominican Solidarity with Haiti, has issued a formal statement reaffirming its unwavering support for the Haitian people while reflecting on the island nation’s profound legacy in global freedom struggles.
Released publicly on Monday, the statement opened with a heartfelt tribute to the iconic revolutionary figures who laid the foundation for Haiti’s independence as the first Black republic in the world. These trailblazers, including Cécile Fatiman, Dutty Boukman, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and Alexandre Pétion, led the groundbreaking Haitian Revolution that ended colonial rule and slavery on the island more than two centuries ago. The organization emphasized that the revolution sent a ripple of inspiration across the entire Americas, fueling anti-slavery uprisings and independence movements that reshaped the regional political landscape for generations. It further highlighted Haiti’s often-overlooked contribution to South American liberation, noting the critical material and strategic support the nation provided to Simón Bolívar during his campaigns to free multiple South American territories from colonial control.
Beyond its historical reflection, the statement turned to the pressing challenges confronting Haiti today. The organization acknowledged that the Caribbean nation is currently grappling with an unprecedented crisis marked by surging gang violence, systemic political collapse, and widespread social instability that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and left basic services inaccessible for much of the population. Addressing ongoing international debates over external intervention in Haiti’s affairs, the group made clear that any path toward a lasting, sustainable peace must be led entirely by Haitian citizens, with full respect for Haiti’s national sovereignty and no unwarranted outside interference.
In closing, the organization called for deeper cross-border collaboration and collective solidarity between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, two neighboring nations that share the island of Hispaniola. It stressed that building a peaceful, productive relationship between the two countries hinges on mutual respect for national boundaries, universal human rights, and a shared commitment to peaceful coexistence that benefits all people living on the island.
-
Simons wil structureel plan voor Paramaribo na aanhoudende wateroverlast
Recurring severe flooding driven by prolonged heavy rainfall has prompted Suriname President Jennifer Simons to outline a dual strategy combining immediate disaster relief for affected households and long-term structural reform to address the root causes of recurrent waterlogging across the country, particularly in the capital Paramaribo.
Simons extended her deepest condolences to families and communities impacted by floodwaters that have swamped multiple regions of Suriname, including remote southern villages. With ongoing downpours threatening to wipe out entire crops across agricultural areas, national authorities are currently conducting a full needs assessment to determine whether large-scale food aid distributions will be required to support vulnerable communities.
The president emphasized that flooding in Paramaribo is not a new crisis, but years of mismanagement and unregulated urban development have significantly worsened its impact. Past experience has shown that consistent maintenance of drainage canals and fully operational water pumping systems are critical to keeping flood levels manageable, a standard that has not been met in recent years. Simons noted that irresponsible urban expansion has seen large numbers of residential plots and homes constructed in low-lying, naturally flood-prone areas of the capital — a mistake the government will prohibit going forward.
To address the immediate emergency, Simons has ordered the National Coordination Center for Disaster Management (NCCR) to deploy rapid aid to regions facing acute flood-related hardship. She has also called on civil society and local communities to remain vigilant, support vulnerable neighbors, and prepare for potential worsening conditions as the rainy season continues. The NCCR will maintain ongoing public communication about flood developments and is preparing to launch a dedicated flood support hotline, while severely affected households are advised to contact their district commissioners or local community leaders to register for assistance.
Simons acknowledged that the Minister of Public Works and Spatial Planning inherited an unprecedented backlog of neglected drainage infrastructure, with roughly five years of deferred maintenance leaving the system underfunded, underequipped, and non-functional in key areas. Many pieces of heavy maintenance equipment were missing or unaccounted for when the current ministry leadership took office, requiring a full-scale effort to rebuild operational capacity. Even so, the president praised the progress the ministry has made in recent months, noting that the Directorate of Public Green and Waste Management has performed admirably with limited resources amid the record rainfall the country is currently experiencing.
In a move to speed up response efforts, the government will streamline administrative procedures to allow faster deployment of additional heavy equipment to flood mitigation works, as the rainy season is far from over. Simons added that neighboring countries are also facing severe flood crises, highlighting the regional scale of the current extreme weather event. To build a more resilient capital for the future, the president announced that the government will develop a 15-year long-term development plan for Paramaribo, drawing on expertise from both international specialists and local Surinamese technical experts.
-
The impact of the magnitude 6.5 earthquake on Antigua and Barbuda
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake has hit the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, triggering widespread disruptions and prompting urgent response efforts from local authorities and regional partners. The seismic event, which struck at an undersea location relatively close to the main island of Antigua, sent tremors that were felt across the Eastern Caribbean, with neighboring islands including St. Kitts and Nevis, Guadeloupe, and Montserrat also reporting light shaking.
Early reports from the Office of Disaster Management in Antigua and Barbuda confirm that the earthquake caused damage to a number of older buildings in the capital St. John’s, including cracked foundations, broken utility lines, and collapsed sections of some historic structures. There have been no immediate confirmed reports of fatalities, though several people have been treated for minor injuries sustained during evacuations and falling debris.
Power grids across the country were temporarily knocked offline as a precautionary measure, with utility crews working through the day to restore service to most residential and commercial areas. Telecommunication networks also experienced intermittent outages in the first few hours after the quake, but most have now been restored. Local emergency management teams have activated their national response protocols, setting up temporary shelters for residents displaced by damaged homes, and conducting preliminary damage assessments across both islands.
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has stated that it is standing by to provide additional support, including search and rescue teams, emergency supplies, and structural engineering expertise, if requested by the Antigua and Barbuda government. The US Geological Survey (USGS) noted that the earthquake originated at a shallow depth of around 10 kilometers, which amplified the shaking felt on the surface. While an initial tsunami warning was issued for coastal areas of the Eastern Caribbean shortly after the quake, the warning was later canceled after ocean monitoring stations recorded no abnormal sea level changes.
Tourism stakeholders, who represent the backbone of Antigua and Barbuda’s economy, have moved quickly to assess damage at resorts and tourist attractions on both islands. Early updates indicate that most major tourist infrastructure experienced only minor cosmetic damage, with hotels continuing to operate normally as of the latest reports. Local officials have emphasized that they are prioritizing clearing debris from roads and public spaces to return daily life to normal as quickly as possible, while reminding residents to remain alert for aftershocks that are common following significant seismic events.
-
Three shot, one fatally during police confrontation in Trelawny
TRELAWNY, Jamaica — A violent late-night confrontation between a group of male suspects and local law enforcement left one person dead and two others hospitalized in the rural Jamaican community of Hague Saturday evening, according to initial law enforcement reports.
Shortly after 8:00 p.m. local time, a small group of men traveling through the area in a Toyota Probox vehicle encountered responding police officers. The encounter quickly escalated into an exchange of gunfire between the two sides, law enforcement representatives confirmed.
Once the shooting stopped, three male members of the group were found with multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency first responders transported all three casualties to a nearby regional hospital for urgent medical care. At the medical facility, one of the wounded men was officially pronounced dead from his injuries. The two surviving injured men remain in hospital care, where they are being held under continuous police guard as the investigation moves forward, an anonymous police source shared with media.
Per standard protocol for police-involved shootings in Jamaica, the Independent Commission of Investigations — the country’s independent oversight body that probes incidents involving law enforcement use of force — has launched a formal investigation into the circumstances of the confrontation to determine the full sequence of events and whether any procedural violations occurred.
-
Strong wave of uncertainty in the country and South America due to the migration pact with the U.S.
In the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, a newly signed migration cooperation agreement between the administration of President Luis Abinader and the United States has ignited widespread social discontent across the country. What is more, this wave of public uncertainty has quickly rippled beyond Dominican borders, spreading to three other Latin American nations – Panama, Costa Rica, and Ecuador – all partners with the Dominican Republic in the Alliance for Development in Democracy (ADD).
Across the four-nation bloc, growing segments of civil society and political analysts fear that the agreement will erode national sovereignty, a concern that has resonated deeply with patriotic sentiment in the Dominican Republic in particular. While all four regional governments have attempted to frame the pact as a measure to advance “national security” and “strategic stability” to reassure uneasy populations, massive public outcry has erupted both in street protests and in public discourse, with demands for strengthened sovereign protections and rigorous oversight of migrant human rights.
The debate has now moved to the center of regional political life, with critics increasingly vocal in their warning that the bloc could drift toward external dependency, ultimately becoming little more than geopolitical pawns advancing United States interests in the Western Hemisphere.
Among the signatory-adjacent nations, Costa Rica has seen the most immediate parallel to Dominican unrest, after it signed a nearly identical agreement earlier this year in March. Under the terms of Costa Rica’s pact, the country agrees to process up to 25 deported migrants of various nationalities transferred from the United States each week, coordinating their eventual return to their home countries. Public opinion in Costa Rica has become sharply polarized: while the government defends the deal as proof of its status as a reliable U.S. strategic ally, national police unions and prominent human rights organizations have raised sharp questions about the lack of sufficient operational resources to manage the expected migrant flows. Costa Rican media outlets have framed the recent Dominican agreement as formal validation of their own government’s regional strategy, consolidating a coordinated bloc of “transit destination” countries across the Caribbean and Central America.
For its part, Panama has approached the new Dominican agreement through a national security lens, after the country achieved landmark reductions in irregular migrant flow through the Darien Gap in early 2026. Panama already holds its own migration memorandum with the United States, which includes Washington-funded repatriation flights, and the Panamanian government has welcomed the move of other regional states taking on shared responsibility for migrant processing. Recently, Panama has also received new interceptor boats and advanced technological support from the United States for border management. For Panamanian officials, the Dominican Republic’s participation in the pact eases growing migratory pressure coming from South America by creating additional processing points for migrants before they rejoin irregular migration routes further north.
Under the administration of President Daniel Noboa, Ecuador has maintained close de facto diplomatic and political ties with the Abinader government, with the two countries currently negotiating a partial bilateral trade agreement set to conclude in May 2026. This alignment explains Ecuador’s official public support for the new migration pact, which it has backed strongly on diplomatic fronts. While Ecuador has not signed an explicit “deportation transit” agreement on the same model as the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, local Ecuadorian media have noted that Noboa is actively building the Abinader administration as a key regional ally to advance his agenda of continental stability.
A key common detail across all the pacts is that the United States covers 100% of associated operational costs, a point that regional governments have highlighted as a benefit that allows them to strengthen their national migration agencies without drawing from domestic public budgets. Regional analysts also note that by joining these agreements, the four Latin American partners have positioned themselves as cooperative actors separate from less aligned regional governments, unlocking tangible benefits in return: the Dominican Republic, for example, has already gained admission to the U.S. Global Entry expedited travel program, while other members have secured pledges for new infrastructure investment.
The core public debate across all four nations centers on whether these countries are effectively becoming de facto “safe third countries” for migrants deported from the United States, a designation that governments uniformly reject. Dominican officials, including Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez, have repeatedly emphasized that any migrants transferred to the country will only stay for temporary, controlled transit. To defuse rising public anger, the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released multiple clarifications: the agreement does not apply to Haitian migrants, individuals with criminal records will not be accepted, unaccompanied minor migrants are completely excluded from any transfers, and the country will not become a permanent destination for refugees. Transiting migrants will not enter the Dominican immigration system, are not eligible to apply for asylum in the country, and every migrant’s case will be individually reviewed and approved by Dominican authorities before they are allowed to enter Dominican territory.
Under the terms of the agreement as outlined by the government, third-country nationals deported from the United States will only enter the Dominican Republic under controlled, temporary transit status for the sole purpose of coordinating onward travel to their countries of origin, with stays expected to last only a matter of days. The Abinader administration also stresses that the agreement is non-binding legally, and either party can unilaterally withdraw from the pact at any time, a condition that the government argues means it does not require prior approval from the Dominican Congress or Constitutional Court.
These assurances have done little to calm critics, however. Civil society groups, political opposition parties, and geopolitical analysts across the region have decried the process as deeply non-transparent, noting that no public consultation or legislative review was conducted before the agreement was signed. Critics also warn that the deal will create unacknowledged logistical pressure on domestic institutions, generate hidden long-term operational costs, and carry unacceptable risks of eroding national sovereignty to align with U.S. regional policy goals. Public opinion across all four affected countries remains deeply divided: while some members of the public welcome the agreement as a way to restore control over irregular migration routes, others remain deeply concerned about what the deal means for national self-determination and the human rights of transiting migrants.
-
COE extends green alert for 15 provinces and the DN due to a trough expected to arrive this Sunday
The Emergency Operations Center (COE) of the Dominican Republic announced Saturday an extension of the green-level weather alert, covering 15 provinces and the country’s National District. The precautionary measure comes in response to the intensification of a low-pressure trough and the approaching movement of a tropical wave, which are projected to bring heavy, widespread rainfall starting this Sunday.
This extension of the alert was enacted after the Dominican Institute of Meteorology (Indomet) issued an official warning forecasting moderate to heavy downpours across multiple regions of the country, paired with isolated thunderstorms and potential strong wind gusts. These adverse weather conditions are expected to develop through the afternoon, overnight, and into the early morning hours across the affected zones.
In addition to the National District, the regions included in the extended green alert are Montecristi, Puerto Plata, Samaná, Dajabón, San Cristóbal, Hato Mayor, Valverde, San José de Ocoa, Monte Plata, Santo Domingo, Sánchez Ramírez, Espaillat, Duarte, María Trinidad Sánchez, and Santiago Rodríguez. While these 15 provinces and the National District face the highest risk, adjacent regions including La Vega, Monseñor Nouel, Santiago, and La Altagracia will also experience measurable rainfall impacts, per meteorological assessments.
Indomet has outlined that the sustained, heavy precipitation created by current atmospheric conditions raises significant risks of dangerous hazards. Key among these threats are the overflow of rivers, small streams, and ravines, alongside widespread urban flooding and sudden flash floods—particularly in low-lying communities that are historically vulnerable to extreme weather events.
In response to the incoming storm system, the COE has issued a series of urgent public advisories. Authorities urge all residents in the affected areas to remain vigilant, monitor continuously updated official weather and emergency bulletins, and strictly follow all safety guidance released by national civil protection agencies. The COE also issued two critical safety recommendations: the public is strongly advised against attempting to cross rivers or streams swollen by floodwaters, and to avoid all recreational swimming areas throughout the provinces under the active alert.
-
Residents Across Antigua and Barbuda Describe Panic After 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake
On a Saturday morning, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake rattled waters northeast of the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, leaving residents across both islands reeling from a jolt of fear, momentary confusion, and eventual relief when no severe harm was reported. The Seismic Research Centre (SRC) based at the University of the West Indies documented the event, noting the tremor struck at 10:50 a.m. local time at a depth of 31 kilometers beneath the ocean surface.
Preliminary positioning data places the earthquake’s epicenter at 17.39 degrees north latitude and 61.18 degrees west longitude, roughly 80 kilometers from St. John’s, the capital of Antigua. The epicenter is also approximately 132 kilometers from Brades, the administrative center of Montserrat, and 132 kilometers north-northeast of Guadeloupe’s largest city, Pointe-à-Pitre. The SRC emphasized that this initial location was calculated automatically by machine algorithms, and will remain provisional until expert analysts complete a full manual review of the collected seismic data.
In the hours immediately after the quake, there were no confirmed reports of human casualties or widespread structural damage, even as residents across dozens of communities reported feeling strong, sustained shaking across the islands. A resident living on Old Parham Road reported that household and store items tumbled from shelves during the shaking, with other communities including Yorks, Powells, Liberta, and New Winthorpes also recording intense tremors that were impossible to miss.
Social media posts from local residents captured a range of experiences. One user described the quake as “super strong,” while another characterized it as “very big and heavy and long.” Many locals said they experienced moments of disorientation when the shaking first started; one woman, who was showering when the quake hit, shared online that she initially assumed her husband was playing a practical joke to startle her.
Other accounts detailed scattered scenes of panic in public spaces. One commenter reported that customers and staff rushed out of a hardware store on Old Parham Road as the shaking grew more intense, with many fearing the building could sustain structural damage. In the immediate aftermath of the tremor, questions about road conditions and neighborhood safety spread rapidly across local social media platforms, as residents sought updates to confirm loved ones were unharmed and infrastructure remained intact. For many, the lack of major harm prompted relief: one resident wrote online “Thank God for your grace and mercy towards us.”
The eastern Caribbean is no stranger to seismic activity. The entire region sits along the complex boundary between the Caribbean tectonic plate and the North American tectonic plate, creating constant geological stress that regularly produces tremors felt across multiple island nations in the area.
-
At least eight dead, 25 injured in train collision that sparked bus fire in Thailand
A devastating multi-vehicle collision involving a passenger train triggered an intense fire that tore through a public passenger bus in central Bangkok on Saturday, killing at least eight people and leaving 25 others wounded, according to senior Thai rescue and law enforcement officials.
The crash did not only involve the train and the bus, but also damaged multiple private cars and motorcycles that were in the immediate area at the time of the impact, authorities confirmed in on-site statements to reporters. First responders including municipal firefighters and specialized urban rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the busy crash site shortly after emergency calls flooded local dispatch centers around the time of the incident.
In a high-stakes race against the spreading blaze, rescue workers mounted urgent operations to extract trapped and injured survivors from twisted wreckage of the collided vehicles, while firefighters battled the growing inferno with high-pressure water hoses to stop the fire from spreading to adjacent structures. The intense flames quickly consumed the entire public bus, and also spread to nearby parked and damaged vehicles, according to visual evidence from the scene.
As of Saturday evening, emergency command confirmed that the fire has been fully contained. Crews have remained on site to cool overheated wreckage, vent accumulated flammable gas from the crash area, and conduct a systematic search for any additional unaccounted-for victims. The circumstances and root cause of the accident remain under active investigation by Thai transportation safety and law enforcement authorities, with no preliminary findings released to the public as of the latest update.
This is an ongoing developing story, and further details will be released as official investigations progress and new information becomes available.
-
Magnitude 3.6 Earthquake Recorded Northeast of Antigua
A light 3.6-magnitude earthquake has been confirmed in waters northeast of Antigua by the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI SRC), the region’s leading authority on seismic activity, in a statement released over the weekend.
According to the UWI SRC’s initial monitoring data, the tremor struck at roughly 9:10 p.m. local time on Friday, registering a depth of 14 kilometres beneath the ocean surface. Preliminary geolocation calculations place the epicenter at coordinates 17.57 degrees north latitude and 61.73 degrees west longitude.
This positioning puts the earthquake approximately 52 kilometres north-northeast of St. John’s, the capital city of Antigua and Barbuda. Beyond Antigua’s territorial waters, the epicenter also sits 101 kilometres northeast of Brades, the administrative center of Montserrat, and 115 kilometres east-northeast of Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The UWI SRC emphasized that the current epicenter location was generated automatically by pre-programmed computer processing algorithms. Before final data is published, the location and other key parameters of the earthquake will undergo manual review and potential adjustment by the center’s team of expert seismologists as part of standard quality control processes.