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  • Santo Domingo Book Fair draws 714,322 visitors and tops RD$97 million in sales

    Santo Domingo Book Fair draws 714,322 visitors and tops RD$97 million in sales

    The Dominican Republic’s 28th iteration of the Santo Domingo International Book Fair (FILSD 2026) wrapped up its 11-day run on Sunday, delivering milestone metrics that outpace the previous edition’s turnout, according to the nation’s Culture Minister Roberto Ángel Salcedo.

    In an official closing ceremony held at the Carlos Piantini Hall of the Eduardo Brito National Theater, Salcedo announced preliminary sales figures topped RD$97 million, while total visitor numbers reached 714,322 — a new high mark for attendance at the annual cultural gathering. Alongside releasing the event’s results, the minister confirmed major changes for the 2027 edition: the fair will extend from its typical 11-day schedule to a full two weeks, running September 12 through 26 next year.

    Held this year from September 24 to October 4 at the Juan Pablo Duarte Cultural Plaza, FILSD 2026 centered its programming around two special honorees: celebrated Dominican writer José Mármol, who served as the fair’s featured guest author, and the Central American nation of Panama, named the event’s official guest country of honor. Over the course of the fair, organizers put on more than 700 cross-disciplinary cultural activities, spanning author conferences, industry panel discussions, new book launches, poetry recitals, creative writing workshops, film screenings, and live theatrical performances, offering something for casual readers and cultural industry professionals alike.

    The 2026 gathering drew a diverse international cohort, bringing together more than 70 globally recognized writers, 32 publishing houses from outside the Dominican Republic, 21 local Dominican publishing brands, and 44 independent local bookstores. This broad participation created unique networking and collaboration opportunities for authors, bibliophiles, publishing executives, and other cultural workers to connect and exchange ideas.

    To advance the fair’s core mission of expanding public access to literature, organizers launched the Bono Libro initiative, which distributed 7,000 free books to school students who took part in scheduled fair activities, helping to nurture young reading habits across the Dominican Republic.

    The closing ceremony also included a special recognition segment, where the annual “Lifetime Achievement in Books” award was presented to Juan Emilio Báez Melo, a veteran Dominican bookseller and researcher. The honor was granted in recognition of Báez Melo’s decades-long contributions to the national publishing sector, Dominican literary production, and the preservation and celebration of Dominican cultural identity. Along with the professional distinction, the award carried a RD$300,000 cash prize.

    Panama’s role as guest of honor extended far beyond literary programming, with the Panamanian delegation organizing a full slate of events highlighting the nation’s diverse cultural heritage, including live music performances, traditional gastronomy showcases, national film screenings and more. Panama’s Culture Minister María Eugenia Herrera was in attendance for the closing ceremony, joined by the Panamanian writers and artists who participated in the fair’s activities over its 11-day run.

    In his closing address, Salcedo commended the work of FILSD 2026’s entire organizing team for executing a successful, accessible event. He emphasized that the record turnout and sales confirm the fair’s enduring importance as a platform to promote reading, elevate Dominican and international literature, and foster connection between the country’s cultural and publishing communities. Salcedo closed by reaffirming the Dominican Ministry of Culture’s ongoing commitment to supporting the national publishing sector and expanding public initiatives that encourage lifelong reading habits across all age groups.

  • Max Puig urges stronger territorial planning to address climate displacement

    Max Puig urges stronger territorial planning to address climate displacement

    SANTO DOMINGO — Climate and disaster resilience in the Dominican Republic can only be strengthened when territorial planning, disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, and infrastructure development are woven together into cohesive decision-making processes, leading climate and development experts have urged.

    The call to action came from Max Puig, Executive Vice President of the Dominican Republic’s National Council for Climate Change and the Carbon Market (CNCCMC, by its Spanish acronym), during a closing panel discussion where project leaders presented the final outcomes of a multi-stakeholder resilience-building initiative. The five-year effort, titled “Territorial Planning and Comprehensive Risk Management to Increase Resilience to Disaster Mobility, Environmental Degradation and Climate Change in the Dominican Republic,” brought together national government agencies, local municipal authorities, and international partners to address gaps in the country’s climate preparedness.

    Puig underscored that making climate and disaster risk data accessible at the local level is non-negotiable for building meaningful resilience. Scientific research and raw climate data, he argued, must be translated into practical, easy-to-use planning tools that local decision-makers can integrate directly into their territorial development strategies. He also pointed to the critical need for integrating cross-cutting data sets — including meteorological observations, territorial geographic information, and satellite remote sensing data — into existing early warning systems for extreme weather events, to give communities more time to prepare and respond.

    Alba Goycoechea, Head of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the Dominican Republic, added that the collaborative initiative has already helped deepen institutional coordination around one of the most underdiscussed links in climate action: the connection between climate change, human mobility, and territorial planning. As climate impacts displace communities across the country, well-informed territorial planning is key to accommodating climate migrants and reducing new risks that come from unplanned population movement. Goycoechea emphasized that sustaining the multi-sector partnerships built over the course of the project is essential to locking in the gains achieved and continuing the work of building safer, more adaptive communities across the country.

    Domingo Matías, Deputy Minister of Territorial Planning for the Dominican Republic, confirmed that national policy is already shifting to center scientific information in all territorial planning work. Matías shared that new municipal-level studies tracking socioeconomic dynamics are currently in development, designed to help local planners monitor shifts in population distribution, economic activity, and community livelihoods that are driven or exacerbated by climate change.

    Matías also highlighted one key outcome of the project: the Municipal Climate Change Vulnerability Index, a new tool that maps disparities across the country’s municipalities in terms of their exposure to climate hazards, their inherent sensitivity to those impacts, and their existing capacity to adapt. The index is intended to help policymakers allocate resources more effectively to the most at-risk communities.

    To date, the project has already strengthened institutional and community capacity across three pilot provinces: Miches, Puerto Plata, and María Trinidad Sánchez. Work in these regions included updating local contingency plans for climate disasters, rolling out new territorial planning tools tailored to local risk profiles, and supporting community-led risk management initiatives that center local knowledge alongside national scientific data. Project leaders and participating stakeholders say the framework developed through the initiative will now be scaled to other regions of the country in the coming years.

  • Haiti soccer team banned from Dominican sports facilities after stadium incident

    Haiti soccer team banned from Dominican sports facilities after stadium incident

    Santo Domingo — In a decisive move that has drawn widespread attention across Caribbean soccer circles, Dominican Republic’s Sports Minister Kelvin Cruz made a formal announcement Friday barring the Haitian men’s national soccer team from competing at any government-owned sports facilities across the country. The sweeping ban comes in direct response to a disruptive crowd incident that unfolded Wednesday at Santo Domingo’s Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium, one day before the two nations were set to face off in a Concacaf Nations League group stage match.

    According to Minister Cruz, the triggering incident unfolded when a large contingent of Haitian supporters attempted to force entry into the venue ahead of the match. Despite repeated attempts by deployed Dominican military personnel to de-escalate the situation and maintain public order, the group ultimately breached one of the stadium’s secured entry gates, leaving venue officials and security teams scrambling to respond.

    Addressing reporters following the incident, Cruz emphasized that the Dominican government has zero tolerance for unruly behavior and breaches of venue rules at state-managed sports infrastructure. “We do not tolerate indiscipline,” the minister stated, noting that the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium represents a major public investment, with millions of Dominican pesos allocated to its construction and ongoing renovations to support top-tier regional and international competitions. He added that any visiting team or group of fans entering Dominican territory must abide by all established regulations for domestic sports venues, and failure to do so will carry tangible consequences.

    Cruz confirmed that the ban is comprehensive, applying to all future matches the Haitian national team might otherwise schedule in the Dominican Republic across any state-run sports facilities. The minister called on the general public to understand the rationale for the decision, and reiterated a call for all visiting teams and supporter groups to respect both the country’s rules and its public sports assets.

    Footage of the gate-breaching incident quickly spread across major social media platforms in the hours after it occurred, sparking heated public discussion and broad expressions of concern among Dominican residents. The government’s decision has also received full backing from top national leadership: President Luis Abinader publicly confirmed Friday that the sports minister’s ruling reflects the official position of the entire Dominican government, with no plans to reverse the ban in the near term.

  • INTRANT seizes five vehicles linked to irregular transport of Haitian migrants

    INTRANT seizes five vehicles linked to irregular transport of Haitian migrants

    A coordinated law enforcement operation led by three Dominican transportation and security agencies has resulted in the seizure of 19 vehicles in the popular tourist hub of Bávaro-Punta Cana, targeting unregulated transportation linked to irregular migration. The operation, carried out jointly by the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (INTRANT), the General Directorate of Transit and Land Transportation Security (DIGESETT), and the Military and Police Commission (COMIPOL), focused on high-traffic locations across Bávaro and the Punta Cana International Airport in the La Altagracia province.

    Over the course of the multi-day inspection blitz, authorities detained five passenger vehicles — two buses and three minibuses — operated by two Dominican citizens and three Haitian nationals who are currently in irregular migratory status. These vehicles were found to be actively transporting undocumented Haitian migrants across the region, authorities confirmed. In addition to the migrant-carrying vehicles, nine off-road buggies and four-wheel drive vehicles were also impounded, along with four unlicensed tourist buses that had been operating without the mandatory permits required by INTRANT. The unpermitted tourist buses were also documented creating major operational disruptions at the Punta Cana International Airport, a key entry point for millions of international visitors annually.

    All seized vehicles have been transported to INTRANT’s La Conejita Detention Center in Friusa, where they will undergo full inspection before applicable administrative and legal sanctions are applied. INTRANT Executive Director Juan Manuel Méndez García emphasized that the targeted operation is part of a nationwide, long-term initiative to enforce the provisions of Law 63-17, the country’s landmark legislation on mobility, land transportation, transit, and road safety. The operation specifically targeted violations of Articles 44, 74, 321, and 323 of the law, which outline regulatory requirements for all transportation operators across the Dominican Republic. Looking ahead, institutional officials confirmed that similar coordinated inspection operations will be rolled out to additional regions across the country in a push to bring all transportation operators into compliance with national regulations, and crack down on unregulated activity linked to irregular migration.

  • Call For Qualified Electricians

    Call For Qualified Electricians

    The St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association (SKNFA) has launched an open recruitment call for qualified, seasoned electricians to take on an upcoming electrical infrastructure project at its national Technical Center. Announced via an official public notice posted on October 4, 2026, the announcement invites all eligible trade professionals who meet the required qualifications to submit their expressions of interest for the work.

    Full details surrounding the project, including the full scope of on-site tasks, specific compliance and skill requirements for contractors, and the official timeline and protocol for proposal submission, are available exclusively through the SKNFA Projects Department. Interested trade professionals can reach out to the department directly via email at projects@sknfa.com to request additional information and start the application process.

    As the governing body for football across the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, SKNFA oversees all national team programs, local league development, and training infrastructure across the twin-island nation. This upcoming electrical project forms part of the association’s ongoing efforts to upgrade and maintain its core training facility to support the development of local football talent. The organization has confirmed it is eager to receive applications from vetted, skilled electricians to deliver safe, high-quality work on the project.

  • SLM stapt over op Boeing 777 voor vluchten naar Amsterdam

    SLM stapt over op Boeing 777 voor vluchten naar Amsterdam

    Starting October 4, Surinam Airways (SLM) has launched a new era of operations on its key Paramaribo-Amsterdam route, transitioning its service to a new strategic partnership with U.S.-based Eastern Airlines. This shift brings an end to the carrier’s nearly two-year collaboration with Universal Sky Carrier (USC), which wrapped up formally on October 2.

    The most notable change brought by the new partnership is the replacement of the four-engine Airbus A340-600 that previously served the mid-Atlantic route with a twin-engine Boeing 777-200ER. SLM expects this aircraft swap to deliver significant reductions in fuel consumption and other ongoing operational expenses, making the transatlantic connection far more cost-efficient and operationally sustainable for the airline.

    SLM and Eastern Airlines have entered into a two-year damp lease agreement for the route, a structure that divides operational responsibilities between the two carriers. Under the terms of the deal, Eastern Airlines provides the aircraft, all cockpit crew, and full technical maintenance for the jet. Cabin crew are drawn from both Eastern Airlines and SLM, with a group of SLM cabin staff already completing specialized training from Eastern Airlines to ensure they can integrate seamlessly into operations and maintain consistent service standards for passengers.

    The Boeing 777-200ER currently in service is designated as a temporary bridging aircraft, per SLM’s announcements. Starting in December 2024, a new Boeing 777-200ER from Eastern Airlines will be deployed on the route, fully repainted in SLM’s signature livery to match the carrier’s branding. The jet is configured with two cabins: business class and economy class, matching the service layout offered on the previous aircraft.

    SLM officials emphasized that the new partnership is designed to bring greater operational stability and cost effectiveness to the critical air link between Suriname and the Netherlands, one of the airline’s most important international routes. In a statement accompanying the launch of the new service, the carrier also extended its gratitude to USC for the close collaboration over the past 22 months, acknowledging the partnership’s role in maintaining the route during that period.

  • Project Rescue welcomes new cohort

    Project Rescue welcomes new cohort

    Nearly 80 first-year students from three Barbadian secondary schools have been selected for a transformative five-year initiative designed to build critical life skills that go beyond traditional academic learning. Picked from Grantley Adams Memorial, Princess Margaret, and St George Secondary Schools, these learners are the newest cohort of Project Rescue, an ongoing program run by local non-profit organisation Supreme Counselling for Personal Development.

    The five-year intervention, which follows students from their first year of secondary school through to graduation, requires participants to complete eight weeks of structured in-school workshops annually focused on holistic personal growth. The 2026 intake was officially launched at a ceremony titled “The Doorway to Possibility” held at Hilton Barbados, where programme leaders welcomed the new group of students.

    Speaking at the opening event, Supreme Counselling Deputy Director Kim Yearwood-Small delivered an inspirational address to attendees, urging young participants not to let current challenges, past missteps or external judgment limit their future potential. “Your present circumstances are not your final destination. Your mistakes are not your identity,” she emphasized, noting that Project Rescue differs from standard school discipline programs by focusing on unlocking young people’s inherent potential rather than just correcting behavior.

    Workshops cover a wide range of pressing issues facing teenage students, including emotional regulation, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, coping with peer pressure, ethical decision-making, positive behavioral habits, self-esteem building, and social well-being. Yearwood-Small argued that academic achievement on its own fails to prepare young people for the everyday challenges of adult life, pointing out that even high-performing students can struggle with core life skills. “A child can know mathematics and still not know how to control anger. A child can pass English and still struggle to communicate what he or she is feeling, A child can know science and still be unable to solve conflict without violence,” she explained.

    She added that traditional education systems often overlook holistic development, stressing: “We must educate the whole child. We must build character. We must build confidence. We must teach compatibility.” She also redefined strength for the young audience, explaining that true strength lies not in aggression, but in emotional control, accountability, empathy, and moral courage: “Strength is knowing when to walk away. Strength is being able to say, ‘I was wrong.’ Strength is controlling your emotions when everything else wants to explode. Strength is standing up for someone who is being bullied when someone else is laughing.”

    Data collected from past program participants backs up Project Rescue’s impact: over 91 percent of alumni reported the program helped them make better life choices, 86 percent learned practical skills they use in daily life, 85 percent felt safe and respected during program sessions, and nearly 88 percent said they would recommend the initiative to other young people. Even with these strong results, Yearwood-Small noted that statistics cannot capture the full human impact of the work. “Behind every percentage is a person. A young man who decided not to fight. A young woman who discovered confidence. A child who never spoke about something that was hurting. A student who realised they can make a different choice. That is a possibility,” she said.

    In an interview with local media outlet Barbados TODAY, Project Officer Latrishe Clarke outlined the program’s long-term goal: to help young people grow into well-rounded, responsible citizens who will shape Barbados’ future. “Hopefully, as they take in the information each year, it will have a lasting impact on their lives,” Clarke said. “We want them to build their character, express their emotions in a healthy way through effective communication, and we want them to build their characters so they can be better citizens, because they are the future citizens who will build our country. The world is in turmoil, and we are looking to them to be the beacon of hope to change the tide of the negative things happening.”

  • Industry Week : Guided tour of several companies

    Industry Week : Guided tour of several companies

    Against a backdrop of ongoing efforts to stabilize and grow Haiti’s struggling economy, the nation’s 2026 Industry Week kicked off with a high-profile site visit on Friday, October 2, where top government and industry leaders toured leading local manufacturing firms operating in the National Industrial Parks Company (SONAPI) zone and along Port-au-Prince’s Airport Road corridor. The delegation, led by Commerce and Industry Minister James Monazard, included Economy and Finance Minister Serge Gabriel Colin, SONAPI Director General Pétricks Justin, and Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH) Board Chair David Coles, who walked through the facilities of five standout companies spanning multiple key sectors of Haiti’s industrial economy: pharmaceutical producer Farmatrix, uniform manufacturer Cintas, diversified plastic goods maker DMS S.A., beverage producer Brana, and confectionery manufacturer Caribbean Baking Company.

    The guided tour was designed to give senior officials first-hand exposure to the daily operations, production scale, unmet needs, and long-term expansion plans of Haiti’s existing industrial base. Unlike remote policy discussions, the on-site visits allowed leaders to directly engage with company management and frontline workers, gaining a nuanced understanding of the infrastructure, policy adjustments, and support required to strengthen the country’s domestic industrial activity.

    During stops at the facilities, Minister Monazard centered his remarks on the critical role of private investment in driving Haiti’s economic recovery and expanding access to formal employment. He specifically highlighted one firm that had injected more than $16 million into local operations, framing this large-scale commitment as a powerful marker of resilience amid national economic uncertainty and a vote of confidence in Haiti’s untapped economic potential. Monazard went on to reaffirm the Haitian government’s steadfast commitment to partnering with the private sector, pledging to continue working to build a regulatory and economic environment that attracts new investment, scales up domestic production, and creates much-needed formal jobs for Haitian workers.

    The tour also showcased the remarkable diversity of Haiti’s modern industrial sector, debunking narrow assumptions about the scope of local production capabilities. Each company profiled during the visit demonstrates how domestic industrial firms meet both local demand and create opportunities for export growth:
    – Farmatrix, a domestic pharmaceutical manufacturer, supports local healthcare access by producing essential medications. The firm currently supports more than 187 direct formal jobs and operates fully equipped storage facilities, research laboratories, and in-house microbiology testing units to ensure product quality and safety.
    – Cintas fills a critical business-to-business need across Haiti’s formal economy, producing professional uniforms for workers across sectors ranging from hospitality to healthcare and manufacturing.
    – DMS S.A. has built a diversified portfolio of plastic products that serve core domestic infrastructure and daily consumer needs, including insulated electrical wires, large-capacity water storage towers, and public waste bins. Its broad production line underscores how domestic manufacturing can cut reliance on costly imports and meet the varied needs of the national market.
    – Brana, one of the larger employers on the tour, specializes in producing alcoholic beverages and carbonated soft drinks. With roughly 800 employees, multiple production units, in-house microbiology labs, and modern storage facilities, the company boasts a daily production capacity of more than 42,000 bottles, supplying consumers across the country.
    – Caribbean Baking Company S.A., a member of the local HM Group, focuses on confectionery product manufacturing and employs between 600 and 700 full-time workers, making it another major source of formal employment in the region.

    All five firms highlighted during the tour play a dual role in Haiti’s economy: they keep the domestic market supplied with affordable, high-quality goods and are actively building production capacity to enter regional and international export markets. Organized as a centerpiece event of Industry Week, the tour aligns with the Haitian government’s broader strategic goals: to elevate the profile of the country’s industrial sector, celebrate the contributions of existing domestic producers to job creation and economic activity, and identify actionable steps to remove barriers to further growth. At a moment when economic stagnation and high unemployment top the list of national priorities, Haitian officials are positioning the industrial sector as a cornerstone of the country’s national recovery strategy, with the potential to drive sustained long-term growth in domestic output, expand formal employment opportunities, and build a more resilient, self-sufficient national economy.

  • Police search for escaped suspect

    Police search for escaped suspect

    Authorities with the Barbados Police Service have issued a public appeal for assistance as they hunt for an 18-year-old suspect who broke free from official custody over the weekend. The fugitive, identified as Trishtan Antone Barker-Savoury, escaped from holding at the Black Rock Police Station on Saturday. He is a resident of 1st Avenue, Birds River, Deacons Road, St Michael.

    Law enforcement has released a detailed physical description to help members of the public identify Barker-Savoury. He stands approximately five feet nine inches tall, has a slim frame and dark complexion, with distinctive facial features including a long face, full nose and thick lips. His hair is typically described as unkempt in style. When he was last observed, the escapee was wearing a black graphic T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Pay Me My Money” across the chest, paired with black full-length trousers and black slip-on slippers.

    Police are urging any resident who may have seen Barker-Savoury or has information about his current location to contact authorities immediately. Tips can be submitted directly to the Black Rock Police Station via phone at either 417-7500 or 417-7501. Members of the public can also reach the 24/7 police emergency line at 211, contact the anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-TIPS (8477), or share information with any on-duty officer at the nearest local police station.

    In a public advisory, authorities have reiterated that intentionally hiding or providing aid to a person who has escaped legal custody is considered a serious criminal offense under Barbadian law. Any individual found to have harbored or assisted the fugitive will face prosecution, police confirmed.

  • DOMLEC celebrates Dominica’s centenarians with credit for life

    DOMLEC celebrates Dominica’s centenarians with credit for life

    On October 1, 2026, the International Day of Older Persons, Dominica Electricity Services Limited (DOMLEC) made a heartfelt gesture to honor three of the island nation’s centenarians through its innovative community-focused “Credit for Life” program. The three celebrated long-term residents honored in this year’s initiative are Christine White, Matthew St. Rose and James Riley, each of whom has lived more than a century on the Caribbean island of Dominica.

    Under the terms of the Credit for Life program, the utility provider will credit a one-time sum of $600 to the electricity accounts of each participating centenarian, delivering tangible financial relief to these elderly community members who often face fixed or limited incomes. This program is part of DOMLEC’s ongoing corporate social responsibility work centered on valuing and supporting older residents, who have contributed decades of labor, culture and community building to Dominica’s development.

    The International Day of Older Persons, established by the United Nations to raise global awareness of the challenges and contributions of aging populations, provided DOMLEC with a meaningful occasion to roll out this year’s recognition. Company representatives noted that the initiative is designed not only to provide immediate financial support but also to shift public narrative around aging, emphasizing that centenarians and older adults deserve ongoing respect and investment from both private sector institutions and the broader community.

    Local community leaders have welcomed the program, noting that it sets an example for other private sector organizations operating in Dominica to develop targeted support initiatives for vulnerable and underrecognized population groups. For the centenarians participating in this year’s program, the credit will reduce monthly utility burdens, allowing them to allocate limited resources to other critical needs such as medication, healthy food and home maintenance.