To mark International Women in Maritime Day 2026, the Central American nation of Belize is bringing well-deserved attention to a quiet, transformative shift underway in one of its most economically critical industries: a centuries-old field that has long been almost exclusively dominated by male workers. At the forefront of this grassroots movement is Jada Sutherland, a rising industry leader whose personal mission to open doors for women has evolved into the formal Women in Maritime Association of Belize, a national advocacy platform. What started as an individual vision to challenge systemic barriers has quickly grown into an initiative dedicated to expanding women’s visibility, delivering targeted professional support, and broadening access to career pathways across all segments of Belize’s maritime sector. Sutherland’s trailblazing work and growing influence took center stage at a recent national maritime summit, where government and industry officials highlighted her as a defining voice of a new generation working to rebuild and reshape the sector from the inside out. Kaylon Young, Ports Commissioner at the Belize Port Authority, shared that he has observed Sutherland’s remarkable professional journey firsthand. Unlike many industry leaders, Sutherland did not enter the field with a formal academic background in maritime studies; instead, her passion and expertise grew organically through hands-on on-the-job experience and repeated exposure to the sector’s inner workings. “She never formally studied the maritime sector, but she came into the field, fell deeply in love with the work, and recognizes the transformative opportunities this industry holds not just for herself, but for all Belizeans — and especially for Belizean women,” Young explained in an interview at the summit. For Young and many other industry stakeholders, the push to bring more women into Belize’s maritime industry is about far more than advancing gender equity alone. It is a strategic change that stands to strengthen the entire sector by bringing new perspectives to the table. “Every one of us has a unique role to contribute in the maritime space, and bringing more women into the fold adds a completely fresh dynamic to how we approach challenges and envision the future of our industry,” Young said. “Diverse points of view let us expand our reach, take on more ambitious projects, and grow as a sector far more than we ever could with a homogeneous workforce.” This developing story will be covered in full during News 5 Live’s primetime broadcast at 6 p.m. local time tonight.
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Humphrey: Don’t disadvantage Transport Board workers
Amid upcoming restructuring plans for Barbados’ state-owned Transport Board, a senior government official has publicly called on domestic financial institutions to halt discriminatory lending practices against the agency’s workers, after multiple employees reported being locked out of credit over unfounded rumors of imminent mass layoffs. Senior Minister and Minister of Transport and Works Kirk Humphrey raised the alarm over the trend during a Sunday evening branch meeting of the ruling Barbados Labour Party in St Michael West, describing the unfair credit blocks as a deeply troubling development that harms working Barbadians.
Humphrey stressed that widespread claims of impending job losses among Transport Board staff are entirely unsubstantiated, and that the government has no plans to disenfranchise current employees during the restructuring process. “Many team members who choose to stay with the organization under the new arrangement will actually end up in a better position than they are in today,” he explained, noting he would share full details of the restructuring once negotiations with labor unions are finalized. “No employee of the Transport Authority will face unfair disadvantage from these changes. To the banks, I say this: when Transport Board workers come to you for credit, do not reject their applications just because you assume they will soon be unemployed. That assumption is not true, and it is unfair to stop people from accessing the money they need to feed their families, purchase a vehicle, or repair their homes.”
In addition to addressing the lending issue, Humphrey used the meeting to clear up widespread public confusion over the government’s recently signed Stand-By Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), pushing back against misinformation spread by the political opposition that frames the deal as a costly new national loan. He emphasized that the agreement is not a loan, and carries no financial burden for the Barbados government or public. Instead, it functions as a pre-approved financial safety net that gives the country rapid access to emergency resources if a future crisis hits – eliminating the lengthy formal approval processes that normally delay access to IMF support.
To illustrate the arrangement for the public, Humphrey drew a parallel to an unused credit line. “It’s exactly like having a credit card with a $10,000 limit that you never actually use. You only pay a small annual fee to keep the line open, but you don’t owe anything if you don’t spend the money. That’s what this IMF arrangement is,” he said. He dismissed the Opposition’s claims that the agreement poses risks to Barbados as unfounded and misleading, noting that the pre-arranged access to funding will let the government respond rapidly to any emergency, from natural disasters to economic shocks, to rebuild infrastructure, clear roadways, and put critical support directly into the pockets of working Barbadians when it is needed most.
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Helmet Laws Are Changing. Here Is What Riders Need to Know:
Across Belize, nearly 40 percent of all fatal road collisions involve motorcyclists, and head trauma consistently ranks as the leading cause of death in these incidents. That grim statistic is pushing the Central American nation’s Ministry of Transport to pursue sweeping legislative reforms aimed at strengthening motorcycle helmet safety standards and reducing preventable road deaths.
Current national regulations require all motorcycle operators to wear helmets while riding, but contain a critical gap: there is no legal definition of what qualifies as a safety-approved helmet. Chief Transport Officer Leon Gentle explained that this regulatory oversight has allowed unfit, low-protection headgear to be used in place of certified motorcycle helmets.
“On Belize’s roads today, you see every type of headgear passed off as safe motorcycle protection – from standard bicycle helmets to partial half-helmets that offer almost no impact protection,” Gentle noted in an interview. “That is why we are taking a close look at updating and formalizing binding safety standards for all helmets used by motorcyclists.”
The updated helmet regulations are just one component of a broader package of motorcycle safety reforms the transport department has spent months developing. The package will also introduce new rules governing pillion riders – passengers who travel behind the motorcycle operator.
Gentle pointed to dangerous, common unsafe practices involving passengers that the new rules will address, including underage passengers riding without properly certified helmets and small children placed on bikes with no properly sized footrests to keep them secure. “These are avoidable hazards that put vulnerable riders at unnecessary risk, and we have to address them proactively,” he added.
Belize recorded an encouraging drop in overall traffic fatalities across the country last year, but officials stress that motorcyclists remain the most at-risk group of road users. The full details of the reform package, including additional rules for pillion passengers, will be shared during a primetime broadcast on News 5 Live at 6 p.m. local time.
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Water supply advisory Petite Martinique 18–19 May 2026
Residents of the Grenadian island of Petite Martinique have received an official advisory from the National Water and Sewerage Authority (Nawasa) regarding an upcoming scheduled operational shutdown for reservoir recharge at the island’s desalination plant. The mandatory maintenance work is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 18, 2026, and will run continuously through to 5 a.m. the following day, Tuesday, May 19. Throughout this 19-hour maintenance window, regular water distribution services will be temporarily interrupted to allow crews to safely complete the reservoir recharge work.
In anticipation of the temporary service halt, Nawasa has issued a clear call to all residential and commercial customers across the area: begin setting aside adequate water supplies in advance of the scheduled start date to cover daily needs during the interruption. The authority also emphasized the importance of practicing strict water conservation for the full duration of the maintenance period, even for households that have stored extra water, to prevent unnecessary shortages.
Nawasa has extended a formal apology to the local community for any disruption to daily routines that this necessary work may cause. The agency also expressed its gratitude in advance for the patience and cooperation of local residents, noting that this scheduled maintenance is a critical part of ongoing efforts to sustain a consistent, reliable water distribution network for Petite Martinique long-term. This proactive upkeep aligns with Nawasa’s stated core mission of meeting the evolving water access needs of all its customers across Grenada.
This advisory was published by NOW Grenada, which notes that it is not liable for any opinions, statements, or third-party content shared in official contributor advisories, and provides a channel for users to report content that violates platform guidelines.
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Another major boost to Grenada’s spice industry
Grenada’s spice sector is poised for significant growth as agricultural authorities launch the second phase of a national replanting initiative, targeting large estates and commercial-scale producers with nearly half a million Eastern Caribbean dollars in dedicated funding.
The collaborative effort between the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, and Forestry and the Grenada Co-operative Nutmeg Association (GCNA) builds on the first phase of the National Spice Replanting Programme, which was rolled out in the wake of Hurricane Beryl to support small-scale producers, household growers, local schools, and the Minor Spices Cooperative in Laura, St David. That initial round focused on expanding access to resources for smaller operations across the island; the new phase shifts focus to larger producers to create a holistic, industry-wide recovery.
Under the newly launched phase, eligible producers will receive a combination of direct financial assistance and specialized technical support to expand and rehabilitate their spice plantations. Farmers holding up to 20 acres of cultivation land can qualify for maximum grants of EC$20,000, while operations between 10 and 20 acres are eligible for up to EC$10,000 in support. Individual smallholders participating in the program will receive allocations between EC$3,000 and EC$5,000, tailored to the specific scope of their replanting and rehabilitation projects.
Speaking at the official launch on Tuesday, Chief Extension Officer Lauren St Louis explained that prioritizing large estates and commercial-scale farmers in this phase is a strategic decision to accelerate industry-wide recovery. “We need to revitalise our spice industry, so this programme is really to push that mandate to enable Grenada to get beyond pre-Beryl production to ensure that we remain the lead nation in spices,” St Louis said.
The initiative covers a wide range of Grenada’s iconic spice crops, including nutmeg, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, pimento, vanilla, black pepper, and bay leaf, among other locally grown varieties. To boost the quality and market value of Grenada’s signature nutmeg output, program officials are encouraging participating farmers to cultivate specific high-performing varieties preferred by the GCNA: the Banda (or Mountain) Nutmeg, and the oval-shaped Popa Nutmeg, which is prized for its high essential oil content. The push for these varieties is designed to upgrade the country’s spice product portfolio, raise overall production quality, and increase the market value of Grenada nutmeg exports.
Senator Roderick St Clair, the government’s appointed farmers’ representative in the Senate, underscored that the inter-institutional partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and GCNA is structured to deliver more than just funding — it prioritizes ongoing technical guidance to help producers meet long-term productivity goals. “The goal of this partnership is to ensure farmers receive the guidance and support necessary to implement the work required for successful farm rehabilitation and production,” St Clair noted. As part of the support structure, agricultural extension officers will be assigned to groups of 10 to 20 participating farmers via a centralized computerized work planning system, and all participating producers are required to commit to a mutually agreed work schedule and set of production targets.
Interested producers can apply for the program by submitting a formal proposal outlining their required level of support. All applications will undergo a joint assessment by the Ministry of Agriculture and GCNA, and approved applicants will receive funding in two separate disbursements. The second tranche of funding will only be released after producers meet pre-agreed production and replanting targets to ensure accountability for public investment.
Agricultural officials note that the targeted investment in large and mid-scale producers will complement the gains made in the first phase of the program, creating a robust foundation for the entire spice sector — one of Grenada’s most historically and economically important agricultural industries — to bounce back stronger from the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl and reclaim its position as a global leader in high-quality spice production.
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Shakira acquitted of tax fraud, court orders Spain to hand back $70 million
In a high-profile legal conclusion that has drawn global attention, Colombian music icon Shakira has been fully acquitted of tax fraud charges following a years-long legal battle between the artist and Spanish tax authorities. The Catalonia High Court in northeastern Spain delivered the final ruling this week, dismissing all allegations that the singer had illegally evaded taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014, and additionally ordered national authorities to return approximately $70 million in assets that were seized as part of the investigation. The case first emerged in 2018, when Spanish prosecutors claimed Shakira failed to properly declare around $16.4 million in income, arguing that she had established her official tax residence in the country as early as 2012 – a claim the pop star repeatedly denied, asserting that she did not move her primary residence to Barcelona until 2015, when she began a long-term relationship with Spanish football star Gerard Piqué. Throughout the entire legal process, Shakira maintained her innocence, emphasizing that she had fulfilled all of her tax obligations according to international tax rules and had no intention of hiding or underreporting any of her income. The $70 million in seized assets, which included several of her luxury properties in Barcelona and a significant portion of her financial holdings, will now be transferred back to the artist’s ownership after the court’s formal order takes effect. Legal analysts note that the acquittal brings a definitive end to a case that had become a symbol of high-profile tax disputes between international celebrities and European tax authorities over the past decade. The ruling also sets a potential precedent for how cross-border tax residence cases are adjudicated in Spanish courts, particularly for artists who maintain multiple residences across different countries for work and personal reasons. In a brief statement shared after the ruling, Shakira expressed relief at the court’s decision, thanking her legal team and supporters for their patience through the years-long process. The 47-year-old singer, who remains one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time with more than 80 million records sold worldwide, has continued to release chart-topping music and tour globally throughout the duration of the legal proceedings.
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“The Public Should Know Who You Are,” Says Mira to Sex Offenders
A growing push to increase public safety for vulnerable communities in Belize has gained a key high-level backer, with Home Affairs Minister Oscar Mira publicly announcing his full support for the long-called-for creation of a searchable national public sex offenders’ registry. Mira has confirmed he will leverage his cabinet position and ministry resources to advance the policy, arguing that convicted offenders have no right to hide their criminal histories from communities that could be put at risk.
Mira made his position clear during an appearance on the popular current affairs program *Open Your Eyes*, where he opened up about the deeply troubling case reports he has reviewed since assuming his ministerial post. Among the accounts that have pushed him to back the public registry are horrific cases of child sexual abuse involving victims as young as four years old, many of them enrolled in local primary schools. Mira stressed that these violent, harmful crimes demand a fundamentally different approach to public oversight of convicted offenders, rather than the current system that keeps their identities hidden from the public.
The minister’s endorsement comes in direct response to an urgent press release issued over the weekend by the Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children, which first renewed the call for the registry to be established immediately. The Special Envoy’s statement highlighted an alarming trend: a rising number of sexual assault allegations against individuals holding positions of public trust, including school educators and law enforcement officers. By concealing the identities of convicted sex offenders, the envoy argued, the current system leaves women and children across the country needlessly exposed to repeat harm.
Mira echoed these warnings, noting a key pattern visible in the case files he has reviewed: sexual abuse in Belize is rarely an isolated incident. Convicted offenders often continue their pattern of violence, moving from victim to victim frequently within shared family and community networks before they are stopped. A public registry, Mira argues, would give families the information they need to protect children and vulnerable people from preventable harm.
The proposed policy would not be an unprecedented global shift. As of 2023, data from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking shows that 41 nations around the world already operate public sex offender registry systems to protect their communities. Reaffirming his commitment to moving the policy forward, Mira emphasized that public transparency is a critical tool for prevention: “I fully support the special envoy on her call, and I’m going to do my part from my ministry to ensure that we get this registry done. I think that if you are convicted of something like that, then the public should know who you are so that you [the public] can prevent, and make sure that you keep your children away.”
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Belize Basketball’s Biggest Two Weeks Start Now
The most consequential fortnight of Belize’s domestic basketball calendar is officially here, as the National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) enters its closing regular season phase with six remaining contests and only four total spots available in the upcoming postseason playoffs.
Two teams have already punched their tickets to the semi-final round, locking in guaranteed playoff positions weeks before the final whistle of the regular season. The Belize City Defenders currently hold the top spot in the league rankings with an 8-2 win-loss record, a performance that has also secured them home-court advantage for their upcoming semi-final match. Trailing closely behind at 7-3 is the Orange Walk Running Rebels, who have also claimed a home semi-finals berth alongside their guaranteed playoff spot.
While both are already in the postseason, the race for the coveted first overall seed is still undecided. The Running Rebels currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Defenders, meaning their performance in the remaining final games could push them ahead of Belize City to claim the number one ranking entering the playoffs.
The tightest competition of the closing stretch, however, centers on the two remaining open playoff spots, which three teams are currently fighting to claim. The Cayo Western Ballaz, San Pedro Tiger Sharks, and EZ Investment Griga Dream Ballers are all still in contention, with every possession and final result set to shift the standings. Any of the three squads can either secure their spot in the playoffs or see their season come to an early end, depending on how the final six games unfold across the league.
For two other teams across the league, the regular season has already delivered a disappointing final outcome. The Belmopan Trojans and Corozal Spartans have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, bringing their 2026 NEBL campaign to a close before the postseason begins.
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Major work on minor roads coming
Barbados is launching a massive infrastructure improvement initiative centered on long-overdue repairs to local residential roads, with a total investment of $32.5 million earmarked for the project, Senior Minister Kirk Humphrey has confirmed. Speaking at a branch meeting of the Barbados Labour Party held at St Leonard’s Boys School in St Michael West on Sunday, Humphrey laid out the full scope of upcoming work being rolled out by the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW).
To date, authorities have pinpointed nearly 50 residential roads in need of repairs, with an additional 30 historic cart roads currently under evaluation for inclusion in the project. Humphrey emphasized that while major highway expansion projects remain on the government’s agenda, upgrading the small, community-focused roads that residents use every day has been a top personal priority.
“When you step out your front door, you shouldn’t land in a puddle – those corner roads, neighborhood access routes and cart roads are the ones I am most committed to fixing,” Humphrey said. The government has kept its promise to advance major infrastructure as well, he confirmed: planning is already underway to expand Highway 2A to four lanes, with construction set to break ground before the end of this year. Humphrey also invited residents to report poorly maintained small roads directly to the ministry, guaranteeing that reported routes will be added to the official work schedule.
The residential road repair program is just one of several citizen-focused initiatives MTW is advancing in the coming months. Among the other urgent projects is a full overhaul of the neglected Constitution River Terminal, which Humphrey described as having fallen into unacceptable disrepair. Stagnant water pooling, unregulated encroachment, and overall dilapidation have left the terminal looking like a shantytown, he said, a situation unfit for Barbadian workers and commuters.
“If we expect people to respect public spaces, we have to first provide them with safe, well-maintained spaces to live and work,” Humphrey noted. Along with physical upgrades, the ministry will deploy additional staff to the terminal to monitor public service vehicle operators and ensure compliance with traffic and route regulations. Humphrey stressed that effective management of van staging areas is critical to maintaining order across the entire road network, making on-site supervision a non-negotiable part of the terminal overhaul.
With the Atlantic hurricane season set to begin in less than two weeks, MTW has already started clearing major drainage infrastructure across the island, and will ramp up clearing operations imminently. Humphrey called on local residents to share responsibility for flood risk reduction, urging homeowners and community groups to clear drains near their properties wherever possible to reduce the risk of flooding during storm events.
The ministry also moved to address a longstanding public request: the installation of speed bumps in residential areas, particularly near schools, churches and crowded neighborhoods to protect child pedestrians and other community members from speeding traffic. Humphrey shared that he has long shared residents’ frustration over the previous MTW policy that blocked speed bump installation in most residential areas. While speed bumps are not appropriate for high-speed major highways, he explained, they are a critical safety measure in residential and community zones. He confirmed that internal discussions have already concluded, and residents can expect widespread speed bump installation to begin across the island’s communities in the near term.
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CDB’s 26th William G. Demas Memorial Lecture in Nassau will focus on role of courts in Caribbean development
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has announced plans to host the 26th installment of its annual William G. Demas Memorial Lecture on June 2, 2026, a flagship intellectual event tied to the institution’s 56th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors. Scheduled to unfold in Nassau, The Bahamas, where the full Annual Meeting will run from June 1 to 5, this year’s keynote address will be delivered by The Honourable Mr. Justice Denys Barrow, a sitting judge at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
Justice Barrow’s presentation will center on the timely theme: “Contributions of the Courts to Caribbean Development: the Enduring Importance of Strong Institutions.” Per official statements released by CDB, his talk will dive into the multifaceted ways that robust judicial frameworks underpin progress across the Caribbean region. Attendees and observers can expect insights into how independent, well-functioning court systems stabilize national economies, boost investor confidence, maintain cohesive social order, and advance inclusive, equitable development that benefits all segments of Caribbean societies.
The lecture fits neatly into the overarching theme of the 2026 Annual Meeting, “Forging the Caribbean’s Future: Strategic Solutions for Uncertain Times.” In a global landscape marked by persistent geopolitical shifts, tightening fiscal conditions, and growing climate-related shocks, the event will zero in on how the rule of law and resilient institutions serve as critical bulwarks against these challenges. Justice Barrow is set to explore how credible, independent judicial bodies strengthen governance, create the policy certainty needed for long-term investment, and lay the groundwork for sustained sustainable development outcomes.
This year’s focus also aligns directly with CDB’s own corporate Strategic Plan, which identifies institutional strengthening, improved public service delivery, and the conversion of policy commitments into tangible, measurable development results as core organizational priorities. Through the annual memorial lecture series, CDB has positioned itself as both a key convener of regional dialogue and a central knowledge hub for Caribbean development. The institution supports its Borrowing Member Countries through a mix of targeted financing, collaborative policy dialogue, and coordinated cross-border development initiatives, and the lecture series advances this broader mission.
Gillian Charles-Gollop, CDB Vice President for Corporate Services, emphasized the urgent relevance of this year’s theme in contemporary context. “In an era where uncertainty is structural rather than episodic, strong institutions are not optional – they are essential,” Charles-Gollop noted. She added that the long-running lecture series provides a critical space to examine how the rule of law and trusted institutions underpin regional resilience, economic stability, and long-term sustainable growth.
The William G. Demas Memorial Lecture was established to honor the legacy of William G. Demas, CDB’s second president. Demas’ transformative leadership and far-reaching intellectual contributions helped shape the region’s collective approach to development, regional integration, and institutional capacity building over his tenure. The 2026 event carries forward this legacy by centering the under-explored connection between judicial systems and broad-based development progress, while reaffirming CDB’s long-standing commitment to strengthening regional institutions as the foundation of sustained Caribbean advancement.