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  • Basketball federation targets grassroots investment

    Basketball federation targets grassroots investment

    Grassroots basketball in Saint Lucia is receiving a transformative boost this year, as the Saint Lucia Basketball Federation (SLBF) rolls out a coordinated strategy to expand access to the sport across underserved schools and underdeveloped local communities. Centered on combining critical equipment donations with expanded coaching education, the federation’s multi-phase plan aims to reignite local basketball programs and nurture new generations of talent across the island.

    In April, the SLBF distributed new basketballs to three of its affiliate organizations, a move that federation president Glen “Kala” Guiste stresses is far from an isolated gesture. “These balls weren’t just handed out and left,” Guiste explained in a recent statement. “Over the past several months, we’ve intentionally expanded our network of trained coaches across the country. Just this past December, we hosted a Level One coaching certification clinic, and that has put more qualified instructors in communities that have long lacked support.”

    Guiste emphasized that the distribution strategy was intentionally mapped to match existing and emerging local coaching capacity. Every community and school that received new basketballs already has active coaching staff in place to put the equipment to use, creating a sustainable foundation for ongoing programming.

    The three affiliates that received donations include the newly admitted Choiseul Youth and Sports Club, alongside returning members Babonneau Dynasty and the Dennery Basketball League. All three groups already run independent youth basketball programs and have functional local court facilities that are now being put to greater use with the new equipment.

    In Babonneau, the federation has directly supported a community program led by Dunby St Marthe, a seasoned player who currently competes in the national league. Over in Choiseul, local leader Jonathan Chalon has already installed new basketball rims, bringing the community’s court fully online for regular play. Guiste noted that the visible progress in these areas is encouraging, even as he called for additional investment to support more historically basketball-focused communities across the island.

    New basketballs have also been delivered to Basketball For The Future, a community program that is restarting its operations at The Gardens in central Castries. In Dennery, a region that was once a powerhouse in Saint Lucia’s local basketball scene, Guiste reports that grassroots participation is already showing clear signs of resurgence following the donation.

    Looking ahead, the federation has plans to expand its work into public schools through a new partnership with the Ministry of Education. Sometime this summer between June and July, SLBF will host a specialized basketball coaching clinic for physical education teachers from across the island. The organization expects at least 40 PE teachers to participate in the training, equipping them to bring structured basketball programming to more students in every region of Saint Lucia.

    The federation’s push for growth has been bolstered by external donations from community and corporate partners, extending the impact of its grassroots work. Back in 2023, former national team player Marcellus “Bax” Stiede donated basketballs to two local schools: Gros Islet Infant School and St Aloysius RC Boys School. That same year, 1st National Bank contributed new basketball uniforms to Patricia D James Secondary School, an institution whose boys’ team has earned a third-place finish in national school tournaments multiple times.

    To continue building out its coaching pipeline, the SLBF has already scheduled a pre-Level One coaching certification course for November, keeping its talent development work on track through the end of the year. The combined strategy of equipment investment, coaching education, and cross-sector collaboration marks a comprehensive push to cement basketball’s growth at the local level across Saint Lucia.

  • Senate approves first reading of missing persons alert system bill

    Senate approves first reading of missing persons alert system bill

    In a key legislative move aimed at addressing the critical issue of missing persons across the country, the Senate of the Dominican Republic has greenlit the first reading of a bill that would establish the National Alert System, known locally as ALERTARD. The proposed framework, which originated in the country’s Chamber of Deputies before moving to the upper legislative chamber, is built to create a unified, coordinated response mechanism that cuts through bureaucratic delays to accelerate search and rescue operations when someone goes missing.

    At its core, the legislation is designed to embed clear, standardized prevention and search protocols that guarantee equal treatment for every missing person, explicitly banning any discrimination based on nationality, racial identity, gender, age, religious belief, political affiliation, or socioeconomic status. A defining principle written into the bill mandates that all investigations into missing persons cases must begin with the working presumption that the individual is still alive, no matter the circumstances of their disappearance, how long they have been missing, or where they were last seen.

    Special emphasis is placed on protecting the country’s youngest populations: the bill carves out urgent priority status for missing children and adolescents, requiring law enforcement and government agencies to activate immediate, rapid action to locate and secure any missing or abducted minor. In cases where there is evidence of potential harm to the missing person, the Public Ministry and Dominican National Police are required to operate under the explicit assumption that the individual faces imminent risk, triggering even faster, more resource-intensive response efforts. Once fully enacted, supporters say ALERTARD will fill a longstanding gap in the country’s ability to respond to missing persons cases, ensuring consistent, equitable, and life-saving action across all regions of the Dominican Republic.

  • Red Cross deploys emergency teams and carries out evacuations

    Red Cross deploys emergency teams and carries out evacuations

    Heavy, sustained rainfall has triggered destructive flooding across low-lying, high-risk communities in multiple Dominican Republic provinces, prompting the Dominican Red Cross to roll out full-scale emergency response operations to protect vulnerable residents. The national humanitarian organization has mobilized a full contingent of rapid-response teams, trained volunteers, and technical specialists across the affected regions, with two core missions: delivering immediate support to households impacted by the floodwaters, and maintaining constant surveillance of areas at the highest risk of worsening disaster conditions.

    One of the hardest-hit areas so far is the municipality of Montellano, located in the northern coastal province of Puerto Plata. As the Camú River continues to swell beyond safe levels, response teams are executing organized preventive evacuations for residents in three high-risk sectors: Los Ciruelos, El Saman, and Villa Melesia. Alongside evacuation efforts, teams are distributing essential supplies and providing on-the-ground support to community members who have been displaced or affected by rising water. Local disaster authorities remain on high alert, as hydrological data shows the water flow in the river is continuing to climb, increasing the risk of more severe flooding in the coming hours.

    Beyond Puerto Plata, the Dominican Red Cross is sustaining coordinated emergency operations in five additional provinces: Santiago Rodríguez, Espaillat, María Trinidad Sánchez, Duarte, and El Seibo. All operations are carried out in close partnership with the country’s national Emergency Operations Center and other specialized disaster response agencies, to ensure efficient, coordinated delivery of aid across all affected regions. In a public advisory, the Dominican Red Cross has issued a clear warning to residents across at-risk areas: anyone living in proximity to rivers, streams, or zones with a history of repeated flooding is urged to strictly follow all official safety guidance, and to never attempt to cross flooded roadways or swollen waterways, which carry hidden risks of strong currents and structural collapse.

  • Government welcomes LUCELEC’s solar donation to St Lucy’s Home

    Government welcomes LUCELEC’s solar donation to St Lucy’s Home

    A landmark collaboration between the Saint Lucian government and local utility provider LUCELEC has delivered dual benefits for the country’s elderly care sector and national renewable energy goals, with the completion of a 10-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system at St Lucy’s Home for senior citizens.

    Government officials have praised the project as a transformative step that will cut long-term operational costs for the care facility while advancing national sustainability commitments, bringing tangible improvements to the living standards of vulnerable seniors in residence.

    Speaking on the initiative, Minister for Elderly Affairs Emma Hippolyte extended her formal gratitude to LUCELEC and the leadership of St Lucy’s Home for centering support for the island’s aging population through this project. She emphasized that the solar installation will deliver lasting, critical value to the facility, locking in ongoing utility cost savings that can be redirected to care services while creating a more comfortable living environment for residents.

    Hippolyte reaffirmed the government’s core responsibility to uphold the inherent dignity of Saint Lucia’s seniors, acknowledge the foundational contributions they have made to national development, and sustain consistent public support for elder care services. She stressed that collective partnership is the only way to deliver impactful social support for vulnerable groups.

    “Each one of us – government, private citizens, and corporate partners – has a role to play in ensuring that we take care of our seniors. This is a shared responsibility,” the minister noted.

    Since taking office, Hippolyte has undertaken a comprehensive tour of elderly care facilities across Saint Lucia to gain on-the-ground insight into their unique operational needs and build support for expanded resource allocation. “Some homes require more assistance than others, and we are working to ensure that the resources available are distributed in a way that provides meaningful support across the board,” she explained.

    The minister also expressed hope that the successful partnership at St Lucy’s Home will serve as a blueprint to inspire more public-private collaboration to upgrade facilities for other elderly and disadvantaged care institutions across the island.

    Beyond its direct social impact, the project aligns with the government’s long-term national energy transition strategy, which seeks to cut heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels and buffer the country from global oil price fluctuations. “We want to transition to alternative energy solutions that can reduce costs and improve sustainability, particularly for institutions providing essential social services,” Hippolyte added.

    Carryl Haynes, Assistant Chief Engineer at LUCELEC, explained that the EC$43,000 solar system is a tangible demonstration of the utility’s longstanding commitment to supporting local community institutions through accessible sustainable energy solutions. Haynes added that these types of community-focused renewable energy projects boost institutional resilience, cut operating expenses that strain care facility budgets, and advance inclusive national progress.

    In a closing statement, the Ministry of Equity echoed the government’s praise, noting that the donation of the solar system sets a powerful example of cross-sector collaboration advancing elderly care. The project proves that intentional public-private partnerships can meaningfully improve outcomes and uphold dignity for Saint Lucia’s aging population.

  • Dominican Republic secures EU support for drug prevention initiatives

    Dominican Republic secures EU support for drug prevention initiatives

    PUNTA CANA — The Dominican Republic’s National Drug Council (CND) has solidified a landmark inter-institutional cooperation agreement with the European Union through the COPOLAD III program, opening a new chapter of coordinated action to advance evidence-based drug policy across the Caribbean and Latin America. Backed by targeted European technical expertise and dedicated financial investment, the partnership is designed to strengthen regional and national capacity to address evolving drug-related challenges.

    The formal signing ceremony took place alongside the fourth annual gathering of the COPOLAD III initiative, a high-profile international forum that brought together more than 170 drug policy specialists and official delegates from over 60 nations spanning Latin America, the Caribbean and the European continent. The agreement was signed by two key leaders: Alejandro de Jesús Abreu, who serves both as president of the CND and co-president of the EU-CELAC Mechanism, and Olivier Luyckx, head of country programs for Latin America and the Caribbean at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships. A broad delegation of senior Dominican diplomatic and institutional officials also participated in the event, emphasizing that the collaboration marks a critical milestone for collective regional action on drug policy.

    Under the new framework, the partnership will roll out three high-priority initiatives tailored to meet the Dominican Republic’s specific needs while creating a replicable model for other regional nations. First, the alliance will conduct a nationwide, nationally representative survey of drug use among university students, generating actionable data to inform future policy design and ensure all regulatory and intervention efforts are rooted in real-world evidence. Second, the partnership will invest in expanding and strengthening the Dominican Republic’s Drug Policy Training School, which equips national and local decision-makers with the specialized skills and knowledge needed to implement effective drug policy. Third, the initiative will roll out an innovative social support program called the “Wings of Transformation” strategy, which focuses on providing critical resources and support to children whose parents are incarcerated on drug-related offenses. The program will launch as a pilot project at the Baní Women’s Penitentiary Center, with plans to scale the model across the entire country if the initial trial proves successful. Dominican officials noted that the partnership not only advances the country’s domestic drug policy goals but also reinforces its position as a regional leader in collaborative, holistic approaches to addressing drug challenges.

  • De Nieuwe Leeuw presenteert voorstel voor wet bestuur en toezicht rechtspersonen

    De Nieuwe Leeuw presenteert voorstel voor wet bestuur en toezicht rechtspersonen

    On April 29, Suriname’s opposition political party De Nieuwe Leeuw (DNL) took a key step toward strengthening public sector governance by formally submitting a draft proposal for a new Law on Governance and Oversight of Legal Entities in Suriname to the country’s president, vice president, and the leadership and members of the National Assembly (DNA).

    DNL’s initiative grows from growing public and political concern over blurred role boundaries between governing bodies and oversight institutions in state-linked legal entities and public organizations. Party chairman Dharm Mungra explained that the bill is a response to repeated instances where supervisory boards and boards of commissioners have overstepped their mandates to interfere in day-to-day executive governance matters.

    According to Mungra, this overreach has created unnecessary institutional friction, triggered widespread conflicts of interest across public entities, and ultimately eroded the effectiveness of government governance across the country. To address these gaps, DNL argues that a clear, binding legal framework is urgently needed to codify the distinct roles and responsibilities of oversight bodies, eliminating the ambiguity that enables overreach and dysfunction.

    Party representatives emphasized that the submitted document is not a finalized piece of legislation, but rather an opening discussion draft designed to jumpstart national conversation on governance reform. The core focus of the proposal is exclusively targeted at regulating the functions of supervisory boards and boards of commissioners, with the party framing it as a substantive contribution to the national policy debate and a foundational starting point for further drafting work by the National Assembly.

    In a deliberate choice to keep the proposal focused, DNL has excluded a range of related secondary topics from the current draft. These omissions include rules governing executive management and boards of directors, penalties and enforcement mechanisms, transitional provisions, formal definitions of legal entities and their alignment with existing national legislation, rules for integrity commissions, exceptions for appointment term limits, and civil law consequences for conflicting interest violations.

    DNL affirmed that the next stages of legal structuring, refinement, and harmonization with Suriname’s existing legal code fall properly within the remit of the National Assembly, the country’s formal legislative body tasked with approving and enacting final law.

  • “Uniting Science and Community” in HIV Push

    “Uniting Science and Community” in HIV Push

    In a groundbreaking public health gathering for Central America, health leaders, scientific experts, policymakers and cross-sector community representatives gathered in Belize City on April 29, 2026 for a landmark symposium hosted by the International AIDS Society (IAS) Educational Fund, aimed at stepping up the country’s fight against HIV.

    Touted as the first event of its kind both in Belize and across the entire Central American region, the symposium carries the theme “Uniting science and community for an accelerated HIV response in Belize”, and was convened to address existing gaps in the country’s national HIV program. Dr. Joshua Canul, Assistant Deputy Director for HIV/TB & STIs at Belize’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, emphasized the historic significance of the convening, noting that while the national government currently covers approximately 80 percent of all funding for the country’s HIV response, progress has been held back by systemic delays that need urgent addressing.

    Unlike traditional public health gatherings that focus primarily on medical professionals, this symposium intentionally expanded participation beyond the health sector to include teachers, religious leaders, and representatives from a wide range of community organizations. This multi-stakeholder, community-centered approach is a core part of Belize’s strategy to reach the globally recognized 95-95-95 HIV treatment and prevention targets set by UNAIDS.

    Eva Burgos, Executive Director of GOJoven Belize, a leading local organization working on HIV response, highlighted that the IAS brings a wealth of cutting-edge, innovative approaches to HIV programming. She stressed that as a small nation working to curb its HIV epidemic, Belize must prioritize developing new, context-specific strategies to improve HIV prevention outcomes that meet the unique needs of its communities.

    According to event organizers, insights and agreements reached during the one-day symposium will directly inform ongoing national initiatives to close gaps in HIV treatment access, scale up effective prevention services, and keep Belize on track to meet its 2030 UNAIDS commitments to end AIDS as a public health threat.

  • White-clad gunman kills worker in Wildey daylight shooting

    White-clad gunman kills worker in Wildey daylight shooting

    A quiet residential community in Wildey, Barbados, is reeling from shock after a bold public shooting left a local worker dead on Wednesday morning. The attack, carried out by a single attacker disguised in a white hazmat suit, has shattered the normally peaceful atmosphere of the area, prompting law enforcement to issue an urgent appeal for members of the public to come forward with any information that could help solve the killing.

    The incident unfolded just after 10 a.m., when Barbados Police received an emergency call reporting the shooting, confirmed Acting Inspector Ryan Brathwaite, the force’s public affairs and communications head. According to the caller, the gunman – clad in the distinctive protective hazmat suit – had opened fire on the victim before fleeing the scene on Meadow Road, where the attack took place.

    First responder units rushed to the location within minutes of the report, and found the victim’s body lying on the roadside. Preliminary investigative work has revealed that the man killed was part of a work crew carrying out activities in the neighborhood when the assailant approached. Brathwaite detailed that the attacker fired multiple rounds at close range, causing critical wounds that proved fatal before a medical professional could arrive at the scene to provide care. As of Wednesday, the victim’s identity has not been released to the public pending next-of-kin notification.

    For long-term residents of Meadow Road, the brazen mid-morning attack is an unprecedented break from the area’s normally low-crime culture. Ian Gilkes, a resident who has lived in the neighborhood for years, told reporters he heard the rapid succession of gunfire that signaled the attack. “I hear pop, pop, pop,” Gilkes said, emphasizing that brutal violence of this kind has no place in the quiet community. “It don’t happen so [here].”

    Other local residents shared their lingering shock and growing concern over rising gun violence across Barbados. One elderly resident, still visibly shaken when speaking to journalists, recalled speaking to the victim just 24 hours before the killing. “The last thing I said was yesterday before he left to go to church,” the resident said, shaking his head at the escalating rate of gun-related crime across the island. Another anonymous resident, who was at home watching television when the shots rang out, described the sudden disruption of an ordinary day. “I was watching sports on TV when all of a sudden I heard a few shots, that’s all I could tell you,” the resident said, adding “I don’t feel good about these shootings.”

    While forensic investigators processed the crime scene to collect physical evidence, Brathwaite issued a public plea for community cooperation to address the violence, calling on Barbadians to return to foundational community and spiritual values. “We must continue to appeal to our fellow Barbadians, let’s be your brother’s keeper,” he said. “If you know something, if you have seen something, please say something. Let us make Barbados a safe place. It does not have to be this way.”

    Brathwaite stressed that communities cannot afford to surrender to fear in the wake of the tragedy. “We must not put up our hands and give up on this situation. We must continue to work together for the betterment of Barbados,” he said. Calling for a return to spiritual guidance as a path forward, the police spokesperson added: “Let us get back to the basics. Let us take our young children to church… Let God be our guiding light. This is the way for us to come back.”

    Authorities have released multiple contact points for anyone with information about the shooting or the gunman’s identity to come forward. Tipsters can reach Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-8477, contact the police emergency line at 211, or reach the investigating team directly at District ‘A’ Police Station via 430-7242.

  • Braves overcome Peace and Love in domino clash

    Braves overcome Peace and Love in domino clash

    After a weekend of high-stakes matches across the National Domino Association’s Four Hand League, one team stands alone at the top of the Premier Division with an unbroken winning streak: Carlton and A1 Braves. The top-of-the-table clash pitted the two last remaining unbeaten teams against each other, with Carlton and A1 Braves delivering a statement 38-point victory over Peace and Love to claim their spot as the league’s only undefeated club. Leading the charge for the winners, Sharon Sherry Lynch and Jonathan John Grandison notched an impressive 26 points, while teammates Charmaine and Hamilton “Hammy” Durant contributed a solid 20 points to lock in the 88-50 final score.

    The weekend’s action delivered a full slate of results across the Premier League, with every competing side putting points on the board in a series of decisive matches. Powerade Locked & Loaded secured a comfortable 20-point win against BNECL, finishing 73-53 ahead thanks to a 23-point performance from the pairing of Ruldoph Walkes and Darren Ellis. In another lopsided fixture, HIV Commission Hillside downed A and B Pest Control Vauxhall by an identical 36-point margin, 88-52, with Algernon Cox and Steve Alleyne combining for 18 points to lead their side to victory.

    Buzo Osteria Welchman Hall picked up a 12-point win over French Village Piranhas, closing out the match 71-59 led by Shurland and Vondel Bovell, who scored 21 points between them. RM Cleaners earned an 19-point victory over 37 Family KC Joint, finishing 80-61, while Massy Spring Cottage notched a matching 20-point winning margin against Speightstown with an 80-60 final score. Police secured a 76-58 win over De Clique, Trident Insurance Patriots defeated RL Seale QEH by a 22-point margin 80-58, and Eastbourne pulled off a 27-point win against Checker Hall, 84-57.

    Rounding out the Premier League results, B.U.T dominated Hindsbury to win 88-51, JD’s secured a 25-point victory over St Joseph 76-51, and Bathsheba earned a comfortable 25-point win against Newbury, closing out 79-54. Alongside the top-flight action, Division One also held its latest round of fixtures, with four teams walking away with wins: Spring Cottage, Police, Patriots, and Eastbourne repeated their Premier League counterparts’ winning form to claim victories in the lower division.

  • BFA Champions Cup kicks off

    BFA Champions Cup kicks off

    The much-anticipated Barbados Football Association Champions Cup is set to throw open its doors tomorrow, launching a high-stakes knockout tournament that will see reigning title holders Weymouth Wales begin their quest to defend their crown against a stacked field of competing teams across the country. The opening night of the competition features just one representative from the Premier League: Paradise, a squad based out of Dover, who will get their campaign underway against Elite in the first marquee matchup of the tournament.

    Four additional matches round out the opening slate of fixtures: Caribbean United will square off against Lodge Road, Eastern United will lock horns with Glebe, and Hothersal Turning will clash with Orange Hill. The only opening-round clash hosted at Market Hill in St. George will pit two Division Two sides against one another, Central League Spartans and Police, with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m.

    This tournament marks a welcome return to the Champions Cup for Central League Spartans, a side that opted out of last year’s competition to prioritize securing promotion back to Division One. In an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY, Spartans head coach Edwyn opened up about his squad’s preparation for the knockout clash, acknowledging the team has faced consistent headwinds throughout the current Division Two campaign. “We are not in the best form right now — we’ve had a pretty rough go of it this season,” Wood explained. “Across our six league matches so far, we’ve only notched one win, two draws and three losses, so we are far from peak performance at the moment.”

    Still, Wood stressed that the coaching staff has continued working closely with the playing group to rebuild their mental sharpness and turn their season around, heading into the cup competition. The Spartans will hold home-field advantage for their opening clash against the Weymouth-based Police squad, and Wood is counting on that familiar terrain to give his side a much-needed boost.

    “Home advantage is always a huge benefit, and I actually think our poor form so far this season has been heavily tied to our heavy schedule of away matches,” Wood noted. “Our home pitch is one of the few east-west oriented fields in the region, and we’ve built our style of play to take advantage of that unique layout. With so few home matches in our league schedule this season, that’s definitely contributed to our standing in the table. We’re hopeful that familiarity with the ground will carry us past Police on Thursday night.”

    Beyond the opening night fixtures, the remainder of the first-round schedule has already been locked in. Last season’s tournament runners-up, Kickstart Rush, will launch their 2024 campaign against Barbados Soccer Academy this coming Sunday. Reigning champions Weymouth Wales will not step onto the pitch until next Tuesday, when they get their title defense started against WRBSSC in what is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated first-round matches of the competition.