As general election campaigning gains momentum in Antigua and Barbuda, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has ignited a heated political controversy by linking two senior opposition figures to the circulation of unauthorised, digitally created campaign material targeted at LGBTQ voters. Browne named opposition members Jamale Pringle and Harold Lovell as the forces behind the provocative graphic, which frames itself as a pro-inclusion statement on LGBTQ rights ahead of the vote. The altered visual, designed to look like an authentic campaign poster, features a composite image of two men presented as Browne and lawmaker Kendra Beazer sharing a kiss, set against a iconic rainbow pride backdrop decorated with heart motifs. Across the graphic, bold slogans champion LGBTQ inclusion: phrases like “LOVE & UNITY BRING US TOGETHER” and “Make Room for Everyone in Barbuda” are prominently displayed. Additional text explicitly calls for churches to open their doors to same-sex marriage, framing the push for equal rights as a call for national unity “as one family under God,” and closes with the welcoming message: “Barbuda welcome everyone, all a we is family!”. Critics have already pointed out a key gap in Browne’s accusation: the prime minister has not released any concrete evidence to back his claim that the material originated from or is being distributed by Pringle, Lovell or any other faction of the opposition. As of Friday evening, neither Pringle nor Lovell had issued a public response to Browne’s allegations, leaving the opposition’s side of the dispute unrepresented so far. The controversy has landed at a sensitive moment for Antigua and Barbuda’s electoral landscape, as all major parties ramp up outreach to court every key voting bloc ahead of the general election. LGBTQ rights, and especially the debate over same-sex marriage, remain deeply divisive issues in the country. Public opinion is sharply split on the topic, and for decades political candidates and parties have approached public discussion of LGBTQ policy with significant caution to avoid alienating voters on either side of the debate. Political analysts note that the unauthorised poster, regardless of its origin, has added a new polarizing issue to an already tight election race, forcing all parties to take public stances on a topic many have long preferred to avoid.
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STATEMENT: Dominica Labour Party Mourns the passing of former deputy president, Ian Pinard
The Dominica Labour Party has announced the passing of one of its most respected long-serving members, Hon. Ian Pinard, leaving the nation’s political community and local constituents in deep mourning. Pinard held a number of key roles throughout his decades-long career of public service, including former Deputy President of the Dominica Labour Party, former Parliamentary Representative for the Soufriere Constituency, and former Minister for Public Works. Beyond his elected and appointed government positions, he also contributed to national progress through executive leadership roles at Petro Caribe Dominica and the Dominica Air and Sea Ports Authority (DASPA).
Across every role he occupied, Pinard demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the Dominica Labour Party and an unshakable devotion to the people he represented. Colleagues and constituents alike remember him not for the prestige of his titles, but for his quiet humility, unassuming demeanor, and deep-seated compassion for others. Unlike many public figures who prioritize public recognition, Pinard led with gentle authority, consistently showing up for his community without seeking praise or credit for his work. His warm demeanor, approachable attitude, and constant friendly smile left an enduring mark on every person he interacted with throughout his career.
Pinard shared a particularly deep, personal bond with the residents of his home constituency, Soufriere. He walked alongside community members through their challenges, worked tirelessly to advance local priorities, and held a genuine love for the people that showed in every action he took. A core part of his legacy lies in his commitment to lifting up the next generation: he made intentional, personal investments in mentoring young men in the Soufriere area, going beyond simply creating job opportunities to instill core values of discipline, mutual respect, and life purpose in the young people he guided. The impacts of this work will continue to resonate for decades in the many lives he shaped.
In an official statement marking Pinard’s passing, the Dominica Labour Party emphasized that the nation has suffered a profound loss, extending far beyond the party’s own ranks. Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica and Political Leader of the Dominica Labour Party, shared reflections on Pinard’s decades of service, noting that Pinard’s leadership was defined by quiet strength, deep care for the public, and unwavering commitment to advancing the interests of all Dominicans. Skerrit highlighted that Pinard’s greatest legacy was not the offices he held, but the countless individual lives he improved through his kindness and service, a legacy of dedication and humanity that will continue to inspire the nation long after his passing.
The party has extended its deepest condolences to Pinard’s family, particularly his young children, as well as to the residents of Soufriere, his former colleagues, and all who are grieving his loss. The statement reaffirmed that the entire Dominica Labour Party stands in solidarity with all those mourning during this difficult time, closing with a wish that Hon. Ian Pinard’s soul may rest in eternal peace.
Disclaimer: The views and claims expressed in this statement are solely those of the original author and do not represent the official positions of Duravision Inc., Dominica News Online, or any of its affiliated subsidiary brands.
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One Man Detained After Alleged Sexual Assault
Local law enforcement agencies have launched a probe into a reported sexual assault of a 22-year-old woman in Orange Walk, with one suspect already taken into custody as of April 17, 2026.
Details released by police outline that the alleged incident unfolded on the Wednesday preceding the announcement. The victim told investigating officers that she was present at her private residence when her male neighbor arrived at her door, asking if she would make him a cup of noodles. Agreeing to his request, she let him enter her home to wait for the food to be prepared.
It was during his time inside the residence that the neighbor is accused of carrying out the sexual assault, according to official police accounts. As of the latest update, formal charges have not been filed against the detained man. Law enforcement has confirmed that the investigation remains active, with detectives continuing to collect evidence, interview witnesses, and build a case ahead of potential legal proceedings.
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Two arrested with illegal guns, ammo-police
In a coordinated law enforcement operation carried out Thursday afternoon in the Berbice region of Guyana, two 23-year-old men have been taken into custody following the recovery of two illegal 9mm handguns and a single round of ammunition, authorities confirmed in an update published Friday. Guyanese law enforcement agencies reported that the seizure unfolded shortly after 4 p.m. in the Dukestown area of Corriverton, when agents from the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) were conducting patrols near the local seawall along the Corentyne River.
During their observation of the area, CANU teams spotted a small wooden craft carrying four unidentified men on the river, while two additional men waited on the seawall shore, each holding a sealed black box. As soon as the uniformed law enforcement agents approached the pair and identified themselves as authorities, the two men immediately discarded their boxes and made an attempt to escape on foot. At the same time, the four men on the wooden boat accelerated the vessel and fled further up the Corentyne River, evading capture so far.
Responding officers quickly pursued the two fleeing suspects on shore and successfully apprehended both within a short time frame. Investigators then opened the discarded boxes in the presence of the arrested men, revealing two unregistered 9mm ZORAKI pistols and one live round of ammunition matched to the weapons.
The two suspects, a local businessman who resides in Dukestown and a day laborer from nearby Springlands, Corriverton, were transported to the Springlands Police Station to be processed. The seized firearms and ammunition have been placed into police custody as material evidence for the ongoing investigation. As of Friday afternoon’s official update, both men remain in detention, with law enforcement yet to announce formal charges. Investigations are still ongoing to determine the origin of the illegal weapons, their intended use, and the identities and whereabouts of the four men who escaped on the river.
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Spice Girls dismantle Antigua and Barbuda in U16 Netball
The 22nd edition of the Jean Pierre Youth Netball Tournament has delivered a stunning turnaround story, as Grenada’s Under-16 national netball squad – fondly nicknamed the Spice Girls – stormed to a lopsided 35-8 victory against Antigua and Barbuda on Monday, April 13. This 27-goal winning margin marks the biggest gap between final scores across all matches played in the tournament to date, turning around the young team’s rocky start to the competition in dramatic fashion.
After two straight opening matches marked by crippling offensive inconsistency that left the Spice Girls with two losses, the squad finally found its clinical footing on the court at the UWI SPEC Grounds. Leading the offensive charge was goal-attack Reshonna Francis, whose exceptional shooting accuracy tore through Antigua and Barbuda’s defensive line. Francis landed 30 successful goals out of 37 total attempts, accounting for nearly 86 percent of Grenada’s total score on the day.
Grenada seized control of the match from the opening whistle, ending the first quarter with a commanding 10-1 lead. Unlike the team’s earlier outings, where promising early leads slipped away due to unforced errors, the Spice Girls maintained relentless pressure through the entire match, heading into halftime with an overwhelming 20-2 advantage that Antigua and Barbuda never recovered from.
While Francis dominated the shooting circle, the historic victory was built on a suffocating collective defensive performance that shut down all of Antigua and Barbuda’s attacking chances. Goal-defender Nashauna Noel turned in a standout backcourt performance, notching a game-high six interceptions to disrupt opponent passes. Wing-defense Phebe Rubin added four more interceptions of her own, while goal-keeper Treasure Frederick locked down the goal circle to leave Antigua and Barbuda unable to find any consistent offensive rhythm. Mid-court play was expertly directed by Kamia Lewis, who notched two assists and two interceptions to keep possession and momentum firmly on Grenada’s side.
Monday’s blowout win comes as a much-needed boost of momentum for the young squad, which navigated a grueling opening weekend of back-to-back matches against the tournament’s most formidable opponents. On April 11, the Spice Girls kicked off their campaign against former champions Barbados, where despite a gritty defensive showing, costly ball-handling mistakes and inconsistent shooting led to a 20-12 defeat. The following day, the team faced arguably their toughest challenge yet: squaring off against defending champions Trinidad and Tobago, also known as the Calypso Girls, on their home turf. Playing through a hostile crowd environment, Grenada fell 32-12, extending the Calypso Girls’ ongoing winning streak that stretches back to 2025.
For the Spice Girls’ coaching staff, Monday’s performance offers plenty of reasons for optimism, particularly the squad’s marked improvement in two problem areas that sank their first two matches: reducing unforced errors and maximizing scoring opportunities from every possession. Now holding the title of the tournament’s biggest win so far, Grenada advances to the final stages of the competition with renewed competitive confidence and a vastly improved goal average that strengthens their position going forward. The Spice Girls will look to carry this red-hot form into their upcoming fixture against St. Lucia as they continue their push for a podium finish at this year’s tournament hosted in St Augustine.
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20-Year-Old Shot in Corozal
A violent shooting incident in Corozal District has left a 20-year-old man fighting for his life in hospital, sparking a full attempted murder investigation by local law enforcement. The attack unfolded on the evening of April 16, 2026, targeting construction worker Wilbert Jonathan Vellos shortly after he dropped a friend off at their home.
According to initial official accounts from Corozal Police, the incident occurred just after 9:25 p.m. Vellos had finished driving his acquaintance, Christopher August, to August’s residential address and was still parked in front of the property when a single unknown assailant approached the vehicle and opened fire. The gunman struck Vellos multiple times across his body, leaving him critically wounded.
In a frightening turn of events, the suspect immediately turned their firearm on August, who had remained outside the vehicle after being dropped off, and pulled the trigger. Fortunately for August, the weapon misfired – a stroke of luck that allowed him to escape the scene quickly without sustaining any injuries. First responders rushed the injured Vellos to Corozal Community Hospital by 9:30 p.m., where he remains in care as of the latest update.
Local law enforcement has confirmed that the investigation into the attempted murder is still active, with officers working to identify the gunman and establish a motive for the targeted attack. No further details about potential suspects or leads have been released to the public at this early stage of the probe.
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Two injured in collision involving electric, hybrid vehicles
A low-speed collision between an electric passenger vehicle and a hybrid car left two people with minor injuries on a wet roadway in St. George early Friday, prompting local emergency responders to issue a public warning for drivers navigating changing road conditions amid wet weather.
The crash unfolded close to the intersection of Windsor and Brighton streets just after 8 a.m., according to Station Officer Roger Bourne from the Bridgetown Fire Station, the first emergency unit dispatched to manage the scene. When crews arrived, both vehicles had already sustained damage from the impact on the slick, moisture-covered surface, which had reduced tire traction significantly.
To eliminate potential safety hazards such as unexpected electrical fires, fire and rescue teams deployed specialized stabilizing gear to secure both damaged vehicles. As an extra precaution, responders disconnected the high-voltage battery pack on board the hybrid vehicle before beginning any further on-site work. Bourne confirmed in a post-incident statement that the crash did not result in any life-threatening or serious harm to the people involved.
“All injuries are minor, mostly soft tissue bruising caused by seatbelt tension during the sudden impact,” Bourne explained. Two ambulance teams—one operated by the government emergency medical service, and a second from a local urgent care provider—arrived promptly to assess and treat the two vehicle occupants. Both patients were recorded as being in stable condition at the scene, and they opted to seek additional follow-up medical care after being cleared from the crash site.
Bourne emphasized that wet pavement conditions were the key contributing factor to Friday’s collision, noting that a separate, similar crash had already occurred just a short distance away along the same road corridor earlier that same morning, also tied to slippery surfaces. He issued a sharp reminder to all motorists driving through the region amid current wet weather to adjust their driving habits to match changing road conditions.
“As I drove to the incident, it was immediately obvious how slick the road surface was. When you transition from a stretch of dry pavement into a wet patch, traction drops off much faster than many drivers expect,” Bourne said. “We all have places to be and often find ourselves in a hurry, but it’s critical to slow down and give yourself extra reaction time. A little extra caution goes a long way to preventing these avoidable crashes.”
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From Lock-Up to Lift-Up
Scheduled to launch in April 2026, a groundbreaking partnership between the Government of Belize and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is set to reshape the nation’s approach to supporting vulnerable and justice-involved young people, centered on a full transformation of the New Beginnings Youth Development Centre.
Officially named the “Strengthening Youth Governance and Institutional Resilience for Peacebuilding in Belize”, the initiative moves beyond the traditional punitive model of youth detention that has long perpetuated cycles of reoffending. Instead, it prioritizes a forward-looking, person-centered framework that shifts the system’s core focus from locking young people up to guiding them toward stable, productive futures. The project aligns directly with Belize’s ongoing national justice reform efforts under the PACE Justice Programme, which has advocated for diversion practices and rehabilitation over harsh, mandatory penalties for young offenders.
At the center of the reform is the overhaul of the New Beginnings Youth Development Centre, where a decades-old “lock-up” punitive model will be replaced by programming rooted in trauma-informed care, community reintegration, and long-term life skills building. The core goal of the transformation is to break the intergenerational cycle of offending that leaves young people trapped in the justice system, providing them with targeted support to get back on track and contribute to their communities.
Backed by BZD $100,000 in catalytic seed funding from UNDP, the initiative will roll out a suite of evidence-based programming and structural improvements. Key components include enhanced individualized case management for every young person at the facility, customized transition plans to support smooth re-entry into community life, ongoing aftercare to prevent relapse, specialized trauma-informed training for all facility staff, expanded mental health counseling services, and updated, stricter safeguards to protect the rights and well-being of residents.
Thea Garcia-Ramirez, Belize’s Minister of Human Development, emphasized that the reform is a long-overdue shift to building public systems that actually serve young people, rather than punish them. The initiative prioritizes marginalized youth, including those in state care and those who have had interactions with the criminal justice system.
Amilin Mendez, UNDP’s representative for the project, summed up the core philosophy behind the work: the initiative is not just about managing at-risk youth – it is about building systems that believe in young people’s capacity to change and grow, creating lasting positive outcomes for both individuals and the entire nation.
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US Embassy launches Next Level Hip Hop Programme
A new cross-cultural artistic initiative is set to bring American and Grenadian creative communities together next spring, as the U.S. Embassy in Grenada officially announced the launch of the 2026 Next Level Hip Hop Programme. This dynamic exchange project, developed in collaboration with Grenada’s Ministry of Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture, will host a two-week immersive residency from April 13 to 24, 2026, pairing established American hip hop artists and industry professionals with emerging local Grenadian talent.
Throughout the residency, participating Grenadian creators will gain hands-on experience across four core pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, breakdance, DJing, and aerosol art. Sessions will combine skill-building workshops, collaborative creation opportunities, and one-on-one mentorship designed to lift up local creative voices.
Unlike traditional performance programs, Next Level frames hip hop as more than an art form: it serves as a versatile platform for personal storytelling, cross-cultural dialogue, creative entrepreneurship, and grassroots community building. At its core, the initiative aims to foster mutual understanding between the United States and Grenada, strengthen people-to-people connections, and create space for the open, free exchange of ideas between artists from different backgrounds.
The 2026 iteration of the programme carries special historical significance, as it coincides with the United States’ 250th anniversary of national independence. The program is used as a showcase for the enduring values of free expression, creative innovation, and equal access to opportunity that the anniversary celebrates — values that cultural exchange efforts like Next Level work to advance every day.
Next Level is a flagship initiative of the U.S. Department of State, with on-the-ground implementation managed by the non-profit Meridian International Centre. Officials from the U.S. Embassy Grenada have publicly expressed gratitude for the partnership with the Government of Grenada, noting the shared commitment to nurturing and expanding Grenada’s growing creative economy.
To cap off the two-week residency, the program will wrap with a free, open-to-the-public showcase that invites the entire Grenadian community to experience the work created during the collaboration. The event will celebrate the vibrant, unique creative talent of Grenada’s hip hop scene and highlight the new connections forged between the participating artists from both nations.
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Police Welfare Association focused on safeguarding members finances amidst rising global costs, says chairman
Against a backdrop of global soaring living costs that are straining household budgets across nearly every sector, the Police Welfare Association (PWA) of the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force has outlined a bold new agenda focused on easing financial pressure on its members and strengthening institutional partnership during its new executive term.
Sergeant David Andrew Jr., newly appointed chairman of the PWA, laid out the organization’s core priorities in a recent public interview, naming member financial freedom as the top policy goal for the coming year. Andrew noted that rising economic pressures are not a localized challenge – it is a worldwide trend that has hit uniformed officers just as hard as other working groups, with everyday commodity and living costs eating steadily into take-home pay.
To address this strain, the PWA has already moved to strike strategic partnerships with private sector entities. These collaborations will deliver exclusive discounted pricing on a wide range of daily necessities and services for all PWA members, a measure Andrew said is designed to directly cut household spending burdens and soften the blow of ongoing inflation.
Beyond private-sector partnerships, the association is also in the preliminary stages of exploring the launch of its own member-focused financial institution. The proposed entity would be tailored to meet officers’ unique needs, providing accessible loan products and customized financial service packages that fill gaps in existing support, Andrew explained.
The PWA chairman acknowledged the consistent support the government has provided to officers, pointing to the 8 percent salary increase awarded over the last three-year period as a tangible measure that has already helped improve members’ financial standing. Even with this public sector support, however, Andrew argued that the association has a role to play in delivering additional, targeted assistance to its community – making this work a central focus for the new executive in 2026.
Beyond financial initiatives, Andrew emphasized that the PWA is fully committed to working hand-in-hand with senior police administration to build a more effective, efficient police force for the people of Dominica. As an internal body embedded within the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force, close collaboration with leadership is non-negotiable to advance members’ interests and deliver on policy goals, he said. Andrew acknowledged that occasional disagreements over priorities or strategies are inevitable in any large organization, but he stressed that the collective bargaining framework of unionism puts the PWA in a strong position to negotiate differences and resolve disputes productively when they arise.
Deputy Police Chief Jeoffrey James echoed Andrew’s commitment to collaboration, welcoming the PWA’s new agenda as a positive step forward for the entire force. James framed the new executive’s term as an ideal opportunity to deepen coordination between the PWA and police administration, noting that aligned working relationships directly translate to better welfare for officers and more efficient, effective public service for Dominica’s residents.
James reminded that the PWA’s core mandate explicitly requires working with police leadership to support officer wellness and keep the force operating smoothly. He urged the new executive board to maintain unity, shared purpose, and open communication with administration, warning that failing to prioritize this collaboration would be a misstep for the association. When built on mutual commitment, James said, the partnership between the PWA and police leadership will deliver tangible benefits for both the association and the wider force, leaving the entire institution in a stronger position to serve the public.