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  • PM Skerrit extends praise to opposition leader following budget debate

    PM Skerrit extends praise to opposition leader following budget debate

    In a notable display of cross-aisle civility in Dominica’s parliament, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has publicly extended heartfelt gratitude to Leader of the Opposition Jesma Paul-Victor for her measured response to the 2026/2027 national budget address delivered this Thursday.

    Skerrit took to social media following the parliamentary sitting to share his positive assessment of Paul-Victor’s engagement, framing her contribution as balanced, thoughtful, and marked by a level of political maturity uncommon in deeply partisan political landscapes. He has long argued that collaborative governance, rooted in mutual respect between ruling and opposition parties, is the only sustainable path to lifting Dominica and improving outcomes for all its citizens. In his view, moving beyond unproductive, blind partisanship is a critical precondition for meaningful national progress.

    The prime minister stressed that even with fundamental policy and ideological differences between the ruling administration and the opposition, Paul-Victor’s approach to the budget debate proved that Dominican politics can rise above petty squabbling. He noted that parliamentary discourse can remain civil, focused on advancing the public good rather than scoring political points, a standard he says the Dominican public rightfully demands from all elected representatives.

    Skerrit drew a clear line between partisan interests and national priorities, emphasizing that large-scale transformative projects currently underway across the island are not the property of any single political faction. Key initiatives including the construction of the new international airport, the development of domestic geothermal energy capacity, and the rollout of climate-resilient public infrastructure exist to serve all Dominican people, regardless of political affiliation.

    Closing his remarks, the prime minister reaffirmed his administration’s long-standing commitment to open, inclusive governance. He confirmed the government will maintain an open-door policy for constructive dialogue with the opposition, and remains dedicated to working across party lines to build a more prosperous future for every Dominican family.

  • LIVE NOW: 2026/2027 Budget Debate from the Dominica House of Assembly

    LIVE NOW: 2026/2027 Budget Debate from the Dominica House of Assembly

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  • UPDATE: Four Missing Children Found; Police Yet to Release Details

    UPDATE: Four Missing Children Found; Police Yet to Release Details

    A multi-hour search operation that gripped the Caribbean island of Antigua concluded on a positive note, as four young visiting children reported missing from a parked vehicle have been located unharmed. The outcome brings relief to both responding law enforcement and the local community, though key details about the incident remain closely held by authorities.\n\nThe chain of events began when the children—all aged 8 or younger, visiting the island from overseas—were left in a parked car at the Townhouse Mega Store compound by their aunt, who stepped away briefly to enter the nearby Community First location. When she returned to the vehicle moments later, the children were gone, prompting an immediate emergency response from local police.\n\nIn the earliest hours of the incident, authorities issued a public appeal for assistance, releasing a photograph of one of the 8-year-old children and sharing a tip line for community members to submit any relevant information. As the search expanded, police deployed significant resources, including an aerial drone, to comb the surrounding area. Unconfirmed speculation emerged in public discourse linking the disappearance to a family disagreement, but law enforcement never validated these claims during the active search phase.\n\nBy the latest update, officials confirmed that all four children had been found safe. However, law enforcement has not yet disclosed critical details of the case, including where the children were located, how they came to leave the vehicle, or what led to their recovery. Investigations remain active, and authorities have stated that they will release additional information to the public as it is cleared for publication.

  • Five LIAT Air Flights Cancelled, Leaving Passengers Stranded at V.C. Bird Airport

    Five LIAT Air Flights Cancelled, Leaving Passengers Stranded at V.C. Bird Airport

    On Friday, a wave of flight cancellations threw travel plans into disarray for dozens of passengers at Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport, after regional carrier LIAT Air scrapped five scheduled departures and left vacationers and business travelers stranded in the terminal. The disruption exclusively impacted outbound journeys from Antigua, forcing affected passengers to huddle inside the main terminal for hours waiting for any word on when they might be able to resume their trips. Many travelers have reported widespread frustration and growing anxiety, fueled by a critical lack of clear, up-to-date information from the airline about rebooking slots, alternate flight options, or refunds. With no official explanation for the sudden cancellations provided as of press time, stranded passengers have been left scrambling to rearrange their own travel itineraries, with many facing extended layovers, missed connecting flights, and disrupted vacation or work schedules. Local Antiguan media outlet Antigua Newsroom, which first reported the disruption, confirmed that the cancellations affected multiple popular routes out of the island, though specific destinations were not named. At the time of this report, LIAT Air has not issued any public statement addressing the service disruption or the causes behind the five canceled flights. Airline representatives have confirmed they are working to resolve the backlog and assist affected passengers, but travelers remain in limbo as they wait for official updates on new departure arrangements.

  • “Sharm was pure class”: Former coach honours late Saint Lucia U-15 skipper

    “Sharm was pure class”: Former coach honours late Saint Lucia U-15 skipper

    Across every corner of global sport, few bonds carry as much lasting weight as the connection between an athlete and the coach that guides them. For Bryan Calixte, former head coach of Saint Lucia’s inaugural men’s Under-15 cricket squad, that bond with his late captain Sharm Pierre remains one of the most meaningful chapters of his decades-long involvement with the game. Pierre, who made history as the first skipper of Saint Lucia’s first ever Under-15 national side, passed away recently at the age of 45 following a short illness. In an emotional interview with local publication the St. Lucia Times, Calixte opened up about his memories of the trailblazing top-order batsman and the mark he left on Caribbean cricket.

    “There are moments that stick with a coach forever, moments that remind you exactly why we pour so much time and energy into this incredible sport,” Calixte reflected. “For me, leading Saint Lucia’s first ever Under-15 cricket team is one of those defining experiences. And at the heart of that historic milestone was our captain, Sharm Pierre. When I heard the news of his passing at just 45, it hit hard. It brought a huge wave of sadness, but also an outpouring of all the proud memories I carry of that time and of him.”

    When that first groundbreaking team came together decades ago, the squad was chasing more than just tournament success. Their mission was to cement Saint Lucia’s place as a serious competitor on the regional cricket stage, a goal that demanded far more than raw playing talent. It required a young leader capable of carrying the entire island’s hopes and expectations on their shoulders. As Calixte recalled, that leader was Sharm Pierre.

    While Calixte was quick to praise Pierre’s natural skill as a player, he stressed that it was the captain’s intangible character traits and steady leadership that made him irreplaceable to that historic side.

    “As a batsman, Sharm was pure class,” Calixte said. “He was an elegant, technically gifted top-order batter who played with a level of maturity that most young players his age could only dream of. Every time he walked out to the middle, his calm presence gave the entire dressing room confidence and a sense of security that we could compete with anyone.”

    “But it was his captaincy that truly set him apart and carved his name into Saint Lucian cricket history forever,” Calixte added. Pierre made history not just as Saint Lucia’s first Under-15 captain, but also as the first Saint Lucian to lead the Windward Islands Under-15 squad as well. For his coach, watching Pierre lead his peers was a masterclass in quiet, effective leadership. He never relied on loud outbursts or empty boasting to command respect; instead, he was a grounded, gentle leader who led by example, earning respect naturally from everyone around him.

    What makes Pierre’s leadership even more notable is the group of young talents he captained, a group that would go on to become legends of Caribbean and international cricket. During his time leading Saint Lucia’s Under-15 side, Pierre was skipper to Daren Sammy, who would go on to lead the West Indies to two T20 World Cup titles and now serves as the men’s West Indies national head coach, as well as Garey Mathurin, a former West Indies international who now leads the Saint Lucia senior national team. When Pierre captained the Windward Islands Under-15 squad, he also led Devon Smith, who went on to become a star opening batsman for the West Indies at the international level.

    “Even surrounded by all these future superstars, Sharm was the anchor that held everyone together,” Calixte said. “He managed all those big personalities with incredible grace, earning the fierce loyalty of his teammates and the deep admiration of every family watching from the stands. He proved to the entire Caribbean region that Saint Lucia doesn’t just produce world-class cricketers – we produce world-class leaders.”

    Closing out his tribute, Calixte offered a final, heartfelt goodbye to the captain that shaped one of the most defining moments of his coaching career: “Thank you, Sharm, for your service, your brilliant leadership, and for making me proud to be your coach. It was an absolute honor. Rest in eternal peace, Captain.”

  • Goodridge raises penalty ‘mismatch’ in new ownership law

    Goodridge raises penalty ‘mismatch’ in new ownership law

    During Wednesday’s legislative debate on the Beneficial Ownership Transparency and Register Act, opposition senator Karina Goodridge has raised urgent calls for aligning penalties for unauthorized confidential information disclosure with the strict sanctions already outlined in the nation’s Data Protection Act, warning that the currently proposed weak penalties fail to act as an effective deterrent against harmful leaks.

    Goodridge drew direct attention to a stark discrepancy in punishment between the two pieces of legislation: under the new beneficial ownership framework, unauthorized disclosure of sensitive personal data carries a maximum penalty of just a $40,000 fine or one year of imprisonment. By contrast, the Data Protection Act, which governs similar sensitive confidential information, imposes penalties that reach up to $500,000 in fines and three years of prison time for identical offenses.

    The opposition lawmaker emphasized that once sensitive confidential information is leaked and distributed, the damage is irreversible. Information that falls into malicious hands, she warned, can open the door to widespread misuse, fraud, and other harmful outcomes that have lasting impacts on affected individuals. Goodridge specifically pointed to Section 9 of the new beneficial ownership act, which addresses data breach incidents, but argued that the proposed penalties do not match the severity of this serious criminal offense.

    Questioning the logic behind the divergent sentencing guidelines, Goodridge asked why identical confidential information deserves far weaker legal protection simply because it is stored and regulated under a different act of parliament. She called on legislative members to adopt the same tough penalty structure already enshrined in the Data Protection Act for unauthorized disclosures of beneficial ownership data.

    Goodridge also dismissed the proposed one-year prison sentence as inadequate to discourage potential offenders, noting that the short sentence is too minor to create meaningful deterrence: “One year imprisonment, that is only one Christmas missed. That is not really a deterrent. Some people may look at it and say, well, one Christmas… I don’t miss that.” On the topic of financial penalties, she added that a $40,000 fine is easily manageable for many potential offenders to save up over time, while a $500,000 fine poses a significant financial consequence that would push most people to comply with the law and avoid risky, illegal behavior. Maintaining that all unauthorized leaks of confidential information are equally serious regardless of what legislation governs the data, Goodridge pressed lawmakers to revise the penalty structure before finalizing the new bill.

  • Barbadian trio advances to World Under-20 semis

    Barbadian trio advances to World Under-20 semis

    As the 2024 World Under-20 Athletics Championships entered another day of competition in Oregon on Thursday, three track and field athletes from Barbados delivered standout performances to secure their places in the semifinal rounds of their respective events. Leading the charge for the Caribbean nation was Shamari Greenidge-Lewis, a decorated gold medalist from the CARIFTA Games. Competing in the men’s 400-meter sprint preliminary heats, Greenidge-Lewis crossed the finish line with a time of 46.34 seconds, securing a second-place finish in his heat that punched his automatic ticket to the next round.

    Fellow Barbadian sprinter Kadia Rock also maintained her impressive form throughout the 2024 season in the women’s 400-meter event. Drawing a spot in the sixth preliminary heat, Rock recorded a time of 53.32 seconds to finish fourth in her heat. While she did not claim an automatic qualification spot with her top-three finish, her result was fast enough to rank among the fastest non-automatic qualifiers, earning her a place in the upcoming semifinals.

    Rounding out the trio of advancing Barbadian athletes was Rashad Gibson, who competed in the men’s 400-meter hurdles. Slotted into the eighth preliminary heat, Gibson put together a consistent run, clocking 51.74 seconds to finish third in his heat, a result that secured his qualification for the semifinals.

    The solid showing from Thursday’s competitors comes on the heels of a solid effort from another young Barbadian athlete on the opening day of competition. In Wednesday’s evening session, Jayden Walcott competed in the final of the men’s shot put, ultimately finishing sixth overall with a best throw of 19.27 meters in his first major global championship appearance.

  • Beneficial ownership law ‘aims to streamline compliance’

    Beneficial ownership law ‘aims to streamline compliance’

    Barbados has enacted a landmark beneficial ownership reform bill that will consolidate existing regulatory data instead of imposing new reporting requirements on local businesses, according to senior government Senator Lisa Cummins. Speaking during Wednesday’s Senate debate, the leader of government business in the chamber framed the new legislation as a transformative step that simultaneously eases regulatory burdens for legitimate enterprises and reinforces the Caribbean nation’s standing as a transparent, credible global financial hub.

    Contrary to concerns that the law would require businesses to submit extra paperwork, Cummins clarified that the reform only overhauls how existing beneficial ownership information is collected and organized. For years, relevant data on ultimate business owners has already been gathered by multiple domestic regulators, including the Central Bank of Barbados, the Financial Services Commission, and other sector-specific oversight bodies. This information has long been required as part of routine regulatory processes, from initial license applications and changes in major shareholding structures to ongoing supervisory reviews, fit-and-proper person assessments, and enforcement compliance checks.

    Currently, competent domestic authorities already share this collected data with international partners under bilateral and multilateral treaties that Barbados has signed onto. The information already supports a wide range of critical activities, including criminal probes, anti-money laundering operations, terrorist financing investigations, regulatory audits, sanctions enforcement, and other law enforcement initiatives, with the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit leading much of this investigative work, Cummins added.

    A key structural change outlined in the legislation is the restructuring of the former International Business Unit, whose duties have been split between two existing and new entities: the Tax Policy Unit under the Ministry of Finance, and the newly created Business Compliance Unit, known as BCOM. Under the new framework, BCOM will be tasked with maintaining a centralized national beneficial ownership register. This single centralized system will allow businesses to submit required information just one time, eliminating the redundant practice of providing identical data to multiple separate regulatory agencies.

    “What the legislation actually sets out to do is to simplify and create coherence around the collection of business data for all businesses under the beneficial ownership regime,” Cummins explained. “That unit [BCOM] is now going to take responsibility for collating in a single place all of the information with one single submission by businesses.”

    Cummins emphasized that the reform is a critical step to protect Barbados’ financial system and preserve its positive standing with global regulatory partners. “We want to make sure that Barbados cannot be used as a jurisdiction to hide dirty money,” she said. The new law uses a tiered regulatory approach that strengthens necessary safeguards against money laundering and terrorist financing, while cutting unnecessary red tape for law-abiding businesses, she added. This, in turn, will protect Barbadian businesses’ continued access to the global financial system.

    The reform positions Barbados as a jurisdiction that proactively modernizes, upgrades, and transforms its international financial sector through consistent, transparent regulatory practice, Cummins told the Senate, capping the debate on the bipartisan-backed reform.

  • Urgent Blood Donation Appeal Issued for Singer Ruel Browne

    Urgent Blood Donation Appeal Issued for Singer Ruel Browne

    A public appeal for emergency blood donations has been launched to support Ruel Browne, the iconic frontman of Antigua and Barbuda’s popular Wadadli Revolution Band. As organizers confirmed this week, Browne is facing an immediate medical situation that requires urgent blood supplies, prompting community leaders to call on all healthy, eligible members of the public to step forward and contribute.

    Donations can be completed at the Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross Blood Bank, located in the capital city of St. John’s. Those who are able to give are instructed to notify center staff that their contribution is specifically allocated to support Browne’s treatment. Organizers have also extended a request to residents who cannot donate themselves: they are asking this group to spread information about the appeal across their personal and social networks to expand the reach of the call for help.

    A well-known figure across the twin-island nation, Browne has built a decades-long legacy in the local music scene, celebrated for his electrifying stage presence and far-reaching contributions to Antigua and Barbuda’s cultural identity. In the appeal, community peers described Browne as more than a performer — he is a close friend, a beloved brother to many, and a cultural ambassador who has brought joy to crowds at iconic local events including the long-running Wadadli Nights series and countless other major regional gatherings.

    Organizers emphasized the critical importance of community action in this moment, noting that a single blood donation can deliver a life-altering impact for a patient in need. They added that even small acts of participation, from donating to sharing the appeal, can help Browne get the resources he requires for his ongoing treatment.

  • Broki verliest debuut in Concacaf Caribbean Cup tegen Club Sando FC

    Broki verliest debuut in Concacaf Caribbean Cup tegen Club Sando FC

    Fresh off claiming the Suriname Major League (SML) championship title, Suriname’s SV Broki kicked off its 2026 Concacaf Caribbean Cup campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Trinidadian side Club Sando FC on the opening matchday of the group stage. The match delivered a tense back-and-forth battle between the two regional sides, with the result ultimately swinging in Club Sando FC’s favor after a second-half breakthrough.

    SV Broki got off to a promising start, taking the lead in the 34th minute courtesy of a well-crafted attacking move. Forward Shaquille Cairo slotted home to put the Surinamese champions ahead 1-0, after winger Franklin Singodikromo played in a pinpoint, precise assist that split Club Sando FC’s defensive line.

    The tide turned just before halftime, however, when the referee awarded Club Sando FC a penalty after a deflection accidentally struck SV Broki defender A. Blijd on the hand inside the 18-yard box. Midfielder L. Phillips made no mistake from the spot, converting the penalty to level the scoreline at 1-1 going into the halftime break. Both teams entered the break evenly matched, splitting possession at an identical 50% each over the first 45 minutes.

    The second half maintained the same competitive dynamic as the first. Club Sando FC adopted a direct approach, playing long balls to stretch SV Broki’s backline and repeatedly put the Suriname side’s defense under pressure. In the 65th minute, that pressure paid off: SV Broki goalkeeper F. Alves failed to clear a long cross decisively, and Club Sando FC’s S. Henry pounced on the loose ball, guiding a header into the back of the net to put his side ahead 2-1. That proved to be the decisive winning goal, with no further scoring from either side for the remainder of regulation time.

    With three points secured from their opening fixture, Club Sando FC got their group stage campaign off to a strong start, while SV Broki will look to bounce back in their upcoming three group matches. SV Broki’s next fixture is scheduled for August 20, when the side will face Defence Force on the opponent’s home ground in Trinidad and Tobago. Following that away trip, SV Broki will play two consecutive home matches at Paramaribo’s Essed Stadion: the first against Dominican Republic side Delfines del Este on September 2, and the second against Haiti’s Violette AC on September 9.

    In other opening matchday results from the group, Dominican Republic’s Salcedo FC claimed a 2-1 upset win over Jamaica’s Portmore United FC, while Haiti’s Violette AC shut out Defence Force 3-0 to kick off their campaign with three points. Only the top two finishing teams from the group will advance to the next round of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, making every remaining fixture critical for all sides competing for progression.