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  • Shane Dowrich Embraces New Challenge as Coach with West Indies Women

    Shane Dowrich Embraces New Challenge as Coach with West Indies Women

    Former West Indies men’s national team wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich has launched an exciting new chapter in his professional cricket career, transitioning from elite international player to mentor and coach. The newly appointed Cricket West Indies (CWI) High-Performance Unit coach is currently supporting the West Indies Women’s squad as a skills coach during the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, hosted across England and Wales. For Dowrich, the role is far more than a career shift—it is a chance to give back to the sport and governing body that shaped decades of his professional journey.

    Dowrich’s connection to CWI stretches back to his earliest days in elite youth cricket, from the Under-19 program all the way to his tenure as a senior men’s international player. Now stepping into the coaching box, he says he carries a deep sense of responsibility to lift up the next generation of Caribbean cricket talent. “The squad has welcomed me with open arms, and given me the chance to contribute however I can,” Dowrich shared in comments released by CWI. “This game gave me everything in my life, and CWI stood by me through every step of my journey. Giving back that support just feels right.”

    Drawing on his years of competing at the highest level of international cricket, Dowrich says his greatest asset to the team is first-hand insight into the unique demands of top-tier competition. International cricket, he notes, brings a unique set of mental and technical pressures that only players who have competed on that stage can fully understand. “One of the biggest strengths I can bring to this group is my lived international experience,” he explained. “I can help these athletes understand exactly what it means to be an international cricketer, and how to unlock their best performance when the world is watching. I’ve lived through those high-stress moments, so I can help them work through those challenges and refine their skills at this level.”

    The shift from player to coach has also given Dowrich a entirely new perspective on the sport he has spent his life playing. Unlike the player-focused mindset of competing at the elite level, coaching requires adapting to the unique needs of each athlete, he says. “You have to adjust your approach for every person, because everyone learns differently and processes the game in their own way,” he said. “This role has really opened my mind. It’s changed how I think about the game, and how we can help players grow.”

    Looking around the current West Indies Women’s World Cup squad, Dowrich sees clear parallels between his own playing style and that of young all-rounder Jannillea Glasgow. He highlighted Glasgow’s quiet, team-first approach to the game, noting that the rising star prioritizes situation over personal acclaim— a mindset that aligned closely with his own approach during his playing career. “I see a lot of myself in Jannillea,” Dowrich reflected. “She never chases the spotlight. She lets the match situation guide her decisions, and she’s always ready to step up when opportunity comes her way. That’s exactly the approach I tried to bring to the game.”

    Having navigated countless high-pressure moments throughout his own international career, Dowrich’s core piece of advice for the West Indies Women as they compete on the World Cup stage centers on self-trust. “I’ve been in so many high-stakes situations as a player, and the biggest lesson I can pass on is to trust yourself, trust your training, and play without fear,” he said. “More often than not, you get through those tough moments when you stick to the routines and skills you’ve practiced over and over. When you start doubting yourself and second-guessing your choices, that’s when things start to go wrong.”

    Though his coaching career is still in its early days, Dowrich has already identified the most rewarding part of his new role: watching the players he works with put his lessons into action and achieve success. “There’s nothing more fulfilling than seeing a player go out and execute the skills we’ve worked on together, and hit the milestones we’ve talked through,” he said. “That feeling of watching them succeed in big moments is unmatched— it’s why I do this.”

    As the West Indies Women push forward in their 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, Dowrich’s decades of elite experience, sharp insight, and passion for player development are proving to be key assets for the side. For the former men’s senior international, the role also marks the start of what looks set to be a compelling new chapter in his lifelong relationship with Caribbean cricket.

  • Osleena Cottam receives a Chromebook from Flow Antigua and Barbuda

    Osleena Cottam receives a Chromebook from Flow Antigua and Barbuda

    In a small but meaningful step toward closing the digital divide for local learners in Antigua and Barbuda, nonprofit organization Flow Antigua and Barbuda has donated a new Chromebook to student Osleena Cottam.

    The gift comes as many young people across the island nation still face barriers to accessing reliable digital devices for schoolwork, remote learning and skill development. Flow Antigua and Barbuda, an organization focused on expanding educational equity and digital access for community members, has made youth education support a central part of its ongoing outreach mission.

    For Cottam, the new device eliminates a major hurdle that had limited her ability to complete assignments, participate in online learning opportunities, and build digital literacy skills critical for future academic and professional success. Representatives from Flow Antigua and Barbuda emphasized that this donation is part of a broader series of initiatives aimed at getting functional digital devices into the hands of underserved students across Antigua and Barbuda, with plans to expand the program to reach more learners in the coming months. Community organizers note that individual donations of devices like this create tangible, immediate impact for students working to achieve their educational goals.

  • RvC TAS wil CLAD-onderzoek naar financieel beheer; directeur spreekt van verdraaide voorstelling van zaken

    RvC TAS wil CLAD-onderzoek naar financieel beheer; directeur spreekt van verdraaide voorstelling van zaken

    A deepening governance crisis has emerged at Suriname’s Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname (TAS), the nation’s top telecommunications regulator, after its supervisory body, the Raad van Commissarissen (RvC), formally requested a full independent audit of the authority’s financial operations from 2020 to 2025 and launched formal steps to suspend or remove the agency’s sitting director, Wendy Jap-A-Joe. The demands are outlined in an official dated June 15, addressed to Suriname President Jennifer Simons and Minister of Transport, Communication and Tourism Raymond Landveld.

    The RvC justified its extraordinary request by citing persistent, severe concerns over corporate governance, financial stewardship and internal information sharing at TAS. According to the supervisory board, it has faced consistent and structural obstruction in carrying out its legally mandated oversight responsibilities. Specific grievances include prolonged delays in financial reporting, repeated failure to submit complete annual financial statements on schedule, lack of verifiable documentation for key expenditures and decisions, and repeated refusal by leadership to implement formal RvC resolutions. The board argues the situation has become severe enough to require immediate temporary suspension of Director Jap-A-Joe as a precautionary measure while the full investigation proceeds.

    A central focus of the requested probe, which will be carried out by the Centrale Landsaccountantsdienst (CLAD), Suriname’s central state audit service, is compliance with legal requirements mandating that TAS remit any surplus funds to the national government. The RvC says no surplus remittances to the state have been recorded since 2022, even though available financial data shows TAS holds large amounts of liquid capital and fixed-term deposits. To date, the board has found no formal legal authorization allowing TAS to retain or invest these surplus funds instead of transferring them to state coffers.

    Beyond the unremitted surplus, the RvC has called for scrutiny of TAS’s spending on sponsorship activities. The board notes that sponsorship falls outside TAS’s legally defined core mandate, so investigators will need to confirm whether these expenditures had a valid legal basis and were properly accounted for in official financial records.

    Another area flagged for investigation is the deployment of TAS staff to the Office of the Vice President of Suriname between 2021 and 2025. The RvC claims TAS employees carried out work for the vice president’s office for multiple years, with all associated payroll and operational costs covered by the telecom regulator – an arrangement that has no basis in Suriname’s Telecommunications Act, according to the board.

    The audit will also cover the legality and efficiency of TAS spending on international training programs, professional seminars, industry conferences and official overseas travel. Additional areas to be reviewed include all third-party contracts, active projects, bank holdings, fixed-term deposits, annual financial statements, and the completeness and accuracy of TAS’s overall financial administration. The RvC has stipulated that if the CLAD audit or a separate preliminary financial and operational review conducted by the board uncovers evidence of potential criminal activity or integrity violations, relevant law enforcement and oversight bodies must be notified immediately.

    The supervisory board further notes that it had repeatedly requested Jap-A-Joe to provide required financial and governance documentation and cooperate with the preliminary review, but these requests received insufficient response. This lack of cooperation, the board says, has severely hampered its ability to carry out its statutory oversight duties.

    In a direct response to the RvC’s allegations, Director Jap-A-Joe has pushed back against the board’s narrative, telling local outlet Starnieuws that she is deeply disappointed by the content of the formal request. She accused the RvC of misrepresenting facts in its letter, but declined to address the specific accusations in detail ahead of a scheduled meeting with President Simons on the following day. Jap-A-Joe noted that TAS has already sent multiple formal communications to the president, vice president and relevant minister, and will respond fully to the claims during the planned presidential meeting.

    As of the publication of this report, neither President Simons nor Minister Landveld have issued any public comment on the RvC’s request. Under Suriname’s Telecommunications Act, the president holds the authority to appoint, suspend or remove the TAS director, acting on a recommendation from the relevant minister and following formal approval from the Council of Ministers.

  • Van Lange replaces Jangoo in Warriors Squad for GSL

    Van Lange replaces Jangoo in Warriors Squad for GSL

    The 2026 edition of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL), one of the most anticipated emerging T20 franchise cricket tournaments on the global calendar, is set to kick off later this summer, running from July 23 to August 1 across venues in Guyana. Ahead of the tournament, defending champions the Guyana Amazon Warriors have been forced to make a last-minute adjustment to their 14-man squad, announcing Thursday that rising young all-rounder Jonathan Van Lange will step in to replace wicketkeeper-batter Amir Jangoo.

    The change comes after Jangoo received a long-awaited call-up to the West Indies senior Test squad, creating a conflicting schedule that ruled him out of the upcoming GSL campaign. For 19-year-old Van Lange, a standout performer at the West Indies Under-19 level, the call-up represents a valuable opportunity to showcase his skills on a high-profile franchise stage.

    The talented Guyanese prospect has turned heads in domestic red-ball cricket over the past two months, delivering a series of impressive performances that earned him this promotion. In May 2026, Van Lange marked his senior first-class debut for the Guyana Harpy Eagles with a brilliant century against the West Indies Academy. He followed that standout showing with a gritty half-century in the final of the West Indies Four-Day Championship against the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, cementing his reputation as one of the most exciting young batting prospects in Caribbean cricket.

    A hard-hitting middle-order batter who also brings lively medium-pace bowling to his side, Van Lange is no stranger to top-level franchise cricket exposure this year. He has already been named to the Guyana Amazon Warriors roster for the 2026 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which is scheduled to run from August 7 to September 2 immediately following the conclusion of the GSL.

    Van Lange joins a star-studded Guyana Amazon Warriors squad that includes leading international and regional names such as Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Glenn Phillips, Imran Tahir, Dwaine Pretorius, Mohammad Nabi, Muhammad Haris, Johnson Charles, Quentin Sampson, Keemo Paul, and Matthew Forde.

    This year’s GSL will feature five competing teams from across the globe. Joining hosts the Guyana Amazon Warriors are Pakistan’s star-studded Lahore Qalandars, who are making their second appearance in the tournament, along with three visiting sides: UAE franchise Desert Vipers (a new addition to the 2026 tournament), Australia’s Perth Scorchers XI, and Major League Cricket’s San Francisco Unicorns from the United States.

  • New Leak Points to $400K Windfall for Company Tied to Minister’s Brother

    New Leak Points to $400K Windfall for Company Tied to Minister’s Brother

    In a developing political scandal unfolding in 2026, newly leaked official documents have uncovered a nearly $400,000 public payout from the Ministry of National Defense to a company tied to the brother of sitting Defense Minister Oscar Mira, raising serious allegations of intentional circumvention of government procurement oversight.

    The leak, first reported by local outlet News Five, adds to a growing cascade of corruption claims targeting the Mira family that have emerged in recent months. Prior to this latest disclosure, unanswered Freedom of Information requests already lingered over hundreds of thousands in public funds directed to another family member, Jenny Mira, while separate scrutiny was already building around a $20,000 monthly contract for staple food supply awarded to Stanley Mira, another of the minister’s siblings.

    The newly surfaced documents shift the controversy from a series of isolated questionable contracts to what critics call a clear pattern of improper public fund distribution. The recipient of the latest payout is MP Farms, an entity registered under the name of Brian Mira, the minister’s third sibling, according to outlet’s investigation by journalist Shane Williams.

    Records show that on September 25, 2025, MP Farms received 44 separate individual payments that add up to $389,796.85 — just shy of the $400,000 mark. What has triggered the most outrage from accountability advocates is the deliberate structure of these transactions: every single invoice was issued for an amount just under the $10,000 threshold that triggers mandatory formal procurement review and higher-level government approval. Further, the 44 invoices are numbered consecutively from 1093 to 1136, with multiple identical amounts repeated across the sequence, including four separate invoices for exactly $9,907.65. This pattern, investigators note, leaves little room for coincidence and strongly suggests intentional structuring to avoid oversight.

    As public pressure builds for a full independent audit, the disclosure has amplified calls for Minister Oscar Mira to answer questions about how multiple members of his immediate family have secured millions in public contracts from the ministry he oversees. Williams’ reporting notes that this latest leak confirms the breadth of financial benefits the Mira family has received through public procurement, deepening the ongoing political controversy.

  • Growing Concern Forces Review of How Defense Contracts Get Approved

    Growing Concern Forces Review of How Defense Contracts Get Approved

    Amid mounting public scrutiny over questionable public spending at Belize’s Ministry of National Defense and Border Security, officials have launched a full internal review of the country’s defense contract approval and payment procedures, following revelations of hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments made to close relatives of a senior government minister.

    The controversy centers on payments issued since 2020 to siblings of current Minister Oscar Mira: Jenny Mira and Brian Mira. The most high-profile transaction saw 44 separate payments totaling nearly $400,000 issued to Brian Mira in a single day in 2025, the year Oscar Mira assumed the top ministerial role. At the time the bulk of the earlier payments to Jenny Mira were processed, current Defense Minister Florencio Marin Junior held the substantive position leading the portfolio.

    In an interview with local media, Marin pushed back against direct responsibility for the unorthodox transactions, emphasizing that the existing approval framework delegates vetting and payment processing to career finance officers and procurement specialists within the government system. “We are guided by the professionals how they do this,” Marin explained in the interview. “And at the ministry, the professionals tell me they process quotations and invoices based on how they are submitted. So we kinda rely on them to guide how the process is paid and well clearly there’s room for improvement and we will continue having the dialogue with finance to hope that we could get it improved.”

    When asked whether ministry leadership had directly engaged with the public officials responsible for processing the payments to identify gaps in oversight, Marin confirmed that preliminary conversations had already occurred, noting that the payment function falls under the oversight of the Ministry of Finance. He added that cross-agency dialogue will continue to revise and strengthen the existing approval process, acknowledging that no system is ever perfect and consistent updates are needed to address vulnerabilities. Marin also defended the value delivered by existing defense contracting, saying “I believe the BDF and the course card have been getting value for money.”

    The internal review, which is now underway, marks the most significant official response to growing public concern over transparency and accountability in defense spending, putting long-standing internal payment protocols under unprecedented institutional scrutiny.

  • Under Fire, Mira Distances Himself from Family Contracts Controversy

    Under Fire, Mira Distances Himself from Family Contracts Controversy

    BELMOPAN, June 17, 2026 — Facing growing public and political backlash over lucrative government contracts awarded to his immediate family members, Belize’s Minister of Home Affairs Oscar Mira has delivered his first public address on the simmering controversy, emphatically distancing himself from any wrongdoing or improper influence over the procurement process.

    News Five reporters caught up with Mira on Wednesday afternoon at a scheduled police awards ceremony in the nation’s capital, where he addressed mounting questions about the multi-faceted scandal that has dominated political discourse in recent days. From the awarding of contracts to leak payment records that have raised new conflict-of-interest red flags, the minister has pushed back against every allegation, arguing he has never held a seat on any government procurement committee and has never attempted to sway procurement decisions made by the Ministry of Finance’s independent bodies.

    “I don’t know if there is an ongoing public criticism, but let me just make clear: as the minister, I sit on no procurement committee. I have never been a member of those procurement groups, which are led exclusively by the Ministry of Finance,” Mira told reporters. “I have no say, I have no influence, and I have never in my ministry, or any other ministry, tried to influence the decision of that committee. They have a job to do, and they have done their job professionally.”

    When pressed to explain how multiple members of his family ended up winning profitable government contracts through the public tender system, Mira framed the process as fully open to any eligible applicant. “Tenders are published in the newspaper. Any interested persons can apply and pay for that tender. They then go through a lengthy evaluation process,” he explained. “I had no say, I was not part of those committees. If they applied and won contracts, they did so on their own, not with my influence or anything to do with me. Everybody who reads the newspaper and wants to be a supplier can go ahead and participate. This is standard process across every government ministry, and I was never part of the decision-making committee.”

    Critics have argued that regardless of formal process, the awarding of contracts to a sitting minister’s close relatives constitutes an obvious conflict of interest. When confronted with that argument, Mira doubled down on his denial of any involvement, noting he was not aware of how many bids were submitted for the contracts in question. “I do not ask nor did I ask anyone who applied. There are many people who applied. That is just one company who applied. I was not a part of it. So I don’t even know how many people applied. It is not me who makes decisions. It is a committee who sits together and makes the decision on who gets contracts. Those are done by buying tender packages and going through the requisite qualifications for what needs to be supplied, and I had nothing to do with that.”

    The controversy has expanded far beyond the initial awarding of contracts, following the leak of screenshots from Belize’s Smart Stream public payment system that have raised new questions about fragmented payment trails to companies linked to Mira’s siblings. When asked if he found any of these transaction details suspicious, Mira again disavowed any connection to how government contractors are paid, maintaining that all payment processes fall under the exclusive purview of the Ministry of Finance.

    Even as public calls for accountability grow louder, Mira characterized the entire ordeal as a “learning experience” for his tenure in office. “I don’t have anything to do with how government pays their contractors or suppliers. I have nothing to do as minister with how the Ministry of Finance handles payments. That is not my decision,” he said. “I really do not know how those payments were structured that way. If you go through the full procurement process, pay for your tender package and all required paperwork, and you are awarded a contract, I think you should be paid for the service you have given. Is there a better way? I believe there is. But that has nothing to do with me as Minister of Home Affairs. I believe every crisis you learn from, and I am trying to make sure I learn from this.”

    The entire scandal traces back to a complaint Mira filed to police against social media commentator Alberto August over critical comments he made online, which ultimately led to August being detained by police overnight. That detention triggered a broader backlash, prompting former Belmopan Area Representative John Saldivar to begin publishing the leaked Smart Stream payment records that have brought the contract controversy into the public spotlight.

    When asked if he regrets filing the initial complaint that opened the door to the current scandal, and whether additional critics could face similar police action, Mira clarified his role in the initial incident. “I did not levy any charges. I did not ask anyone to levy any charges. I am not a policeman, I cannot levy any charge. I did not file a criminal charge either. What I did was I made a complaint as a citizen,” he explained. “I made a complaint because based on legal advice, I felt it was what needed to be done. You don’t try to get cheap political mileage out of a tragedy that impacted the whole community of Belmopan, the medical community, and a grieving family that lost a beloved community member. Those were not my words he attributed to me, so I went to the police department to make that clear. He was afforded the exact same process as any other citizen would be.”

    As for whether he will file additional complaints over the widespread critical and defamatory commentary about the controversy across social media and news outlets, Mira said the matter is now in the hands of his legal team. “I will not discuss that, because I have given all those things to my attorney. My attorney is looking at those, he will advise me on the way forward. Many defamatory statements have been said and reproduced by many news outlets and other people. My attorney is going to give me advice, and that is in his hands now.”

    This report is based on a transcribed broadcast from News Five.

  • Leisure : Did you know ? #33

    Leisure : Did you know ? #33

    Haiti-based general knowledge platform Quiz.HaitiLibre, which publishes two bite-sized trivia segments weekly under its popular ‘Did You Know?’ series, recently highlighted the unparalleled legacy of the most decorated Olympian in history in its 33rd installment. The segment centered on a simple but revealing trivia question: which swimmer holds the all-time record for the most Olympic gold medals? The answer, of course, is Michael Phelps, the Baltimore-born athlete widely recognized as the greatest Olympian to ever compete.

    Over the course of five consecutive Olympic Games, stretching from Athens 2004 through Rio 2016, Phelps amassed a staggering 28 total Olympic medals, 23 of which are gold—a total no other athlete has come close to matching. His most iconic performance came at the 2008 Beijing Games, where he claimed an unprecedented eight gold medals in a single Olympic tournament, breaking a 36-year-old record set by legendary swimmer Mark Spitz that many thought would never be surpassed.

    Blessed with a physique uniquely suited to swimming and trained to a peak of technical perfection, Phelps dominated the butterfly and individual medley disciplines for more than 15 years, outperforming generation after generation of rising competitors. Beyond his historic athletic achievements, Phelps has also cemented his status as a globally inspiring figure by opening up about his personal struggles with mental health, stripping away the impenetrable facade of the superhuman champion to reveal a relatable, human side that has resonated with millions around the world.

    Today, his colossal legacy continues to shape and motivate new generations of competitive swimmers, setting the gold standard for excellence in the modern history of the Summer Olympic Games.

    As part of the announcement of the latest ‘Did You Know?’ segment, HaitiLibre also shared updates to its popular free quiz platform, which offers trivia content on a wide range of topics from Haitian current affairs and culture to global general knowledge. In its June 2026 monthly update, the platform added 31 new quizzes, bringing the total number of available games to 150, with new content added on a monthly basis. All of the platform’s exclusive quizzes are free to access, do not require user registration, and are designed to suit all age groups, with three adjustable difficulty levels—beginner, intermediate, and expert—and full support for both French and English languages. Users can explore the full catalog of trivia content at any time via the platform’s official website.

  • All Eyes on PUP Convention as Allan Pollard Joins Mayoral Race

    All Eyes on PUP Convention as Allan Pollard Joins Mayoral Race

    Belize City politics is entering a new, charged phase as sitting councilor Allan Pollard Jr. has formally thrown his hat into the ring for the 2026 mayoral race, transforming years of quiet ambition into an active, public campaign ahead of the People’s United Party (PUP) nominating convention.

    After being urged to wait his turn for a mayoral run back in 2023, Pollard opted not to stand down this cycle. On June 17, 2026, he filed his official candidacy paperwork surrounded by a large crowd of grassroots supporters, marking a clear break from his past posture of patient waiting and a full commitment to competing for Belize City’s highest municipal office.

    “I am formally submitting my application to become the next mayor of Belize City to support and represent the beautiful people of Belize City and the party,” Pollard told reporters on the day of his filing. When asked about the impressive show of public support that turned out for his announcement, he framed the turnout as organic goodwill from backers. “I asked family and friends to come, but you can’t tell people to come but you can’t tell people you can’t come. So they came out and support and this is all love. Convention day you will see the full extent of that support.”

    Pollard’s entry sets up a head-to-head battle for the PUP nomination at the upcoming convention against fellow sitting councilor Eluide Miller, who submitted his own candidacy the previous week. While Miller’s filing was backed by seven sitting fellow councilors, he has not drawn the same size of public grassroots turnout as Pollard saw at his announcement.

    The competitive tension of the race has already spilled into public view, with sharp criticism coming from Pollard’s father, veteran political figure Allan “Duck” Pollard Sr. He did not mince words when addressing the bloc of councilors backing Miller, calling the group “a bunch of snakes” and arguing that his son’s straightforward integrity set him apart from the bloc. “My son is too straight for those bunch of snakes. All of them is a snake, because my son put out his head for one of the councilors and the minute he get elected he turned on him,” Pollard Sr. said, adding that Miller’s support comes from political insiders rather than ordinary residents. “Miller, Miller you father-in-law wah endorse you? Dah the people, this dah the people you know, dah the people.”

    Many of Pollard Jr.’s supporters in the crowd echoed anti-establishment sentiment, chanting that they reject what they referred to as “a Wagner enterprise” — a reference to incumbent Mayor Wagner, who has publicly backed Miller’s candidacy. When asked directly if he saw a conflict of interest in the familial ties between Wagner and Miller and the mayor’s endorsement, Pollard Jr. struck a more measured tone, emphasizing respect for the democratic process.

    “No man if we were suppose to frown on that we should have from the time he ran as a councilor and I don’t see any conflict there. I don’t see any now,” Pollard said. “The people have opposing views but that is their views and right. For me, I respect anybody that wants to run and I respect anybody who the mayor wants to support. The mayor cannot deny my capabilities or myself as a candidate.”

    Pollard’s electoral track record gives his candidacy undeniable credibility. In both the 2021 and 2024 municipal elections, he earned more votes than any of his fellow councilors — even outperforming incumbent Mayor Wagner at the polls. That proven popularity with voters has positioned him as a formidable challenger to Miller for the nomination.

    Looking ahead to the lead-up to the convention and the general election, Pollard says he plans to spend the next nine months engaging directly with Belize City residents, crafting a policy platform that addresses local needs, and building on his existing grassroots support to win the nomination and, ultimately, the mayoral office. The deadline for all candidates to file their nomination papers is Friday, meaning all contenders for the PUP mayoral nomination will be confirmed by the end of the week.

    This report was compiled from original on-the-ground reporting by Paul Lopez for News Five.

  • ‘No 6ixx and 7even violence’ for carnival – ‘Buju’

    ‘No 6ixx and 7even violence’ for carnival – ‘Buju’

    As preparations ramp up for one of the Caribbean’s most anticipated annual cultural celebrations, the acting deputy commissioner of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, Trevor “Buju” Bailey, has issued a bold public guarantee: the 2026 iteration of Vincy Mas will retain its long-held reputation as the safest carnival in the entire region.

    Bailey delivered his firm security pledge during an official press conference hosted by the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC) on Wednesday, sending a direct warning to any potential troublemakers: anyone who attempts to bring violent conflict into the capital city of Kingstown during the 10-day festival will be confronted head-on by law enforcement.

    In recent months, local public safety has been roiled by rising gang-related tensions, with two rival groups identified by the numerical monikers “6ixx” and “7even” emerging as the primary sources of conflict. Bailey addressed these tensions head-on, reframing the numerical narrative around carnival security to center the unified force of law enforcement. “I want to replace the six and the seven with one number — one Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force. That is the only number that we carry: one,” he stated.

    To potential gang members planning to bring inter-group violence to the celebrations, Bailey delivered an unmistakeable message: “If you have any bad intention, keep your intention to yourself. If you bring it to Kingstown, you will come head on with number one, and we will flex our muscles, and I’m saying it boldly. We will flex our muscles as hard as we can if you bring any 6ixx and 7even violence… because we get serious when it comes to that.”

    Bailey structured his security advocacy around a striking “10 to 1” framework, highlighting the broad cross-section of stakeholders united in their demand for a peaceful festival. He counted the Minister of National Security, the Commissioner of Police, the CDC, the Ministry of Health, local vendors, event promoters, school children, the national taxi association, and local merchants as nine of the ten voices calling for calm — with the unified police force representing the tenth. This aligns with the well-known local idiom “ten to one is murder,” meaning overwhelming advantage for the side holding majority support.

    “Now, if I give you 10, there’s that old saying ‘10 to one is…’ and I’m leaving it right there. I am not saying the other word,” Bailey noted. “I’m just saying 10 to one is — so there are 10 of us against you alone. So don’t bring no 6ixx and 7even violence into our carnival. We’re going to stamp that out.”

    As a key demonstration of the force’s preparation, Bailey pointed to recent successful security operations at smaller rural carnival events held across St. Vincent. Two major regional carnivals, held the prior weekend in Georgetown and Chateaubelair, were policed with reinforced personnel numbers, and passed without major incidents. That model, he confirmed, will be scaled up for the national 2026 event.

    “None of those events had a shortage of police. We ensured that there were more than enough security personnel on the ground, and that is an indication that come 2026 for the national carnival, there’s going to be no shortage of police presence in and around Kingstown,” Bailey said.

    The acting deputy commissioner acknowledged that carnival inherently brings large crowds, widespread alcohol consumption, and public revelry, and emphasized that law enforcement has no intention of disrupting the festive atmosphere. Rather, the police’s goal is to create a controlled, secure environment where all attendees can celebrate safely. “We know that for the 10‑day period, people are going to come to Kingstown, they’re going to consume the alcohol, they’re going to enjoy all of the shows, they’re going to patronise the bars, and we want people to come and do that,” he said. “You will be doing so in an environment that is safe and secure.”

    To deliver on that promise, Bailey confirmed that uniformed officers will maintain high visibility across all areas of Kingstown throughout the festival. “At every corner, at every junction, when you travel Kingstown, you will interface with police officers who are dressed in the uniform of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, so the environment to party, the environment to revel will be safe,” he said.

    In a nod to the festive context, Bailey confirmed that officers have received internal guidance to exercise measured tolerance for minor misbehavior linked to alcohol and celebration, such as occasional offensive language. Officers are instructed to de-escalate first, issuing a verbal warning to misbehaving attendees before turning to formal arrest. For example, officers may simply remind intoxicated attendees to adjust their behavior and encourage them to head home if they have overconsumed.

    However, Bailey stressed that this flexibility is not a free pass for serious disorder. “It is not a licence for you to come to Kingstown and drink and misbehave and figure that because I say we’re going to be flexible, you come and mash up the place,” he warned. “We will not allow that behaviour to get too excessive.”

    A core pillar of the 2026 security plan is a strict “no glass bottle” policy across all of Kingstown and surrounding carnival venues. Under the new rule, all vendors will be required to serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in disposable plastic cups, and attendees will be prohibited from carrying glass containers through public festival areas. The policy will be formalized by Minister of National Security St. Clair Leacock, who will officially designate the relevant areas as no-glass-bottle zones.

    “It is an offence to traverse the streets walking with your Guinness and your beer in the bottle like that. We don’t want to have to arrest anyone for that violation. All we simply ask is that you pour your drink into a plastic glass and enjoy your drink,” Bailey explained. Officers have also been instructed to enforce the rule with flexibility: rather than confiscating and pouring out drinks from attendees found with glass, officers will ask holders to either pour the beverage into a provided plastic cup or finish the drink on-site before surrendering the container.

    Reaffirming the police force’s commitment as a core partner to the CDC, Bailey closed by repeating his guarantee that the 2026 Vincy Mas will live up to its regional reputation for safety. “Vincy Mas is indeed the safest carnival in the region, and… 2026 is going to be no exception,” he said. “We’re going to give the full, full support and ensure that Vincymas is a successful one.”