Carib Scope

标签： Saint Lucia

圣卢西亚

  • Seven students honoured for leadership, service and character

    Seven students honoured for leadership, service and character

    Across the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia, seven exceptional graduating secondary school students have earned top honors from CIBC Caribbean through the bank’s newly launched Culture of Care Student Recognition Programme, an initiative designed to lift up young leaders whose impact stretches far beyond traditional academic report cards.

    Unlike standard academic awards that center exclusively on grades, this program celebrates students who demonstrate a deep, active commitment to lifting up their school campuses and local neighborhoods. The selection framework draws on multiple criteria: not only solid academic standing, but also proven leadership ability, consistent community engagement, strong moral character, and demonstrated resilience in the face of personal challenge. One recipient was chosen from each of the seven participating secondary schools across the country.

    The 2026 award cohort brings together a diverse cross-section of young Saint Lucian talent: Kami Analise St Rose from St Joseph’s Convent Secondary School, Shyann Mayers from Ciceron Secondary School, Sanjani Cetoline from Corinth Secondary School, Saachi Wadhwani from Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School, Darnel Isidore from Castries Comprehensive Secondary School, Jervonté Desir from Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School, and Colleen Busette from Sir Ira Simmons Secondary School.

    This group of honorees represents the full breadth of youth leadership across the island. The recipients include elected student body leaders, campus prefects, peer mentors for struggling classmates, regular community volunteers, competitive school athletes, grassroots environmental advocates, and passionate STEM enthusiasts. Collectively, their post-graduation aspirations span high-impact fields from medicine to civil engineering to emerging technology, reflecting a new generation ready to contribute to Saint Lucia’s future.

    Each honoree received tangible recognition for their work, including a custom commemorative trophy, a CIBC Caribbean student account seeded with a cash deposit, and additional branded tokens of achievement. Beyond rewarding the individual students, the bank also committed $1,000 to support the graduation ceremony of each participating school, injecting critical funding into end-of-year community celebrations for all graduating students.

    Nigel Ollivierre, Country Manager for CIBC Caribbean, emphasized that the program grows out of the institution’s longstanding commitment to investing in Saint Lucia’s youth. “At CIBC Caribbean, we believe that the future of our communities depends not only on academic excellence, but on the values young people choose to live by,” Ollivierre said. “Through the Culture of Care Student Recognition Programme, we are proud to celebrate students who lead with integrity, serve others with compassion and demonstrate the resilience and character that inspire those around them.”

    This student recognition initiative is just one part of CIBC Caribbean’s broader community investment strategy focused on education and youth development across Saint Lucia. The bank has extended additional financial support to a number of other local schools to help cover costs for 2026 graduation celebrations, reinforcing its commitment to nurturing the next generation of Caribbean leaders.

  • Saint Lucian breaks silence on childhood abuse in debut memoir

    Saint Lucian breaks silence on childhood abuse in debut memoir

    Eighteen months ago, 39-year-old Ronetta Billy hesitated to take on the deeply personal project of writing her life story. Unpacking her past meant confronting decades of suppressed pain, forcing her to relive traumatic experiences as if they were unfolding on a screen in front of her. But one urgent truth pushed her past her fear: every day she waited, more children in the Caribbean communities she once called home would face the same unspoken harm she survived as a child. After a year and a half of painful excavation, the first volume of her memoir series, *A Plucked White Orchid*, hit shelves in June 2026.

  • Windwards Rising Stars suffer second defeat in a row

    Windwards Rising Stars suffer second defeat in a row

    The Cricket West Indies Rising Stars Men’s Under-19 50-Over Championship has delivered another tense round of matches, with the Windward Islands falling to their second consecutive defeat at the hands of Trinidad & Tobago in a tightly contested clash at Antigua & Barbuda’s Coolidge Cricket Ground in St John’s. Despite a standout individual performance from batter Tyler Venner and a disciplined effort in the field from the whole squad, the Windwards could not hold off Trinidad & Tobago’s late push for victory, which ended in a narrow three-wicket win for the twin-island side.

    Windwards captain Theo Edward won the pre-match coin toss and elected to set a target for Trinidad & Tobago by batting first. Edward and opening partner Johnathan Daniel, both hailing from Saint Lucia, put together a solid opening stand of 37 runs to get their innings off to a promising start. Edward’s time at the crease ended early, however, as he was dismissed in the seventh over after posting 13 runs from 14 deliveries. He was followed back to the pavilion just moments later by West Indies Under-19 representative Earsinho Fontaine, who finished his innings with 12 runs.

    Daniel was the next top batter to go, out for 27 runs from 30 balls that included one boundary four and two powerful sixes. By the 20th over, the Windwards had collapsed to 73 runs for the loss of six wickets, with Khavaugn Bartholomew, Aiden Burton and Cody Fontenelle all back in the dressing room after quick dismissals. Just as he did in the team’s opening championship match, Venner stepped up to steady the innings with a calm, patient knock. The batter finished with 62 runs off 96 balls, including three fours and two sixes, marking his second consecutive half-century in the tournament. Useful contributions from Kevin Joseph and Kazado Henry, who both reached double figures, helped the Windwards post a total of 183 runs for nine wickets from their full 50 overs, with Venner the final batter dismissed on the last ball of the innings.

    Venner got the Windwards off to an ideal start in their bowling innings too, removing Trinidad & Tobago opener Zakariyya Mohammed on the very first ball of the chase. Trinidad & Tobago recovered quickly, though, building a solid 39-ball partnership for the second wicket to get their chase back on track. By the time captain Brendan Boodoo was dismissed for a knock of 67, Trinidad & Tobago was cruising at 160 runs for five wickets after 32 overs, well on track to reach the required target.

    Windwards medium pacer Aravinda Bishop turned the tide of the match briefly, picking up three quick wickets to give his side a shot at pulling off an unlikely win. When Trinidad & Tobago lost their seventh wicket on the first ball of the 39th over, the scores were level at 183. Just four deliveries later, Trinidad & Tobago knocked the winning run to secure the three-wicket victory. In other matches from the same round of the championship, Jamaica and defending title holders Barbados both secured wins to start their campaigns.

  • West Indies collapse gifts New Zealand series-levelling victory

    West Indies collapse gifts New Zealand series-levelling victory

    The five-match One Day International (ODI) series between New Zealand and the West Indies has reached a 1-1 deadlock, following a tightly contested low-scoring clash at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Monday that ended with a five-wicket victory for the Black Caps. The result comes just days after the West Indies, known colloquially as the Men in Maroon, secured a comfortable opening-match win to kick off the series.

    Despite being put into bat first after Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner won the coin toss, the West Indies got off to a promising start. Openers Ackeem Auguste and John Campbell built a solid 63-run first-wicket partnership before both were dismissed in quick succession. Campbell went on to top the West Indies batting chart with 43 runs, but his dismissal triggered a dramatic collapse from the middle and lower order. One batsman after another trod out to the crease, faced only a handful of deliveries for minimal runs, and returned to the pavilion.

    In an unusual turn for the match, six of the West Indies’ 10 wickets fell to bowled dismissals. New Zealand’s left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox delivered a match-winning performance, finishing with career-best figures of 5 wickets for just 19 runs. Santner and all-rounder Michael Bracewell chipped in with two wickets apiece, bundling the West Indies out for a surprisingly low total that left the Black Caps with a manageable chase target.

    The West Indies responded strongly with their bowling attack, picking up wickets at consistent intervals to put New Zealand under pressure throughout the chase. However, the Kiwi batting line-up held firm to cross the finish line, clinching the win and pulling the series level ahead of the third fixture.

    In a post-match press interaction, West Indies skipper Shai Hope reflected on the narrow defeat, noting that an extra 60 to 70 runs from his batting unit would have likely flipped the result. “Conditions here in the Caribbean usually favor teams batting second,” Hope explained. “I’m not someone who wins the toss very often, so adapting to batting first is an area we need to improve in. We have to adjust ahead of the next match and figure out how to set a competitive total that will challenge New Zealand.”

    The third match of the five-match series is scheduled to take place at the same Providence venue this Thursday, where the West Indies will look to iron out their batting inconsistencies and retake the series lead, while New Zealand will aim to build on their momentum to go ahead.

  • Hilaire on Carnival Pageant: ‘A tie will never happen again’

    Hilaire on Carnival Pageant: ‘A tie will never happen again’

    A landmark decision to crown two joint winners at Saint Lucia’s 2024 National Carnival Queen Pageant has triggered a full-scale review of competition rules across all of the island nation’s iconic Carnival events, with a new tie-breaker mechanism set to be introduced to prevent shared titles in future pageants.

    The announcement came from Dr. Ernest Hilaire, Minister for Creative Industries and Culture, during a pre-Cabinet press briefing held on Monday. Hilaire pushed back against criticism of this year’s dual coronation, explaining that the existing regulatory framework had no provisions for resolving tied scores, leaving event organizers with no other viable option than to name two winners.

    He noted that inserting a last-minute tie-breaker mid-competition would have been unfair to competing contestants and opened the Carnival Planning and Management Committee up to potential legal disputes from participants or their teams. Despite defending the 2024 decision as the only legally and ethically sound choice under the current rules, Hilaire confirmed that this scenario will not be repeated going forward.

    “A tie will never happen again. We’re going to redo the rules,” he stated firmly.

    The planned regulatory update will extend far beyond the National Carnival Queen Pageant, Hilaire confirmed. The government is launching a comprehensive review of judging criteria and competition rules for every major Carnival event hosted on the island, with the core goals of boosting competition quality and minimizing potential scoring bias from judges.

    One of the leading reform proposals already on the table would discard judges’ highest and lowest scores when calculating final results for high-profile competitions including Soca Monarch and Calypso, a common methodology used to reduce outlier bias in judging across many international events.

    “I’m also going to ask the team to look at the rules across all competitions… just let us refresh; there are new methodologies for judging. There’s so much more we can do,” Hilaire added.

    The minister emphasized that the government will not impose new rules unilaterally. Instead, the reform process will include wide-ranging consultations with key Carnival stakeholders, a review of successful regulatory frameworks from leading regional and international Carnival hosts, and collective consensus-building before any new regulations are formally adopted.

  • Three new beach volleyball coaches certified

    Three new beach volleyball coaches certified

    Against the backdrop of the recently concluded Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Under-20 Beach Volleyball Championships, a landmark series of professional development courses for coaches and referees delivered tangible growth for emerging volleyball talent across the region. Hosted in St Kitts & Nevis at the Frigate Bay Marriott Hotel, the four integrated training programs—an FIVB foundational beach volleyball coaches course, an advanced coaching certification, a national referee course, and an international continental referee course—drew participants from across member territories, with five representatives from Saint Lucia earning new credentials and advanced qualifications.

    Among the Saint Lucian cohort was Terry Verdant, head coach of Saint Lucia’s medal-winning youth beach volleyball squad, which claimed gold in the men’s competition and bronze in the women’s tournament at the same Frigate Bay championship event. Verdant successfully completed the rigorous advanced coaching course, while three other Saint Lucian participants—Reala Montoute, Utilla Prosper-Charles, and Fedel Aurelise—graduated as newly certified coaches, expanding Volleyball Saint Lucia’s pool of qualified technical leadership.

    The five-day intensive training program brought together 25 total regional participants for a curriculum that blended classroom instruction, hands-on on-court practice, and physical conditioning, all led by Mark Kontopoulos, a veteran FIVB instructor and international coach educator with more than a quarter-century of experience spanning both indoor and beach volleyball. Under Kontopoulos’ guidance, attendees mastered modern evidence-based coaching methodologies and deepened their technical and tactical mastery of the fast-growing sport of beach volleyball. Instructor Rick Bevis also supported course delivery, while key regional sports leaders including ECVA president Glenn Quinlan and Dennis “Freddie” Knight, President of the St Kitts and Nevis National Olympic Committee and PanAm Sports Executive Board member, were in attendance to highlight the long-term value of the initiative.

    While no candidates from Saint Lucia completed the national referee certification course, Saint Lucia’s own Keam Charlery served as one of just two facilitators for the program, which was coordinated by Reginald Willemsberg. All participants earned official completion certificates after combining academic learning with live practical experience gained during the ongoing Under-20 championship, putting new skills into practice in a real competitive setting.

    In remarks during the event, Quinlan emphasized that grassroots professional development remains a core priority for the regional governing body. “Development will always remain at the heart of ECVA’s mission. By investing in our coaches, we invest directly in our athletes and the future of volleyball in the Eastern Caribbean,” he said, framing the training initiative as a critical step toward lifting the competitive standard of beach and indoor volleyball across all Eastern Caribbean member territories.

  • Saudi Arabian national killed in Marigot

    Saudi Arabian national killed in Marigot

    A deadly shooting has shaken the Chinatown district of Marigot, prompting an ongoing active investigation from local law enforcement following the Monday evening incident.

    Emergency dispatch received reports of gunfire in the area at approximately 9:10 p.m., and officers from the Marigot Police Department were immediately deployed to the scene to secure the site and launch initial inquiries.

    Upon arriving at the location, responding officers discovered an unresponsive adult male inside a parked vehicle. First responders quickly assessed the man’s condition and identified a penetrating gunshot wound to his chest. A physician who arrived at the scene shortly after formally pronounced the victim dead.

    Local authorities have since released the identity of the deceased: 33-year-old Abdallah Ragab Abozorik, a citizen of Saudi Arabia. No additional details about potential motives, suspects, or prior connections to the victim have been released to the public as the investigation remains in its early active phase.

    The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force is now issuing a public appeal for community assistance to move the case forward. Any individual who holds information—even seemingly minor details—that could support investigators in solving the shooting is urged to contact the service’s Major Crimes Unit directly at 456-3754. For community members who prefer to share information without revealing their identity, multiple anonymous channels are also available: tips can be called in to the dedicated Crime Hotline at 555, or submitted digitally via the official Crime Hotline mobile application.

  • Dragon fruit nursery opens as ministry grows Saint Lucia’s agriculture

    Dragon fruit nursery opens as ministry grows Saint Lucia’s agriculture

    The Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia is positioning dragon fruit as a cornerstone of its evolving agricultural strategy, following the official launch of the country’s first specialized dragon fruit nursery in Union, Castries. The new facility, opened Friday by the Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the Taiwan Technical Mission, forms a key component of the government’s broader Seven Crops Project, an initiative designed to revamp the nation’s agricultural sector for modern challenges. The nursery will address a critical gap in local production by supplying farmers with standardized, high-quality planting material, as the government actively encourages greater adoption of this high-value, climate-adaptable crop.

    Aldine Eudovic, national coordinator for the Seven Crops Project, explained that the new nursery is far more than an isolated investment in a single crop—it is a core piece of a long-term strategy to diversify Saint Lucia’s agricultural output and build greater systemic resilience against the accelerating impacts of climate change. “This is not just a standalone effort to expand dragon fruit cultivation,” Eudovic noted. “It is one of many targeted initiatives we have rolled out under the Seven Crops Project to strengthen our agricultural portfolio.”

    Eudovic added that dragon fruit was selected for prioritized development due to its unique hardiness, which allows it to thrive in growing conditions that leave many of the island’s traditional staple crops struggling. As a member of the cactus family, dragon fruit grows successfully on marginal, low-fertility lands that are unsuitable for most conventional crops. This trait aligns perfectly with the Ministry of Agriculture’s climate action goals, which have shifted toward encouraging adoption of non-traditional, drought-tolerant crops that can withstand rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns.

    Beyond its climate benefits, dragon fruit also fills a rapidly growing unmet market demand on the island. Eudovic explained that Saint Lucia’s key hospitality sector has expressed overwhelming interest in sourcing local dragon fruit, with current demand far outstripping the volume that small-scale local producers can currently supply. “Hotels have been reaching out in droves for this product,” she said. “Tourists are eager for unique, fresh tropical produce grown right here in Saint Lucia, and the hotel sector is eager to meet that demand.”

    While Saint Lucia has never imported dragon fruit, only a small number of local farmers have grown the crop on a small scale for years. The government’s new initiative aims to accelerate commercial-scale production by distributing subsidized high-quality seedlings and providing dedicated technical guidance to farmers looking to add dragon fruit to their operations. Eudovic also pointed to another key economic advantage of the crop: its extended shelf life makes it an ideal candidate for export to regional and international markets, opening up new revenue streams for local producers.

    Agriculture Minister Lisa Jawahir framed the opening of the nursery as a milestone in the government’s ongoing push to modernize Saint Lucia’s farming sector. “Dragon fruit is the perfect symbol of resilience,” Jawahir said in remarks at the opening. “It thrives where many crops struggle, reminding us that with innovation and climate-smart agriculture, we can turn our greatest challenges into economic opportunities.”

    In addition to dragon fruit seedlings, the new nursery will also supply farmers with quality guava seedlings, giving producers more options to diversify their crop portfolios and tap into growing market demand for both specialty tropical fruits. Jawahir also emphasized the strategic opportunity to strengthen ties between the island’s agricultural sector and its core tourism industry. “There is no reason that authentic Saint Lucian agritourism experiences shouldn’t feature premium dragon fruit and guava grown right here on our soil,” she said. “By connecting our agriculture sector to our tourism industry, we create new, stable income streams for our farmers, cut unnecessary import costs, and strengthen our overall national economy.”

    Expanding local production of high-demand fruits like dragon fruit forms part of the government’s broader national goal to cut Saint Lucia’s multi-million-dollar annual food import bill, while creating inclusive new income opportunities for smallholder and commercial farmers across the island. To lower barriers for adoption, participating farmers will be able to purchase dragon fruit seedlings from the nursery at a heavily subsidized, reduced rate.

  • WASCO reports progress on Patience upgrade project

    WASCO reports progress on Patience upgrade project

    A landmark $2 million initiative designed to expand and upgrade access to clean drinking water for residents of Mon Repos and surrounding communities in Saint Lucia is moving steadily toward its 2026 completion deadline, with major construction milestones already crossed, project leaders have confirmed.

    Funded by the Caribbean Development Fund and implemented by the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) of Saint Lucia, the Patience water supply redevelopment project aims to deliver a fully modernized, climate-resilient water treatment and distribution network built to accommodate the region’s growing population and long-term development needs. Unlike aging existing infrastructure, the upgraded system is engineered to withstand the increasing climate pressures facing small island Caribbean nations, from extreme weather events to shifting rainfall patterns.

    Maurice Norville, WASCO’s project manager for the initiative, shared detailed updates on the construction timeline in recent remarks. He confirmed that the project’s critical river intake structure has been fully completed structurally, with only minor final works remaining. “The intake is completed structurally, and the only works left to do on this site would be to realign the river and do some boulder packing along the site,” Norville explained.

    Progress is also advancing on the project’s pumping station, which is currently 75 percent finished, while crews continue laying out new pipe corridors that will form the backbone of the upgraded distribution network. All civil engineering works across the project site have been wrapped up, including the full completion of the foundation for the central water treatment plant, Norville added.

    The next major phase of the project — installation of the treatment plant equipment — is on track to begin once the specialized machinery arrives from its manufacturing origin in Europe. Norville confirmed that the shipment is currently en route and is expected to reach Saint Lucia during the second or third week of July, clearing the way for installation to start immediately after customs processing.

    Once fully completed in September 2026, the project is set to transform water access for local communities, delivering marked improvements to both the volume and quality of water available to residents. For small island developing states like Saint Lucia, reliable water infrastructure is a core component of public health and economic resilience, making this upgrade a high-priority public investment.

    “Once the project is completed, which is scheduled for completion in September 2026, we can expect better supply in terms of both volume and quality of water to the residents of Patience and its surrounding areas,” Norville said.

    The Patience redevelopment project is just one component of WASCO’s island-wide effort to modernize Saint Lucia’s entire water infrastructure network. The public utility is continuing to roll out targeted upgrades across the country to ensure consistent, long-term reliable water service for all Saint Lucian communities.

  • Panorama crown back in Babonneau

    Panorama crown back in Babonneau

    One year after seeing their six consecutive championship run come to an end, Courts Babonneau Steel Orchestra has bounced back to reclaim the top spot at the 2026 Republic Bank Panorama competition, securing the coveted title in a tense final round of competition held Sunday night.

    In a remarkable twist that added drama to the annual steelpan competition, both the newly crowned champion and last year’s winner chose the same arrangement for their final performances: Rootsy’s beloved piece *Hilary*. When the final scores were tallied, Courts Babonneau’s dynamic interpretation of the selection earned them a total of 247.5 points, enough to edge out defending champions Pantime Steel Orchestra, who finished just 3.5 points behind with 244 points to claim second place.

    Pantastic Muzik Steel Orchestra rounded out the top three with a score of 226 for their performance of *Boom Bye Bye* by Messanger, while LCCU Laborie Steel Pan took fourth position with 224 points for their rendition of *Cyah Believe It* by Sly.

    Alongside the coveted orchestra title, the competition also featured a closely contested solo division. Chazzi Desrivieres emerged as the solo champion, earning an overall score of 433.5 for his performance of Arthur’s *Lottery*. Jessy Nurse claimed second place in the solo category with 423 points performing Kisha Kay’s *Different Energy*, and Omar Gabriel followed closely behind in third with 416 points for the same selection. Kannis Desrivieres took fourth place in the solo competition with 398 points for his take on Imran Nerdy’s *Feelings*.

    The 2026 Republic Bank Panorama continues the event’s long legacy as a premier celebration of steelpan music, showcasing elite talent from across the region and drawing widespread attention from fans of the genre globally. For Courts Babonneau, the victory caps off a year of intense preparation after their unexpected defeat in 2025, reaffirming their status as one of the most dominant steel orchestras in the competition’s recent history.