Barbados
The prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has secured a spot on the 2025 Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, ranking at No 99 among the world’s most influential political, business, and philanthropic leaders.
Forbes highlights Mottley’s continued global impact, especially her forceful advocacy on climate change, her diplomatic leadership, and her role in leading Barbados’ constitutional transition.
On her Forbes profile, it noted that Mottley was elected in 2018 as the first woman to serve as prime minister of Barbados.
Also mentioned was her rise as a global leader on climate issues, with reference to her 2021 address to the United Nations General Assembly, where she delivered an “impassioned speech” calling for urgent action.
That same year, she was also named a “Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership” by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Forbes further emphasized her role in Barbados’ historic constitutional movement: “Under her leadership, in November 2021, Barbados officially became a parliamentary republic and removed the Queen of England as its head of state.”
Mottley’s inclusion places her among a global cohort of women shaping economies, diplomacy, technology, philanthropy, and cultural influence.
The 2025 Power Women list is led by political heavyweights, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at No 1; European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde at No. 2; and Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, at No 3.
Caribbean
The government of the Dominican Republic has authorized several U.S. military aircraft to land in the country as part of an operational support deployment in the Caribbean.
The aircraft will have temporary permits to operate from restricted areas at San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport.
The agreement covers surveillance, transport, and technical support missions.
Aircraft expected to take part include the KC-130 tanker and the C-130 Hercules, two of the U.S. Air Force’s most versatile and widely used platforms.
The C-130, designed for rugged operations during the Cold War, is one of the most successful military transport aircraft in history. The KC-130 serves as a tanker and logistics aircraft, enabling aerial refueling for fighter jets, helicopters, and drones.
Authorities have not disclosed flight schedules or the number of aircraft involved, but it is believed that their deployment in the Dominican Republic may support maritime and aerial surveillance, movement of sensitive equipment, logistics for regional security operations, in-flight refueling, and transportation of technical personnel.
The mission is said to be part of ongoing security and technical cooperation agreements between both countries.
Guyana
President Irfaan Ali recently announced a cash grant to persons living with disabilities as it joined the global community in observing International Day for Persons Living with Disabilities.
Addressing a Christmas luncheon held in observation of International Day for Persons with Disabilities, Ali said, “I am pleased to announce that I have instructed that a one-off grant of GUY$50,000 be paid to every disabled person before the end of this month.”
He said that the payout will deliver GUY$41.4 billion to assist more than 27,000 vulnerable citizens and that the initiative aligns with his government’s commitment to building a fully inclusive society.
“Our mission is to create an environment where the disabled can fully participate in all aspects of national life, pursue your dreams, and contribute meaningfully to our nation’s growth.”
“Together we will continue to build a unified, inclusive Guyana where no one is left behind,” Ali said, adding that in the near future a number of measures will be announced for persons living with disabilities including special support for house lot and home ownership and financial subsidies.
He said since 2020 the government has been committed to transforming its vision of an inclusive society into a tangible reality for all citizens including those living with disabilities.
“Through these and other measures in the coming months and years, my government will continue to create and generate tangible advantages and benefits for (Persons living with disabilities) especially through empowering and self-fulfilling opportunities for meaningful work and earning opportunities.”
“Looking ahead, our commitment extends to ensuring no child is deprive of an education, through the expansion of special needs school and public buildings for providing special classrooms. We are retrofitting access, free healthcare and prosthetic support. Through our One Guyana’ initiative we are developing a comprehensive database which will tailor our interventions,” Ali added.
In 2022, the government introduced a GUY$100,000 one-off grant for children with permanent disabilities, followed by a grant issued in late 2024 for all registered persons with disabilities.
Haiti
Ten children are among the dozens of people killed in Haiti’s capital during a clash between a powerful gang coalition and a group of armed men, a local human rights group said.
Among those killed was Dèdè, one of the highest ranking gang members that operates in the Bel-Air slum of Port-au-Prince. He was beheaded, while powerful gang leader Kempes Sanon, a former police officer, was injured, according to the Committee for Peace and Development.
Many worry that the attack, which began in recent days, will unleash even more violence in the city that is already 90% controlled by gangs.
According to the human rights group, Sanon has been dethroned by two men who go by the names of Jamesly and Ti Gason.
The ongoing attack is unusual because a large number of gangs joined forces in September 2023 and announced the formation of Viv Ansanm, or “Live Together,” a coalition that led to a drop in violence since armed groups agreed to no longer fight each other.
The Viv Ansanm coalition has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US.
So far, the human rights group has counted at least 49 people killed, burned and mutilated since the attack, with 19 of the them being gang members, 10 children recruited by gangs and a man in his 60s who was struck by a stray bullet.
Nineteen women whose partners were gang members also were executed by the Krache Dife gang as they sought medical attention for the men at a clinic, the group said.
Krache Dife, which means “Spit Fire,” is believed to still be an ally of Sanon and a member of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition.
The number of people killed is expected to rise since the attack is ongoing and no authorities or human rights groups have been able to access the area.
Hundreds of civilians are sheltering in place as the attack continues, with growing concern about their ability to obtain food and other basic goods, as more than half of the country’s people already experience crisis levels of hunger or worse.
The attack is expected to further destabilize Haiti.
Jamaica
Following the mass destruction caused by Category Five Hurricane Melissa, the Jamaican government has issued a directive cancelling Christmas parties across all government entities this year.
The announcement was made by Minister of Education Dana Morris Dixon at a recent post-Cabinet press briefing.
“We have agreed to allow small in-ministry or in-department recognition and morale-building activities. So if you are doing something in the office itself, that is fine, but no rental of external venues is allowed,” she said.
Morris Dixon said ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are being encouraged to conduct outreach activities with members of their team who have been affected and who reside in affected areas.
“We would love to see many of our ministries, departments and agencies continuing the work that many are doing in terms of doing outreach in the affected areas,” she said.
Meanwhile, the private sector is being urged to go forward with their Christmas plans.
“We have had reports of many hotels saying that they are seeing cancellations from private-sector entities. We really do need to make up for what is happening in the west, in terms of the downturn in economic activity. So those of us in areas that haven’t been affected as much, please go out and spend money,” Morris Dixon said.
She reasoned that while the economy needs the support of continued spending, people should also dedicate time to outreach in the affected areas.
