Dominica last Week: Top Five Stories You May Have Missed

Miss Dominica emerges 1st runner-up at Jaycees Queen Show

Reigning Miss Dominica Adicia Burton has captured the first place position at the 2023 Miss Jaycees Queen Show, with host country Antigua and Barbuda walking away with the crown. Burton competed against eight other regional beauties in the esteemed pageant, which celebrated its sixth decade under the theme "Celebrating 60 Years of Vibrancy, Culture, and Talent."

The twenty-year-old, who competed in position 7, utilised the pageant to promote her platform, Reparations for Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean, with a focus on the Kalinago people.

When the results were read following the nearly four-hour long-show, Ischikelle Corbin of Antigua and Barbuda swept the board, bringing home the awards in all the judged categories of the competition.

These include Best Dress for Evening Wear, Best Modelling in Evening Wear, Best Performing Talent, Best in Swimwear, Best in Interview and unjudged Miss Congeniality.

The 2nd Runner-Up position was captured by Miss St. Vincent & the Grenadines Shadyn McLean, while unjudged awards of Miss Photogenic and Most True to the Theme went to Miss Saint Lucia Shanice Butcher.

No more passports to Iraq, Belarus, and Russia, among other modifications

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that his government will no longer grant citizenship to residents from remote regions of Iraq, Belarus, and Russia.

This follows the British Home Office's declaration last month that Dominican nationals planning to visit the United Kingdom (UK) must now apply for a visa due to changes in the country's immigration law. Concerns about the island's (and another country, Vanuata's) Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI) had been raised.

Among other changes, Skerrit stated that his administration had created legislation restricting residents from altering their names, citing one of the British concerns.

He also highlighted that all CBI personnel underwent anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing training from a business based in the United States of America (USA).

"We restricted the Citizenship By Investment Unit and engaged an expert compliance officer to ensure all procedures are updated, quality control is strictly followed, and our IT [Information Technology] system is upgraded," he revealed.

Furthermore, he stated that his administration issued notices of intent to revoke the citizenship of citizens who made false declarations or misrepresentations in visa applications to partner nations.

He went on to state that in addition to the due diligence checks conducted by the US and UK international firms and the JRCC, "we engaged Dominica's Financial Intelligence Unit to assist with the due diligence process."

Dominica Domino Association revamps, elects new executive

On the heels of the Nature Island Domino League, the Dominica Domino fraternity has revamped the Dominica Domino Association.

The new executive members are President Royston Mitchel, Vice President Eddie Beaupierre, Secretary Leandra Severin, Vice Secretary Peter Pemberton, Treasurer Royce Caesar, Vice Treasurer Eric Frampton, PRO Kerwin Guye and Trustees Felix Dangleben, Micheal David, Davidson Benjamin, Cindy Toussaint and Oliver Yankey.

Dominica head to T&T for Youth Games

The Dominica Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) has announced its representation once again on the international sporting stage, with an eight-member delegation comprising five athletes and three officials competing in athletics and swimming at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.

Addison James, a CARIFTA gold medalist and ALBA Games 2023 bronze medalist in the javelin led the team as the male flag bearer representative alongside female flag bearer Godisha Joseph, a Windward Island Interschool bronze shot put medalist.

Swimming athletes will include Jasmine Schofield (50m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly), while track and field athletes are Sean Vidal (1500m and 3000m), Godisha Joseph (Discus Throw and Shot Put), Addison James (Discus Throw and Javelin Throw), and Mikael Anthony (200m).

The team led by Chef De Mission, Mr. Chester Letang, is accompanied by officials: Mr. Godwin Dorsette, athletics coach; Francilia Agar Schofield, swimming coach; and Ms. Kaitlyn Larocque, physiotherapist.

The Games, held in Trinidad and Tobago, began with the opening ceremony on August 4th, 2023, and will conclude on August 11th, 2023. Dominica CGA also confirmed that the organisers selected Mr. Walson Pacquette to serve as the event's national technical official in athletics.

DBF facilitates another electoral reform meeting

Serval public and private citizens have once again joined forces to demand electoral reform here in Dominica.

This follows another public consultation hosted by the Dominica Business Forum Inc on the long-awaited electoral reform.

According to the President of the Dominica Business Forum Inc, Daryl Bobb, the goal of the event was "to get everybody involved in the discussion on electoral reform in an environment that provides for mutual respect and productive conversation, to get everybody involved in developing the concept, the idea of how this is supposed to be, how this is supposed to move forward."