One person has died and two were injured after the bodyguards of a Sri Lankan government minister opened fire on a crowd amid a deepening constitutional crisis in the island nation. Arjuna Ranatunga, the petroleum minister and a former Sri Lankan cricket captain, was trying to enter a government agency in the capital, Colombo, at about 3pm on Sunday when he was confronted by supporters of the president, Maithripala Sirisena.

Amid jostling, Ranatunga’s bodyguards opened fire, injuring three people, two of them critically, according to the police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera. One of the injured died later in a Colombo hospital. Ranatunga was rushed into the building in the aftermath of the shooting and had to be rescued by paramilitary police units. He was ushered out in a police uniform and wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet.

Sunday’s incident is the first outbreak of violence since Sirasena shocked the country on Friday night by announcing the dismissal of the prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, with whom Ranatunga was aligned. Wickremesinghe says his dismissal is unconstitutional and has refused to vacate Temple Trees, the prime ministerial residence that was surrounded by his supporters.

One of Ranatunga’s bodyguards was arrested and the area around the government office was tense on Sunday night with a heavy police presence and crowds protesting against the shooting. Police leave has been cancelled and soldiers were deployed in parts of Colombo in what was seen as a show of strength.(theguardian)…[+]

TRINIDAD-International rapper Nicki Minaj has requested to meet Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. The rapper made the request via her Twitter page. Minaj tweeted, “My next step is to speak w/the Prime Minister or someone at a high level of gov’t so that I can help on an even larger scale. Please contact my mother or Fay Ann so that we can get on a call right away. We’re also trying to rearrange my calendar so that I can get out there soon.”This tweet came shortly after Minaj tweeted that her first monetary donation would be available today. She tweeted “Trinidad, my 1st monetary donation will be available tomorrow. In talking with w/@fayannlyons, I’m told we need cleaning supplies, water, clothes and much more. I will assess the situation after tomorrow and make another donation in the next few days. Please contact her for info/help.”(TRINIDAD NEWSDAY)…[+]

BRIDGETOWN – Just over a year after Hurricane Maria, Dominica is set to enhance post-disaster response, build more climate-resilient schools and empower communities across the country, with the help of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Government of Canada.

On Thursday, CDB’s Board of Directors approved grant funding to help the country recover from the impact of Hurricane Maria. This will include the rebuilding or rehabilitation of five primary schools in some of the hardest-hit areas of the island. The funding will also cover the Government’s premiums for parametric risk insurance for 2018 and 2019 under CCRIF SPC. The Government of Canada will provide CAD8.77 million from the Dominica Climate Resilience and Restoration Fund, which is being administered by CDB. The Bank and Government of Dominica will also provide the equivalent of CAD396,000 and CAD694,000 to the project respectively.

More than 1,300 students are expected to benefit from the project which will see the schools rebuilt to the highest Model Safe School Programme standards, in keeping with the Government of Dominica’s goal to “build back better.” The construction will also be subject to rigorous Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessments. The physical upgrade of the schools will be complemented by skills training for up to 150 contractors, suppliers and school maintenance staff in climate-resilient construction best practices and school maintenance planning. Eighty teachers and principals will also learn how to incorporate technology and lessons on climate resilience into their teaching…[+]