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  Commissioner of police Mark Payne says he still feels it necessary to allay the fears and concerns of residents who spoke out about people carrying firearms around the time of the parade to commemorate His Majesty the King’s 77th birthday. People reported seeing visiting officers moving around with these firearms and questioned why they were allowed to carry firearms. But, in an effort to put the matter to rest, Commissioner Payne explained the situation following the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS’) investigation and provided some assurance that there was no ill-intent.

Registration is now open for the fifth edition of the Produced in Montserrat Expo – PRIME 2025. The announcement was made by the Government of Montserrat’s Trade and Quality Infrastructure Division, with the support of the Montserrat Arts Council, and the Montserrat Tourism Authority. Interested vendors are invited to complete the online registration form available at prime.gov.ms. The registration fee from May 26th to June 16th 2025 is $50 EC dollars. The fee for late registration, from June 17th to July 11th, 2025 is $100 EC dollars. All payments must be made at the Montserrat Arts Council. PRIME highlights Montserrat’s vibrant entrepreneurial community, providing a dynamic platform for vendors to promote their products, connect with customers, and unlock new opportunities for growth and visibility. This milestone event will be held under the theme “Connect, Expand, Thrive – PRIME Turns 5 in 2025.” PRIME 2025 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27, 2025, at the Montserrat Cultural Centre. To celebrate five years of growth and innovation, PRIME aims to go beyond local exposure this year, by connecting Montserrat-made products and services with regional and international partners and buyers. Vendors will benefit from enhanced promotional opportunities, tailored business support, and a vibrant event atmosphere. As part of this milestone celebration, PRIME 2025 will also feature a Youth Entrepreneur Product Innovation Competition. This competition is designed to engage Montserrat’s youth and young persons in entrepreneurship and product development. It aims to encourage and empower the next generation by highlighting the creativity, innovation, and talent of young entrepreneurs as they develop and present locally inspired, innovative product concepts for the expo. For further information, persons can contact the Trade and Quality Infrastructure Division at 664-491-2066 or email trade@gov.ms.

Montserrat took part in the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Consultative Meeting with Financial Secretaries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union for 2025. Financial secretary, Kenya Lee attended the event, which was held under the theme, “Unlocking Financing for Climate Resilience.” The meeting took place on May 28th at the ECCB Headquarters in St. Kitts. This Consultative Meeting is a biannual forum that brings together the Financial Secretaries from across the ECCU to discuss topical policy issues impacting the region and to engage in capacity building. Featured presentations included: “a regional debt swap” by Sebastian Espinosa from White Oak Advisory; “fuel pricing reform” by Emine Hanedar from the International Monetary Fund; “climate issues” by Chamberlain Emmanuel from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission; and “legislative updates” by Vilette Benjamin from the ECCB. Governor of the ECCB, Timothy Antoine chaired the meeting. Seven of the eight ECCU Financial Secretaries, together with ECCB management and staff were in attendance.  

The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Wednesday called on Montserrat and other Caribbean states to be fully prepared for the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season that gets under way on Sunday June 1. CDEMA executive director, Elizabeth Riley, reminded regional media practitioners that in 2024, the Caribbean had to deal with Hurricane Beryl, a category five storm, within days of the start of the hurricane season. She laments that these are some of the possibilities that the climate scientists have said were going to be possible… and now the region is seeing it and there is a likelihood that this trend will continue with these types of very different patterns in how the cyclones are taking place with a lot of diversity, not only in the cyclones, but also in severe weather. Riley emphasizes the point that it is important to follow the science, listen to the guidance from the climate scientists and also to learn from previous events. The CDEMA Executive Director adds that with Beryl, for instance, happening so early in the season in 2024, all of the national emergency coordinators across the region are very mindful of this. Riley told reporters that in some islands, a “political direction” had been given to complete those preparedness actions “as early as the end of April. There are 21 named storms for this year’s hurricane season and last week, regional forecasters predicted a “potentially intense, but erratic” 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, saying the frequency of Saharan dust will affect cyclone formation even as they noted that storms could form between these dust episodes. Climatologist at the Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), Cédric Van Meerbeeck, said CIHM has 70 per cent confidence in its forecast that there will be 19 named storms, with nine becoming hurricanes and four of them major hurricanes, but noted that the forecast will be updated later in the hurricane season. He noted that the annual average is 14 named storms, with seven becoming hurricanes and three major hurricanes, during the season that runs from June 1 to November 30. Riley said as the region prepares for the hurricane season, it is once again reminded of its vulnerability and the ongoing need for preparedness.

Montserrat’s emergency response agencies were put to the test to evaluate how prepared they are to respond to major incidents here. A National Table-Top exercise was conducted at the Disaster Management Coordination Agency- DMCA conference room on Wednesday. The tabletop workshop was designed to evaluate how key agencies would coordinate during a mass-casualty event, such as a tourist bus crash on the island’s back roads. The objective was to strengthen overall emergency response across a range of potential threats. Participating agencies included the Royal Montserrat Defence Force, the Royal Montserrat Police Service, Fire and Rescue Service, the Glendon Hospital disaster health team, the Montserrat Port Authority, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, Red Cross, the Tourism Division, and the Office of the Deputy Governor. The exercise focused on improving coordination between local responders and services and tested the island’s capabilities to respond swiftly and efficiently, as well as identifying areas for improvement. According to facilitator and Senior Disaster Management Coordinator, Astrid Wade, a national exercise is being planned as a follow-up to this session. He says that unlike the tabletop format, the next phase will include a practical, on-the-ground simulation, allowing agencies to physically test their response procedures in real time. Radio Montserrat (ZJB) · Senior Disaster Management Coordinator, Astrid Wade – Plans for Follow-Up National Exercise