Caribbean News Now! Daily Headlines

Venezuela president wants economic zone for Caribbean and Latin America

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ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (GIS) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for the setting up of an economic zone for the Caribbean and Latin American. Maduro said the economic zone should be part of a production and economic plan aimed at curbing the region’s import bill.

St Kitts-Nevis optimistic that Canada will reinstate visa waiver

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BASSETERRE, St Kitts (WINN) — The government of St Kitts and Nevis is optimistic that Canada will reintroduce the visa waiver it revoked last year because of concerns with the federation’s citizenship by investment (CBI) programme. Foreign Affairs Minister Mark Brantley told WINN FM that the Team…

Cayman Islands parliament approves single member constituencies

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GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (CNS) — A government motion on electoral reform has passed the Cayman Islands’ Legislative Assembly, paving the way for the introduction of ‘one man, one vote’ (OMOV) in single member constituencies and a complete overhaul of Cayman’s political landscape.

SOTIC 2015 Curacao: An interview with JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes

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PISCADERA BAY, Curacao — The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) State of The Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2015 will be held in Curacao this week and another of the distinguished speakers will be Robin Hayes, president and chief executive officer of JetBlue Airways, one of the world’s most…

OAS deploys 125 observers to Haiti for October 25 elections

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PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti — The electoral observation mission of the Organization of American States (EOM/OAS) for this Sunday’s elections in Haiti, headed by Brazil’s former foreign minister and defence minister Celso Amorim, will complete its deployment this week with the arrival of 125 international…

Additional $71.5 million funding for Eastern Caribbean sustainable energy programme

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MIAMI, USA — Additional funding has been put in place to facilitate the growth of the renewable energy sector in the Eastern Caribbean. As part of the Sustainable Energy Facility (SEF) for the Eastern Caribbean, a US$71.5 million loan and grant package was signed on Tuesday by Dr William Warren…

US Secretary of State called on by Trinidad UNESCO representative to support Caribbean agenda

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PARIS, France — The near US$400 debt owed by the United States to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and its potential value in advancing UNESCO’s work in the Caribbean and elsewhere were placed before US Secretary of State John Kerry by the Trinidad…

ECTEL partners with CTU to host broadband Internet development workshop in St Lucia

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CASTRIES, St Lucia — The Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) is this week holding a regional workshop on broadband Internet development, in partnership with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU). The workshop is being held in Saint Lucia from…

Cuba’s release of graffiti artist must herald new approach to dissent, says Amnesty International

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LONDON, England — The release of a Cuban graffiti artist who had been held in prison for nearly a year after he painted “Raúl” and “Fidel” on the backs of two pigs must herald a new approach to freedom of expression and dissent in the country, said Amnesty International. Danilo Maldonado Machado…

New scientific study finds coral reefs under attack from chemical in sunscreen

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LOS ANGELES, USA — A new study published on Tuesday in a toxicology journal has found that a chemical widely used in personal care products such as sunscreen poses an ecological threat to corals and coral reefs and threatens their existence. Oxybenzone is found in over 3,500 sunscreen products.

Commentary: Nicolas Maduro’s ‘Caribbean engagement’ a flamboyant optic in autocracy

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Two days before Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to Saint Lucia he made the following pronouncements to his people. First he said, he was “doing everything to save the price and the stability of our oil” and second, “the price of oil in the world should have a base of US$70 per barrel to ensure…

Commentary: The main characteristics of the Haitian ethos

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Running as a presidential candidate for the Republic of Haiti has given me the opportunity to pierce the Haitian ethos and pull out the main characteristics that may spur its growth or continue to bring the people of this island nation into an abyss without end. I have unearthed five of them: 1. It is a Catholic nation…

Letter: Is Big Brother coming out?

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Is Big Brother coming out? If so, then the timing is wrong. Methinks. This is about and not about the teacher’s strike, or non-strike, depending on who you believe. Me? I don’t set any stock in x percent and y percent because those numbers have the same value and sincerity as the counterfeit airport…

Letter: Politricks in a parliament for dummies

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I sit here wondering when some political scientist will write a book on the above headlines so that people like me can get a better understanding of all the shenanigans taking place between government and opposition in this so called de mock cracy. For more years than I care to remember…