caribbean journal

Examining the Caribbean Region’s Historical Connections to Latin America

Martelly Honours Singer Wyclef Jean

Haitian President Michel Martelly has made Haitian singer and roving ambassador Wyclef Jean a Grand Officer of the National Order of Honor and Merit. Jean, whose own bid for the presidency was denied by the courts after ruling he was …

CARICOM Demands Halt to Hazardous Waste Passage through Caribbean Sea

By the Caribbean Journal staff CARICOM Chairman Dr Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, has called for an immediate halt to the passage of radioactive material through the Caribbean Sea, something he called “unacceptable and injurious.” Douglas …

Jamaica Signs Deal on Solar Testing

The Jamaican Cabinet has approved an agreement for GreenRG Management to introduce, test and research its solar technology across the country. GreenRG has volunteered to test its technology for streetlights, buildings, water pumps and other infrastructure, and it will not …

In Trinidad, New Hopes for an Old Fort

Above: the view from Fort Abercromby (Photo: TIS) Trinidad is looking to an 19th-century British fort as a way of expanding tourism. Fort Abercromby, which was built by the British in 1804 as part of the fortification of Trinidad, is …

Report: Billions of Barrels of Bahamian Oil

By the Caribbean Journal staff A report by Ryder Scott commissioned by the Bahamas Petroleum Company has found potentially significant oil resources offshore. According to Ryder Scott’s “Competent Persons Report,” which examined newly-acquired seismic data and previous information, even low-end …

Jamaica Could Restart Gold Mining after Chemical Leak in Clarendon

Above: Housing, Environment and Water Minister Dr Horace Chang (2nd left), addressing journalists about a toxic leak at the gold mine in Pennants, Clarendon, during a media briefing at the National Environment and Planning Agency on Monday. Others (from left) …

Barbados Looks to Cut Energy Use

Barbados Senator Darcy Boyce is calling for a partnership between the government, private sector and homeowners to work together to cut energy consumption on the island. Boyce, who is the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for …

Martelly Launches Reconstruction Projects

Above: a makeshift tent in Port-au-Prince (UN Photo/Sophia Paris) Haitian President Michel Martelly marked the beginning of a series of reconstruction projects in Port-au-Prince, calling the launch “Reconstruction Week.” “We will soon begin the construction of buildings to house public …

Barbados MP Questions Rihanna Contract

Barbados Deputy Opposition Leader Dale Marshall said the country’s Tourism Authority should reveal whether it has a confidentiality agreement about the details of Barbadian-born singer Rihanna’s contract with the authority. Last month, the singer agreed to a deal with the …

Cayman to Create Technology District

By the Caribbean Journal staff Cayman Premier McKeeva Bush signed an agreement today with Cayman Enterprise City, Ltd in a deal that will give CEC the opportunity to build a special economic zone based on technology in Grand Cayman. “CEC …

Jagdeo: Action Needed on Food Prices

Above: President Bharrat Jagdeo (Photo: Columbia University) By the Caribbean Journal staff Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo called for bold action to counter the rising prices of food in the Caribbean. In an editorial in the single market’s CARICOM View magazine, …

Bahamas Giving Pineapples a Boost

Above: Arnold Dorsett, Edison Key, Lucayan Tropical Manager Tim Hauber and BAIC GM Benjamin Rahming (BIS Photo/Derek Smith) By Gladstone Thurston In an effort to boost its pineapple industry, the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation has begun distributing 5,000 tissue-cultured …

Guyana, India Discuss Cooperation

Above: Guyanese Foreign Minister Dr Ashni Singh was one of those who met with India’s Vivek Katju (GIS Photo) Guyana and India met for a third round of political consultations Friday, with Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett convening with Vivek …

Jamaica Approves REDjet Service

Following the lead of Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica has given new low-cost air carrier REDjet the go-ahead to begin operations. “In continuous discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday and Friday, and ultimately, the chairman, they advise me that …

UN, Police Crack Down on Haitian Crime

Above: peacekeepers in Port-au-Prince (UN Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The United Nations and the Haitian National Police have begun a joint operation, “Operation Phoenix,” to tackle criminal activity in Port-au-Prince. The initiative was launched in the Bel Air, …

In China, Registering a Bahamian Ship

Above: the ship’s registry ceremony (BIS Photo: Peter Ramsay) Former Bahamian Governor-General Sir Orville Turnquest launched the latest vessel to be registered on the Bahamian ship registry last week, the CS Calvina. The ship, which will join the fleet of …

Bahamas Expands Telemedicine Initiative

Above: Minister of Health, Dr Hubert Minnis, Dr Akos Tatar of the Fresh Creek District, Dr Colin Bullard, Director of Emergency Services at Princess Margaret Hospital and South Andros MP Picewell Forbes (BIS Photo: Patrick Hanna) As part of an …

Moody’s Gives Trinidad Stable Outlook

Above: Port of Spain, Trinidad Moody’s recently rated Trinidad and Tobago with a “Stable Outlook,” along with rating its government bonds at BAA1–Stable for foreign currency and BAA1 for local currency. According to a July credit analysis report, the country’s …