caribbean journal

Improvements in Bahamian Prison System

Barbados Health Ministry Announces Establishment of Climate Change Unit

The government of Barbados has established a climate change unit within its Ministry of Health as part of a commitment to the United Nations’ Global Environmental Facility project. Health Minister Donville Inniss announced the move today, commending the efforts of …

New Speaker of the House in Jamaica

Above: Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert at her first sitting in Parliament (JIS Photo) The Jamaican House of Representatives welcomed new Speaker Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, along with Deputy Speaker Tarn Peralto, at their first sitting since Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding appointed new ministers …

Maintaining Leonard Howell’s Legacy

By Alexander Britell Thirty years after his death, a group of Jamaicans are working to keep alive the legacy of Leonard Howell, a Jamaican religious figure considered to be the first Rastafarian. Monty Howell, one Howell’s sons, is in a …

Clinton Foundation Probes Haiti Shelters

Above: Former US President Bill Clinton in Haiti (Photo: Clinton Bush Haiti Fund) The foundation of former US President Bill Clinton is sending investigators to Haiti to examine reported problems with storm shelters it donated to the town of Leogane …

Changing the Way the Caribbean Eats

Above: Director of the National STI/HIV Programme, Dr. Kevin Harvey (right), greets Dr Fitzroy Henry, director, Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (JIS Photo) Dr Kevin Harvey, the director of Jamaica’s National STI/HIV Programme is encouraging Caribbean health institutions to play …

Oxfam: Time to Lead on Haiti’s Tent Cities

Above: a tent city in Haiti (Photo: UN) By the Caribbean Journal staff International aid group Oxfam warned that leadership is needed from new Haitian President Michel Martelly’s government to help the 630,00 people still living in tent cities in …

CARICOM, Kazakhstan Meet on Economy

Above: From left: Serik Amirov, Olzhas Toguzbayev and Beisenbek Duisebayev (Photo: CARICOM) By the Caribbean Journal staff Serik Amirov, the vice-chairperson of Kazakhstan’s Commission of Economic Collaboration, met yesterday with acting Secretary-General Lolita Applewhaite at CARICOM’s headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana. …

Jamaican Opposition Plans Island-Wide Protest over Extradition Affair

Jamaica’s Opposition People’s National Party is planning an island-wide protest concerning the government’s handling of the extradition crisis involving Christopher “Dudus” Coke. Former Justice Minister KD Knight, the lead attorney representing the party during the recently-concluded Commission of Enquiry, said …

Texaco to Sell Cayman, Jamaica Properties

Following the purchase of 174 gas stations in the Eastern Caribbean by Vitogaz, a subsidiary of French petroleum company Rubis, Texaco is putting its stations in Cayman and Jamaican on the block. The initial deal included stations in 11 countries, …

In Oil Paint, a Forgotten Trinidad

Mariquita Johnson painted perhaps two of the oldest paintings in Trinidad, but little is known of her life. Johnson’s “Around the Queen’s Park Savannah” and “The Angels” were both painted in 1905 and are among the country’s oldest paintings along …

Barbados Preps Agriculture for Hurricanes

Above: a cane field in Barbados With the hurricane season officially under way in June, Barbados’ Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management is working to ensure the island’s food and fisheries infrastructure are secure in the event …

Bahamas Tackles Mortgage Delinquencies

Above: Housing Minister Kenneth Russell (BIS Photo) The Bahamas Mortgage Corporation is looking to reconstruct mortgage payments to count toward paying off the principal in a bid to reduce its 40 percent delinquency rate. “[The BMC is] still having about …

Israel Looks to Help Jamaica on Energy

Israeli Ambassador to Jamaica Moshe Sermoneta said Israel is interested in helping Jamaica solve its energy problems, along with offering knowledge on tourism and agriculture. “Israel is a country that lacks natural resources,” he said. “We don’t have oil, we …

New IMF Regional Head to Visit Jamaica

Luis Breuer, the new Caribbean Regional Director of the International Monetary Fund, is due to visit Jamica on Wednesday to discuss outstanding issues considered by the IMF’s board for its quarterly reviews. This will be Breuer’s first visit to Jamaica …

Trinidad’s Moonilal: Wise Decision to Split Works, Transport Ministries

Above: Trinidad Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal and Works Minister Jack Warner (Photos: TIS) By the Caribbean Journal staff Trinidad Minister of Housing Dr Roodal Moonilal has called the decision by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to split the Ministry of …

Crucell: Haiti Refused Cholera Vaccine

Above: a cholera treatment center in Haiti (UN Photo/Logan Abbassi) Dutch company Crucell, the maker of Dukoral, the leading cholera vaccine, says Haiti refused an offer of tens of thousands of doses of the vaccine last year that could have …

Caribbean PMs Join Barbados Row over Doctors Trained in Cuba

A controversy in Barbados over the training of doctors in Cuba has extended beyond its shores. Last week, Dr Carlos Chase, president of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners, in an email to BAMP’s members, expressed concerns about an alleged …

Green Building Council Heads to Cayman

The Sailfish Estate in Sunrise Landing on Grand Cayman is the first LEED-certified private residential home built outside of the United States. LEED is the certification system of the United States Green Buildings Council, which rates the energy efficiency and …