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Haiti: US, UN "Welcome" Formation of Transitional Electoral Council

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Royal Caribbean’s New Hero of the Seas Just Floated for the First Time — Ahead of Its 2027 Miami Debut

 royal caribbean hero of the seas

Royal Caribbean’s next Icon Class ship has officially touched the water. The new Hero of the Seas floated for the first time this week at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, a major construction milestone for the ship ahead of its planned August 2027 debut in Miami. The float-out came after the ship’s dry dock […]

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Op-Ed: China and the Caribbean

By Erik Neff Op-Ed Contributor IT HAS BEEN NO SECRET that China has taken a strategic economic interest in the Caribbean region. China’s intention to expand its financial influence has been crystal clear — it is seeking new political alliances and new markets. Through grants, loans and large-scale investments, China seems to be out to […]

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Op-Ed: Why Venezuela Ought to Reconsider Its Withdrawal From ICSID

By Alexander G Leventhal Op-Ed Contributor IN JANUARY OF 2012, Venezuela announced that it would withdraw from the ICSID convention, a 1966 treaty that established an arbitration and conciliation institution based in Washington, DC to deal with international investment disputes. The decision came as Venezuela faced mounting challenges from private investors in the wake of […]

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Bahamas, US, Cruise Lines Conclude "Black Swan" Exercise in Freeport

Above: members of the Bahamas government, cruise lines and the US Coast Guard (BIS Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The Bahamian government recently concluded a joint “Black Swan” exercise with members of the United States Coast Guard and the cruise line industry. The three-day exercise was designed to create a better understanding of each […]

Op-Ed: Why Venezuela Ought to Reconsider Its Withdrawal From ICSID

 Above: Port-au-Prince (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff There are “significant” problems in the way the United States delivers aid to Haiti, according to a report from the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. The report, Breaking Open the Black Box: Increasing Aid Transparency and Accountability in Haiti, found an “overall lack of […]

Haiti: United States Has Disbursed $2.5 Billion Since 2010 Earthquake

Above: the Caracol Industrial Park (Photo: OP Haiti) By the Caribbean Journal staff The United States has disbursed more than $2.5 billion in Haiti since the earthquake in January 2010, according to a State Department release issued Wednesday. That number represents disbursements through the end of September 2012. The US had committed more than $3.6 […]

Guyana, US Sign Open Skies Agreement

 Above: the Umana Yana in Georgetown By the Caribbean Journal staff The United States and Guyana have signed an Open Skies air services agreement, the State Department Announced this week. The agreement was signed March 25 by US Ambassador to Guyana Brent Hardt and Guyana Public Works Minister Robeson Benn. The deal formalizes what the […]

Cuba Reports "Record Number" of Tourist Arrivals in 2012

Above: the Melia Cohiba hotel in Havana (Photo: Melia Hotels) By the Caribbean Journal staff Almost 2.84 million foreign tourists traveled to Cuba in 2012, according to a report in Cuba’s Granma government newspaper. That number reportedly represented growth of 4.5 percent from 2011, and represented a record for the Caribbean island. Cuba said the […]

Op-Ed: Iniquitous Legislation in Jamaica

 By Ramesh Sujanani Op-Ed Contributor There was a recent seminar in which the head of Jamaica’s FID (Financial Investigation Division) outlined the purpose of some new acts in process of legislation: namely, AML, POCA, FATCA, ARA (Money Laundering Act, Proceeds of Crimes Act, Foreign Asset Tax Compliance, Asset Recovery Agency, which are all relate to […]

Guyana, United Nations Sign Memorandum to Combat Drug Smuggling

 Above: US Ambassador to Guyana Brent Hardt and Guyana Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee By the Caribbean Journal staff Guyana and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at preventing the smuggling of drugs through containers. Guyana is the first Caribbean country to sign onto the so-called […]

St Lucia's New Ambassador to the United States Presents Credentials

Above: St Lucia Ambassador to the US Sonia Johnny at the OAS (OAS Photo/Maria Patricia Leiva) By the Caribbean Journal staff St Lucia’s new Ambassador to the United States, Sonia Johnny, presented her credentials to United States President Barack Obama in a ceremony last week. Johnny previously served as St Lucia’s US Ambassador frmo 1997 […]

Kingston Native Sanya Richards-Ross Wins Gold for United States

Above: Jamaican native Sanya Richards-Ross crosses the finish line (Photo: London 2012) By the Caribbean Journal staff Sanya Richards-Ross, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica but grew up in the United States, has won the gold medal in the 400-metre women’s race in London. Richards-Ross, who is married to National Football League cornerback Aaron Ross, […]