Caribbean
Bahamas needs law to prevent cruise line pollution
(CNS): The Bahamas tourism minister has said the country may need to create new legislation to prevent cruise ships from dumping sewage in its waters. Dionisio D’Aguilar said he is very concerned about allegations emerging from a US court case that Carnival cruise ships had dumped nearly half a million gallons of sewage in Bahamian […]
Royal couple makes history walking streets of Havana
(CNS): The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall took a walking tour around Havana’s old city on Monday, as they made history as the first British royals to ever visit Cuba. Charles and Camilla still have a packed agenda in Cuba, where they will say until Monday afternoon, when they will leave for […]
St Kitts-Nevis moves towards decriminalising ganja
(CNS): The government of the Caribbean country St Kitts and Nevis has announced plans to create a framework for the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and the decriminalisation of small amounts of the drug for recreational use. The move comes after government largely accepted the findings of a national commission on the use of […]
Premier in Barbados touting e-gov initiatives
(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin spoke at the Central Bank Meets Blockchain Conference in Barbados today on what officials said was the “ongoing successes of the Cayman Islands in its continuing work to improve e-government services and embrace digital technologies and industries”. McLaughlin joined a number of other speakers at the conference, including Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. […]
Over 30 tonnes of plastic rolls on to regional beach
(CNS): Local workers, volunteers and activists collected 30 tonnes of plastic waste in just three days from beaches in the Dominican Republic last week, following stormy weather in the area that washed the plastic through the Caribbean Sea onto the shore. Shocking video footage released by international conservationist group Parley showed waves and waves of […]
BOT minister marks new Windrush Day
(CNS): The UK government has officially sanctioned 22 June as Windrush Day and has set aside a £0.5 million annual grant to fund anniversary celebrations this year and in future. In a statement about the 70-year anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush, which triggered the wave of immigration from this region to help […]
Bermuda court rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional
(CNS): Bermuda’s Supreme Court has ruled that elements of the recent ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The recently enacted Domestic Partnership Act barred same-sex couples from marrying, despite the findings of the court in a decision in May last year where they upheld the right of a Bermudian man and his Canadian partner who had […]
Over 100 people dead after plane crash in Cuba
(CNS): Over one hundred people are believed to have been killed when a Boeing 737 airliner crashed near Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, according to reports from the state media. The plane came down around noon Friday not far from the airport. The aircraft, which was said to be around 30 years old and […]
Governor approves CJ’s service on Bermuda’s appeals court
(CNS): Governor Anwar Choudhury has given Chief Justice Anthony Smellie his approval to serve on the Court of Appeal of Bermuda. Officials said that he will make his debut appearance on the appeals panel in June, when he will be away from office in the Cayman Islands on leave, and that similar arrangements will be in place for […]
Cayman cops involved in TCI target on Haitian migrants
(CNS): Officers from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service were involved in a joint operation with British and Turks and Caicos Islands police last week targeting Haitian migrants trying to enter the TCI. Officials said that the TCI government had asked for assistance following a “serious upsurge in illegal migrants arriving on the islands from […]
Tsunami exercise planned to check responses
(CNS): Officials have said that local authorities will be joining in a Caribbean-wide tsunami response exercise on Thursday in order to evaluate plans and communications strategies, increase preparedness, and improve regional coordination. Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) Deputy Director of Preparedness, Danielle Coleman, said it would “test the current procedures of the Tsunami Warning System and help identify operational strengths and weaknesses”.
