Posts in category Caribbean News

Contact Staff History was made in Trinidad and Tobago when on Friday, February 1 it named Paula-Mae Weekes to be its sixth president and the first woman to hold the position. Weekes, who earned the distinction as a well-respected jurist for well over two decades, will replace Anthony Carmona, who demits the office of the presidency in March. She served as a judge of the High Court and in the Court of Appeal of Trinidad and Tobago between 1996 and 2016 before she retired in 2016. Then in February 2017, she was sworn in for a three-year term as a …

Weeks after the hurricane no food, no water, no electricity, no medication, lots of BS from the president Egbert Gaye Two weeks after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, the island remains in a bad state. Thirty-four people confirmed dead as a direct or indirect result of the category 4 Hurricane that struck on September 20. And experts agree that after clearing up the rubble and taking stock,   the number of dead will rise considerably, maybe into the hundreds. More than half of the population of 3.6 million remain without safe drinking water and 95% are without electricity, including almost all …

Still collecting donations to help hurricane-ravaged islands Contact staff Montrealers have responded like champions to the call to assist Barbuda, which was devastated by Hurricane Irma, a category 5 storm, that destroyed almost every standing structure on the island. Immediately after the catastrophe, members of the local Antigua and Barbuda Association kicked into action with their Hurricane Relief plan and began collecting supplies to ship home to assist the 1800 people who lost everything they owned. Organization president Juleen Barrington and executive member Erene Anthony, together with their team, were tireless in collecting stuff from Montreal at various points across …

On September 6, Barbuda was devastated by Hurricane Irma Contact Staff Members of the Antigua-Barbuda Association of Montreal are mobilizing the community and other Montrealers to assist in the relief and recovery efforts underway following Hurricane Irma’s devastation on September 6. Almost everything on the small island of Barbuda was destroyed when the 378 –miles-wide category 5 Hurricane with winds of 225 miles per hour slowly made it’s way across the length of the island, (which is only 62 square miles,) blowing engulfing anything in it’s path including hospital, schools and the airport. Such was the extent of the destruction …

Jamaican sprinter tested positive for banned substance. Bolt’s triple-triple record in jeopardy Emotions across Trinidad and Tobago are bittersweet as the country celebrated its third Olympic gold medal, which came at the expense of Jamaica in the 4×100 relay at the Beijing games after one of their sprinters, Nesta Carter, was disqualified for using a banned substance. On Tuesday, January 24, the International Olympic Committee revealed that a reanalysis of the Jamaican’s sample showed the presence of the banned stimulant methylhexanamine, which has been on the prohibited list since 2004. Although it was reclassified in 2011, its use still carries …

Trinidad and Tobago is mourning of the death of former Prime Minister Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning who died on 2 July 2016 at the age of 69. Mr. Manning had the distinction of serving two terms as Prime Minister of the twin island Republic, from December 17, 1991 to November 9 1995 and from December 24, 2001 to May 26 2010, and was the longest-serving member of the country’s House of Representatives. He was the leader of People’s National Movement (PNM) from 1987 to 2010. During his tenure as Prime Minister, Manning created a strong economic and energy infrastructure and …

Egbert Gaye Throughout the month of May and well into June, friends and supporters in a jubilee celebration at home and in the Diaspora will join Guyanese as the nation marks it 50th Anniversary of Independence. Today, the Caribbean country of 750,000 a founding member (2008) of Union of South American Nations and a cornerstone of the Caribbean Community Common Market (CARICOM), whose headquarters is based in its capital city, Georgetown, distinguishes itself as the only English speaking nation on the South American land mass. As such, in the 50 years since it acquired its Independence from the United Kingdom, …

By Taharka Carrington T&T Police probe warning about ISIS bombing Police are currently investigating the authenticity of two audio recordings now circulating on social media, warning of a threat by ISIS operatives to detonate bombs at local shopping malls here in Trinidad. In the first recording directed to a What’s App group, the man uses the word “batch” which is commonly used by soldiers, and makes reference of information he says came out of the camp he is in. The man then says the word reaching the camp is that ISIS is planning to detonate bombs in the malls sometime between Thursday and …

Venezuela Venezuelans Face Tough Times Ramón Muchacho, Mayor of Chacao in Caracas, said the streets of the capital of Venezuela are filled with people killing animals for food. Through Twitter, Muchacho reported that in Venezuela, it is a “painful reality” that people “hunt cats, dogs and pigeons” to ease their hunger. People are also reportedly gathering vegetables from the ground and trash to eat as well. The crisis in Venezuela is worsening everyday due in part to shortages in all areas of food availability. This to go along with the world’s highest level of inflation that’s lurking around 70 percent. …

The Caribbean Caribbean needs Billions to deal with Housing problem A study on the state of housing in six Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries has revealed that approximately US$1.8 billion is needed to end poor housing conditions for more than one million citizens. The study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) looked at the housing problem in The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The study, which analysed the implementation of social housing programs in the Caribbean from 2000 to 2015, underscores the importance of housing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the larger agenda in …