Pulse of the Caribbean

#96 Caribbean News Round Up Episode 1 Week of August 18

• Pulse of the Caribbean

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The Caribbean region has been navigating multiple challenges and opportunities this week, with significant developments in weather, diplomacy, technology, and cultural celebrations shaping the landscape for island nations. Here’s a look at what’s making Caribbean headlines.

  • Hurricane Erin, continues through the Caribbean, passing north of U.S Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic
  • Grenada responds to U.S. State Department visas restrictions for Grenada officials over alleged involvement in Cuba's medical mission program
  • Senior officials from China and nine Caribbean nations meet to strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors
  • U.S. Virgin Islands lawmakers approve permit for submarine fiber optic cable to improve global communication channels
  • Barbados prepares to host CARIFESTA, the Caribbean's largest arts festival, featuring delegations from across the region
  • JetBlue expands winter service from Boston to Caribbean destinations and adds new routes from Florida.

These and other stories are on today’s Pulse of the Caribbean-Caribbean News Round Up Episode 1 for the Week of August 18. 

Speaker 1:

This is the Pulse of the Caribbean Caribbean News Roundup. Now today's Caribbean News Headlines.

Speaker 2:

This podcast is brought to you by Victory Runwalk, sponsored by the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism. Accommodations are now available. Register at VictoryRunwalkVIcom for the 5K, 10k and Half. Mar, labor Day weekend, august 30th. St Thomas, us Virgin Islands, and Diamond Key, marina, yosemite, british Virgin Islands, home of Foxy's Taboo and Gateway to the Bubbly Pool, a natural jacuzzi and hidden gem.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Pulse of the Caribbean News Roundup, episode one for the week of August 18th. Here's a look at what's making Caribbean headlines. We start our report with a look at Caribbean weather. Hurricane Erin continues north in the Caribbean. Hurricane Erin passed north of the US Virgin Islands, puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic over the weekend. The storm brought tropical storm gusts of winds, rain and modest flash floods across the islands. In the event that Hurricane Erin forecast changes, the Bahamas and other north and west islands in the Caribbean Atlantic Basin are preparing. Erin's eye was 105 miles northeast of Grand Turk Island at the time of this report. The Category 4 storm Erin is moving northwest at 13 mph with 130 mph winds mile per hour winds. Erin is expected to turn north later today, proceeding east of the southern Bahamas and be between Bermuda and the US east coast by midweek. Forecasters are also watching another wetter system. A tropical storm wave located across the eastern tropical Atlantic is expected to bring widespread, disorganized showers and thunderstorms. A tropical depression may form later in the week as the system moves west to west-northwest at 20 miles per hour, the dry Saharan air and growing wind shear may hinder development. Listen to local news for weather updates. Now we head to Grenada updates. Now we head to Grenada.

Speaker 2:

Last week the US State Department blocked visas for Grenada, some African countries and Cuban leaders. The US State Department has restricted visa for government officials and their families for their country's involvement in what the US State Department has called the Cuban regime's medical mission scheme, in which medical professionals are rented by other countries at high prices and most of the revenue goes to the regime. The US State Department said the US will continue to engage nations and take steps to end forced labor. The government of Grenada's press release stated the government of Grenada has taken note of the recent press statement issued by the US Department of State. It stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Grenada is working with US authorities through diplomatic channels to resolve this issue. In a Miami Herald story, grenada's foreign minister, joseph Andal, denied exploiting Cuban foreign medical brigade's medical staff. Andal stated regarding the charges of so-called forced labor and human trafficking, we will never be party to anything of that nature. Andal stated Grenada respects all international conventions and protocols regarding the protection of human dignity conventions and protocols regarding the protection of human dignity and we are satisfied that the cuban medical program with us is completely above board and in compliance with our international labor and human rights standards. He said now we head to china.

Speaker 2:

Beijing state guest house held the ninth round of china caribbean consultations. Senior Chinese and Caribbean officials and diplomats met to improve cooperation and engagement across sectors. Grenada, antigua and Barbuda, barbados, dominica, jamaica, guyana, suriname, the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago participated. The consultations were co -chaired by Vice Minister Mayo Dayu of the People's Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Permanent Secretary Roxy McLeish Hutchinson of Grenada. Global topics, including climate change and Haiti, were discussed. The two sides agreed to improve coordination on multilateral venues, including the United Nations Security Council, advocate for small island developing states and create a fair, inclusive and sustainable global climate governance framework. The Caribbean delegation reaffirmed its support for the One China Principle and the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758. Both parties agreed to implement the Fort Ministerial Conference of the China SELEC Forum and develop a China, latin America and Caribbean countries community with a shared future. During the meeting, both parties committed to expand mutual beneficial corporation in important sectors such as economy and trade, infrastructure development, agriculture, health care, science and technology, civil aviation, disaster prevention and mitigation and green development. They also agreed to improve people-to-people ties by collaborating more between universities, think tanks and and media.

Speaker 2:

Our next stop is the US Virgin Islands. On Thursday, lawmakers in the US Virgin Islands approved a major coastal zone permit for Transamerica's Fiber US LLC to land a new submarine fiber optic cable on St Croix, bringing faster, more reliable internet to schools, hospitals, emergency services and the community. Marlon Hilbert, the US Virgin Islands Director of the Division of Coastal Zone Management in the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, said the permittee could use the existing pipeline boards installed at Butler Bay, st Croix, and connect a submarine fiber optic cable to the AT&T of the Virgin Islands Telecommunication Building in a state north side, if approved. He informed lawmakers that the 20-year lease would amount to $67,000 annually. Mr Hilbert said the installation is part of a larger project beginning in Vero Beach, florida, and connecting countries including Puerto Rico, st Thomas and St Croix, us Virgin Islands, central and South America and Southern Caribbean countries are also cable. The Florida-St Croix cable will be 2,000 kilometers long. Tysam Tech environmental engineer Rebecca Rubright said current cables are aging and nearing the end of service life and capacity and cannot meet growing digital needs. She said it was part of a larger initiative to improve global communication channels. Ms Rubright said Transamerica's FiberUS will provide free bandwidth to the government of the Virgin Islands through the Virgin Islands Next Generation Network, vingn. Schools, hospitals and emergency services all have free, faster and more reliable internet access.

Speaker 2:

Next up, barbados prepares to welcome guests for CaraFesta. After this, st Thomas Virgin Islands Victory Run 2025. Accommodations are now available After race registration. Book your stay and be the first occupants to stay at the Hamptons by Hilton, directly located at the start and finish line of Victory Run 2025. While around the bend and at the beach shore is the beautiful Westin Resort and connecting waterfront villas of the Bowie House. Both locations are family friendly and here to accommodate you with special rates, making your stay a breeze as you gear up and get ready for St Thomas Victory Run 2025. Usvi. Book your stay now.

Speaker 2:

This is the Pulse of the Caribbean News Roundup, episode one for the week of August 18th, barbados is hosting the Caribbean Festival of Arts, caraifesta, a must-see festival of culture, innovation and connection that embraces the island's essence. From August 22nd to 31st, at Carifesta, caribbean talent will shine in music, dance, drama, visual arts and literature. The theme for this year is Caribbean Roots Global Excellence, emphasizing the region's rich cultural legacy and global leadership. Lenford Salmon, executive Director of Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and Coordinator of the Jamaican Delegation to Carafesta, stated Jamaica will send 100 people. Dance, folk theater, stand-up comedy and film will be part of the delegation. St Kitts and Nevis, the Twin Island Nation, is sending 80 artists, artisans, ministry staff and cultural officials, plus 30 students and their chaperones to the Caribbean's largest arts and culture festival. Chaperones to the Caribbean's largest arts and culture festival. From its 1972 founding in Guyana, cara Festa has become a treasured Caribbean and diaspora institution. The event is meant to depict the life of the region's people, its heroes, morality, myths, traditions, beliefs, inventiveness and means of expression.

Speaker 2:

This year, barbados proudly hosts the festival for the third time, after hosting the event in 1981 and in 2017. Said, it is expanding service from Boston-Logo International Airport to Latin America and the Caribbean this winter. To strengthen its Boston focus, the airline will add daily flights to St Thomas, us Virgin Islands, liberia, costa Rica, st Martin and Nassau, bahamas. This winter, december and January will see second flights On Saturdays from JetBlue to Grand Cayman and Bridgetown, barbados. These routes fulfill foreign travel demand by leveraging JetBlue's position as Boston's number one leisure airline and adding nonstop choices to warm weather destinations. Jetblue will provide nearly twice as many seats between Boston and Florida and nearly four times as many flights to Latin America and the Caribbean. As the next largest carrier this December, punta Cana and Santiago de los Caballeros, dominican Republic, are also connected by new flight routes from Tampa, florida and Fort Lauderdale, florida. From Tampa Florida and Fort Lauderdale, florida.

Speaker 2:

This podcast is brought to you by Victory Run Walk, sponsored by the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism. Accommodations are now available. Register at VictoryRunWalkVIcom for the 5K, 10k and half marathon. Labor Day weekend, august 30th. St Thomas, us Virgin Islands and Diamond Key, marina Yosvendike, british Virgin Islands. Home of Foxy's Taboo and Gateway to the Bubbly Pool, a natural jacuzzi and hidden gem. Have news and information you'd like to share with us. Send news releases to news at pulseofthecaribbeancom. If you have an interest in sponsoring our podcast, email us at biz B-I-Z at pulseofthecaribbeancom. Email us at biz B-I-Z at pulseofthecaribbeancom. This has been your Pulse of the Caribbean News Roundup, episode 1 for the week of August 18th. Here's a shout-out to our listeners in Curacao, boston, massachusetts, maryland and Germany. Thanks for listening and do spread the word and share our podcast with others across the region and the diaspora. I'm Keisha Blyden. See you next time.

Speaker 1:

For more Caribbean news stories and information, visit us online at pulseofthecaribbeancom. If you found value in this podcast, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and thank you in advance for choosing Pulse of the Caribbean Caribbean News Roundup as your source for Caribbean-centered news.