Pulse of the Caribbean

#133 Caribbean News Round Up Episode 2 Week of October 27

• Pulse of the Caribbean

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Here are some of the stories making Caribbean headlines.

  • Category 5 Hurricane Melissa's Forecast and Impacts
  • Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Hit the Lesser Antilles.
  • U.S. Military Increasing Presence, While CARICOM Leaders Appealing for Peace
  • U.S. Virgin Islands Tap Rainy Day Fund To Sustain SNAP Benefits During The Federal Government Shutdown 
  • Guyana in Discussion with International Pharmaceutical Companies On Biosimilar Manufacturing
  • Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory Becomes STEM Education Center
  • Dominica's World Creole Music Festival Records Largest Attendance

Listen and subscribe to the  Pulse of the Caribbean Caribbean News Round Up for news you need to know.

Send news releases to news@pulseofthecaribbean.com. For Pulse of the Caribbean marketplace feature opportunities email biz@pulseofthecaribbean.com. Like and follow us on Facebook.

SPEAKER_01:

This podcast is brought to you by Diamond Key Marina, Yosem Dyke, British Virgin Islands, home of Foxy's Taboo and Gateway to the Bubbly Pool, a natural jacuzzi and hidden gem. Want to reserve more rings at Diamond Key? Visit Botiball, B-O-A-T-Y, Ball.com. Welcome to the pulse of the Caribbean News Roundup, episode two, for the week of October 27th. Here's a look at what's making Caribbean headlines. We start a report with a look at Hurricane Melissa. Major Hurricane Melissa is centered near 100 nautical miles west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, moving north-northeast at four nautical miles with maximum sustained wind speeds at 150 miles per hour with gusts up to 185 miles per hour. Melissa is a category 5 hurricane. The outer bands of Melissa extend to Nicaragua. On the forecast track, the core of Melissa is expected to move over Jamaica today, across southeastern Cuba Wednesday morning, and across the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely before Melissa makes landfall on Jamaica later today. However, Melissa is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and it will still be at hurricane strength when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas. Swells generated by Melissa are expected to affect portions of Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Of course, it would also affect Jamaica, Eastern Cuba, and the Cayman Islands during the next several days, likely causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. These swells will reach the Bahamas, Duterk and Caicos Islands, and Bermuda later this week. Please listen to your local weather office. Persons in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Southeastern and Central Bahamas, Duterk and Caicos Island, and Bermuda should monitor the progress of Melissa. In other news, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 was recorded on Monday, October 27th at 855 AM local time, according to the University of West Indies Seismic Research Center. The event was manually located using seismic data and occurred at a depth of 29 kilometers. The epic center was positioned at latitude 16.55 north and longitude 59.53 west, placing it in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of the Lesser Antilles. The closest populated areas to the Epic Center include Point Pita, Guadalupe, approximately 225 kilometers to the east, Roseau, Dominica, about 249 kilometers to the northeast, and St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda, roughly 265 kilometers to the east, southeast. Next, here are some updates on the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean. On Sunday, United States Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that the United States land strikes in Venezuela are a real possibility as Washington steps up airstrikes on Venezuelan boats accused of transporting drugs and cartel members. This is a big step in Washington's fight against Latin American drug trafficking networks. Graham disclosed to CBS News, President Trump told him that when he gets back from Asia, he will tell members of Congress about possible future military operations against Venezuela and Colombia. CNN said that the Trump administration is thinking about going after drug trafficking networks and cocaine factories in Venezuela. The military buildup of approximately 10,000 troops in the Caribbean targets drug trafficking and narco-terrorist networks in Venezuela. The military buildup is one of the largest U.S. military presence in the Caribbean region in decades. In related regional news, according to 10 former CARICOM leaders, the rising military buildup and presence of nuclear warships and aircraft in the Caribbean threatens the safety and livelihood of the region's people. Jamaica's Bruce Golding and PJ Patterson, Antigua and Barbuda's Baldwin Spencer, Belize's Said Musa and Dean Barrow, Barbados's Frundell Stewart, Dominica's Edison James, Grenada's Tilson Thomas, Guyana's Donald Ramotar, and Saint Lucia's Kenny Anthony advise caution last Thursday evening. They want to keep the Caribbean a zone of peace, a vow made more than 50 years ago and to avoid getting involved in external crises. They said we recommend a pullback from military buildup to avoid any decrease of peace, stability, and growth in our regional space that could lead to unintended wars. Our next stop is the U.S. Virgin Islands. U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. stated Monday that the U.S. Virgin Islands has enough food aid to last through the year and into early 2026. If the U.S. federal government shutdown persists, he said the territory will cover benefits from its own rainy day fund until Washington budget impasse ends. They have enough money to pay SNAP recipients on November 1st. At a government house press briefing on Monday, the governor said that the government has enough money to pay on November 15th and December 1st if needed. That should come first. He said the U.S. Virgin Islands is prepared to cover those SNAP benefits through to the new year, but it would involve altering spending priorities if the shutdown continues. Early this month, the territory took emergency measures to ensure no home loss essential feeding aid. U.S. Virgin Islands Senate President Milton Potter told the news briefing that lawmakers responded swiftly when a federal disruption was likely. Governor Bryan said the legislature's corporation was what Virgin Islanders deserve. He and Mr. Potter confirmed that the local reserves established years ago to stabilize finances and at calamities can support benefits through December and into early 2026. Next we head to Guyana. Guyana's Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, said Guyana is in talks with numerous multinational pharmaceutical companies to make biosimilar medications locally. The minister also said several foreign pharmaceutical companies are interested in corporating with Guyana to produce biosimilars like Ozempic. Ozempic injections are prescribed to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes coupled with diet and exercise, to lower the risk of serious cardiovascular events like heart attacks, stroke, or death in persons with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, and to lower the risk of renal disease progression and stage kidney disease and cardiovascular disease-related mortality in persons with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Dr. Anthony said these partnerships will enable industrial pharmacy and local pharmaceutical manufacturing, and Guyana is preparing to provide high-quality health care and contribute to global pharmaceutical innovation. Guyana's Health Ministry is modernizing its material management unit to improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability in drug storage and distribution across the public system. The modernizing of the materials management unit with Ernest and Young, a top consulting firm, is on the way to implement modern warehousing, inventory tracking, and pharmaceutical dispensing systems. Digitization will enable real-time stock monitoring, theft protection, and supply chain management, Minister Anthony said. Five new regional warehouses are being built to store and deliver pharmaceuticals efficiently. Dr. Anthony stressed that pharmacists will be vital to this transformation, especially in ensuring high pharmaceutical management and distribution standards across regions. The minister also announced intentions to create a Ministry of Health quality department to review treatment charts, evaluate prescribing practices, and suggest improvements. He stated that Guyana's electronic health record transition will include clinical decision support technologies to detect prescription discrepancies. Dr. Anthony stressed the need of fighting antimicrobial resistance, warning that antibiotic misuse endangers global and national health. Now on to the Dominican Republic. The Union Clasista de Trabajadores, Clasista Union workers of the Dominican Republic are encouraging President Luis Abinadier to state that the Dominican Republic supports lifting the 1962 US economic, commercial, and financial blockade on Cuba, which violates the UN charter. According to Union Secretary General Juang Nunes, the Cuban people has suffered from the embargo for over 60 years, limiting access to essential goods and hindering sustainable growth. The Union called on the Dominican Republic government to support Cuban workers, citizens, and government in their fight to break the blockade in accordance with their Constitution and the United Nations Charter. Next up, Puerto Rico's iconic Arecibo Observatory being transformed into a new STEM center after this. For Pulse of the Caribbean podcast advertising or marketplace feature opportunities, email bizbiz at pulsofhecaribbean.com. Get your ads in front of our ever-expanding Caribbean and diaspora community. Contact us at BizBIZ at pulsofthecaribbean.com. Engage in networking and advertising with Pulse of the Caribbean. This is the Pulse of the Caribbean News Roundup Episode 2 for the week of October 27th. The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, famous for its astronomical discoveries before its giant radio telescope collapsed in 2020, is being turned into a STEM teaching and innovation hub. Arecibo 3, the NSF Arecibo Center for STEM Education, Computational Skills, and Community Engagement, aims to make Puerto Rico a STEM learning and research leader. The research led by the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Pedras, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The effort integrates education, workforce development, and community partnerships to boost Puerto Rico's STEM ecosystem and promote science and technology inclusion and sustainability. Arecibo 3 began its trial phase in the summer of 2024, creating programs to gather community feedback and co-design new educational possibilities. Over the past year, hundreds of students, teachers, and researchers have engaged in molecular biology, genetics, computers, and digital skill courses, field trips, and collaborative projects. The hands-on lab equipment experience have helped participants build confidence and practical understanding in biology, computing, and technology. And here's her final note. A record number of people attended this year's World Creole Music Festival in Dominica, one of the best ever. The 25th festival, held October 24 to 26 at Windsor Park Sports Stadium, celebrated Dominica's strong music culture under the theme Pulsating Rhythms. The music festival concluded on Sunday with Kalani, Bungie Garland, Faye Ann Lyons, Tiwa Savage, Kassav, Signal Band, and Michelle Henderson performing. Patrons declared the final night electric, ending the most memorable World Creole Music Festival. Festival management said unprecedented attendance and world-class performances reaffirm Dominica's World Creole Music Festival standing as one of the Caribbean's top music festivals and a cornerstone of Creole culture and unity. This podcast has been brought to you by Diamond Key Marina, Yosmondike, British Virgin Islands, home of Foxy's Taboo, and gateway to the bubbly pool, a natural jacuzzi and hidden gem. To reserve moorings at Diamond Key, visit Bowteyball.com. That's B-O-A-T-Y-B-A-L-L.com. Have news and information you'd like to share with us? Send news releases to news at pulsofthecaribbean.com. This has been your Pulse of the Caribbean News Roundup, episode two for the week of October 27th. We continue to pray for the safety and speedy recovery of our region's island nations impacted and in the path of Hurricane Melissa. Here is a special greeting going out to our listeners in Bermuda, Jamaica, New Jersey, Australia, and the UK. Thanks for listening. And do spread the word and share our podcast with others across the region and the diaspora. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook. I'm Keisha Blyden. See you next time.

SPEAKER_00:

For more Caribbean news stories and information, visit us online at pulsofthecaribbean.com. 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.