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Carib Chief: 'Marry the same race or risk extinction'
In May this year, the chief of an ancient Caribbean people came up with a drastic solution to protect their heritage - and their future.
Chief Charles Williams of the Carib - or Kalinago - people of Dominica said they should not marry non-Kalinago people. "The impact of colonization has been so strong on us that if we do not take steps to protect the race, it will be soon extinct," he said.
Extinct is a word that the academics who study this people would never use, but Chief Williams has little doubt that the Kalinago could be in danger of disappearing altogether.
There are now about 3,000 tribal members left on the island, which has a total population of some 70,000 - and the chief's radical views have found support amongst other leaders. In May this year, the chief of an ancient Caribbean people came up with a drastic solution to protect their heritage - and their futur... more -
New hurricane threatens Caribbean
Hurricane Ike is set to continue the woes of the Caribbean islanders, after it formed shortly after Hanna moved on north of the region, leaving at least 500 dead in Haiti as a result of flooding.
Eastern Cuba is currently under "hurricane watch". Hurricane Ike is set to continue the woes of the Caribbean islanders, after it formed shortly after Hanna moved on north of the region... more -
Gustav Headed to Jamaica
Storm Gustav struck Jamaica with pounding rain and winds just short of hurricane strength Thursday, and Haitian officials raised their death toll from the storm to more than 50.
Workers secure the wing of a plane Thursday on Grand Cayman Island as Tropical Storm Gustav approach.
Jamaica's government had evacuated people from surrounding islands and prepared to move residents out of low-lying areas ahead of the storm, a military spokesman said. Storm Gustav struck Jamaica with pounding rain and winds just short of hurricane strength Thursday, and Haitian officials raised their... more -
Tropical Storm Gustav Kills 22 In Caribbean, Heads For Gulf Coast
(RTTNews) - Tropical storm Gustav, which lashed Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic on Wednesday, has killed at least 22 people in the two Caribbean countries, said officials.
The floods and mudslides caused by the torrential rains accompanying the storm killed at least eight people in the Dominican Republic and 14 in neighboring Haiti, officials added.
Forecasters said that the storm has left Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and is moving west-northwest at about 5 mph. They predicted that it is expected pass between Cuba and Jamaica on Thursday, before entering the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday or Sunday.
Though Gustav weakened from a hurricane overnight as it passed over Haiti, it could develop into a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph, before making landfall anywhere from the Florida panhandle to Texas, the forecasters warned.
"Slow strengthening is forecast once Gustav moves away from Haiti, and the storm could regain hurricane strength within the next day or two," the hurricane center said.
While tropical-storm warnings were in place across southern Haiti and in Jamaica, a hurricane warning was in effect for parts of Cuba including the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, and in the Cayman Islands. (RTTNews) - Tropical storm Gustav, which lashed Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic on Wednesday, has killed at least 22 peop... more -
4 -Day Party For Olympians
FOUR days of celebrations for the Trinidad and Tobago’s 50-member Olympic team are being planned by Government.
The Government announced this yesterday as officials of the Olympic team returned to Trinidad from Beijing, China, early yesterday morning.
It was also announced that the events to honour the Olympians will get into motion when officials are able to get all members of the team in Trinidad at the same time.
It is understood that 100-metres silver medallist Richard Thompson and finalist Marc Burns will not be returning home with the team as both went straight to Zurich, Switzerland to compete in the Golden League Grand Prix over the next two weeks. However, swimmers George Bovell III and his brother Nicholas were among those who returned yesterday.
The celebrations will begin with a motorcade throughout the streets of Trinidad and Tobago where the athletes will be greeted by fans and supporters. The athletes will be escorted to a central venue where they will address members of the public.
The four-day celebration will also include a meeting with President George Maxwell Richards and other top government officials.
Government is also encouraging the nation’s communities to be part of the welcome home for the athletes. Community members are being asked to put up banners and flags to cheer on the athlete who lives in their area.
The athletes are also expected to be rewarded handsomely as Government has already implemented a reward system. The Government said the right system has to be put in place to ensure that there is improvement in all sports. Government also revealed that it will take a page from the Jamaica athletic system to help improve local athletics. The system will include implementing the right methodology to sustain good performances in the future.
Meanwhile, Bovell yesterday said he was satisfied with his performances and times at the Olympics.
But the six-foot five-inch swimmer who earned a bronze medal at the Athens, Greece Olympics four years ago was quick to point out however that his real source of happiness at the games was seeing Thompson and other members of the athletic team perform successfully.
The performances are an indication that Trinidad and Tobago can do much better, in four years time at London 2012. The lanky swimmer was generally happy for Caribbean athletes- noting that the region always had the talent to achieve such a feat. FOUR days of celebrations for the Trinidad and Tobago’s 50-member Olympic team are being planned by Government. ... more -
Tropical Storm Gustav blamed for 17 deaths
Tropical Storm Gustav killed at least 17 people in the Caribbean as its squalls battered Haiti and the Dominican Republic, officials said.
Forecasters warned Gustav, which was a Category 1 hurricane when it made landfall in Haiti on Tuesday, is likely to regain hurricane intensity.
The forecast shows Gustav entering the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday or Sunday as a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph (179 kph). However, hurricane movements are erratic, and long-range forecasts are subject to change.
Pinchinat Pierre Louis, deputy director of Haiti's Civil Protection Directorate, said nine people were killed in the storm and another person was missing. There were unconfirmed reports of other deaths, including at least one man killed in a landslide, he said.
A mudslide in the Dominican Republic killed eight people, according to Col. Juan Manuel Mendez, the nation's director of emergency operations. The landslide happened in the Guachupita neighborhood in Santo Domingo, officials said. iReport.com: Send us your photos, videos
Nine hundred homes in the Dominican Republic were damaged by Gustav, they said.
Concerns about Gustav's apparent path to the Gulf of Mexico were partially to blame for an increase in oil prices Wednesday, officials said. Oil platforms in and around the Gulf account for more than one-fourth of U.S. oil production.
"People seem to be convinced that the track of (Gustav's) path will lead into the Gulf," said Tom Orr, head of research for Weeden and Co. financial services firm.
As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Gustav's center was about 110 miles (178 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and about 125 miles (201 kilometers) southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center.
It was creeping west-northwest at near 5 mph (8 kph) and was expected to continue in that general direction as it picks up speed over the next day. Tropical Storm Gustav killed at least 17 people in the Caribbean as its squalls battered Haiti and the Dominican Republic, officials s... more -
Red lionfish invade the Caribbean
The lionfish, a vibrantly colored spiny and venomous predator from the western Pacific, is rapidly spreading in the Caribbean's warm waters, according to marine biologists who are studying the phenomenon. More... The lionfish, a vibrantly colored spiny and venomous predator from the western Pacific, is rapidly spreading in the Caribbean's w... more
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US Tourist hacked to death in Guatemala
Robbers armed with machetes hacked a U.S. tourist to death and seriously wounded his wife in an attack aboard the couple's sailboat in northeastern Guatemala, the woman told The Associated Press on Sunday.
In a telephone interview from her hospital bed, Nancy Dryden, 67, said her husband, Daniel Perry Dryden, 66, was killed by four men who boarded their boat late Saturday while it was anchored in Lake Izabal.
"They poked us and stabbed us with the machetes, and they were asking for money, specifically dollars," said Dryden, who was listed in stable condition at a hospital in the lakeside town of Morales.
The thieves were apparently unhappy with the take. "We had a few quetzales (Guatemala's currency), but we had no dollars with us on the boat," Dryden recounted.
Dryden said the four assailants boarded the vessel late Saturday; she believes they may have reached the boat by swimming from shore.
The long machetes the men brandished "seemed liked curved swords," Dryden said.
After assaulting the couple, the men demanded Dryden hand over the keys to the vessel, which has an auxiliary motor. When she didn't - she was unable to tell whether they wanted the keys to the boat, or a small dinghy the couple used to get to shore - the men left, also apparently by swimming.
Dryden struggled over to the boat's radio and sent out a distress call. "I said we need help ... I said my husband was not moving," Dryden recalled.
Dryden said she expects her children to arrive tomorrow and plans to be transferred to the United States for medical care.
Assistant Police Commissioner Luis Say said the attack is being investigated.
The lake is located near the Caribbean coast and is popular among tourists for its jungle scenery and wildlife. Robbers armed with machetes hacked a U.S. tourist to death and seriously wounded his wife in an attack aboard the couple's sailbo... more -
Hurricanes in Paradise
In the last 5 years there have been more damaging hurricanes in the Cayman Islands than in the last 50 combined. With insurance companies going bankrupt after big storms and the looming threat of total destruction, how and why do people continue to live there? In the last 5 years there have been more damaging hurricanes in the Cayman Islands than in the last 50 combined. With insurance compa... more
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British bride shot dead and husband fighting for life on Caribbean honeymoon
At their wedding 16 days ago, Catherine and Benjamin Mullany were looking forward to a long and happy future together.
Yesterday, 31-year-old Mrs Mullany lay dead in Antigua, while her husband fought for life.
The couple had been nearing the end of their fortnight honeymoon on the Caribbean island. Enlarge The newly-weds were due to leave Antigua today
The newly-weds were due to return to the UK today
But as they slept, one or more gunmen broke into their holiday cottage at the luxury Cocos Hotel.
Mrs Mullany, a paediatrician who was training to be a GP, was shot in the head. She is believed to have died instantly.
Her husband, a physiotherapist, also 31, was hit in the neck. Last night he was said to be in a critical condition in hospital.
It was just 24 hours before they were due to fly home to begin married life in Britain.
Beverly Stairs, a fellow British tourist who had befriended the couple, raised the alarm after hearing shots and Mrs Mullany's screams at 5am.
'It was an awful sound and I'll remember it for ever,' she said.
Police believe that their murder, in the south-west of the island, was a robbery 'gone bad'.
And Antigua's tourist authorities sought to persuade visitors this was an isolated incident.
But despite its peaceful, sunkissed appearance, there have been nine other murders this year. At their wedding 16 days ago, Catherine and Benjamin Mullany were looking forward to a long and happy future together. ... more -
Caribbean Monk Seal Extinct, U.S. Officials Declare
Federal officials in the U.S. have confirmed what biologists have long thought: The Caribbean monk seal has gone the way of the dodo.
Humans hunting the docile creatures for food, skins, and blubber left the population unsustainable, say biologists, who warn that Mediterranean and Hawaiian monk seals could be the next to go.
From the 1700s to 1900s the seals were killed mainly for their blubber, which was processed into oils, used for lubrication, and applied as a coating on the bottom of boats.
The seals once had a population of more than 250,000, but they became easy game for hunters because they often rested, gave birth, or nursed their pups on beaches.
Seal skins were used for trunk linings, clothing, straps, and bags.
The Caribbean seals were classified as endangered in 1967, and wildlife experts investigated several reported sightings over the past few decades. But officials determined the animals spotted were actually other seal types.
"We must act now to reduce threats to existing monk seal populations before it's too late," she said. "These animals are important to the balance and health of the ocean. We can't afford to wait."
Monk seals are particularly sensitive to human disturbance, and the creatures have been losing their food supplies and beach habitats, officials say. Federal officials in the U.S. have confirmed what biologists have long thought: The Caribbean monk seal has gone the way of the dodo. ... more -
Food aid not making it to Haiti- a hungry mob is an angry mob
After soaring food prices led to deadly riots in April, the U.S. and the U.N. promised millions of dollars in aid to poor families, as well as help for farmers to break Haiti's dependence on imported food.
But three months later, The Associated Press has learnt that only a fraction of a key U.S. food pledge — less than 2 percent as of early July — has been distributed.
Even those who oversee the food aid programs say they are stopgap measures while programs to create jobs and help Haitian farmers to increase production are more critical to ending the country's chronic hunger once and for all.
But right now, aid workers say, the poorest families need immediate help, and little of the emergency food promised has reached them. Most of what has reached Haiti is stuck in port. Nearly all the rest is still inside warehouses — victim of high fuel prices, bad roads and a weak national government. After soaring food prices led to deadly riots in April, the U.S. and the U.N. promised millions of dollars in aid to poor families, as... more -
Talking HIV in Jamaica
Stigma and discrimination are fueling the HIV epidemic in the Caribbean. In Jamaica, those living with HIV often face social isolation and harassment.
Stigma also stops at-risk people from seeking information on prevention and testing, altering their sexual behavior, and accessing counseling, support groups and treatment.
In this video, Kwame Dawes talks about HIV-related stigma with people living with the disease and those at risk of contracting HIV.
Produced by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting in association with Azimuth Media.
To learn more about this issue, visit www.pulitzercenter.org. Stigma and discrimination are fueling the HIV epidemic in the Caribbean. In Jamaica, those living with HIV often face social isolation... more -
Canary in a Coal Mine MWV16
Coral reefs are dying a death of a thousand cuts and their disappearance threatens not only the incredibly diverse ecosystem that depends on them, but also human health and welfare.
In this episode of MicrobeWorld Video marine scientists Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Ph.D., chair of marine studies at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and Kiho Kim, Ph.D., director of the environmental studies program at American University, explain the important relationship between microbes and corals, and how this delicate symbiosis that sustains life on and around reefs is facing numerous threats from human interactions to global climate change. In addition, Tundi Agardy, Ph.D., founder and executive director of Sound Seas, discusses the need for public policy and community-based conservation efforts that may help stave off the degradation of these vital ocean ecosystems.
According to a 2004 report issued by the World Wildlife Fund, 24% of the world's reefs are under imminent risk of collapse through human pressures; and a further 26% are under a longer term threat of collapse. If nothing is done to protect these resources, many scientists estimate that reefs around the West Indies in the Caribbean will be gone by 2020, while the Great Barrier Reef may only last for another three decades.
Please visit the following sites for more information about coral reefs:
www.climateshifts.org
www.reefrelief.org
www.coralreef.noaa.gov Coral reefs are dying a death of a thousand cuts and their disappearance threatens not only the incredibly diverse ecosystem that depe... more -
Haitians killed in riot over food prices
At least 3 Haitians were killed and 25 were injured during the anti-poverty demonstration against rising prices and poverty in southern Haiti.
On Friday one man was shot in the head during protest in southern Haiti. It's not clear who shot him but protesters blame U.N. troops. 2 others were found dead in Les Cayes (it's not known how they died). According to U.N. spokeswoman Sophie Boutaud de la Combe, U.N. soldiers began firing because they were fired upon and a they are opening up an investigation into the deaths.
Food prices are rising worldwide but Haiti is feeling it hard. 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. Food prices for rice, beans, fruit and condensed milk have gone up 50%, and the cost of pasta has doubled. Further, Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas.
"The food crisis threatens the country's fragile security, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report this week."
See also: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jYz0ztx1cGYVy4zaQqU... At least 3 Haitians were killed and 25 were injured during the anti-poverty demonstration against rising prices and poverty in souther... more -
UN chief says Haiti improving, but still fragile amid economic, political woes - A...
Haiti needs years of stability and the help from powerful neighbors in order to grow economically
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Tropical Storm Olga
Olga comes nearly two weeks after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season.
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Cuba Producing Cancer-fighting Scorpion Venom
Since August, the eastern Cuban province of Las Tunas has been stockpiling quantities of scorpion venom for the treatment of cancer patients.
The venom which is "harmless to the human body" has shown to be "highly effective treatment of tumours and illnesses related to the central nervous system."
Scientists have also seen improvements in "patients suffering from lung, uterus, prostate and pancreas ailments". Ok, so I'm guessing it's 'improvements' as I don't think the report would consider the treatment "successful" otherwise.
Foreign demand is expected to rise as soon as the treatment is patented. Since August, the eastern Cuban province of Las Tunas has been stockpiling quantities of scorpion venom for the treatment of cancer pa... more -
Grenada will not ban gays
The Grenadian government says reports in foreign press suggesting gay cruises would be banned from docking at the island's ports are false.
Tourism Minister Clarice Modeste Curwin said "there are mixed views on the island about gay lifestyles, and that reports of coming gay cruises have fuelled debate on the subject."
Minister Curwin insisted however, that "not at any time was anything said about banning."
Earlier this week Dominican Tourism Minister Ian Douglas said that his island "was open to tourists without discrimination." The Grenadian government says reports in foreign press suggesting gay cruises would be banned from docking at the island's ports ... more -
5.4 Aftershock Has Islanders Panicked
A 5.4 earthquake rocked parts of the Caribbean today. Officials say it was an aftershock of last week's 7.3 temblor.
Today's quake hit around 8:11am Eastern Caribbean time (around 12:11pm London time) and was felt on the islands of Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent.
Naturally residents are panicked and rumours of a large aftershock within in the hour have begun circulating around the region.
A statement on the UWI Seismic Research Unit read: "The Seismic Research Unit has not issued a warning that a large aftershock will occur within the next hour."
The statement goes on to say that a tsunami warning has also NOT been issued.
The Seismic Unit has advised islanders however, to be prepared for possible aftershocks with a "magnitude range of 6.1-6.5" which are "normally associated with earthquakes the size of last weeks.
The cracked flooring above was a result of last weeks quake at a friend's home. My mom said her ornaments were destroyed but she never felt the quake...lol. A 5.4 earthquake rocked parts of the Caribbean today. Officials say it was an aftershock of last week's 7.3 temblor. ... more
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