Tag Archives: caribbean

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Major Cruise Lines in Further Delay to 2021 Sailings

RON HURTIBISE
South Florida Sun Sentinel

Several major cruise lines have again extended suspensions of operations as the industry continues to await federal guidance on when cruising can resume from U.S. ports.

Royal Caribbean Group announced it canceled sailings scheduled in May on three lines — Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises. Sailings aboard Azamara, a luxury line that Royal Caribbean recently sold to a private equity firm, have been suspended through June 30.

Excluded from the extension are four Royal Caribbean International ships — Quantum of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas — and their scheduled sailings from China, Singapore and Israel.

Recently, Royal Caribbean announced plans for its new Odyssey of the Seas to depart Israel in May with all passengers above age 16 vaccinated.

The earliest sailing from the United States is Explorer of the Seas’ planned June 2 departure from Galveston, Texas. Several trips are planned in June to depart Port Everglades, Port Miami, Port Canaveral and Port Tampa Bay.

Industry leader Carnival Corp., meanwhile, announced it was extending suspensions for three of its brands.

Holland America’s planned sailings in May and June from Europe aboard Nieuw Statendam, Volendam and Westerdam have been canceled. Schedules from U.S. ports are unaffected, as the cruise line does not plan to resume sailings from the United States until Oct. 23, when Nieuw Amsterdam is slated to depart Port Everglades for a weeklong Western Caribbean tour.

Princess Cruises canceled cruises planned in May from Port Everglades, Los Angeles and Rome. And ultra-luxury brand Seabourn canceled European sailings scheduled before July 3.

“We understand guests are eager to travel and, even though we have extended our pause in operations a bit further, we continue to prepare to welcome them back once again,” said Josh Leibowitz, Seabourn’s president.

Flagship Carnival Cruise Line, however, was not among the Carnival Corp. brands with extended suspensions.

The popular “fun ship” line is continuing to book voyages scheduled to depart United States ports in June. The first still scheduled to leave Port Canaveral for a four-night Bahamas trip aboard Carnival Liberty

Cruise lines continue to wait for reopening guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, Forbes quoted a CDC spokesman who said the agency is working with cruise lines “to implement the initial phase requirements of testing all crew and developing onboard laboratory capacity.”

Major cruise lines have made it easy for guests to reschedule canceled cruises or get their money back. Details are available on cruise lines’ websites.

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Troops to Stay in Wash. DC Until May 23

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved keeping nearly 2,300 National Guardsmen at the U.S. Capitol through May 23, the Pentagon said Tuesday evening.

The move extends the Guard’s deployment more than two months past when it was supposed to end this week. The number of approved troops is about half of the 5,100 currently stationed at the Capitol.

“This decision was made after a thorough review of the request and after close consideration of its potential impact on readiness,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement.

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During the extension, Pentagon officials will “work with the U.S. Capitol Police to incrementally reduce the National Guard footprint as conditions allow,” Kirby added.

“We thank the National Guard for its support throughout this mission, as well as for its significant efforts across the nation in combating the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

National Guardsmen from around the country poured into Washington, D.C., to shore up security at the Capitol following the Jan. 6 riot by supporters of former President Trump, reaching a height of 26,000 troops.

The Guardsmen were originally meant to bulk up security for President Biden’s inauguration, but the deployment was extended to March 12 over continued security concerns.

The security concerns were in part related to the QAnon conspiracy theory’s mistaken belief that Trump would be reinaugurated on March 4, the original date of presidential inaugurations until 1933, when the 20th Amendment moved it to Jan. 20.

March 4 came and went without incident. But that same day, Capitol Police asked the Pentagon to extend the National Guard deployment for another two months.

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A brief statement from Capitol Police last week confirming it requested the Guard’s deployment be extended did not detail what specific threats warranted a continued U.S. military presence at the Capitol.

Kirby similarly demurred Tuesday afternoon when asked about the threat assessment.

“The Guard presence on the Hill, while certainly there to address a requirement that is based on law enforcement’s concerns, is also there to help bolster and support the Capitol Police and their capabilities, which may not be at the level where it needs to be given the fact that we’re in sort of a new environment in this country,” Kirby said at a Pentagon briefing. “So it’s not just about a threat assessment. It’s about assisting and supporting capabilities that the Capitol Police may now lack and may need to look at improving on their own.”

While the extension announced Tuesday ends in May, questions are starting to be raised about whether the National Guard will have a more enduring presence at the Capitol after a security review recommended sweeping changes.

One of the recommendations in the review, authored by a team led by retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, was to set up a permanent quick reaction force to respond to emergencies in Washington, D.C., that could be composed of National Guard members.

Asked Tuesday whether the National Guard’s mission will become an enduring one, Kirby told reporters that “I don’t think anybody can answer that question right now.”

Lawmakers, though, are increasingly questioning whether the Guard is still needed at the Capitol, saying Capitol Police needs to brief them on the threats driving the extension.

Compounding lawmakers’ calls to send troops home are concerns about conditions Guardsmen stationed at the Capitol have faced.

In January, lawmakers were outraged after some Guardsmen were forced to rest in a parking garage instead of inside the Capitol complex. They were quickly moved back inside after photos of them cramped in the garage circulated online.

More recently, lawmakers in both parties have been expressing concern after members of the Michigan National Guard were served food provided by a contractor that was “badly undercooked, raw, moldy and even filled with metal shavings,” as Michigan lawmakers wrote in a letter to the head of the National Guard Bureau last week.

Kirby said Monday the contractor would not be changed after food vendor facilities were inspected multiple times “with no substantial issues having been recorded.”

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Tokyo Olympics: No Foreign Fans, Good Pfizer Vaccine News, Bad News for Airlines, More,

Guardian (UK) Japan has decided to stage this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators due to public concern about Covid, two government sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

The Olympics, postponed by a year because of the pandemic, are scheduled for 23 July to 8 August and the Paralympics from 24 August to 5 September Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said a decision on spectators would be made by the end of March.

The government has concluded that welcoming fans from abroad would not be possible given public concern about the coronavirus and the detection of more contagious variants in many countries, the people said, declining to be identified because the information is not public.

Kyodo News, which reported the decision on Tuesday, said the opening ceremony of the torch relay on March 25 would also take place without spectators.

“The organising committee has decided it is essential to hold the ceremony in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima behind closed doors, only permitting participants and invitees to take part in the event, to avoid large crowds forming amid the pandemic,” Kyodo said, quoting the officials.

The Tokyo organising committee said a decision would be made based on “factors including the state of infections in Japan and other countries, possible epidemic-prevention measures, and expert scientific advice.”

Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto has said she wants a decision made on before the start of the torch relay on whether to allow overseas spectators.

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Some hopeful news on the variants: Pfizer vaccine neutralizes Brazilian virus variant in new study

The Pfizer vaccine was able to neutralize a coronavirus variant first identified in Brazil in a new lab study, a positive sign for the vaccine’s effectiveness.

Neutralization of the Brazilian variant, known as P.1, was “roughly equivalent” to the original strain of the virus, which the Pfizer vaccine has been shown to be highly effective against, researchers wrote in a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine.

The P.1 variant has provoked some concern given the surge in cases it is fueling in Brazil.

Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said in a presentation last week there are “preliminary reports” the variant is more infectious, and that antibodies produced by vaccines “may be less effective.” 

The results published Monday from researchers from Pfizer, its German partner BioNTech, and the University of Texas Medical Branch, however, are reassuring. 

The study also found strong neutralization of the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the U.K., though that was already expected. 

Perhaps a more concerning variant: The B.1.351 variant, first identified in South Africa, has raised concern for its potential ability to weaken the effectiveness of vaccines to some degree. The study found neutralization of that variant was “robust but lower.” .

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New CDC guidelines a blow for ailing airline industry

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week delivered a tough blow to the airline industry, which is struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

While the CDC issued a number of recommendations that allow vaccinated and low-risk people more freedom to gather, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Monday that the agency’s advice on travel remains the same for both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans: Don’t do it.

But some experts called that guidance confusing and the airline industry, while saying it would continue to work with the CDC, stressed its efforts to prevent coronavirus transmission aboard aircraft and its confidence that its approach is safe.

Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University and former Baltimore health commissioner, called the guidance on Monday “far too cautious.”

“A lot of families are separated from one another and need to travel to see one another. I’m really befuddled by why the guidance around travel was not changed. Travel is very low risk — imagine if you’re traveling in your individual car or even by plane — whenever everyone is wearing masks, the risk of coronavirus is very low,” she said.

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SUMMARY

Here are the key developments from the last few hours:

  • UK ministers asked to justify ‘staggering’ £20bn test and trace system cost. There is no evidence to show that the government’s £22bn test-and-trace programme to combat Covid-19 in England contributed to a reduction in coronavirus infection levels, parliament’s spending watchdog has concluded.
  • Overseas fans face ban from Tokyo Olympics, reports news agency. Japan’s government has decided to stage the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators because of fears among the population over the potential spread of Covid-19, the Kyodo news agency has reported, citing officials with knowledge of the matter.
  • Nancy Pelosi hailed a ‘historic’ Covid relief bill as House prepares to vote. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has hailed the massive $1.9tn Covid relief bill as “historic” and “transformative” as the House stood poised to give the legislation final approval with a vote on Wednesday morning.
  • Big Indian state scaled down vaccinations, citing shortage. The Indian state of Rajasthan said on Tuesday it had started limiting Covid vaccinations to its major hospitals due to a shortage of doses, despite an assurance from the federal government that supplies were adequate.
  • Brazil suffered record deaths. Brazil registered 1,972 new Covid deaths in a single day on Tuesday, a national record, according to the health ministry. The country had 70,764 new cases of coronavirus, reaching a total of 11.12 million infections. Brazil had 168,370 coronavirus deaths.
  • Palestinian intensive care units at 100% capacity. Palestinian hospitals are overfull and intensive-care units operating at 100% capacity with coronavirus patients in some areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has said.
  • San Francisco Uber driver assaulted after passenger allegedly refuses to wear mask. An attack on a San Francisco Uber driver over the weekend by a passenger who allegedly refused to wear a face mask has drawn outrage after video of the incident emerged on Tuesday.
  • J&J ‘under stress’ to meet EU 2nd-quarter vaccine supply goal – Reuters source. Johnson & Johnson has told the European Union it is facing supply issues that may complicate plans to deliver 55m doses of its Covid vaccine to the bloc in the second quarter of the year, an EU official told Reuters.

 

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Race Issue: Queen Saddened by Meghan’s Pain

BBC- The race issues raised by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their interview with Oprah Winfrey are “concerning” and “taken very seriously”, Buckingham Palace has said.

In a statement, the Palace said “recollections may vary” but the matters will be addressed privately.

Meghan told Oprah Harry had been asked by an unnamed family member “how dark” their son Archie’s skin might be.

The Palace said the Sussexes would “always be much loved family members”.

The response from Buckingham Palace came after crisis meetings involving senior royals.

The Palace had been under growing pressure to respond to the interview in which Meghan – the first mixed-race member of the modern Royal Family – said that questions had been asked about their son’s skin colour.

Prince Harry later clarified to Oprah that the comments were not made by either the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh.

In other developments, Piers Morgan has left ITV’s Good Morning Britain show following a row over comments he made about the Duchess of Sussex.

The statement from the Palace, which came a day and a half after the interview was first broadcast in the US, said: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.

“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”

It is understood the royals wanted to carefully consider their response and to give the British public an opportunity to watch the interview first when it was broadcast on Monday evening.

The royals are said to consider this a family matter and to believe they should be given the opportunity to discuss the issues privately.

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Women should be acknowledged every day for their contributions

Participants in a Women’s Self-Empowerment Workshop held at the Red Cross Building, Charlestown, in celebration of International Women’s Day.

CHARLESTOWN Nevis — Women should be acknowledged every day for the invaluable contribution they make to society, according to Premier Hon. Mark Brantley, Senior Minister of Gender Affairs in the Nevis Island Administration.

Premier Brantley delivering welcome remarks at a Women’s Self-Empowerment Workshop held on International Women’s Day.

“We are so happy to see so many women from different backgrounds, different disciplines, together on this occasion,” said Hon. Brantley. “Today is International Women’s Day, and certainly we should celebrate women every day.

“I want you to know that we as a government are appreciative of the tremendous contribution that women make,” he said.

Highlighting the IWD 2021 theme ‘Women in leadership’, Mr. Brantley said often times people only see leadership in the context of politics.

“That is not so. Women lead in the homes, women lead in the churches, women lead in politics yes, but women lead in every facet of our society,” said Brantley. “I think that when we seek to restrict it only to politics, we do not appreciate the full extent of leadership by women in our community.

“Many homes on Nevis which are single parent homes, are being led by women,” explained Brantley. “They too need to be recognized, that their contribution as leaders is also critical. Leadership comes in different ways and all forms of leadership are important if we are to build the type of society that we need.”

Premier Brantley lauded women in the Federation for occupying leadership positions across every facet of society, including the civil service, government, institutions and organizations.

“If you look across for example, our society, look across our civil service, women in various positions of leadership,” explained Brantley. “We have permanent secretaries, women in Cabinet, women in Parliament, and have women here who are doctors and lawyers. We have women now in what are called non-traditional areas such as construction.

“Women are making their mark, as they should, and are contributing significantly to our society.

He told the more than two dozen participants at the workshop that they are all leaders in their own right. He encouraged the women to continue to be empowered and strong, and to continue to make their valuable contributions.

The workshop was organized by Ms. Latoya Jones, Special Advisor in the Office of the Premier and facilitated by Dr. Linda Carty, Sociologist.

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PM Harris & Other Caribbean Leaders Laud Region’s Women

Presidents, governors, prime ministers and cabinet members of the region have praised women for their efforts to “save the world during International Women’s Day Monday, March 8.

All of the leaders recognised that Caribbean women face challenges ranging from domestic violence, to job loss and have pledged to continue to enact policies that will give women a seat at the decision making table.

Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis Dr Timothy Harris lamented that the pandemic has resulted in many of his country’s women losing their jobs.

“On this International Women’s Day, I make this commitment, as your Prime Minister and as a father of two daughters. As we rebuild our Federation post COVID-19, it will be an equal future. It will be a future that draws on the talent, the experience, and the ambition of our strong and capable women here in St Kitts and Nevis,” Harris said in a video message.

Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit thanked the women of his country for the selfless work they are doing to protect the island from coronavirus (COVID-19).

US Virgin Islands Governor, Albert Bryan and his administration are celebrating the women leading the territory’s COVID-19 fight in the Department of Health.

“We are grateful for their selfless and fearless leadership and commitment to the people of this territory. They represent legions of strong women working today for a better tomorrow,” his office wrote.

Guyanese President Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali said Guyanese women are essential for the transformation of the country.

Ali said: “On International Women’s Day 2021, as we celebrate the contributions and achievements of our women, let us redouble our efforts and recommit to completing the unfinished task of narrowing gender inequalities wherever these are to be found.”

Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell said he was thankful to be leading Grenada at a time when the country is making significant strides to reach gender equality.

“Therefore today, on the occasional of International Women’s Day, I recognise the contributions made by female leaders, not just in politics and Government, or as business executives, but also in our homes, in our villages and communities, working miracles every day to care for families and being the glue that keeps us all connected,” he wrote in a message.

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Associated Press World View: US Relief Deal, Lockdown Over, George Floyd Murder Trial, More

March 09, 2021

Alternate text

AP Morning Wire.

Ted Anthony

Director of Digital Innovation

The Rundown

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden wants America to know that he’s from the government and he’s here to help. That sentiment became a well-worn punchline under Ronald Reagan and shaped……Read More

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NEW YORK (AP) — Fully-vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, according to long-awaited guidance from federal health….Read More

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LONDON (AP) — Britain and its royal family absorbed the tremors Monday from a sensational television interview by Prince Harry and Meghan, in which the couple said they encountered racist… …Read More

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death is forging ahead with jury selection, even though a looming appellate ruling could halt the…Read More

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Wedding anniversaries for Elizabeth O’Connor Cole and her husband, Michael, usually involve a dinner reservation for two at a fancy restaurant. Not this time around. As the pandemic raged… …Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

This is not the way Republicans wanted to begin the year. Missouri’s Roy Blunt on Monday became the fifth Republican senator to announce he will not seek reelection, a re…Read More

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-controlled government is seeking to suppressing media coverage of protests against their seizure of power as journalists and ordinary ci…Read More

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office says a police operation of an unprecedented scale targeting organized crime is taking place across the country. Abou…Read More

It’s the predictable rhythm of sports that draws us in. Not so much the results of the games themselves as the steady cadence of the seasons — the cutting down of nets …Read More

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Modern Slave Trade: Kids Trafficked Along Haiti-D.R. Border

PORT AU PRINCE (CMC): The trafficking of children and adolescents along the border shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic has intensified.

This is according to Jorge Galván, a human-rights activist in the Dominican Republic, who says the trafficking mainly takes place along the border of the province of Dajabon.

According to Galván, when these minors are illegally transferred from Haiti, they are exposed to all kinds of abuse from the traffickers, stressing that the problem is dramatic and that an urgent solution must be sought because more and more of them are arriving every day.

He said most of the children and adolescents spend nights in public places or sleep in abandoned buildings.

“On the day, they walk the streets with shoe polish boxes, others clean the windows of vehicles, still others devote themselves to begging, collecting bottles, plastics and other objects that people throw away and that they can resell, often on behalf of unscrupulous individuals.

He added that some victims of mafias operating in Haiti, in collusion with Dominicans, are being exploited and often abused or sold in prostitution networks.

According to Haitian Professor Jean Baptiste, who is also a former leader of Civil Protection in Cap Haitien, child trafficking to the Dominican Republic is serious.

Meanwhile, the vice-president of the Coordinator of Popular Organizations of the South Zone of Santiago, José Alberto Peña, says that along with representatives of other entities, he recently saved seven Haitian children who were residing in the poor area known as ‘Cañada del Diablo’, where they were being exploited.

 

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Jamaica to Launch Mass Vaccination Following a Recent Spike in COVID

ByVOA News

Jamaica is set to launch its vaccination program against the spread of COVID-19 amid an uptick in cases.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dunstan Bryan announced Monday that healthcare workers will be the first of more than 3,280 people to get their shots on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness accepted the first 50,000 doses of vaccines from India on Monday.

Jamaica is launching its vaccination program as Holness warned there will be a national lockdown if the COVID-19 safety protocols do not slow infections over the next three weeks.

During Monday’s news conference, the prime minister also said the desire of people “to party and go about not wearing your mask has to be balanced against the need against someone who will be deprived of care because we simply have no beds,” a reference to people ignoring safety protocols.

So far, Jamaica has confirmed a little more than 26,026 infections and 453 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource  Center.

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T&T: Father Being Charged with 15 Sex Acts on 14-Year-Old Daughter

A 41-year-old man is expected to appear before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate today charged with sexually assaulting his 17-year-old daughter.

The accused, a security guard, who resides in Laventille, was arrested and charged with 14 counts of sexual penetration of a child and one count of indecent assault by WPC Mylan-Bostic of the Port-of-Spain Child Protection Unit (CPU) yesterday.

According to police reports, the girl’s aunt made a report stating that the child’s father was allegedly sexually assaulting her.

According to the girl, while at her home, her father allegedly sexually assaulted her on several occasions. She later confided in her aunt who reported the claims to the CPU in November 2019.

Following a comprehensive investigation by the CPU, the man was charged with the offences. The case was supervised by Sgts David and Andrews and Cpl Mc Kain of the CPU.

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