Caribzone News Highlight
By
Caribzone.com
Haiti
Members
of the UN Security Council have reiterated the need for stakeholders in Haiti
to engage in an inclusive and open dialogue to form a government that
responds to the needs of the Haitian people without further delay.
In a
statement, the Security Council members expressed concern regarding the ongoing
political impasse in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
nation.
The
stern warning comes as Haitians pause to reflect on their socio-economic
status, ten years after an earthquake decimated most of the island, mired in
perpetual poverty, undermined by political mayhem.
The
members of the influential Security Council noted the ongoing efforts of
the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), and the role of the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti.
They
also stressed the need for all stakeholders to continue to avail
themselves of this opportunity and act promptly.
The
members of the Security Council emphasized the urgent need to address
deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Haiti through coordinated action by
the government of Haiti, the United Nations, and the international community.
In
addition the Security Council recalled the need for the government of Haiti to
address the underlying causes of instability and poverty within the country and
urged all stakeholders to refrain from violence and to resolve differences
through peaceful means.
The
members of the Security Council reiterated their commitment to working with
Haiti towards a democratic, peaceful and secure future.
The
United Nations Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the
United Nations, charged with ensuring international peace and security.
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Jamaica
Coffee
lovers on the island nation celebrated Coffee Day on January 9, joining coffee-crazy
Japanese fans of the beverage in celebrating what is now annual Jamaica
Blue Mountain (JBM) Coffee Day.
The
event had its birth last year on January 9, when the Jamaica Coffee Exporters
Association (JCEA) teamed with the Association of Japanese Importers of
Jamaican Coffee to introduce the event in both Japan and Jamaica.
This
year
The event, which is expected to become an annual homage to what has become probably
the world's most drinkable hot beverage focused on the home of the most
celebrated brand which although falling on hard export times over the past
decade is again teeming with the rustic flavor of Jamaica's longest and
highest range, the Blue Mountains.
The
range spans four parishes – Portland, St Thomas, St Mary and St Andrew – and
the coffee delivers a special flavored taste of the region.
Blue
Mountain Coffee, probably the most famous brand in the world, is cultivated
between 0.6 kilometres (0.37 mi) and 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) above sea level,
retaining a historic past, which dates back the days of slavery and recalling
the contemporary communities of the Windward Jamaican Maroons.
The celebrations
were led by the more recently established JCEA, led by the former president of
the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) and former senator Norman Grant, and the
lately created Jamaica Agricultural Commodity Regulatory Authority, supported
by JAMPRO.
According
to Grant, the start of the new decade offers a vision of
increasing local production of quality JBM at a sustainable price to all
stakeholders, including the farmers.
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Regional
An
earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 rocked several Caribbean islands last
Wednesday as regional countries were being urged to continue monitoring the
situation in neighboring Puerto Rico, where two strong earthquakes have been
blamed for the death of one man and damage to several buildings in that
country.
The
Trinidad-based Seismic Research Center (SRC) of the University of the West
Indies (UWI), said that the quake occurred at 10.01 (local time), and was
located Latitude: 15.18N; Longitude: 61.22W and at a depth of 123 kilometers
(km).
The
SRC said that the quake was felt 23 km southeast of Roseau in Dominica, as
well as 66 km north, northwest of Fort-de-France, the capital of the French Island
of Martinique and 124 km south, southeast of Point-à-Pitre, the capital of
Guadeloupe.
The
SRC said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage and the
Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), joined
SRC is urging Caribbean countries to monitor the situation in Puerto Rico.
CDEMA
said it was advising member states “to continue to monitor the situation
in Puerto Rico and to be guided by the alerts received from their
respective NTWCs and by the established protocols outlined in their respective
tsunami and coastal hazard plans”.
It
said that together with the Regional Response Mechanism Partners, they will
continue to monitor the situation and provide updates if the situation
warrants.
The
US Geological Survey said the quake also affected several other countries
including the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic,
Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St
Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos Islands and the US Virgin Islands.
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Sports
Newly
appointed Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) football Head Coach Terry Fenwick has identified
a number of initiatives aimed at halting the national team's losing slide and
restoring their “dignity” in the Caribbean.
The
Englishman, who was named in the post after under-fire Dennis Lawrence was
sacked last month, said there was a need for the ailing side to be invigorated
with new blood, and as a result young domestic talent had to be found and
experienced overseas-based players also drafted in.
Further,
Fenwick said a collaborative approach involving “parents, families, communities”
was required by football authorities in order to strengthen the fabric of
the sport domestically.
“This
is a team initiative. This is about parents, families, communities coming
together to help,” Fenwick told media here Monday.
He
added: “We have got to change the balance of the flagship, the senior national
side, which has had a very
poor run over the last couple of years. I am trying
to cut through things as quickly as I possibly can.
“I
have got my initiatives, I have got my background checks on all of the players
we have got, and some who haven't been invited to the squad.”
T&T
Soca Warriors have experienced wretched form over the last year, winning
just once in 15 outings while suffering 10 defeats — the worst-ever run of form
in the side's modern history. At one stage they went 14 matches without a
single win.
Once
Caribbean powerhouses, T&T were relegated to League B of the CONCACAF
Nations League after finishing bottom of Group C without a win, which also
caused them to miss out on automatic qualification for the Gold Cup next year
and the 2022 World Cup.
They
were also dumped from last July's Gold Cup in the first round after failing to
win a single game.
While
warning the situation would not be a quick fix, Fenwick said it was time to
return T&T to its rightful place in football.
Fenwick
is a former England defender who earned 20 national caps before turning his
attention to management.
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Regional
Suriname is reporting that Texas-based Apache Corporation
has found an oil reserve on the border with Guyana. Experts believe the
Guyana/Suriname Basin, contains one of the largest untapped reserves of oil and
gas, in the world
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