Coprésidente du comité national pour renforcer l’éthique et la vie démocratique dans le sport, l’ancienne ministre doit présenter, jeudi, ses recommandations au terme de sept mois d’audition d’acteurs du secteur.Coprésidente du comité national pour renforcer l’éthique et la vie démocratique dans le sport, l’ancienne ministre doit présenter, jeudi, ses recommandations au terme de sept mois […]
With just over two weeks for winter travelers to start their vacations, Jamaica has announced that it has secured a record 1.05 million airline seats from nearly six thousand flights coming into the destination out of the U.S. during the upcoming winter season, which is expected to be its best yet. This represents an increase of 13 percent over winter 2022/2023, when it recorded a whopping 923,000 airline seats.
Key Airports and Airlines
“To date, ten airlines have some 5,914 flights to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston scheduled out of key U.S. gateways between January and April 2024,” said the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica. “This adds to the flurry expected over the 2023 holiday period.”
The lineup of airlines for the winter 2023/2024 season includes: American Airlines with 305,436 seats scheduled on 1,727 flights; Southwest with 106,925 seats scheduled on 611 flights; Delta with 205,776 seats scheduled on 1,119 flights; JetBlue with 242,347 seats scheduled on 1,434 flights; United with 92,911 seats scheduled on 525 flights; and Frontier with 25,482 seats scheduled on 137 flights.
Also contributing to the overall increase of 121,104 seats over the corresponding 2022/23 winter period are Spirit, Sun Country and ALG Charter, with a combined 65,677 seats scheduled on 361 flights. Additional airlift is further slated to come from Caribbean Airlines flying out of New York.
Projections For Jamaica’s Tourism Industry
“These numbers reflect the ongoing efforts of the Ministry of Tourism, through the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) as our marketing arm, working alongside our international and local partners in the travel and hospitality sectors to ensure continuous growth in our tourism industry,” continued Minister Bartlett.
Minister Bartlett also stated that, “Already for the period, January to November 29, 2023, preliminary figures indicate that some 2.5 million stopover visitors have graced our shores, accounting for an 18 percent increase over the same period in 2022 and a 10 percent increase over the same period in pre-pandemic 2019.”
“If we continue on this impressive growth trajectory, we will be on track to meet our new projections of 4 million visitors and foreign exchange earnings of USD $4.1 billion by year end,” Minister Bartlett concluded.
“The Jamaica Tourist Board maintains strong relationships with airline and travel industry partners and we are grateful they have added capacity into the destination this winter,” said Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Jamaica Tourist Board. “We anticipate a record-breaking winter season in terms of stopover arrivals, which is bolstered by these added seats from key U.S. carriers.”
Have you ever wondered what’s it like being a Jamaican living in Bahamas? In this episode of “Jamaicans to the World”, Jamaicans.com founder Xavier Murphy speaks with Cavel Walker. She is a Jamaican living in Bahamas. They discuss the food, culture, customs, the people, things to do, the language, music and adjusting to living in Bahamas as an expat. Xavier asks about the must eat foods and must visit places in Bahamas.
Dancehall artist Masicka, has achieved an extraordinary feat on the Apple iTunes songs chart, securing the top 17 positions simultaneously. This accomplishment sees Masicka surpassing the legendary Bob Marley’s record, firmly establishing him as the first Jamaican artist to achieve such chart dominance.
Unprecedented Chart Domination
With 17 songs simultaneously occupying the top 17 positions, Masicka’s achievement overshadows the previous record held by Valiant, who charted five songs in the top ten a year ago. This chart domination showcases Masicka’s widespread appeal and solidifies his position as a trailblazer in the music industry.
Caribbean and Global Impact
The impact of Masicka’s musical success extends far beyond the shores of Jamaica. His sophomore album “Generation of Kings” has not only conquered the local charts but has also claimed the number one spot in 13 Caribbean countries, including Anguilla, Barbados, Grenada, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. The album’s global recognition is further underscored by its top-ranking positions on iTunes in five countries and charting in an impressive 44 countries worldwide. Masicka’s influence is notably felt in major music markets, with the album securing the 12th position on the Apple Music daily chart in the United States.
Historic Double Presence on Apple Music Jamaica
Masicka’s achievement marks him as the first dancehall artist to chart two albums in the top ten on Apple Music Jamaica. Both “Generation of Kings” and “438” have secured his status as a powerhouse in the dancehall genre. Masicka’s accomplishment on the Apple iTunes Songs Chart is not just a remarkable accomplishment for the artist himself, but could indicate a seismic shift in the music landscape from classic reggae music to a more modern Dancehall sound. This dethroning of Bob Marley’s long-standing record also shows the evolving dynamics of the music industry and sets a new standard for artists aiming to leave a mark on the global stage.
When a group of researchers stumbled upon an “exuberantly- coloured snake” in Warapoka in July, 2022, they knew what it was, but it was the first time they, or anyone else, had seen it in Guyana.
What Ignazio Avella, Charlotte Lorand, André Surendre and Ronaldo Boyal, just 16, discovered was a reddish snake with black stripes on its dorsum. The belly was almost uniformly orange with very few black spots.
The team, quite familiar with snakes, believed it was a Erythrolamprus dorsocarallinus, a snake found in several localities in Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and the western Brazil Amazonia but never before in Guyana.
“To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. dorsocorallinus from Guyana, thus representing an addition to the faunal list of this country,” they are quoted in the Captive and Field Herpetology Journal as saying.
In other parts of the country, but particularly in the Amazonian forests of Guyana, new plants and animal species are still being discovered. In the last few years, new frogs, other snakes, tarantulas and hibiscus flowers were found in the country.
Finds like these are exactly why Guyana believes there should be some value attached to the biodiversity (plants and animals), both known and unknown, within its forests.
About 85% of the country’s landmass is covered in pristine forests. That’s about 18.5 million hectares of forests that help to trap about 19.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, the measure for harmful greenhouse gas emissions that contributes to the climate crisis.
And though the country is calling for forest-saving funds, through its new jurisdictional (or national coverage) carbon credits venture that falls under its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), it believes that it should also get paid to continue protecting the biodiversity found in those forests and for further research to find what hasn’t been found yet.
“As the model (the LCDS) is implemented over the years, we know that there must be a value attached to biodiversity,” Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali said in Dubai at this year’s United Nations (UN) climate talks, COP28.
Why there must be that value- or in other words, payments- for biodiversity is because the world is losing its biodiversity rapidly, the President explained.
So he posited that “safeguarding the forests and deploying it at jurisdictional scale… allows us the added benefit of biodiversity and ecology services.”
Getting forest payments, from private ventures through the voluntary carbon market, is Guyana’s major focus at this year’s climate talks. The country’s Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo told the News Room that there just aren’t enough public funds, be it through the Green Climate Fund or the Loss and Damage Fund, for example, to help protect forests and biodiversity in them.
“Part of what we are here for is to draw back attention to forests, we really have to outcompete alternate use,” he said at Guyana’s side event in Dubai.
But while it is pushing for forest payments now, it is already looking ahead to what it believes will be the next conversation: protecting the earth’s biodiversity.
LOOKING AHEAD: GUYANA’S FOCUS
Pradeepa Bholanath, a climate economist who is Guyana’s lead climate negotiator and Senior Director for Climate and REDD+ at Guyana’s Ministry of Natural Resources, knows of this focus.
“Biodiversity, watershed management and looking at other co-benefits that is going to be the new realm of where our LCDS goes.
“Our first LCDS focused on forest carbon. This new LCDS [LCDS 2030] expands to biodiversity and watershed management… as there is growing momentum at the level of the United Nations (UN),” she told the News Room in Dubai where she is for this year’s global climate talks, COP28.
The first LCDS was crafted in 2008 under Vice President Jagdeo, who was President at the time. The expanded LCDS was launched in 2021 under President Ali and Bholanauth helped to craft that expanded plan.
The strategy states that Guyana will ensure “unprecedented investment” in the infrastructure required to protect against climate change and biodiversity loss.
Priority areas include the sustenance of biodiversity habitats through, though not limited to, an avoidance of deforestation.
Though “momentum” is growing, the climate economist doesn’t believe there is enough attention yet on biodiversity loss and valuing biodiversity. But in five years’ time, when she estimates the world will place a huge focus on this, she says Guyana will already have a functional strategy in place.
BUT WHY SAVE THE PLANTS AND ANIMALS?
For Guyana, protecting biodiversity is important. The LCDS further notes that biodiversity and related resources contribute “tremendously” to Guyana’s economy particularly in the forestry, fisheries and wildlife sector.
The country’s Indigenous people too, the plan acknowledges, depend on the natural environment and biodiversity for their livelihood and survival.
“All Indigenous Peoples depend on the forest, we depend on the plants, on the animals, on the waterways, (and) on the trees because this is where we get our livelihood,” Toshao of Rivers’ View Village Melena Pollard told the News Room in Dubai.
Toshao Pollard is the Indigenous leader of her community and she explained that it is the value her people attach to forests and biodiversity that helped them embrace the establishment of Guyana’s newest rainforest research centre there.
The not-for-profit Sophia Point Research Centre was founded in August by United Kingdom Parliamentarian (who has Guyanese heritage) David Lammy and his wife, Nicola Green. It is located in Rivers’ View, about two and a half hours away from the capital city, Georgetown has been touted as a space to allow researchers, academics and students to study Guyana’s vast forests and what is found there.
Toshao Pollard said studying the forests and the plant and animal species found there and across Guyana is important. She believes more people will be able to understand how to protect these resources.
“We want for it to last for the next hundred generations if possible because we realise the forests don’t only provide for us, they provide a service for the entire world,” she said.
Biodiversity loss might not yet be one of the most-talked about problems in the climate space but the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in its “Living Planet Report 2022” stated that human-induced climate change and the loss of biodiversity are interlinked, threatening the well-being of current and future generations.
That report- which says it has the “most comprehensive finding to date”- noted that between 1970 and 2018, there has been an average decline of about 67% in the relative abundance of monitored wildlife populations around the world. That’s alot.
But perhaps more interestingly, the report also noted that the Amazon basin is among the areas deemed “high-priority” for risk mitigation; deforestation is among the risks stakeholders should tackle.
The Amazon is the largest and most bioculturally-diverse tropical forest in the world and Guyana’s forests are part of that Amazon region.
So as Guyana tries to get to save forests, it hopes that it will get the support it needs to do so and to protect the plants and animal species, like the snake Ignazio, Charlotte, André and Ronaldo, found.
This story was published with the support of Climate Tracker through the COP28 Climate Justice Reporting Fellowship.
In response to the defiant declarations from the Nicolas Maduro-led Venezuelan government, President Dr. Irfaan Ali says his government is engaging all foreign players, be it the United Nations and its bodies, overseas military partners and other states and organisations.
At the same time, he has made it clear that Guyana is resolving the border controversy through a process backed by international law and the international community and as such, citizens nor those who invest here have anything to fear.
“Our message is very clear, your investment is in a safe, democratic country in which the rule of law prevails.
“Our international partners and the international community are ready to support us, they have assured us of our support and all we want is for these missteps to be corrected by President Maduro,” President Ali said in an address to the nation broadcast live on his Facebook page on Tuesday, just before midnight.
Venezuela went ahead with its sham December 3 referendum that involved Guyana’s Essequibo region even though the International Court of Justice (ICJ) asked it to refrain from taking any actions that would aggravate the situation.
President Maduro revealed on Tuesday a redrawn of his country’s map so that it now includes the Essequibo region. He also ordered the creation of new entities to grant licences for oil, gas and mines exploration in the Essequibo region; he proposed the creation of a new law to establish new environmentally protected areas that could be centres for tourism and biodiversity.
None of these actions will be welcomed by Guyana or the international community, President Ali said.
“They have literally declared themselves an outlaw nation but nothing that they do will stop Guyana from pursuing the case (before) the International Court of Justice.
“We will not allow our territory to be violated nor our territory will be violated,” President Ali declared.
President Ali also told Guyanese that his government has informed the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s recent declarations on Guyana’s Essequibo region.
The ICJ, which is presiding over the substantive border case, ruled last Friday that Venezuela shall refrain from seeking to seize control of the Essequibo- a move many believed the Spanish-speaking nation would pursue following its referendum.
In an address to the nation live from State House at 11:20 PM on Tuesday, President Dr. Irfaan Ali told Guyanese that his government has informed the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s recent declarations on Guyana’s Essequibo region.
The President said the international community is also being engaged, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is on “full alert” and engaging its foreign military counterparts, including the United States Southern Command (US SOUTHCOM).
Following Maduro’s sham December 3 referendum in which he claimed victory over Guyana’s Essequibo region, he revealed on Tuesday a redrawn of his country’s map so that it now includes the Essequibo region.
He also ordered the creation of new entities to grant licences for oil, gas and mines exploration in the Essequibo region; he proposed the creation of a new law to establish new environmentally protected areas that could be centres for tourism and biodiversity.
In response, President Ali said Guyana views this as an “imminent threat” to territorial integrity, noting that none of these actions will be accepted by the international community and assured Guyanese that the government will do all it can to protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He said the UN Security Council will also be updated on the latest developments.
“To my fellow Guyanese, we are here to ensure the safety of this country, the territory of this country, the sovereignty of this country and to protect every citizen,” President Ali said.
He described Maduro’s recent declarations as “desperate actions” and advised against doing anything that would interfere with the peace and stability of the region.
“They have literally declared themselves an outlaw nation but nothing that they do will stop Guyana from pursuing the case (before) the International Court of Justice.
“We will not allow our territory to be violated nor our territory will be violated,” President Ali declared.
He also added, “Let me be very clear: President Maduro’s actions are an open defiance of the ICJ order. In my opinion, he is testing the mettle of the ICJ.
“Reckless actions can only bring instability to this region and can only create more uncertain standards for the Venezuelan people.”
The boundary between Guyana and Venezuela was determined by an arbitration tribunal 124 years ago, but Venezuela rejected the award in 1962, saying it was flawed. A mechanism was set up to solve the controversy and after decades of talks failed, the United Nations Secretary General referred the matter to the ICJ, which is the UN’s principal judicial organ.
The court has determined it can hear and decide on the case, but Venezuela put forward the symbolic referendum before the Court can rule.
Guyana sought protection and that’s where the Court ruled Friday that the Essequibo has been recognised as Guyanese territory and has been governed by Guyana since the 1899 award and Venezuela should refrain from interrupting Guyanese sovereignty of the territory.
Venezuela still went ahead with its referendum although there are regional and international reports that there was low voter turnout.
Guyana insists, as does the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and Organization of American States, and the entire international community, that the controversy over the validity of the Arbitral Award and the land boundary must be resolved by the International Court of Justice, which will assure a just, peaceful, binding and permanent solution to this matter, in accordance with international law.
These consecutive events underscore Rotary’s enduring promise to make a positive impact during the holiday season and beyond. The success of these endeavors showcases the power of collaboration, emphasizing the Rotary Club of Georgetown’s dedication to spreading cheer and building a more connected community.
December 3 referendum, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall on Monday said that the referendum “backfired” on the Nicolas Maduro government.
“This gimmick of a referendum backfired, it back fired,” Nandlall said.
The Attorney General made the disclosure during a symposium held by the Guyana Bar Association on Venezuela’s referendum at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
As he reflected on the history leading up to the border controversy with Venezuela, Nandlall said there is no evidence to invalidate the legal foundation of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the land boundary between the two states.
“Absolutely not a scintilla of evidence that can stand up in a court of municipal law, more so international law, has been produced to impugn, invalidate or to even shake the legal foundation of the Arbitral Award. None at all,” Nandlall said.
In fact, the Attorney General noted that international legal process will not allow Venezuela’s contention over Guyana to succeed.
“If Venezuela is to get away with this gimmick, it will bring into question, or it will allow for dozens of international disputes similarly resolved, involving borders, other international questions that have been resolved by arbitration, mediation, conciliation and other peaceful methods of resolving disputes,” he said.
Stating that Guyana does not have the military might as that of Venezuela, Nandlall said the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is “committed” and “ready” for the next move.
“It is my considered view that having regard to the historic role that the U.S. has played in this matter and to some extent, the British government, they cannot be officious bystanders. They cannot be in the position of the ordinary states on this issue. They have a duty, in my humbled view, to ensure that a process that they engineered and participated in is respected,” Nandlall noted.
Meanwhile, during her brief presentation on the topic, attorney Kim Kyte-Thomas said the matter can be resolved at the diplomatic level.
She believes now is the time for the international community to pressure the Venezuelan Government.
“I still have a strong belief that this matter could be resolved through diplomacy.
“I believe that the international bodies, CARICOM, they must all put pressure on the leadership of the country. Pressure needs to be placed on the leadership of the country because States have an obligation to comply with the principles of international law and what we see happening here is a State going on a folic of its own and there are dire consequences for that,” Kyte-Thomas said.
The boundary between Guyana and Venezuela was determined by an arbitration tribunal 124 years ago, but Venezuela rejected the award in 1962, saying it was flawed. A mechanism was set up to solve the controversy and after decades of talks failed, the United Nations Secretary General referred the matter to the ICJ, which is the UN’s principal judicial organ.
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Coprésidente du comité national pour renforcer l’éthique et la vie démocratique dans le sport, l’ancienne ministre doit présenter, jeudi, ses recommandations au terme de sept mois d’audition d’acteurs du secteur.Coprésidente du comité national pour renforcer l’éthique et la vie démocratique dans le sport, l’ancienne ministre doit présenter, jeudi, ses recommandations au terme de sept mois […]
vishani@newsroom.gy
The detail of the snake’s head (Photo: Ignazio Avella, sourced from The Captive and Field Herpetology Journal. Volume 6, Issue 1, 2023)
President Dr. Irfaan Ali makes a point during Guyana’s side event at COP28 in Dubai. He was joined by joined by Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Former Colombian President Ivan Duque, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy and President of the Inter American Development Bank Ilan Goldfajn (Photo Office of the President/ December 1, 2023)
Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo engaging the News Room’s Vishani Ragobeer (Photo: News Room/ December 4, 2023)
Pradeepa Bholanath, a climate economist who is Guyana’s lead climate negotiator and Senior Director for Climate and REDD+ at Guyana’s Ministry of Natural Resources in Dubai for COP28 (Photo: Yusuf Ali/ News Room/ December 5, 2023)
Toshao Melena Pollard at COP28 (Photo: News Room/ November 30, 2023)
The new Sophia Point Rainforest Centre, situated at the confluence of the Cuyuni, Mazaruni and Essequibo rivers (Photo: Sophia Point Research Centre/ Facebook)
vishani@newsroom.gy
vishani@newsroom.gy
Rotarians orchestrated a festive Christmas social for 130 seniors from 12 homes. (Photo: Rotary Club of Georgetown/05 December, 2023)
December 3 referendum, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall on Monday said that the referendum “backfired” on the Nicolas Maduro government.
Attorney Kim-Kyte Thomas