DAILY CARIBBEAN RUNDOWN: THURSDAY DEC. 13, 2018

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thursday. Dec. 13, 2018: Here is a rundown of the top headlines making news from across the Caribbean for today, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018.

Saint Vincent And The Grenadines Legalizes Medical Marijuana

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has made history as the first Organization of Eastern Caribbean (OECS) member state to decriminalize marijuana for medical purposes and scientific research.

Minister For Agriculture Saboto Ceaser said the passing of the bill in parliament on Tuesday, December 11th signified the Caribbean island is now positioned to become a leading medicinal cannabis hub not only in terms of high-quality production but research. Traditional cultivators, stakeholders and others have joined the government in celebrating the passing of the bill as the government now moves to direct its focus toward implementation of the legal framework for the production of medicinal marijuana.

Trinidad And Tobago Threatens To Shut Down Sex Island Holiday

A four-day cocaine-and hooker-filled sex island party could be shut down by Trinidad and Tobago authorities. The news comes after it was revealed on Monday that the “secret location” of the Good Girls Co. event was actually a private resort on an island off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. A representative from the company had claimed that authorities in the Caribbean nation gave them permission to hold the event.

But on Tuesday, authorities in T&T said that not only had they never heard of Sex Island, but they also promised to shut it down.

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith told local news station CNC3: “I can give the assurance that before the first joint is lighted, before the first lap dance is had, that will never happen. There’s absolutely no way that something as organized and promoted as this can happen in Trinidad and Tobago waters.”

But a representative from the company told the Post: “No government official is going to tell the media ‘Yes we open sex island with open arms.’” “We are not worried about having the event in Trinidad because we had the event last year and a private event every other month in Trinidad without issues.”

Caretaker To Be Charged With Murder Of Jamaican-British Woman

A 32-year-old man is set to appear in court today in Jamaica, charged with the murder of a Jamaican-British woman in Boscobel in the parish of St. Mary.

Sheldon Hewitt of Boscobel was slapped with murder charges last Friday.  He is to appear before the St Mary Parish Court today, December 13th.

The body of 44-year-old Karen Cleary-Brown, a beautician of Paradise Edge in Boscobel and London, England, was found in a shallow grave on Monday, December 3rd. The body had been wrapped in a tarpaulin and was placed in a hole, which had been covered with a layer of concrete and dirt. A  post-mortem revealed that Cleary-Brown had been stabbed several times, before her body was buried on her property.

Guyanese Busted With Live Finches In Hair Rollers

A Guyanese national who tried to illegally traffic in 70 live finches has been sent back to Guyana.

US Customs and Border Protection agents busted the unnamed man at the John F. Kennedy International Airport over the weekend for trying to smuggle in the finches inside hair rollers.

During the course of inspection, agriculture specialists discovered 70 finches concealed in orange hair rollers inside a black duffel bag. The small birds were turned over to the United States Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services.

Caribbean Region Continues to Be Rattled By Earthquakes

The Caribbean region which continues to be rattled by a number of small earthquakes.

The latest occurred early Wednesday morning around 3 a.m. near Bridgetown, Barbados, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
and  Castries, Saint Lucia. It measured 4.0 on the Richter scale according to the UWI Seismic Unit.

Wednesday’s quake came on the heels of a 3.7 tremor that occurred at 9.27 p.m. Tuesday night near Dominica, Martinique and Guadeloupe and at 9 p.m. near Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe and Dominica.

Meanwhile, During the period Dec 6th to Dec 7th, a burst of 54 earthquakes occurred north of St. Kitts leaving many worrying whether a  “big one” could be coming soon.

DACA Immigrants Rush To Re-Register

Uncertainty about an Obama-era DREAMERs program for younger undocumented immigrants has driven an unusually large number to reregister, which appears to be easy to do since less than one in 10 is rejected, according to new federal data.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency has reported that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program now has an estimated 699,350 active participants, with most from Mexico. Continue Reading

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