Caribbean News Roundup – Dec. 3, 2018

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Dec. 3, 2018: Here are the top headlines making news from across the Caribbean for today, Mon. Dec. 3, 2018.

This Caribbean Governor Pays Tribute To 41st US President

The Governor of the US Caribbean island territory of the USVI, Kenneth Mapp, has ordered the Territory’s flags to be flown at half-staff as tribute to the US’ 41st President, George H.W. Bush.

Mapp, in extending condolences Saturday morning on the passing of the US President at age 94, remembered him as a statesman and a true patriot.

“President Bush found great success in the business world, yet he dedicated his life to public service,” Governor Mapp said. “Few can match his experience or his dedication.”

Governor Mapp said he would order the Territory’s flags to be flown at half-staff in accordance with the Federal directive. The White House also announced Saturday that December 5, 2018 would be recognized as a National Day of Mourning for the late President.

Five Caribbean HIV Fast Facts You Should Know

On Dec. 1, 2018, the world again paused to remember World AIDS Day. Here are five fast facts you should know as it relates to HIV in the Caribbean.

1: There were an estimated 310, 000 people in the Caribbean living with AIDS as of 2017, the latest data available. But only 230,000 actually know their status.

2: 15,000 of those cases are new.

3: 10,000 people died from AIDS-related diseases in 2017 in the Caribbean.

4: 181, 000 people in the region are accessing treatment.

5: As of 2017, there were 110,000 children across the region who were orphaned because of AIDS-related deaths.

Meanwhile, 72 people are reportedly living with HIV in the Cayman Islands, health officials said.

Toronto Law Firm To Sue Fly Jamaica

A Canadian law firm is suing Fly Jamaica on  behalf of passengers who say they were harmed when the aircraft skidded off runway at Guyana’s main international airport last month. According to a statement from the Toronto-based Rochon Genova LLP, the proposed class-action was filed on Friday and seeks compensation for passengers and their families who have been harmed in the Nov. 9 crash. Continue Reading

Abducted Family In Trinidad Found

The search for a kidnapped family of four in Trinidad and Tobago has ended with good news. The T&T Police Service (TTPS) confirmed the Sooknanan family was rescued at Scale No. 4 along the New Colonial Road in Barrackpore.  It was reported that at about 7.30 am on Saturday, Aaron Sooknanan, 26, his Venezuelan-born wife Paola Sanchez Sooknanan, 26 and their children Ricardo, five and Isabella, three, went missing from their Jhulai Trace, Penal Rock Road home. It’s the second kidnapping in days and both have ended positively. Continue Reading

New Statue And Film In The Works For Caribbean American Politician Shirley Chisholm

Caribbean American political trailblazer, Shirley Chisholm, the daughter of Caribbean immigrants who died in 2005, is set to have a statue in her honored erected in New York City statue.

“Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s legacy of leadership and activism has paved the way for thousands of women to seek public office,” city First Lady Chirlane McCray said, noting that a sculptor will be selected as part of the She Built NYC project to create more statues of women. The statue will be erected in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in 2020.

The news comes as the Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis has been picked to portray the history-making Brooklyn politician in a film from Amazon. The Associated Press reported that “The Fighting Shirley Chisholm,” starring Davis, will be directed by Maggie Betts for Amazon Studios. The announcement was made on Chisholm’s birthday, Nov. 30th, which was also the independence anniversary of the country of her mother’s birth, Barbados.

This Caribbean National Wins UK X Factor

Caribbean-born, Jamaica national, Dalton Harris, 24, had been named the winner of the 2018 UK X Factor.

Overwhelmed with emotions, Harris bent forward then placed his hands on his knees to support a weakened torso as he asked:  “I won the X Factor?”

“You won the X Factor,” host Dermot O’Leary replied amid the screams in the concert hall, by then at deafening decibels. Harris’ win was predicted. Jamaica PM Andrew Holness tweeted congratulations to Harris stating: “Congratulations to our Dalton Harris @harrisdalton! Winner of the XFactor. The entire Jamaica is proud of you. Your phenomenal talent is now unleashed on the world.”

St. Vincent Man Shot After Accosting Police With Feces

A man in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who defecated then used the excrement to fend off police officers trying to arrest him, says the officers whose warning shot he had ignored — acted inappropriately when they shot him some time later. Continue Reading

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