The heights of La Soufrire de Guadeloupe volcano can be hellish, sweltering at more than 48 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) and swathed in billows of acidic gas.

Researchers would like to monitor gas and steam eruptions at its summit, to learn more about the volcanos explosive potential, but conventional seismometers are destroyed quickly in the hostile environment.

An instrument called an optical seismometer appears to be up to the challenge, however. In the journalSeismological Research Letters, a team of scientists describes how they developed and installed an optical seismometer just ten meters away from a spewing fumarole (a gas and steam vent) at the Caribbean volcanos summit.

The motion of the optical seismometer (and therefore of the ground) is estimated using an interference phenomenon, which occurs when an infrared laser beam is reflected by the mirrored surface of the seismometer mobile mass. This laser beam is carried between the seismometer at the summit and a remote and safe optoelectronic station through a long fiber optic cable, climbing the volcanos slope. The station calculates the ground displacement and sends the records in real-time to the French Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Guadeloupe.

The seismometer operates purely mechanically, and requires no electronics or power supply that would be vulnerable to the summit conditions, said Romain Feron, the papers lead author from the ESEO Group and the LAUM laboratory at the Universit du Mans. The instrument is encased in Teflon to protect it from the sulfuric gases released by the fumarole.

It is, to our knowledge, the first high-resolution optical seismometer ever installed on an active volcano or other hazardous zone, Feron and colleagues write in SRL.

The success of the seismometer, after ten years of development, suggests that it could be a good seismic solution in other challenging environments, they noted, including oil and gas production fields, nuclear power plants and high-temperature geothermal reservoirs.

Now in operation on the volcano for nine months, the instrument is collecting data that will be combined with other observations from the Guadeloupe observatory to better monitor La Soufrire. The volcanos last significant eruption of gas and steam in 1976 caused evacuations in Basse Terre, Guadeloupes capital city. Since 2018, the volcanos dome and summit fumaroles have become increasingly active.

Seismic monitoring at volcanoes can help researchers understand the movement and pressurization of underground fluids. The new optical seismometer could provide better locations for microseismic events under the dome, and offers a more detailed glimpse of the fumarole signature, which helps to constrain the geometry and activity of the plumbing system of the dome, Feron said.

The instrument has recorded seismic waves from a regional earthquake, an earthquake in Chile, and small seismic events within the volcano less than 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) below the summit, the researchers reported.

Feron and colleagues made an arduous climb to La Soufrires 1,467-meter (4,813-foot) summit in September 2019 to install the seismometer, using gas masks to protect themselves from the toxic gases spewing from active fumaroles. In addition to the gases and high temperatures, the team needed to keep a close eye on the weather during the installation, Feron said.

It could be beautiful at the bottom of the volcano, but hellish at the top at the same time, he recalled. It becomes very risky to climb the steep and slippery slopes of the volcano with heavy equipment on the back, not to mention lightning.

SEISMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

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Optical Seismometer Survives Hellish Summit of Caribbean Volcano - HeritageDaily

(CNN) For many islands in the Caribbean, the coronavirus presents an impossible dilemma.

Some islands have closed to visitors to protect their citizens but severed a key economic lifeline. Others have remained open to tourism and risked exposing a populace to a pandemic that has overwhelmed the capabilities of far richer countries.

While being an island nation would seem to provide a geographic advantage to preventing the spread of the coronavirus, the economies of most islands in the Caribbean rely heavily on the money that tourists bring with them when they come to vacation.

Shut it down

Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean, is a good example of what the entire region faces.

It shut down to all commercial travel in late March after the first cases of the coronavirus, brought by visiting Italian tourists, were reported.

Four months later, the island's extensive public health system has flattened the curve of new cases but is still struggling to completely rid the island of the virus that so far has infected 2,555 people and taken 87 lives, according to Cuban government figures.

Usually log jammed with tourists, the streets of Old Havana are now almost deserted.

Nelson Rodrguez Tamayo, the owner of the popular restaurant El Caf, has been able to reopen as restrictions in Havana eased. But as tourists used to make up 80% of his clientele, the once bustling eatery is now empty most days.

"It was completely a disaster, we collapsed. We go down," he said. "I feel like I start again the business and its really difficult, I don't where I am going."

Rodriguez said had laid off several of his staff and was working on creating dishes more to geared Cubans as he waits to see how many more weeks or even months until Cuba reopens.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN's Havana Bureau chief, says the island is struggling as it tries to reopen during the pandemic.

Patrick Oppmann/CNN

The toll of losing tourists

He is not alone. Across the island, Cubans who rent Airbnbs, drive classic cars or sell food to restaurants have taken an economic hit. The Cuban government, which owns all the large hotels on the island, has seen revenue plunge and promised to make some changes to the centralized economic model to ease the pain.

In July, the Cuban government opened hotels on isolated keys off the coast of the island, promising international visitors a vacation in country that has kept the spread of the virus down. To date though, no tourists have come.

"We have gone four months without tourism, which signifies a sustained loss of income," said Cuban Economy Minister Alejandro Gil Fernndez during a TV appearance.

During that appearance, officials announced that because of the economic calamity caused by the coronavirus and new Trump administration sanctions, the Cuban government would soon open stores selling food in US dollars, the currency of Cuba's Cold War foe.

Private taxi drivers who drive tourists around Havana in classic American cars have taken an economic hit.

Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images

What now?

The economic strain caused by the coronavirus is being felt across the globe but in the Caribbean where so much of the local economy is dependent on tourism, the tap has been turned off almost overnight.

Frank Comito, the CEO and Director General of Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, said in just three weeks in March, occupancy at the hotels his organization represents dropped from 76% to 10%.

"It varies, but it certainly is critical and essential to just about every jurisdiction in the Caribbean," Comito told CNN. "We are seeing some indications of areas that have had less of an impact, but it's way too early to really see us climbing out of this in any significant way."

Comito said his association is working with hotels to improve safety training and implement a system for reporting coronavirus cases at their properties while the Caribbean waits to see when tourism will rebound.

Not so fast

Better days last summer on a street of Dunmore Town at Harbour Island, the Bahamas

Shutterstock

Some countries are already witnessing the peril of reopening too soon.

The Bahamas reopened to tourism on July 1 after a two-month lockdown, confident the islands had the spread of coronavirus under control.

Almost immediately, the number of cases in the Bahamas spiked. Many tourists came from Florida, which has had more than 430,000 coronavirus cases, a figure larger than the entire population of the Bahamas.

Warning of a "grave health crisis," Bahamian Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis in July first suspended commercial air travel with the United States and then ordered that all arriving visitors would need to go into quarantine at a government isolation facility for two weeks and then test negative for the coronavirus.

Essentially stopping all tourism will likely prove devastating for many in the Bahamas. On some islands, locals have set up food banks to help those who work in the tourism industry from keeping going hungry.

Helping hands

The stunning pink sand beach on the Bahamian tourist destination Harbour Island is mostly empty these days, but residents have, with government help and private donations, set up a food distribution system to feed people in need, many of whom are unemployed tourism industry workers.

"This community, we pull together when we need to," Simmons said. "The number of hours people have started volunteering their time packing the groceries, distributing them using their own vehicles, coming in to help with the database. It makes you feel this is a good place to be because we are going to do whatever we have to so everyone is OK."

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Caribbean finds there's no good answer to reopening - CNN

Aerial photograph of the Blue Hole, a flooded karst sinkhole on Lighthouse Reef, Belize, where the research team from Frankfurt was able to tap into 2,000-year-old sediment layers. Credit: Gischler

Geoscientists from Goethe University create sedimentary archive with annual resolution.

The hurricanes in the Caribbean became more frequent and their force varied noticeably around the same time that classical Mayan culture in Central America suffered its final demise: We can gain these and other insights by looking at the climate archive created under the leadership of geoscientists from Goethe University and now presented in an article in Nature journals Scientific Reports on July 16, 2020.

This drill core section from the Blue Hole shows the annual layering (green-beige) and storm events (light-colored). Credit: Schmitt

Tropical cyclones in the Atlantic (hurricanes) are a substantial threat for the lives and property of the local population in the Caribbean and neighboring regions, such as the south-east of the USA. The storms increasing force, described in Chapter 15 of the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC Report), raises the probability of ecological and social catastrophes, as the occurrence of such cyclones over the past 20 years, which caused devastating damage, has shown.

The climate models used to date, which could help to estimate the danger better, are, however, based on data that are lacking in spatial and temporal depth. Instrumental climate data, such as regular measurement of sea surface temperatures and reliable chronicling of hurricanes, date back only to the 19th century, at most.

In the framework of a research project (Gi 222/31) funded by the German Research Foundation, the Biosedimentology Working Group at the Department of Geosciences of the Faculty of Geosciences and Geography (Professor Eberhard Gischler) of Goethe University has now been able to build up and analyze a sedimentary storm archive that covers almost the entire Common Era (2,000 years) with annual resolution.

The archive comprises fine-grained annual layers of sediments from the 125-meter-deep bottom of the Blue Hole, a flooded karst sinkhole on the Lighthouse Reef Atoll off the coast of Belize (Central America). There, 2.5 mm of lime mud, composed of shell debris from organisms in the reef lagoon along with changing amounts of organic matter, collect year after year. Coarser layers up to several centimeters thick that constitute tempestites (storm sediments) are intercalated in these fine-grained sediments. They mostly consist of shell debris from reef organisms living on the edge of the atoll. The almost 9-meter-long drill core from the bottom of the Blue Hole, which was recovered with the help of an electrical vibracorer, spans the last 1,885 years with a total of 157 storm layers.

In the framework of extensive studies conducted by doctoral researcher Dominik Schmitt and collaboration between the Biosedimentology Working Group and colleagues at the University of Bern (Switzerland), it has become apparent that both short-term and long-term climate phenomena, such as the El Nio Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), have influenced storm activity over the last 2,000 years and are mirrored in the new climate archive.

The beginning of the Medieval Warm Period (approx. AD 900-1100) constitutes an important transition period when the activity of tropical cyclones changed substantially, presumably in conjunction with the shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (the low-pressure zone where northern and southern trade winds converge) towards the south: From AD 100-900, storm activity in the region tended to be more stable and weaker, while since AD 900 up until today it has been more variable and more vigorous.

Interestingly, this change in the increase of cyclone frequency goes hand in hand with the occurrence of a few, very thick, coarse-grained storm layers and coincides with the final demise of the classical Mayan culture in Central America. It is possible that the increased impact of hurricanes on the Central American mainland, combined with extensive flooding of cultivated land in the Mayan lowlands and rainfall-induced erosion in the backlands of the Mayan Mountains of Belize apart from the recurring periods of drought already known was another environmental factor that influenced the end of the Mayas high culture.

Reference: Caribbean cyclone activity: an annually-resolved Common Era record by Dominik Schmitt, Eberhard Gischler, Flavio S. Anselmetti and Hendrik Vogel, 16 July 2020, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68633-8

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Blue Hole Allows Researchers to Tap Into 2,000 Years of Storms in the Caribbean - SciTechDaily

Many countries and jurisdictions across the world are reopening for travel and the new normal means that the requirement for a negative Covid-19 test result from travelers is gaining ground in the Caribbean too.

Besides Puerto Rico, other Caribbean destinations that now require pre-screening upon arrival include: Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Lucia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In most cases, passengers are responsible for the cost of the tests.

New regulations for air travelers in Puerto Rico, which official began July 15, include bringing a negative coronavirus test taken 72 hours before arrival. A COVID-19 test will be carried out on those who do not bring test results with them. Those who test positive will be quarantined for 14 days. Visitors will also be required to report where they will be staying and must respond to a tracking app on their health.

The Luis Muoz Marn International (LMM) Airport has remained open and, unlike other Caribbean destinations, Puerto Rico has not closed its borders due to the pandemic. To date, Puerto Rico manages around 200 daily operations, which include cargo, passenger and general aviation flights, but this figure was ramping up.

Though Luis Muoz Marn International Airport never officially closed to visitors, there was little activity in April and May. The easing of the coronavirus lockdown on the island in mid-June generated more passenger activity. Though this is still 75 percent lower than a year ago, arrivals increased 175 percent from the previous month, said Discover Puerto Rico in its latest Industry Report June 2020.

According to the report, there were 41,159 passenger arrivals at LMM Airport in May. In June, as travel restrictions eased, this number had increased considerably to 113,355 arriving passengers.

However, travel has dropped since the latest Executive Order. Aerostar Airport Holdings reports that arriving passengers into LMM fell 28.6 percent the week ending Aug. 2 compared to mid-July.

Moreover, as of last week, the majority of travelers arriving at LMM did not present negative test results, indicating that adapting to the new rules takes time. In total, only about 19.5 percent of arriving travelers have presented the required negative results, according to officials.

The information was confirmed by the epidemiologist in charge of the Epidemiological Surveillance System at LMM, Miriam Ramos Coln.

Detailing the figures, she explained that from July 16 to 26, 47,366 arriving passengers completed the required travelers declaration information, but only 9,225 (19.5 percent) arrived with the negative test results. She added that 38,141 travelers (80.5 percent), arrived in Puerto Rico without the required test results taken 72 hours prior to departure, as mandated by Executive Order 2020-052.

In addition, from July 15 to 26, she reported that 61 of the serological tests carried out on travelers at the airport have tested positive for COVID-19, so these people have taken a molecular test and are listed as probable cases in the Health Departments database.

Issue of Compliance

As per the Executive Order, the 38,141 travelers who arrived without the negative results were ordered to be in quarantine.

But you are not required to have the test once you arrive in Puerto Rico because there is no availability of tests for everyone who arrives. If that were so, travelers would be consuming the full capacity [of coronavirus tests] that we have as a country, Ramos explained.

She added that conducting the test on all travelers who do not have the negative test results is not the vision of Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzlezor health workers in generalbecause they need to have enough tests available for people who truly need them.

Our goal is not for people to come to Puerto Rico and take the test in Puerto Rico. The priority is that if you dont come with the test, by Executive Order you have to be quarantined for 14 days, Ramos said.

This begged the question of how officials can determine if people are really complying with the quarantine orders.

We, through the SARA Alert platform, which is the responsibility of the surveillance system, are monitoring that travelers symptoms so that we can promptly identify whether that traveler develops any symptoms that may be compatible with COVID-19, Ramos explained.

She warned that people who do not comply with quarantine orders could be fined or receive other penalties. However, she acknowledged that it is impossible to monitor all travelers arriving on the island, as in just one day alone, 4,137 passengers arrived at LMM Airport.

That number of people continues to accumulate day by day. However, we at the Health Department have adopted an electronic platform that makes it easy for us to monitor travelers so that we can contain in a prompt and effective way if any of them develops symptoms and so, be able to stop a potential chain of transmission, she said.

Ramos added that LMM also monitors arriving passengers temperatures, since a fever is one of the symptoms of COVID-19. She said it would not be correct to assume that 100 percent of travelers are sick because they would be missing the truth or the science.

Dominican Republic

Caribbean beach and Dominican Republic flag on Saona island >Archive

The Dominican Republic, which is considered a direct competitor with Puerto Rico in terms of tourism, now requires all visitors to present a negative coronavirus test to be able to enter the Caribbean country.

The Ministry of the Presidency informed through the High-Level Commission for the Prevention and Control of the Coronavirus COVID-19 that starting July 30, visitors must present a negative result of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test made five days before travel. If this result is not available, government personnel will perform a quick test at no additional cost to the passenger.

The goal of this new requirement is to strengthen the preventive actions that have been taking place for months to control the pandemics spread on the country and to maintain a balance between the reactivation of tourism and the protection of the health of residents and visitors.

The Dominican Republics tourism industry said it is ready to take on the challenge to keep providing exceptional experiences in the new normal, so this measure intends to help maintain the climate of trust that has made thousands of travelers choose the country as their vacation destination.

The rapid diagnostic tests that are being carried out at Dominican airports gives reliable results in less than 10 minutes through a blood serology analysis. Children under the age of five and crew members are exempt from this new requirement, which is added to a series of previously announced protocols for the application of preventive measures in the tourism sector.

The measures contained in the protocols are the result of extensive work and coordination between government and private entities, said Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garca. All safety measures conform to the recommendations of the World Health Organization and aim to ensure the safety of all those who participate in tourism, from service providers to visitors. Our guiding principle is to generate a framework and tools to offer unforgettable tourist experiences in accordance with the most rigorous standards in the industry, he said.

All protocols can be found at the website of the Dominican Republic Travel Resource Center.

The U.S. Virgin Islands

The USVI is highly dependent on tourism dollars. >Courtesy of the USVI Tourism Department

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), a sister U.S. territory and another direct competitor with Puerto Rico in terms of tourism, has established a Department of Tourism online portal for arriving passengers.

Officials said the online portal allows visitors, especially those arriving from COVID-19 hot spots on the mainland, to upload their travel health screenings and COVID-19 test results before they travel. The online portal is at http://www.usviupdate.com/travelportal.

As per the new rules, all travelers from highly impacted areas must upload their recent COVID-19 test results taken no more than five days before arriving. Highly impacted areas are defined as states with a COVID-19 positivity rate that is higher than 10 percent, which would currently include Florida, Georgia and Texas, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus website.

At the same time, visitors can also submit positive COVID-19 antibody test results taken within four months of travel to the USVI. The USVI government processes the information within 48 hours and a certification code is issued for travelers.

This portal is really the beginning stage of our multi-tiered plan to improve and make more efficient our health screening protocols for incoming travelers during this pandemic, said Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. There is no playbook to this pandemic. We must draw these plays as we are running them, and your input, engagement and, more importantly, your cooperation are what will determine how successful we will be.

All in all, everyones goal is the same: containing the spread of COVID-19.

- Reporter Yaritza Rivera Clemente contributed to this story.

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Pre-Screening at Airports Gains Ground in the Caribbean - The Weekly Journal

Planet Hollywood Hotels and Resorts is opening its first-ever Caribbean resort in Cancun this December, Caribbean Journal has learned.

The brand will be making its debut in Cancuns Costa Mujeres neighborhood on Dec. 15, 2020, a spokesperson for the property confirmed.

The 898-room, new-build all-inclusive resort will be designed around Planet Hollywoods cinematic theme, with Hollywood memorabilia and curated entertainment experiences.

It will include 11 eateries, along with two specialty restaurants for its Adults Scene adults-only wing guests.

Thats along with four pools, a lazy river, a fitness center, a spa called PH Spa & Beauty Bar; a Jurassic Splash Park, a FlowRider surf simulator, a mini-golf course and a movie theater, among other amenities.

Costa Mujeres has been a hub of tourism growth in the Mexican Caribbean in recent years, leading some to dub it the new Cancun.

Planet Hollywood also has a new resort in St Maarten in the pipeline, set at the former Great Bay Resort site near Philipsburg. The status of that project is unclear.

It joins one other resort in the wider region, the Planet Hollywood Beach Resort in Costa Rica, which first opened in 2018.

Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean are currently open for tourism.

For more, visit Planet Hollywood.

See the article here:

Planet Hollywood Is Opening Its New Cancun Resort in December - Caribbean Journal

Cuban medical personnel checks the temperature of every visitor who stands in line to pay tribute and to write in the condolence book for late Eusebio Leal, Havanas historian, in the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the official headquarters of Leals office as the citys historian, on August 1, 2020 in Havana, Cuba.Leal, who died yesterday at the age of 77, on July 31, 2020 is well known for his role in leading the restauration of Old Havana, declared World Heritage by UNESCO. (Photo by Sven Creutzmann/Mambo photo/Getty Images)

By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Aug. 4, 2020: The Caribbean is trying its hardest to get back to the business of tourism, but COVID-19 cases continue to occur in several countries daily. A News Americas tally Monday shows the region now has almost 40,000 active cases of the virus in all but four islands.

One place where the virus continues to show no signs of slowing down, despite the fact that it remains open to tourists, is the Dominican Republic. The country reported another 874 cases alone Monday to send its active case load surpassing 33,000.

Overall, the confirmed cases are almost double as it continues its daily spiral past 73,000 to keep the country as the epicenter of the disease. The death toll also up ticked to 1,183, as five more people died Monday.

French Guiana is nowhere near that number but has the second highest cases in the region at 7,948 confirmed cases but only 1,137 active cases. The French dependency also added another death Monday to reach 44.

Haiti ranked third in the region with the most cases at 7,476, but its active case load is 2,705. The country added another 8 cases Monday, but its death total remains at 165.

Puerto Rico has the fourth highest cases in the region at over 7,100 and 230 deaths to date.

Heres where the other countries stand currently.

Cuba

Cuba has 2,670 total cases but only 210 active cases. Only 87 people has died in Cuba so far. Still there is some concern as the country added 24 new cases alone Monday.

Suriname

Suriname now has 1,849 confirmed cases and 628 active cases and 27 deaths.

Jamaica

Jamaica up ticked by 11 new cases Monday to reach 894 confirmed cases, even though the island has only 139 active cases. However, two more people succumbed to the virus Monday as the death toll climbed to 12.

The Bahamas

The Bahamas now has 648 confirmed COVID-19 cases as its active cases load is at 543. The islands have also seen 14 deaths so far.

USVI

The USVI has 77 active cases currently and 439 overall, along with 8 deaths.

Guyana

Guyana now has 474 COVID-19 cases, of which h268 are active cases. The South American CARICOM nation has also seen 21 deaths to date.

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe saw its coronavirus cases increase by 7 Monday to reach 272 as its active cases are now 79 but its death tally is still 14.

Martinique

Martinique has 269 cases, of which 156 are active cases. Only 98 people have recovered to date, but the French Caribbean territorys death tally is still 15.

Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has reported 182 total cases of the virus to date but only has 39 active cases even as it seen only 8 deaths to date.

Bermuda

Bermuda now has 157 and has reported only 9 deaths since the virus struck, while its active case load is even lower at 5.

Sint Martin

Sint Martin has a total of 146 COVID-19 cases, 66 of which are active cases. So far, the island has reported 16 deaths.

Barbados

Barbados has 132 confirmed COVID-19 cases but only 27 remain active cases as the island has seen only 7 deaths.

Aruba

Aruba currently has 122 confirmed cases of the virus but only 8 remain active even as the Dutch Caribbean island has seen only 3 deaths.

Turks & Caicos

The Turks and Caicos up ticked to 116 new cases Monday even as its active case load remains at 76. Still the British dependency has seen only 2 deaths to date.

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda has reported 91 cases to date but only 21 remain active cases. Only 2 people have died from the virus there.

Belize

Belize has 57 confirmed cases and 25 active cases while only two deaths have been reported on the island.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been one of a handful of islands to see no deaths from the virus to date and of its 55 total cases, only 10 remains active.

Saint Martin

Saint Martin now has 53 confirmed cases but only 9 remain active. The island has also seen only 3 deaths.

Curacao

Curacao has only 29 cases but only 4 remain active. Only one person has died from COVID on the island.

Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia has seen only 25 cases to date and only 3 remain active. No one has died of COVID-19 on Saint Lucia.

Grenada

Grenada has had only 24 cases and only 1 remain active. Like St. Lucia, The Spice Isle has seen no deaths from the virus so far.

Saint Kitts & Nevis

Saint Kitts & Nevis has reported only 17 cases of the coronavirus even as only 1 active case remains. No one has died of COVID-19 in the Federation.

Montserrat

Montserrat has seen only 13 cases of the virus and only two remain active. There has been only 1 date to date.

Netherland Antilles

The Netherland Antilles has seen 13 cases only and 6 remain active even as the death toll remains at zero.

St. Barths

St. Barths has confirmed 9 cases and only 3 remain active. No deaths have been reported from the virus.

NO ACTIVE CASES

The islands with no active cases are The Cayman Islands, Dominica, Anguilla and the BVI.

COIVD-FREE ISLANDS

Dominica and Anguilla are the only COVID-19 free islands in the region.

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There Are Now Almost 40,000 Active COVID-19 Cases In The Caribbean - Caribbean and Latin America Daily News - News Americas

The hottest luxury and A List news

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have reportedly reunited once again - but this time in a more remote location.

The couple, who has been married for six years, is said to have flown to the Caribbean for a trip that is make or break for their marriage, according to The Sun.

The tabloid has also reported that Kardashian planned to fly out the couples pastor, Rich Wilkerson Jr., who officiated their wedding in 2014.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in 2020 (Getty Images)

TMZ has also reported that Kardashian and West are joined by their four children, and that the family is staying in a fortress to evade paparazzi.

Speculation about Kardashian and Wests relationship began following the rappers public breakdown, which appeared to begin when he declared he would run for the US presidency on July 4 through Twitter.

Later that month, West held a campaign rally in South Carolina where he shared a series of bizarre and personal statements, including his claim that revered abolitionist Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, and a tearful confession that he and Kim considered terminating their first pregnancy.

Kanye West's July 19 campaign rally in South Carolina (REUTERS)

Kardashian released a statement on Instagram defending her husband. In it, she called West a brilliant but complicated person, and spoke of the incredibly complicated and painful struggle Wests bipolar disorder was for him and the entire family.

West later shared an apology to Kardashian on Twitter, writing: I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter. I did not cover her like she has covered me, he posted.

To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me. Days after Wests July 25 tweet, TMZ published photos of Kardashian in tears as the two reunited in Wyoming.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in 2019 (AFP via Getty Images)

Kardashian was reported to have returned to Los Angeles following their meeting with a renewed sense of hope about the state of their marriage, despite previously stating the family was powerless in getting West help if he refused.

Before the trip, she was ready to end her marriage, a source told People following Kardashians visit to Wyoming.

But Kanye has been listening to her concerns. He has made some promises to her. Kim still sees divorce as a last resort. She is not there yet.

See the rest here:

Kim and Kanye West head to fortress in the Caribbean to work on marriage - Evening Standard

INTERNATIONAL REPORTHotel offerings in Mexico and the Caribbean include the soon-to-open Conrad Punta de Mita, the already open Radisson Hotel Tapatio Guadalajara and projects in the works in the Bahamas and Dominica.

Conrad Punta de MitaOpening in Mexicos Riviera Nayarit on Sept. 1, the new-build Conrad Punta de Mita will be the Hilton brands first resort in the country. The property will open at 30% capacity with 96 of 324 guestrooms available for booking.

All rooms and suites will have views of the Pacific Ocean, with suites and villa Casitas offering patios, plunge pools, freestanding soaking tubs and outdoor showers. Amenities will include three pools, including an adult, lap and kids pool, spread out among the resorts outdoor areas; four restaurants and three bars; the indoor/outdoor Conrad Spa; and a fitness center with an outdoor lawn for yoga and stretching.

Conrad Punta de Mita is located in the same private development as the Litibu Golf Course, offering guests an 18-hole golf course designed by Greg Norman.

Radisson Hotel Tapatio GuadalajaraRadisson Hotel Tapatio Guadalajara in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, has opened following an extensive $2-million renovation. Offering city views from the hills of Tlaquepaque, the upscale hotel is located near Guadalajaras historic district and 10 minutes from Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport.

The hotel offers 127 guestrooms and suites offering panoramic views of the propertys garden or the Guadalajara cityscape. All rooms include free WiFi and in-room coffee services, while the Master and Presidential Suites include a balcony and a whirlpool for two. Amenities include the on-site restaurant Los Laureles, 24-hour room service, three on-site bars, a 24-hour fitness center, a game room, an outdoor pool in the center of the hotel, a childrens playground area and volleyball courts. The hotel also offers five event spaces.

Montage CayMontage Cay, a 48-acre private-island resort and residential community from Montage Hotels & Resorts in The Abacos Islands in the Bahamas, is expected to open in 2023. Owned in partnership with Sterling Global Financial, the project will see the rebranding and complete redevelopment of the private island of Matt Lowes Cay in The Abacos, reemerging as Montage Cay, alongside the launch of The Residences at Montage Cay.

The private-island resort will feature 50 all-suite accommodations and a limited collection of Montage Residences, and will include a 46-slip marina. Suite amenities will include plunge pools, outdoor showers, private gardens and lounge areas.

F&B outlets will include an all-day eatery; a signature dinner-only restaurant; two beach bar and grills; lobby and pool bars; and a spa caf and juice bar. Additional resort amenities will include a full-service Spa Montage, an extensive health and wellness program, fitness center, swimming pools and Montages signature Paintbox Childrens Club.

Tranquility Beach ResortTranquility Beach Resort in the Commonwealth of Dominica expects to open between the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. Part of Hiltons Curio Collection, the five-star resort is eligible under the countrys world-leading Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Program. Offering cliff-hanging villas and ultra-luxury facilities, the environmentally sensitive resort will feature 99 rooms and create up to 300 permanent jobs.

An investment starting at $200,000 in Hiltons Tranquility Beach Resort qualifies an individual for citizenship in Dominica, provided they also pass all the due diligence checks. Families can apply jointly, including siblings and grandparents of the main applicant or their spouse, according to the most recent changes.

Tranquility Beach Resort is one of the few shortlisted hotels eligible for citizenship by investment in Dominica. Alternatively, applicants can make a one-off contribution to a government fund. If successful, they earn the right to live, work and study on the Nature Isle of the Caribbean. They can also easily travel to around 140 destinations and pass the citizenship on to future generations.

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Mexico and Caribbean Heat Up With Openings and Future Projects - Hotel Business

An official heatwave could hit the UK from Thursday with temperatures expected to soar to 37C (98.6F) by the end of the week.

Parts of the country will be hotter than top holiday destinations in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados.

The sweltering temperatures are expected to continue until Sunday and are the result of hot air moving in from southern Europe.

It means Britain could pass the threshold for a heatwave, which requires three days of temperatures over 25C (77F) across most of the nation and 28C (82.4F) in London.

Temperatures in London and the south east on Friday may even surpass the 37.8C (100.04F) recorded in Heathrow on July 31 the hottest day of the year so far, and the UKs third warmest ever.

Met Office forecaster Oli Claydon said: Theres a strong likelihood London and the south east could see a heatwave this week, with four or even five consecutive days of incredibly warm temperatures reaching a high of 37C on Friday.

It is the result of southerly winds moving from Europe and parts of northern Africa, which will push the temperatures up.

Thursday is expected to begin overcast for most of the country, but will be a dry day for all, with the sun appearing through the clouds by the afternoon and temperatures pushing to 30C (86F) in the capital.

However, rain is expected in the north west of Scotland and Northern Ireland on Friday, with highs of 22C (71.6F).

Wales and the north and south-west of England will be sunny, with temperatures reaching around 25C (77F).

Mr Claydon added: Saturday will likely be another hot day for southern and central parts of the UK, with heatwave conditions potentially continuing in parts of southern and south-east England.

Sunday should be the last of the heatwave conditions, before cold air moves in overnight leading to some thundery showers on Monday.

More here:

UK to be hotter than Caribbean as heatwave moves in - expressandstar.com

In an extensive interview with the UN communications chief, Melissa Fleming, Ms. Brcena expressed concern at the disproportionate impact that the pandemic is having on indigenous people in the region, in terms of both the health risks they face; shared her fear that the wisdom and knowledge held by these communities is disappearing; and her dismay at rising inequality and poverty, following a period in which progress has been made on both fronts.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

(Alicia Brcena) This is a bad time for this region: we are the epicentre of the pandemic, and extreme poverty rates are going up. Poverty is expected to affect almost 230 million people in this region, and almost 95 million of those are going to be in extreme poverty. When you look at who these people are, we're talking mainly about indigenous peoples, and more than half are women, who are also very affected by the crisis.

We are also confronting a lack of leadership in the world, to focus on this public bad: we need leadership, we don't need each country focusing on its own problems. We need cooperation, we need collective action.

(Melissa Fleming) You are from Mexico, and you grew up there. Where does your particular concern for indigenous people come from?

(Alicia Brcena) I am a biologist by training, a botanist, and I started my career working with an indigenous peoples community in the Maya region. I learned from them the names of the plants, and what they were using the plants for. They have a perception of the world that is totally different from ours, by which I mean that of the Western world. They have a very clear vision that we are part of nature, and not here to conquer nature.

Antonia Benito

A group of Mayan Poqomam women in Guatemala.

I'm afraid that by not protecting indigenous peoples, we are going to lose their knowledge, their wisdom, their vision of the biodiversity of the world, of the future, and their respect for the past of the ancestors.

And I worry about the communities of the Amazon region, where we are losing so many hectares of forest, and where the communities are at risk. They do not have access to health care or clean water, and they have been marginalized from the best land.

(Melissa Fleming) In your region, you had been celebrating a tremendous amount of progress in poverty reduction, and then COVID-19 hit, reversing these gains. How does that make you feel?

(Alicia Brcena) Frankly, very frustrated. This region started to see a reduction in inequality, for the first time, in 2002.

This was partly because there was progressive leadership, with governments that really looked into the process of reducing poverty. And we made a lot of progress. The region was able to pull some 60 million people out of poverty.

The current problems didnt begin with the pandemic. We saw the trend in poverty reduction begin to reverse, in 2014. We had very mediocre growth, with fiscal austerity programmes to stop this region getting further into debt.

And now, with the pandemic, we are faced with a very delicate situation and, I think, a crisis that is even worse than the one we confronted in the 1980s: we're going to see many more falling into poverty than ever before, probably around 230 million people.

FAO/Ubirajara Machado

Children eat a meal at their school which is taking part in a school feeding programme in Latin America and the Caribbean.

(Melissa Fleming) In many countries in your region, the science around the pandemic is being distorted, including by political leaders. As somebody who trained as a scientist, I'm curious, how do you react to this?

(Alicia Brcena) There are many things about this pandemic that we don't know, and, in a way, this pandemic has brought back the importance of scientific evidence and knowledge. I try to read as much as I can about this virus, and how the pandemic is behaving.

Science has to be the basis of our decision-making when, for example, we want to reopen our economies. There is no health/economy dilemma: health concerns have to come first. That's why we need to support peoples basic incomes, because this is not going to be a short-term crisis.

(Melissa Fleming) Are there any sort of silver linings? Is there anything that gives you some hope?

(Alicia Brcena) I hope that it will possible to build a new social contract, a different conversation between the state, the private sector and civil society. I really believe that we need people to stand up and speak.

I have a lot of faith in local communities, how they are showing solidarity. I think that there's a lot of hope that we can come together to engage in more cooperative and collective action. Because that's the only way we're going to get out of this.

See the rest here:

Health must come before the economy, insists top UN official for Latin America and the Caribbean - UN News

by Howard Campbell

SOUTH FLORIDA On August 6th the Island of Jamaica and Jamaicans worldwide will celebrate its 58th Anniversary of Independence.

The theme for this years independence is Jamaica 58 Resilient and Strong and South Florida Caribbean News asked several individuals in the community, What Makes You Proud to be Jamaican?

Oliver Mair Consul General

I am proud of being born and raised in my God-fearing island home of the black, gold and green.

Attending Vaz Prep, Campion and Wolmers High and the University of the West Indies has provided me with a world-class and balanced education,preparing me for the international arena. My country has also taught me how to love, appreciate and respect persons of all races, color and creed.

Likkle but wi Tallawah speaks to our winning and indomitable spirit. Our warmth, strength and courage as a people is evidenced in our heroes like Marcus Garvey. My passion lies, however, with our arts and culture. Miss Lou, Bob Marley, Oliver Samuels, reggae and folk music, Jamaican movies, plays and literature are perhaps whats stands out most for me.

What a blessed One Love nation we are!

Sister Carol

It means everything culturally, spiritually and emotionally. Because when I first came to America in the 70s I had to fight hard to maintain my Jamaican culture admist the stereotype of being from the Caribbean and the peer pressure of being in a foreign land. Being a Jamaican reminds us to be resilient and find solutions when there seems to be none. Going through windows when doors are closed. Turning our hands to make fashion while holding on to our original brought-upsy.

Willie Stewart

It is a fact that Jamaica is one of the most influential countries around the world is what makes me so proud to be a Jamaican. For such a small island, we have made an enormous impact on a global scale. Jamaica is the birthplace of Mento, Ska, Rock Steady and Dancehall music; in the sports industry we compete on a global level and dominate the Olympics in track. We produce great leaders and creative inventors. People all over the world want to come to our country to be a part of our rich and inviting culture, exotic cuisine and our breath-taking natural resources.

To invest more in after-school programs. Extracurricularactivities such asmusic, sports, art, IT, vocationaltraining,cooking and tutoring. Youth would be linked with peer mentors from high school for a five-year period. These peer mentors would assist youth with independent living skills such as the importance of health and hygiene,budgeting and money management, self-advocacy and networking. By promoting education for our youth and increasing employment opportunities there would be increased economic viability. I believe that if youth have alternative options available, there will be areduction inyouth engaging in criminal activity and violence.This program would serve youth islandwide, equipping them with everything they need to besuccessful.

Trudi Tolani, Author

For an island to be so small, yet known globally gives me a sense of pride. Our music, food and beaches rival the best around the world. The people of Jamaica are, however, what makes me proudest to be a Jamaican. Our warmth and strength shines whereverwe go. Our athletes, musicians, actors and scholars are justsome of ourpeople who have stood on some of the biggest stages around the world and have made us proud.

Being a Jamaican is very essential to who I am, especially living abroad for so long. It helps to build my character not only in my personal life but professional as well. It means the world to me. Wouldnt have it any other way. I keep my Jamaican-ness by constantly engaging with the culture and most of my family and friends. And also through the music and food.

Ronnie Tomlinson

Being a Jamaican comes with a sense of pride knowing we are a people who will put the best foot forward NO MATTER the obstacles set before us. Fondest memories, without aging myself (LoL), the coconut brush we use to use to clean the verandah and seeing the (ice) cream man ride past the house a shout cream, cream, nutty buddy! and knowing I saved up just enough and could buy my cream today. Another memory was going with Grandpa to pick mango, and having to share the mango and couldnt wait until I was old enough to get the seed.

The preference of American things over Jamaican things. Although this may be a broad statement I would change the attachment to colonial ways and embrace brand Jamaica and have more appreciation for our culture.

To our Jamaicans in South Florida and worldwide, Happy Independence Day and feel free to share with us, What Makes You Proud to be Jamaican?

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What Makes You Proud To Be Jamaican? - South Florida Caribbean News

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent The Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) Tuesday said it was shocked and sad at the death of veteran social activist and broadcaster, Jerry S. George, while hosting his early morning Internet show Early in the Morning with Jerry S. George.

George was a founding member of the regional umbrella media organisation and ACM said that he had remained a strong supporter of the organisation. George was also a founding member of the SearchLight Newspaper here.

George, who was in his late 60s, was a former public relations manager with the telecommunication company, Digicel, died of an apparent heart attack soon after introducing his first guest on the show on Tuesday, which he had dubbed Thoughtful Tuesday.

His guest, the Jamaican-born, Grenada based journalist, Beverley Sinclair, who is also the Chief Operations Officer of Georges Island Media Marketing & Communications company, had been invited to co-host programme as George had indicated he was going to step out of frame.

But after speaking for nearly half an hour with no response from George, she told viewers she had no idea where my host is, he has abandoned me.

And I need him to come back at this point so we can share some of your comments, hear what you had to say and how you deal with people that you come across in your daily life what kinds of experiences have you had

But a Facebook post on Valerie Tucker-Georges account after the scheduled close of the programme, announced, I am still in shock, came home at about 7:20 am (local time) and met my husband, Jerry George on the floor dead.

George was a vocal social and political commentator on issues not only in his homeland, but throughout the Caribbean and further afield. Among his last postings were the ongoing political situation in Guyana and the decision by some Caribbean governments to introduce competition in the aviation sector at the expense of the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT.

His Facebook page has been flooded with condolence messages with some people saying there were still in shock at the news of his death.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

CMC

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St. Vincent Broadcaster Dies While Hosting Show - Caribbean News - caribbeannationalweekly.com

Sandals Resorts International, which was among the first hotel companies to relaunch as the regions tourism industry reopened, is planning to reopen more resorts in the region.

Sandals has already reopened five of its resorts in the Caribbean, including one in Antigua; three in Jamaica and one in Saint Lucia.

Beginning next month, Sandals will begin another wave of reopenings, kicking off with the relaunch of the Sandals Regency La Toc in Saint Lucia on Aug. 31 (that will join the already-relaunched Sandals Grande St Lucian).

On Sept. 3, Sandals will reopen a fourth resort in Jamaica, the Sandals Ochi, followed by a pair of resorts in Barbados on Sept. 9: the Sandals Royal Barbados and Sandals Barbados resorts.

On Oct. 1, Sandals will reopen its Sandals Grenada resort and its Sandals South Coast resort in Jamaica.

On Oct. 8, the Sandals Royal Plantation, also in Jamaica, will be reopening.

That will be followed by the relaunch of the Sandals Halcyon Beach resort in Saint Lucia on Nov. 1.

The all-inclusive company also announced it was planning to open both of its resorts in The Bahamas, the Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau and the Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma on Nov. 1, 2020.

And while the pandemic has significantly affected the wider tourism industry, it hasnt slowed SRI, which just announced an expansion into the island of St Vincent.

For more, visit Sandals.

CJ

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Sandals Is Reopening More Resorts in the Caribbean - Caribbean Journal