Bottom line: Legoland's new Shanghai theme park spotlights the growing lure of China's leisure travel market, while Royal Caribbean's removal of South Korean ports from its China-based trips spotlights how political tensions can affect tourism-reliant businesses.

A couple of Shanghai-based leisure stories are spotlighting two very different trends in China's leisure travel sector, where a burgeoning middle-class is seeking new and interesting vacation ideas. On the more upbeat side, one of Europe's top theme park developers is expressing a major vote of confidence in the market, with word that the developer of Legoland theme parks will open one of its mega-resorts in Shanghai. But on the downside, the country's largest cruise operator, Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL), has removed South Korean ports from its China-based trips amid growing frictions between Beijing and Seoul over a controversial missile defense system.

The Legoland deal spotlights the big upside to China's leisure travel market, which has attracted most of the world's major theme park operators including Disney (NYSE: DIS), Universal Studios and Six Flags (NYSE: SIX). The latter story spotlights one of the biggest downside risks to doing business in China, namely the potential for politics to become entangled in business.

Let's jump right in with Legoland news, which is quite big in terms of investment and the arrival of another major player to the market. The latest reports say that Britain's Merlin Entertainment, developer of Legoland theme parks, will build a $300 million resort in Shanghai's Qingpu district.

Here we need to distinguish between the various formats that Legoland takes. Merlin has already opened a much smaller-scale rendition of its Legoland Discovery Center in Shanghai, probably costing in the tens of millions of dollars. But this particular new project involving a full-scale outdoor Legoland involves the company's premier product, and the size of the investment attests to the big potential Merlin sees in the market.

The reports say the resort will be completed in 2022, and will complement similar parks under construction in Japan and South Korea. it's significant the park is being built in Shanghai, which is fast becoming China's theme park capital for this kind of world-class entertainment. Disney last year opened its first mainland-based resort in the city, and Six Flags is building one of its resorts nearby. By comparison, only Universal has chosen Beijing, whose weather and nearby population base are less ideal for this kind of major outdoor attraction.

Cruising Cuts

Meantime, there's the other news that Royal Caribbean has removed all South Korean ports of call from its cruises originating in China, many of those from Shanghai. The move was announced in low-key fashion on the company's China website, citing "recent developments regarding the situation in South Korea".

That's a slightly subtle reference to the current political tensions occurring between Seoul and Beijing over a high-tech anti-missile defense system the former is installing. Seoul says the system is necessary to protect against potential threats from North Korea, while Beijing worries the system could be used for spying on China.

In this case the biggest losers will be the South Korean ports that are usually included on such cruises, such as the island of Jeju that has become heavily dependent on Chinese tourism. South Korean retailer Lotte has also seen its China operations suffer as a result of the tensions, with a number of its retail stores and one of its joint venture factories recently forced to close after local inspectors discovered various violations.

This kind of fallout for businesses as a result of political tensions is one of the biggest risks for companies doing business in China, or in this case overseas firms that rely on Chinese tourists. Beijing is notorious for parlaying political tensions into the business realm, allowing state-controlled media to report extensively on the matters and fuel discontent among ordinary citizens.

In this case government is keeping a close watch on things, and appears to be making sure that the public outrage doesn't get out of hand the way it has in the past with other similar tensions. Still, that won't be much consolation for the people at Lotte or hundreds of small businesses in South Korea that have come to depend on Chinese tourists.

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Legoland Builds In Shanghai, Royal Caribbean Steers Clear Of Korea - Seeking Alpha

For many movie fans, international trailers are an afterthought, an attempt to repackage previously released footage for a new market. But given the popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies abroad, its probably safe to say that Disney takes its international footage pretty seriously. After all, the previous film in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, grossed a total of $240 million domestically and $804 million internationally. Put another way: the film failed to make back its budget ($250 million) in the United States but tripled it abroad.

So while the new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (via Heroic Hollywood) may not have a lot of new footage it does highlight some of the major points from the other teasers ghost pirates! an uncomfortably computer generated Johnny Depp! while also finding time to show Jack Sparrow without his trousers up. If anything, the trailer serves as a reminder that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are never quite as serious as the trailers make them out to be.

As long as these movies keep making money around the world, Disney will keep finding reasons to throw Jack Sparrow back in harms way. And while there are undoubtedly some who wonder why we need a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film, Im willing to meet the studio halfway with one very specific request. If Disney decides to focus less on Johnny Depps character and more on the Bond villain-esque performances of actors like Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, and Javier Bardem, then I think I could be convinced to stick around for a couple more films. We may not need more Jack Sparrow films, but more movies about evil swarthy ghost pirates? Im listening.

Heres the full plot synopsis for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales:

The rip-roaring adventure finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar, escape from the Devils Triangle bent on killing every pirate at seanotably Jack. Jacks only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth, a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry, a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will bring back Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, and Orlando Bloom in addition to newcomers Javier Bardem, Kaya Scodelario, and Brenton Thwaites. It will sail into theaters on May 26, 2017.

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The International Teaser for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' - ScreenCrush - ScreenCrush

HAVANA

Foreign ministers and other officials from 25 Caribbean countries met in Havana on Friday to discuss a joint response in the face of Trump administration threats to migrants and trade.

Opening remarks at the closed-door event, attended by representatives from Colombia, Mexico, Cuba and other countries in Central America and the Caribbean islands, made clear the new U.S. administration and key economic partner was uppermost on the agenda, though the name "Trump" was never uttered.

Foreign ministers pose for the official photo after the opening ceremony of the XXII Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the the Association of Caribbean States at the Havana Libre Hotel in Havana, Cuba, March 10, 2017.

"We are meeting at an exceptional historic moment when there are geographic changes on the global scene and we have to be prepared," said June Soomer, from Saint Lucia and secretary general of the Association of Caribbean States.

"We are not going to resign ourselves to what others in the world dictate. We are not a mediocre region, we are one of excellence and peace," Sooner added.

Cuban President Raul Castro also attended the meeting.

His foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, lit into U.S. President Donald Trump's policies in his opening remarks and said the organization should come up with a joint response, as they threaten the development models of local economies.

"The excluding and repressive migration policies announced by countries of destination... as well as the implementation of extremely protectionist trade measures, are real challenges for our sub region," he said.

"In the face of the walls intended to be built, our choice should continue to be unity, solidarity and cooperation to defend the most legitimate interests of our peoples," he said.

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Caribbean Nations Huddle in Havana on Migration, Trade - Voice of America

"For too long, we have been too quiet. We can't keep doing things the same way and expect the different results"

By Rebekah Kebede

KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Caribbean-wide movement to fight violence against women started in a truly pedestrian way - with one woman's walk to work.

Ronelle King was on her daily commute in Bridgetown, Barbados, when a man tried to pull her into his car after she refused his offer of a ride. She reported it to police, only to have them shrug it off.

That's when King decided to share her experience publicly and encourage other women to do the same. She posted on Facebook, using #lifeinleggings as a social media hashtag for her campaign.

Within a day, #lifeinleggings took off, with women in Barbados recounting stories from street harassment to sexual assault. By the next day, #lifeinleggings island-hopped to Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

On Saturday, women in seven Caribbean countries linked by the #lifeinleggings movement plan to hold marches for women's rights.

The #lifeinleggings women say their online movement provides an accessible and safe way to express their feelings about violence in a region where it is all too common.

"You had a sense of feminist solidarity," King said.

"You had women that never met each other, like Trinidadian women reaching out to Dominican women saying, 'Thank you for sharing your story. It helped me. It touched me. It let me know I wasn't alone.'"

The hashtag is a reference to leggings popular among urban women in Caribbean. Although they are practical, the leggings are skin tight and women wearing them are often accused of "asking for it" if they are harassed, King said.

"We were debunking the myth that women attract this behavior because of the way that they are dressed and that men have the right to approach you in this manner," King said. "You deserve respect regardless."

Violence against women and girls is rife in the Caribbean.

Three of the world's top ten countries with the highest incidence of rape are the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. It also found nearly a third of women in the region have suffered domestic abuse.

The University of the West Indies' Institute of Gender Studies estimates 30 to 50 percent of murders in Caribbean countries are related to domestic violence.

More than 30 percent of women in the Caribbean report high rates of fear of sexual assault compared with 11 percent of men, according to a U.N. Development Programme report.

And those are just the few statistics available.

There is a gap between official data and reality, said Taitu Heron, a gender and development specialist for U.N. Women in Jamaica.

Hospital data, for instance, may show a greater incidence of assaults against women than do police reports because women may seek treatment but not report being assaulted.

"AFTER 12 IS LUNCH"

Acceptance of harassment and assault is also widespread.

Colloquial sayings in the region reflect that statutory rape is taken very lightly, Heron said.

For instance, the idea that any girl over puberty is fair game is expressed in the saying, "Anything after 12 is lunch."

The #lifeinleggings organizers say the casual attitude extends to harassment and physical violence.

"We have this culture of violence where even if people are aware of you being abused, they still encourage you to stay," said Akola Thompson, a 21-year-old student and human rights activist in West Bank Demerara, Guyana.

Thompson, who is organizing the #lifeinleggings march in Guyana, said she was in an abusive relationship until three years ago.

"My family encouraged me to stay, and so I did," she said.

Nadeen Spence, 44, said she never talked about being molested by strangers as a child but found strength in telling her story through #lifeinleggings.

"It's feeling as if you're not the only voice in the wilderness," said Spence, director of residential life at the University of the West Indies' Kingston campus.

While #lifeinleggings is hardly the first feminist movement in the Caribbean, it is perhaps the first to resonate with a younger generation, Amanda McIntyre, who is organizing the #lifeinleggings march in Trinidad and Tobago and a director of Womantra, a Caribbean feminist organization.

Marches are set for Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, the Bahamas, Guyana and Jamaica.

"I'm 35 and I can't remember when a march of this magnitude took place," she said. She suggested that social media has helped spread feminism in the Caribbean.

Many women are speaking out for the first time about experiences such as street harassment that used to be considered "little things," said Abby-Sade Brooks, a 29-year-old student and organizer of the #lifeinleggings march in Kingston.

"For too long, we have been too quiet. We can't keep doing things the same way and expect the different results," Brooks said.

(Reporting by Rebekah Kebede, Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org)

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A #lifeinleggings: Caribbean women's movement fights sex ... - Thomson Reuters Foundation

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The films synopsis, courtesy of Disney:

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Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar, escape from the Devils Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea including him. Captain Jacks only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas.

In addition to Depp, Pirates 5 stars Javier Bardem as the villainous Captain Salazar, Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, Brenton Thwaites, Stephen Graham and Orlando Bloom returning as Will Turner in his first appearance in the franchise since 2007s At Worlds End.

Dead Men Tell No Tales is directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki, Bandidas) off of a script from Jeff Nathanson (Tower Heist, The Terminal).

The film hits theaters May 26. Watch the first full trailer above.

Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum

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Watch: Jack Sparrow Returns in 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' Trailer - Breitbart News

Caribbean Climate Wire, Climate Change, Environment, Featured, Headlines, Latin America & the Caribbean, Projects

Big data is used by scientists in the Caribbean to forecast drought conditions for farmers and other farming interests. Credit: Zadie Neufville/IPS

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Mar 11 2017 (IPS) - On Nov. 30 last year, a new high-performance Super Computer was installed at the University of the West Indies (UWI) during climate change week. Dubbed SPARKS short for the Scientific Platform for Applied Research and Knowledge Sharing the computer is already churning out the big data Caribbean small island states (SIDS) need to accurately forecast and mitigate the effects of climate change on the region.

Experts are preparing the Caribbean to mitigate the devastating impacts rising seas, longer dry spells, more extreme rainfall and potentially higher impact tropical cyclones associated with climate change. The impacts are expected to decimate the economies of the developing states and many small island states, reversing progress and exacerbating poverty. Observers say the signs are already here.

The system will help scientists to "better evaluate potential risk and impacts and effectively mitigate those risks as we build more resilient infrastructure." --UWI Professor Archibald Gordon

Before SPARKS, regional scientists struggled to produce the kinds of credible data needed for long-term climate projections. Only a few months ago, UWIs lack of data processing capacity restricted researchers to a single data run at a time, said Jay Campbell, research fellow at the climate research group . Each data run would take up to six months due to the limited storage capacity and lack of redundancy, he said noting: If anything went wrong, we simply had to start over.

Immediately, SPARKS answered the need for the collection, analysis, modelling, storage, access and dissemination of climate information in the Caribbean. Over the long term, climate researchers will be able to produce even more accurate and reliable climate projections at higher spatial resolutions to facilitate among other things, the piloting and scaling up of innovative climate resilient initiatives.

So, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produces its next global assessment report in 2018, there will be much more information from the Caribbean, making SPARKS a critical tool in the regions fight against climate change.

Not only has the new computer described as one of the fastest in the Caribbean boosted the regions climate research capabilities by plugging the gaping hole in regional climate research, UWI Monas principal Professor Archibald Gordon said, It should help regional leaders make better decisions in their responses and adaptation strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change.

The experts underscore the need for big data to provide the information they need to improve climate forecasting in the short, medium and long term. Now, they have the capacity and the ability to complete data runs that usually take six months, in just over two days.

The system will help scientists to better evaluate potential risk and impacts and effectively mitigate those risks as we build more resilient infrastructure, Gordon said.

As the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) reported in June 2016 as the 14th consecutive month of record heat for land and oceans; and the 378th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average, regional scientists have committed to proving information to guide Caribbean governments on the actions they need to lessen the impact of climate change.

The region has consistently sought to build its capacity to provide accurate and consistent climate data. Efforts were ramped up after a September 2013 rapid climate analysis in the Eastern Caribbean identified what was described as a number of climate change vulnerabilities and constraints to effective adaptation.

The USAID study identified among other things the lack of accurate and consistent climate data to understand climate changes, predict impacts and plan adaptation measures. To address the challenges, the WMO and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), with funding from USAID, established the Regional Climate Centre in Barbados.

The launch of the new computer is yet another step in overcoming the constraints. It took place during a meeting of the IPCC at UWIs regional headquarters at Mona significant because it signalled to the international grouping that the Caribbean was now ready and able to produce the big data needed for the upcoming 2018 report.

Head of the Caribbean Climate Group Professor Michael Taylor explained in an interview that the credibility and accuracy of climate data require fast computer processing speeds, fast turn-around times as well as the ability to run multiple data sets at higher resolution to produce information that regional decision-makers need.

Climate research and downscaling methods will no longer be limited to the hardware and software, he said, trying but failing to contain his excitement.

SPARKS also puts Jamaica and the UWI way ahead of their counterparts in the English-speaking Caribbean and on par with some of the leading institutions in the developed world. This improvement in computing capacity is an asset for attracting more high-level staff and attracting students from outside the region. Crucially, it aids the universitys push to establish itself as a leading research-based institution and a world leader in medicinal marijuana research.

This opens up the research capability, an area the university has not done in the past. Before now, the processing of big data could only be done with partners overseas, Professor Taylor said.

Aside from its importance to crunching climate data for the IPCC reports, SPARKS is revolutionising DNA sequencing, medicinal, biological and other data driven research being undertaken at the University. More importantly, UWI researchers agree that a supercomputer is bringing together the agencies at the forefront of the regional climate fight.

What is clear, SPARKS is a game-changer and a big deal for climate research at the regional level and for UWIs research community.

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SPARKS Plugs Gap in Caribbean Climate Research - Inter Press Service

10 Mar 2017 by Jessica Faieta, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean have made notable progress on development in recent decades. By 2015, the region had met most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a historical feat, especially with regard to poverty reduction, access to safe drinking water and primary education.

From 2002 to 2013, close to 72 million people left poverty and some 94 million rose to the middle class. Even so, inequality continues to be a characteristic of the region. Latin America and the Caribbean are home to 10 of the worlds 15 most unequal countries.

According to our Human Development Report for the region, 220 million people (38 percent, almost two in every five Latin Americans) are economically vulnerable today. Officially they are not poor, but neither have they managed to make it to the middle class. Among these, 25 to 30 million are at risk of falling back into poverty.

It is precisely in this time of economic slowdown that we need a new generation of public policies to strengthen the four factors that prevent setbacks: social protection, care systems, physical and financial assets (such as owning a car, a home, savings or bank accounts that act as cushions when crisis hits) and labour skills.

The report calls on us to rethink progress along multidimensional lines that go beyond per capita income and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as favoured metrics for measuring development.

We must also guarantee gender parity inside and outside the home, recognize the multicultural and pluri-national rights of peoples and communities, protect the environment, ensure access to renewable energy and strengthen resilience to disasters and crises.

The effects of climate change are increasingly visible and with very negative consequences, in particular in developing countries. Investing in peoples resilienceor in their ability to absorb shocks without significant social and economic setbacksis more important than ever.

Climate change mitigation and adaptation are indispensable in our region. One crucial area is water resources management, ensuring its availability, high quality and accessibility. Agriculture and its potential impact on food security is another dimension that affects many countries.

Safe and informed development, including disaster risk reduction in development plans, is crucial to protecting communities and their livelihoods. Early warning systems, planned evacuation routes and stronger infrastructure are some of the coordinated actions we are carrying out in the region.

Cities must be at the centre of the solutions. This is of particular importance for Latin America and the Caribbean, the most urbanized developing region on the planet (UN Habitat). This poses a number of different challenges regarding energy, particularly with regard to transportation and public services.

Other challenges include the high levels of violence and citizen insecurity. The average homicide rate in Latin America is 3.5 times greater than the global rate. Security should be seen not only as a reduction in crime rates but also the result of policies that promote a better quality of life for the people, community crime prevention actions and justice systems that are accessible, expeditious and effective.

In our region, women still suffer violence and are discriminated against in the workplace and in decision-making. On average, 12 women are killed in the region each day (ECLAC) and more than one in four (27.3 percent) experience physical violence.

Empowering women, youth, people with disabilities, LGBTI, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendent communities, migrants and refugees is an important part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda. The Agenda calls for eradicating poverty in all its dimensions, leaving no one behind without jeopardizing future generations. As countries begin to implement the SDGs, we invite them to work together toward a new view of progress.

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Challenges and opportunities for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2017 - UNDP (press release) (blog)

Melanie Reffes, Special for USA TODAY 8:02 a.m. ET March 10, 2017

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Home to Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins, Dolphin Cay sits on 14 acres and is fed by seven million gallons of seawater.(Photo: Atlantis Paradise Island)

A hot spot during the 1960s, Paradise Island Hotel and Casino was owned by game show guru Merv Griffin. In 1994, it was bought by a South African hotelier and transformed into Atlantis Paradise Island, after an unprecedented $800 million investment. Modeled after the mythical lost city of Atlantis, the gargantuan playground across the bridge from downtown Nassau opened in 1998 and today is the largest resort in the Caribbean.

Changing hands again in 2011, the resort joined Marriotts Autograph Collection in 2014. On the northern edge of the island of New Providence, the resort is like a hotel on steroids where you could easily spend a weekend, a week or even a month and still not see everything. The world changes, the consumer changes so were also in the midst of a transformation of Atlantis, said Howard Karawan, president and managing director, referring to upcoming additions like clambakes on the beach, a swim-up Popsicle bar and a Bahamian conch salad stand.

Do the math

With 3,414 rooms and suites and 7,575 employees, Atlantis Paradise Island is the most checked-into hotel in the Bahamas. Due to its sheer size, it can be daunting to navigate, although every staff person is trained to assist befuddled guests. Since it opened 19 years ago, 3,100 couples have tied the knotat the umpteen picturesque venues that dot the Titanic-sized resort. Twenty-one restaurants and 19 bars keep hunger and thirst at bay, and 30,000 meals are served every day to guests and staff. For the active-minded, there are six tennis courts, an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course and a 9,000-square-foot Aura Nightclub. The many stores mimic those on Rodeo Drive and Madison Avenue with designer names and hefty price tags. There are plunge pools and massages in Mandara Spa. Also on the largest in the Caribbean list: the casino plays with Vegas rules at 850 slot machines and 85 table games (and in a novel twist for the gaming industry, sports a wall of sunlit windows).

Best places to gamble in the Caribbean

Big splash

Marine Habitat, the world's largest open-air aquatic facility, is where youll find 50,000 marine animals (250 species), like stingrays the size of catchers mitts, swimming in eight million gallons of saltwater and munching 1,000 pounds of fish each day.

There are 11 pools and four beaches; Paradise, Cove, Atlantis and Cabbage. Also ranking as the largest in the Caribbean, Aquaventure is a 141-acre watery wonderland with 14 fresh and saltwater lagoons, 18 high-speed water slides,two river rides with tidal surges and waterfalls and a life-size replica of a Mayan temple that houses the Leap of Faith, a 60-foot drop through a shark-filled lagoon. The tallest attraction is called the Power Tower, 120 feet high with inner tube slides that drop riders 50 feet into total darkness and then into a deep cenote filled with toothy alligator gars.

Home to Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins, including 16 who were rescued after they were swept to sea during Hurricane Katrina, Dolphin Cay sits on 14 acres and is fed by seven million gallons of seawater. Brand new and a must-do for dolphin fans, Rise and Shine is an early morning swim with the friendly mammals, Kayak with Dolphins is thrilling for kids and Serenity Snorkel is a freestyle swim. In the Marine Habitat, The Dig comes with a 100-foot clear underwater tunnel for unobstructed views of sea critters like venomous lionfish, piranhas, iridescent jellyfish and moray eels that measure a whopping 6 feet long. The interactive touch tank aquarium is filled with conch, starfish, sea urchins and crabs. Viewable from The Dig, Ruins Lagoon is awesome with 20,000 fish and lost city artifacts.

Chow down

Menus cover the globe from American Southern fare at Virgils Real Barbecue, sushi at Nobu, Chop Stix for Chinese and Mediterranean at Olives to fine dining in Bahamian Club, sweet treats at Platos and rock star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichtens Caf Martinique made famous by its appearance in the 1965 James Bond thriller Thunderball. Starbucks has also set up shop at the resort. Next to the resort, Marina Village is an open-air marketplace with 63 mega-yacht slips and plenty of eating and shopping options.

Towers of power

The Beach Tower is the smallest with 423 rooms; 600 rooms at The Cove are more upscale; The Reef has 497 rooms and easy access to Paradise Beach; and most of the rooms in the 693-room family-friendly Coral Towers are being renovated and will reopen on July 1. Colossal with 1,201 rooms, Royal Towers is also where youll find the celeb-favorite 10-room Bridge Suite that spans the 17th floor and comes with a dining room capped with a 22-karat gold chandelier, a grand piano and a staff of seven who access the suite through a private entrance.

Flight deck

The resort is a 30-minute cab ride from the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau. On the return, youll pre-clear U.S. Customs and Immigration. The Bahamas is one of three countries in the Caribbean that offer this convenience. Aruba and Bermuda are the other two, with Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic coming online later this spring.

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Caribbean resort photo tour: Atlantis Paradise Island - USA TODAY

If you subscribe to the "bigger is better" mindset, your future cruise vacation plans just got seriously supersized. Mark your calendars for April 2018, when Royal Caribbean's new Symphony of the Seas (the fourth vessel in the line's Oasis class of ships) joins ranks with its current 25-ship fleet as the biggest cruise ship ever built.

The massive 18-deck, 5,494-passenger vesselmeasuring in at a whopping 230,000 gross tonswill swipe the title of "world's largest ship" from Royal Caribbean's 2016-debuted Harmony of the Seas , trumping that ship's dimensions by about 3,000 tons and 28 added staterooms. In addition to bringing aboard some of the cruise line's more popular innovationsincluding favorites like the robot bartender-helmed Bionic Bar , a seven-neighborhood shipboard concept, surf simulator, ice-skating rink, rock-climbing wall, waterfront AquaTheater, and several waterslides (like the 10-story-high Ultimate Abyss: the tallest slide at sea)the line has hinted at Symphony of the Seas unveiling some "revolutionary new firsts" all its own, though mum's the word on those specifics just yet.

Bookings are now open for Symphony of the Seas's inaugural year, which will kick off on April 21, 2018, with seven-night Mediterranean itineraries from Barcelona, calling on ports in Spain (at Palma de Mallorca), France (in Provence), and Italy (at Florence/Pisa, Rome, and Naples). Come early November, the ship will cross the Atlantic to Miami, where it will shift its offerings to a series of 7-night eastern and western Caribbean itineraries; the Symphony of the Seas will then remain homeported there for the remainder of 2017 and throughout 2018.

Surely, a ship of this magnitude deserves a terminal to match, which is why the line has also broken ground on a brand-new 170,000-square-foot facility to receive it upon its arrival in Miami. The cutting-edge, angular glass-designed PortMiami Terminal A is being touted by the line as "the most innovative cruise facility in the U.S." Set for completion in October 2018, the sparkling new terminal will welcome the Symphony of the Seas , along with its fellow Oasis-class sister ship Allure of the Seas (which is being relocated there from Ft. Lauderdale) in November 2018, where both ships are slated to offer a robust calendar of island-hopping Caribbean itineraries.

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Royal Caribbean Set to Launch World's Biggest Cruise Ship (Again) - Cond Nast Traveler

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Following last week's first full trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, a new international promo for the seafaring action sequel has landed. Check it out below:

Dead Men Tell No Tales stars Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow once more, with Geoffrey Rush returning as Barbossa. Javier Bardem will play the evil Captain Salazar--outside the US, the movie will be released as Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge.

Orlando Bloom is also expected appear in the movie as Will Turner, making his first appearance in a Pirates movie since 2007's At World's End. The most recent film in the series was On Stranger Tides, released in 2011.

We've also had first teaser, and the TV spot that was screened during the Super Bowl. The movie's official synopsis reads:

"Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar, escape from the Devils Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea including him. Captain Jacks only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas."

The Beatles singer Paul McCartney apparently has a role in the movie, continuing the rock star trend that started with Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones appearing as Jack Sparrow's father in At World's End.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg and hits theaters on May 26, 2017.

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Watch New Pirates Of The Caribbean 5 International Trailer - GameSpot

A woman fetches water in Kingston, Jamaica. According to the UN, one in three women in the Caribbean has experienced sexual or physical violence in her lifetime. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Early one Sunday in January, a group of women arrived at a church in the rolling, green hills of rural Jamaica. They were not there to worship, but to show support for a young victim of sexual abuse: a 15-year-old girl, who had allegedly been raped by the churchs pastor a few weeks earlier.

The 14 activists entered the church and sat in silence, but angry words broke out when they were approached by a different pastor; the confrontation culminated with him being struck in the head by a tambourine.

The incident marked the beginnings of the Tambourine Army, a new organization to fight gender-based violence in Jamaica, which this weekend will mark its arrival with a protest in Kingston. In what is believed to be the largest-ever protest against gender-based violence in the region, similar marches will be held in solidarity with another group called #lifeinleggings in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, the Bahamas and Guyana.

We want to change the culture we have of assigning blame and shame to survivors, says Latoya Nugent, co-founder of the Tambourine Army. We want to place it at the feet of perpetrators and change the current narrative.

The Caribbean has among the highest rates of sexual assault in the world: according to United Nations statistics from 2015, one in three women have experienced sexual or physical violence at least once in their lives. And it is estimated that 14-38% of women have experienced intimate partner violence at least once.

In Jamaica alone over the past few months, at least eight women have been killed by domestic partners, young women have been abducted and assaulted by taxi drivers and another pastor was charged with sex-related crimes on a minor.

Elsewhere in the region, Unicef estimates that in the eastern Caribbean, between 20 and 45% of children have been sexually abused. In Trinidad, between 2005 and 2015, 300 women were murdered by a domestic partner.

Dr Verene Shepherd, director of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, said that such violence is often a reaction to womens improved economic position.

As the economy worsens and as more men than women find themselves outside the labour market, as many women earn more than their spouses and climb the social ladder, patriarchal ideology, biblical teachings and hegemonic masculinity come to the fore and manifests in violence and jealous rage.

There is a sense of male entitlement that is very strong, and fragility when they dont get the response they want

Others argue that the problem has much deeper roots. We have never had peace in Jamaica, said Emprezz Golding, a Jamaican activist and talk show host. From the Tainos to Jamaican Africans, weve been beaten and raped and enslaved.

The goal of Tambourine Army is to help bring about some kind of healing, said Nugent and co-founder Taitu Heron of the UN Women Jamaica Programme Office. This is a predatory environment, said Heron. It is abusive, sexually and emotionally and physically. Its as if we dont value our women and girls as full human beings. We talk about them as if they are pieces of property.

But now, Caribbean women are fighting back. In December hundreds across the region shared their experiences of sexual assault with the hashtag #lifeinleggings, which was started by Ronelle King, 24, after she was attacked on her way to work.

A man attempted to give her a ride, and when she politely declined, he violently tried to pull her into his car. She reported it to police, but they brushed her off.

From my personal experiences, especially in the Caribbean, you get a lot of harassment, King said. There is a sense of male entitlement that is very strong, and fragility as well when they dont get the response they want. King will participate in the march on Saturday, and hopes that it will reclaim the streets for women.

Sandra Clarke, a 25-year-old operating room nurse from Kingston, Jamaica, says she has felt threatened walking the streets of the city. Im uncomfortable, because I just want to get home in peace. She has felt threatened a couple times. One person will be calling to you and sometimes they start following you if they dont get the answer they want.

This kind of incident can turn deadly.

Two girls were recently killed in Trinidad, says Amanda McIntyre, who is organizing a march for that island. In the last year, weve had a drastic increase in the amount of violent crimes to women and girls, she says. And street harassment is a serious problem.

Dr Shepherd of the University of the West Indies says the problem requires several solutions, one of which is justice for victims. Perpetrators have to be brought to justice and psychological rehabilitation offered to victims.

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'Tambourine Army' hits back against sexual violence in Jamaica - The Guardian

Background On May 4, 2016, the Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Manuel A. Gonzlez Sanz, was received by the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States during a special meeting to address to situation of irregular migration flows in the region. As part of his remarks, the minister noted the recent phenomenon of irregular migration flows that have seen a significant uptick throughout the region. The minister explained the situation in Costa Rica, which has been a point of entry and transit for thousands of migrants of Cuban origin and from outside the hemisphere, primarily from Africa and Asia. During this same speech before the Permanent Council, the Costa Rican state requested that the OAS Secretary General prepare an urgent study on the migration situation in the region, to address the recent increase in the irregular flow of migrants from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. The OAS Permanent Council received the request during the meeting. OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, in response to the request, commissioned the study to the Secretariat of Access to Rights and Equality, through its Department of Social Inclusion, the area charged with supporting OAS efforts on migration matters. The OAS Secretariat of Multidimensional Securitys Department of Public Security and the OAS representation in the Dominican Republic also contributed to the report.

Given the International Organization for Migrations (IOM) work as the main international organization on migration, the OAS Secretary General and the Deputy Director General of the IOM agreed to partner in preparing this study. This report presents the joint work of these two organizations. The study also includes contributions from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), through its Regional Delegation for Mexico, Central America, and Cuba.

Main Conclusions

Irregular migration transcends issues of a bilateral or regional nature: it includes countries of origin, transit and destination.

Irregular flows into the Americas of migrants from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean must be analyzed according to their specific origins and characteristics.

Lack of documentation, language barriers, and lack of consular and diplomatic representations make it difficult for national authorities, international organizations and civil society to manage migration.

The final most likely destination of flows is the United States, followed to a lesser extent by Brazil for Haitians, Africans and Asians. For the Cubans, the other preferred destinations are Mexico and Ecuador.

Migrants are much more likely to find a relative, friend, or fellow national that facilitates their immigration to the United States than to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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Irregular Migration Flows to the Americas from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean - Reliefweb

Leslie and Al Strickler of Richmond were featured on a recent episode of Caribbean Life, a house hunting reality show on HGTV.

The Stricklers were hunting for a tropical getaway for their family on the Caribbean island of Nevis.

They fell in love with the island when Al, owner of a medical equipment and technology company, was visiting on a business trip and Leslie, who owns her own communications firm, tagged along.

It was love at first sight, Leslie said by email. She added that their first view of the lush, green island surrounded by beaches with a volcanic mountain in the middle just took our breath away.

The Stricklers describe themselves as soon-to-be empty nesters, with their eldest daughter, Olivia, 21, in college, their son Harrison, 19, at boarding school, and their youngest, Maggie, 15, at St. Catherines School in Richmond.

Harrison is a leukemia survivor who helped create a family bike ride around Richmond called Tour de Harrison that helped raise more than $100,000 for pediatric cancer research.

On the show, the Stricklers were looking for a three-bedroom property with a budget of $500,000 to $700,000 where they could split their time between Richmond and the Caribbean.

There was an immediate feeling of connection to the island, Leslie said. Everything that happened to us was serendipitous. My intuition just said ... this feels right.

The episode was filmed in August. The family was visiting the island with their three children, who also make an appearance.

On the episode, the Stricklers take a family bike ride, where they mention Harrisons history as a leukemia survivor and the Tour de Harrison.

The episode is titled Finding Zen in Nevis. It first aired on HGTV on Sunday and can currently be watched On Demand.

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HGTV 'Caribbean Life' episode features Richmond family - Richmond.com

Royal Caribbean International is going tokeepbeating its own big-ship record.

The Miami-based cruise operator announced Wednesday that its next new ship, Symphony of the Seas, will be the largest ship in the world just by a bit.

Its a familiar refrain. Royal Caribbean, the worlds largest cruise line measured by passenger capacity, launched the largest cruise ship ever in 2009. That ship, the 225,282-ton Oasis by the Seas, was followed by the slightly longer Allure of the Seas in 2010. Both carry5,400 passengers at double occupancy.

Lastyear, sister ship Harmony of the Seas become the biggest, encompassing 226,963 gross registered tons and holding 5,494 passengers. It will have to cede the title to Symphony of the Seas in April of 2018: At 230,000 tons, the new ship will have 28 more rooms than Harmony.

In a call with reporters, Royal Caribbean International president and CEO Michael Bayley called the new ship the latest, greatest, newest, most beautiful baby thats coming soon.

Bayley would not reveal many details about the upcomingship, but said there were some new features and a different design for the solarium area.

After making its debut in Europe and spending several months there,Symphony of the Seas will be based in Miami along with Allure of the Seas. Both will use a new terminal that isbeing built to handle the immense crowds that board and depart the megashipsin a matter of hours.

The other Oasis-class ships will also sail from Florida, at least in the winter: Oasis from Port Canaveral in Central Florida and Harmony from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. One of the vessels is likely to head to Europe in the summer of 2019.

Bayley said the company is not concerned about having too much capacity sailing the Caribbean next year, even as competitors including Norwegian Cruise Line plan to also sailnew ships inthe market.

Were quite bullish about the Caribbean, he said. Were seeing more and more internationalguests come into theCaribbean.

Whether or when an Oasis-class ship might make it to another hot destination China is still unclear.

Oooh, good question. You never know, Bayley told a reporter who asked about the possibility. He said the company has other classes of ships on order as well,smaller than Oasis but still giant.

Theres lots of opportunitiesfor the worlds largest ships to go to China, he said.

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Royal Caribbean Is Building the Latest World's Largest Cruise Ship - Skift

New York Times

New Caribbean Dive Site: A Ship That Survived Pearl Harbor New York Times The Kodiak Queen, which survived the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, was discovered rusting in the British Virgin Islands several years ago. It is to become an underwater art installation and wildlife habitat. Credit Adam Buyskes. On March 10, weather ...

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New Caribbean Dive Site: A Ship That Survived Pearl Harbor - New York Times

Aside from the release of the next installments in the Marvel andStar Warscinematic universes, Disney will also be releasing the newest outing in one of their longest-running and most profitable franchises to date withPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Making the return of severalof thefranchises oldest players, like Orlando Bloom as Will Turner and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa, the new film promises to take the franchise to places its never quite been before. That includes the villainous Captain Salazar, a ghost pirate played with gleeful malevolence by the always reliable, Javier Bardem.

Picking up several years after the events of the last film,Dead Men Tell No Tales follows Johnny Depps Captain Jack Sparrow as he searches for the Trident of Poseidon, the only artifact capable of protecting him from Salazar and his undead crew. The latter of whom has just escaped the Devils Triangle by the time the film begins, looking to settle an old score with Sparrow, and simultaneously destroy every last Pirate still alive on the seas.

Disney just recently released a brand new, full theatrical trailer forDead Men Tell No Tales, and with a prime May release date, it promises to be a dark horse release for the studio this year. In continuation of the recent boost in promotional materials for the film, Disney has also unveiled a brand new international Dead Men Tell No Tales poster, unitingboth the moviesheroes and villains. Check it out for yourselves,down below:

Beginning back in 2001 withThe Curse of the Black Pearl, its doubtful anyone at the time could have predicted just how long thePirates of the Caribbeanmovie franchise would last for. Based initially on the Disney ride of the same name, the franchise started out as a fun, B-movie action film and went on to feature fights with Blackbeard, Davy Jones, and now, a Ghost Pirate and his undead crew. To say its been one of the zanier, and unexpected popular franchises of the 21st century then, wouldnt be much of an understatement.

Dead Men Tell No Talesmay or may not be the last installment in the franchise also, after the recent theatrical trailer marketed it as that,right before the directors contradicted that marketing choice. Whether or not it is, though, thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years and after the multiple year break-in between installments, itll be interesting to see just how much hypeDead Men Tell No Tales is able to garner for itself in the weeks leading up to its theatrical release.

Source: Disney

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New Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Poster: Heroes & Villains Unite - Screen Rant

Royal Caribbean Cruises said a cruise ship was operating safely and did not touch bottom in response to a Broward County couple's complaint that the boat had stopped within 100 feet of striking their waterfront home.

According to WFOR-TV and WPLG-TV in Miami, the Celebrity Equinox was leaving Port Everglades on Friday afternoon and heading toward the patio of Bill and Yasmine Todhunter.

Bill Todhunter said the cruise ships usually pass hundreds of yards away their home.

"I looked up and I knew something was wrong, because I was looking up at the bow of the boat," Todhunter told WFOR-TV.

Yasmine Todhunter grabbed her cellphone and began recording video, which shows engines on the front of the ship apparently trying to slow its approach. Her husband said the ship had "come aground."

Royal Caribbean Cruises, issued a statement saying the ship was navigating safely " under the guidance of local port pilots" and that it did not touch bottom.

The Equinox is 1,041 feet long and weighs more than 120,000 gross tons.

The Coast Guard told WFOR-TV that ships must report collisions or groundings, and Royal Caribbean has not. The Todhunters said they contacted the Coast Guard and said the agency was planning to investigate.

Royal Caribbean: Cruise ship approaching Broward home was operating safely (w/ video) 03/08/17 [Last modified: Wednesday, March 8, 2017 2:41pm] Photo reprints | Article reprints

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Royal Caribbean: Cruise ship approaching Broward home was operating safely (w/ video) - Tampabay.com

Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Royal Caribbean announces new cruise ship Symphony of the Seas and opens bookings Royal Caribbean Blog (blog) Royal Caribbean revealed the name of the ship, along with some key details surrounding its sailings. Symphony will arrive in April 2018, and begin service by sailing the Mediterranean in Spring and Summer 2018. Symphony of the Seas will make stops at ... Royal Caribbean Signs Investment Agreement With Bahamas, Plans to Enhance Private Island CocoCayCruise Critic Royal Caribbean Commits To BahamasTravel Market Report all 47 news articles »

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Royal Caribbean announces new cruise ship Symphony of the Seas and opens bookings - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

VI Airlink (V6, Beef Island) and fellow Caribbean operator interCaribbean Airways (JY, Providenciales) have filed a joint objection to BVI Airways (XV, Beef Island) and its recent application to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for Exemption Authority and a Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP).

Last month, BVI Airways applied to the DOT for authority to conduct scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the prescribed UK Caribbean gateway points via intermediate points, to points in the United States and beyond. It also sought authority to carry out charter foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the British Virgin Islands and any point(s) in the United States.

It plans to offer a 4x weekly service between Beef Island and each of Miami Int'l and San Juan Luis Muoz Marin increasing to daily as market requirements dictate. Operations are on board ARJ-100 quadjets.

VI Airlink and interCaribbean Airways claim, however, that as parties whose operations may be affected by BVI Airways' application, they were never served a copy of its application in violation of DOT requirements.

Further to that, they question government's impartiality given an alleged investment made to stimulate demand for flights between the BVI and the United States. The two parties reference a Caribbean Journal press report wherein BVI Premier Orlando Smith is quoted as saying his government has "invested" USD7 million into the development of flights between Miami Int'l and Beef Island. BVI Airways, they claim, had previously claimed the funds mentioned to be a loan.

This issue of direct financial support, they argue, will create a conflict of interest between locally-owned airlines and the BVI government given the latter's purported role in BVI Airways' operations.

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Caribbean operators rally against BVI Airways' US services - ch-aviation

TAIPEI, Taiwan (CMC) President Tsai Ing-wen is to visit the Caribbean later this year amid concerns that its relations with some Caribbean allies have become unstable, Foreign Minister David Lee said Monday.

Taiwan has relations with St Kitts-Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Belize, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, and Lee acknowledged that relations with one or more of the Caribbean territories are kind of unstable.

That is why a visit by President Tsai Ing-wen to allies in that region in the second half of this year is being planned as part of the Governments efforts to cement ties with diplomatic partners there, Lee said when answering questions from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng at the Legislative Yuans Foreign and National Defence Committee.

Lee said that his ministry has taken measures to improve bilateral ties with these countries in question and that the situation is under control.

The foreign ministry has been keeping close tabs on ties with Taiwans diplomatic allies and will address issues immediately if it notices something wrong, he said, without elaborating on which country or countries in the Caribbean are in question.

Last August, the main Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) in St Vincent and the Grenadines said it would switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China if it is elected to office in the next general election.

The announcement represented a change in one of the last common policies that the NDP shared with the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP).

St Vincent and the Grenadines has maintained unbroken diplomatic ties with Taiwan since 1981, even as several other Caribbean nations, including Dominica and Grenada, have switched ties over the last decade.

Beijing says Taiwan is a renegade province to be reunited with the mainland by force, if necessary.

The NDP said that as a modern political organisation, it continues to discuss and formulate a range of appropriate measures and responses to ongoing geo-political realities.

In this regard, fully cognisant of the ever-evolving symmetry of international affairs, and the principal responsibility and obligation of our party in or out of Government to diligently pursue and protect the best strategic interests of our country, I hereby formally announce that the New Democratic Party of St Vincent and the Grenadines, as of todays date, August 23, 2016, has taken the decision to recognise the United Nations accepted norm of a One China Policy, the NDP leader Arnhim Eustace said in a statement last August.

Last year, St Vincent and the Grenadines Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Louis Straker said Kingstown was hoping to establish diplomatic presence in Taiwan.

St Vincent and the Grenadines has benefited significantly from it relationship with Taiwan, both in terms of infrastructural and human resource development.

Taiwan financed the terminal building at the Argyle International Airport, 15 learning resource centres across the country, and bridges and other pieces of infrastructure projects.

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Taiwanese president to visit Caribbean amid concerns of 'unstable' relations with region - Jamaica Observer