Monthly Archives: November 2023

An ad hoc Advisory Committee has been established in the British Virgin Islands to review the minimum wage.

The Ministry of Financial Services, Labour and Trade says the minimum wage in the Virgin Islands was last increased on October 1, 2016, from $4.00 per hour to $6.00 per hour. However, a 2022 review of Social Assistance in the BVI by the Social Policy Research Institute (SPRI Global) found that this was well below what is now needed.

The researchers cautioned, however, that the speed by which the minimum wage can be adjusted must take into account economic constraints.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade, Lorna Smith has determined that the best way forward is to establish an Advisory Committee to undertake a review of what the most appropriate level of the minimum wage should be.

She said: The Government is conscious of the many economic challenges the people of the BVI face. We must all put our shoulder to the wheel, government, employers and employees to ensure that individuals on low incomes do not bear a greater share of the burden than they should. The review will be comprehensive, transparent, and involve the expertise of a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure inclusive participation and perspective. Importantly it will also report by the end of March 2024.

The Minister will appoint the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee in accordance with Part III of the Virgin Islands Labour Code, 2010. The Advisory Committee will comprise experts and representatives from a diverse range of sectors, including key economic sectors, employers, employees, Sister Island representatives, youth and development partners.

The committee will have access to technical support from economists, statisticians, financial analysts, and other government officials. This expertise will help the committee understand and analyse complex data, develop and evaluate policy options, and make informed recommendations.

It will complete its review and submit its final report to the Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade within four (4) months of its inaugural meeting which is planned to take place on November 21.

The Minister said: The review of the Minimum Wage is only one part of a wider assessment by the Government of how we can address the cost of living challenge across the BVI. We know our people need to be better supported and I expect to make further announcements on this in the near future.

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British Virgin Islands to review its minimum wage | Loop Caribbean News - Loop News Caribbean

The wait is over for cruise watchers eager to learn about the entertainment offerings onboard Royal Caribbeans new-build, Icon of the Seas.

The cruise line has unveiled a stunning array of productions, musical shows, ice performances, and other events the ship will offer in multiple venues when she debuts in January 2024.

Royal Caribbeans Icon of the Seas, soon to become the worlds largest cruise ship at 250,800-gross tons, took the wraps off of a series of entertainment spectaculars that includes the first sea-going production of the classic The Wizard of Oz, a swash-buckling pirate show, dive shows, and a vibrant, choreographed skating performance in the ships ice arena, among other options.

At the heart of so many of the memories made on Royal Caribbean vacations is a combination of live entertainment thats unmatched in the vacation industry, and were taking it to the next level onIcon of the Seas, said Nick Weir, senior vice president of entertainment at Royal Caribbean International.

If youre a fan of full-scale productions on Broadway and the West End or live music and comedy in hot spots like Las Vegas,Iconhas it all for every mood and style in one vacation alongside never-before-seen twists only found on Royal Caribbean, added Weir.

In all, 75-plus performers will entertain across the ships venues, along with some 50 musicians.

Cruise guests aboard Icon of the Seas can look forward to seeing their favorite characters from The Wizard of Oz in a high-flying stage show with a 16-piece orchestra performing an original musical score. The show, to be staged in the ships Royal Theater, is described as the classic story with a modern twist.

Also, in the Royal Theater, music lovers can enjoy SHOWBAND! Live. Music. Now, an immersive production featuring 16 musicians. Additional live music shows will be performed in Lous Jazz n BluesandDueling Pianos, theSchooner Barand thePoint & Feather English pub.

Worth Reading: New Royal Caribbean Video on Icon of the Seas Beverages

For youngsters, entertainers will presentOnce Upon a Time: The Kings Royal Ball,a presentation of fairytale favorites with some new twists. In the production Pirates vs. Mermaids,cruisers will find more fairytale characters living in a mythical world.

Inside the ships Aqua Dome, the AquaTheater will be the venue for Aqua Action!,a thrill show featuring high divers, synchronized swimmers, aerialists, and others in a high-energy production that includes robots.

Read Also: Star of the Seas Revealed as Second Giant Icon-Class Cruise Ship

Ice-skating rinks are not new to Royal Caribbean ships, but the ice arena onboard Icon of the Seas has been reimagined to produce the showStarburst: Elemental Beauty.The building blocks of life are the theme of the show, performed by Olympic-level ice skaters against the backdrop of lighting displays and music.

Icon of the Seas, with capacity for 7,600 guests, is in the final stages of construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. The ship recently completed her second set of sea trials and is on scheduled to launch in early 2024.

The shipwill debut in Miami on January 27, 2024 and sail an inaugural 7-night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day itinerary, visiting St. Kitts, St. Thomas, andPerfect Day at CocoCay, the cruise lines private destination in the Bahamas.

Based at PortMiami, Icon of the Seas, which also sports the largest waterpark at sea, will offer alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, all with stops at CocoCay.

Western Caribbean itineraries include calls at Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, with some itineraries also featuring a visit to Roatan, Honduras. Some Eastern Caribbean itineraries will substitute St. Maarten for St. Kitts.

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Royal Caribbean Unveils Full-Scale Shows for Icon of the Seas - Cruise Hive

Our region pulsates with youthful potential yet grapples with a formidable challenge - youth unemployment and unskilled labor. As young leaders who triumphed at the World Bank Group Youth Summit in May 2023, we embark on a mission to unlock sustainable solutions that promote inclusive development and growth.

Our winning proposal aimed to address the complex web of youth unemployment and informal employment across Latin America and the Caribbean through a prism of education, empowerment, and collaboration.

The 2022 Labour Overview for Latin America and the Caribbean revealed a troubling reality. With an average youth unemployment rate of 16 percent, the Latin America and Caribbean region grapples with the insidious specter of wasted potential. This challenge is compounded by the harsh reality of informal employment, where around 60 percent of young individuals find themselves ensnared. Such staggering statistics underscore the structural barriers entrenched within the region's labor markets.

In our quest, we identified five pressing challenges in the region's landscape and propose the following:

We propose expanding access to education and training. Investing in infrastructure, scholarships, and lifelong learning initiatives ensures that education becomes a transformative tool, lifting barriers to social and economic mobility.

We propose promoting gender equality in employment. Initiatives such as High School Mentorship Programs and Networking Platforms address gender disparity at the root, enabling young women to navigate education and career paths with confidence.

We propose strengthening institutional coordination and partnerships. Collaborative partnerships between government, nonprofits, and the private sector create a resilient ecosystem that fosters innovation, amplifies resources, and propels sustainable solutions.

We propose strengthening youth skill development. By aligning education with industry needs, fostering vocational training, and introducing apprenticeships, we empower the youth with practical skills and real-world experience, aligning them with market demands.

We propose enhancing skill recognition and certification. Standardizing skill recognition through innovative methods empowers informal workers with formal certifications, unlocking doors to sustainable employment and financial stability.

Within the tapestry of empowerment, we acknowledge the hurdles that are formidable gatekeepers to sustainable development. As young leaders from the Latin America and Caribbean region, we understand that implementing our visionary plan to address youth unemployment and unskilled labor is challenging.

Our proposals are a testament to our commitment. As we embark on this transformative voyage, data-driven impact assessment, powered by indicators such as the Gini Coefficient and Gender Inequality Index, will guide our progress. We embrace a comprehensive approach that not only quantifies change but fosters an ecosystem of growth and empowerment.

Navigating challenges and forging new frontiers

In a landscape where access to resources is uneven and institutional barriers persist, the road ahead may prove arduous. However, we urge international organizations like the World Bank to collaborate in unique ways. By fostering cross-sector partnerships prioritizing localized solutions, leveraging innovative funding mechanisms, and championing policies that bolster youth inclusion, we can surmount these challenges and illuminate a path toward a prosperous and equitable future for our region. Through these nuanced approaches, we can transcend obstacles and embark on a journey of unprecedented impact.

Our roadmap to address youth unemployment and unskilled labor in Latin America and the Caribbean embodies our shared aspirations. It underscores the vital role of education, inclusivity, and collaboration in shaping a sustainable future. As we stand on the cusp of change, let us propel this momentum forward, a symphony of voices harmonizing to pave the way for a brighter, more equitable tomorrow.

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Opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean youth facing the ... - World Bank

Celebrity Cruises has a new ship headed for the Caribbean this winter.

Celebrity has officially taken delivery of the new celebrity Ascent, the fourth ship in the companys Edge Series.

The newly-built ship will be heading to Fort Lauderdale in December to begin a season of Caribbean cruising, with the inaugural voyage a seven-day vacation stopping in St Maarten, St Thomas and the Dominican Republic.

Ascent, the sister ship to Celebrity Beyond, which debuted last year, includes everything from the popular Retreat resort-within-a-resort area to a multi-level Sunset Bar to an expanded Rooftop Garden.

The ship will include Daniel Bouluds popular Le Voyage dining experience, along a new-look casino floor, a new outdoor dining terrace at Blu and a new nightlife experience on the resort deck.

Celebrity Ascentis yet another example of innovation driving our mission to provide the best vacations responsibly. The ship continues Celebritys ambition to redefine premium travel and take it to new heights, said Royal Caribbean Group President and CEOJason Liberty. I want to thank and congratulate the Chantiers de lAtlantique team, our Newbuild and Celebrity Cruises teams and their partners for the vision, craftsmanship and passion that went into bringing this spectacular shipto life.

After the ships inaugural voyage, Ascent will sail across the Eastern and Western Caribbean until April.

That will include either a seven-night Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman voyage or a seven-night San Juan, Tortola and St Kitts itinerary.

Ascent will hold a seven-night Holiday Cruise departing on Dec. 24, stopping in The Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman, along with a New Years cruise departing on Dec. 31.

Celebrity Ascentfeatures all the innovative and award-winningEdge Seriessignature experiences that launched a new era in cruise ship design, plus a few new enhancements, and I cant wait to welcome our guests aboard, said Celebrity Cruises PresidentLaura Hodges Bethge. It is a true honor to welcome this ship to our fleet and I am so grateful to everyone involved with all that goes into launching a new ship.

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Celebrity Cruises Has a New Ship Heading for the Caribbean - Caribbean Journal

Deep in the forests of Haiti lives the blue-eyed La Hotte glanded frog (Eleutherodactylus glandulifer), which once went 20 years without being observed by scientists. It belongs to a diverse genus from the Caribbean that also includes the much more common coqu frog (Eleutherodactylus coqu), a cultural icon in Puerto Rico. Now, a new fossil study shows that frogs from the genus Eleutherodactylus are geologically the oldest Caribbean vertebrates to be found in Florida. They also arrived in North America much earlier than previously thought.

Although scientists knew some North American frogs had origins in the Caribbean, they lacked fossil evidence showing when and how this movement had occurred. But Mara Vallejo-Pareja, a graduate student at the University of Florida, used understudied fossil collections to connect the dots.

Florida Museum Photo by Kristen Grace

There was a gap in knowledge, but the answer was under our noses the whole time, said Vallejo-Pareja, first author of the paper. We already had the fossils, which were collected from the 1970s through the 1990s. We just hadnt worked on them.

Scientists have an incomplete record of the evolutionary history of frogs. Data analyses show that frog families underwent rapid diversification after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction that famously killed off the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Frogs continued to diversify for the next several million years. They first show up in Floridas fossil record during the Oligocene Epoch, which lasted from around 34 to 23 million years ago. However, records from these eras are patchy.

This is because frogs are understudied in comparison with other vertebrate groups, with frog paleontology being an especially small field.

This posed a challenge when researchers at the Florida Museum uncovered an abundance of frog fossils at paleontological sites in Florida dating back to the Oligocene, including the Brooksville 2 and Live Oak SB-1A locations. Since frogs werent a research priority when many of the fossils were collected from the 1970s through the 1990s, they were put in storage, where they sat, unstudied, until Vallejo-Parejas project.

Vallejo-Pareja compared fossils found at the sites in Florida with existing collections containing specimens from both extinct and living frogs, including the Florida Museums samples of the La Hotte glanded frog. She found that most of the collected fossils belong to the genus Eleutherodactylus, commonly referred to as rain frogs or robber frogs.

Florida Museum Photo by Kristen Grace

Rain frogs have a history of moving around. They originated in the Caribbean from an ancestor that dispersed from South America as early as 47 million years ago during the Eocene Epoch. Once on the islands, the ancestral population rapidly diversified into several species through a process called adaptive radiation. The finches that Charles Darwin documented in the Galapagos Islands, where one migrant species quickly evolved into at least 13 different species as it filled new feeding niches, are a classic example of this.

Today, rain frogs are found in the Caribbean and parts of Central and North America. The oldest known fossil from the genus belongs to the coqu frog, which has been in Caribbean forests for at least 29 million years. In the 1970s and 80s, it was unintentionally imported to Florida and Hawaii on nursery plants and is now considered an invasive species in both states.

Photo by chziemke, CC-BY-NC 4.0

DNA analysis led scientists to believe that Caribbean frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus first arrived in Central America during the middle Miocene Epoch, 16 to 11 million years ago, before dispersing to North America. The fossils from this study, however, show rain frogs were in Florida during the late Oligocene, several million years before their recorded dispersal into Central America.

Rain frogs are evidently good at getting around, but its not clear how they made it to Florida. Overwater dispersal on flotsam or other buoyant debris seems the likeliest scenario, but most of the Florida peninsula was still underwater when the frogs are estimated to have arrived. The increased distance between land would have made their journey even longer and more perilous than it would be today.

It is possible there were different dispersal events, but Vallejo-Pareja says that hypothesis would need to be tested by finding more fossils in Central America. Because frogs are small and highly mobile, however, it is easy to underestimate the presence of frogs in an area and hard to track their dispersal.

These fossils are millimeters big, Vallejo-Pareja said. The smallest fossil frog was estimated to measure only 16 millimeters from snout to rear end, smaller than a U.S. penny. So getting to work with them, without breaking or losing them, was a breathtaking moment. And I mean that literally, because if Im sitting at the microscope with my fossil and I sneeze or breathe too hard, its gone.

It is easy to underestimate the presence of frogs in an area because their fossils are so small.

Many of the fossils used in this study were initially collected from the 1970s through the 1990s. They sat unstudied for decades because frogs werent a research priority at collection time.

While rain frogs are widespread throughout North and Central America now, these findings suggest Florida was a first home, where they had interesting company. Other extinct animals from Live Oak SB-1A and Brooksville 2, the sites where rain frog fossils were found in abundance, included bear-dogs, bone-crushing dogs, a weasel-like carnivore, squirrels, beavers and rabbits.

Eleutherodactylus is by far the earliest known account of a Caribbean vertebrate spreading to Florida. Fossil evidence indicates there were rodents and salamanders that made the reverse trip, moving from North America to the Caribbean during the Oligocene and Miocene, but evidence for movement from the islands to Florida is scarce. Caribbean toads, snakes and lizards crossed over during the following epoch, the Miocene, but these records are inconclusive and require further study.

Vallejo-Pareja hopes the methodology and data created by her paper will help bolster frog paleontology research and expressed admiration for the good work that has already been done. We just need more of it, she said. She created digital 3D models of the fossil bones used in the study, generating more information for people interested in the field. Paleontologists might find a frog bone and not realize what it is, she said. Now, they have an additional reference point.

Florida Museum Photo by Kristen Grace

In the future, Vallejo-Pareja wants to use some of the methods she developed in this study to understand how frogs adapt to environmental changes. Although frogs have managed to survive a number of major extinction events, they are very responsive to changes in variables like temperature and precipitation.

What happened to the frogs during a glacial maximum? she asked. Were they smaller or bigger? Did they decrease or increase in diversity? Did they survive? It would be very nice to take a look into the past and see how frogs responded.

The work was funded in part by the National Science Foundation (DBI-1701714), the Southwest Florida Fossil Society and COLCIENCIAS (Colombia).

The Florida Museums Edward Stanley, Jonathan Bloch and David C Blackburn also co-authored the study.

Source: Mara Vallejo-Pareja, maria.vallejo@ufl.edu

Writer: Jiayu Liang, jiayu.liang@floridamuseum.ufl.edu, 352-294-0452

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Frogs were Florida's first-known vertebrates from the Caribbean - University of Florida

SANTIAGO, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Latin America and the Caribbean have made progress in their fight to eradicate hunger, though the region still has the highest rate of food insecurity worldwide and has yet to recover from setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by five United Nations agencies published on Thursday.

Some 43.2 million people went hungry in the region last year, or about 6.5% of the population, the U.N. agencies said. That's down from the 7% who faced hunger in 2021.

"Progress was made in Latin America and the Caribbean in the fight against hunger and food insecurity, driven by improvements in South America," the agencies said.

South America saw hunger drop due to improvements in the labor market and fresh social protection policies, with increased energy input prices boosting the region's exporting nations.

Despite the progress, the rate of hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean is still nearly a full percentage point above the 2019 level, before the COVID-19 pandemic, which aggravated structural issues such as inequality, labor informality, poverty and lack of social benefits.

Meanwhile, moderate or severe food insecurity "was higher in the region compared to the world estimate," the agencies said, with 37.5% of the region affected versus 29.6% globally.

Food insecurity is calculated by estimating the proportion of the population which faces limitations in obtaining sufficient food throughout the year.

"Persistent inequalities in the region have a significant impact on the food security of the most vulnerable," the report said, highlighting discrepancies in access between men and women and between rural and urban communities, with women and people living in rural areas worse off.

The gender gap widened considerably during the pandemic, the U.N. said, though it narrowed in 2022 to 9.1 percentage points. In rural versus urban communities, the gap in food insecurity was 8.3 percentage points.

Reporting by Juana Casas; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Andrea Ricci

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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LatAm, Caribbean progress in fighting hunger, though COVID-19 ... - Reuters

Maritime royalty has docked in Galveston: Regal Princess, the largest Princess cruise ship ever based in Texas, has dropped anchor in Houston's coastal neighbor, ready for its inaugural season of voyages to the Western Caribbean.

The massive, 142,229-ton "Love Boat" ship can host 3,560 guests across its 19 decks and over 1,400 stateroom balconies. Among its most distinctive features is glass-floor walkway called SeaWalk, which extends 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship and affords stunning views of the sea below (for those who dare).

During its first travel season from Galveston, now through March 2024, the Regal Princess will take 21 voyages to the Western Caribbean, with an estimated 75,000 passengers onboard.

The cruises begin at seven-day treks, but can extend up to 12 days. Popular stops on the journeys include Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, and Roatn, Honduras. A quick search of the Princess website shows fares for a seven-day cruise aboard the Regal Princess in mid-December start at $499 for an interior room.

"Princess loves Texas and we know Texans enjoy the convenience of having the Love Boat so close by offering a hassle-free drive or convenient fly option to enjoy the beautiful destinations in the Western Caribbean," touts Princess Cruises CCO Terry Thornton in a release. "As we celebrate the arrival of Regal Princess, we extend our deep appreciation to the Port of Galveston for their ongoing partnership, and were excited to welcome aboard the only premium cruise experience from Galveston."

Cruise enthusiasts who'd like to spend their 2023 holidays at sea can check out Regal Princess' trips planned for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

Additionally, a "Love and Romance Celebration"-themed cruise with TV presenter and fashion designer Randy Fenoli is scheduled to depart from Galveston on Sunday, December 3. It will feature special romantic events, wedding advice talks, and a unique "Randy" cocktail for passengers.

The Regal Princess is a 10-years-young ship that was christened by the Crew of the TV show The Love Boat in November 2014.

To mark Princess' 20th year of cruising from Galveston, Regal Princess will return to the port for more cruises to the Western Caribbean in the 2024-2025 travel season, according to the release. More information is at princess.com.

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Largest Princess ship ever ported in Texas launches first Caribbean ... - CultureMap Dallas