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☆ Eric Schmidt was supposed to buy a yacht once owned by a Russian oligarch. Here's the one he bought instead.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Eric Schmidt backed out of buying the Alfa Nero megayacht last year. The ship — one of the biggest yachts owned by a tech billionaire —was listed for about $161 million. AdvertisementLast year, Eric Schmidt made waves in the yachting community when news came out that he was the soon-to-be owner of the Alfa Nero, an 81-meter megayacht that belonged to a sanctioned Russian oligarch. But as the sale proceedings went on, legal challenges piled up as people laid claim to Alfa Nero, and Schmidt backed out of the deal. In September 2023, just three months after he won the Alfa Nero auction, the billionaire purchased Kismet, renaming her Whisper, Business Insider has learned.

Persons: Eric Schmidt, Alfa Nero megayacht, Shahid Khan, —, Alfa Nero, Schmidt, Marcus Brandt, Shahid Khan — Organizations: Alfa, Service, Google, Bloomberg, Getty, Jacksonville Locations: Russian, Antigua, Barbuda, Russia, Ukraine, Caribbean

☆ I've been to 54 countries and have lived in 10. These 5 underrated places are worth the trip.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Kate Boardman has visited 54 countries around the world and lived in 10, including the US. She's enjoyed spots like France and Bali but says people should visit underrated places like Oman. I've been to 54 countries and lived in 10, including the US. I also think spots like Cancun are super overrated; there are way cooler places to visit in Mexico. Kate Boardman/@wildkat.wandersI first lived in Guatemala in 2021, where I worked as a teacher at an international school.

Persons: Kate Boardman, She's, —, I've, Boardman, It's, You've, they're, @wildkat.wanders, Kate Boardman There's, There's, you've, Earth Organizations: Service, Antigua —, United Arab Locations: France, Bali, Oman, Ecuador, Guatemala, Massachusetts, Germany, Tblisi , Georgia, Paris, London, Cancun, Mexico, Iran, Maharloo, Georgia, Tbilisi, It's, Soviet Union, Kazbegi , Georgia, Turkish, Central America, Costa Rica, Tikal, Guatemala City, Antigua, Boardman, Livingston , Guatemala, El, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Muscat, Caribbean

☆ Overwater bungalows started as a bottom-tier accommodation. Today, they're a status symbol in the luxury travel world.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Monica Humphries | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Mimicking the style, they built three overwater bungalows to join the garden and pool bungalows that also filled the Raiatea property in 1967. Overwater bungalows in the lagoon of Bora Bora. But building an overwater bungalow in the Caribbean can be a hard task to accomplish, Danny Kalenov, the developer behind Six Senses Belize, an overwater bungalow resort that's set to open in 2026, told BI. In 2016, the Sandals Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, became the first overwater bungalow resort in the area. AdvertisementToday, Dream Overwater has cataloged nine Caribbean locations home to more than a dozen overwater bungalow resorts.

Persons: —, Vaihiria Kelley, — Jay Carlisle, Hugh Kelley, Donald McCallum —, Kelley, Jay Carlisle, Donald McCallum, Raiatea didn't, Ronan McLoughlin, Jason Toms, Toms, Lucy Rudgard, Scott Dunn, overwater, McLoughlin, Bora Bora, Matteo Colombo, Danny Kalenov, they've, Kalenov, It's, Vincent Organizations: Service, Life Magazine, Tourism, Bali Hai Boys, Audley Travel, Getty, Senses, Royalton Chic, Grenadines Locations: Tahiti, California, Moorea, Bali, Boys, Raiatea, Huahine, That's, Polynesia, Maldives, Bora, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Caribbean, Senses Belize, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Royalton, Royalton Chic Antigua, St

☆ Insiders still have no idea what's going to happen to Russian oligarchs' seized superyachts
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Many of their superyachts were seized or frozen, leading industry insiders to question their fate. The war prompted many governments to enact sanctions against Russia's richest, including seizing their superyachts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. At least a dozen superyachts — worth well over $1 billion combined — have been affected. Russia's sanctioned superyachts are hard to buy and sellThe first problem is that many of the yachts are "frozen" — not seized. "How does it look if you bought a Russian boat?"

Persons: It's, —, Russia's, I've, Julia Simpson, Thompson of Monaco, it's, Joshua Naftalis, Ralph Dazert, Alfa Nero, Eric Schmidt, Simpson Organizations: Service, Russia's, Palm, SuperYacht, Thompson, Pallas Partners, SuperYacht Times Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, San Diego, Antigua, Barbuda, Maldives, Montenegro, Dubai

☆ Grenada charges prison escapees with murder of American couple missing since alleged yacht hijacking
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Michael Rios | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Three inmates who escaped from prison in Grenada have been charged with killing two Americans after allegedly hijacking their yacht last month to flee to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, police said Thursday. Hendry and Brandel, based in Virginia, were living out a long-held dream of cruising the Caribbean in their sailing yacht called Simplicity, to Antigua when they went missing, according to their yacht club, the Salty Dawg Sailing Association. Their vessel was found abandoned in neighboring St. Vincent and the Grenadines on February 21, with the husband and wife nowhere to be found, the yacht club said. Authorities in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines launched joint investigations to track down the suspects who allegedly left behind a violent scene on the missing couple’s yacht, including blood stains. Their alleged killers committed “several criminal acts including bodily harm to the couple” while sailing, the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said last week.

Persons: Vincent, Ron Mitchell, Atiba, Trevon Robertson, Ralph Hendry, Kathleen Brandel, Stanislaus, Hendry, Don McKenzie, George’s, ‘, Bryan Hendry, Nick Buro, “ Ralph, Kathy, that’s, Ralph, ” Buro, Buro, “, ”, “ Kathy Organizations: CNN, Royal Granada Police Force, Sailing Association, Authorities, Grenadines, Grenadines Police Force Locations: Grenada, St, Grenadines, Brandel, Virginia, Antigua, Royal, United States, Caribbean

☆ For years, I dreamed of overwater bungalows in destinations like the Maldives and Tahiti. Then, I found one just a 6-hour flight away in Belize.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Monica Humphries | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

I dreamed of overwater bungalows in places like the Maldives but dreaded the long flight there. And I believed the best place to create that experience would be in an overwater bungalow — the epitome of a luxury tropical vacation. Levente Bodo/Getty ImagesThere's a reason overwater bungalows aren't as popular in the CaribbeanOverwater bungalow resorts are more than 55 years old. And Ra'iātea's calm waters made it the ideal place for an overwater bungalow, Kelley said. My first overwater bungalow stay reminded me I don't need to hop on an all-day flight to experience the accommodation.

Persons: —, Levente Bodo, — Jay Carlisle, Hugh Kelley, Donald McCallum —, Hugh Kelley's, Vaihiria Kelley, Kelley, Condé, hasn't, Monica Humphries Organizations: Service, Levente, Muy'Ono Locations: Maldives, Central America, Caribbean, Belize, Tahiti, Polynesia, Moorea, Bali, Ra'iātea, South Pacific, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Aruba, Panama, Antigua, Mexico, St, Lucia, Vincent, Turks, Caicos, Denver , Colorado

☆ Retired US couple island-hopping in the Caribbean vanish from their yacht
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US couple Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry disappeared while sailing off the Grenada coast. AdvertisementNick Buro and Bryan Hendry were baffled by the sudden silence from their parents, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, who had lived on a yacht for over a decade, People reports. The American couple vanished while sailing off the coast of Grenada on February 18. Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel are seasoned sailors who had recently completed a "Caribbean Rally" from Virginia to Antigua, The Washington Post reports. They escaped from a holding cell at South St George Police Station on February 18, 2024, the same day the American couple disappeared.

Persons: Kathy Brandel, Ralph Hendry, —, Nick Buro, Bryan Hendry, Hendry, Brandel, Grenada Pawel, Ron Mitchell, Trevor Robertson, Atiba Stanislaus —, George, Jessica Mause Organizations: Royal Grenada Police Force, Service, The Washington Post, Washington, Authorities, Coast Guard Service, South St George Police Station, Dawg Sailing Association Locations: Grenada, Virginia, Antigua, The, Grand Anse Beach, Saint Vincent, Brandel, Anse Beach, South, St Vincent, St

☆ American couple missing: Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry believed dead after yacht hijacked in Grenada
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Sharif Paget | Chris Boyette | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The pair have been identified by their sailing club as Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, a couple from Virginia who were spending the winter cruising the Eastern Caribbean after sailing their yacht, Simplicity, from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua. “Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry are veteran cruisers and long-time members of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association from its earliest days. According to the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, the club’s executive director was contacted after a passing “good Samaritan” came across an abandoned yacht and found the club’s contact information. “The good Samaritan had boarded the boat and noted that the owners, Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel, were not onboard and found evidence of apparent violence. Contact information for the SDSA was posted and the skipper contacted the Association.” The sailing association said the skipper also contacted the coast guard, who notified St. Vincent police.

Persons: Kathy Brandel, Ralph Hendry, “ Kathy Brandel, Kathy, Ralph, Nick Buro, Bryan Hendry, St, Vincent, “, Tatja Hopman, ”, Bob Osborn, ” Osborn, O, Simmons Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Sailing Association, Grenadines Police Force, Coast Guards, Association, US State Department, U.S Locations: Grenada, Virginia, Hampton , Virginia, Antigua, Brandel’s, Caribbean, St, Royal St

☆ Saint Vincent Court Rejects Challenge to Colonial-Era Anti-Gay Laws
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Robertson S. HenryKINGSTOWN (Reuters) - The top court in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines dismissed a challenge to anti-gay laws dating to British colonial rule on Friday, leaving the Caribbean country among a handful that still prescribes harsh criminal penalties against gays and lesbians. Local laws call for up to ten years incarceration for anyone who has same-sex relations, under a 1988 criminal code that upheld laws from the colonial era. In her ruling, Judge Esco Henry held that Johnson and Macleish did not have the standing to challenge the laws since they do not live in the country. Activists argue that the laws that criminalize consensual same-sex relations between adults encourage physical abuse and discrimination, even though they are rarely if ever enforced. But elsewhere in the Caribbean, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, and Barbados have decriminalized gay sex in 2022, while Trinidad and Tobago struck down its ban altogether in 2018.

Persons: Robertson S, Henry KINGSTOWN, Javin Johnson, Sean Macleish, Judge Esco Henry, Johnson, Macleish, Cristian Gonzalez, Saint Vincent, Henry, Sarah Morland, David Alire Garcia, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal, Activists, Rights Watch Locations: Saint Vincent, Grenadines, Caribbean, Jamaica, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Guyana, Grenada, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Kingstown, Mexico City

☆ The history of sports betting: Sports gaming pioneer on changing views over the years
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe history of sports betting: Sports gaming pioneer on changing views over the yearsJay Cohen, World Sports Exchange founder and former president, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the shifting views on sports betting over the years, how he pioneered online sports gambling in the late 1990s in Antigua, what he thinks of the industry today, and more.

Persons: Jay Cohen Organizations: Sports, World Sports Exchange Locations: Antigua

☆ Ex-Olympian pleads guilty to sexually assaulting boys – but number of victims ‘remains unknown,’ DA says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Holly Yan | Nic F. Anderson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“The total number of Conrad Mainwaring victims remains unknown,” said Timothy Shugrue, the district attorney in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. For decades, the victims’ abuse was a closely guarded secret. I must be defective in some way or ways,’” Waxman told Mainwaring. “We would talk about school and sports and whatever teenage boys want to talk about,” Kriesberg told CNN. “Mainwaring told Joseph that this procedure was necessary so he could properly understand Joseph’s sex drive and provide proper counseling.

Persons: Conrad Mainwaring, Mainwaring, ”, Timothy Shugrue, ‘, Greylock –, ” Shugrue, Camp Greylock, “, Michael Waxman, ” Waxman, –, Waxman, he’s, He’s, I’m, ’ ” Waxman, ” Mainwaring, ’, Greylock, That’s, Joe Kriesberg, ” Kriesberg, Kriesberg, “ Mainwaring, Joseph, massaging Kriesberg, masturbate Joseph, Mainwaring ”, Kat Thomas, ” Thomas, Mainwaring doesn’t, …, Larry Nassar’s, Thomas ’, Stewart, Finaldi Organizations: CNN, Berkshire County –, ESPN, Attorney’s, Syracuse University, Nottingham High School, Nottingham, Syracuse City School District, Syracuse University campus, High, USA Gymnastics, Michigan State University, New, Manly Locations: Massachusetts, New York, Berkshire County , Massachusetts, Caribbean, Antigua, Barbuda, Montreal, Berkshire County, Berkshire, Nottingham, Syracuse

☆ Kenya court blocks deployment of police officers to Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Larry Madowo | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Nairobi, Kenya CNN —A judge in Kenya has barred the East African nation from deploying 1,000 police officers to Haiti to lead a UN-backed multinational force to restore security in the Caribbean nation. High Court judge Chacha Mwita ruled on Friday that President William Ruto and his National Security Council do not have the authority to send police officers to Haiti or any other country under Kenyan law. But Kenyan politician Ekuru Aukot led a legal challenge to the planned in deployment in court, terming it unconstitutional. “There’s no reciprocal arrangement between Kenya and Haiti and there can be no legitimate deployment of police officers to Haiti,” Judge Mwita said when he read his ruling in Nairobi. Gang violence rose by more than 100% in Haiti last year with over 8000 victims documented, according to UN data.

Persons: Kenya CNN —, Chacha Mwita, William Ruto, United States “, Ekuru Aukot, “, ” Judge Mwita, Martin Kimani, Kimani, Jean Victor Geneus, ” Organizations: Kenya CNN, National Security Council, Kenyan, United, State Department, UN Security, UN, African, Security Locations: Nairobi, Kenya, Haiti, UN, Caribbean, United States, – Antigua, Barbuda, Bahamas, Jamaica

☆ Exclusive-China Lobbies Countries to Praise Its Rights Record Ahead of UN Review - Diplomats
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Four diplomats told Reuters that China's mission at the United Nations in Geneva had been sending memos to envoys in the build-up to the review of Beijing's record by the U.N. Human Rights Council scheduled for Tuesday. China's mission did not respond directly to a request for comment on the reported lobbying. In a statement, it said Beijing "firmly opposes the politicization of human rights" and "promotes a fairer and more just, equitable and inclusive global human rights governance". China's mission told Reuters its government "attaches high importance to this UPR (Universal Periodic Review) cycle", referring to the U.N. rights council's regular reviews of countries' rights records. China routinely rejects foreign criticism of its human rights record, saying all Chinese are treated equally in accordance with the law and that foreign countries should not interfere.

Persons: Emma Farge GENEVA, China's, Xi Jinping, Raphael Viana David, Emma Farge, Laurie Chen, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Reuters, United Nations, Human Rights, United Arab, UPR, Diplomats, International Service for Human Rights Locations: China, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Geneva, Beijing, China's Xinjiang, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, United States, African, Antigua, Barbuda, Tibet, U.N, Germany

☆ Please don't bother Jeff Bezos on vacation
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-31 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewJeff Bezos' yacht is such a spectacle to behold that local authorities have had to ask the public to give the billionaire some privacy while he's on vacation. Before that, Bezos broke a California record by purchasing a $165-million estate built by Warner Bros. cofounder Jack Warner in 1937. The Beverly Hills estate provides privacy with tall hedges that hide the home from the street. Even in the way he conducts his businesses, from Amazon to Blue Origin, Bezos has cherished privacy, keeping some of the company projects secret for years, The Washington Post reported.

Persons: —, Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez, Tourism Charles Fernandez, Fernandez, Jeff, Lauren love Maui, Bezos, Jack Warner Organizations: Service, Business, Barbuda's, Tourism, Antigua Observer, Pacific Business, Warner Bros, Washington Post Locations: Falmouth, Antigua, Barbuda, Koru, Maui's, California, Beverly, Amazon

☆ In Paris, a Fashion Store That Moonlights as a Small Hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The British musician Yazmin Lacey, 35, sings in a mellow, textured voice, often just behind the beat. She’s been selling out dates for her first headlining tour, which began in Warsaw in November, in support of her debut LP, “Voice Notes.” (She plans to add U.S. dates in 2024.) Before “Voice Notes,” she released a trio of EPs (the first of which, “Black Moon,” appeared in 2017) while working full time with a youth support program in Nottingham. But with this LP, she’s made music her sole career. “Voice Notes” takes its title from the stream-of-consciousness audio messages Lacey leaves for her friends and the spontaneous melodies and ideas she records on her phone.

Persons: Yazmin Lacey, Lacey’s, She’s, Priscilla, Lacey, ”, she’s, Dave Okumu, Emily Lordi Locations: British, Antigua, Europe, Warsaw, East London, Nottingham, London, United States

☆ Are the COP climate summits working? These countries are going to the courts, instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“It is a recipe for permanent climate chaos and suffering.”Yet the UN climate summit, known as COP, is tedious. Even fierce climate advocates who agree COP should be more ambitious still believe the summit is a powerful and worthwhile endeavor. “There is a lot of questioning whether this process will deliver or not,” Ani Dasgupta, president and CEO of international climate nonprofit World Resources Institute, told CNN. In this June 2017 photo, President Donald Trump after announcing his intention to abandon the Paris Agreement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC. Doug Mills/The New York Times/ReduxStill, former and current US negotiators say climate diplomacy has helped keep the world’s temperature from reaching truly alarming highs.

Persons: António Guterres, ” Guterres, Paris, Payam Akhavan, ” Akhavan, ” Ani Dasgupta, ’ COP’s, ”, Sue Biniaz, John Kerry, Frances F, Denny, Biniaz, ” Biniaz, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Doug Mills, Jonathan Pershing, William, Flora Hewlett, Pershing, ” Pershing, “, Todd Stern, Jens Astrup, Stern, “ It’s, ” Stern, it’s, It’s, Margaretha Wewerinke, Singh, Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Peter Dejong, Hailey Campbell, ’ ”, Campbell Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Law, United, Resources Institute, Yale University, The New York Times, “, ”, White, New York Times, Kerry, Bella Center, Getty, US, Republicans, International Court of Justice Locations: Paris, Small, States, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Antigua, Barbuda, Dubai, COP28, United States, New Haven , Connecticut, Rose, Washington , DC, Copenhagen, AFP, Europe, Mississippi, Philippines, Sharm el, Sheikh, Egypt, Hawaii, Honolulu

☆ Amid the gloom here and abroad, the U.S. stock market is holding up just fine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

I dislike getting involved in debates on the stock market when I am enjoying an old-fashion rum punch at a beach bar in the Caribbean, but I couldn't resist interjecting. "We'll see how the coming slowdown plays out," he said, and turned back to his discussion. The coming slowdown? More may be coming: the last week of November tends to be the strongest week of the month, Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, has noted. As for earnings, which are the lifeblood for the stock market, forward earnings estimates for the next 12 months stand at record highs.

Persons: I's, Ryan Detrick, Detrick, Fundstrat's Thomas Lee, Oppenheimer's Ari Wald, Webush's Dan Ives, BMO's Brian Belski, Bespoke's Paul Hickey Organizations: EU, Hamas, Forbes, Bloomberg, Carson Group, LSE Locations: Caribbean, Antigua, British Commonwealth, London, England, American, China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, U.S

☆ A Beachfront Estate on a Carless Caribbean Island Asks $40 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( E.B. Solomont | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Be the first to know about the biggest and best luxury home sales and listings by signing up for our Mansion Deals email alert. A beachfront home on a private island north of Antigua is coming on the market for $40 million.

Locations: Antigua

☆ Hurricane Norma makes landfall near resorts of Los Cabos on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Strong waves caused by hurricane Norma hits a beach in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Hurricane Norma has made landfall near the resorts of Los Cabos at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. Hotels in Los Cabos remained about three-quarters full of tourists, but shelters were set up at schools in the resorts. Residents of Los Cabos resorts rushed to prepare as Norma approached, while in the Atlantic, Hurricane Tammy threatened to batter the islands of the Lesser Antilles. The Los Cabos Civil Defense agency urged residents to stay indoors all day as winds and rain increased.

Persons: Norma, Todos Santos, Hurricane Tammy, Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, Maribel Collins, José, Homero Blanco, Tammy, Tropical Storm Phillippe, Hurricane Irma, Philippe, Gaston Browne Organizations: U.S, National Hurricane Center, Lesser Antilles, Saturday, Civil Defense, Police, National Guard, Guard, Hurricane, Tropical, Residents, St Locations: San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, Cabos, Mexico's Baja California, Todos, Cortez, of California, Baja, Sinaloa, Los Cabos, Los, Hurricane, Lesser, Cabo San, Pacific, Baja California, Baja California Sur, San Jose, Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del, Guadeloupe, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St, Kitts, Nevis, Caribbean, Martinique, St John's

“Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the hurricane center said. “These rains will likely produce flash and urban flooding, along with possible mudslides in areas of higher terrain,” the National Hurricane Center warned. Tammy is expected to move near or over portions of the Leeward Islands – including Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda – through Saturday night, and then move north of the northern Leeward Islands on Sunday. A storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is possible for parts of the Leeward Islands. Rainfall totals for the Leeward Islands are expected to be 4 to 8 inches, but could reach a foot in places where the heaviest rain sets up.

Persons: Norma, Cabo San, Cabo San Lucas –, Tammy –, San, Tammy, Michael Lowry, It’s, Phil Klotzbach, – Vince, Whitney – Organizations: CNN, National Hurricane Center, Barbuda –, Hurricanes, of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University . Hurricane, British, US, US Virgin Islands Locations: Atlantic, Mexico’s Baja California Sur, Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, Leeward Islands, Baja California Sur, San Lucas, California Baja, Mexico’s Sinaloa, of California, Mexico, Leeward, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Antigua, Barbuda, Puerto Rico, US Virgin

☆ UN committee deadlocked on climate disaster recovery fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive of the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and president of this year's COP28 climate summit gestures during an interview as part of the 7th Ministerial on Climate Action (MoCA) in Brussels on July 13, 2023. United Nations representatives failed to secure a deal during late-night talks on how to implement a reparations fund for climate disaster recovery in developing nations. The "loss and damage fund" would call on rich countries to finance the recovery of climate disasters that have wrecked developing nations and set them behind on their sustainability goals. The commitment to establish the fund was one of the highlight announcements of last year's UN Climate Conference, or COP27, after a series of down-to-the-wire negotiations. The 24-member committee met four times over the past week to settle on official recommendations for how to implement the fund.

Persons: Sultan Al Jaber, Sultan Al, Jaber, Layne, Ali Waqas Malik Organizations: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, United Nations, UN Climate Conference, United, United Arab Emirates Locations: Abu Dhabi, Brussels, COP27, Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela, United States, United Kingdom, United Arab, Antigua, Barbuda

☆ Russians, Iranians, and Chinese spark security fears after taking $100,000 shortcut for citizenship in a Caribbean paradise
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The European Union may crack down on visa-free travel after revealing the scale of the passport trade. AdvertisementAdvertisementTens of thousands of passports have been obtained by Russians, Iranians, Chinese and others from Caribbean nations, granting them visa-free travel to European countries, according to a report by the European Commission. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe scale of the "golden passport" trade has sparked security concerns from the European Commission, which is proposing a crackdown on visa-free travel for people using them. Some 150,000 people have used the visa-free travel arrangements to claim asylum once in a European country, according to the EU home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson. Such passports became more popular after citizens of the Caribbean countries were granted visa-free travel in 2015, The Guardian reported.

Persons: —, Dominica –, Muammar Gaddafi, Ylva Johansson, Gary Kalman Organizations: European, Service, European Commission, The, St, The Guardian, Guardian, Transparency International US Locations: Caribbean, Antigua, Barbuda, Grenada, St Kitts, Nevis, St Lucia, Dominica, Afghan

A European Union flag flutters outside the congress palace ahead of the European Political Community summit in Granada, Spain, October 4, 2023. The council said all three jurisdictions either lacked tax information or failed to deliver on commitments regarding governance and transparency reforms. Barring Russia, it said in a statement, the EU list only includes "small and vulnerable countries like Belize yet fails to include any EU member state" which were given the same Global Forum rating. Oxfam's EU tax expert Chiara Putaturo also slammed the list as "toothless" for not screening the United States, the UK, or EU states such as Luxembourg and Malta, adding "countries deemed too big to be listed can no longer escape scrutiny." The EU Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Jon Nazca, Chiara Putaturo, Sarah Morland, Alvaro Murillo, Jose Sanchez, Bill Berkrot, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, OECD's, Transparency, Information, EU, Marshall, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Seychelles, Caribbean, Belize, Antigua, Barbuda, Russia, Panama, EU, United States, Luxembourg, Malta, British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Mexico City, San Jose, Belmopan

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan lawmakers said Wednesday that parliamentary approval is required before the deployment of police to the Kenya-led peacekeeping mission in Haiti to combat gang violence that was approved by the U.N. Security Council this week. Opposition lawmaker Anthony Oluoch told a session of Parliament's lower house that the conditions for foreign deployment hadn't been met under the National Police Act. The Kenya-led mission would be the first time in almost 20 years that a force would be deployed to Haiti. The upcoming mission would be led by Kenya, with Jamaica, the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda also pledging personnel. The non-U.N. mission would be reviewed after nine months and be funded by voluntary contributions, with the U.S. pledging up to $200 million.

Persons: Anthony Oluoch, hadn't, ”, Junet Mohamed, William Ruto, “, Joe Biden, Ruto, Nelson Koech, ” Koech, Kimani Ichung’wah, Alfred Mutua, Mutua Organizations: —, . Security, National Police, Kenyan, Security, Multinational Security, Kenyan Constitution, Associated Press, U.S, Kenyan Foreign Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, Haiti, East Africa, Shabab, Jamaica, Bahamas, Antigua, Barbuda

☆ UN approves Haiti security mission to fight gangs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Monday authorized a foreign security mission to Haiti, a year after the Caribbean country asked for help to fight violent gangs that have largely overrun its capital Port-au-Prince. The Security Council also expanded a U.N. arms embargo to include all gangs - a measure China wanted. The response to Haiti's request for help was delayed due to a struggle to find a country willing to lead a security assistance mission. The Security Council stressed an "urgent need" for Haiti to make progress toward "transparent, inclusive, and credible electoral processes and free and fair elections." The security assistance mission, while approved by the U.N. Security Council, is not a United Nations operation.

Persons: Jean Victor Geneus, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Zhang Jun, Alfred Mutua, William Ruto, Ruto, Ariel Henry, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Jean, Bertrand Aristide, Michelle Nichols, Sarah Morland, George Obulutsa, Cynthia Osterman, Andrew Heavens, Alison Williams Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations Security, Security, Foreign Affairs, Kenyan, U.S, Security Council, . Security, United, Peacekeeping, Monday, Thomson Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, Port, United States, Ecuador, China, Russia, U.S, Kenya, Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua, Barbuda, East, United Nations, Caracas, Nairobi

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