Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Haiti#RoyalCaribbean, April 26, 2024- Royal Caribbean has decided to cancel all of its trips to Labadee, a popular destination in Haiti due to the worsening crisis, putting further strain on the country’s tourism sector. Cancellations were initially set to last until mid March but now they have been extended through the summer into September, according to a post by Royal Caribbean. A spokesperson for the organization is reported saying the Global Security and Intel team is monitoring the situation in Haiti, further expressing that the cancellations come as the safety and security of its guests are top priority.

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Haiti#TransitionalCouncil#ArielHenry, April 26, 2024 – Haiti’s de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry officially resigned, following the swearing in of the nine member transitional presidential council on Thursday April 25, 2024. He publicly announced his resignation in a post on Facebook. This follows Henry’s promise last month to exit office after gang members blocked his return to Haiti from Kenya.

KINGSTON, April 24 (JIS):

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has declared Jamaica a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) island with a vision of fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and empowering citizens to thrive in the global knowledge economy. 

“Through our collaborative all-hands-on-deck approach, Government, private sector, academia and civil society, we will work towards this goal. Jamaica is now officially declared a STEM island,” he said.

Prime Minister Holness was addressing the Future Ready International Conference held at the University of Technology (UTech) in Kingston on April 24.

As a STEM island, he said that the Government will seek to implement comprehensive education reforms from the primary to the tertiary levels, with the objective of developing a skilled workforce, capable of competing in global markets. 

He said that ecosystems will be developed to encourage startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the STEM disciplines to drive industry and economic growth, as well as to address social issues.

“We will encourage the growth of STEM industries such as biotechnology, information technology and advanced manufacturing. We will also leverage STEM to grow and monetise the musical, artistic, cultural and other natural talents of our people. We will leverage STEM solutions to address environmental challenges including climate change, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture,” the Prime Minister said.

 “We will position Jamaica as a hub for STEM research, innovation, collaboration and other developments in the Caribbean and beyond,” he added. 

The Prime Minister said that by embracing STEM as a national priority, Jamaica will unlock its full potential driving prosperity, peace and productivity in a sustainable, equitable way for all our Jamaican citizens and, indeed, the world,” Holness said.

CONTACT: ROCHELLE WILLIAMS