News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Dec. 4, 2023: The site Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, based in Guyana, appears hacked.

The site online currently carries this following simple message.

CARICOM announced on Monday that its “online applications” have been compromised. In a brief statement, it mentioned that “in light of these circumstances, our website and other applications are temporarily offline,” and expressed regret for any inconvenience caused. CARICOM Secretariat sources neither confirmed nor denied a potential hacking incident at the headquarters of the 15-member regional integration organization, referring to the brief statement issued regarding the situation.

The statement assured that telephone and email services have not been affected but did not provide a timeframe for the resumption of online applications and website services.

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Dec. 1, 2023: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) today issued a significant ruling on the Guyana/Venezuela border dispute, stating that Guyana has met all the necessary requirements for provisional measures concerning Venezuela’s upcoming December 3rd consultative referendum.

This referendum pertains to Venezuela’s claim to the oil-rich Essequibo County of Guyana.

The Order of the Court was unanimous, with all of the sitting Judges voting in favor of it. The Order states: “Pending a final decision in the case, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Cooperative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.”

Both Venezuela and Guyana have been instructed to abstain from any actions that could exacerbate or prolong the ongoing dispute before the court, making it more challenging to reach a resolution. The ICJ’s orders were unanimous, and Judge Joan Donoghue, the court’s President, delivered the ruling.

Guyana had sought the intervention of the United Nations’ top court to impose temporary restrictions, potentially leading to the removal of certain questions from the referendum. Guyana perceives this vote as an “existential threat” that could enable Venezuela to annex Essequibo.

Venezuela’s Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, has already stated that not even the court can prevent her country from proceeding with the referendum as planned. The proposed referendum aims to grant Venezuelan citizenship to residents of an annexed Essequibo.

In commenting on the ruling, Guyana President Dr Irfaan Ali said: “Today, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an important Order granting the provisional measures against Venezuela that Guyana requested in response to Venezuela’s announcement that it would be holding a referendum that would endorse, among other illegal measures, Venezuela’s annexation of Guyana’s Essequibo Region.”

“We welcome this unanimous ruling by the ICJ,” he added. “As the Court has made clear, Venezuela is prohibited from annexing or trespassing upon Guyanese territory or taking any other actions – regardless of the outcome of its referendum on December 3 – that would alter the status quo in which Guyana administers and controls the Essequibo Region, as an integral part of its sovereign territory, under the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899. Today’s ruling is legally binding on Venezuela. Both the UN Charter and the Statute of the Court, to which Venezuela is a Party, require its strict compliance. This is an opportunity for Venezuela to join Guyana in demonstrating respect for international law and the principles that govern peaceful coexistence.

“Guyana remains steadfast in its commitment to the international judicial process and the rule of law. It is fully confident that, when the ICJ issues its final Judgment on the merits of the case, it will conclude that the Essequibo is legally and rightfully Guyanese territory. We believe that justice, not force, should be the arbiter of international disputes. To this end, we affirm our dedication to pursuing a peaceful, legal resolution to this dispute in the right and proper place – the ICJ – as authorized by the UN Secretary-General in the exercise of his powers under the Geneva Agreement of 1966.”

Earlier this year, in April, the ICJ affirmed its jurisdiction to address the border controversy between these two South American nations. However, Venezuela does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction, which could potentially delay a final decision for years.

Venezuela contends that the border with Guyana, a former colony of The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, was fraudulently imposed by the British, accusing them of a “land grab.” Conversely, Guyana maintains that the border was established through arbitration on October 3, 1899, by an arbitration panel (Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899).

The Anglo-Venezuelan Arbitral Tribunal met in Paris, France, 122 years ago, giving its award that defined the border between Venezuela and then-British Guiana. For over half a century, Venezuela adhered to the 1899 Arbitral Award. However, in 1962, Venezuela asserted that the Essequibo area of Guyana was within its borders, particularly escalating after ExxonMobil discovered oil in Essequibo in 2015.

In response to this situation, Guyana initiated a case against Venezuela at the World Court in 2018, seeking confirmation that the border was established through arbitration between British Guiana and Venezuela in 1899.

Under the framework of the 1966 Geneva Agreement between the two nations, the Secretary-General conducted Good Offices processes from 1990 to 2017 in an attempt to find a resolution to the border dispute.

On January 30, 2018, then-Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, following a thorough evaluation of the developments in 2017, selected the ICJ as the mechanism to address the controversy.

Essequibo constitutes nearly two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, with approximately 125,000 of the nation’s 800,000 inhabitants residing in this area.

In the substantive case, Guyana aims to secure a final and binding ICJ judgment, confirming the validity and binding nature of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which delineated the land boundary between British Guiana and Venezuela, and asserting Essequibo as Guyana’s territory.

News Americas, Brooklyn, NY, Tues. Sept. 5, 2023: The Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival, (BCLF), returns this year to celebrate its milestone fifth season in New York City.

Through the BCLF, Caribbean thought and intellectualism, which are often underrepresented in popular culture, have a unique platform to be celebrated, appreciated, and thrive. From September 7th-10th, lovers of literature will once again have the opportunity to experience this dynamic literary festival as it brings Caribbean stories and storytellers to the forefront of New York’s culture scene with interactive events.

“The BCLF festival has been bringing together talented writers, captivating storytellers, and passionate literature enthusiasts from all walks of life for the last four years,” said Director of Operations Mellany Paynter. “It’s a true celebration of culture, diversity, and the power of words. Festival 5 will be full of vibrant energy and more events than any year prior. It is a must-attend 4-day experience.”

Since its inception in 2019, the BCLF festival has gathered under its wing over 250 Caribbean writers, publishers, and creatives, including renowned contemporary and classic authors like Jamaica Kincaid, Elizabeth Nunez, Tiphanie Yanique, Velma Pollard, and P. Djeli Clark. This year, the organization selected Bahamian writer Ethan Knowles as the winner of the coveted BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award For Writers In The Caribbean for his short fiction story “Sponger Monkey.” The Caribbean-American Writer’s Prize was awarded to Jade Leatham from Dominica for her short fiction story “Jungle Siren.”

The festival will also feature celebrated writers from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, and other islands. The four-day event, which takes place at several locations across downtown Brooklyn, will include panel discussions, a film screening, a Kalinda workshop, and poetry readings and events such as “Writing For The Future,” exclusively featuring writers who write Caribbean stories for children.

Also on its roster is “5 Minutes With Elizabeth Nunez”, an original BCLF short film series celebrating a selection of novels by Elizabeth Nunez and “Bad Man Doh Cry”: a literary conversation about the norms, dynamics, relationships, and rites of passage of Caribbean masculinity through the selected works of three award-winning male writers.

“Festival 5 is a triumphant declaration of the persistence of Caribbean spirit and the insistence of its people to thrive. This year, we marry various disciplines (film, music, and indigenous art forms) that each holds a story at its center in celebration of Caribbean culture,” said Festival Founder Marsha Massiah-Aaron.

As the premiere literary festival taking place at the epicenter of the Caribbean diaspora, BCLF’s multifaceted programming continues to amplify, expand, and showcase the notable contributions of Caribbean and Caribbean-American writers.

“Without our stories, we are nothing. Our work at the BCLF has been to insist that the ones who own these stories and share them with the world are rightly acknowledged, credited and celebrated,” said Massiah-Aaron.

For more information on The Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival and the daily schedule, visit bklyncbeanlitfest.org/

About BCLF

The Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival is a celebration of culture as expressed through the pen of the storyteller and the voice of the poet. Our platform is designed to facilitate vibrant conversations about Caribbean identity via a series of readings of classic and contemporary stories, podcasts, and conversations. The highlight of our work is the annual capstone festival, which is supported by ever-evolving year-long programming.

News Americas, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. Sept. 29, 2023: Cuba’s embassy in the U.S. capital of Washington D.C. was the target of a violent attack late on September 24. In a statement shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla said that an individual had thrown two Molotov cocktails at the embassy building.

He added that no personnel had been injured in the attack and the details of the incident were being looked into. He also noted that this was the second such attack against the headquarters of Cuba’s diplomatic mission in the U.S. An individual had fired multiple rounds of bullets from an AK-47 assault rifle at the building in April 2020.

Cuba’s embassy in France was also attacked with Molotov cocktails in July 2021.

“Anti-Cuban groups resort to terrorism because they feel impunity, something Cuba has warned U.S. authorities about,” Rodríguez said.

In a report released in 2020, Cuba’s Center for Historical Investigations of State Security (CIHSE) documented 581 attacks against the country’s diplomatic representations abroad since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. These attacks have led to the deaths of approximately 365 people and injured 721, including foreign nationals.

The September 24 attack took place just hours after President Miguel Díaz-Canel arrived back in Havana after attending the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Cuba is currently serving as the chairman of the G77+China bloc of countries.

SOURCE: Global News Service

News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Weds. Oct. 18, 2023: In a bizarre twist, the alleged partner of Jamaican Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell, and a US Navy petty officer stands accused of abducting and murdering his 10-month-old daughter and her mother.

The United States (US) Navy Criminal Investigative Service has become reportedly involved in the inquiry surrounding Leoda Bradshaw, who is in jail in Jamaica for the alleged double murders.

The allegations against Bradshaw were disclosed in a press release from the Jamaica Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on October 13, following the revelation by the police that 27-year-old Toshyna Patterson and her 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah Paulwell, had been murdered and their bodies disposed of.

It is claimed that Bradshaw was in a relationship with Paulwell, with whom she shares a child and whom she considered her spouse. A US resident, she is alleged to have arrived in Jamaica on September 6, and on that very day, began conspiring with her cousin Roland Balfour, Richard Brown, and Roshane Miller in the alleged kidnapping and murder plot.

“During these conversations until September 9, 2023, there was an agreement orchestrated by Leoda Bradshaw for these men to kidnap and kill Toshyna Patterson and her 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah Paulwell, who was the result of Ms. Patterson’s relationship with Mr. Phillip Paulwell. This plan also included a partial payment, which had been made by Bradshaw to the men for the successful execution of the plan,” the ODPP stated in the release.

It is also alleged that on September 9, Patterson and her 10-month-old daughter were taken from their home at Gilmore Drive in Kingston by Bradshaw in a tinted SUV. The mother and child were then handed over to men, including two of Bradshaw’s co-conspirators in St Andrew.

In addition, Richard Brown, also known as “Richie,” of a Kingston address, Roland Balfour, a 30-year-old assistant graphic designer, also of a Kingston address, and Roshane Miller, a 29-year-old air conditioning technician, are the other three individuals facing kidnapping and murder charges.

The ODPP has indicated that the capital murder charges against Bradshaw are based on allegations of a contract-for-hire arrangement, where she purportedly paid individuals a sum of money to kidnap and murder Patterson and little Sarayah.

On September 9, Paulwell confirmed reports that his 10-month-old daughter Sarayah and her mother were missing.

Paulwell revealed that the two were apparently abducted from their home at Gilmore Drive, Kingston 20, on the morning of September 9 and have not been seen or heard from since.

The Member of Parliament had offered a $500,000 reward for information that could aid in the safe return of the mother and daughter. In his first public comments since Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey revealed that the two were shot and killed and their bodies burned after they were kidnapped from their St Andrew home on the morning of Saturday, September 9, Paulwell said his heart is heavy with sadness. In a statement Saturday, the longstanding Member of Parliament for East Kingston and Port Royal stated that he wants those involved “punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

He added: “I cannot comment on the investigations nor matters before the court, but I wish to thank the police for their tireless work.”

Bradshaw is charged with two counts of conspiracy to kidnap, two counts of conspiracy to murder, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of capital murder. Balfour was charged with two counts of accessory before the fact to kidnapping and two counts of accessory before the fact to murder.