News Americas, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Weds, Jan 3, 2024: A Virgin Islander City of Tamarac Commissioner has been unanimously voted into the post of vice mayor of the South Florida City.

Morey-Wright is the new Vice Mayor of Tamarac.

The Tamarac District 2 Commissioner, Morey Wright, born in the Virgin Islands to a Virgin Islander mother and a Jamaican father, will serve as vice mayor for a one-year term, with the responsibility of acting as mayor in the mayor’s absence. 

Wright is a University of Florida alumnus who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He also earned two master’s degrees in business and government from Johns Hopkins University.

He was elected to the Tamarac City Commission in November 2022. During his time in office, he has represented the City of Tamarac as a voting delegate for the 97th Annual Florida League of Cities Conference. Wright also served as chair of the auditor selection committee.

“I’m honored to be appointed as Tamarac’s Vice Mayor,” said Wright. “I am excited to continue to work with the Commission, residents and community members to develop meaningful programs and initiatives that will positively impact Tamarac and ensure that our City remains a vibrant and thriving community for all.”

Professionally, Wright is an executive at a South Florida-based e-commerce company. He also owns a small business that consults on digital technology and marketing.

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Dec. 11, 2023: An American chocolatier is now facing charges following the tragic discovery of a Canadian animator and his partner’s charred remains in a burned car near their Caribbean resort.

Dominican authorities revealed that the burnt bodies of Daniel Langlois, a renowned 3D animator whose company contributed to films like Jurassic Park and Titanic, and his partner, Dominique Marchand, were found last Friday, Dec. 1st, in a burned vehicle, several days after they were reported missing. Their remains were located approximately one mile from the Coulibri Ridge Eco Resort, which they jointly managed. Authorities believe the couple was murdered between November 30 and December 1.

DANIEL LANGOIS and partner murdered in Dominica.

Jonathan Lehrer, the owner of the chocolate company Bois Cotlette Estate, was taken into custody on Wednesday, Dec. 6th in Dominica in connection with the murders, as confirmed by police inspector Fixton Henderson. Additionally, Robert Snider, an American who had been staying on Lehrer’s property, faced charges related to the murders, according to Henderson. Lehrer’s wife and a Dominican man were also arrested in connection with the case but were not charged.

Following a brief court appearance last Wednesday, Lehrer and Snyder are currently detained at the Dominica State Prison.

Sherma Dalrymple, the director of public prosecutions in Dominica, addressed the media in a press conference this week, stating, “We fully understand the public interest which has been generated in respect of this matter. However, we will remain within the confines of the law and err on the side of caution by not disclosing any intrinsic and evidential details of the charges before the court.” She added, “We, however, are permitted to tell you the public that we will strongly do our prosecutorial duties and will work tirelessly to ensure that justice is served in this matter.”

Authorities believe the gruesome slaying may be tied to a long-standing feud between Langlois, 66, and Lehrer, 57, who owns a 53-acre chocolate and coffee plantation adjacent to the animator’s luxury resort.

Court documents reveal that in 2018, Langlois took Lehrer to court over their dispute concerning a public road that passes through Bois Cotlette’s estate. The disagreement began when Lehrer allegedly obstructed public access to the road using boulders, a trench, and metal pipes. Langlois argued that the road’s closure resulted in economic losses. In 2019, a High Court ruled that the road remained public and that Lehrer had no authority to obstruct Langlois’ guests’ right of way. The judge also ordered both men to engage in mediation, though it remains unclear if that process ever took place.

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.