Staff Writer

#China, August 5, 2023 – Cuba and China have made new ties to enhanced its cooperation in higher education. This comes as new cooperation agreements were signed with Chinese counterparts during a visit to China by Miriam Nicado García, rector of the University of Havana.

This development is in-line with Garcia’s aim, that is to expand collaboration between the Universities of the two countries as she expressed in an interview with Prensa Latina.

While in China, she took part in the Global Forum of University Presidents which focused on the debate on the work of universities after Covid-19 as well as the challenges to bring about innovation, science and technology in the development of countries.

Additionally, she had talks with Zhou Zuoyu, vice president of the Beijing Pedagogical University of humanities and social sciences, which has a high development in scientific and technological innovation.

As she continues her agenda, Nicado will take part in other meetings with the universities of Hebei and Liaocheng which can potentially lead more development.

“We have the projection of creating joint centers and colleges with the aim of teaching common careers in China with ours (…),” she said.

The Forum is a wide-reaching international academic conference held in recent years by China’s higher education circles.  It’s aim is to building a platform for exchange and dialogue for the presidents of the world’s top universities.

Staff Writer

#DominicanRepublic, August 1, 2023 – Surpassing 1.8 million tourist arrivals in just the first TWO months of 2023, Dominican Republic is setting the standard and taking the lead in the tourism industry.

The flow of tourists into Dom Rep doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon, if ever.  This is a big win as the Latino-Caribbean country which shares Hispaniola with Haiti, has worked its way up the ladder becoming  one of the most coveted Caribbean islands for vacationing.

In January, an incredible 948,582 tourists arrived in the DR; a surge of 52 per cent in visitor arrivals via the airports and ports.  David Collado, the Minister of Tourism said that it was the best month in the history of the Dom Rep regarding tourism arrivals.

In February, arrivals by both air and sea were practically scraping the ceiling to 1 million with 661,088 air arrivals a 17 per cent increase from 2022 and a 9 per cent from 2019, pre-COVID.

Additionally, by sea via cruise, DR attracted 250,000 tourists, a big improvement when compared to previous years.

If you ask Dominicans, they will say it is no secret why people love to visit.  They have over 100 all-inclusive resorts, with most of the top ranking having a home in the Dominican Republic.   Those wanting diversity in scenery are well satisfied, not to mention the cuisine, history and rich culture.  With all of this at their disposal, the Dom Rep continues to excel in tourism despite significant bumps in the road in recent years.

The report informs that the majority of tourists stop in La Altagracia, the home to Punta Cana with 67 percent of them in resorts there as well as in Bavaro and Bayahibe.

The amazing city of Santo Domingo is quite popular also, with its colonial architecture, beaches and clubs, it easily attracts some 8 percent of visitors.  Puerto Plata Province is also a fairly popular destination with the republic; 8 percent of visitors are drawn to that city.

Other big attractions for the DR are Santiago de los Caballeros with two percent of visitors, Samana with three percent and Romana with four percent.

It is expected this demand for vacations in the DR will continue, soon it is anticipated the country will shoot past their record 10 million visitor mark by the end of 2023.

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, July 17, 2023 – Days have passed since Thursday’s shocking discovery of a mangled body in the waters of Grace Bay, off Providenciales but there have been no updates from the Royal TCI Police regarding the incident.

A laundry list of unanswered questions has emerged since residents called in to report the floating body including:

• The identity of the male;
• The location of his head;
• The location and circumstances of his death and ;
• Whether foul play was involved.

Police and Conservation experts worked together to retrieve the body which was missing its head and a great portion of the legs.  Police did not describe the death as suspicious when the body was recovered despite its condition.

Initial reports had indicated an animal of some sort might have been the culprit but the Police steered clear of listing their suspicions on whether they think the injuries were caused by animal attack, accidental death or foul play.

Additionally the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources has not commented on whether they think the incident was caused by an animal.

It’s not the only marine incident with unanswered questions swirling.

In May, a young woman’s foot was completely severed as she swam in the waters of Grace Bay.

That incident was reported as a shark attack and a probe was announced to garner details, not only into what exactly happened (on the part of the Police) but how photos of the injured woman were released while she was in medical care (on the part of the TCI Hospital).

To date neither entity has produced the results of their investigations.

Staff Writer

#TheBahamas, May 30, 2023 – Bahamas’ vulnerability to climate change is alarmingly high as commonly known, and a new book now emphasizes that the country faces greater risks than nearly any other country.

The book, published May 23rd, 2023, is called Sea Change, An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean and it is written by Christina Gerhardt, academic author and environmental journalist.

In her book which features several Caribbean islands as well as locations outside of the Caribbean, she informed that Bahamas’s low elevation, abundant limestone and high population density along coastlines puts the country in a position where it is most at risk from climate change impacts.

This clearly threatens the very existence of the Bahamas as well as other countries in a similar situation. However, The Bahamas is high on the watch list especially since it is “at a high risk of hurricanes and tropical storms because the archipelago sits at the northern end of the Atlantic ‘hurricane alley’,” the book says.

In the introduction, on page 1, Gerhardt expressed this worrying reality by saying “Atlases are being redrawn as islands are disappearing.”

The book builds on projections from Climate Central, a non-profit organization  that analyzes and reports on climate science.

On Monday May 22 [will verify this date] The Guardian British daily newspaper published a piece from Gerhardt’s book and it read, “According to a report on the threat of sea level rise in the Caribbean by Climate Central, ‘The Bahamas confront by far the greatest proportional threat: 32 per cent of land [and] 25 per cent of population … are below 0.5 metres [1.64 ft]’.”

It continues, to compare which island are more likely to be affected, The Bahamas topping the charts.

“According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s fifth assessment report, the impacts of sea level rise measured in national GDP found that alongside islands in the Pacific – specifically Palau, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Nauru – the island group that would be most affected is The Bahamas. In 2020, Moody’s rating agency said The Bahamas was among the four nations forecast to be hit hardest financially by sea level rise, with an estimated 11 per cent of its residents and 15 per cent of its GDP at risk.”

Gerhardt’s book is in-line with predictions of the Bahamas seeing a 32cm (1.04ft) sea level rise by 2050 and 82cm (2.68ft) by 2100.

Climate Central informed that the majority of Grand Bahama, Abaco, and Spanish Wells is set to be under flood levels by 2050 and Crooked Island, Acklins, Andros and Cat Island will meet the same fate.

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, May 23, 2023 – Police have confirmed Saturday’s robbery as reported by Magnetic Media on Monday revealing that not one but two employees were injured during the nighttime crime.

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force say on May 20th they got calls at around 9:44 p.m. reporting that a robbery had taken place at a Restaurant in Downtown, Providenciales.

Three armed and masked men marched in police say and announced it was a ‘hold-up’.  They thoroughly robbed the victims and then drove away in a getaway car; but not before pistol whipping two employees.

The workers had to be rushed to the Cheshire Hall Medical Center where they were treated and thankfully released. Police say Investigations are continuing by the Serious Crime Team.

No suspects were reported in custody.

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, May 23, 2023 – In a National press conference described as critical, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government revealed it is stepping up efforts to combat illegal migration with a new multi agency framework dubbed OPERATION PURSUIT; at the forefront of the announcement was Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Immigration and Border Services.

Minister Musgrove brought the statistics for residents, revealing that the number of migrants in the first five months of this year have already eclipsed the total migrants from 2021.

• In 2021 there were 1426 irregular migrants repatriated from 23 vessels at a cost over of 3 million
• In 2022 there were 2132 irregular migrants repatriated from 28 vessels at a cost of over 4 million
• In 2023 (with only five months passed) there were 1921 irregular migrants repatriated  from 17 vessels with total cost pending.

“If we continue on this trend we are looking at an estimated 4494 persons to be repatriated from an estimated 36 boats.  This is unprecedented and it has serious social impact, financial pressure and implications for our livelihoods and our country,” Musgrove said.

The minister also revealed a concerning trend; pleasure boats are now being stolen and being funnelled into the illegal migration trade.   As for the islanders who were helping the migrants get in Musgrove said: “As custodians of this land some of us are directly contributing to this problem and we must stop it. It is distracting, frustrating, dangerous and a downright embarrassment to this country.”

He warned residents to be thankful to the international partners who stepped up to help the TCI in partnerships rather than speaking against them and maintained that the government would crush the pull factors that kept the migrants coming.

“I’m putting you my people on notice that we will not be entertaining any requests for leniency because when the government is not active you call for activity but when the government is active you cry that it is inhumane or an infringement on human rights or that you need the people though you have not taken measures to regularise their status here.  We are not doing it.” he promised.

He reiterated his commitment to justice firmly:

“If you are organising illegal migration, stop it.  If you are harbouring irregular migrants stop it.  If you are employing migrants illegally please for God sakes stop it.  We have no desire to see our people brought before the court or even behind bars but if you insist on selling our birthright or our children’s future– we will aggressively pursue you and you will be dealt with.”

He ended his speech with a strict warning to those living illegally in the country no matter if they had come by air or sea.

“Operation Pursuit will commence immediately and those who are here illegally and unlawfully are advised to leave NOW or risk being detained, repatriated or deported and put on the stop list from returning to the Turks and Caicos Islands.”

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, May 19, 2023 – Parents at the Enid Capron Primary school, are once again expressing their frustration at the state of the playground that their children are forced to use, a decrepit area that has been in poor condition for almost a decade now.

Photos shared with us show iron steps that have become so rusted and worn that they have holes in them with sharp edges that can slice little ankles, a clear risk of injury.  The steps also appear as though they are beyond the capacity to bear significant weight, at risk of breaking away completely; and those are the better ones.  Some of the steps have become completely unhinged, hanging in mid- air.

The wooden access points are no better, photos showed walkways which are supposed to be supported by two strong metal chains hanging listlessly by one side.

Slides are unusable, completely broken open.  If any child tried to make use of them they would likely end with bloody scrapes.

Magnetic Media has reported on the issue in the past yet it remains neglected as each administration passes in and out of office, yearly surpluses get bigger and money for capital projects just like this languish in a loop of delays.

Editorial Staff

#TurksandCaicos, April 21, 2023 – Dubbed, a momentous occasion, the signing ceremony which launched most definitively the Turks and Caicos Destination Management Organization (DMMO) was held April 14.

The concept announced to the nation by Premier Washington Misick during his debut as a second term, democratically elected leader of the country back in 2021, had been met with mixed views including a petition, circulating this week to ‘Say No to the DMO’.  However, no matter what side of the issue one sits on, this past Friday seems to have cemented the future of tourism as being first and foremost in the hands of this historically established entity which makes the TCI Tourist Board redundant.

It also births the Tourism Regulatory Authority and while both remain somewhat mysterious in terms of their actual function and remit, the remarks from officials reflected a team excited about the country’s leading industry.

Speaking at the DMMO signing ceremony held at the Office of the Premier in Providenciales, Josephine Connolly, TCI Tourism Minister said she is certain the Destination Management & Marketing Organization “will bring about positive changes” for the benefit of TCI.

She explained, years of research and planning have gone into this transition, which would not have been completed without help from her team at the Tourist Board.

The ceremony, which included lawyers of Graham Thompson Attorneys and a room filled with tourism and travel stakeholders, as well as members of the TCI Cabinet and business community, was held to accept and sign the bylaws for the Turks and Caicos Destination Marketing and Management Company.

This announcement makes more clear the actual name of the new engine, which has been called the DMO, the DMMO and its marketing and management titles swapped around as residents come to grips with what will be a striking change.

But Premier Misick has long held that he is intent on being maverick and and one who is keen on building institutions.  In the case of tourism marketing and management for the Turks and Caicos Islands, he is erecting two of them.

Premier Misick agreed that “a lot of thought” was put into the transformation and assured the public that their best interests were held at heart.

“I know that change is uncomfortable and progress is not easily accepted, but I would say to those persons who have their doubts that they should wait and see because I think like everything else over time, TCIG is going to benefit tremendously,” Premier Misick added.

Indeed, the transition is not without resistance as on February 10 after the DMMO activation timeline was announced, leader of the Opposition, Edwin Astwood, said the transition is a betrayal of trust. The remark came after 17 employees from the Tourist Board were made redundant in a notice in February.  The actual redundancy does not, however, take effect until June.

“This current PNP government, led by Premier Misick and his Cabinet ministers, has demonstrated an apathetic and uncaring attitude towards our people, the workers of the Tourist Board as it relates to their current and future employment status,” Astwood said.

Former Minister of Tourism, Hon Ralph Higgs, and former management staff member Pauline Saunders are also in disagreement and have urged the Premier to readjust his course.

Connolly later released a statement on February 13 disproving these claims. She revealed that each employee was interviewed and given the opportunity to apply for a position at the DMMO or leave. “Each member of staff was given a fair and generous remuneration package,” she added.

The DMMO replacing the Tourist Board will help to bring more tourist dollars into the country by creating an attractive and unforgettable experience for visitors, according to the PNP Administration. Connolly said residents will also be able to benefit from this transition through increased opportunities and economic growth.

Present at the signing ceremony were C. Washington Misick, Premier; Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism; Trevor Musgrove, President of TCHTA; Wesley V. Clerveaux, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism; Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education; Shaun Malcolm, Minister of Health; Ronald Saunders, President of TCI Chamber of Commerce; Delton Jones, Director of Ports Authority; Devereaux Malcolm, Deputy CEO TCI Airports Authority; Selvyn Hawkins, Chairman TCI Airports Authority; Shawna Lewis, Deputy Director of Ports Authority; Stacey Cox, CEO TCHTA; Karen Whitt, Board Member TCHTA; Shavonda Lewis, TCI Tourist Board Member; Eunece Morris, Secretary TCI Chamber of Commerce and Christopher Wells, Graham Thompson Attorneys law firm.

Staff Writer

#TheBahamas, April 11, 2023 – Last year December, a leaked memo which was confirmed to be true by CIBC revealed that come January 3rd of 2023, CIBC branches in the Bahamas and TCI would no longer process over the counter transactions which can be performed  through digital banking channels.

This is indicative of the shift to digital banking in the banking industry as technological advancement diffuses into the corporate world.  The success of the shift so far, has been good.  There is much to say about the benefits of the newly digitized banking system, but this brings forth the question of whether it outweighs the drawbacks that come with heavily computerized banking systems.

Last year in October, Scotia Bank TCI alongside its branches on other Caribbean Islands namely, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, were titled the Best Consumer Digital Bank for 2022, by the North America Financial Publication, Global Finance.  During that time, the Bank highlighted that they gained positive results from their investment in digital banking.

The figures spoke for themselves.  During the eighteen months prior to when they were awarded, the Bank saw a 6 percent increase in customers actively using the bank’s digital channels as well as a 41 percent increase in online transactions.

This is an indication that digital banking for Scotiabank throughout the Caribbean, a major banking entity, has been good.

There are many pros to digital banking or e-banking including quicker and easier processing times, not needing to wait in lines to do business and going cash free.

Naturally, however problems will and have presented themselves.

Back in December of 2022 the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) experienced a three-day shut down of their digital banking platform.  The Tribune reported that this caused multiple Bahamian Businesses to suffer as they were unable to conduct transactions crucial to the seamless running of the businesses and make or receive payments given that they were ‘locked out’ of their accounts due to the issues with RBC’s online and mobile banking platform.

The aim then and now for the industry regulator is to be rid of cheques by 2024, reducing the need for other manual forms of payment.  But due to this, at the time of the issue, this led to the question of whether this move to the digitization of banking is a move too fast.

So far there have not been any major reported issues with e-banking.  However, taking into consideration the issue with RBC in December, and its impact on Bahamian Businesses, do the risks outweigh those that would come with normal physical banking as well as the pros of the digitization of the industry?

That we are not so sure about just yet but we are aware that various banks are committed to make the transition seamless.

This was expressed by Deepa Boucad, CIBC’s Executive Director, Retail and Business Banking, at an award show earlier this year where  CIBC copped an award for great advances in digital banking, claiming the title for “Best Digital Transformation Bank 2022.”

“We will continue to lead the way with modern, innovative products and services that simplifies the everyday banking experience for our clients by providing them with new digital capabilities across all our service delivery channels.  Digital is the future of banking, and we are continuously enhancing our digital channels to provide innovative solutions to meet your unique and changing banking needs,” she said.

Staff Writer  

#TurksandCaicos, April 3, 2023 – Vendors and tour operators in Grand Turk had better be ready for the boom in tourists leaving the cruise ship in order to enjoy the adventures and experiences on land, now that the Covid-19 travel entry requirement of a vaccine will no longer bar the un-vaxxed from disembarking.

Already, there are reports on the swell of curious thrill seekers descending upon the island, which welcomes over 1 million cruise visitors each year.  Saturday, the first day of the no-vaccine required rule, was described as buzzing for Grand Turk.

The mandate was officially dropped Friday, March 31^st, and it means visitors, vaccinated or not, will be able to leave their ship and explore the country when it docks in the capital.

Carnival Cruises along with other major cruise lines removed their vaccine mandate for short cruise boarding in mid-2022.

Since then, an affidavit on the Carnival Cruises website has advised visitors that unvaccinated guests, 18 and over, would have to remain aboard when the ship arrived in Grand Turk.

That rule, in accordance with TCIG protocols, meant that a chunk of guests who arrived in the country never set foot in the $50 million Cruise Center or patronized local vendors. Several cruise passengers had expressed disappointment in 2022 about not being able to visit and excitement at the possibility of the mandate dropping.

One cruise aficionado also gave the port a ‘thumbs down’ as TCIG held onto the rule far longer than any other cruise destination in the region.

John Heald, Carnival Representative, fielded these posts: “Have any of the higher ups spoken with whomever in Grand Turk to see if they are still planning on lifting their Vaccine requirement at the end of March–?” Another said, “Any insight into when we may see vaccine mandates released on locations such as Grand Turk?”

This week, seven cruise liners are expected to visit Grand Turk, including two ships on Wednesday and two again on Friday.