Trinidad and Tobago: Caribbean The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance (CCRIF) will pay US$15.6 million to the governments of Antigua and Barbuda; Anguilla; and St. Kitts and Nevis for damage caused by hurricane Irma under tropical cyclone policies the islands hold with the facility. Comment

St Vincent: As Hurricane Maria bears down on the Caribbean for what is reported to be another damaging hurricane, some members of the CARICOM Consular Corps on Sunday, Sept. 17, mobilized the community to aid citizens devastated by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean region, by collecting canned goods, clothing, baby diapers and toiletries, that will be shipped immediately through the Caribbean Disaster Relief Agency, said Consul General of Guyana to New York, Barbara Atherly. Comment

People: Panamanians from both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean regions of the isthmus are preparing for the 114th anniversary of their separation from Colombia with a commemorative festivity of the Nov. 3, 1903 independence by hosting a flag-raising ceremony, parade and festival. Comment

Grenada: The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) is hoping that a recent donation of policing equipment by Grenadian officers in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) will be a starting point in forging closer ties with Grenadian law enforcement officers in the Diaspora. Comment

Africa: Viwanou Gnassounou is ACP assistant secretary general for Sustainable Economic Development & Trade BRUXELLES, Sept. 13, 2017 (IPS) - Fish is big business. The latest figures show that more than 165 million tonnes of fish are either captured or harvested in a year, with each person consuming more than 20kg of fish annually, according to the world average. Roughly US$140 billion worth of fish is traded globally per annum, with millions of people relying on jobs in fishing and fish-farming, not to mention the seafood industry which involves processing, transport, retail and restaurants. Comment

Brooklyn: It’s a slam dunk app! A pair of Brooklyn brothers have created a platform that collects and archives basketball statistics for the sport’s data enthusiasts. East Flatbush siblings and basketball players, Nigel and Vaughn Caldon, innovated the idea for Ballstar — an online medium that documents all basketball figures from the NBA to even local school teams. Inspiration for the application spawned from conversions the two would hear at sidecourt neighborhood games, said Nigel Caldon. Comment

Food: A group of foodies gathered around Food Network’s Chopped Champion, Chef Andre Fowles, as he showed off his cuisine skills during a demonstration on how to prepare three dishes with sauces from Grace Foods, during a recent exclusive tasting event at the Midtown Manhattan offices of Finn Partners. Comment

Movies: “Man in Red Bandana” Comment

Caribbean: The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has activated its “CTO Relief Fund” through GoFundMe to help families and countries rebuild after hurricanes, particularly in the wake of the massive category 5 Hurricane Irma, which has impacted several member countries. Comment

Movies: An African male is in love with an Indian female. At the T&T Film Festival, this is the theme of two well-publicised local feature films being screened: Green Days by the River and Moko Jumbie, and perhaps the lesser-known Back to Freeport. These films come hot on the heels of another recently-screened local film entitled Bazoodee with the same theme. Comment

National: United States federal judge in Brooklyn on Thursday urged the Trump administration to extend its deadline for young, undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants to apply to stay in the US under a program by former President Barack Obama that Trump recently announced that he was rescinding. Comment

Health: The Washington, D.C.-based Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said its experts are supporting efforts to restore health services in Caribbean islands most affected by Hurricane Irma. Comment

Guyana: In an effort to bring competent, and complete service to the Guyanese diaspora, the Guyana consulate will start services every second Saturday of every quarter during the year, begining Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 from 10 am – 2 pm. Dec. 16, 2017 will be the last for this year, before the 2018 schedule. Comment

Movies: Battle of the Sexes (PG-13 for sexuality and partial nudity) Tennis docudrama recreating the 1973 match between reigning champion Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and 55 year-old hustler Bobby Riggs, a trash-talking misogynist who created a media circus by boasting he could beat the best female player in the world. With Sarah Silverman, Elisabeth Shue and Bill Pullman. Comment

St Kitts and Nevis: “Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has kept St. Kitts and Nevis in thoughts and prayers while we awaited the passage of the storm,” were the sentiments expressed by Minister of Tourism, International Trade, Industry and Commerce Lindsay F.P. Grant, who added, “while we are beginning to resume normal operations, please join me in continuing to send thoughts and prayers to those who have been more seriously impacted.” Comment

Antigua: Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organisation of American States (OAS), Sir Ronald Sanders, on Wednesday met in Washington, D.C. with the Inter-American Emergency Aid Committee and representatives of major countries to discuss the devastating impact on Barbuda by the recent passage of Hurricane Irma. Comment

Jamaica: BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Two more defendants have reached plea agreements with U.S. prosecutors in a Jamaican lottery scam that authorities say bilked mostly elderly Americans out of millions of dollars. Comment

Music: The United Vincie Cultural Group of Brooklyn (UVCGB) on Saturday honored the cultural figure whose songs it has been using during its cultural performances in the past 14 years. Comment

Sports: NEW YORK (AP) — Sloane Stephens’ remarkably rapid rise from a ranking of 957th in early August to U.S. Open champion on Saturday began with the slow work of coming back from surgery on her left foot. Comment

Movies: A new feature film following a Caribbean female superhero in the future is debuting at the Urban World Film Festival on Sept. 23. “Brown Girl Begins” is a fantasy set in the year 2049 in a dystopian Toronto, and follows Ti-Jeanne, a young teen living in the alternate world faced with the task of saving her community from evil people. Comment

Grenada: Caribbean Community governments were this week preparing to organize a major international conference of donors to help raise billions to rebuild member and associates states ravaged by Hurricane Irma and for those still being threatened by Jose which is expected to become a full-fledged storm in the coming days. Comment

Barbados: Responding to a scolding from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) about delays in trials in Barbados, the island’s Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson has snapped back telling the CCJ to get its own house in order first. Comment

People: Sixteen years have passed since the catastrophic attack on Sept. 11. Many pledged during that time to “never forget” the horror. To honor that commitment, the Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams hosted a memorial service at Borough Hall on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2017 to stand with the relatives of some of the victims and to remind the community of the indirect effects that still haunt some first responders and the community at large since the fateful day. Comment

Music: Flushing Town Hall has launched its fall season with something for everybody and for all ages. Latin roots and Cuban rhythms (Sept. 22), Garifuna music from Belize, Honduras and Guatemala (Oct. 6), Afro-Venezuelan rhythms and dance (Oct. 21), Mexican folk dances (Dec. 3), and rhythms and dance movements from the Ivory Coast (Dec. 9) are on the schedule of the Flushing Town Hall fall lineup. Comment

Immigration: The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), was introduced by President Obama in 2012 and brought hope and structure to the lives of 800,000 young people to date with the opportunity to live, work, drive, and participate openly in society without fear of apprehension and deportation from America-the only country they call home. It gave these “Dreamers” a chance to live the American dream. Comment

Brooklyn: A celebration of the community’s distinct. The Caribbean American Center of New York (CACNY) honored 10 Caribbean Americans at their annual 2017 Role Models of Distinction Awards and Scholarship Benefit Gala at Grand Prospect Hall on Sept. 8. Comment

Music: Using their talents to help those in need. Caribbean musical artists Lyrikal and Kerwin Dubois will be performing at a Hurricane Irma benefit concert to help victims of the devastating cyclone in Queens on Sept. 17. Comment

Food: Savor the Caribbean, one scoop at a time! A recently opened Prospect Lefferts Gardens creamery is churning out colorful homemade blends fused with popular Caribbean flavors that offer sweet-toothed patrons a taste of its owners’ heritage. Comment

Immigration: On Sept. 5, 2017, President Trump’s administration announced the end of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides a level of amnesty to certain undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. Comment

Haiti: Two popular Caribbean incumbents were victorious Tuesday in New York City Democratic Primary Elections. Haitian Dr. Mathieu Eugene, who represents the 40th Council District in Brooklyn, and Jumaane Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, representative for the adjacent 45th Council District in Brooklyn, were re-elected in the low-voter turn-out. Comment

Environment: Caribbean nationals are facing a very long and hard road to recover from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Irma. Reports indicate that Irma, a Category 5 storm, Irma killed at least 24 people across the region — estimates range from 24 to 28 dead — devastated housing, power supplies and communications, leaving some small islands almost cut off from the world. Comment

Environment: In describing as apocalyptic and reminiscent of war the destruction suffered by Caribbean islands in the wake of the passage of Hurricane Irma, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson is calling for a “Marshall Plan” similar to what was instituted in Europe after World War II. Comment

Health: The Pan American Health Organization says it has been presented with the Measles and Rubella Initiative Champion Award for its work in eliminating measles and rubella from the Americas, including the Caribbean. Comment

Jamaica: The St. Rose’s High School of Guyana Alumni Association USA Inc. commemorated the school’s 170th Anniversary with a lavish awards gala, that included a silent auction of artwork by US-based Guyanese visual artist, Derek Browne, and a coming together of past students whose passion for educating future generations of students, was felt by the large turnout at Russo’s on the Bay, on Aug. 31. Comment

Fashion: Roger Milliner, deputy executive director of marketing of MetroPlus Health Plan, welcomed Guyanese-born fashion designer, Roger Gary, and other up-and-coming local designers to its first FASHnFIT event, during New York Fashion Week on Friday, Sept. 8 at CBS Radio Theatre on Hudson Street. Comment

St Vincent: Clearly disappointed by the paucity of Vincentian nationals in the Diaspora who are taking advantage of the “generous” pension scheme at the National Insurance Services (NIS), NIS Deputy Director Dr. Mineva Glasgow has appealed to her compatriots overseas to “get on board” by joining the Voluntary Contribution Plan. Comment

Sports: Guyana has clinched the one-day title in the Regional Under-19 Championship after beating the Windward Islands in their final round game at Warner Park, St. Kitts last week. Comment

People: Former Barbados and West Indies fast bowler, Ottis Gibson, was appointed the new head coach of South Africa cricket team Comment

Arts & Theater: While citizens in this hemisphere are reconsidering heroes and monuments, in Jamaica the government is moving forward to erect another statue to honor an outstanding citizen who many agree has contributed to nation building. Comments (1)

Sports: West Indies part-time off-spinner Kraigg Brathwaite has been reported to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for having a suspect bowling action, following the Caribbean’s side humiliating 209-run defeat by England at Egdbatson, London recently. Comment

Environment: POINT-A-PITRE, Guadeloupe (AP) _ France’s president, Britain’s foreign secretary and the Dutch king are visiting Caribbean territories hammered by Hurricane Irma, where residents have accused European governments of insufficient preparation or slow response to the storm’s devastation. Comment

Environment: Royal Caribbean International was expected to dispatch some of its cruise ships to St. Thomas and St. Maarten in a bid to not only provide supplies but transport evacuees following the passage of Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean. Comment

Immigration: The office of domestic violence in the United States Justice Department define domestic violence as a “pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Comment

Arts & Theater: Carnival is coming back to life. A Florida-based artist is showcasing his carnival-inspired artwork at Medgar Evers College library through Sept. 22. The second annual “Art of Carnival” exhibit is going to have 23 paintings on display — all based on images that Trinidadian-born artist Weldon Ryan took at various carnivals across the country. With the West Indian Day parade over until next year, he is keeping the spirit of the joyous celebration alive in his life-like representations of it — something not often found in Caribbean art. Comment

Brooklyn: A Brownsville-based football league was presented with a $5,000 grant from SportsNet New York (SNY) at Floyd Paterson field on Sept. 7. As part of the organization’s Play Ball program, every year the organization provides local leagues with trips to NFL games, equipment, and reward some with money to support their teams. The Brooklyn United Youth Football League was this year’s recipient of the grant and the young footballers could not have been happier, said the leaugue’s co-founder and coach. Comment

Movies: Dayveon (Unrated) Devin Blackmon plays the titular character in this coming-of-age saga, set in rural Arkansas, about a 13-year-old, African-American orphan who joins a gang in the wake of his big brother’s death, when his sister (Chastity Moore) and her boyfriend (Dontrell Bright) can no longer afford to raise him. Cast includes Kordell Johnson, Marquell Manning and Shavidee Trotter. Comment

Sports: West Indies dream of ending their three-decade drought of winning a Test series against England, in England collapsed to a nine-wicket defeat in the decisive third and final Test at Lord’s last week. Comment