Viewpoints: On March 14 of this year, students across the US left class for 17 minutes – one minute for every person killed in the Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School massacre. It is a bit disheartening to realize that, if the students had instead chosen to stay out of class one minute for every person killed by gunfire in the US during one year, they would have skipped school for nearly five months — the rest of the spring semester and a couple of months into the fall term. Comment

Environment: The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says a financing increase of more than 20 percent from the previous year by the world’s six largest multilateral development banks (MDBs) has boosted projects that help the Caribbean and other developing countries cut emissions and address climate risks. Comment

Music: While a large amount of creative talent continues to flow from the Caribbean bringing recognition and commerce to the region, territories in this group of islands are yet to harmonize copyright laws for protection of artistes. Comment

Guyana: Two weeks after the company had told Guyana’s government that it was switching focus from exploratory to development wells, ExxonMobil on Wednesday announced yet another major oil find offshore Guyana as it races to make this Caribbean Community nation the latest oil producer in the regional grouping in early 2020. Comment

People: United States Congresswoman Barbara Lee has joined in the celebration of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month. Comment

Venezuela: Guyana’s government has vowed not to give out mineral-rich lands to Guyanese who had lived in finance-starved Venezuela for decades unless they can prove local citizenship beyond a doubt the foreign ministry said last weekend. Comment

Brooklyn: Caribbean American Democratic New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams has rejected President Donald J. Trump’s executive order that seeks to curtail the separation of families at the US border by detaining parents and children together of an indefinite period. Comment

Immigration: The British Government has announced that a day celebrating the Windrush generation and their Caribbean descendants will be held annually on June 22. Comment

People: The United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says remittances to the Caribbean and other countries are much more than a “lifeline” for millions. Comment

Arts & Theater: A blend of cultures performed at a free community concert at Kings Theatre on June 15. At “Dance Brooklyn! A World Celebration,” the event featured dance groups from various cultures and dance styles to celebrate diversity. Organized by East New York-based dance company Purelements, an Evolution in Dance, the company wanted the show to foster cultural connections and dance available to more people. Comment

Music: The Brooklyn-based Tropicalfete, Inc. will host its annual Caribbean Cultural Showcase on Sunday, June 24 in Brooklyn to unveil its 2018 costumes under the theme “The Carnival Jungle — Sweet Fuh Days Comment

Books: Introducing the Caribbean Junie B. Jones. A new book series highlighting childhood in the Caribbean, from the perspective of a young protagonist is aiming to introduce a genre of children’s books for youth of Caribbean descent. “The Adventures of Wyetta,” follows Wyetta — a young and curious St. Lucian school girl with a penchant for mischief. Brooklyn-based author Claudette Charles says the series aims to be the representation severely lacking in modern literature for Caribbean youth. In an effort to locate books about her country to educate her children, she was exposed to a huge absence in Caribbean literature. Comment

Caribbean Healthcare Awards: Director of human resources at Woodhull Hospital oversees training and development to make the medical center effective. Comment

Caribbean Healthcare Awards: Doctor reaches out to community through classes and seminars. Comment

People: Guyanese Cheryl Kilkenny has described herself as “a loving family woman who’s married to the handsome Olston Kilkenny, deacon at God’s Battalion of Prayer Church” in Brooklyn. Comment

Barbados: The Mia Mottley administration is scrapping and rushing to change regulations that have for years been humiliating nationals of sister CARICOM countries by demanding visas to enter Barbados and confining in-transit passengers to the airport. Comments (1)

Caribbean: West Indies wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich who scored a century in the First Test against Sri Lanka at the Queen’s Park, Oval, Trinidad recently has pushed him up 20 spots in the latest ICC Test batting rankings. Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has moved up one place to 23rd as the highest ranked Windies bowler while Holder also jumped one place to 35th. Comment

Early indications that the new Barbados government is inspiring confidence in the international community are an International Monetary Fund undertaking to grant the island concessionary loans, and a hemispheric bank’s commitment to chip in also. Comment

Caribbean: MOSCOW (Associated Press) — Green-clad fans, many with oversized sombreros as big as their hopes, filled the streets outside St. Basil’s Cathedral, packed the Metro and made the long walk into Luzhniki Stadium. They and millions back home have one wish, a demand really: for Mexico to play that “quinto partido,” the fifth game of a World Cup. Comment

Brooklyn: A doctor at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, officially known as NYC Health+Hospitals/Kings County, has become one of the first doctors in New York City, and likely the first in Brooklyn, to use an innovative method of hand surgery that allows patients to be awake during the outpatient procedure. Comment

Caribbean: Cricket historian, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles believes the “tide is turning” in West Indies cricket. He is contending that the excellence of the “Jason Holder generation” could lead to a revival of the former World Champions. Comment

Music: The reggae and rhythm and blues music festival, Groovin’ in the Park returns to Roy Wilkins Park this weekend on June 24. The annual concert is debuting a few new additions to the program, and is also prolonging its runtime for an extended show, said the concert’s co-founder. Comment

Food: The food delivery service Uber Eats is observing Caribbean Heritage Month with a special promotional week offering its users discounts on all orders made at participating Caribbean-American restaurants. Comment

Brazil: One of the main title favorites, Brazil suddenly sees itself having to come from behind to keep alive its hopes of winning the team’s first world title since 2002 Comment

Dominica: Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has called for a debate on the use of marijuana for religious and medicinal purposes, but the discussions must first be held with local and international stakeholders before any legislation is brought to the Parliament. Comment

Books: Listen up. Pay attention. Eyes forward, ears open. You’ve heard those things before in your life, and now you say them to yourself, your kids, and your employees. But do they hear what you say now… or, as in the new book “Note to Self,” collected and introduced by Gayle King, will your words ring back in the future? Comment

Cuba: The United States says it has held the seventh Bilateral Commission meeting with Cuba in Washington. Comment

Caribbean: The government of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) says its Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labor, Dr. Kedrick Pickering, has been selected to represent the British Overseas Territories (OTs) at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that will take place in December this year. Comment

Movies: Boundaries (R for profanity, sexual references, drug use and nude sketches) Intergenerational dramedy about a single-mom (Vera Farmiga) who has to drive cross-country to relocate her estranged father (Christopher Plummer) with the help of her son (Lewis MacDougall) after the rebellious geezer is kicked out of his retirement home for dealing marijuana. Support cast includes Christopher Lloyd, Peter Fonda and Bobby Cannavale. Comment

Caribbean: Attacking West Indies opener Evin Lewis has climbed into the top five of the ICC Twenty20 batting rankings, but champion off-spinner Sunil Narine has slipped to four places to l8th in the bowling rankings. In the latest rankings released recently, the left-handed Lewis has moved one place to fifth, on 753 rating points. Comment

Barbados: While much cannot be said of its play on the field, Barbados is quietly moving up the FIFA organizational and administrative ladder by becoming home to the regional training office, then having a national elected as Caribbean boss. Comment

Guyana: Permanent Representative and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Guyana to the United Nations, Rudolph M. Ten-Pow, has been elected by acclamation as a Vice President to the UN 73rd General Assembly, scheduled for Sept. 18–30. Comment

People: Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has joined national outrage over the Trump administration’s decision to separate migrant children from their parents at the U.S. border. Comment

Brooklyn: Dozens of dads and their families celebrated Father’s Day at a Canarsie community garden on June 17. The day-long event invited father’s and their kin from all over to the green space at E. 93rd and Schenck streets, to celebrate fatherhood. And it was also a special day for men who are not parents, said one local man. Comment

Brooklyn: Hundreds participated in the festive ninth annual Juneteenth celebration at Gershwin Park in East New York on June 16. The yearly event celebrating June 19, also known as Juneteenth — the emancipation of slavery in Texas, honors that milestone with an all-day community get-together. Featuring a talent show, music, arts and crafts, and dancing, the day was especially filled with a lot to see for newcomers, according to one attendee. Comment

Jamaica: Major Dietrich Heath is Senator Roxanne Persaud’s 2018 New York State Senate Veterans’ Hall of Fame nominee, a military woman who has served with distinction in the United States Air National Guard, while wearing many hats in her long illustrious career. Comment

Music: “Jamaica to UK, the Reggae Revolution” Themes IRD’s 2018 Celebration of 50 Years of Reggae & Synergy With England. Comment

Manhattan: Loyalists devoted to the aim and purpose of the Association of Classical African Civilizations in the eastern region will repeat an annual tribute they have been marking for 20 years by honoring the storied legacy left by revered Pan-African educator Dr. John Henrik Clarke. Comments (2)

Jamaica: Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw, has reiterated the Andrew Holness government’s commitment to providing an enabling infrastructure for investment. Comment

Movies: As kids, five BFFs from Spokane, Washington began playing Tag with no idea that, over the intervening years, an innocuous children’s game might gradually morph into a cutthroat version where each would go to extraordinary lengths to pass on or avoid becoming “It.” Several decades later, despite bearing all the responsibilities associated with adulthood, the guys remain ever vigilant for another tap on the shoulder. Comment

Trinidad and Tobago: A University of the West Indies (UWI) professor of Gender, Social Change and Development, Rhoda Reddock, has been elected to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Comment

Grenada: Brooklyn Council Member Jumaane Williams last week paid tribute to National Flay Day, saying that it is “an important opportunity to reflect on what our flag represents to the nation as a symbol and on the ideals that all Americans profess to uphold. Comment

Belize: I knew that from the time John Briceno became the new party leader, Anthony Sabal will not remain the standard bearer for the People’s United Party (PUP) in Dangriga. This is because he was placed there at the urging of his friend and former leader of the PUP Francis Fonseca. Together they worked to get rid of their then sitting Representative Ivan Ramos the brother of now aspiring candidate Anthony Ramos. Anthony Sabal also lost twice so the PUP are looking for a fresh face. Comment

Arts & Theater: It’s a dream of the past and present. A show inspired by the musical “Dreamgirls” will tackle modern issues, including racism and school shooting, when it plays the Kings Theatre on June 24. “Dream Abundantly” uses tunes and themes from the Broadway musical (and later film) to shine a light on issues facing kids today, said its creator. Comment

Caribbean: The Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, has called for a “new narrative” on international cooperation for the region’s development. Comment

Trinidad and Tobago: The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says a number of Caribbean nationals have been arrested among 91 immigrants during a five-day immigration sweep in New Jersey. ICE said the operation targeted “at-large criminal aliens, illegal re-entrants and other immigration violators.” Comment

Trinidad and Tobago: Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Rogello Sierra is moving to hold meetings with its Caribbean counterparts along with Cuban residents and Cuban state mission personnel in those countries. Comment

Barbados: An atmosphere of conciliation appears to have overcome some elements of the leadership in Barbados, with trades unions curbing their wage demands for workers and the private sector jumping on board government’s recovery plan. Comment

Viewpoints: ROME, June 18, 2018 (IPS) - Donald John Trump, 45th and current president of the United States, has been seen in many illustrious circles as an anomaly that cannot last. Well, it is time to look at reality. Comment

Guyana: The United States-based oil giant ExxonMobil has announced that it has started development drilling offshore. In a statement, the company said that the Liza Phase 1 development continues to rapidly progress and that development drilling began in May for the first of 17 wells planned for Phase 1, laying the foundation for production start-up in 2020. President of ExxonMobil Development Company, Liam Mallon, said the work being done in Guyana is remarkable. Comment