NASSAU, Bahamas – A climate resilient hurricane shelter, able to withstand category five level disasters and flagged as a global best practice, has been opened and  activated on the island of Abaco, representing a tri-lateral partnership between the governments of The Bahamas and India and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The National Environment and Planning Agency, NEPA is condemning the illegal capture and sale of protected parrots.

UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations says Jamaica is still struggling to rebuild, 50 days after Hurricane Melissa’s unprecedented destruction.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, on Friday, expressed appreciation to members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) who are currently deployed across the island, describing their presence as a powerful demonstration of regional solidarity and Caribbean cooperation in times of need.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – The 16th session of  the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly has started here with the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos Echeverriìa, noting the importance of green energy to the Caribbean.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The government says it is stepping up efforts to make communities greener by expanding a nursery and landscaping programme that supplies plants to public buildings and new homeowners.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Antigua and Barbuda’s Energy Minister,  Melford Nicholas, has been elected as Vice President of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) representing Latin America and the Caribbean.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia – Forestry officials have condemned the killing of at least five boas or Tete Chien snakes by members of the public, saying “this extreme cruelty to wildlife is unacceptable and constitutes a major offence”.

NAROBI, Kenya – Jamaica’s Minister of Water, Environment, and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, has been elected as the new president of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), indicating that environmental matters are no longer an “isolated” agenda item.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Barbados Saturday told the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) that for small island developing states (SIDS), renewable energy is not only a climate response but also “a developmental imperative, an affordability issue, and an equity issue.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness has expressed gratitude to the Government of the People’s Republic of China for its support to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa, which caused extensive damage across parts of the island.

CAIRO, Egypt – The Egypt-based African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Friday said it is making a donation of US$1.1 million to the governments of Jamaica and Haiti to support the recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in October.