All posts tagged: Caribbean

“Uncharted water”: Caribbean boat strike victims’ families sue US

“Uncharted water”: Caribbean boat strike victims’ families sue US

Published by Sam Flores

A first-of-its-kind lawsuit was brought against the United States on Tuesday by the families of two men killed in a U.S. airstrike on suspected drug boats. Chad Joseph, 26, and Rishi Samaroo, 41, were returning to Trinidad from Venezuela with four other men on Oct. 14 when they were killed by the strike, which was the fifth authorized by President Donald Trump in the Caribbean. Their families are suing for wrongful death. Attorneys from the ACLU, Seton Hall University and the Center for Constitutional Rights are representing the families in Massachusetts federal district court. “If the US government believed Rishi had done anything wrong, it should have arrested, charged, and detained him, not murdered him,” Samaroo’s sister Sallycar Korasingh said in a statement released by the ACLU. The Caribbean campaign has killed at least 126 people since the first strike on Sept. 2, with the most recent airstrike occurring on Jan. 23. Many legal experts believe these strikes are unlawful, but the Trump administration argues they are legal, claiming the targets are “combatants” in an …

Cuban official accuses US of ‘piracy’ against sanctioned Caribbean island | Oil and Gas News

Cuban official accuses US of ‘piracy’ against sanctioned Caribbean island | Oil and Gas News

Published by Sam Flores

Ambassador Carlos de Cespedes says US pressure ‘will not subjugate’ Cuba as Venezuelan oil exports to island dry out. A Cuban diplomat has accused the United States of “international piracy”, as Washington continues to block Venezuelan oil from reaching the Caribbean island in the wake of the US military attack on the nation and abduction of President Nicolas Maduro. Carlos de Cespedes, Cuba’s ambassador to Colombia, told Al Jazeera on Saturday that the US is imposing a “marine siege” on the country. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “Cuba is facing more powerful US threats than it has in the 67 years since the revolution,” de Cespedes said, referring to decades of punishing sanctions and military threats. “The US is carrying out international piracy in the Caribbean Sea that is restricting and blocking the arrival of oil to Cuba.” Since US forces abducted Venezuela’s Maduro earlier this month, the flow of oil from the country to Cuba has all but come to a halt. Venezuela has been the main oil supplier to Cuba …

“World’s Criminals On Notice”: Trump’s Gunboat Diplomacy Seizes Another Tanker In Caribbean

“World’s Criminals On Notice”: Trump’s Gunboat Diplomacy Seizes Another Tanker In Caribbean

Published by Jenni Sidey

Update (0930ET): Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that U.S. Coast Guard forces “executed a boarding and seizure” of the motor tanker Olina in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea. Noem said Olina was part of a vast network of so-called “ghost fleet” tankers suspected of carrying embargoed oil. She stated that the ship had departed Venezuela and was attempting to evade U.S. forces. She added that the operation was conducted in close coordination with the Department of Defense, the State Department, and the Department of Justice. “The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality. The Coast Guard will seize sanctioned oil tankers, enforce U.S. and international law, and eliminate these funding streams for illicit activity, including narco-terrorism,” Noem said. The world’s criminals are on notice. Early this morning, the @USCG executed a boarding and seizure of the Motor Tanker Olina in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea. As another “ghost fleet” tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil, this vessel had departed… pic.twitter.com/vvS3u3nrvl — …

US seizes Olina tanker in Caribbean, fifth vessel taken in Venezuela blockade

US seizes Olina tanker in Caribbean, fifth vessel taken in Venezuela blockade

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON: The US has seized the Olina tanker in the Caribbean, the fifth vessel targeted in recent weeks as Washington steps up efforts to curb Venezuelan oil exports, US officials said on Friday (Jan 9). The Olina, which according to public shipping database Equasis was falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste, had previously sailed from Venezuela and had returned to the region, said an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter. In a pre-dawn move, marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, launched from the carrier USS Gerald R Ford, apprehended the Olina in the Caribbean Sea “without incident”, the US Southern Command said on X. “Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: ‘there is no safe haven for criminals,’” it said. The Olina left Venezuela last week fully loaded with oil as part of a flotilla shortly after the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan 3, and the vessel was returning fully loaded to Venezuela following the US blockade of Venezuelan oil exports, …

France seeks to assert role in Caribbean after Trump’s show of force

France seeks to assert role in Caribbean after Trump’s show of force

Published by Sam Flores

A legal gold mine on the Serpent Creek river, in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana, June 15, 2025. RONAN LIETAR/AFP In the face of US President Donald Trump’s new predatory policy in South America, can France count on its presence in French Guiana to exert influence on the continent? France will need far more robust resources if it hopes to establish itself as “a key regional player,” according to a mission report by the Sénat’s foreign affairs, defense and armed forces committee, published on Wednesday, January 7. Beyond Venezuela, the US president has not stated any ambitions for the Guiana Shield, which also covers Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. However, Trump’s renewed interest in the Monroe Doctrine (used to justify the United States’ dominance in the hemisphere) and the rise of new oil-producing neighbors with vast reserves – Guyana and Suriname – has the potential to destabilize the French territory. After the abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro by US special forces in the early hours of January 3, and the White House’s threats to annex Greenland, …

Donroe Doctrine: US Seizes Russian-Flagged Tanker In Atlantic, Intercepts Dark-Fleet Ship In Caribbean

Donroe Doctrine: US Seizes Russian-Flagged Tanker In Atlantic, Intercepts Dark-Fleet Ship In Caribbean

Published by Jenni Sidey

Update (1014ET): “Donroe Doctrine” to clean up the Western Hemisphere was busy Wednesday morning, with the seizure of the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1) in the North Atlantic, followed by U.S. forces seizing a stateless dark-fleet tanker in the Caribbean region. The seizure of Marinera is the headliner this morning, given that Russian warships and a submarine are nearby, raising the risk that the situation could spiral out of control after Moscow warned the Trump administration in recent days to back off the tanker. Within the last hour, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) wrote on X that U.S. forces “apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark-fleet motor tanker without incident.” SOUTHCOM said, “The interdicted vessel, M/T Sophia, was operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. Coast Guard is escorting M/T Sophia to the U.S. for final disposition.” SOUTHCOM concluded the post by signaling the Donroe Doctrine: “Through Operation Southern Spear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere. We will …

Caribbean flights resume after Maduro’s capture

Caribbean flights resume after Maduro’s capture

Published by Sam Flores

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. UP NEXT Attack on power lines leaves Berlin in outage for days 00:27 Lego announces new ‘Smart Bricks’ 00:16 Trump mentions Maduro dancing while praising raid 00:35 Capitol Hill marks five years since Jan. 6 riots 00:23 Boston Dynamics unveils humanoid robot Atlas 00:21 Lawsuit claims McDonald’s McRib uses no real pork ribs 00:22 Corporation for Public Broadcasting to shut down 00:22 Justice Department still reviewing Epstein documents 00:32 Venezuelan police open fire on unidentified drones 00:18 Monkey caught on camera rampaging through a music store 00:29 Trump ‘deserved’ Nobel Peace Prize, Machado says 00:58 Man arrested after damaging Vance’s home with hammer 00:37 Sen. Mark Kelly calls Pete Hegseth ‘unqualified’ 00:40 Pentagon seeks to reduce Sen. Mark Kelly’s rank 01:02 Deputy attorney general defends Maduro arrest legality 02:04 Wegovy weight loss pill is now available in U.S. 01:15 Trump calls Maduro arraignment an ‘extraordinary moment’ 01:04 Tuna sells for record $3.2 million in Japan 00:17 CDC overhauls childhood vaccine …

Brief history of U.S. interventions in Latin America, Caribbean : NPR

Brief history of U.S. interventions in Latin America, Caribbean : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

An April 1961 file photo shows a group of CIA-backed Cuban counterrevolutionaries after their capture in the Bay of Pigs, Cuba. Miguel Vinas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Miguel Vinas/AFP via Getty Images President Trump’s pressure campaign against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is the latest chapter in a long history of U.S. intervention in the Caribbean basin, rooted in the 1823 Monroe Doctrine but fully realized in the 20th century — ostensibly to protect U.S. interests and counter communism. In recent months, U.S. strikes on boats that the White House says were transporting Venezuelan drugs, the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers, and most recently, a CIA strike on a Venezuelan dock reflect a “Big Stick” approach to regional policy that dates back more than a century to President Theodore Roosevelt. In it, Roosevelt built on the Monroe Doctrine, which was formulated originally by President James Monroe to warn European powers away from interfering in the region. Roosevelt, who himself fought against Spain in Cuba in 1898, expanded that doctrine to assert a U.S. …

Where to find the best Caribbean restaurants in Los Angeles

Where to find the best Caribbean restaurants in Los Angeles

Published by Sam Flores

Throughout the week, Doris “Estelita” Gabriel visits local markets, collecting ingredients for the Belizean Garifuna menu she serves out of her South Los Angeles home every other Saturday. Before moving to L.A. from Belize in 2015, Gabriel used to set up shop on the side of a major road in her hometown of Punta Gorda. Now that she operates Smith’s Kitchen out of her home, the chef relies on word of mouth. Thankfully, customers are quick to share their praise for Gabriel’s traditionally prepared dishes, including tamales, curry chicken and cassava pudding. Los Angeles may lack dedicated enclaves for its Caribbean communities, but the influence from countries that border the Caribbean Sea — island nations such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as Central and South American countries including Belize, Panama, Guyana and Suriname — has been felt for decades and is gaining wider recognition. In many instances, Caribbean cuisines are at the vanguard of Southern California’s multicultural kitchen. L.A. is home to the only Guyanese pastry …