In its early days, the Virgin Islands financial services industry was “the Wild West,” according to Michael Riegels, a founder of Harneys and one of the five practitioners who laid the groundwork for the industry by crafting the 1984 International Business Companies Act. The industry,...
November 25, 2021
December 1, 2021
Financial firms urged to consider biodiversity
Banks, investment funds and insurers could boost their own bottom line by making green decisions that help close an estimated $800 billion per year “biodiversity funding gap” that has been identified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to a new report from...
November 25, 2021
Promising a world first, company clears site for lobster farm by protected channel. Neighbours protest.
Lobsters are cannibals. Their larval development is long and complex, and they are voracious feeders. For decades, these three challenges have thwarted scientists and entrepreneurs seeking what has been called the “holy grail of aquaculture:” a profitable commercial-scale hatchery that breeds lobsters and raises them...
November 25, 2021
VI’s first open-heart surgery a success
Last Thursday, Bougainvillea Clinic announced the first successful open-heart surgery completed in the territory. “We did it. We did it under constraints, but we were successful, and I’m really proud of my team,” clinic manager Angela Williams said during a press conference. “We gave birth...
November 25, 2021
1949 march brought to life
Partway through an evening of storytelling, poetry and music on Nov. 21, event organisers called everyone’s attention to the clock at 5:30, the exact moment when about 1,500 people arrived at Sir Olva Georges Plaza 72 years ago to demand change. “Can you imagine that...
November 25, 2021
Protesters call for no-confidence motion
On the heels of celebrating the inaugural 1949 Great March and Restoration Day, community members took to the streets in protest of poor school conditions, political victimisation, and other issues they blame on the current administration. “We are calling on the honourable Leader of the...
November 25, 2021
Climate a focus as JMC wound down
At the conclusion of the Joint Ministerial Council meeting in London last week, Prince William made an appearance as world leaders turned their attention to how climate change is impacting the overseas territories, as observed by some of the young minds studying its effects. Virgin...
November 25, 2021
As tourism returns, staff shortage a concern
After one of the roughest years for tourism in recent memory, hotels, yachts and villas are beginning to fill up again at last, but stakeholders fear that staff shortage and a scarcity of information about entry protocols may hinder the recovery. In a virtual panel...
November 24, 2021
Taddy Bay airport in Virgin Gorda reopens, again
Thanksgiving isn’t complete without a turkey, and for Virgin Gorda residents, the turkey came along with the reopening of the Taddy Bay International Airport on Tuesday. Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Minister Vincent Wheatley carried a turkey on a single-engine plane that landed at the...
November 18, 2021
Dance, music and the first BVI Lit Fest
The Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park was bustling once again on Friday as residents and cruise ship passengers watched students perform during a food fair held for Culture and Tourism Month. Fungi music and a traditional African dance called comfoo were among the performances,...
November 18, 2021
Entry rules relaxed for vaxxed travellers
On Tuesday government Gazetted new protocols for entering the territory, lifting the requirement for fully vaccinated travellers to test for Covid-19 upon arrival. They must, however, take a Covid-19 test 48 hours before arrival and present the negative results and proof of vaccination on entry....
