Barbados is the lone English-speaking Caribbean country on board with a new initiative designed to enhance the growth and sustainability of startups with social and environmental impact, across Latin America and the Caribbean. The Kinesis Free Accelerator programme provided training for 16 entrepreneurs for 11 weeks. It’s funded by USAID and operated by Agora Partnerships. In Barbados, the Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods is the implementing partner. Co-founder and Director, Dr. Marcia Brandon says opportunities exist for Barbadian entrepreneurs to benefit from the initiative.

(CNN) — Dozens of US troops have been deployed to Cyprus amid sharply escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, and they are preparing for a range of contingencies including a possible evacuation operation from Lebanon for US citizens should a full-blown war erupt, two US officials told CNN. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said earlier this week that the US military would be deploying “a small number of US military personnel forward” to the region “out of an abundance of caution.” But he declined to say how many troops were deployed, where they were sent, and what branch they belonged to. Cyprus played a key role in helping to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon during Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006, facilitating the departure and accommodation of tens of thousands of people at the time as they fled the conflict. Cyprus’s deputy government spokesperson, Yiannis Antoniou, told Reuters last month that the island nation is again on standby to help if needed. The UK announced on Tuesday that it was sending 700 troops to Cyprus to prepare for a possible emergency evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon if one becomes necessary. “The most important message from me this evening is to British nationals in Lebanon, to leave immediately and I just want to reinforce that,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The US State Department has also repeatedly warned US citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial travel options are still available. Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have reached new highs over the last week, beginning when Israel carried out covert attacks that detonated Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies. Israel followed up by pounding Beirut and southern Lebanon with airstrikes that have killed hundreds of civilians and Hezbollah fighters in recent days. The militant group has responded with rocket attacks targeting Israeli sites including Ramat David air base east of Haifa, and on Wednesday launched a missile directly at Tel Aviv which was intercepted by Israeli air defences. Later on Wednesday, the Israel Defence Forces announced it would be calling up two reserve brigades for a mission in northern Israel. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the US is “working tirelessly” on diplomatic efforts to prevent a “full-blown war” between Israel and Lebanon. “Risk of escalation in the region is acute, and I know that we are all very much focused on that,” Blinken told his counterparts in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. A US official told CNN on Monday that “we are the closest we’ve been to spiraling to a regional war” since Hamas’ October 7 attack. One of the biggest concerns for the US right now is that Iran, which is a key backer of Hezbollah, will get involved, the official said. Tehran has not intervened yet, but they will if they believe they are about to lose their most powerful proxy force, Hezbollah, the official added. Dozens of US troops have been deployed to Cyprus amid sharply escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, and they are preparing for a range of contingencies including a possible evacuation operation from Lebanon for US citizens should a full-blown war erupt, two US officials told CNN.

By Manveena Suri and Aishwarya S Iyer, CNN New Delhi (CNN) — India has confirmed its first case of a deadlier strain of mpox, which has raised alarm among health officials around the world over the rapid pace of its spread. The clade Ib strain of the virus was confirmed by health authorities in the southern state of Kerala after being detected last week in a 38-year-old man who had recently traveled to Dubai. On Wednesday, the state’s Health Minister Veena George hailed Kerala’s “robust health care system” for detecting the case. The outbreak of the strain, which had previously been contained to the Democratic Republic of Congo, was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month after it spread to four previously unaffected African countries. The strain has since been detected in several countries outside Africa, including Sweden and Thailand. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that can spread easily between people and from infected animals. It can spread through close contact such as touching, kissing or sex, as well as through contaminated materials like sheets, clothing and needles, according to WHO. Symptoms include fever, rash, lesions, headache, muscle and back pain, low energy and enlarged lymph nodes. The virus is characterized by two genetic clades, I and II. A clade is a broad grouping of viruses that has evolved over decades. Clade II was responsible for a global outbreak that WHO also declared a global health emergency from July 2022 to May 2023. Clade Ib causes more severe disease. According to Dr. Shubhin C, a health official in Kerala’s Mallapuram district, the infected patient is being tested every four days as he recovers in isolation in a local hospital. “The patient is better. The lesions have started healing. No new lesions. He does not have any fever and no other symptoms now,” the doctor told CNN, adding he would be discharged after two consecutive samples test negative. Authorities had identified 29 people who came into contact with the patient and they are now in self-quarantine, he said. Some 37 passengers on the flight from Dubai to Kerala and five other close contacts of the patient are being monitored, he added. Health authorities in Kerala are well-versed in grappling with infectious diseases. “Surveillance has been strengthened, including at airports,” said George, the health minister, adding there are five mpox testing facilities with more to be set up if required. Isolation facilities have also been established, she said. Last year, the state contained an outbreak of the Nipah virus after two people died. It shut schools and tested hundreds of people to prevent the spread of the rare and often deadly disease. The-CNN-Wire & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.