Princess Anne Takes the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan

This photo, provided by the New York City Department of Transportation shows Britain's Princess Anne, accompanied by the agency's Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, left, as she rides in the pilothouse of the Staten Island Ferry "Sandy Ground," in New York Harbor, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. (New York City Department of Transportation via AP)
This photo, provided by the New York City Department of Transportation shows Britain's Princess Anne, accompanied by the agency's Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, left, as she rides in the pilothouse of the Staten Island Ferry "Sandy Ground," in New York Harbor, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. (New York City Department of Transportation via AP)
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Princess Anne Takes the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan

This photo, provided by the New York City Department of Transportation shows Britain's Princess Anne, accompanied by the agency's Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, left, as she rides in the pilothouse of the Staten Island Ferry "Sandy Ground," in New York Harbor, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. (New York City Department of Transportation via AP)
This photo, provided by the New York City Department of Transportation shows Britain's Princess Anne, accompanied by the agency's Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, left, as she rides in the pilothouse of the Staten Island Ferry "Sandy Ground," in New York Harbor, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. (New York City Department of Transportation via AP)

Princess Anne took a ride on the Staten Island Ferry during a visit to New York City.

The sister of Britain’s King Charles III was ushered to the ferry’s pilothouse as the Manhattan-bound ship crossed the New York Harbor on Tuesday escorted by police boats. A fireboat greeted the ferry with a water display just before docking, according to silive.com.

The ferry trip came after the princess was given a tour of Staten Island’s National Lighthouse Museum. The visit included an unveiling of a miniature figurine of Needles Lighthouse, in the Isle of Wight, in memory of her parents.

Princess Anne is the only daughter Queen Elizabeth II, who died last month.

The princess attended a luncheon in Manhattan after the ferry trip and praised the lighthouse museum in a speech.

“The lighthouse still has a really important part to play,” she said. “The story that goes with lighthouses and how we got here is just as important, and (the) museum has made an astonishing impact in telling that story.”



Tiny Caribbean Territory Offers Cash, Plane Tickets and a Hotel Stay to Fight Brain Drain

An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)
An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)
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Tiny Caribbean Territory Offers Cash, Plane Tickets and a Hotel Stay to Fight Brain Drain

An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)
An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)

The Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten is offering cash, plane tickets and an extended hotel stay to attract professionals and students back home.

Prime Minister Luc Mercelina announced this week that married couples would get $2,000 and single people $1,100 for a relocation allowance, as well as economy-class plane tickets, a six-week stay at a hotel and large containers to transport their belongings.

Families also would get $140 per child, he said Wednesday evening.

Mercelina also said the government would offer a salary adjustment allowance in certain cases and help cover a portion of student loans for those who move back to the territory.

The offers aim to reduce a shortage of skilled professionals on St. Maarten, a territory of some 46,000 people with a net migration rate of 5.7 migrants per 1,000 persons, ranking 16th worldwide.