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| Denzil Douglas was due to be sworn in on Wednesday |
PM appeals for healing
The re-elected Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis Denzil Douglas has extended the “hand of friendship” to the opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM).
The Labour Party of Dr Douglas gained six of the 11 seats in Monday’s election, which followed a bruising campaign that was fought not only on the hustings but in the courts.
And the legal challenges are not over.
A spokesman for PAM leader Lindsay Grant says his party will challenge some results, including his narrow failure to win a seat.
In a national address, Prime Minister Douglas also called for national healing.
Dominica prepares
Dominica reports having had a series of tremors on Sunday caused by an earthquake which shook parts of the Leeward Islands and the French Islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Acting Disaster Preparedness Coordinator Don Corriette says there are ongoing efforts to prepare the public for large scale natural disasters including volcanic and earthquake events.
The authorities in Roseau are also setting up GPS instruments and new seismic stations to help gather new information on earthquakes and volcanic data in the north and south of the country.
Dominica has four active volcanoes and is known for its hot water and sulphur springs which are volcanic related activities.
Panday not giving up
The new leader of Trinidad and Tobago’s United National Congress, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, may have a fight on her hands to become the country’s parliamentary opposition leader.
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| Mr Panday not quite ready to give up |
The man she defeated in the UNC internal elections, former prime minister Basdeo Panday, has indicated that he doesn’t intend to voluntarily give up the opposition leader’s position.
Mr Panday currently has support from at least 11 of the 15 opposition MPs.
Basdeo Panday has said he is not willing to step aside, and that the decision will have to be made by the UNC parliamentarians.
Labourites celebrate
The St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party has been savouring its historic fourth consecutive general election victory, with thousands of supporters celebrating in the streets of the capital, Basseterre.
The party, led by Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, returned to power with a slightly reduced majority.
It has six of the eight seats allocated to St Kitts in the Federal Parliament.
The main opposition in St Kitts, the People’s Action Movement, picked up an additional seat — it now has two.
In the remaining three on Nevis, the Concerned Citizens Movement has two seats and the Nevis Reformation Party has one.
Bid to stop counterfeit gold trade
The authorities in Guyana are taking new steps in an attempt to stop the smuggling of gold.
The government has announced plans to recruit 200 employees at the country’s Gold Board to better monitor mining activities.
The law demands that all of the gold produced in the country must be declared to the authorities and sold to the board.
However, reliable estimates indicate that only about 50% of the gold produced goes through this process, according to President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Mining, especially gold mining, is Guyana’s third largest earner of foreign exchange.
Inflation rise blamed on government
The Opposition leader in St Vincent and the Grenadines has given a negative rating to the country’s economy.
In his contribution to the parliamentary debate on the national budget in Parliament, Arnhim Eustace said the multi-island nation had now experienced two consecutive years of falling output.
He said the world economic recession alone could not be blamed.
For example, he said local tax policies were to blame for St Vincent recording the highest rate of inflation in the Eastern Caribbean sub-region.
Back in charge
Prime Minister Denzil Douglas was on Wednesday formally back in charge of St Kitts and Nevis, after taking the oath of office.
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| PM Douglas has a message for public servants |
Prime Minister Douglas at the swearing-in ceremony challenged the country’s public servants to work diligently in the interest of the country.
His St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party won six of the eight St Kitts parliamentary seats in Monday’s general election, with the People’s Action Movement taking the other two.
In Nevis the Concerned Citizens Movement held on to its two seats.
The Nevis Reformation Party also kept its one seat.
PAM going to court
The opposition Peoples Action Movement (PAM) in St Kitts and Nevis says it intends challenging the outcome of Monday’s general election in which Prime Minister Douglas’ Labour Party retained power with a slightly reduced majority.
Labour won six of the eight seats on St Kitts with the other two going to PAM.
PAM leader Lindsay Grant lost by a mere 29 votes, and that’s one of two results that officials of the party say they’ll challenge in the high court.
Party chairman Cheslie Hamilton alleges that there were a number of irregularities that PAM wants addressed.
A warning to illegals
The Bahamian government is clamping down on illegal immigrants in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti and is warning those hoping to start a new life in the Bahamas not to try and enter that country illegally.
Immigration patrols in the territory have reported a surge in the number of vessels carrying illegals attempting to enter the Bahamas.
A group of Haitians was on Tuesday charged and detained after being found guilty of entering the Bahamas illegally on Monday.
In Nassau, there are widespread fears of an influx of Haitians into the Bahamas following the quake which has left up to a million people destitute.
Caricom soldiers for Haiti
Caribbean defence forces are discussing the deployment of a contingent of soldiers to Haiti under the Caribbean Community (Caricom) umbrella.
So far, 150 soldiers from Jamaica, the regional disaster response focal point for that northern zone, are working alongside foreign troops under the United Nations banner.
They are assisting in relief efforts in the aftermath of the massive earthquake earlier this month.
Iran to help Guyana
Guyana is expecting to receive significant help from Iran to develop its mining and health sectors.
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| President Jagdeo expecting help from Iran |
President Bharrat Jagdeo made that announcement following his visit to a number of middle eastern countries which included Iran.
President Jagdeo says it was agreed during his visit to Tehran that an Iranian grant of US$1.5 million will be used to erect a building where young Guyanese doctors can be further trained.
Iran will supply the teachers for the new institution.
IMF wants Air Jamaica sold
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reportedly told the Bruce Golding administration that it has until Friday to finalise plans to deal with Air Jamaica, or risk a further delay in its bid to cement a US$1.25 billion stand-by arrangement with the Fund.
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| Air Jamaica said to be holding up IMF deal |
The Jamaica Gleaner reports that while the IMF executive board was scheduled to consider the island’s request next week, it expects that by Friday the Government would provide it with information on what it will do with the loss making Air Jamaica.
The government plans to sell the airline to Trinidad’s Caribbean Airlines, proposals which have angered many Jamaicans.
Panday won’t challenge results
Basdeo Panday, who for two decades led what is now the main opposition party in Trinidad, the United National Congress (UNC), says the election to unseat him as party leader was unfair and fraudulent.
Mr Panday said he would not be officially challenging those results but would take his case to the people.
He has described new UNC leader, Kamla-Persaud Bissessar, as weak and someone who will not be able to lead the party to victory against the governing Peoples National Movement of Prime Minister Patrick Manning.
Tourism figures improving
Despite tax fears and a global credit crunch there are projections that tourism to the Caribbean will see a marked improvement after a massive decline in 2009.
Most countries in the region reported declines last year as the global economic crisis and credit crunch kept European and American visitors at home.
St Lucia’s Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet said numbers were up this year and there are talks with airline officials to arrange more flights to that country.
But the Caribbean Hotel Association says it is cautiously optimistic about an improvement for 2010.
Suspects go on trial in September
The retrial of two suspects accused of attempting to extort $25 million from the actor John Travolta, following the death of his son in the Bahamas, has been set for 6 September this year.
Ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne and former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater are accused of threatening to sell stories to the media about the death of 16 year old Jett unless they were paid $25 million.
The first trial ended in a mistrial after a lawmaker suggested the then still deliberating jury had acquitted one of the suspects.
Zelaya leaves Honduras
Honduran ex-President Manuel Zelaya arrived in the Dominican Republic Wednesday night after spending four months under siege in the Brazilian embassy.
Mr Zelaya was driven to the airport and flown to the Dominican Republic just hours after his successor Profirio Lobo was sworn into office.
Mr Lobo took over after a lengthy political crisis following the coup against Mr Zelaya in June.
Rebuilding Haiti
More than two weeks after the earthquake which killed some 200,000 people, rescue efforts are now entering a new phase.
Haitian authorities and aid teams are starting to clear up the rubble from the destroyed buildings and take stock of how to rebuild the shattered country.
The Haitian government and international officials have started drawing up a strategy to help rebuild the long-impoverished country.
Efforts have also been stepped up to provide emergency aid to the hundreds of thousands of survivors left homeless by the January 12 earthquake.
There’s been much criticism of an apparent lack of coordination providing aid to earthquake survivors.
Air Jamaica saga continues
The opposition in Jamaica says it’s not quite clear on the status of Air Jamaica and has criticised the government for making the matter “a moving target”.
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| Air Jamaica’s future is ‘ up in the air’ |
People’s National Party(PNP) spokesman on transportation, Robert Pickersgill, says the airline is critical to Jamaica’s tourism industry - and is a source of national pride.
But he also told BBC Caribbean that the conditions laid down by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the government to get out of the airline business make it an unattractive prospect.
That is a key element in negotians between the Jamaica government and the IMF for a loan of $US 1.6 billion.
At present the parties known to be interested in taking over the airline are the Trinidad and Tobago government-owned Caribbean Airlines and the Jamaica Airline Pilots Association.
Cayman Immigration
The Cayman Islands government said it is fast-tracking changes to local immigration laws to avoid an exodus of international companies and financial service jobs.
Premier McKeeva Bush has issued directives to immigration policymakers to extend the work permits of foreigners working in the crucial offshore financial sector.
He is also reducing the time that foreigners are required to remain outside the territory once their initial work permit expires.
Speaking at a business conference, Premier Bush also said the immigration changes are important for the survival of the Cayman Islands economy.
Turks and Caicos
The leader of one of the political parties in the Turks and Caicos is questioning the manner in which the territory is being managed by the British government.
Last year, the UK suspended the constitution of the overseas territory and brought it under direct rule with a resident Governor in charge.
The move followed a massive corruption scandal that implicated the then government of Michael Missick.
In an interview with BBC Caribbean, People’s Democratic Movement leader Douglas Parnell said what had started as a process to improve governance in the Turks and Caicos Islands is turning out to be a disappointment.
“Initially there was enthusiasm that the British took action, people wanted to see the back of the Misck government but that process has not played out the way people anticipated.
People thought that the British would bring in an aid package but this has not happened”, he said.
Caribbean Haiti fundraisers
Across the Caribbean this weekend, major events, parties and concerts are being held as regional efforts continue to help Haiti’s earthquake survivors.
On Saturday the cream of the crop of Barbadian artistes perform in what the organisers are describing as a massive concert and telethon to support Haiti.
About 114 entertainers, including David Rudder of Trinidad, will be involved in the ten-hour event.
In Jamaica, the country’s Football Federation and the Salvation Army are staging a help Haiti fundraiser.
At least 30 members of the Haitian Football Federation including players, referees, coaches, administration died in the earthquake.
The fate of another 20 is uncertain.
As part of the event Jamaica’s senior football team will play a friendly international against Canada.
In the Bahamas some 300 thousand dollars was raised this week and there are many songs for Haiti coming out.
Guyana’s miners’ concerns
The Guyana government is to meet with miners and the mining community in the bartica region in a bid to quell growing anger over the possible closure of the operation.
The government has announced a planned six-month overhaul of the mine.
Miners have said that they fear closure of their operations during the period and they plan to hold public protests early next week.
The proposed work is aimed at getting Bartica’s mines in line with new low carbon strategy agreements signed between Guyana and Norway.
In an attempt to head off the growing concern, Chairman of Guyana’s Land Use Committee, Robeson Benn, said the restoration period will not stop work in Guyana’s key gold mining industry.
| Barbados | |
 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (BGIS) — Investment, concessions on returning to Barbados and challenges in making philanthropic contributions were among the main issues discussed during a meeting with Prime Minister David Thompson and some 50 leaders of Barbadian organisations of the Tri-State area. read more… |
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 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (BGIS) — Key tourism decision makers and local industry partners are optimistic that Barbados will see positive recovery in 2010, since the island finished on target at the end of last year. Despite the 2009 global economic downturn, tourism was only marginally less than targeted. read more… |
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| Cuba | |
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HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) — Thousands of people were able to admire some of the services and products offered by the Cuban tourist industry exhibited in the island’s stand at the Holiday World Show recently held in Dublin, the Irish capital, and which is the major exhibition for the tourism industry in Ireland. read more…
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| Haiti | |
 NEW DELHI, India — The Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) saluted one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisors in the world for redoubling its commitment to Haiti after this month’s deadly earthquake. Responding to an announcement by Choice Hotels that it will not be pulling out of Haiti. read more… |
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 RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Bloomberg) — An investment plan to restore Haiti’s agriculture industry and secure food production will require $700 million in international aid, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said on Friday. The plan, designed by the Haitian government and supported by FAO… read more… |
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) — It will be difficult to convince Haitians to spend extra money and rebuild their quake-ravaged country with structures able to withstand another powerful earthquake, experts said Friday. Some 170,000 people were killed in the devastating January 12 quake. read more…
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 WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) — The United States is stepping up efforts to combat the potential trafficking of Haitian children separated from their families after the January 12 earthquake, the State Department said. The United States was mobilizing a coordinated effort to protect vulnerable children with UNICEF. read more… |
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 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) — Petionville’s manicured golf course, once a favorite haunt of Haiti’s elite, is now a massive tent city where tens of thousands left homeless by a devastating earthquake have taken refuge. These rolling hills once a playground to the most privileged, is now home to the most desperate. read more… |
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| Montserrat | |
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BRADES, Montserrat — Jermaine Wade, former CARICOM Youth Ambassador (now Parliamentary Secretary of Youth Affairs, Community Services and Sports in Montserrat), told the Special Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development that politicians must do more. read more…
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BRADES, Montserrat — With the distinction of being the only nation outside of Ireland to celebrate St Patrick’s Day as a national holiday, the island of Montserrat comes alive with Caribbean flair for the annual event. Showcasing a unique mix of Irish and African heritage, the week-long festival will take place from March 13-20. read more…
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| St Kitts & Nevis | |
 BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CUOPM) — The CARICOM Observer Team that monitored the general election in St Kitts and Nevis said voters were able to cast their ballots without intimidation or harassment, which augured well for the conduct of an orderly and peaceful election. The CARICOM team said that voting and counting… read more… |
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| St Lucia | |
 FORT LAUDERDALE, USA — Porthole Cruise Magazine, a leading consumer magazine, has named Saint Lucia the Best Caribbean Island for 2010. In the magazine’s Editor-In-Chief’s 2010 Awards, Saint Lucia received the number one selection, while Soufrière’s Jade Mountain was named the Best Caribbean Resort. read more… |
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| Trinidad & Tobago | |
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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — In a move to increase Trinidad and Tobago’s share of the lucrative global tourism market, the Tourism Development Company Limited on Wednesday launched a National Tourism Quality Service Improvement Programme, a three year multi-faceted programme. read more…
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| US Virgin Islands | |
 WASHINGTON, USA — A Congressional Research Service analysis of the rum excise tax cover over program, from which Puerto Rico receives about $400 million annually and the US Virgin Islands about $90 million annually, finds that proposed legislation by the Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner would be detrimental. read more… |
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| Venezuela | |
 CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) — Venezuela received two bids in the Carabobo auction of three projects in its vast Orinoco heavy crude belt, President Hugo Chavez said on Friday. “Yesterday in fact, two offers were received, two were received for three projects,” Chavez said during a speech to students. read more… |
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CARACAS, Venezuela (Bloomberg) — Gruma SAB, Mexico’s largest maker of corn flour for tortillas, fell to a three-week low after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Thursday his government will seize one of the company’s local units, Molinos Nacionales CA, the maker of Robin Hood flour. read more…
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source: bbccaribbeannews.com, caribbeannetnews.com
WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) — Earthquake-hit Haiti faces a high risk of possibly damaging aftershocks for at least 30 days and is set to suffer further tremors for months or even years to come, the US Geological Survey said Friday. The capital Port-au-Prince was hit by two fresh aftershocks on Friday. 
ROSEAU, Dominica — Officials from the Carnival Development Committee have promised an extravagant display of originality, colour and pageantry for the opening parade and official ceremony for Dominica’s carnival, ‘The Real Mas’ 2010. The opening ceremony will begin Saturday at 6:30pm. 
TOLEDO, Spain (Reuters) — Haitian citizens who arrive in the United States illegally after the January 12 earthquake will be sent home, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Friday. Although the US has said it will allow eligible Haitians living in the country to stay and work. 
WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) — The United States rejected accusations from several leftwing-ruled Latin American countries that its massive military deployment to quake-hit Haiti amounted to an “occupation.” The United States has sent one of its biggest aircraft carriers to Haiti, along with other navy and coast guard vessels. 
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Ministry of National Security are currently mapping out an operational plan to deal with a possible influx of Haitians to the island, in the wake of the recent devastating earthquake. Addressing a post-Cabinet press briefing… 
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) — Popular Inc, the parent of Banco Popular, posted a narrower fourth-quarter loss on lower loan loss provision, but said it expects adverse economic conditions to continue to hurt its earnings. Net loss applicable to common shareholders for the quarter was $213.2 million. 
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — Premier of Nevis Joseph Parry welcomed representatives of the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Electoral Observer Team late Friday, during a fact finding mission to Nevis, ahead of the Federation’s General Elections on Monday January 25, 2010. Parry said it was good to see Caricom involved. 