BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - NOW THAT United States Vice-president Joseph Biden and China’s President Xi Linping have completed their respective missions to engage Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partner states – via separate meetings in Port of Spain, Trinidad – it is of relevance to raise questions on two important issues not publicly mentioned. In contrast to their various statements on trade and aid matters, CARICOM leaders were quite silent on, for instance, the current controversial issues of hemispheric and global interest as they pertain to this region’s relations with the United States.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - BARBADOS’ TOURISM SECTOR is going in the same direction as the poorly-performing sugar industry that was once a major foreign exchange earner. And while the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) and other private sector bodies have repeatedly identified the issues facing the industry and the economy, Government has been “lethargic” in responding to their concerns. This was the assessment of BHTA president Patricia Affonso-Dass yesterday when she gave her report at the association’s annual general meeting at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Former senior government minister Dr. Timothy Harris has described as “instability” the political climate in St. Kitts-Nevis and that opposition politicians will launch a fresh campaign to get the National Assembly to debate a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas. Harris, who was fired from the Douglas cabinet, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that Tuesday marks seven months since the six elected opposition legislators filed the motion against Dr. Douglas in December last year.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - ALTHOUGH there was no official response from management, it is known the West Indies are upset over the severity of the sentence placed yesterday on wicketkeeper and vice-captain Denesh Ramdin for his appeal for a spilled, tumbling catch off Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq in their opening victory in the Champions Trophy at the Oval last Friday.
Misbah was originally ruled out by standing umpire Steve Davis but his decision was overturned after square-leg umpire Nigel Llong referred to television replays that showed the ball popped out of Ramdin’s gloves.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados government says it will soon introduce legislation to facilitate renewable energy generation on the island.
“We expect, within the next few months, to have the legislation passed for independent power producers,” said Energy Minister Darcy Boyce, adding “we’ve done this in consultation with the Barbados Light and Power (BL&P) because we do have to maintain the [standard] of the grid in this country”.