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ACP’s sugar plea for EU to avoid a crisis

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - A MONTH from this week, Heads of Government of CARICOM will be meeting in Port of Spain for their regular annual summit. They will have much to reflect on – the just concluded rounds of informal meetings in Trinidad and Tobago with United States’ Vice-President Joseph Biden and China’s President Xi Jingping. The final agenda for the summit is yet to be settled, but immediate pressing issues requiring serious decisions for action would include regional air transportation and the future of the region’s sugar trade with the European Union (EU).

Regional leaders urged to back loan for LIAT

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders are being urged to support a loan application by the regional airline, LIAT, for funds to undertake a re-fleeting exercise so as to sustain its operations and improve services.
A CARICOM Secretariat statement said that regional transport ministers who met in St. Vincent and the Grenadines last week, have agreed to put forward to the regional leaders a proposal that they support the LIAT loan application to the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

CARICOM SG welcomes ruling on CCJ in St. Lucia

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC - Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Irwin LaRocque has welcomed the ruling by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal that St. Lucia does not require to stage a referendum before it joins the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

Repercussions of the Colorado ‘experiment’

ST JOHN’S, Antigua - Marijuana has always been on the banned list of drugs. It has been in use for thousands of years. In Jamaica, it is known as ganja, and its cultivation and use have been forbidden by law. Associated with the ganja, is the chillum pipe that is used for filtering the smoke through water. Here in Antigua & Barbuda, as in the United States of America, the cultivation and use of ganja are forbidden by law. It is expected that in a democracy, there would be arguments presented that would embrace the medical use of the plant.

New salary increases for public workers

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – The Grenada government says it has started paying public workers salary increases five years after their last hike in wages. The Keith Mitchell government, which came to office in February, complaining of a high national debt and urging the population to help turn around a sluggish economy, said that the new salaries went into effect from the end of last month.

Antigua pleased with its role in reaching agreement on two human rights conventions

WASHINGTON, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda says it is pleased with the role it played in the conclusion of the negotiations for two draft conventions dealing with racism and discrimination which will be adopted by the Organization of American States (OAS) in Guatemala this week. Antigua and Barbuda diplomat, Joy-Dee Davis Lake, chaired the Working Group that concluded negotiations on the draft Inter American Convention on Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance and a draft Inter American Convention Against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance. “Mr.

Still a priority

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The head of one of the United Nations agencies is concerned about the length of time it takes for cases of gender-based violence, including sexual assault of children, to be heard in the court system. Christine Arab, who recently took up the post as Representative of UN Women Multi-Country Office of the Caribbean, made the comments during a wide-ranging exclusive interview with The Barbados Advocate recently. She noted that across the Caribbean, efforts have to be made to expedite these cases in order to bring about a measure of closure for the victims.

Police Commissioner warns drug traffickers

CASTRIES, St.Lucia, CMC - The annual exercises between law enforcement in the Caribbean and US military ended here on the week end with a stern warning to drug traffickers from St.Lucia's Police Commissioner, Vernon Francois. "St.Lucia is no safe haven for your drug activities," Francois said while addressing the closing ceremony of the week long "Tradewinds" exercise.

CAL issues ‘of great concern’

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller, has said the relationship between Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) and the carrier it acquired in 2011, Air Jamaica, is a “great cause of concern for the Jamaican people”. Simpson-Miller made the comment while speaking to reporters yesterday at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, St Ann’s, in response to questions on the issue.

Bar Association rejects former PM’s stance on regional courts

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The president of the Antigua & Barbuda Bar Association (ABBA) has rejected the notion by former Prime Minister Lester Bird that Caribbean courts appear to be leaning towards political leaders. Speaking on OBSERVER media’s Big Issues programme on Sunday, Arthur Thomas decried the ex-PM’s belief and defended what he purports to be the integrity of local, as well as regional courts.

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