KINGSTON, Jamaica - Former Member of Parliament for Eastern Portland Headley Samuel 'Sam' Lawrence died suddenly yesterday morning, only hours after he made his final trek to the all-important function of his beloved People's National Party (PNP) - a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC).
Lawrence, who was in his 70s, died after he fell ill and was rushed to the Port Antonio Hospital in the parish he has called home for many years.
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC – Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor continued his public spat with Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas by publicly opposing his decision to dismiss senior government minister Dr. Timothy Harris over the weekend.
In a statement, Condor, who has sided with Harris on opposition a number of government measures and policies in the past, said he found “no justification in the reasons postulated by the Hon. Prime Minister for the dismissal of Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris”.
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – The main opposition New National Party (NNP) is likely to win the February 19 general elections with more seats than it had before it was swept out of power in 2008, according to a new opinion poll published here on Monday.
The poll by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Research Services Inc (CADRES) predicts that the NNP, which lost the 2008 election by an 11-4 margin, is benefitting from an 11 per cent swing away from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The latest of studies commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have underscored the serious negative impact that crime and violence are having on economies of the Caribbean at a time when economic growth with job-creation continues to be elusive for a number of CARICOM states.
Not just the IDB, but also the World Bank and our own Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) have been pointing to the challenges facing this region.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government says it is close to finalising negotiations for the long-awaited Stand By Agreement (SBA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the ruling People's National Party (PNP's) met on Sunday and afterwards PNP chairman, Robert Pickersgill, told reporters that it will not be business as usual as the country prepares to enter into a new agreement .
Pickersgill said that Finance Minister Dr. Peter Phillips had briefed the NEC on the state of the negotiations.
NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Bahamians voted overwhelming in a national referendum on Monday to reject proposals legalising web-shop gambling and a national lottery. Preliminary results showed that by a margin of almost two to one, the voters in this Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country voted “No” to the questions on “Do you support the regulation and taxation of web shop gaming and Do you support the establishment of a National Lottery? "This is a victory for the church," said Dr. Ranford Patterson of the Bahamas Christian Council.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The Government of Barbados expressed its gratitude to Canada for implementing the Caribbean Leadership Project.
The first part of that project, the Leadership Development Programme, was launched yesterday at the Cave Hill School of Business.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Martin Cox, took the opportunity to convey this Government’s appreciation to Canada for supporting the seven-year, twenty million dollar Canadian funded initiative.