BLUEFIELDS BAY, Jamaica - YOUNG fish leap in the wake of a warden’s patrol boat as it motors through waters off Jamaica’s southwest coast that are a brilliant palette of blues. Beneath the surface, reefs bristle with spiny lobsters, and rainbowcoloured parrotfish graze on algae and seawe...

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - SOME of the comments made following the passage of Tropical Storm Chantal were disturbing, to say the least. That system, which passed about 45 miles north of Barbados last Tuesday, did not do any damage to the island and most Barbadians were relieved that we were spared once ...

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - When disaster hits in the Caribbean, Barbadians take pride in reaching out to help. Still, we do not seem to understand that the disasters which have left a path of destruction across the Caribbean can also happen here. Just reflect on David in Dominica in 1979, Gilbert in Jam...

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Strengthening training strategies will be the key to meeting the challenges in the labour market in the Caribbean region. This came out of the ILO American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training (ILO-CINTERFOR) meeting held in Trinidad last week, where 65 voca...

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Venezuela, now in international headlines as a likely asylum home for US espionage fugitive Edward Snowden, is also worthy of heightened attention in bilateral relations with Trinidad and Tobago. As he registered his presence in T&T during this month’s CARICOM tal...

KINGSTON, Jamaica - SINCE 2005 when the late president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez introduced the PetroCaribe initiative, several Caribbean governments have enjoyed a vital lifeline. But the time may have come to review the scope and expectations of the PetroCaribe relationship in the interest of the b...

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Corruption: it’s the big story in the Caribbean. Only here? In one view, it’s a universal problem; we should pay up quietly, tolerate a world of overpriced contracts, runaway crime and substandard services. In another, it’s controllable. Sweden is cleaner ...

KINGSTON, Jamaica - The following is an edited version of a speech delivered to the Lions Club of Kingston recently. Many Jamaicans are still uncertain as to the net benefits of our membership of CARICOM. The primary concern has been our trading relations with Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) within t...

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - On yet another occasion, the mental brittleness of West Indian cricketers, the batsmen in particular, has been demonstrated as the major weakness in the team performing consistently at a high level. After winning (even though they tried desperately to lose their first game ...

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua - A recent run-in with a member of the Stanford Victims Coalition was an eye-opener for us. While we were not surprised by the absolute disdain that was being demonstrated toward Mr Stanford, we were surprised by the disgust pointed towards Antigua & Barbuda. It is clea...