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Transparency’s barometer: Caribbean under pressure?
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 than Serbia. Democracy allows aware voters to keep bad stuff in check. Transparency International last…
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Clash over CARICOM – Let’s take a break!
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 this free-trade framework. The Jamaica-T&T trade issue has been caught up…
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WI players weak in mind games
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 against India) their first two games in the tri-nation series with India…
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Opposition party urges rejection of multi-million dollar license fee
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is calling for a meeting between the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) and television broadcasters to discuss the recent decision to impose a GUY$2.5 million (One Guyana dollar = US$0.01 cent) license fee on the industry. In a statement, APNU said that it was also urging broadcasters to…
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Senior government minister deplores attacks on gays, lesbians and homosexuals
BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – A senior government minister has written a public essay expressing grave concerns about what she perceives could be the promotion of hate crimes against gay men and women in Belize. Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development Minister Lisel Alamilla posted the short essay on her Facebook page, prefacing her missive by stating that “I do not oppose…
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Government clears “false and misleading” statements on Electronic Crime Bill
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – The Grenada government says it is “false and inaccurate” to state that it had approved into law legislation that provides for criminal charges to be brought against anyone sending offensive messages over the internet. In a statement, the Keith Mitchell government said that it wanted to “clarify misleading comments from the Vienna based International Press…
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FAO to hire Vincentian to improve cooperation with OECS
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will hire a Vincentian to work with them to improve cooperation with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, made the announcement on Wednesday following a meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves. During a joint press conference on Wednesday, da Silva, who…
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Haiti’s president expected at NAACP convention
ORLANDO, Fla. — Haiti's president is expected to attend the NAACP's national convention in Florida. The nation's oldest civil rights organization will mark the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers at the convention in Orlando. The convention opens Saturday and continues through Wednesday.
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Haiti decrees new law to protect mangrove forests
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Haiti has banned the construction, fishing and hunting in mangrove forests in a move seen as protecting the country’s endangered mangrove forests. A government statement said that people will also be forbidden from cutting, selling or otherwise making use of the trees. The decree approved by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday could affect…
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