LONDON, CMC – A new report has said that scrapping the controversial Air Passenger Duty (APD) could generate 60,000 jobs by 2020. The report commissioned by four airlines, British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic, is also expected to boost gross domestic product (GDP) by almost one per cent. The APD, instituted in 1994, is a British environmental tax aimed at offsetting aviation’s carbon footprint. In its initial stage, it was set at £5 (US$7.85) per person.

CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat will be convening a Training Workshop on Implementation of Prevention Strategies and Actions to address Youth Gangs and Violence from Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 February 2013.

The workshop will be staged at the Grand Coastal Inn, Guyana with an Opening Ceremony at 9 a.m and is part of the joint programme of work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which focusses on Citizen Safety and Security.

Miami Herald - While the global financial meltdown appears to slowly be on the mend, Caribbean economies still face significant challenges. As Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller addressed her heavily indebted nation last month, the Caribbean leader reminded Jamaicans of her steadfast determination to not just balance the books but also people’s lives. But with one of the world’s highest relative public debt burdens, the country that some are calling the Greece of the Caribbean could soon find that taking care of its most vulnerable is an obligation it cannot afford.

Miami Herald - The International Crisis Group, which monitors conflicts around the world, is calling it quits in Haiti — sort of. The non-governmental organization is the latest to shut its Port-au-Prince office — but not before issuing some parting words As Haitians prepare to celebrate the annual pre-Lenten Carnival season this month, an international anti-conflict group is warning that there is little cause for optimism and without a national accord, the country risks ongoing crises.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Guardian - Former Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) president Michael de la Bastide does not believe there’s any fixation in T&T with retaining British QCs. Rather, it’s a provision in local law that enables a lawyer from a Commonwealth country to practise here that makes people bring them, said de la Bastide, also a former Chief Justice. Dismissing the cost, which he said he could not give, he said the law makes provision for a minister, after consultation with the Chief Justice, to make an order for lawyers from England to be retained for a case.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Express - FOR many, Carnival is a time to 'free up', but it is also a high-risk period for transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, yet there has been a dismal lack of HIV prevention programmes especially during this time of the year, laments founder and project coordinator of RED Initiatives, O'Leo Lokai. "Prevention is better than cure, not only should there be ongoing HIV prevention throughout the year, but given that the Carnival season is also a high risk season, the focus should be on prevention and behaviour change programmes.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Express - AS the race for the presidential election heats up, a new contender is being considered—Independent Senator Subhas Ramkhelawan. However, Justice Anthony Carmona is tipped to be leading the lot which includes Justice Amrika Tiwary-Reddy and House Speaker Wade Mark. The Express understands that Carmona is considered the best choice by most Government members and has majority support.

MONTEGO BAY, St James, Jamaica Observer — Minister of National Security Peter Bunting says he is fearful that Jamaica’s image will be further tainted overseas after the airing of a 60 Minutes documentary on the lottery scam, now being produced by Dan Rather, a former CBS news anchor. “Now this is one of the best-known names in television journalism and the reason they were drawn to come to Jamaica is not a positive one. He and his camera crew did not come here and ask to see some of the nice resort areas such as Doctor's Cave Beach...

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner — The Antigua and Barbuda government says it is seeking support from opposition legislators as it seeks to resolve its long standing gaming dispute with the United States. Finance and Economy Minister Harold Lovell said both sides in Parliament had a stake in the matter as one side brought the matter to the WTO while the other took it to successful conclusion.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Observer — JAMAICA'S top diplomat in the United States, Ambassador Stephen Vasciannie, has pointed out that his island's refugee policy incorporates reference to international human rights standards and provides a good framework for the treatment of asylum seekers. "It also provides a model that could be used in some other Caricom states," Ambassador Vasciannie said in his presentation to an international refugee law course staged by the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC recently.