GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Stabroek News - The hue and cry that has greeted President Obama’s proposals to impose commonsense limits on his country’s multi-billion dollar firearms industry is a reminder of how entrenched the gun lobby has become in American politics.
SAO PAULO, (Reuters) – The U.S. government is shipping emergency medical supplies to Brazil to treat survivors of a deadly nightclub fire who are suffering from exposure to cyanide gas released in the blaze, the Brazilian health ministry said yesterday. Officials say 119 people remain hospitalized after Sunday’s fire at the Kiss nightclub in southern Brazil that killed 236. Brazilian doctors have said cyanide was among the toxic chemicals produced when fire consumed the soundproofing foam on the club’s ceiling, contributing to the high number of fatalities.
(Trinidad Guardian) The T&T Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) yesterday maintained its objection to giving free airtime to government programmes. President of the TTPBA Kiran Maharaj raised objections during yesterday’s meeting with Communications Minister Jamal Mohammed at his Nicholas Towers office. Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal also attended the meeting, a follow-up to one in October last year. Government is seeking one hour per day of free airtime for its programming, but media owners claim the Government is seeking to dictate the content on the airwaves.
The chilling wail of anguish by parents who have to bury their children is getting louder as criminals seem to set their sights on the island’s defenceless youth. Just over a month into the New Year and, already, The Gleaner has reported at least four children being murdered. Added to the already-long list of children victims are four-year-old Rushaun Burford and 14-year-old Shariefa Saddler, who were killed in the Corporate Area in less than 24 hours last week.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Advocate - LATER this week the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will be having its say on the way regional economies performed in 2012. It is an occasion which many in the region looks forward to since the reports on regional economies allow analysts and other stakeholders to see just how good/bad these islands have been doing in what remains a brutal global crisis. One important consideration expected from the review later this week is what the Bank has been doing to improve its position following the downgrade by one of the international rating agencies.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Advocate - Prime Minister Freundel Stuart is giving the private sector the assurance that Government has listened to their concerns about the impact that some new pieces of legislation could have on their businesses. His comments came last week while addressing a wide cross section of the business community at a luncheon hosted by the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Stuart told the packed room at the Hilton Barbados Hotel that their concerns have not fallen on deaf ears and that his Government will continue to show sensitivity to their needs.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC - Following the submission by the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) on their choice for President , Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is scheduled to meet with Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley on Monday morning for last-minute discussions on the matter. The PNM has selected Justice Rolston Nelson of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as their person to be considered to for the post of President.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The coalition People’s Partnership government has filed a suit against former Miss Universe, Wendy Fitzwilliam alleging that she failed to properly advise the directors of a state-owned company on whether to enter into a TT$30 million (One TT dollar = US$0.16 cents) investment in 2005 with the China-based Bamboo Network Ltd (BNL).
NEW YORK, CMC – A New York state legislature is seeking to expand college aid for young people from the Caribbean and other countries. The State’s Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has joined with his counterpart, Francisco Moya, and the State’s Higher Education Committee Chair, Deborah J. Glick, in introducing the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The bill, if it becomes law, would provide educational support for tens of thousands Caribbean and other immigrant youth.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The main opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has launched its campaign for the February 21 general elections promising voters strong leadership to deal with the island’s socio-economic problems over the next five years. BLP leader and former prime minister Owen Arthur Saturday night told party faithful that he was offering “a leadership that has been tried, leadership that has been tested and leadership that has been proven”.