Barbados

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The Estimates debate has taken pride of place during this week as the Lower House has debated the economy against the backdrop of the Minister of Finance’s presentation to the House. Perhaps the most important development has been the announcement by the Finance Minister that a stimulus of $600 million will be adopted as part of the Government’s plan to get the economy jump started.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - ECONOMIC MADNESS!
That’s how economics Professor Michael Howard has described Government’s proposed $600 million economic stimulus, warning that the country simply cannot afford it.
And he has suggested that given the “weakness of our productive sectors, our large fiscal deficit, our sluggish tax receipts and our downgrade to junk status”, a policy of austerity and expenditure reduction was the better option.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC -A police officer accused of conducting a cavity search on Jamaican Shanique Myrie vehemently denied the allegation as she took the stand before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Thursday.
As the Barbados leg of the case wrapped up after four days of testimony, Constable Sirphene Carrington, an officer of the Royal Barbados Police Force with more than 10 years experience also insisted that she did not make any derogatory remarks or searched the luggage of the Jamaican national who was denied entry into the island on March 14, 2011.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - THE CARIBBEAN’S PREOCCUPATION with “leisure, pleasure and nice time” is hampering its productivity and progression, says Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
Addressing the Caribbean Export Development Agency’s Exporters’ Colloquium at Hilton Barbados on Wednesday, he said people in the region were limiting themselves by not working hard enough and smart enough.
He noted that problems of labour and management productivity existed across a range of sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing and tourism.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Shanique Myrie was actually cleared to enter Barbados when she first arrived in the country two years ago.
But that clearance was cancelled moments later, after it was determined by Immigration Department officials at the Grantley Adams International Airport that the Jamaican woman had misrepresented information regarding who would be her host during her proposed 15-day stay in Barbados.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados Foreign Affairs Minister Maxine McLean Wednesday urged Caribbean governments to capitalise on opportunities to work together to chart a path towards regional economic development.
Addressing the two-day colloquium hosted by the Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) McLean highlighted the importance of trade to counteract “perceived weaknesses” across the region.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – A veteran immigration official Wednesday denied that Barbados had been treating Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals harshly in contravention of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) that allows for the free movement of people across the region.
Senior Immigration Officer Merlo Reid told the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) that passengers entering Barbados have to satisfy immigration requirements which include the possession of a return ticket, adequate funds and reasonable accommodation.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves Wednesday warned that crime and difficulties surrounding regional air transportation were major stumbling blocks towards making greater progress in regional trade.  Addressing the two-day colloquium hosted by the Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) Gonsalves said  high crime levels in several countries were not only a deterrent for tourists but also a disincentive for potential investors.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Last Friday was the second anniversary of the uprising in Syria and is a brutal reminder of the impotence the entire world has shown in resolving a conflict that has wrought destruction on one of the Arab world’s leading countries. It is reported that about one million Syrians are displaced, while 1.5 million refugees have streamed across the country’s borders in search of safe haven. Even the figure of 80 000 people killed probably understates the magnitude of the calamity, as thousands remain missing and/or suffering debilitating injuries.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – A three-day workshop aimed at creating a regional strategy to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity began here Tuesday amid concerns over the high levels of mortality rates for post neonatal infants and children under the age of five.
Health officials said that while Latin America and the Caribbean had made “great strides” in reducing the mortality rates for people within that age group, neonatal mortality figures have not fallen at the same pace.