GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Stabroek News - Last week the Canadian Foreign Minister, John Baird, made a diplomatic foray into Latin America, in a follow-up to, or probably reassessment of, Canada-Latin American relations since Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the area in 2007. As part of Latin America, or the Americas as they are sometimes referred to in North America, Baird took in two countries that are part of the Cariforum system, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, in both of which Canada has maintained a substantial interest.
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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A pastor with the Seventh Day Adventist Church is claiming that Latin American assassins are operating in Trinidad and Tobago and called for an all out war on crime. “We have Latin American assassins in this country. We have Colombians in this society, hired by the godfathers who have the art of slicing heads and legs, training secondary school students to do the same thing in this society,” Pastor Clive Dottin said at the funeral for police sergeant Hayden Manwaring, who was shot and killed by bandits last week.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony will address the nation on Wednesday as public workers stayed away from their jobs for a second consecutive day “resting and recuperating.” The Trade Union Federation (TUF) is seeking a 9.5 per cent wage increase for the workers, including teachers, but the government has said it could only afford a four per cent salary hike for the 2010-12 triennium.
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC –Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace says he has instructed his lawyers to demand an apology from Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves over statements he made on a radio programme earlier this month. Eustace, speaking on radio here, said that his attorneys were also instructed to file a law suit seeking damages if Prime Minister Gonsalves, an attorney, refuses to apologise. The announcement by Eustace is the latest salvo in the ongoing controversy regarding allegations of bribery involving foreign investor Dave Ames.
WASHINGTON, CMC - Jamaica’s Minister of National Security, Peter Bunting, says crime has severely affected his country’s economic growth. Delivering the third lecture in the “Jamaica 50 lecture” series under the theme, “National Security in Jamaica since Independence” at the Silver Spring Civic Center, Bunting said crime has affected Jamaica’s competiveness, “as we have been falling in terms of the world economic forum competitiveness index, and it affects investor confidence”.
ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says he has had an “excellent” meeting with officials in Morocco and that Dominica would benefit in the tourism and education sectors. “We had an excellent meeting in Morocco. During my meetings there, I had an opportunity to review our relationship with Morocco,” Skerrit said. Dominica established diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2010 and as part of a technical cooperation agreement; Morocco is involved in the construction of a 58 room hotel in Portsmouth, north of here.
ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says he wants his regional colleagues in 2013 to adopt a new approach and seek to address present day issues confronting the region. Skerrit is also warning there is no quick fix to the current economic challenges being faced by small island states including his own. “I think at the CARICOM level we have to spend more time looking at the economies and talking about the struggle of the people. The CARICOM agenda sometimes is too fixed. It has to be flexible and able to address the ongoing issues.”
NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC - National Security Minister Bernard J. Nottage says five Cuban nationals have been arrested after they were found on board a 40 foot vessel fishing in Bahamian waters. “This is the first arrest of a Cuban vessel in Bahamian waters since the signing of the Maritime Delimitation Agreement with Cuba in October 2011 and the enactment of regulations against shark fishing in July, 2011as per the Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) Act,” Nottage said.
NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC- Law enforcement officials say they have apprehended nearly 100 illegal Haitian immigrants after landing at Landrail Point in Crooked Island. Police said that they have so far detained 92 people and “along with residents are continuing their search for the remaining immigrants”. The police did not say how many others were had entered Crooked island illegally after the “Haitian sloop” landed at Landrail Point late on Tuesday.
NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – The Bahamas government says it will not increase taxes despite inheriting nearly US$100 million in unpaid bills by the previous government. Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Michael Halkitis, speaking during the debate on the 2012/2013 Mid-Year Budget Statement on the six months ending December 31, 2012, said the unpaid bills include more than US$63 million in unpaid cheques and US$23 million in expenses from the 52 weeks jobs programme.