PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - A NATIONAL holiday in Barbados yesterday afforded me the opportunity to reflect on a few current political developments of relevance as T&T prepares for Carnival 2013 and loses no sweat over domestic party politicking; after all, it's the official season for fun and frolic. First, the understandable jubilation by Tobagonians over achieving a stunning, historic clean sweep of the 12 seats in the People's National Movement-controlled Tobago House of Assembly that the incumbent has dominated for a dozen years.
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CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Police Commissioner Vernon Francois is calling on Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries to implement measures, including the CARICOM Warrant Arrest treaty, which will ensure criminals are brought to justice. Francois said the introduction of the treaty has become imperative given the widespread increase in organised crime across the regional community. "With the increase in criminal activity we are seeing within the community and the ubiquitous nature of organised crime, the full implementation of the pact will help bring criminals to justice," he said.
This is the third cabinet change in President Michel Martelly’s 20 month presidency, and it comes after months of speculation about the stability of his government. For the second time in five months, Haiti’s government has reshuffled the cabinet, ending months of rumors about who would survive growing political intrigue. Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, who remains in his post as minister of planning and external cooperation, announced the pending shakeup via Twitter on Tuesday afternoon in French.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Rescue teams have recovered one body and are continuing their search for eight other people after two boats with at least 20 people on board collided in the Mazuruni River, Essequibo late on Tuesday. A government statement said that members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) had joined the Coast Guard and Infantry troops in searching the river following the accident that occurred at Crab Falls, 25 miles from Bartica.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — One of Hugo Chavez's brothers says the Venezuelan president is expected to return home from Cuba in the coming days as he continues to recover nearly six weeks after undergoing cancer surgery.
Argenis Chavez is one of the president's five brothers and the president of the National Electric Corporation.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - The world has not yet escaped the risk of a collapse in the global economy despite some renewed confidence heading into 2013, the founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF) told The Associated Press on Monday.
Swiss economist Klaus Schwab, speaking on the eve of the elite annual gathering in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos, called for the business and government leaders heading there to focus on "cautious realism" and a recovering public trust to avoid another major financial crisis.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar says she has “no quarrel” with the Integrity Commission after it wrote President George Maxwell Richards seeking its support following open criticism from the head of the coalition government in Trinidad and Tobago.
In a statement, the Commission made reference to remarks by Prime Minister Persad Bissessar that it had “an appearance of bias” as she campaigned on behalf of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) during the just concluded Tobago House of assembly (THA) elections.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has cautioned public service unions here that if common ground cannot be met in on-going negotiations, his administration would have no option but to consider taking the matter to arbitration.
Two weeks after the parties returned to the negotiating table, they remain at odds over the wage increases for the period 2010-13, despite both sides indicating they wished to settle the matter as soon as possible.
BRADES, Montserrat, CMC – Officials from the Britain’s Department for International Development (DFOD) will on Thursday begin a review of Montserrat’s national budget, according to an official statement issued here.
It said that the review “will look at the projections for expenditure and revenue for the government in the coming financial year which begins in April” adding “it is also expected that the teams will review the variations in revenue and spending for the 2012/2013 against the budget estimated and the impact of external developments”.
NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – The Bahamas government says it has launched an investigation into an oil spill incident over the weekend even as Environment Minister Kenred Dorsett said that the spill had been contained.
Dorsett said that more than 200 gallons of fuel had been released into the sea at the Freeport Harbour due to an incident involving an overflow of light diesel from the bunker barge, “Smit Inesita” to the Mt “Butterfly”.