WASHINGTON, CMC - The World Bank says Grenada has advanced towards fiscal governance and investment promotion and that it is also seeking to modernise several areas of its operations as part of a project to enhance fiscal governance and promote investment.
The Washington-based financial institution said the new Keith Mitchell administration developed capacity in the conformity assessment for exported goods, noting that customs procedures have became automated and cargo clearance time has “significantly reduced from days to hours”.
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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - According to the Minister of Finance, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is being viewed as a challenge that must be overcome.
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Haiti welcomed delegates to the Fifth Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) with Foreign Minister Pierre Richard Casimir, indicating that the event is essential in strengthening regional cooperation. Several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are being represented at the summit that is being held under the theme “Revitalizing the Vision of the Association of Caribbean States for a Stronger and More United Greater Caribbean” and ends on Friday.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - DECLARING THAT Jamaica is by no means satisfied with how the free movement of nationals across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region is being facilitated, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade AJ Nicholson has announced that the Government is gearing up to take the matter to the highest level of the CARICOM secretariat for discussions. Nicholson, who was addressing the Rotary Club of St Andrew meeting on Tuesday.
SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) — An eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed near Bangladesh's capital Wednesday morning, killing at least 87 people and trapping many more in a jumbled mess of shattered concrete and bricks, officials said. The collapse stirred memories of a fatal fire at a garment factory in November that killed 112 people and raised an outcry about safety in the nation's $20 billion-a-year textile industry, which produces clothing for global fashion brands worn around the world.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - PARTICIPANTS in the ill-fated Boston Marathon could not have known or anticipated that a fatal bombing awaited them at the finish line. This incident again raises the ugly spectre of terrorism, which knows no bounds. We have previously said that although we are not in the line of fire, the Caribbean is not entirely immune from such horror. We need to pay particular attention to national security, particularly the drug trade that engulfs us so much that the focus is on establishing special drug courts.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - When you're talking about rum, how much does the Caribbean really matter? For the rum world, it's a more serious question than it sounds, and the answer exposes a schism in the industry, a divide between massive producers who value uniformity in a global market and smaller players and connoisseurs who prefer nuanced production that reflects the time and place a rum is made. A walk down the rum aisle of a liquor store sees this played out.
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Grenada says it will use funds provided by the World Bank to facilitate the liberalisation of its electricity sector as part of an initiative being undertaken by other countries within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Public Utilities Minister Gregory Bowen told Parliament that EC$1.4 million (One EC dollar = US$0.37 cents) from the World Bank would be used to facilitate the process.
NEW YORK – Children are every country’s most vital resource. This is true not just morally, but also economically. Investing in the health, education, and skills of children offers the highest economic returns to a country. A new study by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) shows which high-income countries are doing well when it comes to making these investments – and which are doing poorly. The report, ‘Child Well-Being in Rich Countries’ takes a holistic view of the conditions of children in the United States, Canada, and Europe – 29 countries in all.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados government says the recent arrest of two people involved in a human trafficking ring is proof that the island is making strides in addressing the issue.
Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite said the arrests and rescue five people between the ages of 17 and 21 were also a signal that the work of the committee established to deal with human trafficking was paying off.
“I was very happy to read the newspaper article,” he said, as he addressed the 27th Annual General Meeting of the Soroptimist International of Jamestown.