News

Panama City -- When Ernesto Argüello, a Honduran civil engineer, was 12 years old, he worked for his father for a month and used all his earnings to buy a pair of fancy sneakers on a family vacation trip. He was surprised his money didn’t buy more, but his father told him that some of the people he worked with had to support their families on the same wage. For Argüello, it was a transformative experience.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is providing Haiti with US$7.4 million after completing a review of the country’s performance under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) earlier this month. The IMF said that the disbursement brings the total disbursements under the programme to date to US$54.1 million.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Some Bds$100 million will soon be made available to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean through an investment project funded by the European Union, in co-operation with a number of development banks. The Caribbean Investment Facility (CIF), which is due to be launched next week, will provide seed money to the Caribbean region of the ACP (Africa-Caribbean-Pacific) countries.

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is calling on Caribbean countries to establish a regional reparations committee, pledging to spend the rest of his life seeking compensation from the British for land, genocide against the Garifuna, and slavery. Prime Minister Gonsalves said Cabinet will soon name its reparations committee “But we want to see not only a reparations committee for St. Vincent but we want to see a Caribbean wide reparations committee involving other Caribbean countries.

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, CMC - Britain’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague has taken Dr.Rufus Ewing - the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands to task following a recent speech to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Wednesday confirmed that four officers who sued Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best for allegedly refusing to pay them a one-month bonus, have been relieved of their duties with immediate effect.

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Health authorities here have announced a voluntary recall of Loratadine Syrup which is manufactured in India. A statement from the Ministry of Health said that the syrup is manufactured by Health 2000 Inc. and the batch numbers are being recalled are LB-1202 and LB-1212, manufactured in May 2012 and having an expiry date of April 2015. “The syrup is being recalled due to the fact that the product appears cloudy on inspection. It should be clear when consumed.

St. John’s Antigua- Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer sent congratulatory remarks to the newly elected Pope Francis I referring to him as a “crusader” for the most vulnerable and indigent people of Latin America and the Caribbean. “As a member of the Caribbean and Latin American community your wisdom and good grace will be needed as our countries continue to promote peace and goodwill among our people and our efforts to eliminate poverty and inequality,” the Prime Minister said. Spencer said he would pray for the Pope as he seeks to carry out the work of the church in challenging times.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, barely 12 hours after his election, quietly left the Vatican early on Thursday to pray for guidance as he looks to usher a Roman Catholic Church mired in intrigue and scandal into a new age of simplicity and humility. Francis, the Argentinian cardinal who has become the first pope born outside Europe in 1,300 years, went to Rome's 5th-century Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore; there he prayed before a famed icon of Mary, the mother of Jesus, which is known as the Salus Populi Romani, or Protectress of the Roman People.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC - The Trinidad and Tobago government Wednesday congratulated Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina who has been elected the new head of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. The new Pope has chosen the new name Pope Francis I. He was ordained Cardinal by the late Pope John Paul II and is the first person from Latin America to be elected to the post..