PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Florida-born rap artist Rick Ross packed maybe 10,000 fans into the Andre Kamperveen stadium in Paramaribo last Saturday. Bearded, bald-headed and big-bellied, he looks a bit like the prison officer he once was. He shares his name with the former drug trafficker Rick “Freeway” Ross—who once tried to sue the rapper for name-theft. His lyrics win few good-behaviour awards.
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WASHINGTON, CMC – The Peace Corps says it is phasing out of its programme in Suriname after an 18-year partnership. The agency office will officially close at the end of July this year.
“Since 1995, Peace Corps volunteers and staff in Suriname have worked closely with community partners and government institutions to make a difference and ensure project sustainability,” said Acting Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet.
“The Peace Corps is leaving a strong legacy that will live on long after the Suriname post closes.”
PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC-The National Assembly has ratified a new agreement for a gold mining deal with the Canadian miner Iamgold Corp.
Since 2006, the Canadian company has owned a 90 percent stake in the profitable Gros Rosebel gold mine, but under the new deal Suriname's share in the mine is bumped up to 30 percent.
The agreement, which has been two years in the making, has been high on the agenda of the Bouterse Government.
NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – The main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) wants the Perry Christie government to enforce the law and ensure that illegal web-shops are closed.
FNM leader Dr. Hubert Minnis said he was also calling on the Commissioner of Police, Ellison Greenslade, to enforce the law after Chief Justice, Sir Michael Barnett, overturned the conservatory order which prevented law enforcement officials from enforcing the gambling laws of the country.
industry PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - T&T is looking to the diaspora market and to the Caricom market to boost its tourism industry, says Tourism Minister Stephen Cadiz. He said T&T has lost 60 per cent of the Caricom market. Cadiz was addressing members of the local, regional and international media at a news conference held yesterday at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Visiting Moroccan tertiary education expert Dr Jamil Salmi says UWI should reach out to its French and Spanish speaking neighbours like Haiti, Dominican Republic and Cuba to truly establish the academic institution’s reputation as a regional and international giant. Salmi made this comment during a Distinguished Open lecture at Daaga Auditorium, St Augustine campus last week Wednesday. Its theme was The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - IN one of his recommendations on the way forward for the Barbados economy, the Governor of this island’s Central Bank, Dr. Delisle Worrell, weighed in on the subject of bureaucracy which has been given much exposure in the country.
He stressed that efforts must be redoubled to remove barriers to Barbados’ competitiveness. The Governor did not leave it there but went on to say that the most damaging of the barriers are inefficiency of Government bureaucracy, insufficient financing for new ventures and poor work attitudes in the workforce.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Caribbean livestock producers may soon experience some positive gains following the recent Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO)'s workshop for chief livestock officers in the Caribbean, which concluded in Kingston last week.
The workshop which pulled together representatives from more than 13 Caribbean countries and varied public and private-sector stakeholders was held with the primary aim of examining the key issues affecting the livestock sector in the Caribbean.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC - Dr. Gene Leon, the senior representative from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Jamaica, has commended the Portia Simpson Miller led administration for displaying the vision to formulate a programme, aimed at resuscitating the country’s economy.
He said the programme represents a “blueprint” and a “map” which presents opportunities for Jamaica going forward.
Leon made the comment as he addressed a public forum in the Corporate Area on the weekend.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Private Sector Commission (PSC) is calling for “good sense” to prevail when President Donald Ramotar meets with opposition legislators on Monday to prevent a repeat of last year as the opposition again threatens to use its slender one-seat majority to cut the GUY$208.8 billion (One Guyana dollar = US$0.01 cents) budget presented to the National Assembly last month.