KINGSTON, Jamaica - Last Thursday, the United States Congress abandoned efforts to find consensus on a way to avoid automatic budget cuts.
Although both Republicans and Democrats professed willingness to compromise and pursue a balanced and pragmatic approach, the two political parties adhered rigidly to their ideological economic fundamentalism.
Sequestration requires 5.1 per cent automatic cuts amounting to US$85 billion. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that if sequestration remains in place there would be job loss of 750,000 during the remainder of 2013.
Member
Hyatt Regency
Good morning, on behalf of Prime Minister the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the Government welcome to Trinidad and Tobago.
Fellow Barbadians
One week has passed since the General Election in Barbados on February 21. I should like to express my heartfelt thanks to all citizens and residents for taking Barbados peacefully through one of the most exciting and exacting election campaigns in our post-independence history.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Guardian- An increase in exports and a reduction in poverty were among the achievements highlighted when the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development rolled out the first ever Government performance appraisal report in T&T on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E).
In delivering the performance report, Planning Minister Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie noted that the Medium Term Policy Framework (MTPF) delineates government’s five priority areas that will support improvement in the quality of lives of citizens. These areas include_
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Guardian- Former CL Financial chairman Lawrence Duprey has been summoned to appear before the Clico/HCU commission of enquiry next Tuesday. Andre Monteil, former group financial director, has also been summoned to appear on the same day. Sir Anthony Colman, chair of the commission, yesterday granted an order applied for by Gerald Ramdeen, junior counsel to the enquiry.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Express- Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley is calling for the removal of Senior Superintendent Surajdeen Persad as a director of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
"It is quite unacceptable that a police officer could have behaved in the way that he did, with respect to what has been exposed in the public domain—where he was listing persons within the security agency whom he believed were supporters of a political party," Rowley said in a telephone interview yesterday.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Express- Plans announced recently by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and National Security Minister Jack Warner to give similar powers to the Defence Force as those of police officers are set to go a step further today.
Legislation to give members of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) authority to function and perform the duties of a police officer will be laid in the Parliament today.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner - Although long in coming, the Simpson Miller administration has gone public with plans, developed by the Entertainment Advisory Board, to drive growth in the creative industries. These plans include the regular staging of events, such as the Arts in the Park concert held recently at Hope Gardens in St Andrew, to showcase emerging talents to business executives in the international entertainment industry.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner - AGRICULTURE MINISTER Roger Clarke has shot down fears of Jamaicans consuming horse meat as beef, as reports surfaced in the United Kingdom recently that DNA evidence proved that horse meat was passed off in beef burgers in Builth Wells, Wales.
"We do not import beef from Europe, so that is not a consideration. The beef that is consumed in Jamaica is either produced locally or imported from The United States, Australia, South America, New Zealand, Panama and Costa Rica. So have no fear, we are not getting horse meat here," Clarke assured.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Stabroek News - Succession in politics and the politics of succession can be rather thorny issues. Just over a month ago, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands announced that she was abdicating, at the age of 75 and after a reign of 33 years, in favour of her son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, who will become King on April 30. Her fellow monarch, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, even though she is almost 87 and has been Queen for 61 years, shows no sign, however, of stepping down to allow her son, Charles, to ascend to the throne.