BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - One of the inescapable incidents of man’s inhumanity to man is the need for reflection on events which some of us would rather forget. Slavery, in our case, and the Holocaust, in the case of the Jews, are two examples of such atrocities, but modern-day ethnic cleansing and the whole colonial experience also come to mind. Two recent news items brought us face to face with this need to reflect, if only to ensure that we honour the contribution of our forbears.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The placement of Barbados on a United States watchlist of intellectual property rights violators is being seen as a double-edged sword. Barbados was put on the list this month, with the Office of the United States Trade Representative citing the “refusal” of local television and radio broadcasters to pay American entertainers for public performances of their music. The CEO of the management of the Copyright Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Inc.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide emerged from months of seclusion for a second straight day and took several swipes at the current government. Speaking to a small group of mostly Haitian reporters and The Associated Press at his home in the capital Thursday, Aristide covered topics ranging from his shock at seeing the devastation caused by the 2010 earthquake to his political party's strength as the country heads to legislative and local elections. He also thanked the thousands of supporters who cheered his motorcade Wednesday during a rare outing to ans

ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Dominica has launched a scathing attack on countries and companies seeking to destroy the local banana industry as the European Union launched an EC$54 million (One EC dollar = US$0.37 cents) banana support package to help the island adjust to the new trading arrangements for bananas. “They are the ones who challenge us at the WTO (World Trade Organization) conscious of the ramifications. They are the ones who manufacture the inputs and sell them to us at exorbitant and prohibitive prices. “Simply put, dear friends, we can’t buy so get out.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Agro-parks must be good things. Roger Clarke, the agriculture minister, talks about them a lot. So, too, does Peter Phillips, the finance minister. Indeed, in these hard economic times, in which he is facing the strictures of the International Monetary Fund, Dr Phillips is allowing the agriculture minister to spend more than J$1 billion on these parks. Both men believe that the agro-parks, eight of which are supposed to be established by the Government, will be transformational.