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Gonsalves to attend Commonwealth small states meeting

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves will join leaders from across the Commonwealth’s small states at a high-level conference on governance in London from April 23 to 25. The Vincentian delegation will also include the Prime Minister’s wife, Eloise, Minister of National Reconciliation, Maxwell Charles, and Cabinet Secretary, Susan Dougan. While in London, Gonsalves is scheduled to meet Vincentians in the High Wycombe area on April 25 during a town hall meeting.

Haiti renames airport in honour of late Venezuelan leader

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Haiti says it will rename an airport in the north of the country in honour of the former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez who died of cancer in March. A government spokesman said that the Cap-Haitien International Airport will now be called the Hugo Chavez International Airport. The airport’s 17,500-foot runway was repaved in October with a loan from the Venezuelan government and had opened up the industrial park in the north.

Civil Servants agree to wage proposal

CASTRIES, St. Lucia CMC---Civil Servants have ended their battle with government for a 9.5 per cent wage increase, with a stunning decision to settle for a wage freeze. After a heated extra-ordinary meeting Wednesday most of the over 400 members of the Civil Service Association (CSA) voted in favour of a 0.00 per cent wage proposal. The decision to forgo the increase followed the President's report that the Government’s Negotiating Team (GNT) was sticking to 4 per cent as its final wage offer, in addition to refusing the requested allowances.

T&T, Jamaica in toilet paper row

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - A trade quarrel over toilet paper between Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica is heading to CARICOM for a solution. Speaking to the Express yesterday, Trade Desk Officer of the T&T-Jamaica Trade Facilitation Desk at the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association(TTMA), Naika Pichi-Ayers, said TTL, one of their members, had contacted them in early March to resolve their concerns that Jamaican authorities were not allowing their products entry into the market.

Government presents tax-free budget

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government has presented a J$521 billion (One Jamaica dollar = US$0.01 cents) tax free budget to Parliament with Finance Minister Dr. Peter Phillips indicating that the aim of the Portia Simpson Miller administration is to collect outstanding taxes and remove some distortions such as zero-rated electricity charges. “You will note and no doubt the other members will note that this administration has presented a fully funded budget, there are no new taxes in this budget,” he told legislators on Thursday.

IMF Deal By Early May

KINGSTON, Jamaica - The Portia Simpson Miller administration is expected to ink an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by early May. In a Gleaner interview following his opening presentation to the Budget Debate yesterday in Gordon House, Finance and Planning Minister Dr Peter Phillips said he is expecting to sign the IMF agreement for an Extended Fund Facility by the time he closes the Budget Debate. Dr Phillips will be closing the Budget Debate on May 1.

IMF predicting continued economic growth for Belize

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – The International Monetary Fund says Belize is expected to see economic growth in 2013 after the country experienced economic activity last year as a result of a strong rebound in agriculture and services. Gerardo Peraza, who headed an IMF mission to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to conduct its yearly review of the country’s economy, said in 2012, economic activity accelerated thanks to a strong rebound in agriculture and services, despite a sharp decline in crude oil production.

Guyana sweeps awards at regional tourism conference

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC - Guyana has dominated the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) /TravelMole Sustainable Tourism Awards. For the second consecutive year, Guyana won three of the six awards at the awards ceremony at STC-14 that ended here on Thursday night. The 2013 awards comprised six categories covering all aspects of sustainability, from overall excellence, to accommodation, community, heritage and biodiversity.

Guyanese doctor makes TIME Magazine list

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Guyana-born HIV Expert, Dr. Deborah Persaud, has made the Time Magazine list of 2013 World List of ‘Top 100’ Influential People.
Persaud, a top researcher at Johns Hopkins Pediatric, was propelled into the spotlight in early March when she and colleagues Hanna Gay, M.D., of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Katherine Luzuriaga, M.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, announced the first functional cure of HIV in an infant.

CAL’s constant indebtedness

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Just six years after it was created to replace its debt-ridden predecessor, BWIA, state-owned Caribbean Airlines (CAL) is facing severe financial turbulence. There are reports of a $500 million debt that the airline is seeking to address with long-term financing from local banks. The carrier’s latest financial statements show that CAL’s losses almost doubled from US$43.6 million in 2011 to US$83.7 million for 2012. Whether the airline can stave off bankruptcy will depend on sound financial and operational strategies over the next few months.

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