CARICOM, Mexico to cement ties against common challenges
The second CARICOM/Mexico summit opened on Monday in Bridgetown, Barbados with acknowledgement of the need for a strengthened alliance against the common challenges of citizen security, transnational crime and sustainable human development.
Trade, investment, tourism and cooperation are expected to feature prominently over the two-day event but CARICOM leaders are also looking forward to a meaningful outcome on natural disaster risk reduction and the environment.
Under two existing programmes; the Meso-American Territorial Information System and the Meso-American Environmental Sustainability Strategy; experiences are to be shared on regional co-ordination system for natural disaster risk reduction and projects in the areas of bio-diversity and forestry, climate change, green growth and sustainable competitiveness.
Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar joined his other colleague Heads of State in CARICOM at the summit, looking forward most of all to an engagement with Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon on strengthening responses to challenges in the social, economic and political realm.
While accrediting the new Mexican Ambassador to Guyana Francisco Olguin on May 10, Ramotar conveyed the high value which the Guyana government believes the forum can engender with the challenges facing today’s world.
He said that in the current global environment, all countries have become forcibly aware of the need to work together for a common good and hailed the bilateral relations between the governments of Guyana and Mexico especially as it relates to advancing the political economic and social objective on regional and international issues.
CARICOM secretary-general, Irwin LaRocque, in his remarks at the opening of the summit on Monday, made reference to the support that Mexico rendered to Haiti, including the recent visit by Calderon as a symbol of the Latin American country’s deep commitment to the revival and reconstruction of the country.
Given that the CARICOM/Mexico summit took place days after the devastating earthquake in 2010, LaRocque said both sides assumed the commitment of creating new measures to alleviate, in the medium and long-term, the challenges that Haiti is facing.
The inaugural summit was held during “testing times” according to chairman of CARICOM and president of Suriname Desi Bouterse, who made reference to the recovery efforts by several member states from the global financial and economic crisis and the fact that discussions then were anchored around the need for a strategic partnership common to all states to address those challenges.
He noted regrettably, however, that the “stranglehold” of the crisis remains somewhat unabated and, as small vulnerable economies, countries are still seeking strategies to counteract the debilitating effects of the crisis.
“It is also fitting that our agenda will focus on some areas of mutual concern, including citizen security and transnational organized crime, issues which have had a harmful effect on our countries, destabilizing our societies, and hampering economic development,” Bouterse said.
Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart in his address said that at this unsure point in time of world affairs, the most significant input that Mexico can make to the cause of Caribbean development is that of advocacy because of its role as current chair of the G20.
“I must articulate here some of CARICOM’s critical concerns, which include: the slow process of reform of the multilateral institutions and the uneven results to date; the continued lack of representativeness and transparency of the G20 which, as the Commonwealth secretary general has recently said, may represent 90% of global GDP but certainly not 90% of the world’s countries; the worrying signs that we have moved from the rich man’s club of the G7 to the big man’s club of the G20, whose members are more united in telling non-G20 countries what they should do than in prescribing for those within their own fold,” Stuart said.
He also spoke of ‘constant tilting of playing fields and moving of goal-posts in the G20’s response towards Caribbean-based international financial centres, notwithstanding the fact that the bulk of proven money-laundering, inadequate regulation and tax avoidance has occurred in the financial centres of Europe and the United States of America.
The Barbadian prime minister highlighted the need to promote the supportive policies of the small vulnerable economies in the areas of financing for development, aid for trade, and addressing the issue of indebtedness; the need to reassert the grave threat posed by climate change.
Mexico holds the distinction as the first country to form a Joint Commission with CARICOM, to identify and promote economic, political and cultural co-operation initiatives.
The signing of a technical co-operation agreement in 1990 to promote transportation, language training, agriculture and agro-industrial development, maritime education, disaster preparedness and management, and climatology further cemented relations between the two.
As a result, partnerships were forged between the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and CENAPRED the Mexican disaster preparedness and management agency, and between the Caribbean Meteorological Institute (CMI) and, the Mexican Institute for Water Technology.
Financial services, security, health, energy and climate change were incorporated as the cooperation evolved.
Mexico is chair to the upcoming G-20 summit and the government has identified green growth, food security and infrastructure as the priorities.
(GINA)
Collaborative effort needed to confront security threats, says Barbados PM
Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said there is a need for constant multilateral coordination among governments to confront the various security threats that would have a negative impact on the island's borders.
He made this call on Monday while addressing the opening ceremony of the 2nd CARICOM/Mexico Summit.
Emphasising that the issue of citizen security and transnational organised crime would be part of the high-level talks, the prime minister said it could not be addressed by unilateral or fragmented approaches.
Stuart said: "...We know well that successes in one geographical area may shift criminal activity elsewhere to areas perceived to be more vulnerable. Constant multilateral coordination and cooperation, and a high level of information exchange and shared experience, are therefore essential to face our common threat."
Apart from discussions on security issues, the prime minister said the summit would provide an opportunity for an exchange of views on the newly formed Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and its role in the context of regional and hemispheric affairs.
Stuart said the original idea was to create an inclusive space for high-level dialogue and policy coordination among all the developing countries of the hemisphere.
"Barbados supports the original concept because we believe, as do our CARICOM colleagues, that it is important for developing countries of the hemisphere to have our own unique space to discuss strategic issues affecting our vital development interests and to develop meaningful south-south cooperation among ourselves,” he said.
Notwithstanding CELAC's role, the prime minister warned that there would be no support for efforts to divert focus away from "these development objectives that would turn the new Community into an instrument of confrontation and attack against those hemispheric partners who are not among its membership".
"Barbados believes that if CELAC is to succeed, then it must concentrate on building positive relations that already exist among us. It must also be sensitive to the nuanced positions of the sub-regions from which it is formed," Stuart underlined.
In this regard, Stuart described CELAC as an important complement to, and not a substitute for the Organization of American States, including the Inter American Commission on Human Rights and the Democratic Charter.
(BGIS)
Bahamas budget deficit estimated at $500 million
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts revealed on Monday that the incoming Christie administration in The Bahamas has met a budget deficit of around $500 million, and said he would be ‘shocked’ if criminal charges are not brought after an investigation into the management of public funds by the previous government.
Asked about this figure on Monday, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Perry Christie told The Nassau Guardian he was not sure of the figure that his team had come up with as he was busy preparing the Speech from the Throne.
He suggested that The Guardian speak to Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis confirmed the figure when he spoke to The Nassau Guardian on Monday.
Davis blamed the Free National Movement (FNM) government’s “mismanagement” and “abuse” of the public purse.
Davis, who is the minister of works and urban development, also said the PLP administration has launched an investigation into the former government’s management of public funds and added that criminal charges may follow.
“Now that we’re in, and looking at what the true facts are, we are definitely approaching the $500 million deficit range,” he said after a swearing in ceremony for 10 senators.
“We are doing our investigations with a view to see if we ought to prosecute someone for the abuse that has taken place with the public purse.”
When asked who could face prosecution, Davis said, “Once we find where the trail ends and where the buck stops that will be the person.”
Davis added that the Christie administration will likely have to borrow a little over $500 million in the 2012/2013 fiscal year as a result of the previous administration’s spending and to make good on the new government’s pledges to the Bahamian people.
Roberts made the same declaration when he spoke to The Nassau Guardian after an appearance on the More 94.9 FM program “Real Talk Live” with Ortland Bodie, where he originally made the revelations.
The borrowing would add to the national debt, which is currently hovering at just over $4 billion.
Davis told The Guardian, “We will have to borrow that and borrow additional funds to be able to implement some of our initiatives and programs.”
He claimed the high deficit is the result of the Ingraham administration’s negligence and bad planning.
“The deficit, there is no doubt in my mind, is due to mismanagement, politics and priorities,” he said.
Roberts said that several programs launched by the FNM administration, such as Self Starter and Jump Start, were election ploys that went over budget.
“The budget on the jobs program was $25 million. I understand that will exceed or closely exceed $50 million,” he said.
“The Jump Start program has also gone through the roof, I’m advised. They spent more money than was budgeted.”
“The full details of it are all going to come out in due course. The way I understand some of those were implemented, my God, it will make all Bahamians sick to their stomach.
“Some people never even reported to work and were getting paid. Some people would go to work and sit around doing nothing. Some of those jobs were only given out a day before the election, some on the election [day].”
Davis could not confirm if these programs were indeed over budget, but said he too thinks they were election ploys.
Three weeks before the May 7 election, Christie, who at the time was leader of the opposition, said the PLP would likely have to borrow at least $300 million in order to finance the country’s capital expenditure commitments if it was elected to office.
Courtesy of the Nassau Guardian
Jamaican Drug King Pin ‘Dudus’ Sentencing Hearing Begins
The sentencing hearing of alleged drug kingpin Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke began in the US District Court in New York.
Coke has pleaded guilty to racketeering, conspiracy and conspiracy to commit assault in aid of racketeering in the United States.
He was originally facing drug related charges but he later entered into a plea agreement with the US government.
Coke is facing up to 23 years in prison, however, in a court filing in March prosecutors said they were would settle for an 18-year sentence.
At that time, Judge Robert Patterson upheld a request from Coke’s defence team for the prosecution to provide evidence of the atrocities it has accused Coke of committing.
Legal experts said this decision by the judge suggests he wanted to ensure that a decision to impose the maximum sentence would be just.
Last September, Coke wrote a seven-page letter to Judge Patterson accepting responsibility for his actions and asking the judge to sentence him below the guideline.
After a nine-month wrangling between the US and Jamaican governments, Coke was arrested in June 2010, following a major operation in May to execute a warrant on him.
More than 70 people were killed in the operation.
Jerome Reynolds, Gleaner Writer
Gojamaica.net
Kanye West, Beyonce and Jay-Z Lead Nominees For 2012 BET Awards; Samuel L. Jackson To Host
Earlier today (May 22) at the BET Studios in New York City, Stephen Hill, President of BET’s Music Programming and Specials, was on hand to announce the 2012 BET Awards show’s nominees, recipient of the “Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award,” and host for the awards, to take place on July 1 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.
After a number of comedians were tasked with hosting the awards show in years past, and for 2012 BET has given host duties to the highest grossing actor of all time, Samuel L. Jackson.
“We are massively excited about having Sam Jackson host the BET Awards,” Hill exclaimed. “His wit, presence, and gigantic personality are the perfect match for our show.”
Hill also revealed that, alongside a panel that included 2012 BET Awards nominees like A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, Melanie Fiona, DJ Khaled, Diggy Simmons, Astro, and Mindless Behavior, Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj would be performing at this year’s show. He promised that more announcements regarding performers would be made in the near future.
“Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award” recipient Frankie Beverly was also on-hand at the nomination event to speak on the prestigious honor of being recognized as part of the group Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.
Regarding nominees, Kanye West unsurprisingly leads the pack with seven nominations, some of which include “Best Collaboration,” “Video Director of the Year,” and five more with Watch The Throne member, Jay-Z.
Beyonce received six nominations, such as “Best Female R&B Artist” and two nods for “Video of the Year” for “Countdown” and “Love On Top.”
Speaking on his Best New Artist nomination, A$AP Rocky told AllHipHop.com, “It feels great, and I’m happy. That’s a really big deal so I’m happy for that. You couldn’t tell me in May of last year that we would be doing this. I wouldn’t have expected it, so I feel blessed and I just thank God all the time.
“The fans are the most ultimate importance of everything,” A$AP Rocky stated. “Without them there is no movement, and I’ve got a lot of supportive people right now and it’s crazy ’cause I didn’t expect this. I didn’t imagine none of this.”
The 2012 BET Awards will air July 1 at 8pm only on BET
AllHipHop
Whitney Houston's final record released
Whitney Houston's last record - a duet with American Idol winner Jordin Sparks - has been released.
The disco-inspired track - Celebrate - came out on Monday ahead of the late singer's upcoming film, Sparkle.
Sparkle, which tells the story of three sisters who become Motown stars, is a re-make of the 1976 film of the same name.
Houston plays Sparks's mother in the movie, which will be released in August in the US and October in the UK.
The film also stars singer Cee Lo Green.
Sparks paid tribute to Houston at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, with a rendition of I Will Always Love You.
She presented a posthumous award to Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown.
Houston's last big movie was The Preacher's Wife in 1996.
She also had leading roles in Waiting to Exhale and The Bodyguard, opposite Kevin Costner.
Houston, one of the world's best known singers in the '80s and '90s, was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room on the eve of the Grammy Awards in February.
Busy Signal goes to jail
Just days before the second anniversary of the security forces-led Tivoli Gardens incursion, law enforcement agents yesterday arrested another high-profile figure associated with that community, on an extradition warrant to the United States.
Popular dancehall artiste Busy Signal, whose real name is Glendale Gordon, was picked up at the Norman Manley International Airport immediately after he stepped off a flight from the United Kingdom.
“The extradition warrant was executed on him,” an officer told The Gleaner last night.
According to reports, he was met on arrival by members of the Fugitive Apprehension Team, United States marshals and representatives of the British High Commission. The artiste was reportedly travelling on a passport he had under the name, Reanno Gordon, in which his British visa was cancelled. He spent last night in one of the Corporate Area’s secured police lock-ups.
The Gleaner understands that the entertainer was returning from a tour in Amsterdam. His arrest came months after The Gleaner broke the story that a prominent entertainer was under the radar of the United States and was to be extradited.
According to one of the law-enforcement officers who spoke with The Gleaner yesterday, ‘Busy’ as he is affectionately called, has been on the run since 2002. Allegations are that he was implicated in a narcotics offence committed in Minnesota.
“He is to be extradited for failing to appear before the court to answer charges in relation to that offence,” argued the law-enforcement officer, who was among the team which escorted him from the airport late yesterday evening.
Busy Signal rose to stardom after releasing a string of singles in 2003 and 2004. He climbed Jamaica’s singles chart in 2005 with his aptly titled hit Step Out. He got the nickname ‘Busy Signal’ from his friends in west Kingston, where he formerly lived.
Glenroy Sinclair
Jamaica Gleaner
Artistes react to Beenie's statement
Since the release of a video with Grammy winning artiste Beenie Man's video statement to the gay community, many artistes have also voiced their opinions on the matter.
Bounty Killer, leader of the Alliance and Beenie Man's long-standing nemesis, recently took to Twitter to bash Beenie Man. Not known to hold back words, Bounty Killer unleashed a slew of tweets directed at the 'King of the Dancehall'.
In one of his cleaner tweets, Killer stated:
"Your view is your view, every one have the right to their opinion. Giving an apology simple mean you stoop to their level and have second thoughts of your opinion, so simply you never believe in your opinion from first."
Producer Skatta Burrell, however, applauded Beenie Man on his apology. Speaking with THE STAR, Skatta said that all judgement should be left to God.
"Instead of dancehall uniting, we have allowed it to progress to the point where the gay society are able to target our shows and venues and are successful in preventing us from performing and earning a living. If Beenie Man gets up and apologises then nothing is wrong. We are hypocrites, because even though we say we are a homophobic society, Jamaica is in the top 10 Caribbean countries with the most gays. We have bigger issues than condemning Beenie Man," Skatta told THE STAR.
Artiste Ce'Cile also sided with Beenie Man and his apology to the gays. In some of her tweets she said:
Low di doctor
"Everybody gonna jump on Beenie now, he's a great artiste and have nuff other things to sing about! As long as Beenie is sincere, we all good, cause mi waa see Beenie mash up more shows and I support him! Lots of you dudes don't even treat women good! Low di Doctor!"
When asked what he thought about Beenie Man's video statement, Tony Rebel said that he did not think about it. However, he went on to say that entertainers must be careful of the lyrics they put out so that it does not come back to haunt them.
"Beenie Man a him owner man. I'm not here to say if he is wrong or right. If him do things and him haffi apologise then that's his business. Tony Rebel nuh haffi apologise to dem and me straight. Him must know wha him a do why him need fi apologise. Mi nah apologise to no gay, no day, but if him feel fi apologise then that's his prerogative. Entertainers over the years were promoting gays, they claim they were bashing them but they were actually promoting them. If a man continue fi talk bout gays, why him need fi do dat? We have nuff more tings fi talk bout," Tony Rebel told THE STAR.
I never apologised - Beenie
Beenie Man also issued a release to THE JAMAICAN STAR saying he did not apologise.
"I never apologised. Jamaican people need to be more literate about life. Five years ago, we stop sing certain songs, and start focus more on dancehall to make it what it is today. I said that they (the gays) should leave us alone, don't have us up for what we said when we were young. That happened 20 years ago, nobody is the same person they were 20 years ago," Beenie was quoted as saying in the release.
The release also addressed the sound system selectors who have been lambasting his decision to do a videotaped statement.
"I told them to leave us alone, to try to understand where we are coming from, but still yu have some selectors weh go pon the mic and talk a bagga tings. So when the gays put on dance and want to spend $150,000, you selector bwoy, don't tek dem money, run dem outta the dance. Dem caan use dem little bird brain pon me, man ah lion," Beenie Man said.
He also addressed Bounty Killer's tweets about his video.
"Bounty Killer need fi tweet say ah eight people lef inna the venue outta 8,000 fi see him perform after him ah insist say him waan close the show over Amsterdam Reggae Festival, ah dat him fi tweet. After mi perform, the show done and everybody lef ... nobody never waan see him."
-THE STAR
US 'risks recession' if tax rises and spending cuts hit
The US could fall off a "fiscal cliff" if tax rises and spending cuts due to take effect at the end of 2012 are not avoided, auditors have said.
The US economy could go in to recession, shrinking at a rate of 1.3% in the first half of 2013, the Congressional Budget Office said.
Expiring Bush-era tax cuts are due to be amplified by $1.2tn (£760bn) of spending cuts due on 1 January.
Analysts say the issue could provoke a partisan stand-off in election season.
The US Treasury department has already signalled that the national debt ceiling will need to be raised early in 2013.
The last such rise triggered a political crisis in Washington as agreement eluded lawmakers and President Obama for much of the summer of 2011.
Contraction concern
The combination of rising taxes and deep cuts to domestic and defence spending are already on the minds of lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
If both are allowed to come into full effect the US deficit would be cut by some $607bn, the CBO estimated.
However, the combination of higher taxes on the middle class and the wealthy, as well as spending cuts, would severely impact the size of the US economy, the report added.
"Such a contraction in output in the first half of 2013 would probably be judged to be a recession."
However, the estimate also said the US could expect economic activity to return to 2.3% growth in the second half of 2013.
The CBO did not directly address the issue of the debt limit. But last week House Speaker John Boehner signalled that Republicans would not allow a rise in the debt ceiling without offsetting spending cuts.
Correspondents say it is unlikely that Congress and the White House will take action before the presidential election on 6 November.
World Bank: East Asia 'vulnerable' to eurozone crisis
The eurozone debt crisis could harm the growth of East Asian economies, the World Bank has warned.
The bank said that a "serious disruption" in the eurozone could hurt growth and dent demand for exports from East Asia.
It said that East Asian countries need to boost domestic demand to rebalance their economies and sustain growth.
The bank warned that a faster-than-expected slowdown in China was also a threat to the region's growth.
"A slowing China - which comprises 80% of developing East Asia's gross domestic product - is a drag on growth across much of the region given China's growing role as an export destination and source of foreign investment," the bank said in its latest report.
"In particular, a slowing in Chinese investment will primarily hurt demand for commodity and capital goods and particularly impact natural resource exporters that are heavily reliant on Chinese demand."
Slowing growth
The World Bank said that it expects growth in East Asian economies to slow in the current year.
It has forecast the region to grow by 7.6% in 2012, down from 8.2% last year, not least because of falling demand from key export markets such as the US and Europe.
"Prospects for East Asia are, as in other developing regions, weighed down by the persistent tepid recovery of the US and, most particularly, the uncertainty in Europe," the bank said.
It warned that growth in the region may slow even further if global economic conditions worsen.
"The prospects for growth in developed markets, and the potential impact that a renewed global recession would have on trade and capital flows, has heightened uncertainty about the growth prospects in Europe, Japan, and much of East Asia."