Syria: US condemns Bashar al-Assad 'conspiracy' speech
The US and France have condemned a speech by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad which blamed an "external conspiracy" for the mass uprising against his rule.
The US state department said President Assad had thrown "responsibility on everybody but back on himself".
France's foreign minister said the speech amounted to "denial of reality".
In a rare public address, Mr Assad said international powers were trying to destabilise Syria, and vowed to crush "terrorists" with an "iron fist".
In Washington, state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: "Assad manages to blame a foreign conspiracy that is so vast with regard to the situation in Syria that it now includes the Arab League, most of the Syrian opposition, the entire international community.
"He throws responsibility on everybody but back on himself and with regard to his own responsibility for the violence in Syria."
She added that the address confirmed "our view that it is time for him to step aside".
Speaking in Paris, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said: "It incites violence and confrontation between the parties. It's a sort of denial of reality."
Attack on monitors
Tuesday's speech was President Assad's third televised address since protests against his rule began in March, and lasted nearly two hours.
"Regional and international sides have tried to destabilise the country," he said.
"Our priority now is to regain the security in which we basked in for decades, and this can only be achieved by hitting the terrorists with an iron fist.
"We will not be lenient with those who work with outsiders against the country."
The Syrian authorities say they are fighting armed groups, and that about 2,000 members of the security forces have been killed so far.
In recent months, army deserters have joined the opposition and targeted government forces.
A team of 165 monitors from the Arab League has been in Syria since December to monitor implementation of a peace plan that calls for an end to violence, the removal of heavy weapons from cities and the release of political prisoners.
Opposition groups have accused the mission of serving to cover up the crackdown on the protests, which has continued despite the presence of the observers.
Reacting to the speech, the head of the opposition Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun, said Mr Assad's emphasis on restoring order "means he is backing away from his own pledge to the Arab League plan".
Meanwhile, the Arab League has condemned a recent incident in which two members of its observer mission were injured in an attack.
The Kuwaiti monitors were set upon by unidentified assailants as they drove to the port city of Latakia, a stronghold of President Assad.
"Failing to provide adequate protection in Latakia and other areas where the mission is deployed is considered a serious violation by the government of its commitments," the league said in a statement.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem denounced the attack, saying his government "would continue to bear its responsibility to secure and protect those monitors".
Scotland May Vote on Independence in 2014
Britain has set out the conditions under which Scotland can decide whether to sever its centuries-old constitutional ties with Britain.
The British government offered with certain conditions Tuesday to remove legal hurdles so Scots can hold a referendum on independence from Britain.
First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond wants to delay the vote until late 2014 so the independence movement in Scotland can gain momentum.
But British Prime Minister David Cameron is urging Scotland to hold the referendum as soon as possible to avoid economic problems that might arise due to a long debate. Mr. Cameron opposes any breakup of the United Kingdom, which also includes Wales and Northern Ireland.
The parliaments of England and Scotland voted more than 300 years ago to unite in a single kingdom called Great Britain.
A 2014 vote would coincide with the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, a Scottish victory over the British. Salmond said the date is purely coincidental.
Work by Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Coming to Washington
A work by provocative Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will go on display at a museum in Washington.
The Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery said on Tuesday that it will display Ai's installation piece “Fragments,'' a huge work in ironwood with pieces from the dismantled temples of the Qing Dynasty. The piece has never been shown in the United States. It will be featured as part of the “Perspectives” series and runs from May 2012 until April 2013.
Ai was detained for three months last year in China on charges of speaking against the government. Under terms of his bail, the artist is prohibited from leaving Beijing until June.
The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum plans to open a companion exhibit beginning in October.
The Sackler Gallery said both exhibitions will be accompanied by a full schedule of public programs, with details coming soon.
Marijuana found amidst shipment of pumpkin to Barbados
Local law enforcement agencies have teamed up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the discovery of several pounds of compressed marijuana at the Guyana National Industrial Company wharf.
According to reports some time after 14:00 hours yesterday, the drug said to be weighing some 40 pounds was found stashed between a shipment of pumpkin in a container that was destined for Barbados.
This publication was told that the prohibited item was detected while the container was passing through the container scanner.
Thus far the combined agencies, the Guyana Police Force, the GRA’s Customs and Trade and the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit have only managed to come up with the name of the shipper — Joseph Britton.
Further there are reports that officials are looking at a possible breakdown in the procedure for packing and shipping containers. Investigations are ongoing.
REDjet cancels flights, facing financial woes
There were further signs of financial trouble Tuesday at the Caribbean first low cost carrier REDjet, mere weeks after officials said it needed an $8 million injection to allow it to keep fulfilling its investors’ mandate.
The Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) has learnt that the Barbados-based REDjet has been forced to scale back its operation by cancelling flights between certain markets on some days.
In an internal memo, a copy of which has been obtained by CMC, REDjet’s Customer Service Manager Roy Norville advised that 56 flights “will not be operating and have been taken off sale for commercial reasons”.
The affected flights are Barbados-Guyana-Barbados Mondays and Thursday’s from January 16 to March 31, Barbados-Jamaica-Barbados Fridays from January 20 March 31, Trinidad-Guyana-Trinidad Mondays from January 16 to March 31, and Trinidad-Jamaica-Trinidad Sunday from January 22 to March 31.
In November, the low cost carrier’s largest local investor, Ralph “Bizzy” Williams said that eight million dollars invested for operating expenses in the initial months of the business had to be used otherwise.
Williams added that he and the Irish owners were unwilling to put any more money into the venture as they were fed up with the way their investment had been treated by the Barbados government.
Since its inception, several aviation officials have expressed the view that REDjet’s model is unsustainable in the Caribbean.
CMC
Haiti to Host Music Festivals Network Africa-Caribbean-Pacific
After stops in Africa (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gabon, Tanzania), Europe (Denmark), in the Indian Ocean (Réunion) and the Pacific (Vanuatu), Haiti has been chosen to host the next Music Festivals Network Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP), Caracoli reports in Defend Haiti.
The even takes place from January 28th through the 31st, when Haiti will host the Music Festivals Network Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP).
Led by the French association, Zone Franche, and the World Music Network , the project aims to develop music industry festivals among the ACP partners. This project is supported by the European Union.
The business meetings will be held in Port-au-Prince from 28 to 31 January 2012, hosted by the Jazz Foundation Haiti, organizer of the Festival International de Jazz de Port-au-Prince, in partnership with Caracol and the French Institute in Haiti. Forty Haitian music professionals will gather to meet their foreign counterparts in workshops to network and exchange experiences and expertise. There will be opportunities during the meeting to showcase Haitian music.
Among the visitors expected are Jose Da Silva, manager of the recently-deceased Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora, Philippe Conrath, Africolor festival director and Christoph Borkowsky, president of the WOMEX – World Music Expo.
Dominica PM wins citizenship battle
A legal battle over dual citizenship, which potentially could have impacted his leadership of the country, has ended in victory for Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
An opposition United Workers Party member, who was defeated in Dominica’s general elections of 2009, had asked the court to declare that Skerrit was illegally nominated to contest the polls because he held dual citizenship at the time.
However, High Court judge Gertel Thom ruled on Tuesday in favour of Skerrit, who is also leader of the Dominica Labour Party.
Had the court upheld the petition against Skerrit, he could have lost his position as a member of parliament and prime minister, possibly leading to the calling of fresh general elections in Dominica.
Grenada “days away” from national strike
The Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) has given notice that the country is just days away from a national strike.
“The deterioration in the situation is that the union and the entire trade union movement is mobilising for a general strike that would lock the economy down,” TAWU President Senator Chester Humphrey explained.
The action is being considered as the weeks-old industrial impasse at the Grenada Breweries Limited drags on.
He said the labour movement is giving the government every opportunity to broker an agreement to the very tense situation that he described as an assault on Grenada’s sovereignty and national pride.
TAWU has accused the Trinidad-controlled brewery of locking out 120 employees who agreed to return to work in December, following strike action over pay increases.
The trade union leader said the company reneged on the agreement reached following mediation by Prime Minister Tillman Thomas.
On Saturday, Thomas met with some of the leading businesses, and members of the religious and NGO community to discuss the issue.
The Prime Minister has said that the ongoing impasse can have a devastating impact on the economy, which for the first time since the global economic meltdown, is showing growth.
“We understand the possible impact that industrial action can have and is having on our country just as we are beginning to see signs of economic recovery. We must do all in our power to ensure that this impact in minimized by getting the workers back on the job and the manufacturing capacity in Grenada is restored,” the Prime Minister said.
Thomas called on all sides to “let good sense prevail”, and to appreciate and respect each other’s contribution to the country.
Caribbean News Now
TCInvest to be replaced
An in-depth review of TCInvest has concluded was set up with the best of intentions to promote business development both within TCI and from outside investors*. In its earlier years it was instrumental in building the relationships that encouraged new investments and entrepreneurs. In more recent years, during elected Government, its ways of working become less effective and its financial difficulties from past lending decisions have placed an increasing burden on the ability of TCInvest to achieve its aims. The review also found too many of its internal systems, in spite of the best efforts of its staff, have not kept pace with the modern needs of an increasingly sophisticated business community. The accrued losses from TCInvest’s social lending strategies, whilst laudable as an endeavour, have left a widening financial deficit, which could well leave TCIG with liabilities approaching $10 million if action is not taken quickly.
The worsening financial situation has had to prompt swift action, in order to protect public finances and ensure the key functions of TCInvest could be carried on effectively.
Consequently, the Governor has concluded that the essential functions of TCInvest, inward investment, business licensing, small enterprise support and loans, can be delivered more effectively through other TCIG or external means.
TCInvest will be wound down as a statutory body, with a small inward investment team moving to the CEO’s Office. Its first task will be to extend and rebuild productive relationships with local and international developers. A streamlined business licensing function will be moved back to the Ministry of Finance to benefit from the economies of scale within the ministry. TCInvest will continue to manage a circa $21m loan book and small business loans, where poor repayment records from some of the loans have undermined the capacity of the organisation, until they are moved on to other financial institutions and the underlying TCIG liabilities to the Caribbean Development Bank and European Investment Bank are repaid. The loans from other creditors will also need to be addressed. It is estimated the winding up process may take three months.
Later, once more clearly defined, a business training and support function will be moved from TC Invest into the inward investment unit in the CEO’s Office.
The intention is for some members of staff to be transferred quickly into the new inward investment and business licensing functions within TCIG, others may well be offered or find positions elsewhere in Government or chose to leave the public sector. Assistance to all members of staff to find a clear pathway for the future will be an important part of winding up the organisation.
In addition, to limiting a future deterioration of the financial position of TCInvest, further savings in Board, office and travel costs in the order of $200 000 should be possible.
‘It has become clear that TCInvest has run its course,’ said Governor Todd.’ ‘However, its key function of economic development is important to the future of TCI. A new inward development team will be created at the heart of government as part of the CEO’s Office, capable of developing with the five new ministries a tailored set of services to offer to local and international developers.’
‘I respect the achievements made by TCInvest staff but time has come to look at doing things differently. I hope we can draw upon the knowledge of its staff in different ways in the future and combine this with better organisational arrangements and more innovative ways of working in TCIG.’
The Governor added, ‘This is the start of the statutory bodies’ reforms. I expect every one to be able to demonstrate a clear reason to continue in their present form, show relentlessly they offer better value for money compared to services being performed in some other way, and display an efficient delivery services to citizens and businesses.’
The review of TCInvest is part of a wider examination underway in the Governor’s Office on the achievements, roles and value for money encompassing, eventually, all 37 existing statutory bodies. The work commenced in 2011 and is still in progress. It is likely to result in an overall reduction in the size of the statutory body landscape to one that is more affordable and more sharply focussed on adding value to the work of TCIG. Some functions may be returned to the newly reformed TCIG ministries; others may cease or be undertaken in a different way.
Approximately 20 members of staff are currently employed by TC Invest.
Chairperson of the Consultative Forum Mrs. Lillian Missick says members are having difficulty getting Governor Ric Todd to honor his inaugural promises
The twenty-eight (28TH) sitting of the Consultative Forum of the Turks and Caicos Islands, got off to a late start at the N.J. Francis building in Grand Turk today, where Chairperson Mrs. Lillian Missick
in her statement, encouraged all in the Turks and Caicos Islands to look towards 2012 with optimism and hope, which she said would generate into happiness and prosperity.
Mrs. Missick said however that much of this would depend on the Forum, especially as it is having difficulty getting His Excellency Governor Ric Todd to honor his inaugural promises.
Meanwhile, the two bills that were deferred from the Consultative Forum’s final sitting on the 13th December 2011 and which were again tabled for today’s sitting, were again deferred, much to the
shock and dismay of forum members. The decision to defer the bills, was announced by the Attorney General Hue Shephard. That exchange took place in this morning’s sitting of the Consultative Forum, where two bills, although referred to the forum by His Excellency the Governor at its December 2011 meeting and which
were deferred, were at the last minute again deferred today, as according to the Attorney General, they had not as yet gone before the Advisory Council.