WILLIAMS ARRESTED IN THE TCI
Jamy Williams a 31 year old Turks and Caicos Islander was convicted for Wounding in the Providenciales Supreme Court and sentenced to nine (9) months in prison at Her Majesty Prison Grand Turk on Friday 25th November 2011.
RTC News understands that this sentence was as result of an incident which occurred on 3rd November 2009 in Five Cays Providenciales.
New Gov't in St Lucia
The return of Dr Kenny Anthony as prime minister of St Lucia following Monday's general election has resulted in an amusing political chorus among the more exuberant supporters of his victorious St Lucia Labour Party (SLP).
"Kenny is back, Tom Chou gone," they said, underscoring an inevitable diplomatic defeat for Taiwan, which had heavily bankrolled the incumbent United Workers Party (UWP) of Stephenson King.
The chorus simultaneously signalled the coming triumphant return of the People's Republic of China to re-establish an embassy in Castries.
Within months of the UWP's victory in December 2006 over Anthony's then two-term SLP, King — as successor prime minister to the late founder/leader of the UWP, Sir John Compton — had moved to displace China by having a Taiwanese embassy in Castries.
It came as a very lucrative political gesture for the UWP — against the dying wish of Sir John, who became seriously ill shortly after his party had scored a decisive 11-6 parliamentary majority against Anthony's Government.
Circumventing established constitutional norms in accounting for funds privately allocated for claimed projects in the then 11 UWP constituencies, the Taiwanese Government was to spend an estimated EC$1 million as "gift" development funding in each of those constituencies — as was to be subsequently disclosed in the nation's Parliament by a then dissenting MP of the governing party.
This most extraordinary and unprecedented form of foreign funding in support of a government in the Caribbean region was to prove a recurring political controversy over external interference in the domestic affairs of St Lucia. It grew in intensity long before Monday's general election with the Labour Party's 10-7 majority victory in the 17-member House of Assembly.
For his part, Taiwan's ambassador to St Lucia, Tom Chou, had become so emboldened by the defence and praise he was receiving from Prime Minister King's administration that he was arrogantly displaying his government's financial backing by even making payments directly to contractors, personally or via his embassy, for specific projects.
Little wonder, therefore, for this year's carnival in St Lucia Chou became the object of multi-faceted satire from calypsonians, with some entertaining manifestations of "chewing" on 'Chou".
Now, as Anthony prepares to be sworn in today for the third time as prime minister, Chou would be readying himself to depart St Lucia — if he has not already done so by the time you read this.
Guyana scenario
Meanwhile, in Guyana, the incumbent People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) was last evening awaiting official confirmation from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to determine whether it had won Monday's presidential and parliamentary elections against its two challengers — APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) and AFC (Alliance for Change).
Both the GECOM and foreign observer missions had earlier signalled their general agreement of a free and fair poll and commended the security forces for their efforts to maintain the peace, even amid some isolated disturbances at polling stations.
What the GECOM confirmation is likely to officially reveal, possibly by late today, is that the incumbent PPP/C would have succeeded in gaining the single largest bloc of valid votes but not necessarily the outright majority for the 65-member Parliament. This could necessitate the formation of a coalition government.
During the election campaign, both the APNU and AFC had repeatedly spoken in favour of a coalition government, though it was not clear if this meant a coalition between them or a broad-based national unity government that involves the PPP/C.
The latest report out of Guyana, at the time of writing, pointed to the PPP/C securing just about half a percentage point short of an overall 50 per cent of the valid ballots counted.
Since the Guyana constitution provides for the party with the single largest bloc of votes to provide the individual for the post as executive president, this would mean that the PPP/C's candidate, Donald Ramotar, would be invited to take the oath as head of state.
Then the challenging negotiations could begin for the formation of a broad-based coalition government, or possibly for the establishment of a minority government.
The last time a coalition government was formed against the PPP was in 1964 between the PNC and the then United Force under the first proportional representation electoral system. Then, while the PPP had won the largest bloc of seats, the combined votes of the two Opposition parties gave them the plurality of seats and with the now late Forbes Burnham becoming prime minister.
For now, the wait in Guyana is for the GECOM's official declaration of the results of Monday's elections.
What's expected today in St Lucia is the arrangement for Dr Anthony to take the oath as prime minister and, possibly by tomorrow, the swearing in of the PPP/C's Ramotar as president, to succeed Bharrat Jagdeo who served two terms.
Source-Observer
New candidates welcome $7m hike in campaign spending cap
FRESH-faced parliamentary candidates on both sides of the fence say they support the Electoral Commission of Jamaica's (ECJ's) campaign finance reform recommendation which requires them to spend no more than $10 million to fund campaigning in their constituencies.
The $10-million cap is a $7-million hike on the spending limit per candidate that has been in place since 1996. The increase was recently approved by the House of Representatives via changes to the Representation of the People Act.
Leonard Green, People's National Party (PNP) candidate for West St Thomas, said although campaigns are very costly, a $10-million maximum is a workable outlay for campaign expenditure.
"Being a new candidate, I would accede to the wisdom of the parties that came up with that limit and I think we must manage the resources available to us as best as we can," he told reporters and editors at this week's Observer Monday Exchange held at the newspaper's head office in Kingston.
Green explained that candidates are often faced with the task of funding their own campaigns as their political parties tend to offer financial support for only a few things.
"There are some things the party will do as it gets closer to election because there are some standards that all candidates have to abide by, like the posters and the standards relating to images, and they will do something in that regard. But in respect of the campaign, very few constituencies are alike, and you have to appeal to the electorate in different ways," he said.
"The party does not get into the micro-management at that level. You will have to fund it based on your support," he added.
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for South East St Catherine, Keith Blake, said elections can rack up a considerable amount of money for candidates who usually have to personally fund the cost of paraphernalia and advertising.
"There is a cost for T-shirts, advertisement, lunches for the persons canvassing. Buttons, armbands and all these things are very expensive, so to move from $3 million to $10 million is somewhat reasonable," Blake said.
He added further, "I am not saying to put a cap on it, but at least you should be able to control the level of spending, especially when we have to spend enormously".
Blake cited his own first-hand knowledge of the expense, as he was forced to sell two motor vehicles to cover the cost of his campaign when he contested the 2003 local government elections.
Camile Buchanan, the JLP candidate for the newly established East Central St Catherine constituency, also acknowledged that election campaigns are very expensive affairs that force candidates to spend a good deal of their personal resources.
"When you are being interviewed that is one of the questions you are asked for candidacy, "would you be able to fund your campaign, and how would you get financial support to assist in your campaign activities?" she explained.
"There is always the need for more money, so the increase from $3 million is something we appreciate, because you have to get yourself out there, you have to tell people why they should choose you as the representative ," she said.
The PNP's candidate for South East St Mary, Dr Winston Green, said he fully supports candidates staying within the $10-million maximum.
"What happens on many occasions is we tend to go beyond things that really should be done in an election campaign because we need buttons, T-shirts, transportation costs, and other things that money goes into. That shouldn't be the case," he said.
He also noted that although the party assists candidates in some respects, all individuals are expected to shoulder a significant portion of the cost.
"The party might assist us sometimes with T-shirts and sometimes they might receive from manufacturers a discounted rate on certain things and we benefit from it," he said.
"I believe that $10 million can suffice, if it is that we are only covering the cost of paraphernalia and PR (public relations) and if it is not going into buying elections, then that is sufficient," said Dr Green
Source-Observer
US man to exit Aruba jail in missing tourist case
A US businessman was yesterday scheduled to leave jail in Aruba while prosecutors in the Dutch Caribbean island try to put him back behind bars as a suspect in the disappearance of his travelling companion.
Gary Giordano was due to be released into the custody of his lawyer after a judge ruled that prosecutors, after nearly four months of investigation, did not have enough evidence to continue holding him in pretrial detention.
Giordano, who denies any wrongdoing in the disappearance of Robyn Gardner, is free to leave the island. But prosecutors say they are still trying to build a case against him and will seek his extradition if an appeal's court ruling expected yesterday issues a reversal and orders the 50-year-old businessman back to jail.
"The case does not end here. Mr Giordano will remain our prime suspect," said Solicitor General Taco Stein.
Giordano has been a suspect since August 5, three days after reporting to police that Gardner was apparently pulled out to sea while they were snorkelling off the southern tip of the island. Her body has never been found despite extensive searches, leaving investigators with only a circumstantial case that a crime was even committed.
Aruban law allows for pretrial detention while authorities investigate a crime, but it is subject to a judge's review and the threshold of evidence necessary to hold someone increases as times goes on. A judge ruled last week that prosecutors had not met the requirement and ordered release for Giordano, of Gaithersburg, Maryland.
LIME strikes deal with CARICOM
Telecommunications firm LIME has signed an agreement with the CARICOM secretariat to provide videoconferencing equipment and services to Jamaica and seven other member countries, as well as five other territories in the region.
In a statement, LIME said the regional body appointed the company, following a request for proposal to supply and install the equipment in Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent, and five other territories, namely, Belize, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad, and Haiti.
Earlier this year, LIME revealed that the company would be offering videoconferencing solutions to the public for corporate, enterprise and government organisations.
LIME said it would be working in collaboration with Polycom, a global leader in unified com-munications solutions with the industry's broadest portfolio of telepresence and video-communications infrastructure.
"The solutions being offered range in size, features and capa-bilities from smaller scale, flat screen, transportable systems to high-definition virtual telepresence conference suites, which closely simulate most elements of face-to-face meetings," the company said.
It added that the multifaceted systems include a range of useful and novel features, including collaboration tools for sharing graphics, presentations and rich-media content.
Lime product enhanced
In addition to sourcing and installing videoconferencing solutions, LIME said it would also provide user training to ensure its customers were fully versed with the capabilities of the systems.
LIME said it was already reaping the benefits of videoconferencing as the company has equipped its own offices in Jamaica, Barbados, Cayman and other Caribbean locations with a Polycom RealPresence high-definition system. The immersive telepresence solution is used for various purposes, including multi-location meetings, employee training and client consultations.
Among LIME's first local clients was the International Monetary Fund (IMF). LIME installed a Polycom HDX 7000 movable system at the IMF's local headquarters at the Bank of Jamaica building in downtown Kingston.
"The high-definition video system facilitates content sharing, allowing for the collaborative creation and discussion of diagrams, graphics, project plans and multimedia presentations," said the statement from LIME. "The system also features stereo surround, Polycoms' unique audio technology."
The statement quoted LIME's managing director for customer solutions, Dr David McBean, as saying that "With advances in technology, videoconferencing is no longer a futuristic novelty but a useful business tool that can help to curtail travel and other costs, while reducing the impact of distance and multi-location operations.
"Videoconferencing has enhanced LIME's already extensive product and service portfolio and underscore our position as the region's best and preferred provider of communications services for organisations of any size," he added.
Source- The Gleaner
EU entering 'critical period' to resolve debt crisis
EU finance ministers are meeting in Brussels after a top official said the region had just days to take decisive action to resolve the crisis.
EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said: "We are now entering the critical period of 10 days to complete and conclude the crisis response".
The meeting comes a day after eurozone ministers agreed measures to expand the region's bailout fund.
But they said it was unlikely to hit its 1tn euro ($1.3tn; £860bn) target.
Meanwhile, the latest figures from the European Central Bank (ECB) show that eurozone banks are becoming increasingly nervous about lending to each other.
Banks deposited 300bn euros with the ECB on Tuesday night, a rise of 100bn euros over the past two weeks.
The increase "shows that parts of the eurozone are close to a credit crunch, if not already in one," said the BBC's business editor Robert Peston.
Higher rates
Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker said the expansion of the bailout fund, known as the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), would still be "substantial".
European leaders want to bolster the EFSF, which currently has a lending capacity of 440bn euros, in case large economies such as Italy or Spain need to call for bailout money.
Fears that Italy in particular may need financial assistance were raised on Tuesday when the government was forced to pay much higher interest rates in a bond auction.
Ministers did agree to allow the bailout fund to partially guarantee potential losses investors might incur on the purchase of government bonds.
In a statement, the EFSF said the guarantee would give a bondholder "an amount of fixed credit protection of 20% to 30% of the principal amount of the sovereign bond".
Ministers also decided to create co-investment funds to allow public and private investors to participate in the EFSF. But fund chief Karl Regling said it was impossible to give a figure at this stage.
Ministers also agreed to release the latest 8bn euro tranche of bailout money to Greece.
Earlier this week, France and Germany proposed closer ties between eurozone economies, including binding limits on borrowing.
Meanwhile, reports suggest the EU will unveil proposals on Wednesday to split the so-called big four accountancy firms - PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and KPMG - into separate audit and consulting units.
Eurozone unemployment rate rises to 10.3%
The eurozone unemployment rate rose slightly to 10.3% in October, up from a revised 10.2% in September, official figures have shown.
The number of people unemployed rose by 126,000 from September to 16.3 million.
The rate in Germany fell to 5.5% from 5.7%, while that in Spain rose to 22.8% from 22.5%, Eurostat said. Youth unemployment in Spain rose to 48.9%.
Separate figures also released by Eurostat showed the eurozone inflation rate unchanged at 3% in November.
Earlier this month, the European Central Bank cut eurozone interest rates to 1.25% from 1.5%, and at the time said the inflation rate would remain at "elevated levels" for a number of months.
However, the bank forecast that inflation would fall to below 2% next year.
The latest figures come as EU finance ministers prepare to meet to discuss ways to resolve the eurozone debt crisis.
Ahead of the meeting, EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said ministers were "entering the critical period of 10 days to complete and conclude the crisis response".
An EU summit is scheduled to take place on 9 December.
Largest project in Haiti nears reality
THE biggest international project aimed at helping Haiti rebound from the 2010 earthquake eased closer to reality at a ceremony Monday.
Former US President Bill Clinton and Haitian President Michel Martelly broke ground for an ambitious US$224 million industrial park in northern Haiti that they hope will generate tens of thousands of jobs, house 5,000 of the workers and educate 500 of their children in a new school.
Those involved hope the South Korean garment manufacturer Sae-A Trading Co Ltd will set an example and urge other foreign businesses to invest in Haiti, a country long ignored by outsiders because of its cumbersome laws, heaps of red tape and occasional political tumult.
"Investors still do not believe or understand the value and potential of Haiti as we do," Kim Woong-ki, chairman of Sae-A, said through an interpreter in the northern town of Caracol. "Let's open this closed door and mind set toward Haiti and highlight the true value and potential of Haiti."
The project on the 617-acre (250-hectare) site was in the works long before the January 2010 earthquake but became a priority after Clinton was named the United Nations' special envoy for Haiti in 2009 and given responsibility for spurring private investment.
On the eve of the quake's first anniversary, the Haitian government and Sae-A signed an agreement to create the industrial park, which will export clothing to the United States. Among the company's 20 existing factories are plants in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
The United States has provided US$120 million for generating electricity, housing for workers and improvements to a port in the north. The Inter-American Development Bank will provide US$50 million for building factory shells and infrastructure.
The Caracol industrial park is intended to be Haiti's largest private employer, with a goal of providing 20,000 jobs at the park and creating 133,000 in all through cottage industries.
The first T-shirts are scheduled be made in May or June of next year.
"This is the kind of change we need," Martelly said from a stage surrounded by bulldozers and other heavy machinery. "This is the kind of development we need."
Workers will be paid Haiti's minimum wage, which is US$5 a day, and will be eligible for bonuses based on performance.
Clinton said the industrial park will eventually improve the lives of about 500,000 people as the complex brings in other tenants and small businesses emerge around the plant.
Thirty percent of Sae-A's jobs will be set aside for women.
Nella Felix hopes to be among them. She's a sometime street vendor who makes up the 60 per cent of the population that makes about US$2 a day.
"For me, it's a real way for the youth of the community to live, to find jobs and work," Felix, 42, said after the ceremony. "I'm waiting to see what they can do for us."
Critics of the industrial park argue that Haiti would be better off investing money in its long-neglected agriculture sector instead of the garment sector, which has stumbled along because of sporadic political upheaval.
Rudy Boulos, a business leader and former senator for the region, acknowledged the shortcomings but said the thousands of jobs will stimulate the area's economy, allowing parents to send their children to school.
"I don't think an industrial plant is the best way to create jobs," Boulos said before the ceremony started. "But it's a beginning. It's a first step to being self-sufficient."
Separately, Clinton and Martelly announced Monday that the Digicel phone company will help build a US$45-million, 173-room hotel with Marriott International. The new franchise is expected to create 175 jobs.
Construction is expected to begin next year in Turgeau, one of the few middle-class neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince proper. Opening is scheduled for mid-2014.
S&P downgrades credit rating of major banks
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's has downgraded the long-term credit grades of a string of major financial firms.
Wall Street titans Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, along with Barclays, HSBC, and some firms in Germany and France were affected.
Downgrades can increase banks' borrowing costs and put further pressure on their shaky finances.
However, it upgraded ratings on two Chinese banks, Bank of China Ltd. and China Construction Bank Corp.
S&P said its move reflects new criteria for banks, based on changes in market trends and government support.
Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup had long-term ratings downgraded to A- from A.
Morgan Stanley, Barclays, HSBC, Commerzbank, and UBS also had ratings cut by one notch, according to S&P's statement.
S&P's move hit the shares of US banks in after-hours trading on Wall Street, with Goldman Sachs down 1% Morgan Stanley down 1.7%.
Ratings for several big European banks, including Credit Suisse, Deutsche, ING and Societe Generale were unchanged.
Low risk
The upgrade for the Chinese banks has come at a time when there have been increased concerns about the health of the country's banking sector.
Chinese banks lent out record sums of money in the past few years in a bid to ensure a healthy pace of growth for the economy during the global financial crisis.
However, a slowdown in global economy has led to concerns about China's growth, prompting fears about an increase in bad debts at the banks.
Analysts said while the Chinese banks were prone to the risk of accumulating bad debt, they still remain a safe bet.
"The key factor is that they are largely government owned, that means the risk to shareholders of these banks is quite low," Stephen Joske of the Economist Intelligence Unit in Beijing told the BBC.
Mr Joske added that the Chinese government's was in a strong financial position to help its banks, should it need to step in.
"If there were to be a run on domestic banks, the authorities have plenty of resources to bail them out," he said.
EU plans new consumer watchdog for disputes
Shoppers who get into disputes with European traders should find it easier to get an out-of-court settlement in future, under new EU proposals.
The European Commission proposes an EU-wide online platform for consumers to "solve contractual disputes entirely online within 30 days".
Often mechanisms for resolving customer complaints only exist in some regions or sectors, the commission says.
Standardised rules could save consumers 22.5bn euros (£19bn) annually, it says.
A leading UK Conservative MEP, Malcolm Harbour, welcomed the commission draft directive, saying it should enable problems to be dealt with "simply and cheaply, without long and complicated legal action".
The European Parliament and EU governments aim to adopt the package by the end of next year. The single EU-wide platform for resolving disputes online should be in place by early 2015, the commission says.
In 2010, one in five European consumers encountered problems when buying goods and services in the EU's single market, the commission says.
The new Directive on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) aims to set up a network of neutral, professional mediators "to deal with any contractual dispute between a consumer and a business".
EU Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner John Dalli said "it is unacceptable that so many consumer problems are left unresolved because consumers have no real effective means of solving disputes with traders".