Barbados economy expected to show growth in 2015
The Barbados economy is expected to grow by two per cent per cent next year with the Central Bank reporting that fiscal adjustment measures have reduced the deficit by nearly one per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) so far this fiscal year.
In an analysis of the island’s current economic performance, the Central Bank of Barbados is also predicting that the island’s economic growth will increase to 2.3 per cent in 2016.
It said the local economy is firmly set on the path to sustainable growth, led by the sectors and activities in which Barbados has a demonstrated comparative advantage over the competition, in terms of quality, productivity and the strength of the local brand.
The Bank said that at the end of September, the stock of foreign reserves was BDS$1,066 million (One BDS dollar =US$0.50 cents) equivalent to 15 weeks of import cover.
The Central Bank noted that the fiscal adjustment measures have reduced the deficit by 0.9 per cent of GDP so far this fiscal year and that the measures already in place are forecast to yield an additional one per cent and a recovery of revenue is expected to yield an additional two per cent.
“Further revenue enhancement and expenditure adjustment equivalent to 2.0 per cent of GDP will be required in the second half of the fiscal year, to bring us to the target deficit of 6.6 per cent of GDP,” the Central Bank said, noting that so far this year, the fiscal deficit of BDS$360 million has been financed largely by a reduction in government deposits with the banking system, to the tune of BDS$235 million.
“The remainder of the deficit was financed by the drawdown of the government’s deposits at the Central Bank and by the NIS National Insurance Scheme). An additional financing requirement of about BDS$205 million is anticipated for the remainder of the fiscal year. Barbados’ net public sector debt at end-September was equivalent to 75 per cent of GDP, up from 67 per cent at the end of last year” the Central Bank said.
It said that the tourism sector, one of the main pillars of the local economy “has begun to turn around” and that arrivals increased eight per cent from the United Kingdom, the market which has always recorded the highest expenditure per tourist.
The Central Bank predicts that airlift from the United States and Canada will increase by nine and 20 per cent respectively, in time for the coming winter season.
“Tourism value added is estimated to have increased 0.1 per cent so far for the year,” it said.
Source-
WEATHER FORECAST
GENERAL SITUATION: A COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO RACE ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN ISLANDS WHILE AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY BUILDS OVER THE BAHAMAS
FOR THE NORTHWEST, CENTRAL BAHAMAS & TCI
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY AND WARM WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS BECOMING FAIR AND WARM TONIGHT
WINDS: LIGHT AND VARIABLE
SEAS: 3 FEET OR LESS OVER THE OCEAN
FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY WITH FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS ACROSS ALL AREAS
WINDS: NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS, FALLING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT TIMES
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 82°F 28°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE: 66°F 19°C
SUNSET: 07:17 AM MOONSET: 04:37 PM LOW TIDE: 12:08 PM
SUNRISE: 07:20 PM MOONRISE: 05:45 AM WED. HIGH TIDE: 06:09 PM
LOW TIDE: 12:24 AM WED. HIGH TIDE: 06:39 AM WED.
FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY WITH FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS
WINDS: SOUTH-SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH-SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND EASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET
FORECAST FOR THURSDAY
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY WITH THE CHANCE OF ISOLATED SHOWERS
WINDS: LIGHT AND VARIABLE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND EASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
US Drone Reportedly Shot Down Near Syria
Syrian state media said Tuesday the Syrian military shot down a U.S. drone conducting a surveillance mission.
The SANA news agency gave no details on the alleged incident in Latakia province, along the Mediterranean coast. A U.S. official says contact was lost with a drone over Syria, but gave no other information.
If the report is true, it would be the first U.S. aircraft shot down over Syria since a U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State in Iraq expanded airstrikes into Syria in September.
Earlier on Tuesday, Amnesty International released a new report saying Syrian forces killed civilians in airstrikes on the northern town of Raqqa last November in attacks that violated human rights law.
The report presents accounts of airstrikes on separate days that killed 115 civilians, including 14 children.
Amnesty spoke by phone or Skype with witnesses to the attacks and local activists. They described airstrikes that hit areas that had no military targets nearby or ones where civilians were killed in places where Islamic State militants were known or likely to be.
Amnesty said those attacks amount to either direct attacks against civilians, indiscriminate bombings or disproportionate strikes -- all of which are barred under international human rights law.
Raqqa is a stronghold of the Islamic State group, but Amnesty said that does not give the government a reason to bomb the city as if the area were populated solely by the militants.
"Syrian government forces have shown flagrant disregard for the rules of war in these ruthless airstrikes," Amnesty's Philip Luther said. "Some of these attacks give every indication of being war crimes.
"They have carried out repeated attacks on civilian areas without clearly identifying military targets, a blatant violation of the requirement to distinguish between civilians and military targets," he added.
Also Tuesday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accused Syrian government forces of dropping barrel bombs filled with poison gas on the town of Sarmin in Idlib province, killing six people and injuring dozens more.
The government denied the reports.
Source-VOA
President Obama to visit Jamaica
United States President Barack Obama is set to visit Jamaica next month, highly placed OBSERVER ONLINE sources have confirmed.
Obama is scheduled to attend a meeting in Kingston on April 9, after which he will leave for Panama to attend the Summit of the Americas that will be held over April 10th & 11th.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, speaking in Parliament, said the Government is pleased to welcome the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, to the shores of Jamaica.
“The Government of Jamaica is delighted that President Obama will be visiting Jamaica at this time. The visit of President Obama will take place on the eve of the Summit of the Americas to be held in Panama from the 10th to the 11th (of) April 2015."
"It is expected that the president will be proceeding from Jamaica to Panama for this hemispheric encounter, which will welcome for the first time the participation of our closest neighbour the Republic of Cuba," the prime minister said.
She added that: "As a member of the hemispheric family of nations…during this historic visit, Jamaica will also host an encounter between President Obama and the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) for discussions on issues of Caricom/USA relations including security and trade.
"Heads of Government will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. As is the regional interest, the Caricom/US summit will be co-chaired by the US president and the current Chairman of Caricom Perry Christie, prime minister of the Bahamas," she said.
In response to the news of President Obama’s visit, Leader of the Opposition Andrew Holness said the Opposition was extremely happy to know that a serving US President would be visiting Jamaica.
“The Opposition will play its role when President Obama visits Jamaica and would like to place on record our appreciation for the chill in relations between the United States and Cuba. We the Opposition have always stated that the economic embargo against Cuba should be lifted. We welcome President Obama to Jamaica,” Holness said.
Source-Jamaica Observer
Church slow pitch Co-Ed league on Monday night, will be recorded in the history books
The church slow pitch Co-Ed league on Monday night, will be recorded in the history books, as one to be remembered, said Godfrey Been.
The first game between Methodist Church and Paradise Baptist Church tool two extra innings before this game came to an end.
The game got started a bit late, but you could see from the beginning that Paradise came to play, but Methodist took them very lightly and found themselves in a real fight.
After (3) three extra innings in overtime, Paradise finally took the game 30 to 19 in the bottom (8) eight inning.
The second game of the night between Harvest Bible & Global United Fellowship, was a quick one.
Global United Fellowship ended the game in the third inning with the Ten (10) Run rule where they comfortably won 15 to 4.
Games will continue tonight and again on Thursday night at the National Stadium and all are invited.
AirAsia 8501 crash: Official search for bodies ends
The head of Indonesia's rescue agency has confirmed that the search for remaining bodies from a plane crash in the Java Sea ended today Tuesday.
Bambang Soe-list-yo told the BBC that the ships involved in the search will then be pulled out on Wednesday, Bambang Soe-list-yo.
AirAsia lost contact with flight QZ 8501 on 28 December as it was flying from Sura-baya in Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board.
The search effort has recovered 106 bodies, with 56 unaccounted for.
The families of those missing are disappointed but understand that the search cannot go on indefinitely, reports the BBC's Alice Budi-sat-rijo in Jakarta.
Frangky Chandra, the older brother of Gani Chandra, an Indonesian man who was on board the plane, and whose body has not been found, said it was difficult for his family to move on and that they will never stop waiting.
He said "the most important thing" was that DV1, the official search team, has said it will help with the identification process if any more bodies are found.
Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia, told reporters last week that he was satisfied with the search operation.
Bad weather in the Java Sea has hampered the recovery operation of AirAsia flight QZ8501
"We have been successful... To get more than 50% is considered a huge success," he said. But he added that the search could not "go on indefinitely".
The fuselage of the crashed plane was located in the Java Sea in mid-January and the final part of it that was recoverable was removed at the end of February. Divers established that those elements of fuselage that had to be left in the sea did not contain any bodies.
The bodies that were recovered were mostly found in and around the wreckage, with a few discovered some 1,000km away, off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Three were found as recently as 14 March.
The plane's two "black box" flight recorders were also found. They revealed several alarms were "screaming", drowning out the sound of the pilots' voices.
Indonesia's transport minister has said that radar data showed the plane climbing at an abnormally high rate. This could have caused it to stall, experts say.
The plane is thought to have been attempting to fly above a storm. The pilot's last contact was a request to divert around bad weather.
The less experienced co-pilot was at the controls at the time, investigators have said.
TURKS AND CAICOS AUTHORITIES INTERCEPT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ATTEMPT
A sloop carrying 115 would be illegal immigrants (97 males and 18 females and 3 children) was intercepted by the marine division of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) at 12:40am, Tuesday, 17 March 2015.
The government’s press office reports that the Marine Police were alerted by immigration staff at the government’s coastal radar station 11:35pm of a suspicious vessel being tracked. They deployed shortly thereafter.
At 3:35am, all Marine Branch officers returned safely to the Marine Base at South Dock where they were met by Immigration and Police Officials.
All 115 individuals are now being processed by health and immigration officials and will be deported at the earliest opportunity. All appear to be of Haitian origin.
The Police can be contacted anonymously on 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1-800-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously in English, French or Spanish on either www.crimestoppers.tc or on Facebook as a fan of Crime Stoppers Turks & Caicos. Crime Stoppers tips are received in the USA.
Unemployed local releases ‘Moving Forward’!
Damian Wilson, an unemployed recently returned university student, has released a somewhat detailed proposal document entitled ‘Moving Forward: Thoughts on building a better Turks & Caicos’.
‘Moving Forward’ is a comprehensive collection of thoughts on national issues plaguing the Turks & Caicos Islands. It is Damian’s vision what he believes a better TCI could be. It includes discussions on the local political culture, the constitution, the economy, healthcare and education, just to name a few. According to Damian, ‘Moving Forward’ is meant to be a document that hopefully gets people talking about important national issues and not shying away from hard discussions.
“It isn’t a book or a guide but merely a proposal of what I believe the people of this country could do to make the TCI a better place for all,” Damian said. “For far too long we’ve allowed only the elite in this country to shape the national agenda, while the rest of us hide and complain in our little corners, I’m sorry but I don’t want to be relegated to a corner anymore. The voices of young people aren’t being heard.”
Mr. Wilson went on to say that: “God woke me up at 2am one night and told me that I should start writing my thoughts down if I was truly concerned about my country. I started off with only two concerns really; however, eight weeks later it has grown into what you see now. I simply wrote what God laid on my heart. Whether anyone agrees with my thoughts or not, one thing is true, we cannot move forward in this country without confession and forgiveness. I am seriously concerned about the country that our children and grandchildren are going to inherit.”
Damian returned from studying in the UK in December of 2014, after completing a BA (Hons) in Communications, Media and Journalism, and has been unemployed since. He is a husband and father, and says that in such a partisan divided country he expects that there will be some who would want to take issue with him independently speaking his mind; however, God has laid it on his heart to speak. The full documented can be viewed, commented on, downloaded or printed from Damian’s blog page: http://www.damianwilson.blogspot.com
LIME’s customers win cash
Big smiles on the faces of 3 of LIME’s customers, were evidence of their big win and in this instance, one grand ($1000) in the company’s Top Up promotion.
Each of the winners only had to top up $15 or more and they were automatically entered for a chance to win $1000.
Ms. Rolanda Robinson, Mr. Gregory Pinder and Mr. Dudley Stokes each won $1000 cash. The winners were pleasantly surprised when they got the call. “I have never won anything before,” commented Ms. Robinson. Another winner wanted to take the “big cheque” to the bank. All winners thanked LIME for the initiative and were happy to win.
GM, James Pitt, “LIME continues to offer relevant promotions that meet the customers’ needs as they continue to use the company’s products and service,” commented LIME’s General Manager, James Pitt He said, “Thanks to all who participated in the promotion and congratulations to all the winners,” he added.
LIME’s promotion continues throughout the month of March where there will be daily winners. Customers who top up $15 or more will be entered for a chance to win prizes daily. These include $250 cash, Alcatel Tablets, 1GB data & Alcatel PIXI 2. Customers are encouraged to continue to top up to participate.
The 12 Most Luxurious All-Inclusive Resorts in the World
When you’re talking a luxurious getaway, there is no question that the Turks and Caicos has been proven time and time again to have little rivalry.
Let's face it -- all-inclusive vacations really take the worries out of travel. No matter the destination where you're heading on your all-inclusive getaway, it's nice to know that once you get there, everything will already be taken care of; that is, as long as you pick a top-notch spot that won't shock you with any unwanted surprises.
The Huffington Post reported in the travel section of MSN that during their travels, they've discovered that there are all kinds of all-inclusive resorts, from adults-only to budget-friendly, from family-focused to downright unusual. But we must say, "luxurious" may be our favorite and topping the list of their 12 favorite all-inclusive luxury resorts around the world is the
1) Parrot Cay and COMO Shambhala Retreat, Turks and Caicos
Set on a private island, accessed via a 30-minute boat ride from Providenciales, Parrot Cay and COMO Shambhala Retreat offers a level of privacy and intimacy unavailable anywhere else in Turks and Caicos. With an incredible infinity-edge pool, world-renowned COMO Shambhala Spa, waterfront Balinese-style villas, doting service, and more than three miles of pristine beaches, Parrot Cay is easily one of the most luxurious hotels in all of the Caribbean. You'll be pampered by personal butlers, wined and dined by incredible restaurants and bars, and will certainly leave your vacation feeling refreshed -- especially if you indulge in treatments at the exclusive spa.
2) Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada
3) Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica Resort & Spa
4) Beyond Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp, Botswana
5) Adaaran Prestige Ocean Villas, Maldives
6) Grand Velas Riviera Maya
7) The Village Coconut Island, Phuket
8) Fowl Cay Resort, Bahamas
9) Pullman Marrakech Palmeraie Resort and Spa
10) Princess Andriana Resort & Spa, Rhodes
11) Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
12) Adler Thermae Spa and Relax Resort, Tuscany