Sean Paul gets 5th #1 debut on Billboard Reggae Chart
International dancehall superstar Sean Paul is in the process of creating chart history, according to management company Headline Entertainment, as he received his fifth # 1 Reggae album debut on the Billboard Reggae charts for his sixth studio album, 'Full Frequency'.
On Tuesday, February 18, Sean Paul released Full Frequency on Atlantic/VP Records, anchored by lead singles 'Want Dem All' featuring Konshens and 'Riot' featuring Damian Marley, which is currently the #1 song on the Jamaica Music Countdown chart. The project also debuted as the #1 album in Japan while charting high in multiple territories including top 5 in Mexico.
In anticipation of the release, Headline Entertainment said Sean Paul embarked on a US promotional tour including an appearance on the Arsenio Hall Show.
Headline Entertainment said that Sean Paul is the first Jamaican artiste to have an album cover with an interactive app which is free and allows fans to access music, videos, tour dates, and interact with the artiste through his social media sites.
Full Frequency, through the Layar app, allows fans to scan the album artwork with their android or IOS device and experience Sean Paul content popping up on their screens.
Other artistes that have added an interactive app to their projects include, Jay Z, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, Headline Entertainment said.
Sean Paul's Full Frequency album’s Augmented Reality feature was designed and developed by Jamaican-born Kai Williams and Khaliq King of Zipteq.
Source-Jamaica Observer
Bandleaders threaten to sue NCBA
Several bandleaders are considering taking legal action after being disqualified in the National Carnival Bands Association’s (NCBA) Band of the Year competition.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Bands Association (TTCBA) Gerard Weekes said yesterday about ten bandleaders have complained to him.
Weekes said the bandleaders were not against Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra winning but were merely seeking clarification on the results from NCBA president David Lopez.
All Stars placed first with its presentation, Sailors On Shore Leave At A Tropical Fiesta, with 2,365 points. Weekes also said consensus among the bandleaders was it was not a case of “sour grapes”.
Via a telephone interview yesterday, Weekes said: “We have had complaints from more than ten band-
leaders. The concerns range from disqualification to loss of points. I guess they are all seeking some answers. Bandleaders like Rosalind Gabriel, Ronnie and Caro, D Krewe with Roland St George, Trini Revellers with David Cameron are seeking legal action. These are just a few.”
Weekes added: “All Stars is not the problem. The bandleaders have lost points. They simply want to know where they were disqualified. Some of them want to know why they were not placed in the top three. It is both the Medium and Large Band category who are querying their scores and their points. I will be talking with them over the weekend. It will be on a one-and-one basis.”
Asked if the bandleaders will be suing the NCBA, he said: “I don’t have an official answer. They have all intentions to sue. Meanwhile, they have been attempting to retain their scores.”
Weekes said the “controversy” stemmed from the implementation of “draconian rules”.
He added: “I predicted All Stars will win Band of the Year because they were the only band that stayed with the rules and regulations. The rules and regulations were tailored to suit All Stars.”
Asked if he attempted to contact Lopez, he said: “No. I have not attempted to contact them. Lopez knows what he is doing. So he does not want to talk to anybody at this time.”
Asked if he had contacted National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman Allison Demas, he said: “It is the same thing with her. She will say talk to NCBA.”
Weekes however cast the blame for the post-Carnival fiasco at the feet of Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism Dr Lincoln Douglas.
“Douglas has to be held responsible for all the issues and problems. He and Lopez are two peas in a pod,” said Weekes.
Via a telephone interview yesterday, bandleader Rosalind Gabriel said: “It’s discrimination.”
Her adult band, Festival of Colours, failed to place in the Small Band category.
Gabriel said: “I am writing to NCBA to request my scoresheet. I want to see why I have not been placed anywhere from one to five in the Small Band category. In 2003, there was real bacchanal. But 2014 is even worse. This is victimisation. Lopez is supposed to be the union leader for mas. He is supposed to be our champion. He is persecuting us.”
She said it was a case of “bad blood”.
Gabriel added: “In 2012, we left NCBA and we formed TTCBA (Gerard Weekes), and this is the persecution that came from it. We have been victimised.”
Based on discussions with her colleagues, Gabriel said: “For those bandleaders whom I talk to, they all feel the same way. The steelband (All Stars) won because others were disqualified.”
She said she will be requesting the scoresheet for the Juniors’ presentation of Colour My Culture.
Gabriel said: “Those of us who went downtown were disqualified. Something has gone on.”
Asked if she had contacted Lopez, she said: “No. I hired a lawyer to act on my behalf. I think the NCBA will be buried in lawsuits.”
Efforts to contact Douglas, Demas and Lopez yesterday proved futile.
Source-Trinidad Express
U.S. donates US$1.2M in equipment to protect the environment
The United States Embassy on Thursday donated equipment for the environmental protection program, with financial and technical assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Embassy chief of staff Daniel Foote said the donation of around US$1.2 million will support the Environment Ministry’s priority program and other national organizations to bolster environmental protection and adaptation to climate change,.
Environment minister Bautista Rojas received the donation which includes 13 pickup trucks, 24 motorcycles, five boats, among other equipment to patrol protected areas, and to fully equip the Nigua Endemic and Native Seedling Bank.
Rojas and Foote also signed agreements to donate around US$407,000 worth of equipment to other organizations.
CARICOM “deeply concerned” over political tensions between Ukraine and Russia
The 15-member regional integration grouping, CARICOM< Wednesday said it was ‘deeply concerned” at the ongoing political developments in Ukraine and called for an end to the tensions to prevent possible bloodshed.
“The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is deeply concerned by the recent developments in Ukraine and calls on all parties involved, to act with self-restraint and responsibility in order to reduce tensions and avoid destabilization in that region,” the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said in a statement.
It said CARICOM “supports the people of Ukraine in their efforts to settle their differences peacefully, and calls for the respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“In this regard, the Community also calls for the use of international mediation and/or negotiations, to address security and human rights concerns in Ukraine, under the auspices of the United Nations.
“The Caribbean Community will continue to monitor developments within Ukraine and hopes for peace and calm as political and economic stability are restored within that country.”
The United States and Russia are expected to hold talks on easing East-West tension over Ukraine on Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet face-to-face for the first time since the crisis escalated, after a conference in Paris attended by all five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
NATO and Russia will hold parallel talks in Brussels amid concerns that a standoff between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea could still spark violence, or that Moscow could also intervene in Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday defended Russia’s actions in Crimea, a strategic Black Sea peninsula that is part of Ukraine but used to be Russian territory, and said he would use force only as a last resort.
Caribbean 360 News
Venezuela expels Panama ambassador over 'conspiracy'
Venezuela has expelled Panama's ambassador and three other diplomats amid growing tensions over opposition protests.
The officials were given 48 hours to leave the country.
It comes a day after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro broke diplomatic relations and froze economic ties with Panama.
At least 20 people have died in anti-government protests in Venezuela in the last month.
Mr Maduro has accused Panama of conspiring to bring down his government.
The latest fallout comes after the Central American nation requested a meeting at the Organization of American States (OAS) to discuss Venezuela's crisis.
"There are moves by the United States government in accord with a lackey government of a right-wing president which has been creating the conditions for the OAS and other bodies to step towards an intervention in our country," Mr Maduro said earlier this week.
Four diplomats working at Panama's embassy, including ambassador Pedro Pereira, were declared "persona non grata" on Thursday, according to Panama's Deputy Foreign Minister Mayra Arosemena.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said Venezuela also had suspended debt negotiations over $1bn (£600,000) owed to Panamanian exporters, according to reports.
Meanwhile a member of Venezuela's National Guard and a motorcyclist became the latest victims of the unrest in the country on Thursday.
The pair were shot dead during clashes that broke out when a group of men of motorcycles tried to clear opposition barricades in a street in Caracas.
The opposition accuses the government of using armed civilian groups on motorcycles to break up demonstrations.
Thousands of government supporters and troops took part in a huge parade through the centre of the capital, commemorating the first anniversary of former President Hugo Chavez's death on 5 March.
Source-BBC
Several Caribbean countries named in US money laundering report
The United States has named several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries as major money laundering states whose financial institutions engage in currency transactions involving significant amounts of proceeds from international narcotics trafficking.
In its just released “2014 International Narcotics Control
Strategy Report,’ the US State Department listed Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize and Haiti as among major money laundering countries and jurisdictions around the world.
In addition to these CARICOM countries, the other Caribbean islands named are the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands.
The report also notes that countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Brazil, Russia, France, Canada as well as the Dominican Republic, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands had been designated major money laundering countries
The report which describes the steps taken during the previous year by the governments of nearly 90 countries, to reduce illicit narcotics production, trafficking, and use, as well as money laundering and financial crimes, said that the “complex nature of money laundering transactions today makes it difficult in many cases to distinguish the proceeds of narcotics trafficking from the proceeds of other serious crime. “Moreover, financial institutions engaging in transactions involving significant amounts of proceeds of other serious crime are vulnerable to narcotics-related money laundering.”
Washington said that “this year’s list of major money laundering countries recognizes this relationship by including all countries and other jurisdictions, whose financial institutions engage in transactions involving significant amounts of proceeds from all serious crime”.
The report also notes that Caribbean countries like the Bahamas, Belize, Haiti and Jamaica had been classified as major drug-transit countries.
The State Department defines a major drug transit country as one “that is a significant direct source of illicit narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances significantly affecting the United States; or (B) through which are transported such drugs or substances”.
It said that apart from the Caribbean countries, Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela were identified and notified to Congress by the President on September 13, last year.
Source-CMC News
Rio rubbish collectors continue strike despite union deal
Rubbish is still piling up in Rio de Janeiro as the Brazilian city's street cleaners continue a strike, despite an announced agreement with the union.
Hundreds of refuse workers protested at the mayor's office on Friday demanding better pay and working conditions.
Authorities said on Monday that they had reached an agreement with union leaders and expected normal collection to be resumed within days.
But many workers say the union is not representing their interests.
The president of Rio's rubbish collecting company, Comlurb, has even appealed to the population to store rubbish at home whenever possible, the BBC's Julia Carneiro reports from Rio.
Friday's protests stopped the traffic in central Rio, despite threats from the authorities to fire those who did not show up to work.
On Monday, municipal authorities said they had sealed a deal with leaders of the 15,000 rubbish collectors after offering a salary raise of 9%.
But a group of street cleaners – whose starting monthly salary is 803 reais ($342; £205) – is demanding a pay of 1,200 reais ($510; £306) and other benefits.
They say they are being "being treated like rubbish" and threaten to cause further disruptions during the football World Cup, due to start on 12 June.
"The mayor wants to hold the World Cup, bin men want to go shopping," read some of their banners on Friday.
The strikers say more than half of the workforce are still with them and vowed to stage fresh demonstrations over the weekend.
But the street cleaners' union says the strikers are a minority.
In some parts of the city, groups of rubbish collectors have started to clean up the rubbish left by this year's carnival festivities, which ended on Wednesday.
Security officers have been deployed to protect the workers from their striking colleagues, authorities say.
Tonnes of rubbish left after many street parties and by samba schools and beach goers were left piling up in the city for days.
The BBC's Julia Carneiro says the local culture of littering the streets makes matters worse.
Even Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, was caught on video allegedly throwing rubbish on the street.
Mr Paes said he did not remember the event, but nevertheless asked the authorities to fine him to serve as an example.
Last year, his government announced a "zero tolerance" policy towards street littering.
Source-BBC
Visa waiver for Jamaicans travelling to Bermuda
The Jamaica government Friday announced that nationals travelling to the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda for vacation or to conduct business would no longer require a visa.
But Foreign Affairs Minister AJ Nicholson told the Senate that for Jamaicans to be able to take advantage of the waiver, they must be in possession of a multi-entry visa to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
“Jamaican nationals who hold such multiple entry visas for the USA, Canada or the UK must be careful to ensure that the visas are valid for a minimum of 45 days after the expiry of the planned stay in Bermuda. They must also ensure that their Jamaican passports have a validity of at least 45 days after the expiry of their planned stay,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson said that Jamaica a few weeks ago signed an agreement with Brazil to facilitate visa free travel for Jamaicans to that South American country.
Source-CMC
US Economy Added 175,000 Jobs in February
U.S. employers added 175,000 jobs in February, picking up the pace of hiring after two months of sluggish job growth.
A senior economist at the country's biggest bank, James Glassman at JPMorgan Chase, tells VOA the advance in the labor market last month is a favorable sign for the world's largest economy. That is especially so, he says, after an unusually cold and snowy winter in the United States limited job growth in December and January.
"The February report tells you we may see better numbers in the next couple months as we get back to something more normal."
The U.S. Labor Department reported Friday that the unemployment rate edged slightly higher to 6.7 percent in February. But Glassman says that may be a good indicator that frustrated jobless workers are more optimistic about the economy and have resumed their search for employment, even if they have yet to find a new job.
"If the unemployment rate's going up because people are coming back into the market looking, then that's a good sign, frankly. I think for a while we shouldn't really view a rise in the unemployment rate as a negative if it accompanies an increase in the labor force, because it means that something must be going on. People must be hearing there are opportunities."
There are 10.5 million unemployed workers in the U.S., and more than a third of them have been out of work for six months or longer.
The U.S. jobless rate has been steadily declining over the last four-plus years as the country recovers from its worst downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930's.
But economists have noted that some of the improvement in the unemployment rate has occurred because thousands of job seekers have been unable to find work and dropped out of the labor market, and thus are not counted by the government as unemployed.
Even as U.S. stock market indexes have soared to new highs, many American businesses have been reluctant to significantly boost their payrolls. Employers added only 129,000 jobs in January and 84,000 in December, after averaging 189,000 over the past year.
The country's central bank, the Federal Reserve, is watching the U.S. economic trends to see whether it should continue to trim its direct support of the American economy. Last year, the Fed had been buying $85 billion worth of securities a month in an effort aimed at keeping long-term interest rates low and boosting job growth, but now has cut the figure to $65 billion.
Fed policy makers, including new chair Janet Yellen, are meeting again later this month. Glassman says he thinks the Fed will continue to cut its asset purchases and end them in late 2014.
Source-VOA
Facebook's WhatsApp purchase challenged
Facebook's purchase of mobile messaging service WhatsApp has been opposed by privacy groups.
Mark Zuckerberg's firm is planning to buy the company for around £11bn.
Opponents want US regulators to stop the deal until Facebook provides more information on what it plans to do with the personal data of WhatsApp's users.
But Facebook said it will operate as a separate company and honour existing privacy arrangements, which include not collecting user data for advertising.
"WhatsApp built a user-base based on its commitment not to collect user data for advertising revenue," read a complaint filed with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It was drawn up by two non-profit groups, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy.
They added: "Users provided detailed personal information to the company including private text to close friends. Facebook routinely makes use of user information for advertising purposes and has made clear that it intends to incorporate the data of WhatsApp users into the user profiling business model.
"The proposed acquisition will therefore violate WhatsApp users' understanding of their exposure to online advertising and constitutes an unfair and deceptive trade practice, subject to investigation by the Federal Trade Commission."
And the groups, which work on research and consumer protection online, asked the regulators to investigate the deal "specifically with regard to the ability of Facebook to access WhatsApp's store of user mobile phone numbers and metadata"
Facebook, the world's top social network with 1.2 billion users, generates the majority of its revenue by showing ads that target users by age, gender and other traits.
"As we have said repeatedly, WhatsApp will operate as a separate company and will honour its commitments to privacy and security," Facebook said in a statement seen by Reuters.
Facebook announced its intention to buy WhatsApp, which has 450 million users who are able to send instant messages and other media over mobile, with cash and stock.
There is no charge for individual messages, which are sent using wi-fi or data connections, making it cheaper than SMS messaging in many cases. Other users pay around £0.60 per year subscription.
Referring to the business model, Jan Koum wrote on the WhatsApp website: "When people ask us why we charge for WhatsApp, we say, 'Have you considered the alternative?'"
Despite assurances by WhatsApp and Facebook that the privacy policies will not change, the groups noted that Mark Zuckerberg's social networking company has in the past amended an acquired-company's privacy policies.
Notably, it did so with the Instagram photo-sharing service that it bought in 2012.
Regulators must require that Facebook "insulate" WhatsApp user information from access by Facebook's data collection practices, read the complaint, which was dated 6 March 2014.
"WhatsApp users could not reasonably have anticipated that by selecting a pro-privacy messaging service, they would subject their data to Facebook's data collection practices," read the filing.
The FTC will decide whether the acquisition can go ahead and, if so, whether or not conditions should be imposed.
Source-BBC