Mexico band Kombo Kolombia reported missing after gig
Police in northern Mexico are searching for 20 members of a band who went missing after playing a gig in the city of Hidalgo on Thursday night.
Twelve musicians and eight crew members from the band Kombo Kolombia have not been heard from since.
Relatives said they got worried when the musicians, who play Colombian vallenato music, stopped answering their mobile phones.
Drugs gangs have killed a number of Mexican musicians in recent years.
When relatives travelled to the concert venue, they found the place abandoned and the band's cars empty.
Risky business
In 2007, Sergio Gomez, the singer of band K-Paz de la Sierra was kidnapped after a concert in the western state of Michoacan.
He was found strangled days later.
Sergio Vega, known as El Shaka, was shot dead in 2010 in Sinaloa state, in western Mexico, just hours after he had denied reports of his own murder.
However, most of those killed played narcocorridos, songs celebrating the lives of drug barons.
Kombo Kolombia specialise in Colombian popular music, not normally linked to Mexican drug gangs.
However, local media reported that the band had played in bars which have in the past been targeted by drug cartels.
More than 70,000 people are estimated to have died in drug-related violence in Mexico over the past six years.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office on 1 December 2012, has announced the creation of a new national police force to tackle organised crime and violence.
Brazil landless leader Cicero Guedes shot dead in Rio
A leader of the landless movement in Brazil, Cicero Guedes, has been killed in Rio de Janeiro state.
Mr Guedes, 43, was shot dead on Saturday as he was cycling home.
He was killed near a former sugar plant which members of the landless movement, or MST, have occupied.
Non-governmental organisations say the number of landless activists killed over the past years has fallen but that the number of death threats issued against them has almost tripled.
Legal battle
The MST campaigns for land reform and the rights of landless workers and is considered the best organised social movement in Brazil.
MST activists said Mr Guedes, a sugar-cane cutter, had led the occupation of the Usina Cambahyba sugar plant in Campos, 285km (180 miles) north-east of Rio de Janeiro.
The sugar plant has been at the centre of a long-running legal battle between the landless and the heirs of its deceased owner.
A judge ruled last year that the plant and its surrounding land totalling about 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) was "unproductive" and should be expropriated.
The heirs are appealing against the decision.
The MST, who had occupied the land for six years before being moved by police in 2006, staged a second occupation in November in an attempt to pressure the courts into speeding up their decision.
The Catholic Church's Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) says conflicts over land in Brazil have risen and the number of activists threatened has jumped from 125 to 347 between 2010 and 2011.
Grenada: Government Wage Bill
The Government of Grenada as part of its ongoing public sector reform in 2012 established the Office of the Prime Minister as separate and distinct from the Prime Minister’s Ministry.
The Office of the Prime Minister comprises the Cabinet Office, adviser to the Prime Minister and the top advisors and aides to ministers and other governmental officers.
Persons serving in office at the pleasure of the government are appointed under the Office of the Prime Minister.
These include Advisors, Personal Assistants to Ministers, Drivers/Security to Ministers, Housing Coordinators, Community Development Officers and Public Relations Officers.
It should be noted that all these positions existed in the public service prior to 2008 and persons were being paid under various ministries and departments.
Under the then Prime Minister’s Ministry, persons who could be considered political appointees, held the following posts and were paid as follows:
Advisor $ 9,000.00 per month
Advisor $ 20,000.00 per month
Chief of Personal Security $ 4, 500.00 per month
Advisor $13, 000.00 per month
Advisor $ 5,000.00 per month
Prison Consultant $ 4,500.00 per month
Legal Advisor $ 19, 000.00 per month
Technical Project Officer $ 5,000.00 per month
Press Secretary $ 10,000.00 per month
Personal Assistant to PM $ 2, 500.00 per month
Assistant to PS $ 1, 600.00 per month
Outreach Coordinator $ 2, 500.00 per month
Coordinator of Private Sector Development $ 4, 000,00 per month
Supervisor GIS $ 5, 000.00 per month
National Security Advisor $ 10,000.00 per month
Advisor to Minister of Sports $ 5,000.00 per month
In addition Personal Assistants to Ministers and Public Relations Officers were paid approx $2500 and $2000 each per month. There were 8 Personal Assistants to Ministers and similar number of Public Relations Officers.
It must also be noted that along with the Press Secretary, there were three (3) Assistants to the Press Secretary and a Communications and Hospitality Officer who were paid another $14,000.00 per month.
The 2012 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure reflected $3,826,718 in the budgetary allocation under the Office of the Prime Minister, with $595,759 allocated for personal emoluments and $2,326,858 for wages and salaries.
Therefore statements to the effect that this administration has employed advisors and political appointees to the tune of EC $8Million per month, are patently false, absolutely dishonest and signals a lack of integrity on the part of the persons making such statements, since the facts are easily verifiable.
It should be noted that the government’s wage bill is not static and has increased since 2008 for the following reasons:
- Salaries negotiations for the period 2006-2008 were concluded in early 2008. The cumulative percentages from 2006 to 2008 were added on to the existing salaries. Thus, the salary of each Public Officer increased in 2008. Pensioners also benefited from salary increases and so the pension benefits also increased.
- In 2008 Police and Prison Officers accepted a 4% salary increase for 2009 (Public Officers and Teachers did not accept this offer and are currently in negotiations). The 4% increase was added to the wage bill in 2009.
- Increments due to Public Officers are paid annually and result in further increases to salaries.
- Implementation of Union/Industrial Agreement: some persons are awarded increments on obtaining higher qualification.
- Regularization of the status of employees who may be temporary or acting in vacant posts.
- Provision for persons who proceed on study leave and other such leave
However the most significant impact on the wage bill, since 2008, has been the decision to treat all payments to 340 workers as wages and salaries. Prior to 2010 all 340 workers were paid as consultancy fees and in some instances were paid under projects. They are now being paid where they rightfully belong, on the payroll, as salaries and wages.
In 2008 the government inherited more than 2000 workers who were paid under the 340 vote. These workers were all retained in the Public Service.
PR
Two Caribbean destinations in top five overseas wedding locations for UK travellers
Two Caribbean destinations -- St Lucia and Antigua -- appear in the list of the best overseas spots to tie the knot published by luxury long haul specialists Hayes and Jarvis.
More and more people are considering a wedding abroad as an alternative to a traditional UK-based ceremony and, aside from being cheaper on the whole than a wedding in the UK, weddings abroad can also mean virtually guaranteed good weather, and the chance to exchange vows against an idyllic beach setting.
The top five overseas venues to get hitched in include: St Lucia, Antigua, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Las Vegas.
Stars light up Jazz & Blues in Jamaica
As 2013 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival moved towards its final crescendo at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium on Friday night, the likes of Michael Bolton, Mary J. Blige and Etana made sure that patrons received more than their money's worth at the music event.
The diverse presentations took the audience on an awe-inspiring journey that has become synonymous with the international show.
From reggae, soca to blues, soulful classics and R&B, time was not sufficient to explore the depths of the music catalogue that the main acts possess.
Matching the success of last year's staging that saw Celine Dion gracing the stage was a difficult task to accomplish, but the organiser's choice to host the legendary Bolton fared well with the audience, most of whom are loyal fans of his music.
Bolton made the presence of Celine Dion felt with a duet he did with singer and songwriter Kelly Levesque.
The two did a rendition of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli's The Prayerthat electrified the stadium and sent it into ear-piercing screams and shouts of approval.
If one had not seen Kelly onstage, the voice of the blonde, slim-built singer could be mistaken for that of Dion.
The two went on to do How Can I, among others, to the delight of Bolton's fans. Two outfits later and with a skilful saxophonist, Michael Lington, who kept the audience adequately entertained, Bolton unleashed his hit factory on patrons, who never grew weary of singing along with him.
sheer brilliance
Multiplatinum-selling artiste Mary J. Blige unmasked the challenge of performing after Bolton and closed the show with sheer brilliance and class.
Her interactive set with fans underscored why she continues to connect with an audience through her music.
She seduced fans with her powerful vocals as they willingly sang word for word on most of the tracks she performed.
She brilliantly transitioned into her hits from the '90s to present, and showed why she is the only artiste to register Grammy wins in R&B, rap, gospel and pop.
A liberated reggae princess, whose infectious vocals generate a mesmerising presence onstage, is embodied by Etana, who made a strong entry on to the Jazz and Blues stage with her song Free.
On the heels of launching her Betta Tomorrow album in February of this year, Etana wasted no time to introduce new material to fans that happily welcomed her songs and listened intently as they sought to catch the messages.
Of course, she could not deliver her set without Wrong Address, and the intent of her message was not lost as she preached a Betta Tomorrow and Jah Jah Blessing.
Barbadian-born saxophonist Arturo Tappin could not be contained throughout his 40-minute set that saw him jumping into the crowd to create a more personal interaction with music lovers.
He gave everything and showed he had more in the tank as he performed songs such as Everythingby Ne-Yo and Pitbull.
He had the crowd going while doing Vybz Kartel's Ramping Shopand Sizzla's Dry Cry before he covered Damian Marley's Affairs of the Heart and Popcaan's Only Manwith his saxophone.
--Jamaica Gleaner
Venezuela jail closed after more than 60 died in riot
Venezuelan prison minister Iris Varela has announced the closure of the jail where more than 60 people died in a riot on Friday.
Ms Varela said the female wing of the Uribana prison near the city of Barquisimeto had already been cleared.
She also called on male inmates to stop rioting.
Violence between rival gangs is common in Venezuela's overcrowded jails. More than 300 people were killed in 2012, according to a local rights group.
Gang warfare
Ms Varela did not say how many people had died in the riot, but a hospital director Ruy Medina said he had counted 61 bodies in the morgue.
Earlier, local media had reported that the security forces were still not in full control of the prison.
Mr Medina, the director of the Hospital Central Antonio Maria Pineda, said 120 people had been injured.
Ms Varela said officials had decided to clear the prison of all inmates to "close this chapter of violence".
She said soldiers had been sent to the prison to search prisoners for weapons after reports that rival gangs were preparing for a fight.
According to Ms Varela, the prisoners were alerted to the impending raid by news reports and lay in wait for the National Guard, attacking them as they entered the Uribana penitentiary.
She said most of the victims had been killed with home-made weapons and rudimentary knives.
However, Mr Medina had earlier said many of the bodies at his hospital's morgue had gunshot wounds.
Vice-President Nicolas Maduro said there would be a thorough investigation into the riot, led by Venezuela's Prosecutor General and the President of the National Assembly.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles blamed the violence on "incompetent and irresponsible government".
Venezuelan human rights activist Carlos Nieto Palma told BBC Mundo Uribana prison was among the most dangerous in the country and suffered from overcrowding.
There has been a series of deadly prison riots in Venezuela.
Last year, the security forces took almost three weeks to regain control of La Planta prison in the capital, Caracas, after inmates rioted in protest at a planned transfer to another jail.
The prisoners said they feared for their lives if they were moved to other already overcrowded jails.
According to the non-governmental Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (VPO), in 2012 more than 50,000 inmates were housed in prisons built to hold 14,000.
--BBC
Apple eclipsed by Exxon Mobil as most valuable company
Apple has lost its crown as the world's most valuable publicly traded company after its shares continued to fall.
Oil company Exxon Mobil has regained the top slot after Apple shares fell 2.4%, following a 12% drop on Thursday.
Apple, which posted disappointing iPhone sales figures on Wednesday, has seen its shares fall 37% since their record high last September.
Exxon became number one in 2005, traded places with Apple during 2011, and had been number two since early 2012.
At the close on Wall Street, Apple had a market value of $413bn (£261bn), against Exxon's of $418bn.
The tech giant has been hit by fears over its future growth, despite record profits.
Although the firm said on Wednesday that it had sold more iPhones (47.8 million) and iPads (22.9 million) in the final three months of last year than in any previous quarter, investors and analysts had expected yet more.
On Thursday, about $50bn was wiped off Apple's value after the biggest daily drop in the firm's stock in four years.
Apple is also facing fierce competition from rivals like Samsung, which accounted for one in four of all mobile phones shipped worldwide last year, according to Strategy Analytics.
Apple's share price rose sharply following a revival under Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, which came about first in computers and then the iPod music player, and was then followed by the iPhone and iPad.
Apple's shares were worth as little as $3.19 in 1997 when it faced the possibility of bankruptcy, and reached a record $702.1 on 19 September.
European banks to repay early ECB loans
Some of the banks in Europe that received billions in cheap loans to keep them afloat during the eurozone debt crisis are to repay them early.
The European Central Bank (ECB) said that 278 eurozone banks will repay 137.16bn euros ($185bn; £117bn) of three-year loans they borrowed.
The money, lent in December 2011 and February 2012, will be paid on 30 January, it added.
The loans were made when many feared that the eurozone would break apart.
It lent the money amidst fears that Greece, which needed two international bailouts, could default on its huge debts. At the same time, many investors thought the huge economies of Spain and Italy may be next to require international assistance.
On Friday, the head of the European Central Bank said that the 17-nation currency, which dates back to 1999, had effectively been relaunched during the past year.
"If one has to find a common denominator... for defining why 2012 is going to be remembered, I think one would say it's the year of the relaunching of the euro," Mario Draghi said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"All the indices point to a substantial improvement of financial conditions."
The ECB has forecast that eurozone economic growth in 2013 will be between minus 0.9% and plus 0.4%.
Mr Draghi said: "Are we satisfied? I think to say the least, the jury is still out. Because all in all, we haven't seen an equal momentum on the real side of the economy and that's where we will have to do much more."
St Lucia UK tourist visits up, US down
Tourism officials say there was significant improvement in some St Lucia key markets during 2012 including the United Kingdom, despite the recession and increase in the Air Passenger Duty (APD).
However they lament a decline in arrivals in the United States market primarily because of a 20 per cent loss in airlift from North America.
But they expect the matter to be addressed with the impending arrival of a new carrier by the md-year.
Director of Tourism Louis Lewis reported a six per cent increase in the flagship United Kingdom market, "in spite of the Summer Olympics, a recession in Europe and the UK’s Air Passenger Duty”.
He said the Canadian market described as a star performer, was up seven per cent for the sixth consecutive year and shows serious potential.
"The United States market declined by five per cent part of that attributable to a 20 per cent decrease in airlift, although demand for St. Lucia there remains strong. 2013 is starting off on a good note with major operators already seeing double digit growth in the first two weeks in January."
Lewis said he expects the situation to be further improved with “an announcement to be made shortly of the introduction of a new air carrier” even as he acknowledged that the cost of airlift remains a challenge with St. Lucia having little control over that situation.
However Lewis has expressed concern over an average two per cent decline in visitor expenditure.
The cruise sector was down eight per cent cruise lines re-programmed vessels in the summer months. Yachting on the other hand grew by the same percentage and appeared promising for 2013.
--CMC
Wall Street shares top recent records on investor confidence
Wall Street has continued to break recent records on the back of stronger economic data and better profits news from corporate America.
The Dow Jones and S&P 500 indexes of major US companies closed at their highest since late 2007.
US homes sales data and profits growth at household goods giant Procter & Gamble underpinned investor confidence.
"The bottom line is that corporate America is doing exceptionally well," said JP Morgan strategist Joe Tanious.
But analysts also pointed to recent data from China and Germany, and Japan's pledge to stimulate its economy, as helping to propel shares upwards.
European banks said they would repay the European Central Bank much more than expected of the loans the bank gave them during the financial crisis, another positive factor.
The S&P edged up 8.14 points, or 0.54%, to 1,502.96, the first time it has closed above 1,500 since 10 December, 2007.
The Dow Jones rose 70.65 points, or 0.51%, to 13,895.98. The was its highest since 31 October 2007.
News that sales of new homes in 2012 were the highest since 2009, sparked hopes that the US housing market turned a corner last year.
"Economic data in the US has been trending higher, albeit modestly. Things are incrementally better," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial.
Thomson Reuters data released on Friday showed that of the 147 S&P 500 companies that have reported earnings, 68% exceeded analyst's expectations.
The S&P 500 has advanced 5.4% so far this month, and the Dow is up 6%, prompted many market experts to raised their end-of-year target for the two indexes.