iNews Briefs
Caribbean gathering focuses on reparations battle
From Las Vegas Sun
(AP) Politicians, lawyers and academics gathered to advance a united effort by more than a dozen Caribbean nations to seek slavery reparations from three European nations.
The regional conference in St. Vincent was the first major step at advancing the reparations effort since the Caribbean Community organization announced it in July. Representatives from all the 15 member nations and territories attended the gathering.
St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves told attendees that the matter of reparations is a “fundamental, defining matter of our age.”
British lawyer Martyn Day said the Caribbean nations are seeking to negotiate a settlement “based on the impact of slavery on Caribbean societies today.”
But he says if that does not succeed they will go to the International Court of Justice.
For more: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/sep/18/cb-caribbean-slavery-reparations/
See related iNews Cayman stories:
“Caribbean academic presents case for reparation from Britain” published August 25 2013 at: http://www.ieyenews.com/2013/08/caribbean-academic-presents-case-for-reparation-from-britain/
“Leveraging reparations” published August 11 2013 at: http://www.ieyenews.com/2013/08/leveraging-reparations/
“Caribbean leaders will discuss compensation from former metropolis” published August 6 2013 at: http://www.ieyenews.com/2013/08/caribbean-leaders-will-discuss-compensation-from-former-metropolis/
Pilot error cited for Caribbean Airlines’ 2011 crash – report findings
Georgetown, GINA
As initially suspected and now substantiated, the cause of the Caribbean Airlines Flight Number 523 accident on June 30, 2011 has been found to be pilot error.
The Flight 523 Final Report on the Caribbean Airlines crash was submitted to government and concluded the following, according to Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira. “The cause of the accident was the aircraft touching down far beyond the touchdown zone due to the captain maintaining excess power during the flare and not using the airplane’s full deceleration capacity, resulting in the aircraft over running the pavement and fracturing the fuselage.”
The earlier contention of “pilot error” by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) was supported by the findings of the crash report, Teixeira noted during a post-Cabinet media briefing at Office of the President today. She was standing in for Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon.
Several organisations participated in the accident’s investigation including the National Transportation and Safety Board of America, the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight (CASSOS), Caribbean Airlines, Trinidad and Tobago’s Civil Aviation Authority and the Boeing Aircraft Company.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft crash landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at 01:32hrs on July 30, 2011. The aircraft, which overshot the runway, stopped short of a ravine, its nose cone segment breaking off. In what was deemed “a miracle landing,” all 163 people aboard including six crew members survived. Most of those injuries occurred when passengers attempted to flee the aircraft which broke in two after coming to a halt several hundred meters off of the main runway apron.
Several passengers filed lawsuits against the airline for compensation. The accident was the first of its kind involving a major airline operating in Guyana at the CJIA.
For more on this story go to:
http://gina.gov.gy/wp/?p=15733
Caribbean still requires special attention from China – Sanders
From Caribbean360
Former Antigua and Barbuda diplomat, Sir Ronald Sanders, says Caribbean countries are still in need of special attention and urged China not to place the region in the same category as many Latin American countries.
Addressing a China-Latin American Forum in July 2013, Sir Ronald argued that “while efforts at integration of Latin America and the Caribbean have started, they are at a very early stage of overcoming historical obstacles and impediments, and the smaller Caribbean economies continue to require special attention.
“It would not be correct for China to place Caribbean countries in the same conditions as many Latin American nations,” he told the think-tank forum that was organized to discuss ‘business and investment co-operation between Latin America and the Caribbean’ and ‘how to advance holistic co-operation’ between the two areas.
The Senior Research Fellow at London University said that “in the last decade, most Caribbean countries have not enjoyed the same levels of economic growth, investment and trade as their Latin counterparts”, and any attempt to treat them “holistically” with Latin American countries would place them at a disadvantage.
Sir Ronald welcomed a call for more intense dialogue at the inter-governmental level between China and all of Latin America and the Caribbean to tackle global issues, but he stressed that maintaining relations at the Caribbean level to facilitate development and growth remains extremely important.
The forum was organized by the China Foundation for International Studies and the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs. It was attended by ministers and senior officials of the Chinese government as well as representatives of major Chinese commercial companies and diplomats.
In his remarks, Sir Ronald also called for Chinese companies that want to do business in the Caribbean to consider “joint ventures with the local business community as well as public-sector-private sector partnerships”.
He said that such partnerships would give China a beneficial financial return over many years while ensuring that the local business community also participate and receive benefits. (CMC)
For more: http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/opinion/index.1.html#axzz2aAP3CdC6
40-Watt bulbs to disappear from shelves
By Jim Martin, Erie Times-News, Pa. From Hispanic Business
They won’t make them like they used to.
But even as the government calls a halt to the production of some incandescent light bulbs — the modern descendant of the bulb Thomas Edison tinkered with back in 1879 — few of us are scrambling to secure a supply.
Maybe it’s because we’ve become accustomed to the new, increasingly inexpensive alternatives, including compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs.
Or maybe it’s because there’s probably no rush.
The federal government said 40-watt and 60-watt bulbs can’t be manufactured after 2013. But there’s no rule against selling them as long as supplies last.
Louis Nowosielski, electrical manager at Kraus Department Store on Parade Street
said he’s not a big fan of the CFLs that are largely taking the place of the incandescent bulb. The mercury they contain makes them dangerous to dispose of, he said.
“Honestly, I like the LED (lights),” he said. “I wish they would have went with those.”
For more: http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2013/12/29/40watt_bulbs_to_disappear_from_shelves.htm
Caribbean diaspora keen to invest ‘back home’
By Christopher Nye, OPP Magazine Editor
A World Bank report has discovered serious latent desire among the Caribbean diaspora to invest in their home countries.
Ninety per cent of Caribbeans living abroad (the so-called ‘diaspora’) would like to invest back in their home countries, according to a new report from the World Bank, entitled “Diaspora Investing: The Business and Investment Interests of the Caribbean abroad”.
Moreover a third of these people named real estate as a potential investment vehicle, and a quarter already have real estate investments in the Caribbean.
The online survey was of 636 individuals, all from the Caribbean but now living in other countries, and backed up by interviews in New York, Toronto, London, San Francisco and Washington DC. The intention of the report was to discover what is preventing people from investing and to work out ways of facilitated the flow of cash back to the Caribbean.
The replies indicated that weak legal controls and bureaucracy were key barriers to investing, as well as a simple lack of knowledge about the opportunities. “The biggest barrier we found was visibility,” explains Qahir Dhanani, author of the report. “The money is out there, but there is a lack of awareness of investment opportunities.” The report described the diaspora as “a sizeable, well-educated, and affluent demographic whose large majority is interested in investing in its countries of origin. Due to the common heritage and strong connections across the region, they overwhelmingly take a regional approach to the Caribbean, rather than a nationalistic one. Supported by the right incentives and policies, diaspora members could play an even larger role in contributing to the region’s development.”
For more:
http://www.opp-connect.com/caribbean-diaspora-keen-to-invest-back-home/
Quotable Caribbean: Kenneth Mapp, Obie Wilchcombe, Christopher James and more…
By Bevan Springer, Marketplace Excellence Corporation From The Bahamas Weekly
“To our people, we need you. We need your voice and we need your support. We are committed to doing all we can on your behalf, but you too must be a part of this rebuilding. Neither I, nor anyone on my team, will ever ask more of you than we are willing to give. My Administration cannot do this alone; we must stand together or none of us will stand at all.” – Kenneth Mapp, Governor, United States Virgin Islands
“We believe the Caribbean food industry can become a world leader in promoting innovative business models.” – Dr. Basil Springer, Director, Global Business Innovation Corporation
“What’s interesting from the news from the US market is that because the oil price has dropped, they are spending less money on gas for their cars, less money on oil for their heating, so they actually have more money to spend.” – Christopher James, President, Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association (Trinidad Express)
“Thanks to responsible fiscal management by our government, our Ministry of Finance is able to reduce the tax that is charged to visitors to make it more affordable to holiday in the Islands of The Bahamas. We are determined to make a Bahamian vacation the best value for money in the world for a holiday.” – Obie Wilchcombe, Minister of Tourism, The Bahamas (Caribbean Journal)
“Micky (Arison’s) appointment (as FCCA Executive Commitee Chairman) further paves the path for the Executive Committee’s future. He served as chairman for 10 years and knows the importance of keeping a constant dialogue between the cruise lines and destinations to achieve mutually beneficial arrangements. His wealth of knowledge about the industry and destinations will lead the way to successful operations for both.” – Michele Paige, President, Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (Caribbean Journal)
“Things don’t have to change the world to be important.” – Steve Jobs, American entrepreneur
“You’ll never find lasting happiness unless you learn to make peace with the past.” – Reverend A.R. Bernard, Senior Pastor, Christian Cultural Center, Brooklyn, New York
Canada reports over 300 confirmed chikungunya cases in 2014, Ontario sees the most
By Robert Herriman From Outbreak News Today
The chikungunya outbreak in the western hemisphere accounted for well over 1 million autochthonous, or locally transmitted cases in 40 countries in the Americas in 2014, including the United States.
North of the border in Canada, while no local transmission of chikungunya was reported, the number of imported cases was by far the largest yearly number of chikungunya cases ever documented in the country.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, since the first confirmed case with travel to the Caribbean was identified in a Québec resident who had visited Martinique in mid-January 2014 and returned to Canada in early February, as of December 9, 2014, 320 confirmed and 159 probable cases (lgM positive, confirmatory testing pending) have been identified in Canada by laboratory testing among travelers returning from affected areas in both the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region (The majority of cases with documented travel histories had traveled to the Caribbean).
Health authorities say this is likely an underestimate due to missed diagnoses and undetected cases of mild disease.
Chikungunya is not nationally notifiable in Canada, but the number of cases identified by diagnostic testing requested at NML provides an indication of how many Canadians are affected by the virus. In previous years, case numbers ranged from one to twenty cases a year from approximately 200 submissions for testing.
The breakdown by province is as follows: Quebec-114, Ontario-165, Alberta-14 and British Columbia-14, Manitoba-7, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Newfoundland all had < 5 cases each.
Health officials note that no local transmission of chikungunya virus has yet occurred in Canada likely due to the absence of the primary mosquito vectors—Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
The increase in chikungunya cases in Canada in 2014 merits increased awareness among travelers and clinicians of the risks from vector-borne diseases and how to prevent infection.
