Economic decline predicted

The governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Sir Dwight Venner, has said that real output in member countries as a whole was expected to fall this year and next.

The bank serves the OECS sub-region.

Sir Dwight said tourism and construction is predicted to fall by more than 14 per cent and a little less in 2010.

Government current revenue is expected to fall by about 13 per cent in 2009.

Governor hits out at ‘misrule’

The British governor of the Turks and Caicos has said the UK is working to help the islands recover from “a long period of political and economic mismanagement”.

Governor Gordon Wetherel is preparing to take full control of the scandal-plagued islands from the elected administration after London said it would restore direct rule.

Mr Wetherel was quoted in a GIS release as saying the UK was already funding several advisers in an effort to put public finances in the TCI on a sound footing.

OAS ministers to discuss Honduras

Foreign Ministers of the OAS are due to meet today in special session in Washington to discuss the coup in Honduras.

US President Barack Obama has said he would work with the Organisation of American States to restore Manuel Zelaya to office.

Mr Obama said Mr Zelaya’s removal would set a terrible precedent if allowed to stand.

The ousted leader has said he will travel back to Honduras on Thursday.

Preval records Senate gains

The Lespwa party of Haitian President Rene Preval has won five of 11 seats contested in this month’s run-off elections for the Senate.

Preliminary results released by the provisional electoral council gave a seat each to five other parties and a registered independent.

Analysts called the result was a good one for Mr Preval, giving his Lespwa party 12 seats in the 30-member Senate.

The turn-out was very low following a call for a boycott from the influential Lavalas party, whose candidates were barred from running.

Scammers preyed on elderly Christian

An elderly American woman has been telling reporters how phone scammers in Jamaica used her Christian faith and trusting nature to scam her out of her life savings.

According to the Associated Press, 86-year-old Lois Morrow said the callers even talked about what the Bible says – and she believed them.

She sent about US$35,000 to Jamaica until she stopped a little over a year ago when she couldn’t afford anymore.

The Atlanta resident gets multiple calls a day from numbers in Jamaica, but she doesn’t answer them any more.

US officials say the scammers frequently pose as government or bank officials, saying their victims have won big money but that they need to send smaller “advanced fees” before they can receive the payout.

The current economic climate has laid bare some of the pent-up frustrations within the Caribbean Community (Caricom), according to some analysts

Seldom has the annual anniversary summit been prefaced with so many open criticisms by member countries of each other.

St Vincent and Guyana are fretting over Barbados’ immigration policy, Guyana and St Lucia complain about air fare prices of Caribbean Airlines and Liat, Jamaica hit outs at import barriers in Trinidad and Belize – the list of irritants appears to grow by the day.

Well known pro-integrationists are beginning to question openly the future of Caricom, which marks its 36th anniversary in the first week in July with its mid-year summit.

One of them, elder statesman Sir Shridath Ramphal, has pronounced Caricom at risk, and said its leaders have a big challenge at their 2-5 July summit in Georgetown.

“They must demonstrate credibly that they still believe in the integration movement, that they care about securing it against risk,” he said.

‘Mistreatment’

Disputes over trade are nothing new but the ante has been upped over a Barbados threat to deport undocumented Caricom nationals at the end of an amnesty offered to illegal migrants.

Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo, has railed against the alleged mistreatment of Guyanese in Barbados at every opportunity, St Vincent’s Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has criticised Bridgetown as well.

Outside of Barbados, it appears that no one has welcomed the amnesty.

Much of the recent criticism has focused on dawn raids on the living quarters of suspected illegal aliens.

Sir Shridath, a former Guyanese foreign minister who has lived in Barbados, used chilling imagery to get his point across.

	Former Jamaica Prime Minister P J Patterson (left) will be honoured by Caricom leaders at the summit

“‘The knock on the door at night’ is not within our regional culture; still less are intimations of ‘ethnic cleansing’,” he was quoted as saying.

It is no secret that many Barbadians have questioned whether racial tension will accompany the influx of immigrants from racially-divided Guyana.

Repercussions

The issue of intra-Caricom migration is also an issue of debate in Antigua and Barbuda where the political opposition has accused the government of inhumane treatment of Guyanese and Jamaicans.

The critics claim that the immigration policies of Barbados and Antigua violate the spirit, at the very least, of the Caricom treaty.

But not everyone is buying that argument.

Former St Kitts and Nevis national security minister Dwyer Astaphan, said the pressures of migration could have worrying repercussions on the smaller or better-performing nations within Caricom.

“Already Antiguans, St. Lucians, and Kittitians and Nevisians, like Barbadians, are developing anger and resentment over their perception that jobs and other opportunities in the lands of their birth are being taken away from them by foreigners,” he wrote.

Talk shows in some territories are filled with similar tales of concern that one head of government likened to “latent xenophobia”.

After weeks of strident rhetoric, the Guyanese president, Bharrat Jagdeo, seems to be suggesting something of a truce.

“No goodwill comes out of this if we engage in name-calling,” he said.

Economic crisis

Mr Jagdeo is hoping for a “sensible discussion” at the summit that takes account of the interests and concerns of governments and Caribbean people.

The summit is in danger of being hijacked by immigration – but there are so many other issues before the leaders, including the global economic crisis and the integration initiative pursued separately by Trinidad and Tobago and the OECS.

For the past several years, the committed Rastafarian entertainer, also called The Prophet, not only slew Babylon, but has been living the creed of his faith: “Let the children cared for, the aged
be protected and the hungry
be fed.”

This year’s beneficiaries from the proceeds of his annual fundriser, A St Mary Mi Come From, which will be held on Wednesday, August 5, at the Gray’s Inn Sports Complex, Annotto Bay; include the St Mary Infirmary, Hamilton Mountain Basic School, Islington High School, St Mary Police Netball and Football Clubs, the proposed recording studio for St Mary and the Buff Bay Primary School in Portland.

“Capleton is a brother who is ever close to his roots,” guest speaker Professor Verene Shepherd said at the launch of A St Mary Mi Come From at the gardens of the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston last Wednesday evening.

“He uses his income,” Professor Shepherd continued, “to uplift the people of St Mary, and now he is crossing borders. He has never forgotten his roots, never neglected his people. Never downplayed his rural origins in a land that plays the social ranking game.”

Professor Sheperd said she accepted the invitation to be guest speaker because Capleton stands for equal rights and justice for all, black consciousness and humanitariansim and non-partisan politics.

“The fourth reason I agreed to speak this evening is that I like the way Capleton (Clifton George Bailey III) embraces philanthropy, using his talent and his earnings not for big business, hotels and overseas bank accounts, not even to increase his own material resources – important as that is – but to uplift the people of St Mary.”

Having said all of that and much more, the university academic asked, “What has the community given back to Rastafari?”. Added Professor Shepherd, “There is something that Jamaica can do. I call on the Senate and the Parliament of this country to do the right thing….I urge you to follow the example of the US Senate and not only issue a formal apology for the obscenity that was Coral Gardens, but pay compensation for those elders’ pain and suffering and loss of dignity.”

After the formalities, there were guest performances from some of the acts appearing on the show in special tribute to the icons and pioneers. Among these were J-Dan, Iyah Blaze, Empress Robertha, Stream, Soul to Soul and Capleton.

Source: Jamaica Observer

Thompson hits back

The Prime Minister of Barbados David Thompson has hit out at what he called the “reckless and grossly unfair” comments in the Caribbean about his country’s immigration policies.

At the weekend, Mr Thompson said that eight people, including four Guyanese, had been deported from Barbados since 1 June, when an amnesty for illegal Caricom migrants took effect.

Critics have claimed that the Barbadian authorities have been ill-treating undocumented immigrants, particularly Guyanese.

Mr Thompson said he was bewildered by the claims and insisted that his government did not condone human rights violations.

Dominican leader invited to Caricom meeting

Foreign ministry sources in the Dominican Republic say President Leonel Fernandez has been invited to attend this week’s Caricom summit in Georgetown.

Heads of government will consider the Dominican application to join Caricom.

Some member nations are known to be uneasy about admitting the Caribbean’s second largest nation.

OAS condemns Honduran coup

The Permanent Council of the Organisation of American States has condemned the coup d’Etat in Honduras.

The country’s Supreme Court said it had ordered the army to remove leftist president Manuel Zelaya, who was trying to change the constitution to extend his presidency.

An emergency meeting of the OAS permanent council, comprising ambassadors, met within hours of the Sunday’s ouster and issued a statement calling for Mr Zeleya’s return to office.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, has condemned the coup in Honduras as has Cuba, Venezuela and the United States.

Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez warned that he’d take military action if anyone harmed his ambassador in Tegucigalpa.

Haitian legislators issue threat

Some of Haiti’s parliamentarians have vowed to block newly elected senators from taking office, in a protest against the exclusion from the ballot of candidates of the country’s biggest political force.

Results of balloting to fill 11 seats in the Senate are expected to be released soon.

Election authorities had barred candidates from the Lavalas Family party of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from the ballot, allegedly for procedural reasons.

Lavalas accused the electoral council of bias and of conspiring against it – a claim the council denies.

Five sitting senators, including two from Lavalas, have said they will boycott the validation process of the newly elected lawmakers.

Haiti’s constitution requires incumbent Senators to validate the powers of incoming colleagues before they can be sworn in.

Warning over monkey farm

Residents of a Puerto Rican town are vowing to fight a planned monkey-breeding facility for fear that the animals will escape and overrun their community.

The facility, which will supply monkeys to pharmaceutical companies for research, was cleared for construction in Guayama last week.

Hundreds of residents of the area are said signing a petition asking the governor of the US territory to halt the project.

The project organisers, a Mauritius-based company, insist that the probability of a monkey escaping is “zero”.

Michael Jackson, the child singing prodigy who became the single most famous entertainer in the world, died Thursday afternoon at the age of 50 after suffering cardiac arrest at his Bel Air home.

Jackson had been in Los Angeles rehearsing for a 50-date comeback tour set to start within weeks at London’s O2 arena.

Three of the biggest names in dancehall/hip-hop – Sean Paul, Sean Kingston and Matisyahu – will battle for the top of the charts with the impending and almost simultaneous release of their respective albums. While some may see this as a case of “too close for comfort” as it relates to sales, two stakeholders are of the opinion that album sales won’t be cannibalised.

The pressure is such that each artiste needs to hit number one and go platinum in order to equal or better their previous release. The problem is that they have each other to fight against as Sean Paul’s Imperial Blaze will be released on August 18 whilst Matisyahu’s Light and Kingston’s Tomorrow will be released on August 25. Stakeholders yesterday downplayed the impact arguing that sales are less affected by simultaneous releases and more by the label’s marketing spend and the album’s quality. But in a recession, Americans – the largest record market – may choose the best amongst the three.

“We don’t pay too much attention to other artistes that are releasing at the same time. At any time there will be someone else out there,” Sean Paul’s manager, Jeremy Harding, told Splash. He added that if Paul’s album was pushed back to September it would go up against rap star Jay-Z’s.

“What is more important is whether the date allows us to get the maximum resources from the label. Because if another big artiste is releasing from the same label then the resources will be split.”

These albums missed a summer release and fall is their last chance for the year to receive precious radio play. “By Thanksgiving (in the US) they lock their playlists for Christmas… and if you release an album in October or December you might get iTunes (online) charting but you won’t get the songs added to the radio playlists.”

Radio is still important as it pushes physical CD sales. Online sales still only made up 28 per cent of major label sales up to March this year, based on Observer analysis of the big four labels – Warner, Sony, Universal and EMI.

Andrea Davis, convenor of International Reggae Day and music entrepreneur, argued that release dates are “hype” and what is more important is the “album’s quality”.

“The release date is the promotional hype behind the product,” she told the Observer. “The sales are not driven by the release date but how good the album is and the live support that supports the album.”

She added that heavy-selling albums such as Bob Marley’s Catch a Fire, Shaggy’s Hot Shots and Richie Spice’s Spice In Your Life were not instant hits.

All three artistes have released singles this month to support their upcoming albums. Sean Kingston’s Fire Burning is now on the iTunes hip-hop charts at number(#)1 in Canada, #2 in US and #5 in Sweden. Sean Paul’s So Fine (which premiered Thursday on BET’s 106&Park) is now on iTunes reggae charts at #1 in Canada, #2 in the Netherlands, #3 in Sweden, # 9 in Norway, #10 in Portugal. Matisyahu’s One Day has yet to tick on iTunes.

The popularity of each artiste is such that their MySpace views have Sean Kingston at 35.8 million; Sean Paul at 17.1 million and Matisyahu at 6.1 million. Sean Kingston and Sean Paul have album sales over 1,000,000, whilst Matisyahu has sold over 500,000.

Source: Jamaica Observer

The King of Pop Michael Jackson died yesterday of suspected cardiac arrest at a Los Angles hospital. He was 50. The US media reported that Jackson fell ill at his Bel Air house where paramedics had to perform CPR on him. He was taken to the UCLA medical centre, a short distance from his home.

Up to late last night crowds gathered at the facility and police had to rope off its emergency centre, the BBC reported. His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time, claiming global sales of more than 100 million copies, the New York Times stated. In its obituary of Jackson, the BBC said, his unique blend of soul, funk and rock made him the biggest pop act in the world.

“Beyond this, his business acumen and intuitive understanding of the music market allowed him to showcase his remarkable talents,” the BBC said. Michael Jackson sold records by the millions—and broke records, too. “With the soulful vocal presence of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder and the dance moves of James Brown, Jackson’s appeal crossed both national and racial boundaries,” the BBC said.

“His first break came in 1968, when the Jackson Five signed to the Motown label, and he was just 11 when the group released its first single.” The pop star was dogged by controversy and money trouble in recent years, becoming a virtual recluse, BBC said. Jackson was arrested in 2003 on charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy, but was found not guilty, after a five-month trial. The star had three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II. He is survived by his mother Katherine, father Joseph and eight siblings—including Janet, Randy, Jermaine and La Toya Jackson.

Source: The Guardian

PM: no quick fix

Antiguan Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer has warned that his country cannot borrow its way out of the global financial crisis.

	Mr Spencer not keen on borrowing his way out of the recession

He spoke at a national consultation that brought together government leaders, regional and local economists, bankers, hoteliers, business people and ordinary citizens.

The consultation has been discussing ways of trying to pull Antigua and Barbuda out of the economic rut caused by the global economic crisis.

Mr Spencer told the symposium that the present economic climate requires a hands-on approach, not quick fix solutions.

Barbados wants financial reform

The question of borrowing funds to repair the damage caused by the crisis is also a Barbadian concern.

That island has called for an urgent re-evaluation of the criteria used by the international financial institutions to grant access to concessionary financing to middle income developing countries.

Minister of State for Finance, Investment, Telecommunications and Energy, Senator Darcy Boyce told a United Nations Global Financial and Economic conference in New York that the per capita GDP is a poor indicator of economic sustainability.

“One of the cruel ironies of this current crisis is that those developing countries on the periphery of the global economy such as those in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and who have not caused any of these problems, are being forced to bear the brunt of the costs associated with adjustment,” he said.

Senator Boyce said while the region had not been passive in its response to the crisis, its lack of fiscal space had prevented it from engaging in more aggressive and sustained counter cyclical measures.

Proposed union gets qualified support

Senior regional integrationist Shridath Ramphal is giving qualified support to a proposed economic and political union between the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Trinidad and Tobago.

Sir Shridath says that if union could trigger other countries to quicken their own pace of integration, then it will be positive.

The former Commonwealth Secretary General, who has been involved in past integration efforts and has assisted Caribbean governments push for this, wants the union to facilitate other Caricom countries joining in.

It’s an offer that has already been made by Trinidadian Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

Sir Shridath says the vast amount of regional resources outside the grouping of OECS and Trinidad and Tobago make the wider grouping far more attractive and possible.

Caribbean fans mourn Michael Jackson

There’s been reaction in the region to the sudden death of pop star Michael Jackson.

	Michael Jackson’s death being mourned by fans in the region

Jackson, who’s career is being described as spectacular by any standard, suffered a suspected heart attack.

Jamaica’s Minister for Culture Olivia Grange said she was saddened by his passing, and recalled when Michael Jackson visited Jamaica in the 1970s as a member of the Jackson Five.

Founding member of Jamaican band Third World, Ibo Cooper, labelled Michael Jackson a very important part of the history of American popular music.

And recording artiste Coco Tea said “one of the greats has passed – he excelled in music and was a great loss to the music industry”.

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