FRIDAY’S SPECIAL

10. July 2009 by admin.

CREOLE RICE; PEAS AND RICE; CREAM YAM

BAKED CHICKEN; BAKED PORK; GRILLED TUNA

FRIED SNAPPER; FRIED STEAK FISH

LAMB STEW; FISH GRAVY

STEAMED VEGS; SALADS

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Hotel industry receives much needed support and stimulus package from Government

10. July 2009 by admin.

Written By: Star Reporter on Jul 8th, 2009

Executive Director of SLHTA Mchale Andrew

The St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association is pleased to have obtained a package of fiscal and marketing support for its hotel and restaurant sub-sectors from the Government of St. Lucia. The Association was officially notified late on Wednesday July 1st 2009 of the measures granted and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers with a view to reducing operating costs while stimulating tourism, and by extension, general economic activity, as St. Lucia braces for an unprecedentedly challenging summer tourism season from July to November.
Many of the properties have been attempting to keep their doors open and their staff employed through employee rotations and reductions in room capacity, as they experience falling occupancy levels even at severely discounted room rates. Others have had to lay off workers and trim their operations as a direct consequence of the ongoing economic downturn. The measures announced by Government include:• Exemption from the quota system for importation of bacon and ham for a period of one (1) year from 1st July 2009 to 30th June 2010.
• Elimination of Excise Duty on wines for a period of one (1) year from 1ST July, 2009 to 30th June 2010.
• Exemption from payment of import duty and consumption tax on the importation of chlorine for a period of one (1) year from 1st July, 2009 to 3oth June 2010.
• A grace period of deferment of the payment of Hotel Accommodation Tax due for the six- month period from July to December 2009, to be paid over the 18-month period beginning January 2010 to June 2011.
• Permission to import bone-in-beef slaughtered from animals below 30 months in age from credible United States suppliers.
• Approval in principle for a Hotel Accommodation Tax Credit up to XCD$2, 000 000.00 to Sandals Resorts International (SRI) to permit a joint television marketing initiative, subject to approval of the marketing schedule. Cabinet agreed that the Tax credit be granted on the condition that the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation selects a media purchasing company, which is agreeable to SRI, to determine the value of the media buy. SRI would be required to submit receipts and invoices to substantiate the tax credit.

Whilst the SLHTA welcomes any initiative for joint venture marketing programmes, the membership is alarmed at the apparent inequity of the proposed measure of which it had no prior knowledge.
The members fervently believe that the initiative must be broadened to include the equitable participation of all interested SLHTA members. This must be executed in as fair and transparent a manner as possible so as to justify the allocation of public funds to private enterprises.

Notwithstanding the concerns expressed by the SLHTA, the President has agreed to grant the Minister of Tourism the courtesy of defending his position to the SLHTA membership upon his return to the island in mid

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Air traffic controller stuck in elevator

10. July 2009 by admin.

 

Written by Afeefah Beharry

Thursday, 09 July 2009 22:33

Officers from the fire department rushed to the aid of an air traffic controller at the VC Bird International Airport yesterday after he was reportedly stuck in an elevator for over one hour.

The AntiguaSun understands that the air traffic controller arrived at the airport at around 5:40 a.m. and was about to make his way to the control tower in the elevator when it broke down.

Fire officers and the maintenance crew at the airport struggled for some time before getting the elevator doors opened.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Guild of Antigua and Barbuda Air Traffic Controllers (GABATCO), Wesley Joseph, said the situation had in no way hampered the operations at the country’s main port of entry.

“He was shaken up from the ordeal but work continued as normal because the night shift was still on duty,” Joseph told the SUN.

Joseph further stated that some of the air traffic controllers were upset because with the elevator not working, this meant that they had to use the stairway, which is not well kept.

He said some members of staff refused to take the stairs because it was very dark, dirty and dusty. “Quite a few officers suffer from asthma and other health-related health issues,” Joseph said.

Joseph also noted that it was not the first time that the elevator stopped working but it had recently been maintained on a regular basis.

“I don’t understand what happened because only a few weeks ago the maintenance workers looked at it,” Joseph stated.

Operations Manager at the airport, Edward Gilkes, also confirmed that there was no work stoppage. “There was a situation where the elevator at the control tower became dysfunctional which at some point also had an air traffic controller stuck in the elevator,” Gilkes said.

“There was never any industrial action or any work stoppage; there was traffic in and out of the VC Bird (airport) as per normal,” Gilkes maintained.

Up to yesterday afternoon, the elevators were still being repaired.

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No bail for Sir Allen

10. July 2009 by admin.

A US judge has ruled to keep investor Sir Allen Stanford behind bars.

Judge David Hittner ruled yesterday that his $500,000 bond that was granted by a magistrate judge be revoked.

As a result, he will have to remain imprisoned until his trial which may not come up for hearing in under a year.

It was Hittner who ruled that Sir Allen was a flight risk because of his intricate network of international connections and businesses.

US authorities brought criminal and civl charges against him for running a Ponzi scheme where new investors are paid from the earnings of earlier investors.

Sir Allen maintained his innocence throughout and his lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, yesterday stated that he will continue fighting to secure his release on bail.

“Given the new evidence, we presented in our motion to reconsider I’m surprised and disappointed that it was overruled without a hearing,” DeGuerin said in a statement released by his office and quoted on Bloomberg.

Sir Allen is kept in a county jail and Deguerin wants him transferred to a federal detention centre which puts him closer to his law office in downtown Houston. Where he is kept now is an hour’s drive from Deguerin’s offices.

DeGuerin stated this month that the government had misrepresented key facts in its case.

According to Bloomberg, Sir Allen, who has dual U.S. and Antiguan citizenship, has surrendered his three passports, including one that was found in the government’s possession three days after prosecutors told Hittner its whereabouts were unknown.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission sued Stanford, two associates and three of his companies in February, alleging they defrauded investors by misrepresenting the safety and regulation of the bank’s investment portfolio. Stanford investors were told their funds were held primarily in cash and readily liquid equivalents. The government contends the funds were invested largely in private equity and overvalued real estate.

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Commonwealth meeting still on

10. July 2009 by admin.

Despite global swine flu outbreak… Kristy Ramnarine kramnarine@trinidadexpress.com Friday, July 10th 2009

As the dreaded swine flu (Influenza A H1N1) continues to spread throughout the world, plans to host the November Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in this country continue apace. Thousands of delegates including 53 Heads of State and Government are expected to visit Trinidad and Tobago’s shores. Ambassador Luis Rodriguez said his team was working with the Ministry of Health to treat with the situation. He was speaking during a press conference at the National Secretariat on Wrightson Road in Port of Spain, which was attended by the deputy secretary-general of the Commonwealth, Ransford Smith. “I wish to assure that internally we continue to be very much conscious as to the nature of this particular virus and we shall, as we go forward with the support and coordination of the Ministry of Health, address that matter as we move forward,” Rodriguez said. The Caribbean Games, which were scheduled to be held in Trinidad and Tobago from July 12 -19 have been cancelled by the Health Ministry as a precaution against the spread of swine flu. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported a laboratory-confirmed 94, 512 infected persons in 125 countries, with 429 deaths in its latest update on July 6. The figure represents a 4,591 increase in laboratory confirmed cases worldwide, and 47 deaths since it last reported on July 3, 2009. From the affected 125 countries in the world, 27 are members of the Commonwealth, representing 23,540 cases of the total laboratory-confirmed cases figure and 41 cases of the total deaths figure. Trinidad and Tobago is among the 27 Commonwealth countries and to date there have been 65 laboratory confirmed cases of the Influenza A/H1N1 here. This represents an increase of 12 from the last reported figure which was 53, released on June 26. The Express contacted Health Minister Jerry Narace yesterday who said a technical team from his Ministry had already met with the National Secretariat to discuss the matter. “We are working with all groups to ensure that large gatherings of any kind are managed with the protocols we have set out for them,” he added. “CHOGM is a high-profile meeting as 53 Heads of Government and State and thousands of delegates will be gathered in Port of Spain. As host country we understand the importance of this meeting and therefore we will treat will all of the necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth event. “We will continue our surveillance and management of all local cases as well.” Narace recently said that pharmaceutical companies have offered to supply a vaccine for the Influenza A/H1N1 virus for all citizens by October. The CHOGM is scheduled to take place from November 27-29.

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The WICB/WIPA saga

10. July 2009 by admin.

 

WICB President Julian Hunte (left) and WIPA head, Dinanath Ramnarine (right). (FP)

 Published on: 7/10/2009.

Nation News

A WAR OF WORDS is developing between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).

After WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine announced at a Press conference on Tuesday that leading West Indies players were withdrawing their services, the WICB responded with a four-page release to outline its position on some of the issues. Yesterday, there was a counter response from WIPA in a seven-page statement.

The two parties are at loggerheads over a range of issues, including contracts, injury payments, the recent tour of England and the just-concluded home series against India.

WEEKENDSPORT presents the views of both parties on some of the issues.

ENGLAND TOUR 2009

WICB’S SAY:

* At a meeting held between the board and WIPA on March 16, 2009, the players’ representatives demanded that the board agree to a set of conditions for participating in the tour, including that:

* The players who had Indian Premier League (IPL) contracts (five in number at the time) be given the option to play in the England tour or to participate in the IPL Tournament, without any sanction/action from the WICB; and

* The players be provided with no objection certificates (NOCs) by the WICB in a timely manner without any restrictions in order to participate in the IPL Tournament.

After much discussion the WICB proposed that:

* The players who had IPL contracts would be given the option to play either in the IPL Tournament or to represent the West Indies in the England 2009 tour; and that

* The players would be provided with NOCs by the WICB in a timely manner; the NOCs to be for the period April 10 to May 1, 2009

* Further, the WICB proposed that the players would receive a total amount of US$1.48 million out of the US$2 million received for the England 2009 tour, which would be first used to “compensate” the IPL players for their early departure from that tournament and the balance of the money being distributed among the other players.

* WIPA maintained its demand that the IPL players be given the option to play in the IPL for the entire season and not just for the period up to May 1. Accordingly, there was no agreement reached on the issue at that time. In fact, at this, Mr Ramnarine claimed that the WICB was not taking the meeting seriously and he brought a premature end to the discussions.

* In April 2009, the WICB sent a formal payment proposal to WIPA regarding the tour of the WI team to England. Although WICB and WIPA discussed the matter, the first written response from WIPA was in June of this year, accepting the proposed US$1.48 million but demanding sponsorship fees in addition at the rate of US$35 000 per day, i.e. an additional amount of US$455 000. WICB indicated that was unacceptable as it would amount to the players receiving a total of US$1 935 000 out of the US$2 million received for the tour.

WIPA’S SAY:

* As required under Article VI of the Memorandum of Articles signed between the WICB and WIPA, both parties are required to agree to any additional matches during the calendar year. This series was additional and required WIPA’s agreement first and then settlement of terms and conditions for players’ participation.

* The WICB informed WIPA that the Bangladesh series in the Caribbean was no longer going to take place at the time originally in April/May 2009. The players were duly informed and accepted to play in the IPL in India.

* The WICB and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) subsequently agreed to participate in a series immediately following the England series of the Caribbean after Sri Lanka withdrew from the England tour to allow their players to participation in the IPL tournament.

* We at WIPA found that the WICB had not complied with the provisions of the agreement between the WICB and WIPA when they decided to accept the invitation to tour England. We were further informed that the tour to England was also a commitment that the WICB had to honour under the terms of the Stanford Agreement for a series of 20/20 matches against England and the Stanford Superstars (West Indies team).

* WIPA’s consideration was twofold in that

(a) we wanted to make sure that players who have IPL contracts fulfil their commitments and

(b) more players would have been given an opportunity to tour England during that time.

* During our many discussions the WICB on April 2 made a proposal to WIPA with regards to compensation for the IPL players as well as the other players who would be touring England.

* On April 8, the WICB submitted another proposal to WIPA withdrawing the proposal sent on April 2, 2009.

* On May 7, 2009, at a meeting held between the parties the WICB withdrew their April 8 offer on the England tour promising that they would make a new proposal in due course.

* WIPA inquired about the new proposal which was changed several times; in fact the WICB’s legal officer, Ms Alanna Medford, wrote on May 3 that they would be sending the revised proposal for the England 2009 away tour by the end of the following week.

* On June 2, WIPA received a final proposal from the WICB. It is important to note that the series had already been completed at this stage.

* There were several pieces of correspondences from WIPA to the WICB inquiring information so that it can provide an informed response to the WICB proposal.

* After having received its last piece of information from the WICB, on June 29, 2009 WIPA responded to the WICB’s proposal for the England 2009 away tour.

* WIPA accepted the US1.48 million for the participation fee in addition to sponsorship US$35 000 per day which is divided among all players for obligations performed for the WICB’s sponsor Digicel. It is important to note that the majority of the money would be going to the IPL players whom the WICB publicly stated they would be compensating for their loss of earnings.

* Please note that as part of the agreement between WIPA and the WICB promotion of any sponsor by a West Indies team is subject to compensation and both parties agree the figure which is the current level as previously negotiated.

* It is important to note that the WICB’s first position is also their final position.

INDIA TOUR TO WI 2009

WICB’S SAY:

* The WICB is of the view that, for this series, each player is entitled to match fees according to the current WICB structure: US$5 000 per Test match; US$2 000 per One-Day International (ODI) and US$1 500 per Twenty20 in addition to US$35 000 per day in sponsorship and is ready to make these payments to the players for these matches.

* WIPA has rejected this and adopted a different position - that this tour is outside the International Cricket Council (ICC) Future Tours Programme and so it has the right to negotiate fees outside of and additional to the standard structure.

* WICB has suggested as an interim position that the players be paid their match fees and sponsorship fees immediately based on its understanding of what amounts are due, and that the matter be referred to mediation/arbitration in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement to determine whether any additional payments are due. This suggestion has not been accepted by WIPA.

WIPA’S SAY:

* On June 22, 2009, the WICB stated in its letter to WIPA that this tour is the second part of a bilateral tour, the first part of which was played in India in 2007 and therefore does not require any further negotiations.

* June 23, WIPA responded reminding the WICB that the January 2007 tour to India was treated outside of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) and separate negotiations were conducted.

* June 23, 2009, the WICB denied that the 2007 tour to India was treated as an additional tour outside of the FTP.

* WIPA has always maintained in all our correspondence that this tour is an additional tour (outside the FTP) and requires separate negotiations. WIPA also pointed out that this matter has already been subject to an arbitration ruling and therefore it is pointless delving into a matter that has already been determined.

* WIPA has taken out extracts from the arbitration ruling with regard to the FTP arbitration ruling:

* On November 15, 2006, WICB and WIPA met at the Trinidad Hilton. One of the decisions taken and recorded in a summary of conclusions was that “Mr Ramnarine, Mr Lloyd and Mr Deyal will discuss a framework for contracts and tours, specifically the Indian and England tours in 2007″.

* At a meeting between the parties on December 28, 2006, the summary of conclusions states that there was agreement that the India ODI series 2007 “was outside the FTP and was a bilateral”.

* On January 5, 2007 a meeting was held at the office of the President, WICB, in Port-of-Spain. The tours to India and England were discussed.

* The arbitration panel comprising of Sir David Simmons, Chief Justice Barbados, Mr Elliott Motley QC and Dr Aubrey Armstrong finally concluded and I quote: “And we are also satisfied that the parties treated the tour to India 2007 as outside the FTP.”

* WIPA has referred the WICB to this ruling in addition to all the correspondence between the parties including promises to WIPA to provide all the details for the 2009 India series including the financial details, which we are yet to receive.

* WIPA has further asked the WICB to provide any reason why the India series should not be negotiated separately, for which we are yet to receive a response.

RETAINER CONTRACTS

WICB’S SAY:

* The WICB signs players on retainer from October 1 each year to September 30 of the following year. In February 2009, WICB issued contracts to a number of players; 16 of whom signed the contracts. This was done after numerous unsuccessful attempts commencing as far back as September 2008 to engage WIPA in discussions for finalisation of these contracts. In fact, the WICB had written to WIPA again on November 11, 2008 requesting a meeting to discuss the retainer structure for the 2008/2009 period and pointing out that the WICB was losing money as a result of the failure to secure retainer contracts with the players.

* It was only as recent as May 2009 that WIPA sent a draft retainer contract with various amendments to WICB, requesting that the board then agree on the form of retainer contract to be issued and have the contracts come into effect retroactively from October 2008, so that players would be paid from October 2008.

* The board has refused, noting that it has already lost US$3 million from players refusing to sign the contracts at all or players signing late. Nonetheless, WICB has offered to pay players who are yet to sign contracts, effective from the date of signature until September 30, 2009, when new contracts would be negotiated - this has not been accepted by WIPA.

* The board would like to state that the 16 players who signed in February 2009 have been regularly receiving their retainer fees.

WIPA’S SAY:

* At a meeting held on March 24 and 25, WICB and WIPA made proposals with regard to fees for retainer contracts.

* In advance of the meeting scheduled for Thursday April 2, the WICB proposed that the most pressing issue to be dealt with was that of the retainer fees and fees for first-class players. It was further suggested by the WICB that this item form the basis for the agenda.

* On April 2, the WICB and WIPA reached agreement on fees for both retainer contract and first-class fees for all players. This was subsequently announced by the WICB and WIPA.

* April 6, WIPA requested a draft copy of the retainer contract.

* On April 7, WIPA received a draft copy of retainer contract and advised that its lawyers will review and get back to the WICB. WIPA was subsequently asked by the WICB to provide documentation with regards to the players’ intellectual property rights and image rights, which WIPA did.

* On April 16 , WIPA submitted to the WICB what was agreed by the parties on April 2 which included the retainer fees among other things.

* April 18 , the WICB lead negotiator, Mr Cameron, acknowledged receipt and advised that Ms Alanna Medford was on leave and would respond on her return.

* April 23, WICB responded confirming agreement including the fees relating to the retainer contracts.

* May 7, 2009, retainer contracts and player rankings were discussed. WICB stated ACCORDING TO THE WICB NOTES TO WIPA “that it would be willing to discuss the retainer contract after it had received the marked up version from WIPA”.

* May 7, the WIPA submitted to WICB (Ms Alanna Medford) a “marked up version” of the retainer contract.

* NO RESPONSE FROM THE WICB

* June 9, WIPA wrote to the WICB (Ms. Alanna Medford) informing her that it had been more than a month and WIPA had not heard from WICB with regard to the changes proposed to the retainer contract. WIPA in this letter also informed WICB that the players were keen to sign the retainer contracts.

* NO RESPONSE FROM THE WICB

* June 17, in an email from the WICB’s chief financial officer Barry Thomas to Chris Gayle, which was copied to WIPA, it stated: “I would like to address the issue of retainers and wish to point out that the time for signing retainers has passed. Our major sponsor has withheld three quarterly sponsorship payments for October 2008, January 2009 and April 2009 respectively totalling US $3 million as a consequence of the delay in signing retainer contracts. We have been penalised for not delivering central contracts in the required timeframe. These contracts are required to be signed so that they take effect from October 1 of each contract year.”

* This was the first time this was brought to WIPA’s attention.

* During this time, we continuously reminded the WICB of the delay in sending us the retainer contract until we were forced to write the WICB president, who was part of the meeting when the retainer contract fees were discussed and agreed.

* June 26, 2009, WIPA wrote the WICB president referring to the email sent to Chris Gayle and copied to WIPA and asked for an explanation since this is contrary to what has been agreed by the parties.

* NO RESPONSE FROM THE WICB.

INJURY PAYMENTS

WICB’S SAY:

* The WICB has developed a form for WIPA to use for the submission of claims on behalf of players for injury payments to them. So far, the WICB has only ever received a completed injury claim form for one player - in relation to the West Indies Tour to Abu Dhabi last year, which payment has since been settled.

WIPA’S SAY:

* At a meeting held on March 24 and 25, 2009, it was agreed that WIPA would initiate the claims to the WICB on behalf of the players. WICB proposed a form by which the information should be submitted and agreed to work as quickly as possible to address all claims, once submitted.

* April 2, the WICB agreed to send medical information on injured players to WIPA and WIPA would prepare the claim for injury payments to the relevant players.

* Despite WIPA’s many requests for the information, WIPA IS YET TO RECEIVE THIS INFORMATION.

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Caricom’s case for trade aid

10. July 2009 by admin.

Nation News

Published on: 7/10/2009.

by RICKEY SINGH

A STIRRING PLEA has been made by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for a more relevant approach to the issue of foreign aid to better enable social and economic development.

The case for a better deal for the Caribbean’s “preference dependence” on aid for trade was outlined in a statement last Tuesday at the Second Global Review On Aid For Trade in Geneva, by Guyana’s Minister of Labour, Human Services and Social Security Manzoor Nadir on the basis of a mandate from CARICOM.

Aggregate aid for trade flows to the region had reached US$317 million by 2007. But a 2008 World Bank study on “trade for aid indicators” has shown that the highest levels of potential demand for this form of assistance “are generated in countries of the Caribbean Community”.

In his presentation to the current global review taking place in Geneva, Nadir noted that the flows of aid in support of this region’s global trade “fall well below the level required to have a meaningful role in stimulating exports and in contributing to the development objectives of Caribbean countries . . .”.

Consequently, he noted, the second review provides the opportunity for a comprehensive analysis of engagement with international “development partners and their partner countries” to highlight the extent to which aid for trade commitments are being “effectively utilised in both the bilateral and regional contexts”.

CARICOM, said the Guyanese minister, in addition to evaluating progress achieved since the “first review” of November 2007, now needs to specifically address certain issues, for example:

The question of sustainable economic development in the context of the effective reversal of gains made by the prevailing global financial and economic crisis.

Securing a “clear commitment” from development partners on likely flows of new aid allocations in support of international trade, “given the peculiarities of each aid-receiving country”; and

The need to build on the momentum created by recent regional consultations that have taken place, plus “the solid research” now available for the “second review” to better consider “matching funds against project proposals”.

CARICOM, said the minister, particularly “welcomes the data and analysis” provided by the World Trade Organisation and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to help in guiding the deliberations of the Second Global Review On Aid For Trade.

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NCF to honour Alison Hinds

10. July 2009 by admin.

 

Alison Hinds (centre) being flanked by some of her local entertainment colleagues at the launch of Cohobblopot at Kensington Oval yesterday. At right is Patrice Roberts of Trinidad. (Picture by Clifton Henry.)

Published on: 7/10/2009.
Nation News

ALISON HINDS, Barbados’ top female entertainer with a long reach into the regional and international markets, is being honoured by the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) at this year’s Cockspur/Digicel Red Hot Cohobblopot.

“I feel very blessed to be part of this show and that the National Cultural Foundation has seen it fit to honour me in this show,” the soca queen said at the official launch of Cohobblopot in the President’s Suite at Kensington Oval yesterday.

“I am going to do my extreme best to make sure my presentation will be off the chain,” she added.

NCF chairman Ken Knight said: “This Cohobblopot will have its fill of Barbadian spice as our aim is to make this event the platform to showcase some of the best Barbados has to offer to the rest of the world.”

He added: “This year our focus is on assisting our artistes in their production. We will be meeting with them to build creative concepts and ideas which enhance their performance. This exercise is critical if we are serious about exposing them to international audiences.”

Machel Montano and Xtatik will also be returning to the show along with a number of local acts including Strategy who will be doing the backing for the Bajan artistes. (JS)

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