Moontown

This exposure represents the second phase of the CARICOM Secretariat project, “Students engaging the CSME through Field Promotion”. The project is funded by the European Union (EU), under the 9th EDF Caribbean Integration Support Programme (CISP) and entails training youths to identify and develop responses to CSME opportunities including wage employment, self-employment and starting a business in the CSME. Last year, during the first phase, sixty students from Belize, Dominica and Suriname were involved in the missions.

Batches of twenty-five students from the Community will visit another CARICOM Member State. Students from tertiary institutions in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica will visit Dominica and Grenada respectively during the week of 31 August 2009.

The Missions continue from the 13 to 19 September 2009 when another batch of students from Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines will travel to Belize, Guyana and Suriname respectively.

Then the final groups will engage the CSME from the 27 September to 3 October 2009 when students from Grenada, Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis travel to Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia respectively. Students from Barbados are expected to visit St Kitts and Nevis later this year.

After completion of the Missions, students will assist in the preparation of a project report which will be made available to national, university and school libraries. At the end of the project, tertiary students from all twelve CARICOM Member States presently participating in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy would be exposed to the CSME.

In his presentation, titled “Australia: Looking Anew at Latin America and the Caribbean”, Smith stated that his country hopes to strengthen cooperation with the region in areas such as innovation, technology, climate change, trade liberalization, disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.

ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena welcomed the Foreign Minister on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General Bank Ki-moon. The conference was attended by diplomats and representatives of the Government of Chile and international organizations.

Smith highlighted the fact that the first act of his government in 2007 was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. “Australia is strongly committed to working towards an ambitious post-2012 international climate change outcome that is fair, effective and efficient,” he said.

ECLAC has played a valuable role in the fight against poverty, environmental protection and linking the region to the global economy, he added. “The Government of Australia is committed to supporting and engaging with multilateral institutions, particularly with the United Nations,” stated Smith.

In this regard, Bárcena noted the coincidences between Australia and the region in terms of goals in multilateral bodies, such as in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. “We are grateful for the Australian government’s commitment to increase its support for development assistance from 0.3% to 0.5% of its gross domestic product to the year 2015,” she said.

“Your country and Latin America and the Caribbean have a magnificent opportunity to strengthen ties, and this Economic Commission is available to cooperate in this regard,” she stated.

There is enormous space to advance in trade relations and investment, she said. “We count with a set of existing mechanisms to strengthen relations between Australia and Latin America and their respective integration processes with the Asia-Pacific region,” added Bárcena.

During his official visit to Chile, Smith met with the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, government ministers and business executives, and signed several cooperation agreements.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (BGIS) — The global economic downturn has had some positive spinoffs for the International Business sector, despite a noticeable decline in the number of new entrants.

Word of this came from Director of International Business, Francoise Hendy, who has described the impact as “quite ironic”.

“I would say the effect of the recession on the economy and the country in respect of International Business has been quite positive. Positive in the sense that the reason for the global meltdown has been a less than robust application of regulation and the importance of regulation when it comes to the financial services sector, in particular. As a result of that there has been this rush to see how we can improve and rebuild what has been really a collapse of the financial market,” she explained.

Hendy, who was speaking during Friday morning’s launch of International Business Week, which is slated to be held October 4-10, said. “It is ironic in the sense that the world is now looking to see how we can improve our regulatory framework for international business; how we can make business people more responsible and how we can make governments more responsive to the innovation in the market. And it is interesting because that is what we have always talked about. So although we are looking at some decline in the number of new entrants, we are also finding that our existing clients are feeling a lot more comfortable being in Barbados, because they recognise that the Government’s thrust is supportive, and is reinforced by the international agenda when it comes to rebuilding the global market as a result of the recession.”

Hendy stressed that the sector’s marketing pitch going forward would be about saying that Barbados is on board, with calls for more appropriate regulation, better information exchange and transparency.

“It is a lot more than just numbers. It is about how you build confidence in your existing clientele, and how what we do now is going to impact on how companies look to us as a jurisdiction.

“Beyond the products, and the people, and the services, it is really what the jurisdiction is doing as part of the wider international community of states when it comes to the rebuilding of the financial markets and what is our responsibility going forward, ” she pointed out.

Hendy maintained that while recession within the context of a business enterprise is often linked to a reduction in sales and perhaps profitability, in the case of International Business it must be considered in relation to the economy, the country as a whole and businesses within the jurisdiction.

This was also underscored by Acting Chief Executive Officer of Invest Barbados, Emeline Taitt, who said since the global crisis there had started been a noticeable decline in the number of companies approaching Barbados for entry. She observed that there was “a little contraction here and there among the companies on the ground in Barbados, but nothing worrisome. ”

Taitt said a customer service programme was in place where ongoing dialogue was being held with existing clients with a view to nipping any problems in the bud.

“It (the recession) has happened, but we have to put in a lot more effort to get people here and increase our promotion so that when the economy picks up again we are in the forefront,” she added.

President of the Barbados International Business Association (BIBA), John Howard, said the organisation, which is spearheading International Business Week, will be pursuing three major objectives this year - to improve business facilitation in Barbados; to raise the awareness of the strategic importance of the sector and to proactively source new business opportunities.

THE ministries of health and education are urging parents and guardians to remain vigilant about their children’s health and be on the lookout for any possible signs of the H1N1 virus, otherwise known as swine flu.

The ministries gave the advice yesterday as thousands of students prepare to return to school for the new term next week. In a joint statement, the ministries called on parents to “continue to be vigilant with their children’s health as the new school term approaches” and also advised them to be “extremely vigilant for possible signs of Influenza A/H1N1″.

The ministries reiterated that children with influenza-like symptoms “should not go to school. Parents should monitor them for worsening signs, including trouble breathing or breathing fast, frequent vomiting and diarrhoea. Parents should also contact their doctor or health facility and keep children at home until they receive clearance from their doctor or health facility”.

The ministries are also asking teachers to maintain a list of students and staff with influenza-like symptoms when the new school term begins. This list should include information such as: “name, age, phone number, date symptoms began, underlying chronic health conditions and class”.

Teachers were also urged to “report any persons with influenza-like illnesses to the nearest health centre and the county medical officer of health in the education district”.

The Ministry of Health said that it has documented a reduction in the number of new cases of the virus “as expected at the end of the first wave of illnesses”.

According to the Health Ministry, in Trinidad and Tobago, there have been 115 reported confirmed cases of the Influenza A/H1N1 virus thus far, and all of those cases have now been cleared.

Curtis Rampersad Business Editor

Inflation in Trinidad and Tobago has slowed to under six per cent, its lowest level in more than four years.

The latest data from the Central Statistical Office showed that headline inflation declined sharply in July to 5.9 per cent from 8.4 per cent in June, and down from a peak of 15.4 per cent in October last year, the Central Bank said in a statement yesterday.

“Headline inflation is now at the lowest level since January 2005,” the bank said, adding that the rate of headline inflation has slowed markedly since the beginning of 2009.

Food price inflation, which has been the main contributor to headline inflation, declined significantly to 10.1 per cent year-on-year in July compared to 16.5 per cent in June, and down from a high of 34.6 per cent in September 2008.

The current rate of food price inflation is the lowest recorded since July 2004, the bank stated.

Measured on a year-on-year basis to July 2009, there were declines in the prices for bread and cereals and milk, cheese and eggs.

Four other categories recorded lower price increases.

Slower year-on-year increases were recorded for oils and fats (11.1 per cent compared to 14.5 per cent); fruit (28.7 per cent compared to 36.7 per cent); vegetables (8.2 per cent compared to 23.3 per cent) and sugar, jam, honey, syrups, chocolate and confectionery (4.6 per cent compared to 7.4 per cent).

Core inflation, which excludes the food component, also trended downwards in July, the bank said. On a year-on-year basis, the rate of core inflation fell to 3.8 per cent from 4.5 per cent in June 2009.

The rate of increase in the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels sub-index slowed to 2.0 per cent compared to 4.2 per cent in June, the Central Bank said in its repo report.

The bank lowered its repo, or overnight lending rate to commercial banks, to 6.75 per cent against the backdrop of continued slow demand for credit in the country.

Richard Charan Editor South Bureau

MONEY-GRAB: The casino where it is alleged that four policemen stole money from a vault.

Four police officers from an elite crime-fighting unit in the Southern Division were taken in for questioning Thursday, over their alleged involvement in the theft from a casino of almost $100,000.

The money-grab was caught on tape.

The policemen were questioned by members of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau (ACIB).

The acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was consulted in the case.

Last night, the Express learnt that warrants would be issued for two police corporals and two police constables, with the stipulation they be granted bail of $150,000 each on the condition they hand over their passports.

Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert has been briefed on the case, the Express was told.

Philbert has warned officers that they will face charges -disciplinary or criminal- should they be found to have broken any law.

The investigation stemmed from a robbery at Club Avenue 5, Duncan Village, San Fernando, before daybreak last week Friday.

Police were called to the club after getting a call from a man who said he saw someone walk in with a shotgun.

Police arrested two suspects, 21 and 29, seized $38,000 in stolen money, and recovered a homemade shotgun and ammunition. A third man was later implicated in the robbery.

But it was only after a review of the surveillance tapes by the casino’s management that images were found of men in police uniform stuffing their pockets with wads of cash from a vault.

Some $96,000 was taken.

On Thursday, the ACIB took the suspect police officers to Port of Spain for questioning.

This is the latest in a string of incidents in which police officers have been alleged to have been involved in illegal activities.

Earlier this month, a cache of drugs, firearms and ammunition was found in the ceiling at the St Joseph Police Station. Some 38 officers who were attached to the station were transferred following the find, but the investigation into that incident is still ongoing.

In another incident, also this month, drugs which were exhibits in various court cases and had been ordered destroyed, were found at a police officer’s home. That case too is still being investigated.