4. November 2009 by admin.

DECEMBER 26, 2005

It is Christmas time again and peace and love will be the words for the Season. We must ask ourselves what is peace and what is love? Is it thinking about family and self? If this is the case, then can we really say we care about the less fortunate in society, when the cameras are brought in to demonstrate how much we care. There is nothing wrong about sharing and caring, but I personally feel that it is not for third parties. This is a time for those less fortunate who would have worked hard to build this country and those whose parents could not afford to attend to them and placed them in a children’s home.

The needy among us are they feted throughout the year or only at Christmas when the cameras are out? Some of us will never be measured because to some we are uncaring and selfish. We should do what we have to do quietly by caring for those who need our help by ensuring that we empower those who depend on us to make them independent.

Christmas must be the Season for celebrating Independence when one considers that in Barbados, it comes about a month after we celebrate Independence. At Christmas, we should be in the spirit of empowerment of those who previously depended on persons for sustenance.

I know that it is not an easy thing to achieve, but I hope next year that those persons who depend on others will be in a position to help others, so that the Santa Claus approach will be continued by persons with genuine hearts and not pretenders.

On Christmas morning, many of us will flock to different churches in our best clothes, posing for the cameras, but how many of us will turn up thinking about bettering the lives of others, or will we be going telling the Lord what he already knows about us, and forgetting he knows about our future plans. We must reflect on the point made previously, where the Master allows us to say and do what we like, even though He has the power to stop us before or after our acts. We as human beings must be careful how we try to take on powers that we do not have. There is nothing wrong in trying to be like Christ, since He is the example we have to follow and there is no better person to pattern our lives after. Actually, He is the only person one should worship, because we have been warned not to follow false gods.

This week, I want to offer two persons who would describe themselves as my friends and who have used the press to imply that I do not know or cannot interpret the contents of Section 50 of the Party’s Constitution and Section 74 of the Country’s, a Christmas present. To the contingent writer, I give one copy of the best written and simplified Constitution ever given to a political party, and to a man who I honestly think believed what he wrote as a letter to the press, a copy of the Constitution of Barbados with special reference to Section 74. If any of these gentlemen have any problems interpreting the above, please check with Sir Henry, Mr. Vernon Smith, Mr. Freundel Stuart, Mr. Taitt and Mr. Hall Gollop, lawyers who would give the best advice.

I sometimes wonder why people try to prove to others to their own down fall, that I speak about things that they feel that I do not know of and why some people believe that I have to turn up with a document saying that I have wisdom and understanding. I have openly said that I have no time for negatives and those persons who go to sleep studying how to destroy me will only end up with stress and hate in their hearts. I will continue with a smile on my face and continue to work hard for what I want out of life for others and self.

We should at this time reflect on the reason why Jesus Christ was born. It is written that He came to save us from our sins and that He gave up His life to complete the Heavenly Mission. What we all need to do is to serve God, not man. God will never forsake us.

Peace. Love, wisdom, understanding, fairness, unity and endurance.

Merry Christmas to one and all.

(Denis Kellman is the Member of Parliament for St. Lucy, Barbados)

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4. November 2009 by admin.

By Marlon Munroe

Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago will clash in the final of the WICB President’s Cup 50-overs Tournament tomorrow at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence ground after Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan saw Guyana to a six-wicket victory over the Combined Campuses and Colleges team (CCC) last evening.

Great knock! Shivnarine Chanderpaul is congratulated by some members of the CCC team after his match winning unbeaten half century in the second semi final last evening at the stadium.(Orlando Charles photo)

Chanderpaul was left unbeaten on an even half century after he hit the last ball for four through backward square to help Guyana surpass CCC’s 151 all out from 48.4 overs to reach 152-4 in 40.2 overs.

Sarwan finished on 35 not out.

Mc Clean was the main wicket taker with 2-7 from 3.1 overs whilst Kavesh Kantasingh and Ryan Austin finished with one wicket apiece.

Earlier when CCC won the toss on batted Kjorn Ottley top scored with 26 while he got support from  Mc Clean (23) and opener Omar Phillips (22). Off spinner Royston Crandon had 4-24 (9), Devendra Bishoo 3-24 (10) and Veerasammy Permaul 2-30 (9.4).

Guyana started their reply at 16:32 after they bowled out CCC 45 minutes before the stipulated time and lost their first two wickets when the score was 11. Mc Clean bowled Travis Dowlin for 11 and then had Christopher Barnwell caught behind two balls later in the fifth over.

Narsingh Deonarine pulled Mc Clean for six over square leg off the last ball before the interval as Guyana  ended the session on 21-2 from seven overs. Upon resumption, Deonarine continued where he left off when he flicked Khismar Catlin over backward square leg for six.

Chattergoon joined in by pulling the same bowler to the square leg boundary.

Catlin had his revenge later in the over when Chattergoon was caught by Ryan Austin at mid on for 13.

Man-of-the-match Shivenarine Chanderpaul is presented with his trophy by Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President Chetram Singh after Guyana defeated CCC by six wickets yesterday. (Orlando Charles photo)

His dismissal brought Chanderpaul, who had earlier in the afternoon signed on to the ‘Protect our Caribbean from the effects of Climate Change’ declaration to the crease.

With Chanderpaul working the ball around for singles, Deonarine took the attack to the bowlers before he was caught on the long on boundary by Phillips for 31 in the 21st over.

His knock was decorated two boundaries and two massive sixes and he faced 45 balls. Chanderpaul and Sarwan continued to thrill  the crowd (which got larger when Guyana batted) with their occasional exotic stroke play.

Additionally, the CCC bowlers seemed to accept  defeat as they found it hard to trouble the accomplished batsmen.

Sarwan started to show glimpses of his form returning  by stroking three boundaries in his 54-ball innings.

Earlier, in hot sunshine the CCC team got off to a quiet start as opening batsmen Phillips and Romel Currency found it hard to get the ball past the Guyanese fielders  with medium pacer Esaun Crandon keeping things tight. This brought some pressure to bear on the batsmen and Currency was run out for 14 after facing 32 balls when the score was 25.

Crandon’s partner Christopher Barnwell took some stick earlier when he was hit for successive boundaries over mid-on and through extra cover by Nekoli Parris. However, the first ball of off-spinner Royston Crandon’s spell in the 13th over saw Parris being bowled for 12 with the score was 42.

Phillips and Ottley eased on and tried to control the pace by turning over the strike but with the introduction of leg spinner Devendra Bishoo Phillips timidly drove a delivery to Chanderpaul at cover. He made 22 from 55 balls with three boundaries.

Bishoo struck again when he had Kurt Wilkinson trapped lbw for 1 and then had Ottley caught at point by Sarwan as he cut outside the off stump.

Ottley scored  26 from 52 balls.

Off spinner Permaul, bowling in tandem with Bishoo had Chadwick Walton brilliantly caught by a diving Dowlin at a solitary first slip for two as the CCC team tottered on 83-6 in the 30th over.

CCC captain Floyd and Kevin Mc Lean saw the team to its three figure mark in 34.1 overs. When CCC took the batting power-play in the 37th over at 115-6 Reifer and Mc Lean were looking comfortable Reifer found Chanderpaul; on the long on boundary after he chipped to Royston Crandon and was dismissed for 13 (32 balls) at the end of the 38th over.

With the breaking of this 37-run partnership Crandon struck again at the end of the 40th over when he had Caitlin bowled for one playing on the backfoot. At the end of the 41st over when the power-play ended CCC had only scored 10 runs and lost two wickets. Shortly after Mc Lean was caught behind by Delbert Hicks for 23 (49 balls) in the 44th over with the score on 134.

CCC brought up their 150 in the 48 over and in the next over Permaul wrapped up the innings when he had Kavesh Kantasingh caught by Deonarine at short fine leg for 11. CCC were bowled out for 151 in 48.4 overs at 16:21 hours Crandon took 4-24, Bishoo 3-24 and Permaul 2-30.

Scoreboard

CCC innings
O. Phillips c Chanderpaul b Bishoo 22
R. Currency run out (Dowlin) 14
N. Parris b R. Crandon 12
K. Ottley c Sarwan b Bishoo 26
K. Wilkinson lbw Bishoo 1
F. Reifer c Chanderpaul b R. Crandon 13
C. Walton c Dowlin b Permaul 2
K. Mc Lean c wkp Hicks b R. Crandon 23
K. Caitlin b R. Crandon 1
R. Austin not out 5
K. Kantasingh c Deonarine b Permaul 11
Extras:    (w-11, lb-1, b-5)    20
Total: (all out from 48.4 overs) 151
FOW: 1-25 (Currency 7.5), 2-42 (Parris 12.1), 3-71 (Phillips 24.4), 4-73 (Wilkinson 26.4), 5-80 (Ottley 28.4), 6-83 (Walton 29.5), 7-120 (Reifer 38), 8-126 (Caitlin 40), 9-134 (Mc Lean 43.3), 10-151 (Kantasingh 48.4)
Bowling
E. Crandon    6-0-18-0
Barnwell    6-0-24-0 (1 w)
R. Crandon    9-0-24-4 (5 w)
N. Deonarine    8-1-21-0
D. Bishoo    10-1-24-3 (1 w)
V. Permaul    9.4-0-34-2 (4 w)

Guyana innings
S. Chattergoon c Austin b Kantasingh 13
T. Dowlin b Mc Lean 11
C. Barnwell c wkp Walton b Mc Lean 0
N. Deonarine c Phillips b Austin 31
S. Chanderpaul not out 50
R. Sarwan not out 35
Extas: (w-11, nb-3, lb- 1, b-1) 16
Total: (for 4 wickets from 40.3 overs) 152
FOW: 1-11 (Dowlin 4.3), 2-11 (Barnwell 4.5), 3-52 (Chattergoon 13.4), 4-61-4 (Deonarine 20.4)
Bowling
K. Mc. Lean    3.1-2-7-2
K. Kantasingh    10-4-11-1
K. Catlin    7.2-0-49-0
R. Austin    10-2-20-1
N. Parris    7-0-35-0
R. Currency    1-0-7-0
K. Wilkinson    2-0-21-0

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4. November 2009 by admin.

By Sir Ronald Sanders

Regrettably, the standing of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), both regionally and internationally, is now at one of its lowest points when the people of CARICOM need it to be at its strongest.
The deep concern about CARICOM’s failure to fulfill the promise it has made to the people of its member countries for 36 years has been voiced recently by many commentators on the regional scene. And, they have not been alone. Leaders of the private sector and the regional trade union movement have also expressed their unease with the failures of the integration process.
Recently, Peter Laurie, a former Barbados diplomat, writing in his column in the Barbados Nation newspaper stated: “World events have simply overtaken CARICOM. It’s dead. The question is whether anyone will have the decency to bury the corpse”.
Many persons, who like Laurie, have worked diligently for the strengthening of CARICOM as a vital tool for Caribbean survival sympathise with his frustration. We have heard declarations of intent to attain many objectives, only to see the dates for their attainment come and go with little being done.
Barbados’ Prime Minister, David Thompson, would have had good reason for disappointment when the convocation he organised on the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) in October was attended by only three other heads of government. The convocation achieved nothing and would have left Mr. Thompson with little direction on how to take forward the CSME agenda for which he has responsibility in the CARICOM quasi cabinet.
If this were the only recent meeting that failed to address the issues that confront CARICOM, it might have been forgivable. But, it is one of a series of meetings that have been inconclusive on the important steps that need to be taken if CARICOM is to better serve the interests of its member states and their people.
I need not rehearse those steps here, but it as well to recall that the question of governance of CARICOM remains unresolved as leaders shy away from the creation of machinery authorised by law to implement decisions; many vital elements of the Single Market are still to be established in several countries; a regional stock exchange is still a consummation devoutly to be wished; and regional transportation is nowhere near being rationalised.
What the region is witnessing instead is a despairing attempt by some countries to go it alone, and an effort by others to seek alliances with countries outside of CARICOM in the hope of being rewarded with help.
The picture is not pretty.
Peter Laurie made the judgment that “CARICOM leaders have absolutely no interest in regional integration other than what petty benefits each can gouge out of it. Most of them, except for the cheapskates and freeloaders, are slowly realising that they get out less than they put in. CARICOM is no longer a win-win situation, but a zero-sum game. In a globalised world economy, we’re all better off fending for ourselves”.
Whether this opinion of CARICOM leaders is true or not, if CARICOM leaders come to the conclusion that their countries are better off fending for themselves, the facts tell a different tale. Small states, such as those in the Caribbean, cannot go it alone. They simply do not have the capacity to do so, as coping with the global financial crisis has clearly demonstrated. And, those that seek convenient alliances for short-term benefits will find that, as history has shown time and again, there will be a price to be paid usually in the loss of autonomy over crucial matters.
A recent article by Gideon Rachman, the Financial Times Chief Foreign Affairs commentator, is worth considering.
Two years ago, Rachman had praised small states. He thought that their time had come. Now he says, “In the aftermath of the Great Recession, the economic and political tide has turned against small nations. Look around Europe and it is the smalls that have fared worst – Iceland, Ireland, and the three Baltic states. Iceland has not only suffered a catastrophic economic and banking collapse. It is also being bullied by Britain and the Netherlands into paying back billions lost by their citizens when Icelandic banks collapsed. Membership of the European Union has provided the Irish and the “Balts” with some protection from pressure by larger nations, but it cannot solve all problems. Latvia has had to go to the International Monetary Fund for a loan. Lithuania and Ireland may be forced to tread the same route.”
And if we needed to be reminded, the “small states” to which he refers are all considerably larger with greater capacity than the largest of CARICOM’s states.
Rachman also supports the point that the creation of the G20 to manage the world’s economic affairs does not help small countries even with the inclusion of developing states such as Brazil, India, China and South Africa.
He argues, “International politics has also turned against small countries. The biggest geopolitical development to come out of the economic crisis is the formation of the Group of 20 – a club for large nations that now aims to set the regulatory climate for the world. The kind of regulatory and tax arbitrage that small countries once profited from is now subject to an international crackdown. In the age of global deregulation, large countries found it hard to stamp on small neighbours that were undercutting them with lower taxes or looser regulations. But the mood has changed. Regulation is fashionable again and taxes are going up. At the recent G20 summit, Nicolas Sarkozy, French President, crowed: “Tax havens, banking secrecy – all that is finished.”
The lesson that should have been learned from the experience of the global financial crisis and the creation of the G20 is that CARICOM should become more not less relevant, and instead of being buried should be invigorated. The longer CARICOM states delay creating a single market and doing substantial work on a single economy, the more exposed each of them will become to direction and prescriptions from external forces.
The world may now be an ugly place for CARICOM, but it would be uglier for each CARICOM state on its own.
The writer is a Consultant and former Caribbean diplomat.

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4. November 2009 by admin.

SPLIT PEAS AND RICE; MACARONI PIE

YAM AND SALT FISH; SHEPHERD’S PIE

MIXED VEGETABLES; BAKED CHICKEN

BAKED PORK; BBQ SPARERIBS

BBQ PIG TAILS; FRIED SNAPPER

FRIED STEAK FISH; GRILLED STEAK FISH

CHICKEN STEW; FISH GRAVY

TOSSED SALAD; POTATO SALAD

STEAMED VEGETABLES

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4. November 2009 by admin.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CUOPM) – The parade of cruise ships to St Kitts’ Port Zante for November begins on Wednesday with the visit of the 92,000-ton Norwegian Jewel of the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). It will be first time that the Bahamas-registered cruise vessel, which has a passenger capacity of 2,376 passengers and a crew of 1,100 will visit St Kitts. The Norwegain Jewel (Photo courtesy of the NCL website) Well-informed sources said the Norwegian Jewel will arrive from Tortola at 7:00 am with 2,410 passengers on board and will depart at 4:00 pm, spending Thursday at sea and docking in Curacao on Friday. According to information from the Marine Division of the St Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority SCASPA), a total of 24 ships with an estimated capacity of 52,000 passengers are scheduled to berth on 25 cruise ship days in November. Among the ships are the 108,000-ton Ruby Princess with a passenger capacity of 3,100; the 3,100-passenger Ventura; the 2,680-passenger Carnival Miracle; the 3,473-passenger Carnival Victory; the 2,681-passenger Mercury; the 2,500-passenger Serenade of the Seas and the 2,450-passenger Millennium. Also scheduled to visit Port Zante are the 2,388-passenger Arcadia; the 2,388-passenger Ocean Village 2; the 1,692-passenger Ocean Village; the 1,950-passenger Norwegian Dawn and the 2,600-passenger Queen. Smaller cruise vessels such as the 255-passenger Royal Clipper; the 400-passenger Silver Shadow; the 820-passenger Braemar and the 308-passenger Windsurf have calls scheduled in November. An analysis on the impacts of passenger, crew and cruise line spending carried out by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, on the 26 cruise destinations during the period May 2008 through April 2009 showed that cruise tourism pumped US$44 million or EC$118 million into the St. Kitts and Nevis economy during the 2008/2009 cruise year. The survey indicated that cruise passengers who came ashore spent a total of US$33 million or EC$89.1 million. The crew members who disembarked spent a total US$7.8 million or EC$21.6 million while the cruise lines spent US$3 million or EC$8.1 million in St. Kitts and Nevis during the survey period. St Kitts and Nevis led 24 of the 29 destinations in terms of average expenditure per cruise passenger of US$99.41 or EC$268.40. FCCA figures also show based on the survey, that in St Kitts and Nevis, expenditure in 2009 by each passenger increased to US$33.20 (EC$89.64) compared to US$5.40 (EC$14.50) in 2006, an increase of 514 percent and crew expenditure in St Kitts and Nevis increased to US$7.80 (EC$21.06) in 2009 compared to US$0.40 (EC$1.08) in 2006, a whopping increase of 1,850 percent. Crew visiting St Kitts and Nevis spent an average of US$142.14 or EC$383.77, the third highest crew expenditure rate among the 29 destinations and the seventh highest among the 29 destinations in total crew expenditures of US$7.8 million or EC$21 million.

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4. November 2009 by admin.

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4. November 2009 by admin.

By Carolyn Goulbourne-Warren TORONTO, Canada (JIS) — A Jamaican-born policeman has been appointed to the second highest rank in Toronto’s police force, in Canada. Consul at the Jamaican Consulate General, in Toronto, Nigel Smith (left), congratulates the new Deputy Chief of the Toronto Police Service, Jamaican-born Peter Sloly. (JIS photo) Peter Sloly, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, recently became the second black person in the history of the Toronto Police Service (TPS) to be made its Deputy Chief. At 43 years old, he is also the youngest Deputy Chief ever in the Toronto police force. Deputy Chief Sloly, whose family left Jamaica in 1976, joined the Toronto police force in 1988. During the past 21 years in the force, he has served as Unit Commander, in charge of Operational Services, Staff Planning and Community Mobilisation, and worked in Major Crime, Youth Bureau and Public Order. In 2001, he went to Kosovo as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission and was a Command Staff Officer and the Canadian Contingent Commander. As Deputy Chief of Police in charge of Executive Command, he now oversees several units, which include Professional Standards, Investigative, Risk Management, Legal Services, Public Information, Crime and Information Analysis, and Records Management. At a recent ceremony, organised to acknowledge his achievements and attended by police officers, judges, lawyers, community workers, friends and family, Deputy Chief Sloly paid tribute to the many persons who have “done good” and were responsible for his success. Calling his parents, Michael and Arthurine Sloly, his role models, he said they brought their children to Canada from Jamaica for a better life. “My promotion is a measure of validation for their life-long efforts to provide for their children, teaching Deputy Chief of the Toronto Police Service, Jamaican-born Peter Sloly, with his wife, Leyla, and their three-year-old daughter, Elif Su Jasmine. (JIS photo) us good values, and raising us to be contributing members of society,” he said. The Deputy Chief, who is very proud of his Jamaican heritage and was one of the delegates to the first Jamaican Diaspora Conference in Kingston, in 2004, emphasised that no one can achieve success without the help of others. “In Jamaica we have a saying, ‘we likkle but we tallawah’. This means we are but a few people from a tiny island, but we have produced great things - from Nanny’s victories, to Garvey’s treatises, to Miss Lou’s stories, to Marley’s songs, to Bolt’s records. We know that none of these accomplishments happened in a vacuum, and we know that these people did not do it alone. None of us can achieve true success without the help of others,” he said. Presenter after presenter not only congratulated Deputy Chief Sloly, but also shared personal stories. Describing the Deputy Chief as his hero, Constable Ojo Tewogbade said he will never forget the compassion shown by Sloly when his two daughters were diagnosed with kidney disease and multiple sclerosis. Ojo said the Deputy Chief prayed with him and gave him words of wisdom by saying, “Ojo, what you cannot change, don’t let it change you.” Jamaican-born Minister of Health Promotion for Ontario, Margarett Best, told the gathering that the Jamaican Diaspora is important to the province of Ontario. She congratulated the Chief of Police for embracing diversity in the Toronto Police Service. Bringing greetings on behalf of the government of Jamaica, Consul from the Jamaican Consulate General, Nigel Smith, said the Deputy Chief stands as a beacon for the Jamaican community, “as someone who has demonstrated that with single mindedness of purpose and hard work, one can achieve his or her goals.” The first black person appointed Deputy Chief of the TPS, Keith Forde, congratulated the newest addition to the Toronto police hierarchy and told the audience that in order for Deputy Chief Sloly to succeed, he needs “your support, your prayers and all your help.” Former Member of Provincial Parliament, Jamaican-born MaryAnne Chambers, said she wrote a letter in 2007 in support of Sloly’s nomination for a Harry Jerome Award for Professional Excellence. She described Sloly’s career as an exceptional one, “which has included a scope of service well beyond what most police officers will ever experience.” “That scope has included international assignments in peacekeeping and strategic planning, membership of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Association of Police Chiefs, and participation on task forces established to address some of the social issues that can result in dysfunction in our communities,” she said. Chief of Police for York Regional Police, Armand La Barge, said he and Sloly are members of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and he recognised the new Deputy Chief as an individual who is going places. “He is the type of individual to create and make things happen. He’s a valuable member of the association. The future of policing in this country is in great hands,” he said. The Jamaican community will be hosting a special tribute for the new Deputy Chief on Friday, November 20, to be held at the Jamaican Canadian Centre.

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4. November 2009 by admin.

By Cathy Lashley BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (BGIS) — Barbados stands to reap not only economic benefits from the staging of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Twenty20 tournament next year, but to gain significant exposure on the international arena. This was underscored recently by Minister of Youth, Family and Sports, Esther Byer Suckoo. The Kensington Oval in Barbados Speaking about the rationale for hosting the preliminary matches and the final, the Sports Minister explained: “Barbados has sought to capitalise on its reputation as a cricketing nation… We have produced some of the greatest cricketers the world has ever seen and we sought to capitalise on that tradition in seeking to host some of the events associated with the ICC’S Twenty20, next year.” Byer Suckoo added: “The matches that we are hosting include the final matches. Those are the games that will draw the biggest crowds, so we know that we will be seeing an increase in our tourist arrivals at that time and associated with that, of course, increased spending. So we know that Barbados stands to gain economically.” The Sports Minister pointed out that from a tourism perspective, hosting the competition was also a great opportunity to market Barbados. “In preparing to host these matches, [we are finalising an arrangement] with the ICC that will give us the designation as the official local partner. So, we get to promote Barbados every time the event is advertised, we get use of the logo and that allows Barbados to be marketed across the world leading up to the event next year,” she stated. Concerning plans to include the youth in the tournament, Byer Suckoo indicated that there would be ongoing efforts to build on the legacy of the 2007 World Cup by continuing the spirit of volunteerism. “The Ministry of Youth, Family and Sports is developing a national volunteer corps, specifically using our young people, but other people are welcome as well …It’s going to engender in our young [people] a spirit of national pride, a spirit of community and that spirit of volunteering,” she stressed. The Minister mentioned that government was looking to the future, since the games would be beneficial to the overall development of sports in the island. “We expect that we will be improving the capacity of the Kensington Oval, as well as the capability of the management of Kensington Oval to be able to host more local, regional and international events there,” she outlined. And there are big plans to stage other international fixtures here. “In 2010, Barbados is proud to be hosting the International Boxing Association’s Womens’ World Boxing Championship. And that event has now taken on greater significance because the International Olympic Committee has declared that women’s boxing is going to be on the 2012 Olympic card and that means the event being hosted in Barbados next year is going to be an Olympic qualifier … Again, this will give us an opportunity to prove to the world that Barbados is capable of hosting and managing an event. We’re also negotiating to host some water sports events as well. There is a big sailing event that’s on the cards, but more of that will come later,” the Sports Minister disclosed. Speaking about the overall plans of staging international fixtures, Byer Suckoo urged Barbadians to be supportive. “I want Barbadians to realise that the sporting events that Barbados is hosting in 2010, and in the future, not least of all the ICC Twenty20 cricket tournament, are an opportunity for Barbadians to show the world what Barbados has to offer and I want to encourage them to come out and have fun… The prices have been reduced and Barbadians are going to be allowed to bring their own flavor to the event,” she remarked. Tickets for the games are priced as low as US$5 for preliminary matches and up to US$40 for the finals. They go on sale in the region from November 1 and the rest of the world on November 15.

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4. November 2009 by admin.

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By Marianna Parraga and Rebekah Kebede PORLAMAR, Venezuela (Reuters) — Venezuela’s energy minister on Tuesday lowered the South American OPEC member’s 2015 oil capacity target by 13 percent, but remained upbeat on expansion overall, especially in the Orinoco heavy oil belt. Rafael Ramirez told an oil conference on the island of Margarita that Venezuela’s capacity should rise from 3.0 million barrels per day now to 4.25 million bpd by 2015. Venezuela’s Energy and Petroleum Minister Rafael Ramirez. AFP PHOTO That is a significant reduction from a previous target, set in 2008, of 4.9 million bpd for 2015. In 2005, when Venezuela launched a new investment plan, it had set an even higher goal of producing 5.8 million bpd within a decade. Ramirez gave no reasons for the reduced target, but it came after four years of decline in Venezuela’s crude production, according to the country’s own estimates. Between January and September 2009, Venezuela pumped 3.04 million bpd, 130,000 bpd less than planned, according to figures from state oil firm PDVSA. Ramirez emphasized that Venezuela is investing $15 billion a year in its oil sector, and will focus on the Orinoco belt. “We have had a world oil market situation that has forced us to optimize our investments,” Ramirez said. PDVSA’s profits plummeted 54.3 percent in the first quarter of 2009, as crude prices waned and the global economic slowdown kept demand weak. Ramirez added that capacity should rise to 6.862 million bpd by 2021. Analysts do not, however, share the government’s optimism, saying steep declines at older fields combined with obstacles to new heavy crude development could keep production flat for years to come. Venezuela has announced a raft of new projects in the Orinoco heavy oil belt, but analysts are nervous about the inexperience of major partners like Russia and China. PDVSA and the government had projected an average production of 3.17 million bpd for 2009, above Ramirez’s figure of 3 million. Independent estimates, including by the US Energy Information Administration and the International Energy Agency, see production at nearer 2.2 million bpd. Speaking to reporters after his speech, Ramirez said PDVSA was considering another bond issue after two others this year. Investors are worried by a glut of debt offer by Venezuela. “We are considering another (bond) issue. It is something we will always coordinate with the Finance Ministry,” he said, without giving more details. “We have always said that our oil investment plan, which will require $225 billion dollars, cannot be financed with our cash flow. We would not be able to do that. No company finances its business plan with its own cash flow.” The minister also revealed that PDVSA would pay an initial $300 million within 30 days for participation in a refinery project with Brazil’s Petrobras. Petrobras and PDVSA agreed the deal last week to construct and operate the 230,000-bpd Abreu e Lima refinery in Brazil’s Pernambuco state. On natural gas, Ramirez said PDVSA would take offers at the end of the year for a 40 percent stake to develop a huge offshore project, Mariscal Sucre, in the east. Begun in the 1980s, the project has not yet sold a molecule of gas despite reserves of 14.7 trillion cubic feet. “Some companies have been invited — Gazprom, Japanese firms, Eni, Statoil. They are looking at it,” Ramirez said. “The investment is about $6 billion.” A PDVSA source later said the offer period for Mariscal Sucre had been extended to November from October. Ramirez said another offshore gas project with Russia’s Gazprom had similar prospects to a recent major find with Repsol YPF. Repsol says that site has reserves of up to 7.8 trillion cubic feet of gas, which would be the largest such discovery in Venezuela. The PDVSA source said the firm had paid ConocoPhillips between $70 million and $80 million for the company’s share of the Deltana natural gas platform.

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4. November 2009 by admin.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados  – Chris Gayle was the unanimous choice to lead West Indies on the three-Test tour of Australia, chairman of selectors Clyde Butts revealed Monday.

The languid Jamaican, who has led the regional side for the last two years, was retained for the post despite speculation selectors would have explored other options.

Butts told CMC Sports while a few names were considered, Gayle was the overwhelming pick for the panel that also comprises Raphick Jumadeen and Robert Haynes.

“I think when you look at what took place over the last year, Chris Gayle was our captain before we had the impasse and we had Denesh Ramdin as his vice-captain,” Butts said in a telephone interview from Guyana.

“You had Ramnaresh Sarwan who has captained before and Dwayne Bravo who has also captained before.

“Those four names were considered for the captaincy of the West Indies team and at the end, we thought that Chris Gayle was at this time and at this moment, the most suitable person to captain West Indies and take them to Australia.”

Trinidad & Tobago Captain Daren Ganga had been mooted in several quarters as a possible choice to captain the side, especially after he led the national team to the final of the Twenty20 Champions League in India last month.

However, Butts said the panel was not convinced the right-handed opener could command a place in the Windies team, pointing to his past performances and his outing in the regional four-day championship earlier this year.

Ganga, who has played 48 Tests with modest success, finished with 749 runs at an average 46.18.

“His name actually came up but I don’t think we thought that Daren Ganga at this time would have gotten into a West Indies team,” the former Guyana and West Indies off-spinner said.

“Looking at the history of his batting and looking at how he has batted over the past year or so in the regional tournament, I don’t think he’s actually made a lot of runs in the tournament and it would have been difficult to see him in the this team.”

Selectors on Monday announced the 15-man squad for the tour of Australia which will see Tests in Brisbane (26-30 Nov.), Adelaide (4-8 Dec.) and Perth (16-20 Dec.).

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