Moontown

Oil prices on Thursday hit US$80 a barrel for the first time in seven weeks as the dollar sank on the final day of the year.Benchmark crude for February delivery added 53 cents at $79.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange at midday. Oil jumped as high as US$80 a barrel earlier in the day. It hasn’t traded for that much since November 11.

Trading volume has been especially light this week, however, as many investors already closed the books on 2009.

Crude rose as the dollar dropped earlier in the morning.

Oil barrels are priced in dollars, and when the dollar drops, oil tends to rise as it becomes easier for investors with foreign currency to buy. The United States(US) Dollar Index, which measures the greenback versus other major currencies, has since rebounded.

The US government also said Thursday that new claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week - an encouraging sign that the economy may soon begin creating jobs and more motorists will be on the road.

Meanwhile, the Energy Information Administration said that natural gas stockpiles dropped for the fourth straight week.

The nation’s supply is still well above the five-year average, however, and last week’s draw of 124 billion cubic feet was less than what analysts expected.

In other Nymex trading in January contracts, heating oil rose 1.52 cents to US$2.1245 a gallon and gasolene advanced less than a penny to US$2.05 a gallon. The February contract for natural gas gained 15 cents to US$5.559 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude for February delivery rose 41 cents to US$78.44 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

- AP

RICE AND PEAS; MACARONI PIE

ROAST POTATOES; CORN MEAL COU COU

VEGETABLE CHOWMEIN; SEA CAT

BBQ SPARERIBS; BBQ PIG TAIL

BAKED CHICKEN; BAKED PORK

FRIED STEAK FISH; GRILLED STEAK FISH

STEAM VEGETABLES; TOSSED SALAD

Jamaica and West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor is scheduled to appear in the Santa Cruz Resident Magistrate’s Court on January 12 to answer assault charges stemming from an incident yesterday at a St Elizabeth bar.Sergeant Clifford Evans, of the Junction police, said he arrested Taylor at a bar in the district shortly after midnight. He said Taylor became abusive after the policeman ordered the tavern closed because its proprietor was operating beyond the 11 p.m. deadline.

Evans said Taylor assaulted him when he tried to arrest him.

Taylor was taken to the Junction Police Station where he was charged for using indecent language, resisting arrest, improper conduct and assaulting a police officer.

He was released from custody after posting $20,000 bail. Rochelle Gooden, proprietor of the bar, was charged with operating without a food handler’s permit and operating beyond closing time.

The 25-year-old Taylor, who is from St Elizabeth, made his Test debut as an 18-year-old against Sri Lanka in 2003. Last February, he returned figures of five wickets for 11 runs to lead the regional team to an innings and 23-run victory over England at Sabina Park.

Taylor has taken 82 wickets in 25 Tests. He is also a capable lower-order batsman who scored a Test century (106) against New Zealand during the West Indies’ tour of that country in 2008. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Several new tax measures take effect today as the Government dips deeper into the pockets of most Jamaicans in an effort to finance its bills.However, not all the measures will result in the Government taking more as at least two are designed to put more money in the hands of some persons.

Effective today, the income-tax threshold will increase, leaving a greater portion of salaries under $5 million tax-free.

The increase will see individuals benefiting from a tax-free income of $441,168 annually, which translates to $36,764 monthly, $16,968 fortnightly and $8,484 weekly.

The income-tax threshold for pensioners aged 55 to 65 years will also increase today, moving to $521,168, up from $400,736. For pensioners over 65 years, the increased threshold will be $601,168.

However, the increased tax-free portion of income will offer little, if any, benefit for persons earning more than $5 million.

Effective today, they will pay income tax of 27.5 per cent up from 25 per cent. Persons earning $10 million or more will pay income tax of 35 per cent.

The Government has announced that this is a temporary measure and will apply until March 31, 2011.

Other increases which take effect today include the hike in the general consumption tax from 16.5 per cent to 17.5 per cent.

Motor-vehicle licences for luxury vehicles with an engine capacity of 3,000cc and above will be increased by $4,000 while additional taxes of between 20 and 25 per cent will be applied to certain luxury goods such as jewellery, television sets exceeding 32 inches, shotguns and shotgun cartridges, jet skis and pleasure boats.

Motorists will also be paying more at the pumps with the introduction of a 15 per cent ad valorem tax on petroleum while smokers will find it more expensive to light up with an increase in the price of most cigarettes.

Yesterday, Carreras Ltd revealed the new tax measures meant the price for a carton of Craven ‘A’ and Matterhorn will now be $4,950, for Dunhill and Rothmans, $5,550.

“The suggested retail price per 20-pack of Craven A and Matterhorn (is $580),” the cigarette company said, noting that the expected popular price for a stick is $30.

Some tax changes effective January 1, 2010

1. Increase in the standard rate of general consumption tax from 16.5 per cent to 17.5 per cent.

2. Reintroduction of the 15 per cent ad valorem component of the special consumption tax (SCT) on fuel.

3. Increase in the SCT on cigarettes from the current $8,500 per 1,000 sticks to $10,500 per 1,000 sticks.

4. Imposition of 10 per cent GCT on the supply of electricity to residential (above 200kWh per month) and commercial/industrial premises.

5. Increased GCT rate on commercial imports at the rate of 22.5 per cent.

6. Increase in income-tax threshold to $441,168.

7. Increase in licence fees on motor cars/SUV equal to or greater than 2,999cc by $4,000 annually, bringing the total to a minimum of $16,000.

(Jamaica Gleaner)

Fireworks light up the skyline of the financial district to usher in the New Year yesterday January  1, 2010 in Singapore. The Asian country was one of the first to mark the new year as celebrations kicked off around the world yesterday. (AP Photo)

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AUCKLAND - Countries around the world began celebratory events to welcome in 2010 from early yesterday.

New Year arrived first in the South Pacific. At midnight local time (1100 GMT), fireworks were set off over Auckland’s Sky Tower in New Zealand.

A massive fireworks display has taken place in Sydney, Australia, with some 5 000kg of explosives sent up around around the famous harbour bridge.

An estimated 1.5 million attended the city’s dramatic show.

Fireworks were launched from the bridge, from boats in the harbour and from buildings around the waterfront.

Crowds had been gathering since the early morning, some of them camping overnight to secure the best vantage point for the 12-minute midnight fireworks display.

The state premier of New South Wales, Kristina Keneally, described the celebrations as the “best show on Earth”.

Police minister Michael Daley had warned those attending to avoid excessive drinking.

“If you’re one of these fools that can’t handle their grog and likes to go out and ruin other people’s nights, make yourself a new year’s resolution to grow up and behave yourself and start practising that on New Year’s Eve,” he said.

The Sydney Morning Herald said the display would cost some A$264 000 (US$237 500; £147 000).

The Japanese capital, Tokyo, was greeting the new year in traditional style, with bells rung in temples at midnight.

The city’s Sensoji Temple has been draped with banners wishing visitors a happy new year.

No major events were planned on mainland China - which celebrates the change of the lunar new year instead - but a fireworks display will be staged over Hong Kong’s waterfront skyline.

Thousands of people are also expected to gather at Indonesia’s National Monument for a display.

Fireworks flash over Sydney Harbour during New Year celebrations, Friday, January 1, 2010. The annual fireworks extravaganza over the city’s landmark harbour bridge and opera house are the centrepiece of Australia’s celebrations, and generate some of the most striking images from a night of revelry across the globe.

Despite heavy snowfall and temperatures down to -10C (14F), celebrations were planned for Red Square in Moscow.

“I wish everybody spiritual well-being in the coming year. I wish health to the children and all the best to all in the new year,” said one city resident.

In the French capital Paris, the Eiffel Tower will be the scene of a “unique and magical” display, said city officials.

The creator of the show, Bernard Schmitt, told the AFP news agency that at one point the tower would “transform itself into a giant Christmas tree with tinsel”.

London’s show focused around the huge London Eye wheel on the banks of the River Thames. Those attending have been warned to prepare for temperatures of around 0C (32F).

Further west, an estimated one million people are expected to be in New York’s Times Square to join in the countdown to midnight and see the famous New Year ball descend from its flagpole.

Security is high in the square, with partygoers banned from taking rucksacks or large bags into the area.

“We assume here that New York is the No. 1 terrorist target in America,” the city’s Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly was quoted as saying by the New York Times. (BBC) (Nation News)

Sir Harcourt Lewis relaxing at his home yesterday, hours after receiving the news that he had been honoured with a Knighthood in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.(Picture by Nigel Browne.)

by WADE GIBBONS

LAWRENCE VERNON HARCOURT LEWIS, GCM, JP, is Barbados’ latest knight.

Sir Harcourt has received the highest accolade from Queen Elizabeth II in her New Year’s Honours List, being made a Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George for his services to Barbados’ financial and public sectors.

Sir Harcourt, 77, told the DAILY NATION yesterday he was humbled by the honour.

“It is a humbling experience. It is something that I was written to by [late Prime Minister] Tom Adams many years ago. He told me this would happen when I was leaving the BNB (Barbados National Bank).

“I know recommendations have been made through the years and this is a culmination
of this. I am thankful to God for it.

“We have to thank Him, for only through Him are all things possible.

“I have been a faithful public servant, [and have] committed myself to the credit union movement,” he said.

Sir Harcourt, who is currently chairman of the National Petroleum Corporation, is credited with the establishment of the Barbados National Bank and the Insurance Corporation of Barbados. He also held several portfolios in Government.

He was one of ten Barbadians recognised by the head of the Commonwealth for their contributions to several areas of national life.

Receiving the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) were Maria Asgill, the former matron of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, for services to health care; Montague Barrow, secretary of the Old Harrisonian Society
for services to the community; and Joseph Niles for his contribution to gospel music.

Conferred with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) were Hugh Anthony Arthur, Barbados’ High Commissioner in Britain, for his services to tourism; Earl Wensley Glasgow for services to education and to the Barbadian Diaspora in New York; and Lucy Andrea Gollop-Greenidge for services to the performing arts.

The youngest recipient on the Queen’s Honours List was president of the Hope Foundation, Shelley Elizabeth Weir, 47, who received the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her outstanding services to the community. Weir has championed the cause
of those suffering with lupus and sickle-cell anaemia in Barbados and across the region for almost two decades.

Also receiving the MBE were Neville Nigel Pinder for his contributions to the Barbados Water Authority and Cora Holder-Waldron for services to education and the teachers’ credit union movement. (Nation News)

by TREVOR YEARWOOD

AN AMNESTY which Barbados offered illegal immigrants closed without fanfare yesterday afternoon.

But hours before the closure, the Guyana Chronicle newspaper was reporting that many Guyanese who had made Barbados their home had reluctantly returned to Georgetown.

It said too that Barbadian businesses and people who staged fêtes were already feeling the loss of the Guyanese patronage.

The amnesty ran from June to the end of the year and was extended to CARICOM nationals who had entered Barbados prior to December 31, 2005, and remained here for more than eight years, without regularising their status.

Among the preconditions listed for obtaining permission to stay were proof of employment, passing of background security checks, and substantiating a claim that they lived in Barbados for the stipulated period.

Just how many people took advantage of the amnesty offer remained unclear yesterday.

Last month Prime Minister David Thompson said Government had received about 300 applications for amnesty, but unofficial estimates have put the number of illegal immigrants in Barbados at thousands.

Guyanese sources said difficulties in getting tax clearance and police certificates of character were among the challenges faced by immigrants who wanted to regularise their status.

Guyanese and other CARICOM immigrants are heavily employed in construction and farming in Barbados, but work in several other areas, including running bars and selling fruit and vegetables.

The Chronicle said Barbados was already feeling the pinch caused by the departure of the Guyanese.

According to the paper: “Reports from Barbados said, with a large number of Guyanese no longer there, some businesses are beginning to lament the absence of their patronage.

“Some small vendors have complained that their livelihood would be affected and the Guyana Chronicle has learned that, even the entertainment industry on the island is feeling the squeeze, because, at any given time, Guyanese would turn out in their numbers at open-air fêtes, cruises and on beaches, spending freely.”

Thompson had announced the amnesty in May, saying that once it was over, Government would move to deport illegal immigrants.

Guyana’s Honorary Consul in Barbados, Norman Faria, said yesterday that the amnesty had caused some anxiety and stress among Guyanese.

In such cases, the consulate had provided counselling, along with the usual “advice and practical assistance such as filling out the application forms and renewing passports and helping in obtaining police certificates of character and other documents from Guyana,” he said.

He added that the amnesty offer was among the factors making 2009 a challenging year for the consulate.

“We have, however, been prepared and have fulfilled our obligations in assisting Guyanese nationals with consular services at this particular conjuncture,” he reported.

DENIS KELLMAN’S COLUMN- THE DEBATE

OCTOBER 4, 2006

The recent polls have demonstrated to me why the DLP will always be shown in a bad light as a Party. This political party has proven that it has the capacity to manage Barbados out of its worst economic times. It has left a legacy on each occasion it has been in office. Yet, the recognition it deserves has not been given to it by certain sections of the press.

The public is being fed incomplete information about this great political party. This is done because certain persons in Barbados believe that they should dictate the progress of this great party and the public feelings are suppressed. This should not be a surprised to those of us who are genuine Ds and who are not in it for self interest. We should know by now how to interpret polls, because if we ever expect to see a poll saying that we are winning then it means that we did not understand the warning from our great leader.

We as his disciples must look for glory from the Barbados public and stop expecting the press to make us. We must not be heard complaining about air time, because those of us who have been following and protecting the party would know that the public does not expect us to be treated fairly. The Right Excellent Errol Barrow warned us how to live without the prompting of the press.

The public expects the DLP to have thirty candidates in place and have an organizational chart like any other organization. It does not expect professionals to treat this organization like it is second rated. These professionals who pretend that they care about this great party have just done the greatest disservice to the party and I hope that they would apologise to its supporters and the public.

The published and unpublished information have demonstrated without a doubt, that once the party responds to the findings in the poll the professionals cannot stop the party from winning. In 2003, I told the party that they could have won the elections. The advice to the party from the public is that the party is poised to win. It is not important what I say, but the interest of Barbados is what matters. We as a party know many persons are suffering and for 12 years, I have been in Opposition through no fault of mine. I have delivered three times because Lucy understands why she allowed herself to offer the first seat to this great organization. We have never been selfish.

We have taken our blows from a group of professionals who have treated us like how Judas treated Christ even up to His Crucifixion.  We have two good sources from which to learn, the Biblical and the political. When will we learn? I look forward to the Nation newspaper publishing the remaining of the Poll as promised.

I also want to thank the public for coming out in their numbers on Sunday night to support our team in Wotton. It has demonstrated that the public wants the DLP and it has no problems with the DLP. Those Bs who thought they could have sabotaged our meeting, got the shock of their lives. This experience should be a lesson to all those who think evil for others.

It is time that they understand that we are prepared now for all surprises and that we as a professional political party know how to turn negatives into positives. One thing the DLP should never do is to put others before their own again and should be careful when selecting candidates that they are persons capable of enduring the vagaries of political life. Too often, we go for these celebrities only to have them rehoused. I know my cornerstone in the DLP. I do not have to ask anyone to show me where it has been laid because I laid it myself as far back as 1971, at the tender age of 13. Sometimes I cannot believe that I have been indoctrinated so long especially when I read question 17 of the CADRES Poll. This poll has shown the amount of disrespect these persons have the DLP. What is even worst is Question 18. “Lord help me to know my friends, my enemies I can deal with.”

The price of gas has dropped in Barbados at a time when it can be purchased at $59 a barrel on the World Market. Somebody needs to tell the public what the price was per gallon or litre, when the price was at that level before. I have told the public before that the prices that we have been charged had more to do with the financing of World Cup 2007 and the Terminal Companies.

The question that all of us should ask is how the Terminal Companies were financed and how these companies that do not have competitors can spend so much on donations and advertising.

Now that we as consumers have been relieved from that “Woody Affair” by Minister Thompson, which I spoke about in Parliament, when can we see the other decreases that have to do with world market conditions? A drop in fuel by $1 a gallon does not stop Barbados from having the most expensive fuel in the world. Or am I to believe that we are now enjoying the “benefits” of the PetroCaribe foreign policy deal?

Inflated fuel has done a lot of damage to this economy by making the productive sectors uncompetitive. I have always said that we need to build a fund to cushion spikes but this Government has overdone it. Even the IMF has acknowledged it, and has now requested of Government to offer a fair market rate to its consumers.

This country Barbados is ready for changes. We have to ensure that gains must be passed on to consumers directly, as in the case of fuel and not indirectly as was done in the case of CESS and the Bound Rates.

On the question of land, I have told this Government to stop making land a liability to the owners. As a consequence of this, we have now seen land as a trading commodity or an industry. This has occurred even though I have been telling Government for the last 12 years that outsiders were dictating the liabilities of our locals. This was done by them influencing the properties around them and then aiding the holders by offering the right price. I begged them to remove taxes from the sight value and deal only with the improved value. Instead of doing this, the maximum rate and value were reduced.

The sale of land by Barbadians must be by choice. It must not be influenced by Government policy to make land an industry. Barbadians must sell land to buy more land.

We are not interested in industry anymore, we are now giving up the right to trade for loans. How will we repay the soft loans if we do not have an industry anymore? Maybe Venezuela will own us for the debt. We are now wishing for social transformation from Venezuela, instead of the offer from the United States for the right to earn.

Peace, love, unity, honesty, humility, wisdom and understanding.