16,000 online traders accept payments via Buxter’s parent company.
Friends on social networking site Facebook can now send small payments directly to each other via an application called Buxter.
Buxter handles transactions in Euros or US dollars, with plans to launch in Sterling in the next four weeks.
Other currencies are subject to a 5% conversion fee at the point of upload to a Buxter account.
The company behind the application is ClickandBuy which operates an online payment service across the web.
More than 13 million people across the world already have accounts with it, and a ClickandBuy account is required in order to use Buxter.
Transactions between Buxter accounts are free to make and receive but a 1.9% commission fee, minimum 2 euros or $3 (£2), is charged to move the money to another source such as a bank account.
“People share their statuses, their information and their pictures on Facebook so the question is why not share money there too?” Christian von Hammel-Bonten, senior vice president at ClickandBuy told BBC News.
The application is designed for fairly small payments (a maximum of 50 euros (£45) can be held in any one account) and transactions can only be made among people who are friends on Facebook.
Mr von Hammel-Bonten said he hoped people would use the service to pay each other for shared expenses such as cinema tickets and restaurant bills initially.
“We’re not trying to compete with national banking systems. This is not somewhere to pay your gas or rent,” he said.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to the relatives of those who lost their lives last Sunday while on the way to the East Coast. We understand how it has affected our business associates who would have been in high spirits after devoting so much time and money in trying to achieve a successful event. It is no doubt that Mount Gay, one of Lucy’s children has demonstrated that it is interested in developing Barbados. I have said before that in order for Barbados to be developed that Lucy must play her rightful role and this has been performed by Lucy’s children.
Mount gay has not only conquered the local market, but has demonstrated the importance of the export market to its further development and that of the country. Its label has been used as a marketing tool. This allows it to claim that it has played a pivotal role in promoting tourism by blending manufacturing with tourism.
It is not by accident that Mount Gay and Banks have a close working relationship. I am expecting them to take this relationship to a higher level of cooperation. It is a relationship like these that I am happy to promote, because I know that we would not have relationships being extinct. The rum industry in Barbados is poised to deliver a lot more than what the sugar industry previously did. Sir David is smiling with his new baby that has used technology to ensure that standards are maintained. There is no need for Government to continue to treat this industry as if it is still in the medieval era.
This industry is now self regulating and competing dictates that the standards must be high. We as politicians know our rum and any company producing rum of a poor quality will feel it in their sales. What is important is the curing process and if it is not cured properly, the local experts will tell you.
For the last 36 years, I would tell the brands that were drinking well. In the early nineties, I ensured that the foreign exchange levels were right by quoting prices to the tourists that they could not refuse. These families easily consumed weekly a gallon of rum, along with cases of banks Beer. It was as if the two had a direct relationship.
Our tourism planners should investigate why we are not getting the farmers from Canada anymore, because they were here for six months and spent a lot of money. The present president of BHTA knows of what I speak. He had a long working relationship with them.
I am not surprised that we are not seeing this type of tourist any longer, because the type of tourism we are now practicing would not suit them. Barbados must ensure that it has the right blend of tourism and it must have a package of choice. We believe that people with money must conform because we believe that the sea, sun and sand cannot be found elsewhere, but Barbados.
It is no doubt that we need the rich, but we cannot ignore the contribution to the economy of community tourism. The multiplier effect on community tourism is much greater than all other types.
It is clear to me that the economists in Barbados are more interested in the Philip’s Curve than the importance of the multiplier effect to the economy.
In the initial stage, I was happy to hear Mr. Richard Cozier speaking about the importance of banks being independent, but recently it seems that it is not BS&T for sale, but Banks Breweries.
I watched with interest the stock rights issue being implemented by the Board of Banks which will strengthen the hands of BS&T if the other shareholders do not take up their rights. This move will be carefully monitored by those of us who understand what is happening in the marketplace.
I honestly believe that now that the Board is aware of the available cash in the marketplace that BS&T should be told where the source of new working capital in abundance can be found before another company uses it to buy them out. If Banks is a target for the competitors, then the Board should stop and think.
Banks Breweries should be aware that Tillman Beer could easily be the beer to become the local beer if Bajans perceive banks as owned by Trinidadians. Banks Beer dominates the market because it is a local beer and we give advantage to it because of its origin.
We sometimes ignore the patronage given to a product and believe that once something is local the consumer has to purchase it at any costs. I have done everything possible to support what is truly local and will continue to give 100 %, but no one should see me as a tool.
A couple weeks ago, I said that I wanted to hear from Sir Douglas, but it seems that I can make my own prediction for him and Mr. David Bynoe. The example used by Barbados Farms should be used for Barbados Dairy Industries and Banks Breweries Ltd. It seems that we would be in a better position if we were to make these companies separate from BS&T. it is for this reason, that I suggested previously, that banks should issue additional shares while excluding BS&T from the share issue. The main reason why I have suggested their exclusion had to do with their sale of shares in profitable Neal and Massy. BS&T limited cash should not be used for purchasing shares. Instead, every citizen of Barbados should be asked to buy shares in BS&T and the time is right based on what was said previously by the public, when they sought to merge with Neal and Massy.
I have said before, that Government should ask the Board to issue some Preference Shares to them also. We cannot afford to give up our potential in Banks neither can we allow the wrangling for power by two external players to impact on us. Banks cannot be about market competition, but must be about who can carry it where it has to go without a change in identity.
Those persons who laughed at me when I called for a second hospital should now reconsider if we could continue to have an institution that is nearly fifty years old without doing major renovations to it. A hospital is not a place to fatten undertakers. This trend will continue until we understand the difference between another hospital and a prison.
Someday I will write about Selloutsab, Fear trading commission and the prices and taxes protocol and their connection to Chinese workers, Cable and Wireless and BS&T.
I was asked by someone, if I will be out pretending on Wednesday and I retorted when Hollywood is fully in Barbados, I will change and become part of the pretenders. For now, I will remain real and truly fight for the masses in the name of the O’Neale’s family. History has shown that this family was about action, not talk.
Another celebration will pass and the workers will still be worse off than those so-called dark days. At least they were guaranteed work, food, clothing and shelter. In those days, we were exporting more that we imported. Now that we are not enslaved, we are even importing labour with borrowed funds and nothing to export, while increasing our social costs. We prefer to punish production and keep our citizens poor or living off the state, instead of enticing workers to produce while punishing consumption. But when anything foreign is seen as good and local is bad, you can expect this to happen.
It is time that Bajans realized that Barbados belongs to us and do something about it. Caribbean unity must start with our home base first and then others. We must stop giving up our independence for investments or soft loans. We have always been a working people, but now the politicians have offered so many handouts that they are now like their constituents.
I was always told that it was better to be independent than dependent, but it seems that the modern day politicians have used theory to change the old time teaching. Principle was it before, now it is money that will dictate the pace. Once you have it, then you will rule the rooster.
I sometimes wonder if Mr. Bill Gates was to own Four Seasons in Barbados, what concessions he would have been given. It seems to me that we do not understand the significance of land ownership in Barbados. We are giving too many concessions to the converted and neglecting our own. Kellmanomics is about our own and everyone else.
Peace, love, unity, humility, Kellmanomics, wisdom and understanding.
As expected, captain Chris Gayle has returned to strengthen the West Indies side for the first two one-day internationals (ODI), but there is still no room for batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan and all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.
Both players, crucial to the Windies set-up, were left out of a 14-man squad named yesterday for the double-header here at the National Stadium at Providence later this week.
Sarwan made a century for Guyana against the Windward Islands in the WICB four-day tournament last weekend, but CMC Sports understands the Windies team management and selectors are keen on further assessing the players’ fitness.
Back from injury
The match was the right-hander’s first competitive game in two months, after picking up a back injury on the Test tour of Australia last December.
Bravo, meanwhile, has almost fully recovered from a hand injury he sustained during the Twenty20 Big Bash in Australia earlier this year and which kept him out of the recent one-day tour Down Under.
The 26-year-old practised with the Windies team last Saturday and indications are that both he and Sarwan could be included in the squad for the three ODIs carded for St Vincent, once their fitness is up to scratch.
Gayle, rested for Sunday’s T20I, has returned to take his place at the top of the order, while Guyanese batsman Narsingh Deonarine has also made the squad at the expense of talented left-hander Darren Bravo.
They are the only changes to the squad that crashed to a humiliating loss to Zimbabwe in Sunday’s T20I.
The first ODI will bowl off Thursday with the second one scheduled for Saturday.
SQUAD: Chris Gayle (captain), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Dwayne Smith. (Jamaica Gleaner)
JAMAICAN DRUG lords are spreading their wings throughout the Caribbean, the annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, released by the United States (US) Department of State yesterday, claimed.
US President Barack Obama listed Jamaica as a “major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit” country.
According to the report, Obama and the US Congress were notified about Jamaica’s unenviable position on September 15 last year.
Nineteen other countries, including Haiti, The Bahamas, Colombia and Mexico, are included on the list.
“Of these 20 countries, Burma, Bolivia and Venezuela were designated by the president as having ‘failed demonstrably’ during the previous 12 months to adhere to their obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements,” the report said.
Obama noted that “as Mexico and Colombia continue to apply pressure on drug traffickers, the countries of Central America are increasingly targeted for trafficking, which is creating serious challenges for the region”.
Integral roles
However, Obama, aside from naming Jamaica as a major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit state, did not make any other mention of the country in his declaration. The report, however, noted that Jamaicans have been integral to the drug trade in countries like The Bahamas as well as some Eastern Caribbean nations.
“There are no official estimates of hectares of marijuana under cultivation in The Bahamas. USG (US Government) and host country enforcement agencies believe Jamaican nationals are involved in the cultivation of marijuana on The Bahamas’ remote islands and cays,” the report said.
In 2008, the United States Department of States provided Jamaica with US$992,000 (J$88,3 million) and US$1.01 million (J$ 89.9 million) in 2009 to fight the narcotics trade in the country. Major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit countries
Barrack Obama, President of the United States of America
Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica
US hints at diplomatic war if Coke, others not extradited now The United States Government has flayed the Bruce Golding administration over Jamaica’s handling of the extradition request for west Kingston strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.
In an unusually caustic report on Jamaica in its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report , the Barack Obama administration made it clear it was not satisfied with Kingston’s handling of the extradition request and charged that the Golding government was not holding to the rules.
“While cooperation between (the) Government of Jamaica (GOJ) and United States Government law-enforcement agencies remained strong, delays in proceeding with the significant extradition request for a major alleged narcotics and firearms trafficker who is reported to have ties to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and subsequent delays in other extradition requests, have called into question Kingston’s commitment to law-enforcement cooperation with the US,” the report claimed.
Last night, Minister of Information Daryl Vaz was unwilling to speak on the US report, pointing The Gleaner instead to National Security Minister Dwight Nelson or Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne. Neither could be reached for comment.
According to Washington, in the past, extradition requests from its law-enforcement agencies were routinely and timely processed by Jamaican political and judicial authorities.
But that contradicts Golding, who told Parliament late last year that the extradition request was being held up because the Jamaican Government had unanswered questions.
“There are legal issues that need to be addressed. We have informed communications through the appropriate channels with the United States Government,” Golding told Parliament.
Nothing strange or different
However, that has failed to satisfy the US which continues to argue that there is nothing strange or different in its request for the extradition of Dudus to answer drug and gun charges.
“The GOJ’s unusual handling of the August request forthe extradition of a high-profile Jamaican crime lord with reported ties to the ruling JLP which currently holds a majority in Parliament, on alleged drug and firearms trafficking charges marked a dramatic change in GOJ’s previous cooperation on extradition, including a temporary suspension in the processing of all other pending requests and raises serious questions about the GOJ’s commitment to combating transnational crime.
“The high-profile suspect resides in and essentially controls the Kingston neighbourhood known as Tivoli Gardens, a key constituency for the JLP,” the report said.
It added: “Jamaica’s processing of the extradition request has been subjected to unprecedented delays, unexplained disclosure of law-enforcement information to the press, and unfounded allegations questioning US compliance with the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and Jamaican law.”
With its anger thinly disguised, Washington charged that high-profile organised criminal gangs continued to successfully operate in Jamaica with the Government unable to exclusively focus on high-powered leaders of criminal gangs.
Received state contracts
“This is due to the fact that these leaders are afforded community and, in some cases, police and political protection. Additionally, their activity is often linked with legitimate business holdings.”
Dudus is a director in Incomparable Enterprises Ltd, which has received millions of dollars in state contracts, and Presidential Click, which promotes several major dances and stage shows, including the weekly Passa Passa street dance in west Kingston and the annual Champions In Action stage show.
Washington argued that while: “As a matter of policy, (the) GOJ does not facilitate or encourage illicit production or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions, (the) pervasive public corruption continues to undermine efforts against drug-related ? crimes, and plays a major role in the safe passage of drugs and drug proceeds through Jamaica.”
In a parting shot, the US Government hinted that its relationship with the Jamaican Government could deteriorate if Dudus and others are not extradited quickly.
“The GOJ is encouraged to demonstrate its political will to address corruption by successfully investigating, prosecuting, and convicting corrupt officials at all levels of government service and by the timely extradition of fugitives in accordance with the provisions of the bilateral extradition treaty without regard to political influence or party affiliation.”
Kingston and Washington have been at odds since last year when an extradition request was submitted for Coke.
The request for the extradition of Coke - who is wanted in the United States on drug and weapons trafficking charges - is still with Attorney General and Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne, who has to sign the document before it becomes a legal matter.
In January, the Government rejected an extradition request for businessman Presley Bingham on the basis that it was related to charges he had been to the courts about before.
Fifteen people were extradited last year and, currently, there are two cases that have been before the courts over the past two years. Between 1994 and 2002, a total of 38 people were extradited from Jamaica to the US. (Jamaica Gleaner)
The deteriorating security situation in Concepcion comes despite the influx of thousands of troops to reinforce local police.
Many of the city’s 500,000 inhabitants are short of food and have seen their water and electricity supplies cut off.
Some residents quoted by Reuters news agency said they were organising groups to defend their property.
President Michelle Bachelet, condemning “pillage and criminality”, has sent 7,000 soldiers to the region.
“I want to call to the people’s conscience. We must all work together,” she said.
Meanwhile, rescuers searching the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in the city in which dozens are feared trapped say they have heard signs of life and are attempting to reach survivors.
Coastal destruction
Reports are beginning to emerge of the scale of the devastation in other areas.
AT THE SCENE
By Will Grant, BBC News, Curico
The vast majority of Curico’s old town has been destroyed and as much as 90% of the mud and wooden buildings in the historic centre have either crumbled or have to be demolished.
The town’s mayor said that one of the main problems was the hospital. The pillars have collapsed, he said, and the structure won’t stay up much longer.
In the main square, the authorities have set up an emergency radio station.
Meanwhile the coastal region near here has been even more badly affected. It’s understood that entire villages have been destroyed either by the earthquake or by a subsequent tsunami.
A BBC team that reached the town of Curico, between Santiago and Concepcion, found widespread destruction.
However, food and water was being distributed and the situation was comparatively calm, our reporters said.
Some coastal towns and villages were hit by giant waves after the earthquake.
In the fishing village of Constitucion, the mayor said the seafront and centre had been “completely destroyed”.
The government admits that its attempts to provide aid swiftly have been hampered by damaged roads and power cuts. The air bridge between Santiago and Concepcion will help the authorities send more than 300 tonnes of aid, including 120 tonnes of food, to the worst affected area of the country.
US help
International aid has begun arriving. Neighbouring Argentina is flying a field hospital over the Andes to Chile and has pledged half a million litres of much-needed drinking water.
AID PLEDGES (in US$)
Australia: $4.5m
European Union: $3m
Japan: $3m
China: $1m
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva flew to Santiago and offered his nation’s support, while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due in Chile to see what Washington can do to help the country recover.
After touring the disaster zone, President-elect Sebastian Pinera said the situation was worse than he had expected.
“When we have a catastrophe of this magnitude, when there is no electricity and no water, the population… starts losing the sense of public order,” he said.
About two million Chileans are believed to have been affected by Saturday’s earthquake, the seventh most powerful on record and the worst disaster to befall Chile in 50 years.
The epicentre of the quake was 115km (70 miles) north-east of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago.
About 1.5 million homes in Chile have been damaged. Most of the collapsed buildings were of older design - including many historic structures.
One US risk assessor, Eqecat, has put the cost of repairing the damage at between $15bn and $30bn (£9.8bn - £19.6bn) or 10-20% of the country’s gross domestic product.
The Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, a branch of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, will formally launch its in-company Executive Master of Business Adminis-tration (EMBA) programme in Guyana tomorrow.
According to a release from the institution, Executive Director and Professor of Strategy of the institution, Professor Migual Carillo stated that the tertiary institution has been partnering with various organizations in Guyana over the past 15 years .He said that the institution is pleased to introduce the EMBA programme to be delivered in Guyana.
Carrillo stated that the programe commences in May this year and seeks to offer and equip participants with the concepts and tools necessary to successfully engage, compete and innovate in a dynamic global competitive market. Of importance, he noted, is that participants will be able to re-position themselves and their companies as, “leaders in the global space”. According to the release, all courses and topics in the programme will be customized for the Guyanese business environment and will address issues pertinent and relevant to the country. The course will be delivered in Georgetown, and classes will be taught in convenient four-day or two-day weekend sessions, which, according to the release, is scheduled for the convenience of the busy executive. In addition students will have access to all the online resources of the business school.
Chairman of the Private Sector Commis-sion Captain Gerry Gouveia welcomed the initiative stating that the programme is internationally accredited by the Association of MBAs in the United Kingdom and is currently being localized to meet local needs. “This is a programme that all business leaders should take a closer look at,” Gouveia is quoted as saying in the release.
Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Chairman Yesu Persaud and President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, Chandradath Chintamani also provided positive sentiments on the institution’s anticipated launch on these shores.
An information session on the EMBA programme will be held tomorrow at Duke Lodge, Kingston along with a discussion on ‘Bringing Innovation to the Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities’. The institution will also offer corporate solutions for companies by way of programmes such as ‘Delivering Excellent Customer Service’, ‘Administrative Profes-sionals Workshop’ as well as ‘Supervisory Skills Management’. (Stabroek News)
Representatives from the Caricom Secretariat and the German government are currently on island to assist the government of Antigua and Barbuda in its vision to develop a national energy policy.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer first made the announcement in his New Year’s address to the nation saying that his government will be taking definitive steps to address the issue of energy sustainability.
To this end, a sustainable energy desk was established to advise the government on prospective energy-related research and development projects, and to identify and champion key activities geared toward increasing energy efficiency and conservation.
Speaking at consultation held at the Prime Minister Office on Friday, Advocacy Advisor in the Caricom Secretariat, Carlton James, said the use of renewable energy is already in many Caribbean countries and needs to be adapted by more.
James added that the media should play a pivotal role in promoting the government’s stance on renewable energy by creating a greater awareness of the issue.
“You need to be in a position to be able to identify challenges and the opportunities that are presented by issues of energy and energy efficiency with relevant sources within the country and the wider Caribbean.”
Principal Advisor of the Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme Thomas Scheutzlich intimated that Antigua and Barbuda can make use of wind and solar energy in all their forms.
He said the Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme, is supported by the German government and implemented by the Caricom Secretariat which coordinates energy programmes and policies.
“We do that in the entire Caribbean since 2004 and basically, we support governments in creating framework conditions for the application of renewable energy and energy efficiency that includes technical assistance in resource assessment, energy policies, capacity building and also network international best practice.”
He further indicated that Caricom commends Antigua and Barbuda on the steps it has taken to lessen dependency on fossil fuels.
Programme Manager of Energy, Joseph Williams, also praised the country for making the very important step in establishing a desk to focus on energy issues, more importantly sustainable energy.
The Caricom delegation has pledged to continue to provide technical support and assistance to the government as it moves to develop its National Energy Policy. (Antigua Sun)
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (AFP) – Ottis Gibson will quickly want to forget his first competitive day in the job of West Indies coach.
It was reported that the 40-year-old was bullish about taking on the challenge of restoring West Indies to a more exalted place in wld cricket.
Ottis Gibson. AFP PHOTO
But the former Barbados and West Indies fast bowler could be forgiven for longing to return to his previous job of England bowling coach which raised many eyebrows in the Caribbean when he gave it up.
After what transpired in Sunday’s Twenty20 International at Queen’s Park Oval, it won’t be surprising if he too, felt he maybe does not have the mental capacity to handle one of the most difficult jobs in World cricket.
The day had promised much more for Gibson and West Indies, after Darren Sammy collected five wickets for 26 runs from 3.5 overs to trump Sulieman Benn’s four for six from four overs for the third-best figures in a T20I.
They single-handedly dismissed Zimbabwe for their lowest T20I total of 105 in 19.5 overs, and West Indies winless spell against international opposition looked to be over.
Another supine batting performance sent West Indies careering to a 26-run defeat - and their lowest total in T20Is of 79 for seven from their allocation of 20 overs.
It meant the winless streak that harks back to last August during the players’ strike - when a depleted side prevailed by five wickets over Bangladesh in a T20I - would continue.
“I told them if you take (Zimbabwe) for granted, you’ll get beat,” Gibson told reporters following the maiden T20I between the two sides.
“I stand before you to say we didn’t take them for granted. We planned for them, but the guys executed badly.”
Both Gibson and Denesh Ramdin, leading West Indies in the absence of resting talisman Chris Gayle, had warned the team about the consequences of taking Zimbabwe lightly.
But on a hard, slow Queen’s Park Oval pitch offering the spin bowlers generous turn, batting was always going to be difficult for West Indies.
“You’ve got to give credit to Zimbabwe,” said Gibson. “They played the conditions far better than we did.
“The pitch was pretty ordinary, not necessarily conducive to stroke-making, but our guys did not take that into consideration.”
Spare a thought too, for the West Indies attack. Benn was simply brilliant bowling the new ball, and Sammy benefitted from the Zimbabweans hunt for runs in the second half of the innings.
Only Umar Gul of Pakistan with five for six from three overs against New Zealand in a Twenty20 World Cup match last year at the Oval, and Nehemiah Odhiambo with five for 20 from four overs for Kenya against Scotland earlier this year in Nairobi have better innings figures in T20Is than Sammy and Benn.
“(They) all bowled well,” said Gibson. “Nothing can be taken away from them. We also fielded sharply - we dropped only one catch. We just didn’t bat well.”
There is not much time for Gibson to get his team’s act together. The first of the five One-day Internationals between the two sides takes places on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.
The West Indies batting should be a bit more formidable with Gayle returning, after compassionate leave to visit his ailing mother, and possibly Ramnaresh Sarwan, whose hundred for his native Guyana against Windward Islands in a domestic first-class match over the weekend shows that he has regained some type of form and fitness.
“The first thing is to realise is what has gone wrong, and then deal with it,” said Gibson. “I am bitterly disappointed with the way we lost, but I’m also looking to the future.”
When we have a catastrophe of this magnitude, when there is no electricity and no water, the population… starts losing the sense of public order 
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer first made the announcement in his New Year’s address to the nation saying that his government will be taking definitive steps to address the issue of energy sustainability.