Telecoms companies in Antigua clash

A fight over mobile service disruption leads to a court injunction filed by Digicel against the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA).

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, – Digicel has won a High Court injunction to get the state-owned Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) to stop blocking calls from the telecoms provider’s customers.

The injunction granted yesterday compels APUA to “take all necessary steps to fully restore the interconnection links as between Digicel’s network and APUA’s network”, according to a statement from Digicel.

The company said the interconnection link was severed on Monday evening, causing widespread disruption to telecommunications services in Antigua and Barbuda. This resulted in Digicel customers being unable to connect to both LIME and APUA mobile customers as well as a disruption in connecting to APUA landlines, both residential and commercial.

The disruption has also affected inbound calls to the Digicel Network from all other providers, including inbound and outbound international calls.

Tropical wave forms in the Western Atlantic

A large tropical wave and low pressure system east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles shows signs of organisation.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  - A large tropical wave accompanied by a well-defined low pressure system continues to show signs of organisation and the latest report from the National Hurricane Centre places the system about 1200 miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles the National Hurricane Center said.

“Environmental conditions are conducive for gradual development over the next few days” as it moves west or west-northwestward at 15-20 miles per hour", the National Hurricane Centre said this morning in an advisory at 8:00 a.m. Barbados time.

Elsewhere Tropical Storm Don continues to move west-northwest near 14MPH with maximum sustained winds near 50MPH. At 4am CDT the centre of Don was located near latitude 25.3N and longitude  93.6W

Craigy T to leave T.O.K? Artiste stops recording with Dancehall group

Craig "Craigy T" Thompson, a member of the popular Dancehall quartet, T.O.Kfor the past 15 years has decided to stop recording with the group; citing increasing tension within the camp.

Craigy T sent out aBlackberry Broadcast Message yesterday announcing that he would take time off from T.O.K."After careful consideration I have decided to stop recording in studio with T.O.K. You may still hear songs with the four vocals in the future but studio and public appearances are becoming increasingly difficult for the four of us to be present. I do not expect everyone to understand," Craigy T explained to his fans.

TD Irie Music Awards hits Toronto

The IRIE Music Awards has been created to foster the growth of the Canadian reggae and world music industry by recognizing excellence and increasing exposure for Canadian artists in these genres.

Celebrating the best in Canadian reggae and world music, the inaugural IRIE Music Awards will take place on Friday, July 29th , 2011 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre.

Canada has been home to many world class artists performing in these genres. Genres include reggae, soca, Latin, African and related music styles. Too often these artists go under-appreciated and unnoticed.

Radio, video play and performance opportunities are far and few between and simply does not reflect the enormous contributions these artists make towards Canadian culture.

Ground-breaking artists in these genres include internationally acclaimed artists such as Leroy Sibbles, Jackie Mittoo, Tarig Abubakar & the Afro Nubians, Lorrine Klaasen; Lilian Allen, Crack of Dawn, Messinjah, Truths & Rights, Ishan People, 20th Century Rebels, David Rudder, Luis Mario Ochoa and Hilario Duran to name a few.

Caribbean economy to grow 1.9%, says UN agency

The wider Latin America and Caribbean region will see 4.7 percent economic growth.

WASHINGTON, United States, – Latin America and the Caribbean will maintain the recovery that began in the second half of 2009 following the international economic crisis, and will grow by 4.7 percent thanks to the boost of internal demand. The Caribbean region specifically will see a mere 1.9 percent growth, however.

That’s according to a report from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

In the Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2010-2011, presented yesterday by the Executive Secretary of the United Nations body, Alicia Bárcena,  ECLAC points out that this growth implies a  3.6 percent rise in per capital GDP, and declares that the current situation calls for close attention to be paid to the macroeconomic policy challenges that will be facing the region.

Antigua probes "worst place to bank money" claim

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, Monday June 20, 2011 – Finance Minister Harold Lovell’s announcement that he has ordered the island’s Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) to carry out its own investigations following a European publication’s claim that Antigua is the worst Caribbean country to put money in, is not sitting well with the opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP).

The unflattering finding was published last week by Euromoney magazine which assessed 186 countries, using political, economic, structural, debt and credit rating risk indicators. While Antigua & Barbuda got a score of 9.3, the top placed Caribbean country, Bermuda, scored 68.21.

Sub-regional leaders to decide on CCJ

Leaders of the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are to decide, probably at their next meeting later this month, whether they will adopt the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as their final court.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said that Dominica is proposing that the sub-regional grouping must be united on the matter.

"Cabinet (here) has in fact already taken a decision to recognise the court in its final jurisdiction. As you know we have in fact recognised the court in its original jurisdiction. We are part of an OECS Supreme Court system and Dominica is concerned about moving forward alone or before any of the OECS countries," Skerrit said on the state-owned DBS radio.

CFW First Full Concert Effort Goes Well

It took the wit of Tanya Stephens and Mavado's melody to bring energy to what was a drawn out staging of Caribbean Fashionweek on Friday night at the National Indoor Sports Centre.

After another of the many long breaks between the segments, Tanya Stephens took the stage and immediately started to thrill the audience with songs like Don't Gaggle and Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet. Boom Wukwas a hit among the women and it got them dancing.

Initiative launched to protect migrants from scams

The American government has unveiled a multi-agency, nationwide initiative to combat immigration services scams that affect people from the Caribbean and other places trying to get into the United States.

The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are leading what the government said was a “historic effort”. The initiative targets immigration scams involving the unauthorized practice of immigration law (UPIL), which occurs when legal advice and/or representation regarding immigration matters is provided by an individual who is not an attorney or accredited representative.

"We are dedicated to protecting vulnerable immigrants from those who seek to exploit them," said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas.

New Caribbean ferry service coming

A new, year round ferry service will sail in the Caribbean in another three months, offering travel to Dominica, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe and Martinique.

L’Express Des Iles this week announced that the Jeans Ferry Service will begin on October 20, and will also offer weekend charters to Montserrat, Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Currently, L’Express Des Iles operates a less frequent service. But Managing Director Roland Bellemare says there’s been increased travel over the years.

Rising food prices pose threat

Citing dwindling stocks and only small production increases for the majority of crops, a new United Nations report released yesterday said world food prices are likely to remain high for the rest of this year and into 2012.

The biannual Food Outlook published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that the next few months will be critical in determining how the major crops will fare this year.

“The general situation for agricultural crops and food commodities is tight with world prices at stubbornly high levels, posing a threat to many low-income food deficit countries,” according to David Hallam, Director of FAO’s Markets and Trade Division.

REDjet lays off staff

Less than a month after it started flights, low-cost regional carrier REDjet says it has been forced to lay off eight of its cabin crew because they’re being under-utilised while the airline awaits clearance to fly to Jamaica and Trinidad.

The Barbados-based carrier, which offers US$9.99 base fares, currently only flies to Guyana.

The company said yesterday that removing the eight workers from active duty, starting last Friday, was a difficult decision but one that had to be made.

Caribbean health agency close to establishment

A planned regional public health agency appears on the verge of being legally established with five Caribbean countries signing the necessary documentation and others promising to follow suit soon.

St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada and St. Lucia have inked the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on the establishment of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

Other countries have pledged to join them in time for the 32nd Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government set for June 30 – July 4 in St. Kitts.

Caribbean football federations could boycott probe

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – As many as 20 Caribbean Football Union federations could snub the start of bribery investigations, scheduled to be conducted in Miami today and Wednesday.

International media reports quoted sources as saying that the majority of the federations could stay away from the series of planned interviews and have a meeting of their own to discuss the situation.

FIFA have hired a company headed by ex-FBI head Louis Freeh to investigate allegations that CFU federations took cash bribes in exchange for votes for last week’s FIFA presidential elections.

The allegations have implicated CONCACAF and CFU president Jack Warner and former FIFA presidential candidate and Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam.

Digicel's operating profit nears US$1b

Digicel Group's operating profit neared US$1 billion last calendar year, up from the US$726 million EBITDA it posted for 2009, according to Business Observer calculations based on data released by ratings agency Fitch last week.

In its most recent ratings of Digicel — which operates in 30 markets across the Caribbean, El Salvador and the Pacific — Fitch placed the ratio of total debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and ammortisation (EBITDA) at 4.9 times, while total debt was approximated at US$4.6 billion.

By Business Observer estimates, this means that Digicel's EBITDA was approximately US$938 million for the twelve months to December 31, 2011.

LIAT Presses Ahead With Ticketing Office Closures

Regional carrier LIAT said Monday it was confident that trade unions would work with the company to effect the planned closure of city ticketing offices, or CTOs, by the end of June.

LIAT's corporate communications manager, Desmond Brown, said the closures should reduce operating costs, a containment strategy that other airlines have successfully executed as online travel bookings grow.

At present, LIAT maintains ticketing offices in six of its destinations.

Caribbean countries sign firearms agreement

Three Caribbean countries have signed a cooperation agreement for the implementation of the project promoting firearms marking in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The agreement is to be implemented with funding provided by the United States.

The accord was signed by Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza and the foreign ministers of Barbados and Grenada and St. Lucia’s ambassador to the hemispheric body during the 41st regular session of the OAS General Assembly.

Caribbean countries counting cost of heavy rains

Several Caribbean countries were engaged in mopping up exercises as heavy rains associated with an elongated area of low pressure extending from the northwestern to the north-central Caribbean Sea continue to produce disorganised showers and thunderstorms.

In Haiti, where at least 11 people have so far been killed, the United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian staff were helping with relief efforts, where floods have killed at least 10 people in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

At least four neighbourhoods of the city – Carrefour, Cité Soleil, Delmas and Pétion-Ville - as well as the southern areas of Gressier and Les Palmes, have been badly affected by flooding that began on Monday night, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

OCHA said there are enough pre-positioned medical kits to assist 120,000 people and emergency shelters ready to house as many as 110,000 families, with trauma kits and cholera kits available as well.

Storm system in Caribbean weakens, unlikely to develop

A massive storm system in the western Caribbean Sea is weakening, forecasters said this morning, and they doubt it will develop into a tropical depression.

The flight of a hurricane hunter aircraft, scheduled for this afternoon was canceled.

Meteorologists with the National Hurricane Center this morning issued an advisory saying the storm, located about 100 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman, still contains thunderstorms and is producing heavy rain and winds.

CFW LATEST: 'Better Mus' Come' Star Debuts First Music Video At CFW

As Caribbean Fashionweek fever takes hold in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, Pulse is ensuring this week's event, which heralds the start of the second decade of CFW, is an exceptional experience. The Gleaner will continue to bring you regular updates on the event through daily features, including CFW Latest.

Multi-talented Pulse model Nicole 'Sky' Gray, star of the hit movie Better Mus' Come, and rising pop artiste, will debut her first music video at the Caribbean Fashionweek (CFW) showcase which starts Friday.

The video for her single release Lollipop, was produced by William Richards and directed by Michael Cushnie and accurately reflects Sky's potential as a musical entertainer.