Antigua
The Antigua and Barbuda government says it is considering a long-term lease of parts of the old air terminal at the VC Bird International Airport to the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT.
The government said that the matter had been considered at a recent Cabinet meeting where ministers were informed that the new equipment is being installed in the old terminal, from which air traffic controllers will operate air traffic.
The statement, which was issued after the cabinet meeting noted that long-term lease to LIAT is being undertaken “as the airline expands its services to routes outside of the region.”
“When a greater portion of the airline shareholding is purchased by Antigua and Barbuda, the cabinet is hopeful to present LIAT with several alternatives,” the statement said.
Antigua and Barbuda is seeking to become the biggest shareholder of the financially strapped airline by purchasing at least 39 percent of the shares held by Barbados.
Apart from Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda, the other shareholder governments are Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.
Bahamas
Governor General, Dame Marguerite Pindling is stepping down from office after serving as head of state for the past five years, According to an official statement.
The statement said that Dame Marguerite, the wife of the late former Prime Minister, Sir Lynden Pindling, will leave office on June 28. It gave no reasons for the decision.
Dame Marguerite, 87, was the second female governor general after Dame Lvy Dumont.
The statement said that diplomat, Cornelius A Smith, will be appointed as the next governor general of the Bahamas effective from June 28.
Smith 82, has served as a senior cabinet member and as ambassador and permanent representative to the Organization of American States and non-resident ambassador to Mexico, Malaysia and Colombia.
Barbados
Barbados has removed visa requirements for several countries as the government seeks to increase the number of tourist arrivals and make it easier for investors to do business with the island.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. Jerome Walcott, who made the disclosure during a post-Cabinet press conference, said visas will no longer be required for nationals of African countries to enter Barbados — Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Senegal, Rwanda and Burkina Faso.
Visa waivers have also been granted to the Gulf States of Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, as well as the Asian countries of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and India. In addition, Barbados has an honorary consul present in Monaco and visa requirements have also been lifted for that nation.
Minister Walcott explained that it was important for Barbados to strengthen relations with countries within the global sphere, make new friends and attract more opportunities.
He said government was also hoping to attract more tourists and investors from the Gulf States and Asian nations.
Guyana
Guyanese Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo has instructed the chairman of the board of the Guyana Chronicle newspaper to reinstate the general manager who was fired two months ago.
Nagamootoo, in a letter to the chairman of the board, Greet Chandan-Edmond, instructed the board to rescind its decision to send Sherod Duncan packing.
In April, the board made a majority decision to fire Duncan following the findings of an audit that revealed several improper financial transactions.
It is reported that when the vote was taken on whether to dismiss Duncan, three board members voted in favor of cutting ties with him, while three others voted against.
The tie was broken by the chairman Chandan-Edmond.
Duncan who once served as deputy mayor of Georgetown was recently elected the Georgetown Chairman of the Alliance For Change, which is part of the coalition government.
News Source Guyana says that Duncan’s appointment as general manager of the Chronicle was shrouded in controversy as he was a serving member of the Chronicle’s board when a decision was taken to make him the general manager.
Reports are that the chairman of the board and two other members have indicated that they intend to resign from their positions.
Jamaica
Jamaica’s Finance Minister, Dr. Nigel Clarke has announced the appointment of businessman Richard Byles as the new governor of the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ).
Clarke said in January this year he had appointed a Search Committee chaired by David Marston to lead an open and transparent search for a new Central Bank governor.
He said the process had yielded an eminently qualified, experienced and credible leader in Byles to succeed Brian Wynter as governor of the Bank of Jamaica.
Byles, who will succeed Wynter as governor on August 19, has had a 40-year career in business and finance and is an accomplished corporate leader.
He was appointed managing director of Pan Caribbean Merchant Bank in 1988 before his appointment as CEO of the Pan Jam group, a leading, diversified conglomerate in 1991.
He led Pan Jam for 13 years before taking over as CEO of Sagicor Jamaica in 2004.
Byles retired as CEO of Sagicor Jamaica in 2017 and was appointed non-executive chairman in that same year.
He was co-chair of the Economic Program Oversight Committee to monitor Jamaica’s performance under its agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
St. Lucia
Germany has awarded Karolin Troubetzkoy, a former president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) with one of its highest awards to individuals.
Troubetzkoy was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany at a recent ceremony in St. Lucia, which was attended by Prime Minister Allen Chastanet.
He received the Order of Merit from German Ambassador to the Caribbean Holger Michael.
Instituted in 1951 by President Theodor Heuss, Germany bestows the Order of Merit on people for achievements in the political, economic, social or intellectual realm and for rendering outstanding services to the nation in the field of social, charitable or philanthropic work.
Troubetzkoy, who arrived in St. Lucia from Germany in 1984, was presented with the award by Holger Michael, the outgoing German Ambassador to the Caribbean.
Trinidad
Venezuelans wishing to travel to Trinidad and Tobago will now require a visa and will have to go the Trinidad and Tobago Embassy in Caracas to fill out the forms and apply for the visa.
This was revealed by Trinidad and Tobago National Security Minister, Stuart Young at the end of the two-week amnesty recently.
He said it was not announced before because it would have acted as a “bigger magnet” and people would have panicked and rushed to register.
He was referring to the two-week registration process from May 31 to June 14 in Trinidad and Tobago where legal and illegal Venezuelans were invited to register to be able to work and live in the country for up to one year,
Young said Venezuelans who had already purchased airline tickets before the visa system announcement will need a visa to enter the country.
There is also no information online as to how Venezuelans can apply for the visa.
— Compiled by Azad Ali
