Caribbean RoundUp

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, last week called on the United Nations Security Council to live up to the ideal for which it had been established as he lamented the myriad of challenges confronting the global community, including climate change and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Browne, addressing the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly said that near eight decades after it formation and a promise of peace and security “our peoples would have been right to expect greater achievement of  global peace and prosperous development.”

But he told the international community that this has not happened and instead 77 years have passed with the promise of the leaders of the world’s big power of saving  succeeding generation from the scourge of war and promoting social progress and better standard of life, all but an illusion.

Browne said that the five victorious nations of the Second World War assigned to themselves, permanent membership of the UN Security Council assuming responsibility to implement the promises of the Charter not only in their own interest, but also on behalf of the many nations, “which did not choose them, and which had no option but to trust them. It was a disappointment, that small countries, such as mine would be less than candid, less than honest, if we did not convey our sentiments to the permanent members of the security council.”

Barbados government has started discussions with the International Monetary Fun (IMF) as it prepared to enter negotiations for a new three-year agreement with the Washington-based financial institution.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley and IMF Mission Chief, Bert van Selma, met at the IIARO Court recently, nine days beforehand the expiration of the current four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF), and discussed a range of issues ahead of the start of the negotiations for another, not only the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) but access to the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).

Earlier this month, Mottley announced that government was going back to the IMF to get US$130 million in financing for a new Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) program, which would also allow the country to access another US$210 million under the RSS, which was established to help countries assess financing to invest in resilience building.

Scientists in Cuba said they have made strides towards developing a vaccine to fight mosquito-borne dengue fever.

In making the announcement, President of the BioCuba-Fanna Biotech Conglomerate, Euardo Martinez, said a diagnostic system is also being developed  to detect the disease as the first symptoms appear.

Cuban scientists have worked over the past 10 years to find a vaccine against dengue, and decided to develop one that introduce a singular response to the virus, which they expect to have soon.

Martinez also announced that Cuba already counts on a new fast diagnostic system that will help protocol by detecting the disease as soon as the patient feels the first relevant symptoms, and  even if there is a re-infection.

He said this will allow different treatment for patients to avoid development of the disease and death.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says there will be a new Production Sharing( Agreement (PSA) for new oil activities offshore Guyana including the upcoming oil blocks action.

This is according to a release from the Ministry of Resources which reiterated the position of the government on oil contracts locally.

A new PSA, which promises to yield better economic benefits for Guyana, is currently being developed by the government.

The ministry said that with this model PSA, the 2016 model to any previous PSA will not be apply to any other block where a new discovery has been made.

Instead the model PSA would guide both exploration and production activities.

It was explained that the reason for maintaining the sanctity of the existing contracts, at least until until the period for contract negotiation is arrived at, is to maintain the favorable investor confidence in Guyana.

Grenada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Andall says the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country is seeking to establish diplomatic relations with African countries as well as those in South and Central America.

“In the field of foreign relations, we know that traditionally we look towards North America, Europe our Caribbean sisters and brothers unfortunately to a lesser extent,” he told a town hall meeting in New York  recently.

According to the United Nations there are 54 African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Congo, Kenya, Zambia, Chad, Senegal, Gambia, Algeria and Uganda.

Joseph told the meeting that the new government, which came to office following the June 23 general election, will also be looking to strengthen the diplomatic relationship with state in Central America.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce, Dr. Norman Dunn said with medical cannabis gaining significant international traction, Jamaica is on the cusp of being a major legal transhipment hub.

He said there is every reason to believe that Jamaica will become a huge part of this “lucrative” market, adding , “The best yet to come.”

“One significant s development this year was that, in February, we facilitated ….the first legal transhipment of cannabis through Jamaica,” Dunn said.

“What this has done is to set the stage for Jamaica to become the hub of.legal transhipment of cannabis for medical purposes. The quality of Jamaica’s indigenous strains, coupled with considerable local knowledge and Jamaica’s climate conditions, makes all this a winning combination.

Dunn said the government was aware of this economic reality and potential of cannabis and will be approaching the establishment of a viable industry with intelligence, creativity and responsiveness to the market.

A High Court Judge in Trinidad has ordered the deportation of 17-year-old son of a T&T born ISIS fighter from Trinidad from the custody of the Immigration Department recently.

The young man was detained after he arrived at Piarco International Airport and a rejection notice issued by the Immigration Department baring his entry.

The boy’s father has been deemed a terrorist in both the USA and T&T. He is currently imprisoned in the U.S. having been found guilty in 2019 of terrorism after being captured in Syria and returned to the USA.

While the boy’s father and mother were both born in Trinidad and Tobago, he was born in the USA in 2005 after his parents migrated to that country.

He was accompanied on a plane by a social worker from the US.

His purpose in Trinidad to visit his mother who was deported to Trinidad and Tobago.

His application to the High Court to visit his mother was rejected by Justice by Justice Ricky Rahim.