Caribbean Times 93rd issue - Wednesday 20th April 2016

Informative, reliable, enriching! 

Wednesday 20th April 2016 A n t i g u a a n d B a r b u d a 

Vol.6 No.93 $2.00 

JUMP OR BE 

PUSHED! 

By Everton Barnes 

Political Leader of the United Progressive 

Party, Senator Harold Lovell, 

has issued an ultimatum to the disaffected 

members of his party who have 

taken to the airwaves over the past few 

weeks to publicly ridicule and embarrass 

him. 

In a press statement issued overnight, 

Lovell describes the current upheaval 

in the opposition party as a ‘watershed 

moment’. “This is how I would 

describe the current opportunity presented 

to the United Progressive Party 

- an opportunity to shed the elements of 

division, strife and discord in our midst 

and to embrace the opportunity to heal, 

revamp and retool,” Lovell stated. 

The UPP leader said the past 22 

months have been a period of transition 

for the party. A transition from government 

to opposition and a transition 

from one political leader to another 

with the stepping down of MP Baldwin 

Spencer and his elevation to the leadership 

in May of last year. However, the 

political leader said the transition ends 

effective April 19, 2019. 

“As leader of the United Progressive 

Party, I intend to serve a party that 

is united, progressive and dedicated to 

the task of saving this country from the 

reckless and irresponsible policies purcont’d 

on pg 2 

Political Leader of the United Progressive 

Party, Senator Harold Lovell 

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2 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 

Wednesday 20th April 2016 

cont’d from pg 1 

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sued by the Antigua Labour 

Party,” he declared. 

For this reason, Lovell 

said he is inviting those 

brothers and sisters who are 

unhappy with the membership 

in the UPP to take the 

necessary steps to divorce 

themselves from the party, 

as spelt out in the Constitution. 

“If they are not inclined 

to take those steps, but plan 

to stay within for the sole 

purpose of dividing and undermining 

this family, then 

I will strongly encourage 

the UPP membership to take 

steps to remove them in accordance 

with our Constitution,” 

he warned. 

The UPP leader repeated 

the age-old adage ‘a house 

divided against itself will 

fall’ noting that the party is 

moving on with those who 

share its values, aims and 

objectives. 

“We not only intend to 

construct a house where harmony 

reigns and where unity 

is the order of the day but 

a house where the Party and 

Country take precedence 

over personal ambitions and 

vendettas,” he added. 

According to Lovell the 

party has shown restraint 

and tolerance over the last 

eleven months and it remains 

a strong - and strengthening 

- force for change. He noted 

that such a change, a positive 

national change, will be 

effected by the United Progressive 

Party. 

While the UPP leader 

Winston Williams 

All Saints East and St. Luke MP, 

the Hon., Joanne Massiah 

did not identify anyone by 

name, it is widely accepted 

that he was speaking directly 

to member of parliament 

Joanne Massiah and her 

supporters, several of whom 

have publicly criticized 

Lovell’s leadership style for 

his handling of the post-convention 

fallout following the 

bitter leadership struggle. 

Lovell emerged Political 

Leader ahead of Massiah. 

Since then the rift within the 

party has widened to where 

it appears as though the factions 

have reached the ‘point 

of no return’. 

Efforts to reach Massiah 

Senator Anthony Stuart 

for a response were unsuccessful. 

But former senator 

Anthony Stuart said it was 

Tuesday night when he was 

informed of Lovell’s statement. 

He said he needed time 

to study the contents before 

making a public announcement. 

While Stuart and Winston 

Williams have publicly 

criticised Lovell in 

recent days, the question 

remains as to whether Massiah’s 

entire slate was the 

target of Lovell’s threat of 

expulsion. Massiah’s team 

also included former Senator 

Maleka Parker, Gary 

Edwards, Hudson Joseph, 

Sylvester Browne, Joan 

Augustine-Browne, Bruce 

Goodwin, Elmore “Tamo” 

Charles and Gatesworth 

James. 

Lovell’s comment may 

also have been directed at 

former Public Safety Minister 

Colin Derrick, who also 

publicly criticized his leadership 

during a recent radio 

interview. 

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Wednesday 20th April 2016 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 3 

Students learn about flying at annual air rally 

Justin Peters 

Twenty-four students 

from the St. Nicholas Primary 

school received a special 

treat yesterday with the arrival 

of the 34 aircraft participating 

in the annual Governor 

General’s Air Rally. 

The annual rally sees 

entrants from all over the 

world fly a course through 

the Caribbean, the final stop 

being Antigua and Barbuda. 

Ambassador Brian 

Pound, who flew all the way 

from Canada to participate 

in the rally, greeted the students. 

He gave the youngsters a 

tour of some of the aircraft 

along with explanations 

about how the instruments 

and controls worked. 

The excited young prospective 

pilots experienced 

what it was like to sit in a 

cockpit and hold the controls 

even though they remained 

on the ground. The 

Ambassador encouraged 

them to enjoy being young, 

stay in school and reach for 

the stars. The students were 

presented with gifts from the 

crews of the aircrafts.



School Meals Programme lockdown 

Members of the Dogs 

and Cats Association of 

Antigua and Barbuda met 

with Minister of Tourism, 

Economic Development, 

Investment and Energy 

the Hon. Asot A. Michael 

yesterday with the hope of 

charting the way forward 

for increased vigilance with 

regards to the better treatment 

of animals in the twin 

island tourist destination. 

The association, which 

is a humane society is concerned 

with the welfare of 

animals and has brought to 

Everton Barnes 

The government school meals 

programme which serves nearly four 

thousand meals a day to primary and 

pre-school children has been forced to 

close down following Monday’s heavy 

downpours. 

A terse statement from the Ministry 

of Education said it is advising the general 

public that no meals will be served 

to students by the National School 

Meals Programme (NSMP) for the remainder 

of the week. It said heavy rainfall 

on Monday affected operations at 

the School Meals prep kitchen, leading 

to a suspension of service there. 

Manager of the Programme, Andrew 

Solomon said the heavy rains 

made a gaping hole in the roof causing 

gallons of water to gush down into the 

kitchen and other areas. 

He said the decision to cease operations 

at the facility is informed by 

the need to provide a safe environment 

for the staff as he feared that electrical 

shock was a real possibility. Additionally, 

he said the moisture in the area 

was futile ground for mould and that 

preparing meals under those conditions 

was untenable. 

“One has to bear in mind that we 

serve meals to a high-risk population 

and we don’t want to be the cause of 

any outbreaks that may negatively affect 

them. We take a number of precautions 

such as sending food samples to 

the laboratory to be tested on a daily 

basis,” he explained. 

He said the Ministry of Public 

Works was quick to respond to their 

call and that work to repair the roof 

should begin almost immediately. 

“We had just received the greenlight 

to carry out much-needed repairs 

to the building as we knew for a long 

time that the building was in a state of 

disrepair,” he continued. 

He said the repairs could run between 

two and three weeks. This means 

that the production of food from that 

facility will be suspended during that 

time. 

Minister Michael’s attention 

several posts on their 

official face book page concerning 

reports from visitors 

to the island regarding 

incidents of animal cruelty. 

Such reports via social 

media have the potential 

of negating the hard work 

done so far by the Ministry 

to improve the image of the 

destination and as such we 

have to do all in our power 

to curb these incidents. 

The Ministry of Tourism 

is therefore spearheading an 

initiative to host a meeting 

of key stakeholders as early 

as next week inclusive of 

the Police, The Ministry of 

However, Solomon indicated that 

his team is looking at the menu to see 

whether or not they can arrive at an 

emergency food-plan that is easy to 

prepare and one that can be implemented 

temporarily from another location 

while the repairs are taking place at the 

main facility. 

Solomon revealed that none of the 

food has been spoilt but with water 

getting into the electrical boxes, he has 

been advised not to turn on the electricity 

until this is rectified. 

The ministry is advising parents of 

students in government public schools 

to take note and to make alternative arrangements 

for their children’s meals 

for the remainder of the week. 

The Ministry of Education sincerely 

apologizes for any inconvenience and 

will keep the public updated on the resumption 

of services at NSMP. 

Monday’s heavy rains also disrupted 

operations at the new terminal 

building at the VC Bird International 

Airport. 

Call for an urgent plan of action to address 

visitor reports of inhuman treatment of animals 

Agriculture, Tourism, The 

Dog Control Unit, The Hucont’d 

on pg 5


Zika, airlift top Tourism Ministers agenda 

Everton Barnes 

Continued worries about 

the spread of the mosquito 

borne Zika virus disease 

and airlift into the region 

are listed as some of the 

critical issues confronting 

OECS Ministers of Tourism 

who will meet in Antigua on 

Thursday. 

It’s the third OECS Council 

of Ministers meeting on 

Tourism matters that will be 

convened under the theme: 

OECS Economic Union: 

Tourism, driving Growth 

and Development. 

A statement from the ministry 

of tourism said some 

key aspects to be discussed 

at this meeting include Facilitation 

of Ease of Travel 

within the OECS, Joint Promotion 

of the OECS Region, 

The OECS Eastern Caribbean 

Institute of Tourism 

as well as the World Bank 

Regional Tourism Competitiveness 

Project. 

Minister of Tourism, the 

Hon., Asot Michael, who 

will chair the meeting at the 

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort 

& Spa, said the meeting 

has a very comprehensive 


mane Society and the Dog and Cats Association 

of Antigua and Barbuda to formulate 

a plan of action. 

This plan of action will be centered 

around sensitizing the Antiguan public 

on the potential ramifications of such inhumane 

actions against animals to the 

tourism industry as well as to increase the 

drive towards enforcing the law that currently 

exists on the books or re-visiting 

and packed agenda. “As 

ministers responsible for our 

countries’ tourism product, 

the OECS ministers will be 

looking critically at issues 

such as airlift, safety and security 

and factors that will 

affect our ability to compete,” 

Michael declared. 

He noted that these include 

human resource development 

and service delivery 

noting that once these barriers 

are removed it will open 

the way for more seamless 

travel through the sub-region. 

According to Michael 

as Ministers responsible 

for Tourism they have a responsibility 

to put systems 

in place to strengthen the 

sub-region’s tourism. 

On the issue of the Zika 

virus, Michael revealed that 

the Public Relations Officers 

for the Ministries of health 

for the OECS, have been 

meeting to come up with an 

effective regional approach 

to the disease. He said there 

was a need for the OECS to 

speak with one voice on the 

matter with the messaging 

complimenting each other. 

Minister of Tourism, the Hon., Asot Michael 

“The core message is that 

the region remains largely 

free from the virus. In fact, 

there have been no cases that 

I am aware of the virus in 

Antigua and Barbuda. To the 

best of my knowledge there 

has been minimal disruption 

to bookings for Antigua because 

of the outbreak,” he 

revealed. 

Michael is asking for 

the reporting on the meeting 

should indicate that it’s 

a health and not tourism issue 

as it has the potential to 

such law to meet modern day standards. 

Upon concluding the meeting Minister 

Michael reiterated “It is imperative that 

all residents of Antigua and Barbuda are 

aware of the extent of this problem; that 

we join forces to eradicate and report any 

such incidence of animal cruelty; and that 

the full weight of the justice system is 

brought to bear on any offender to make 

sure such reports become a thing of the 

past.” 

negatively impact tourism. 

He said the secretary general 

of the Caribbean Tourism 

Organisation will take the 

lead role as spokesman for 

the entire region on the Zika 

virus. 

The ministry statement 

said a regional approach to 

addressing the Zika virus 

and its implications for the 

vital tourism sector is also 

part of the agenda for the 

OECS Council of Ministers 

meeting on Tourism matters. 

In addition to representatives 

from OECS Member 

States, the Minister for 

Tourism from St. Martin, 

Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool, 

the Secretary General of the 

Caribbean Tourism Organisation 

Hugh Riley and Frank 

Comito, the CEO and Director 

General of the Caribbean 

Hotel and Tourism Association 

will be Observers at the 

OECS meeting.



Antigua and Barbuda welcomes 34 

aircraft as part of annual air rally 

Joanna Paris 

Antigua and Barbuda 

continues to cement its status 

as the “hub” of the Caribbean. 

On Tuesday, the twin island 

paradise opened its airways 

to 34 general aviation 

aircraft as part of the annual 

International Air Rally. 

This is the third time 

that the rally has chosen the 

country as a premier stop in 

its 13 day itinerary. 

Ambassador of the rally, 

Brian Pound, explained that 

the event began 15 years 

ago based on similar interest 

shared by a group of pilots 

who were also looking for 

adventure and an innovative 

way to promote aviation. 

Nine years ago, Pound 

added, the group began exploring 

countries in the Caribbean. 

He proudly said that as a 

pilot he has personally flown 

to 14 different islands and 

have been left in amazement 

at every visit. 

The fleet consists of single 

engine four passenger 

aircraft, there are two airplanes 

that only hold two 

passengers and there are 

several twin engine planes 

that carry up to six passengers. 

The aircraft have the capacity 

to fly at 110 miles per 

hour and over 300 miles per 

hour. 

Pound indicated that several 

of the pilots acquired 

their flying skills from military 

training and use the rally 

to maintain and sharpen 

their talents. 

This is the largest rally to 

date with a total of 34 planes. 

“Half of the people in the 

rally this year have never 

been a part of the event, so it 

is really an adventure”, said 

the excited Pound. 

He also suggested that the 

experience gained through 

the flight will encourage persons 

to embark on the journey 

on their own, since they 

would have already become 

familiar with the route. 

The Ambassador expressed 

thanks to the Ministry 

of Tourism and the 

Antigua Hotels and Tourists 

Association (AHTA) for 

their generous hospitality 

over the years. 

“The Ministry of Tourism 

here has been fantastic. We 

have had a great relationship 

with Antigua. Quite frankly, 

this is one of our favourite 

spots on the whole rally”, 

Pound stated. 

AHTA’s Chairman, Neil 

Forrester, expressed that the 

group brings a lot of media 

attention to the twin island 

16-year-old fined $6,000 

Deborah A Parker 

Six thousand dollars is the fine that has 

been imposed on a 16-year-old boy, for driving 

a vehicle without license and insurance 

coverage. He pleaded guilty to the said offences 

when he appeared in the St John’s 

Magistrates’ Court. 

Without the consent the owner, the accused, 

who is known to the court, drove 

away the vehicle two weeks ago. 

The offender, who is also an unskilled 

driver, reportedly gave the car several dents 

by the time it was back in the possession of 

the owner. 

The youth is expected to pay the fine in 

installments, payments which will be taken 

care of by his mother, since he is unemployed. 

state, which will eventually 

assist in increasing the country’s 

tourism prospects. 

Forrester, who is also 

passionate about aviation, 

said that the annual event 

here in Antigua, is a result 

of a meeting that he had with 

organizers in Montreal, Canada 

almost three years ago. 

He noted that there has 

been a notable increase in 

arrivals over the years. 

“We see it growing year 

after year. This year we have 

80 people. People are finding 

and discovering the Caribbean 

and Antigua as a place to 

fly their planes to. Through 

the air rallies, general aviation 

is now about finding out 

more about this region and 

we are ideally suited for the 

event, we have the ground 

handlers and the fuel”, he 

said. 

He further stated that the 

persons who fly the aircraft 

also stay in the hotels and 

spend their money, therefore 

contributing to the economy. 

Turks and Caicos, Martinique, 

St. Croix, Tortola 

and Haiti are among the 

countries that will be visited 

during the journey.


Licence suspension and fine for dangerous driving 

Alecia Mc Pherson 

Eddie Handel Bailey 

charged with dangerous driving 

was convicted and fined 

$1,000 and also has his drivers 

licence suspended when 

he appeared before magistrate 

Wason at the District ‘A’ 

Court yesterday. 

Reports are that on February 

6, 2016 at about 9:30pm 

Officers conducting atraffic 

watch at the junction of Joseph 

lane and Valley Road 

observed when Bailey, while 

driving vehicle carrying registration 

number A21687, 

ran the stop light at the said 

junction. Bailey was arrested 

and taken into police custody, 

he was subsequently granted 

bail. In a separate matte, 

Dwayne Hall aged 24 of Fort 

Road, also charged with dangerous 

driving had his driver’s 

licence suspended and ordered 

to pay a fine of $1,000 

Samuels convicted of larceny and sentenced to prison 


Tony Nathaniel aged 38 

of St. Phillips and Dexter 

Browne aged 18 of Clare Hall 

were picked up by Police in 

June of 2015 after Arnold 

Joyce age 65 an Antiguan 

national, who at the time was 

visiting from Miami, reported 

that he discovered his Samsung 

Galaxy cellular phone 

missing after he returned 

home from giving Nathaniel a 

ride from St. Phillip to Clare 

Hall on May 13, 2015 at about 

8:00pm. 

Apparently, Nathaniel 

took up the phone from the 

virtual complainant’s car 

during the commute. Investigations 

were conducted into 

the report and the two defendants 

were arrested and taken 

into police custody. 

Both men reportedly admitted 

to the offence while in 

custody, Nathaniel reportedly 

sold the stolen item to Brown 

for $40.00EC. 

Brown in-turn sold the 

phone to another unknown 

person, as he reportedly 

claimed, for $350.00EC, as a 

result Nathaniel was charged 


Kelroy Samuel aged 36 of no fixed place of 

abode, charged of larceny and malicious damage 

was convicted and sentenced to one year 

at HMP after pleading guilty to both charges 

when he appeared at the St. John’s Magistrates 

Court yesterday. 

It is reported that on April 12, 2016 Sgt. 

Quinland, while on patrol duty in central St. 

John’s at about 11:30 pm observed that the 

showcase window of ‘Cecil’s Shoe Store’ located 

on the corner of Market and St. Mary’s 

Street, was broken and Samuels was seen removing 

a number of shoes from the said window 

and placing them into a crocus bag. 

He was immediately arrested and taken 

into police custody. 

The contents of the bag revealed seven half 

pairs of sneakers: five Puma and two Converse 

All Star; all reportedly valued at $1, 760.00EC 

and broken showcase window was reportedly 

valued at $2,000.00EC. 

In court Samuels pleaded guilty to both 

charges. He was convicted sentenced to one 

year in prison on each charge, the sentences 

will run concurrently. 

with larceny and brown 

charged with receiving. 

Nathaniel, who is known 

to the court on previous offences, 

pleaded guilty to the 

larceny charge when he appeared 

in court on May 13, 

2015. 

He was convicted and 

sentenced to eight months in 

prison. 

However, Browne had 

when he appeared before 

Magistrate Wason at the District 

‘A’ Court. 

The court heard that 

on April 14, 2016 at about 

11:00pm Officers on patrol 

duty, while approaching the 

All Saints cross road junction 

in a line of traffic on the Matthews 

main road, observed 

when the defendant driving 

vehicle C11757 pulled from 

behind a line of traffic, which 

had come to a standstill at the 

said junction, and ran the stop 

light at high speed. 

In court, both defendants 

pleaded guilty to the charges; 

their driver’s licence were 

suspended until May, 18, 

2016 and were both ordered 

to pay the fines on or before 

May 18,2016, in default of 

these orders each will be sentenced 

to one month in prison. 

Browne walks free after no action by complainant 

Deborah A Parker 

A Swetes Village youth has been put on 

probation, after pleading guilty to battery. 

The 19-year-old youth, who appeared before 

Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel, was arrested 

and charged after an incident involving a sergeant 

of police. When the charge of battery on 

police was read, without hesitation the young 

pleaded not guilty to the 

charge of receiving; this matter 

was adjourned for trial. 

The virtual complainant 

has since left the state and has 

indicated that he has no intention 

of returning, for that reason 

the case has been withdrawn 

by prosecution against 

Brown when he appeared 

yesterday at the District ‘A’ 

Court. 

Youth put on probation, for battery on police 

man answered guilty. 

The first time offender who had been on 

remand since Friday of last week expressed 

remorse for his action. For the offence he was 

placed on six months probation. 

If he breaches the terms of the probation, it 

is possible that he would be returned to court 

and be sentenced for the mentioned offence.



Jennings Secondary School Students 

and Faculty conclude visit to Toronto 

The Consulate General of Antigua 

and Barbuda-Toronto, and the Antigua 

and Barbuda diaspora recently welcomed 

a delegation of students and 

faculty from the Jennings Secondary 

School, who were on a one week cultural 

and educational visit to Toronto, Canada, 

from April 6 th to April 13 th 2016. 

The group comprised of 33 students, 

5 teachers, 2 parents and a past student. 

The lead teacher on the visit was Mrs. 

Jacinta Berthier-Bowen, who developed 

the annual writing workshop program 

in response to her students’ needs. 

While in Toronto, the group visited 

several notable attractions such as the 

Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario 

Science Center, Ripley’s Aquarium, the 

Toronto Zoo and the renowned Niagara 

Falls. 

The Consulate-General also hosted 

a luncheon in honour of the group’s visit, 

and arranged for the group to visit the 

Legislative Assembly of Ontario, where 

they received a tour and were permitted 

to listen to question and answer session. 

The students, who will be taking 

their CXC examinations this year, also 

benefited from educational discussions 

with authors and academics within 

the Antiguan and Barbudan diaspora. 

These discussions were arranged to 


In July of 2015, reports 

reaching police from a 911 

operator call stating that Collin 

Joseph aged 54 of Ottos 

had been suffering numerous 

bodily injuries as a result 

of a beating he received by 

the hands of Lambert John- 

provide the students with tools that they 

could utilize to improve their writing 

skills. 

In commenting about the group’s 

visit, Consul-General Ann-Marie Layne 

noted that while the Consulate-General 

was very pleased to have provided 

logistical support to the group, it also 

received support from the Antigua and 

Barbuda Association of Toronto and the 

Antigua and Barbuda community as a 

whole. “This was a community effort, 

“the Consul-General noted. 

“The Antigua and Barbuda diaspora 

understands that visits such as these are 

important to deepening understanding 

Charles alias “Lushe” aged 58 

and also of Ottos, prompted 

investigations into the matter. 

The allegations are that on 

July 31, 2015, sometime after 

7:00pm while walking in the 

Ottos neighbourhood, Joseph 

was approached by Charles 

who dealt him severe blows 

about the body with a piece of 

stick, as a result suffered multiple 

injuries about the body as 

well as some intestinal damage 

for which he was a patient 

in the intensive care unit at the 

MSJMC and underwent surgery. 

Reports are that Charles 

claimed Joseph had ventured 

about different countries and cultures. 

These are practical lessons which can 

be applied to everyday life,” the Consul-General 

resolved. 

Mrs. Bowen reported that, “Indeed 

it was an excellent trip which fostered 

friendships, fun, writing and encouraged 

students to view life differently. 

It took effort, time and determination 

but in the end the writing workshop has 

progressed beyond my greatest expectations.” 

To conclude a student, Bryon Christopher 

stated “this was a trip I’ll never 

forget. I’ll cherish the moments we all 

shared as a group.” 

Charles now faces charge for grievous bodily 

harm and no longer attempted murder 

unto his premises earlier that 

day and stole a number of 

fruits from his trees, which 

reportedly prompted the incident. 

Apparently, some concerned 

persons called EMS 

after Joseph was seen early 

cont’d on pg 9


Governor General issues call for National volunteerism 

NEW YORK - The Governor General 

of Antigua and Barbuda, His Excellency 

Sir Rodney Williams and his 

wife, Lady Sandra Williams, are joining 

many philanthropic organizations 

around the world, in observing April 

20 th as National Volunteer Recognition 

Day. The Governor General will use the 

day to issue a national call to service 

and to encourage all citizens to focus 

on the many opportunities to volunteer 

their time, talents and resources to help 

improve the lives of the less fortunate in 

their communities. 

As founders of the Halo Foundation 

(www.foundationhalo.org), a nonprofit 

umbrella organization that supports 25 

charitable associations in Antigua and 

Barbuda, Sir Dr. Rodney Williams and 

his wife Lady Sandra Williams, provide 

charitable support, advocacy, strategic 

guidance and thought leadership to address 

the social welfare needs of a cross 

section of citizens who face adverse 

economic, social and physical limitations. 

Since its inception, in December 

2014, the Halo Foundation has hosted 

and supported many local fund raising 

initiatives in the hopes of inspiring 

a new generation of volunteerism and 

philanthropy. 

The Halo Foundation recently appointed 

an Executive Team that will 

focus on business development with the 

goal of broadening the organization’s 

fund raising efforts beyond the country’s 

borders. 

“During the past year, the Halo Foundation 

has received tremendous support 

for our local initiatives and fundraising 

efforts and we continue to get requests 

for assistance from many of the charitable 

organizations that are under our 

patronage. But with growth comes the 

need for more resources and so we have 

decided to take our message to a global 

level to ensure that we can continue to 

help create positive, sustainable change 

in the lives of some of our most vulnerable 

citizens,” said His Excellency Sir 

Dr. Rodney Williams. 

The first international initiative that 

will be coordinated by the Halo Foundation’s 

Executive Team will be a gala 

themed “Wings of Charity.” 

This event will celebrate Antigua 

and Barbuda’s life and culture and will 

take the Halo Foundation’s message of 

community engagement and commitment 

to service to New York City, the 

largest source market for visitors to the 

destination and home to the largest concentration 

of Antiguan and Barbudan 

nationals in the Diaspora. 

The social affair will be held on 

Thursday June 30, 2016 at 202 East 

77 th St, New York, NY. The event will 

kick off at 6:00 P.M. with a celebritystudded 

red carpet, followed by 

cocktails, dinner, a cultural showcase 

and both silent and live auctions. Master 

of Ceremonies for the event will be 

Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, 

His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams 

Discovery Channel’s award winning 

TV journalist, Tony Harris, formerly of 

CNN and Al Jazeera. 

Vignettes from Antigua’s 

60 th Carnival festivities (www.antiguacarnival.com), 

which will be celebrated 

July 22 – August 2, 2016, will 

provide a vibrant backdrop for this exciting 

event. Guests will experience 

the destination’s rich cultural heritage 

through a cultural ensemble that features 

a variety of colorful Carnival costume 

collections and calypso music. 

Individual Gala ticket packages 

are available from $150 - $1,500 if 

purchased by June 1, 2016 and $200 

- $2,000 thereafter. To purchase tickets 

and support the Halo Foundation, 

call 800-485-9502 or visit www.foundationhalo.org. 


the following day lying on 

the ground outside a neighbourhood 

shop with a bulging 

stomach. 

Investigations were conducted 

into the report and the 

accused was subsequently 

arrested and charged with attempted 

murder in August of 

2015. The matter was set for 

committal proceedings and 

the Police had since submitted 

the file to the Director of 

Public Prosecutions (DPP). 

However the DPP, having 

reviewed the file, instructed 

that the charged be reduced 

to grievous bodily harm. 

On February 29, 2016, the 

accused appearance before 

Chief Magistrate Walsh and 

was informed that he’s now 

charged with grievous bodily 

harm under ‘Section 20 of the 

offences against the person 

act’, reduced from that of attempted 

murder ‘Section 13 

of the offences against the person 

act’. Both are taken from 

chapter 300 of the Revised 

Edition 1992 of the Laws of 

Antigua and Barbuda. 

yesterday the accused has 

once again appeared before 

Chief Magistrate Walsh in the 

District ‘A’ Court where the 

new charge was read to him; 

however he was not required 

to plead. He was committed to 

stand trial the September’s assizes 

in the High Court where 

full details will be heard in the 

matter.



Sistah SoulJahs: Celebrating 10 

years, looking forward to the future 

Joanna Paris 

On April 23 rd 2016, Sistah SoulJahs, 

the country’s first all female Disc Jockey 

(DJ) and MC group will commemorate 

their 10 th anniversary with a special production 

at the Bliss Night Club. 

Patrons will also be treated to the 

sounds of three special females, who will 

be flying in to celebrate with their fellow 

sisters- Asha, of Jamaican heritage now 

living in Canada, Daneeka, an Australian 

now living in California and Sensia from 

St. Kitts 

Yes! It will be 10 years already, since 

we were hit by the strong presence of 

ultimate “girl power” in the country’s 

entertainment industry, this group of 

dynamic, talented and confident young 

women, who possess the ideal talent to 

put the crowd in the palm of their hands. 

Caribbean Times recently met with 

two of the original members of the groupthe 

DJ- Damara “Selecta DD” Phillips 

and the MC-Joelle “Firestepper” Thomas, 

who shared the journey, the struggles, 

the victories and what the public can 

expect from Sistah Souljahs in the near 

future. 

Phillips, the group’s founder, said that 

her love for playing and listening to all 

types’ music, dated back to when she was 

a first form student at the Antigua Girls’ 

High School. 

It was then that she stumbled upon a 

Virtual DJ program online and the adventurous 

Phillips was quick to download it. 

“I pretty much taught myself through 

that program, how to mix by just matching 

the beats and synchronizing them. I 

did not even have a pair of headphones 

at the time but I kept practicing and eventually 

got more serious”, she explained. 

Following graduation in 2005, while 

most of her classmates were figuring out 

what college or university they should go 

to or which employer will favour their 

application, Phillips was busy speaking 

to her closest female friends about establishing 

a company. 

It was there, that Sistah SoulJahs was 

born, a few months later, April 23 rd 2006. 

Phillips recounted that her friends 

were very supportive and also excited 

about the idea. The group’s original MC, 

was Eta James who now resides abroad. 

Our attention now turns to the “Firesteppa”, 

Joelle Thomas, Phillips best 

friend, who is described as a “natural entertainer” 

and also a product of the Anticont’d 

on pg 11



gua Girls High School. 

She described how she 

progressed from just being 

a casual observer to now a 

recognizable voice at outings 

and shows. 

“I wanted to support her 

and when I actually did it, 

I found that it was a lot of 

fun, so it was never initially 

a passion of mine but I got 

involved in it. I am witty and 

I can entertain a crowd and 

relate to people. That goes a 

long way”, said the confident 

Thomas. 

Both Phillips and Thomas 

expressed that the journey 

“has been good for the most 

part” and bitter sweet in some 

instances, particularly with 

two of the original members 

moving away and now living 

overseas. 

Phillips stressed that “anything 

that you are passionate 

about, will never feel like 

work or a task”. 

She indicated that despite 

personal struggles, she was 

“never deterred” from her 

Joelle “Firestepper” Thomas 

dream. She is therefore very 

grateful for the overwhelming 

response that the group has received 

to date and added that 

throughout the 10 years “we 

have always felt love”. 

Thomas confirmed that 

since the group played at its 

first event “Bikini Sundays” 

on April 23 rd 2006, a memorable 

event for both, the public 

has definitely recognized that 

the group will be a permanent 

fixture. 

“After that first night at 

Bikini Sundays, it was all up 

from there. I guess we proved 

ourselves. After that, there 

was not really any negative, 

so it has really been good”, 

Thomas chuckled. 

Thomas added that it takes 

a lot of preparation to set the 

right mood at any event. She 

said that both herself and 

Phillips usually spend a lot of 

times practicing their craft to 

ensure that they have everything 

in place to deliver the 

best to their audience. 

Sistah Souljahs have also 

left their mark abroad. Phillips 

outlined that the group 

has also been victorious in 

“clashes”. 

“We have travelled and 

played in a lot of Caribbean 

islands, also in New York 

and Maryland. We were also 

the first female sound to enter 

Wadadli Island Clash hosted 

by Stonewall Sound System, 

we came first runner up the 

first time we entered and the 

following year, we re-entered 

and we won, so that was another 

big milestone for us”, 

she recalled. 

Phllips added that the 

group takes pride in representing 

the twin island state 

abroad, waving the colourful 

flag patriotically in whatever 

they do. 

The Government of Antigua 

and Barbuda has also 

recognized Phillips for her 

outstanding work in entertainment. 

In 2014, she was bestowed 

with the “The Young Entrepreneur 

of the Year” award by 

Damara “Selecta DD” Phillips 

the Department of Youth Affairs, 

another accomplishment 

for which she is grateful for. 

The dynamic duo is very 

optimistic about the future. 

They are already speaking, 

international tours and major 

meetings into existence further 

cementing their present 

in the entertainment world. 

For those of you desirous 

of pursuing a career in the 

field, the assertive Phillips left 

this advice. 

“You have to be passionate 

about music. I am not 

going to say that as a deejay, 

you have to know every song 

but you have to be really passionate 

about people. For me, 

when I play, I observe the 

crowd, I judge the event and 

I select my music to play for 

the mood of that crowd, so 

you have to be musically inclined 

and know which song 

to play at what time. As an 

MC you have to have again 

a people personality and you 

have to have good timing and 

know the music. If you really 

want to do something, you 

just have to practice, because 

we did not get it right the first 

time but we kept practicing”, 

Phillips said knowingly.


Wednesday 20th April 2016

Wednesday 20th April 2016 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 13



Discrimination, Poverty and Economic Growth 

There can be little dispute 

of the fact that the key 

to economic growth and development 

in any country lies 

squarely within its human 

resource capacity. It is only 

through removing the fetters 

on human progress and tapping 

into the vast reservoirs 

of human ingenuity and creativity 

that a nation can expect 

to achieve the highest 

rates of growth possible and 

with it, the highest standards 

of living for its people. In the 

words of Nobel Prize Winning 

economist Amartya Sen, 

“Development requires the 

removal of major sources of 

unfreedom: poverty as well 

as tyranny, poor economic 

opportunities as well as systematic 

social deprivation... 

Despite unprecedented increases 

in overall opulence, 

the contemporary world 

denies elementary freedoms 

to vast numbers - perhaps 

even the majority - of people.” 

It is with this idea in mind, 

that I argue discrimination, 

poverty and lack of equal 

opportunities for all citizens 

can indeed restrict economic 

growth. In doing so, I intend 

to examine each of these 

three barriers in its own right 

to demonstrate how they can 

individually, as well as collectively, 

inhibit a nation from 

achieving high levels of economic 

growth. 

Firstly, discrimination 

of various forms to include 

race, gender, religion and 

sexual preference, among 

others, continues to impede 

the progress of skilled human 

beings in many countries in 

the world. In today’s society, 

gender and racial inequality 

continues to be a significant 

inhibitor to economic 

growth. As research from a 

2012 World Bank Report on 

Gender and Economic Development 

indicates, Women 

make up 70% of the world’s 

working hours and earn only 

10% of the world’s income 

and half of what men earn. 

This leads to greater poverty, 

slower economic growth and 

a lower standard of living. 

Further research done by 

noted Macro Economist Professor 

Robert Barro notes that 

gender equality in economic 

opportunities contributes to 

stronger and more sustainable 

economic growth. For example, 

investing in formal education 

and training increases 

the skill-set of individuals 

throughout their lives and increases 

employment and entrepreneurial 

opportunities 

for both men and women. It 

increases labour productivity 

and the available talent pool, 

which provides businesses 

with greater opportunities to 

expand, innovate and compete, 

which in turn provides 

Governments with additional 

tax revenue. Research Conducted 

by the Organization for 

Economic Cooperation and 

Development (OECD) has 

also found that much of the 

growth that has taken place in 

the OECD zone over the past 

ten-fifteen years is attributable 

to the increase in women’s labour 

force participation. 

Secondly, the impact of 

poverty, and the inter-related 

concept of inequality of 

opportunity on economic 

growth cannot be understated. 

Imagine for a moment what it 

would feel like to be born into 

conditions of extreme poverty 

with no means through which 

you could achieve any form 

of mobility. Imagine the vast 

amount of wasted potential 

that lies in the millions of the 

world’s poorest people. Indeed, 

one of the saddest facts 

about the world in which we 

live is that today, in 2016, 

there are over 100 million 

children in the world who are 

unable to attend school and 

will be unable to get even a 

basic education. 

In many of the world’s 

poorest countries, children 

are forced to leave school to 

engage in manual labour just 

to support their families. All 

this represents a tremendous 

loss of potential for labor productivity 

and consequently 

will affect ecnomic growth. 

According to analysis from 

the OECD income inequality 

has a negative and statistically 

significant impact on 

medium-term growth. Rising 

inequality by 3 GINIpoints, 

that is the average increase 

recorded in the OECD over 

the past two decades, would 

drag down economic growth 

by 0.35 percentage point per 

year for 25 years: a cumulated 

loss in GDP at the end of the 

period of 8.5 per cent. 

By hindering human capital 

accumulation income 

inequality undermines education 

opportunities for 

disadvantaged individuals, 

lowering social mobility and 

hampering skills development. 

A high level of economic 

inequality means a higher 

By Carlon Knight 

level of poverty. Poverty is associated 

with increased crime 

and poor public health, which 

places burdens on the economy. 

Unequal income distribution 

also increases political 

instability, which threatens 

property rights and discourages 

capital accumulation. 

Moreover, a widening richpoor 

gap tends to increase the 

rate of rent-seeking and predatory 

market behaviors that 

hinder economic growth. 

To conclude, from the 

evidence it is clear that there 

exists a very evidnet link between 

discrimination, poverty, 

economic opportunity and 

economic growth. For a nation 

to achieve economic growth it 

must be able to make the best 

of the human resource potential 

that it has available. When 

human capacity is stifled by 

artificial and superficial barriers, 

the result is not only 

harmful to the individual but 

collectively harmful to national 

progress. From this then, I 

hope that it can be seen jthat 

more must be done reduce 

discrimination, poverty and 

increase economic opportunity 

to all citizens. 

Editor’s Note: The opinions 

expressed in this Op-ed 

are those of the author and 

do not necessarily reflect the 

views of Caribbean Times.


Stop carrying news to get a promotion 

By Jacqueline Wetherill 

Some people find it hard to work in some work places; 

Every day they are bombarded, with their boss in their faces. 

They get some who just love to carry news, 

and you are the victim and being accused, 

For what, I really cannot don’t know; 

tell me why some people like to behave so. 

Stop Carrying News To Get A Promotion. 

Promotion, promotion going at a fast sale; if I carry news you will raise. 

How do you feel about carrying news, 

and employees facing work- place abuse? 

You make up some lie and take it to the boss, 

and he comes and attacks you like a ferocious dog. 

It sweet you when the boss points out my wrong, 

as I sing inside, “Oh Lord Jesus, how long, how long?” 

Stop Carrying News To Get A Promotion. 

Every dog has its day, every road has an end, 

and so do you, news-carrying friend. 

What spit up in the air would drop down in your face, 

then you would get the promotion taste. 

You do wrong just to get to the top, 

and you don’t care who the boss hurt or drop. 

Where is your heart, conscience, love and affection? 

Stop carrying news to get a promotion. 

Stop The News Carrying, Stop It Now. 

Be careful in this life. It’s very funny. 

Things have a way to turn back and bite you. 

Be very careful the way you treat people just to get a promotion. 

BE CAREFUL.



C&W Business launches innovative 

software defined data center solution 

MIAMI, Florida – C&W 

Business, a division of Cable 

& Wireless Communications, 

Plc (CWC), today 

announces the launch of an 

innovative high-value Software 

Defined Data Center 

(SDDC) solution that allows 

customers to use Information 

Technology as a Service 

or ITaaS from any one of the 

Company’s datacenters. 

This technology provides 

customers the opportunity 

to be in complete control of 

their IT Infrastructure from 

any one device or location 

across the Caribbean and 

Latin American region. 

C&W Business has leveraged 

this technology by 

designing Virtual Data Centers 

(VDC), a flexible pool 

of virtual resources of RAM, 

CPU and Storage, that allows 

customers to utilize 

and create and re-create their 

production, disaster recovery, 

test, quality assurance, 

development environments 

and several other uses they 

may need to run an efficient 

and cost effective operation. 

The Company’s SDDC 

affords both customer flexibility 

and scalability in a 

virtual environment making 

it easy and inexpensive to 

configure and control their 

multiple environments. 

For instance, customers 

purchasing 400GB of RAM 

and associated CPU and 

storage can consume 50GB 

of RAM from the Cayman 

Islands datacenter for a test 

site, 200GB out of the Panama 

datacenter for their 

production site, and 150GB 

Informative, reliable, enriching! 

Think you have a good news story; did you witness 

anything that is news-worthy; did you take that 

valuable picture; things happening in your community 

but there is no outlet or voice for you? You can 

earn just by telling your story. 

Call Caribbean Times at (268) 562 8688 

Email: editor@caribbeantimes.ag 

Or news@caribbeantimes.ag 

Reach us now with that breaking news! 

of RAM out of the Curacao 

datacenter for their Disaster 

Recovery (DR) environment. 

Therefore customers 

can continue running their 

day-to-day operations while 

ensuring important applications 

and data are backed up 

in separate environments. 

C&W Business has invested 

heavily in offering 

its customers this Innovative 

Infrastructure as-a-service 

platform running on seven 

datacenters that are connected 

to C&W’s robust, reliable 

and redundant Fault Tolerant 

Network infrastructure, 

which spans across 48,000 

km across 42 countries. 

Also, C&W Business employs 

some of the highest 

certified staff in the region to 

provide 24x7 proactive monitoring 

of its SDDC solution 

through the Company’s 

NOCs (Network Operation 

Centers), SOCs (Security 

Operation Centers) and Datacenters. 

In the 21st century, IT 

needs to always be on, support 

multiple devices and 

platforms and adapt to 

changing business requirements 

by optimizing performance 

and scalability to support 

big data. 

Also, they need to ensure 

their departments are able 

to focus on adding value to 

organizations by educating 

business counterparts on 

how to use IT to generate 

competitive advantages. 

For this reason, many 

industries such as banks, 

universities, insurance companies, 

hospitals, and governments 

are increasingly 

adopting these types of 

high-value ITaaS solutions 

that boost efficiency and 

drive innovation. 

With this SCCD platform, 

C&W Business is able 

to provide the only true Hybrid 

IT solution in the region. 

Regardless of where clients’ 

servers are physically 

located, whether on their 

own premise, in C&W datacenters, 

or in the cloud, IBM 

AIX, IBM i/OS (AS/400), 

Windows, Linux, and many 

other different platforms are 

seamlessly integrated and 

available to be consumed ‘as 

a service’. 

The C&W Business 

SCCD solution is fully available 

with several Enterprises 

and Government institutions 

actively benefiting from its 

features already in Colombia, 

Panama, Central America 

and the Caribbean.


US delegation visits Cuba 

to increase cultural bond 

HAVANA - A delegation representing 

U.S. President Barack 

Obama’s arts and humanities committee 

began a four-day visit to 

Cuba on Monday as a sign of further 

rapprochement between the two 

countries and their common will to 

boost cultural exchanges. The delegation, 

composed of over 20 members 

including musicians Smokey 

Robinson, Usher Raymond and 

Dave Matthews, visited the Superior 

Institute of Arts (ISA). 

According to Margo Lion, cohead 

of the U.S. delegation, the visit 

intends to deepen cooperation in 

arts and culture and build up trust 

between the two nations after more 

than 50 years of hostility. “Through 

arts we can build empathies and 

understanding among people and 

it helps us to bond as two cultures, 

and only through this acceptance of 

each other can we build bridges that 

can help us share our cultures,” said 

Lion. 

The American producer said 

President Obama is very interested 

in the results this visit can bring to 

relations between Washington and 

Havana in the cultural area. Lion 

highlighted the importance of the 

ISA in Cuba where over 3,000 students 

receive free education in their 

five years’ study and vowed to deepen 

cooperation between U.S. arts 

universities and the ISA. 

Rolando Gonzalez, president of 

the ISA, said this visit could help 

build normal cultural relations between 

the two countries. “Our cultures 

and countries have differences 

but we have many points in common 

where we can share new experiences 

to build a better future for our arts 

and peoples,” said Gonzalez. 

Hollywood actor Kalpen Suresh 

Modi, a member of the delegation, 

said he was excited to have the first 

ever cultural exchange between 

artists from the United States and 

Cuba. The delegation members will 

also visit cultural sites in the Cuban 

capital to expand their knowledge of 

the island’s traditional arts as well as 

important places like the Grand Theater 

of Havana and Cuba’s oldest 

EGREM recording studio. Obama 

visited Cuba on March 20-22 to 

thaw ties, becoming the first sitting 

U.S. president to visit the island nation 

in over 90 years. (CubaSi). 

BTC to provide 

prepaid electricity 

NASSAU - Metered and prepaid electricity 

will soon become a reality as the Bahamas Telecommunications 

Company (BTC) has started testing 

the service in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera. Prepaid 

metering allows customers to better manage 

their electricity use and bills via BTC’s 4G LTE 

data network. 

BTC CEO Leon Williams said, “With this 

accomplishment, BTC will become the first Telecommunications 

Provider in the Caribbean region 

to leverage its network to provide smart-grid services 

to the utility industry. BTC’s prepaid service 

eliminates monthly bills, disconnections, and visits 

to the utility office, while providing the tools 

necessary to save money on utilities. It’s also a 

step ahead for utility companies who can reduce 

accounts receivable and transition the management 

of accounts to the customer.” 

CEO at St. George’s Cay Power Limited, Morris 

Pinder said, “We have been using the BTC prepaid 

metering solution for about a month now, and 

thus far everything is going well. In Spanish Wells 

we have several business owners that operate rental 

units and prepaid metering will be beneficial as 

renters will be responsible for their power usage. 

I’m certain that it will also be beneficial for persons 

that may have problems paying for electricity.” 

Prepaid metering provides an added layer of 

flexibility for customers. This tech-savvy solution 

will use BTC’s 4G LTE data network, and will 

allow customers to top up their accounts using 

their existing mobile wallet, wherever BTC topup 

is available, online and via the BTC Call Center. 

Consumers will have the ability of monitoring 

their usage using their smart devices. 

The prepaid metering system provides notifications, 

letting customers know when their balances 

are low and prompting them to top up again. The 

system can also be customized to allow customers 

to also pay down on their existing bills. 

Over the next several months, BTC expects to 

complete its POC and extend the opportunity to 

local utility providers. Later this year, BTC will 

also work with a provider to spearhead a prepaid 

metering concept for water usage.



Sea and river defence project launched in Guyana 

GEORGETOWN - On Wednesday 

April 13, the Caribbean Development 

Bank (CDB) and the government of 

Guyana launched a US$30.9 million sea 

and river defense project. The project is 

expected to provide for the reconstruction 

and improvement of approximately 

5.4 km of sea and river defences in 

eight critical areas, and will benefit over 

45,000 Guyanese residents about 9,000 

households in Regions Two, Three, Four 

and Six. 

In Guyana, over 90% of the country’s 

population lives along the coastal area, 

much of which lies below sea level. As 

such, the country faces significant risk of 

flooding, and the construction and rehabilitation 

of drainage, irrigation and sea 

defense systems is a priority for the government. 

Speaking at the launch, William Ashby, 

portfolio manager at the CDB said 

that the project will improve resilience 

to coastal and riverine hazards, as well 

as the effects of climate change through 

PORT AU PRINCE - The 

United Nations World Food 

Programme (WEP) says it 

will launch an emergency 

operation in Haiti to assist 

one million people devastated 

by three years of prolonged 

drought exacerbated 

by the El Niño weather phenomenon. 

WFP said that an estimated 

3.6 million people or onethird 

of Haiti’s population 

face food insecurity. 

This number includes 

more than 1.5 million who 

are severely food insecure 

and do not know where their 

next meal is coming from, 

according to an assessment 

strengthened sea and river defense systems. 

CDB will lend Guyana US$25 million 

of the US$30.9 million, with the government 

providing the remaining US$5.9 

million. The project will be implemented 

by Work Services Group (WSG), with a 

project coordinator having day to day responsibility 

for project management. 

Guyana’s minister of public infrastructure, 

David Patterson emphasized 

the project’s importance. “Guyana sea 

and river defence form part of an integrated 

system that plays a vital role in the 

protection of people assets, livelihood 

by WFP and the National 

Co-ordination for Food Security. 

“We must immediately 

help hungry Haitians. 

Drought and poverty should 

not force a child to go to bed 

hungry,” said WFP executive 

director Ertharin Cousin, 

ending a three-day visit 

to Haiti, where she met communities 

hit by drought and 

El Niño. 

For the 2016 spring season, 

65 per cent of families 

said they could not plant 

due to a lack of agricultural 

inputs, according to WFP, 

adding that a scarcity of locally-produced 

food has led 

to price hikes of up to 60 per 

cent. With the new emergency 

operation this week, WFP 

said it will assist one million 

people as Haiti enters the 

lean season from March to 

June when food stocks from 

the previous year run out. 

WFP said some 700,000 

people in Haiti will receive 

cash transfers, which will 

provide the poorest and most 

vulnerable with the ability to 

purchase food while at the 

same time strengthening 

local economies. Another 

300,000 people will be given 

a mix of cash transfers and 

food, WFP said. 

In a second phase, it said 

and the environment in the coastal belt. 

This system contributes to the sustainable 

economic growth and future social 

economic development of developmental 

opportunities through the minimization 

of shoreline erosion and prevention 

of flooding from sea and river water intrusions 

onto low lying coastal regions,” 

he said. 

The project will also include a capacity 

building component, with activities 

such as the establishment of a shoreline 

change monitoring system, enhancements 

to the shore zone monitoring system, 

a geographic information system 

managed by the Works Services Group, 

and training of WSG staff. The project 

aligns with CDB’s Country Strategy Paper 

for Guyana (2013-2017), as well as 

with CDB’s strategic objective of supporting 

environmental sustainability and 

disaster risk management. It also aligns 

with the government of Guyana’s sea and 

river defence action and implementation 

plan. (Caribbean News Now). 

UN food relief agency to aid Haitians hit by prolonged drought 

200,000people will receive 

food to work on watershed 

management and soil conservation 

projects, creating 

assets to help communities 

to plant small vegetable 

gardens. The UN agency’s 

school meals support government 

efforts to establish 

a Haitian-owned programme 

by 2030. 

In coordination with the 

National School Meals Programme, 

WFP underlined 

that it will deliver daily hot 

meals to485, 000 schoolchildren 

in over 1,700 schools 

in nine of Haiti’s 10 departments 

until the end of April. 

(Jamaica Observer).


At least 28 dead, 327 injured in Kabul attack 

QUITO - Earthquake-stricken Ecuador 

faced the grim reality of recovering more 

bodies than survivors as rescue efforts 

went into a third day on Tuesday and the 

death toll climbed over 400 in the poor 

South American country. 

Praying for miracles, distraught family 

members beseeched rescue teams to find 

missing loved ones as they dug through 

debris of flattened homes, hotels, and 

stores in the hardest-hit Pacific coastal region. 

Meanwhile, a moved President Rafael 

Correa, visiting the disaster zone, said 

the quake had inflicted between $2 billion 

and $3 billion of damage on the OPEC nation’s 

already-fragile economy. 

The damage from the quake could 

knock between two and three percentage 

points off gross domestic product growth, 

he told reporters. 

“Let’s not deceive ourselves, it’s going 

to be a long struggle. Reconstruction for 

years, billions (of dollars) in investment.” 

In Pedernales, a devastated rustic beach 

town, crowds gathered behind yellow tape 

to watch firemen and police sift through 

rubble overnight. 

The town’s soccer stadium was serving 

KABUL - Armed militants 

in Afghanistan stormed 

a key government security 

agency in the capital Tuesday 

morning as part of a coordinated 

assault, killing at 

least 28 people and wounding 

more than 320. 

The Taliban claimed responsibility 

for the attack, 

which included a suicide car 

bombing. 

It appeared to have targeted 

an agency similar to 

the U.S. Secret Service, 

providing personal protection 

for high-ranking government 

officials. Sediq 

Sediqqi, spokesman for the 

Interior Ministry, said during 

a press conference that two 

militants were involved in 

the attack. 

One drove the small 

truck rigged with hundreds 

of pounds of explosives. 

The second entered the compound 

in the aftermath of 

the explosion and opened 

fire before he was eventually 

killed. Sediqqi said the car 

bomb caused massive damage 

to buildings and vehicles 

in the area and added that the 

death toll could rise. 

The U.S. Embassy denounced 

the attack, calling 

Dwindling hopes for survivors after Ecuador quake kills 413 

as a makeshift relief center and a morgue. 

As of Tuesday, rescue efforts would become 

more of a search for corpses, Interior 

Minister Jose Serrano told Reuters. The 

death toll stood at 413, but was expected 

to rise. 

The quake has injured at least 2,600 

people, damaged over 1,500 buildings, 

and left 18,000 people spending the night 

in shelters, according to the government. 

In many isolated villages or towns 

struck by the quake, survivors struggled 

without water, power, or transport. 

Rescue operations continued, but the 

sickly, sweet stench of death told them 

what they were most likely to find. 

“There are bodies crushed in the wreckage 

and from the smell it’s obvious they 

are dead,” said Army Captain Marco Borja 

in the small tourist village of Canoa. 

Nearly 400 rescue workers flew in from 

various Latin American neighbors, along 

with 83 specialists from Switzerland and 

Spain, to boost rescue efforts. 

The United States said it would dispatch 

a team of disaster experts while 

Cuba was sending a team of doctors. (Reuters). 

it a senseless act of violence. 

It added that it supports the 

Afghan government’s peace 

process to end such violence. 

“Today’s attack shows 

the insurgents are unable to 

meet Afghan forces on the 

battlefield and must resort to 

these terrorist attacks,” added 

Gen. John W. Nicholson, 

commander of international 

forces in Afghanistan. 

“We strongly condemn 

the actions of Afghanistan’s 

enemies and remain firmly 

committed to supporting our 

Afghan partners and the National 

Unity Government.” 

Ismail Kawasi, spokesman 

for the Public Health 

Ministry, said so far 327 are 

wounded, including women 

and children, have been 

brought to area hospitals. 

An Interior Ministry 

statement said that dozens 

of civilians were killed and 

wounded in the attack. The 

casualty figures are expected 

to rise. 

Dozens of civilian apartment 

buildings, houses, 

shops and several government 

buildings were damaged 

by the car bomb blast. 

(Fox News).



Tuesday’s Sudoku Solution 

S U D O K U 

CROSSWORD 

Across 

1. Madison Ave. figure 

6. Like something that could 

go either way 

10. Matured 

14. Pee Wee of the Dodgers 

15. Geometry calculation 

16. Italia’s capital 

17. __ nothing 

18. Target 

19. Field goal attempt 

20. Tanning beams 

23. “I’ll take that as __” 

24. Pencil game loser 

25. Get really hot 

27. Throat tissue 

29. Kind of lily 

32. “Sprechen __ Deutsch?” 

33. Ugandan tyrant 

35. Table tennis word 

36. Cause an implosion, perhaps 

39. Singer Winans 

40. Plasterlike canvas coatings 

41. ASAP kin 

42. Allot, with “out” 

43. Necklace fasteners 

47. Type of angle 

49. Manage moguls 

50. First-aid paraphernalia 

51. Speak not so softly 

56. Choice cut 

57. Chicken cordon __ 

58. Violinist Mischa 

59. “Well, __ that special!” 

60. Proclivity 

61. Copy, for short 

62. Body shop calcs. 

63. Soaks (up) 

64. Toys on strings 

Down 

1. Ark’s landing point 

2. Part of FDR 

3. Trust 

4. Those, in Tijuana 

5. Blonde aid? 

6. “No you’re not!” retort 

7. Herr’s mate 

8. Spore-producing plant 

9. Shaggy Tibetans 

10. Alan of “Catch-22” 

11. Happenings 

12. Hosting the show 

13. U.S. territory divided in 

1889 

21. New England fall spectacle 

22. Virginia meat 

26. Gas pump spec. 

28. Small, medium or large 

29. Get a smile out of 

30. Reformer Jacob 

31. Opens with a combination 

34. Provide a fake alibi for, 

e.g. 

35. Tower town 

36. Blood drive organizer 

37. Familiarize (with) 

38. Labor day event? 

39. Tax prep. expert 

42. Enero or julio 

44. Like a revealing bathing 

suit 

45. Rogue 

46. Shorthand pros 

48. Hues 

49. “There’s a Wocket in My 

Pocket!” author 

52. Falls back 

53. Mixed bag 

54. Twice-monthly tide 

55. Topping in a tub 

56. Tell it like it isn’t


HOROSCOPE 

ARIES (March 21-April 19). 

The feuding parties will work 

out their differences in the 

court of their own making. 

You’ll help with the negotiations 

and, due to your impartial 

approach, will strike an 

agreement with relative ease. 

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). As 

the thing you are passionate 

about takes over your being, 

the “usual” things might suffer 

neglect. You need those 

“usual” things! They might 

fall to the wayside if you’re 

not careful. Do be careful! 

Today’s weather forecast 

Antigua and Barbuda 

Cloudy with showers. 

High - 81ºF/27ºC 

Low - 74ºF/23ºC 

Wind: East 7 mph 

Sunrise 5.48 am; Sunset 6.24 pm 

Tuesday’s Crossword Solution 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). 

“Value” is a tricky word, 

loaded with the emotional 

baggage you’ve tied to it. 

Good news: Today you’ve all 

the cutting devices you need 

to detach from the meanings 

that keep you from giving a 

higher value to your work. 

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). 

Update: Your fantasy life is 

still contained in your head, 

and it’s not going anywhere 

without your permission. So 

be bold in your imaginings! 

Stellar ideas are born of wild, 

impossible fantasies. 

CANCER (June 22-July 22). 

A steadfast and inflexible authority 

will be represented in 

today’s dealings. Upon closer 

examination, maybe the powers 

that be are not as rigid as 

they first seem. 

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). 

Here’s a beautiful dynamic: 

You ask for help and help is 

given. The assistance will so 

closely mirror the thing you 

asked for that you’ll be inspired 

to ask more specifically 

the next time. 

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). 

In this theater game, you’re 

an actor, pretending the 

stakes are very high for you. 

They aren’t. Your great powers 

of empathy and imagination 

allow you to play it as 

such and make the scene all 

the more convincing. 

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 

21). Be careful not to get into 

such a pattern of handling everything 

yourself that you either 

forget or refuse to enlist 

help. Let the others contribute. 

They’ll love you for it. 

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22- 

Dec. 21). For as long as 

you’ve been alive, the day 

you were wanting to come to 

pass — well, it has passed. 

However far in the future it 

was, it came. Use inevitability 

to your advantage. Plan, 

and commit to the future. It’s 

real. 

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 

19). There’s a lot of confidence 

that comes with knowing 

what you are and are not 

capable of. It doesn’t matter 

what goes in the second category; 

some of it is going to 

be wrong. 

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 

18). You’ll receive what you 

desire, and possibly even in 

the schedule of your desiring, 

which, of those two things, 

is the bigger deal. Timing is 

everything. When it’s going 

in your favor, don’t ask questions; 

just act. 

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 

20). You’ll enjoy what you do 

for money — which is something 

to celebrate in and of itself. 

You and your work are a 

perfect fit at the moment. You 

know this because of all the 

fun you’ll have today.



Ottos Sweet BBBs advance 

to Division II finals 

By Carlena Knight 

Ottos Sweet BBBs has advanced to the division 2 playoff 

finals of the Antigua Barbuda Basketball Association league 

after edging out, Harold Lovell Rockersville, 61-60 in a 

game 3 thriller. 

With the series tied up at 1-1 both teams needed the win 

to meet Flyers 2 in the finals but it was to be the Ottos men 

night at JSC on Monday. 

Akeem Davis was the leading scorer for the victors with 

14 points. 

He was assisted by Ettiene Davis with 12 points and 11 

rebounds and Akeem James with 9 points and a game high 

21 rebounds. 

Rockersville’s Wayne Coates had 14 points and 4 points. 

Walton Christian also of Rockersville had 14 points while 

Earl Lavishere netted 13 in a losing effort. 

The best of five finals between Flyers 2 and Ottos Sweet 

BBBs will begin on April 24 th at 6:30 at JSC. 

Antiguan clocks 

world’s second 

fastest 200m 


National sprinter, Miguel 

Francis continues to 

make leaps in the track and 

field world now clocking the 

world’s second best 200m in 

his season opener race. 

American Lashawn Merritt 

ran the fastest time to 

date, 19.78. 

Francis who trains with 

the world renowned, Racers 

Track club in Jamaica, 

ran the event in a time of 

20.11seconds at the MVP 

Track and Field meet at the 

JAAA National Stadium in 

Kingston, Jamaica over the 

weekend. 

The 2015 Sportsman of 

the year was very excited 

about his performance and 

looks to improve on this historic 

event in preparation for 

the 2016 Olympics in Rio 

de Janeiro, Brazil in which 

he already qualified for last 

year. 

Jennings Secondary upsets Antigua 

Grammar School in Junior boys finals 


Jennings Secondary has drawn first blood and upset the 

defending so champions, Antigua Grammar school, 40-37, 

in the Junior Boys playoff finals of the Cool & Smooth Interschool 

basketball program. 

The best of three series saw the dynamic duo, Danny Perez 

and Vladimir Castro score a combined 36 of the 40 points 

but it was their lock down defense on the Junior sportsman 

nominee, Anthony Greer that should be commended. 

Greer could only muster up a 15 point effort with assistance 

by Ezekiel Francois with 10 points. 

Game 2 will be played later this week.


Cool & Smooth T-20 Explosion 

reduced from 12 teams to 10 

By Vanroy Burnes 

The 2016 Cool & Smooth T-20 Explosion 

now in its third year have had a 

reduction of teams, instead of the regular 

twelve (12) teams over the last two 

years, only ten (10) teams will contest 

this year’s tournament. 

The Future Stars team and the Diamond 

International Police teams are 

missing from this year’s event, however 

the reasons are unknown. According to 

one of the organizing committee member 

Dario Barthley, two new features were 

introduce, firstly, each team must have at 

least two U-19 players in their team from 

CPTSA hosts annual Whit 

Monday Road Relay & Walk 

By Vanroy Burnes 

The Concerned Parents Teachers 

Sports Association (CPTSA) in 

conjunction with the Wings Sports 

Club will be hosting its 25 th annual 

Whit Monday 4+1.5 miles Road 

Relay 10k run & fitness walk. 

The event will start at the Royal 

Palm Gardens on Friars Hill Road 

at 6.00am and will climax at the 

same venue. 

The CPTSA & the Wings 

Sports club is inviting all groups, 

Clubs, Schools and other organizations 

along with individuals to 

take part in the event. Prizes will 

be awarded to the various winners. 

Registration is on -going and 

persons can contact any members 

of the CPTSA or the Wings Sports 

Club. 

The event which is organized 

by the CPTSA and the Wings 

Sports Club have been sanctioned 

by the Antigua & Barbuda Athletics 

Association. 

which one must be in the final eleven. 

The other feature is that while the 

teams are entitled to their respective 

sponsors, only the sponsors of the tournament 

name will appear on the jersey’s, 

but the names of their sponsors will be on 

all official documents of the tournament. 

Barthley, said that the ten teams will 

be divided into two groups of five and 

will play in a round robin format after 

which the two top teams will go into the 

semi-finals. 

PIC Insurance Liberta Black Hawks 

are the defending champions and will be 

defending their title this year. 

Aston Villa suspends striker 

Aston Villa have 

suspended striker 

Gabriel Agbonlahor 

and begun an investigation 

after he was 

allegedly pictured 

with laughing gas 

canisters. According 

to reports, the 

29-year-old was pictured partying in London 

on the same night Villa were relegated. Agbonlahor 

was already on the sidelines after being 

told he was not fit enough. He was suspended 

by Villa earlier this month after he was pictured 

appearing to hold a shisha pipe while in Dubai, 

but the club took no further action. 

Villa were relegated from the Premier 

League after losing 1-0 to Manchester United 

at Old Trafford on Saturday. They are bottom 

of the table after collecting only 16 points from 

34 games. The West Midlands outfit are also 

without a manager following the sacking of 

Frenchman Remi Garde and have been hit by 

two key resignations. Former Football Association 

chairman David Bernstein and Lord King, 

a former Governor of the Bank of England, both 

quit the board on Monday. (BBC). 

Under 20 training 

squad named 


The under 20 men’s training 

squad has been announced by the 

Antigua Barbuda Football Association. 

These young men will contest 

the FIFA World Cup Group 1 qualifiers 

slated for June 15 th – June 

22 nd in St. Maarten. 

Antigua Barbuda will face 

Puerto Rico, Cuba and host, St. 

Maarten. 

The 29 member squad comprises 

of: 

Christian Corbett- Generation 

Next 

Kamari Charles, Kadeem Mark 

and Darion Browne- Ottos Rangers 

FC 

Khandi Jackson, Terique Benn, 

Donte Benn, Leroy Graham, Ngozi 

Harvey, Christian Fernandez and 

Sheldon Christian – Villa Lions FC 

Tyler Simon- Hatton Stars 

Matthew Hall and Vashami Allen- 

Fort Road FC 

Rodre Hunte- Potters Tigres 

Jawendi Jacobs- Empire FC 

Dilon Challenger- Willikies FC 

Kemoi Williams- Bolans FC 

Schyan Adams- Westham FC 

Daryl Seth- Urlings FC 

Ammiel Joseph, Javorn Stevens 

and Jahmalie Steven – Greenbay 

Hoppers FC 

Shalon Knight- Swetes FC 

Dennie Henry- Parham FC 

Kimon Harrigan 

Dabron Thwaites 

Tehmali Anthony 

Anderson Herbert. 

The team is coached by George 

Warner and assisted by Vorne 

James. Practice sessions began 

yesterday at the Antigua Recreation 

Grounds from 4pm-6pm.



Simon Bolivar Monument 

reopened on 206 th anniversary 

of Venezuelan Independence 

By Justin Peters 

In a ceremony, yesterday, 

that also marked the 

206 th anniversary of the Republic 

of Venezuala’s independence 

from Spain, the 

Simon Bolivar Monument 

in Simon Bolivar Square 

was re-opened. 

Representatives of the 

governments of Antigua 

and Barbuda and Venezuela 

along with the diplomatic 

core gathered for the short 

ceremony. 

The students of the Simon 

Bolivar Pre-shcool 

were also present to experience 

the historical ceremony. 

The ceremony also 

served as a re-affirmation 

of the strong diplomatic 

ties between the nation of 

Antigua and Barbuda and 

the Republic of Venezuela. 

Giving a brief history 

of the revolution that led to 

the the independence of the 

South American country, 

Venezuelan Ambassador to 

Antigua and Barbuda, His 

Excellency Carlos Perez, 

recounted how revolutionary 

Simon Bolivar helped 

free Venezuela from the 

rule of Ferdinand the 7 th of 

Spain to become the first 

South American Colony to 

be independent from Spain. 

He expressed the significance 

of the event which 

also represented the strong 

relationship between the 

Republic of Venezuela and 

the twin island nation of 

Antigua and Barbuda. 

The ceremonial ribbon 

was cut jointly by Minister 

of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, 

the Honourable 

Max Fernandez and Venezuelan 

Ambassador to Antigua 

and Barbuda, His Excellency 

Carlos Perez once 

again concreting the commitment 

of both governments 

to working together.

Caribbean Times 93rd issue - Wednesday 20th April 2016

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