(Photo) Of The Year

On August 5th, San Jose gold & copper mine in Chile, South America collapsed, trapping 33 miners for 69 days ½  a mile underground – the longest underground entrapment in history – they were finally rescued via a slim capsule through a 28 inch wide shaft – one of three drill – and hoisted to freedom.

 

Finally! Problem Free Rescue Of Chilean Miners See Light Of Day

With remarkable speed – and flawless execution – miner after miner climbed into a cramped cage deep beneath the Chilean earth, was hoisted through 2,000 feet of rock and saw precious sunlight after the longest underground entrapment in history.

1st of Chile 33 Miners Rescued

UPDATED

The first of 33 miners trapped for 69 days in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground has reached the surface.

Ecopetrol To Buyout BP Colombian Business

BP has agreed to sell its oil and gas exploration business in Colombia.

Cocaine Smuggler Elected Suriname President

Lawmakers in Suriname have elected the former military strongman and convicted cocaine smuggler, Desi Bouterse, who previously seized power in two coups, as President.

Guyana May Have National Airline Again

The high and increasing cost of travel to and from Guyana and its regional neighbours has prompted the Bharrat Jagdeo administration to consider starting up a state-owned airline.

Brazil Direct Flight To Barbados This Year

Barbados will soon have a direct non-stop flight from South America.

Guyana Government Complicity With Drug Ring Aired In New York

This small English-speaking nation, home to the Caribbean trade bloc (CARICOM), has been in the news recently due to revelations in a New York court that the government here willingly and knowingly gave surveillance equipment to a private death squad so that it could hunt down and execute more than 200 criminal suspects and opposition activists it wanted off the scene – as far back as 2002.

The revelations have not caught many of the 730,000 people in the former British colony by surprise because most know that Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo’s administration has for some time been much too close to a violent gang of cocaine dealers and gangsters. In fact it has often used this gang to frighten or kill off rival gangs and opposition supporters – as was the case with opposition talk show host Ronald Waddell.

Waddell, a fierce critic, was gunned down outside his seaside home as he went for a stroll in early 2006 by four well known-ex cops who today openly roam the streets and consort with government officials in full public view. Evidence from the New York case has implicated this same gang which was gifted with the equipment in his unsolved murder.

Drug Trade Destroying Forests In Peru

Drug traffickers have destroyed nearly two million hectares of forests in Peru in order to grow coca, the raw material for cocaine, EFE newsagency reported on Monday, quoting the country’s Environment Minister Antonio Brack.

“The traffickers invaded protected areas and cleared forests for land to grow coca,” the minister said, adding that this activity has destroyed “nearly two million hectares of forest” in the country. Most of the damage has been done in the jungle regions of San Martin and Huanuco, and in the Valley of the Apurimac “The illegal trade has had a very strong impact on the environment,” Brack told the official Andina news agency Sundayand Ene rivers, known as the VRAE region, according to the minister.

Drug trafficking also affected the environment via the dumping of chemicals into rivers and other bodies of water, the minister said, and added that his department would work to restore forests in the areas cleared by drug traffickers.

“We can help restore forests and improve environmental systems in the drug zones, once they are pacified,” Brack said.

Peru which attracts millions of tourists every year, is also the second biggest producer of cocaine in the world. The street price for a gram of cocaine in Peru is less than $5 while it can fetch more than $100 in Europe.

Source: The Times Of India

Bahamas Named In Drug Bust Smuggling Ring

  The Bahamas has been named in what has been described as the biggest drug bust ever in Israel as lawmen in that Middle Eastern country reported breaking up a smuggling ring involving three countries. They said one and a half tonnes of cocaine, worth US$500 million, have been seized in the Caribbean island, Spain and Peru.

A statement issued by law enforcement officials did not reveal how much of the illegal drug was found in the Bahamas, neither did it give any indication as to how deeply the island was involved in the ring.

However, the police statement said that the drugs were hidden inside industrial machinery and then shipped in containers from Latin America to Europe and the Middle East. 

The contraband was reportedly seized between October 5 and November 15 as a result of a joint investigation carried out by Israeli authorities and various European and South American police forces.

It has been reported that some Israelis have been arrested so far, including a welder and the head of a cargo company who arranged the drugs’ transport. They were held in Peru.

Source: Caribbean 360

Venezuela Willing To Join OECS

Venezuela wants to join the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the nine-member grouping says it’s considering the request.

OECS Director General Dr Len Ishmael said some proposals would have to be further studied before a decision was taken. The matter was discussed at the recently ended meeting of the OECS Authority in Montserrat.

Although saying member countries have had solid relations with Venezuela, Dr Ishmael said it was too early to say whether they would be willing to welcome the South American country into the OECS fold.

“Any proposal that seeks to deepen functional cooperation between Venezuela and ourselves at the regional level is one that we would look at and wish to discuss,” she said.

Meantime, the OECS leaders ended the meeting in Montserrat resolving to go ahead with plans to form their own economic union by 2009. Trinidad is expected to join two years after that, before entering into a political union by 2013.

A major part of the OECS Economic Union will be reaching out to members of the public and Grenada Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, who is Chairman of the grouping, said that “if we really set out to do this sensitisation and get this public consultation process going, this will be done within the year”.
 
Consultations have already started in St Lucia, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Montserrat.

Source: Caribbean 360

Guyana One Man Stance Against EPA Agreement

….But not to sign now would be castastrophic – AFC 

 Photo credit – Kaieteur News

Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Raphael Trotman, says that while President Bharrat Jagdeo’s stance on the EPA is commendable, it should have commenced a long time ago.
He added that it is good to see that the national spirit of the country is with the President; but, “On the other hand, we have to be careful of the impact of standing alone…The world is moving towards political and economic blocs.”

Trotman noted that for Guyana to be left standing alone, isolated from the many blocs, it would place the country in a very precarious position.
Meanwhile, party chairman Khemraj Ramjattan added that, given that the other CARIFORUM countries have committed to signing, it would be a catastrophy for Guyana not to sign. He pointed out that the country’s rum, rice and sugar would suffer seriously from the tariffs they would have to endure that would make them uncompetitive.
Jagdeo says that he will hold out for a ‘goods only’ agreement with the European Union for as long as possible.
CARIFORUM leaders met at a Special Meeting of Heads in Barbados on September 10 to discuss the way forward on the controversial EPA, and subsequently agreed to sign by the end of October.
According to Jagdeo, signing a deal governing the trade of services will swing the pendulum in Europe’s favour.
He was pressing for the regional leaders to unite and pause to further scrutinize the services aspect of the deal, “Europe cannot bring sanctions if we collectively pause.”
The Barbadian Head of State, David Thompson, however, debunked Jagdeo’s call, saying that the time for pausing has ended. “Pausing will be thief of time.”
Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, says that he was ready to sign the EPA despite the fact that there were some lingering concerns in his country.
The concerns, however, were not enough, he said, to cause him to not sign.
“Did we get what we want? No…Did we get a good agreement? Yes…Could we have gotten a better deal? …I doubt it.”
He also added that he did not believe that re-negotiating another deal was possible.
Golding also emphasized the dangers of CARIFORUM exports being subject to the Global System of Preferences, and questioned whether the region could afford to have its exports subjected to 20 per cent duties.
He noted that the region could not withstand the duties. “Those who are saying let’s not sign must address the question of what to do with exports that will be un-competitive when it attracts the duties.”
Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, noted that the concerns raised by Jagdeo were valid, but he posited that he would have to sign sooner or later.
Recently, the Guyana Government held a public consultation, in which the decision to support Jagdeo’s position was reinforced.

FULL STORY

• Sinckler: Barbados Will Sign EPA Agreement
• Guyana: Details Of EPA Hid From Region
• Barbados Mad Rush To Sign EPA Agreement

Venezuela Expels US Ambassador As Cold War Heats Up In Caribbean

  

Russia Tu-160

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expelled the US envoy to Caracas and threatened to halt crude exports to the United States on a day he highlighted the recent arrival of two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers.

Chavez ordered US ambassador Patrick Duddy to leave the country within 72 hours, in a move he described as an act of solidarity with Venezuela’s ally Bolivia, which also expelled its US envoy.

“Starting at this moment the Yankee ambassador in Caracas has 72 hours to leave Venezuela,” Chavez said at a public event in the port city of Puerto Cabello, 120 kilometers west of Caracas.

He said it was “in solidarity” with the leftist government of President Evo Morales in Bolivia, which on Wednesday ordered the US ambassador to La Paz to leave. Washington expelled Bolivia’s ambassador to the United States on Thursday.

“We will send an ambassador when there is a new government in the United States, a government that respects the people of Latin America,” he declared at a political rally.

Chavez then threatened to halt the supply of oil to the United States, its main client, if Washington attacks his government.

“If there is any aggression towards Venezuela” from Washington, “there would be no oil for the people of the United States,” said Chavez, who used coarse expletives to disparage the US government.

Also yesterday Chavez announced that his government had uncovered a coup plot hatched by active and retired military officers, which he said had tacit US approval.

A military prosecutor said two officers – retired general Wilfredo Barroso and retired major Elimides Labarca Soto — will be tried for incitement to rebellion, a charge punishable by five to 10 years in prison.

The Venezuelan leader also told those gathered at the rally that he had ordered a reduction in flights to Venezuela by US airlines.

Adapted from International News Reports

Brazil, Argentina To Eliminate US Dollar

   As the US dollar continues its slide against other world currencies and the banking and financial sectors weight in on the stock markets in the global economy, two of our South American neighbours have made the decision to stop using the US dollar in bilateral trade.

From Times of India

The presidents of Brazil and Argentina signed an agreement Monday to stop using the dollar in bilateral trade, but it will be up to traders to decide if they want to end use of the U.S. currency.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez hope the measure will smooth trade transactions between the two nations _ which are forecast to top US$30 billion this year.

But it is unclear how many exporters and importers will decide to do away with the dollar when the measure takes effect in early October.

Silva says it will reduce transaction costs for both exporters and importers, especially those operating on a smaller scale.

Alexandre Barros, an analyst with the Brasilia-based Early Warning political risk consultancy, says the dollar’s fall in the past year has prompted many nations to look for alternative currencies to use for trade.

• Brazil, Argentina Drops U.S. Dollar For Bilateral Trade

Guyanese Pissed Off By Nation News’ Journalist

Call Kensington Oval A Space Age Monster!!!

Photo credit – Wikipedia

Guyanese are mad as hell. Carifesta X [Caribbean Festival of Creative Arts] now being held in Guyana until Sept 25 had its share of journalists presented at the opening ceremony.

One of those is Michelle Springer from the Nation’s newspaper. Ms Springer didn’t think to highly of the performances and gave her critique here.  Well who tell she to do that?  Livinguyana’s Bajan Journalists Slams Carifiasco Opening Ceremony  pick up on that story. The blog make sure to start off first with the positives reviews on Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago presentations and then end, giving readers the comparisons on the negatives reviews on the rest of the opening gala hosted by Guyana.

One anonymous blogger [who was identified as a Bajan by a Guyanese] said

Fair and balanced report from an independent journalist. The show will be quickly forgotten because it was a poor show overall. There were a few good elements but the vast majority of it was poor.

Dat dine went down to well

Fair and balance meh cyat! the whole caribbean is anti indian and hence anti PPP. Get that right!

Apparently GMC is a Bajan. Dem black rass can say what the want, Guyanese black,Indian and other don’t like them.

One even challenged us to hold it in our space age monster of a stadium!

….well next time let Barbados host in that out of place in the tropics, space age looking monster of a stadium they call Kessington Oval.

I was outside in the veranda on the phone facing the TV when I saw the Carifesta opening ceremony earlier tonight. It was in very poor taste.  Read responses here

• Walcott: Scrap Carifesta

Guyana: Details Of EPA Hid From Region

Guyana Thursday said Caribbean Community (Caricom) negotiators allegedly hid details of the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union that would put the region at a disadvantage.

Guyana’s Cabinet Secretary, Roger Luncheon, said apparently negotiators at the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery decided to release only part of the impact of the EPAs to the 14 independent Caricom member-nations and the Dominican Republic.

“I don’t want to go to the logical conclusion that they hid this from us or they underestimated our ability,” he told at a news conference

Guyana’s President, Bharrat Jagdeo, has refused to sign the EPA on July 15 in Barbados, until after country-wide consultations and discussions, expected to start late July, or if Europe decides to impose higher tariffs on Guyanese exports.

Source: Turkish Press

• Barbados Mad Rush To Sign EPA Agreement

Chavez Says Oil Could Hit $300 A Barrel!

      Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said last night oil prices could hit $300 per barrel if US oil company Exxon Mobil again freezes Venezuelan assets in a dispute over a nationalized oil project.

Exxon won court orders freezing $12 billion in assets held by Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA after the OPEC nation took over a multi-billion dollar oil project, heightening tensions with the United States and helping to raise oil prices.

A London court later overturned Exxon’s temporary asset freeze, but Chavez said the company could seek further action against Venezuela.

“If they freeze us there will be no more oil for the United States, and the price will go to $300,” Chavez said during a televised meeting with Caribbean and Central American leaders as part of an energy cooperation scheme called Petrocaribe.

Chavez also said oil prices were being influenced by a “speculative bubble”, the collapse of which could send prices as low as $70 per barrel.

This contrasted with his Saturday statements that geopolitical tensions, particularly the threat of an invasion against Iran, could push oil prices to $200 per barrel.

“Years ago I said oil was going to go to $100 per barrel, now it looks like it is headed toward $200,” he said.

Source: Irish Times

Chavez Lowers Oil Payments For Caribbean Nations

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday touted a pact delivering fuel to Caribbean nations and loosened the financing terms to aid countries struggling with high oil prices.

Chavez said nations taking part in the Petrocaribe initiative will now be required to pay just 40 percent of the bill within 90 days — down from the current 50 percent. He said the rest can be paid over the next 25 years at a fixed interest rate of 1 percent as long as oil prices are above US$100 a barrel.

“That could compensate for the horrible curve of the jump in oil prices,” Chavez said.

He added that 70 percent of payments may be deferred if oil rises above US$200 a barrel.

Chavez said Venezuela aims to continue strengthening the Petrocaribe accord and make it into an “anti-hunger shield” for countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Three years after Petrocaribe began, though, figures released by officials show the initiative is still not operating at full strength because of transportation and storage problems.

Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said member countries other than Cuba are receiving a total of 86,000 barrels of oil a day — significantly less than their quota of 125,000.

Ramirez said Venezuela expects performance will improve with the expansion of an oil distribution network in the Caribbean.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines expects to complete construction of a storage facility next year with Venezuelan help, allowing it to boost the 300 barrels a day it currently receives — less than a third of its Petrocaribe quota, said Thornley Orsino Myers, who heads a St. Vincent electrical utility and accompanied his country’s delegation.

[Antigua/Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominician Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St.Kitts/Nevis, St.Lucia, St.Vincent/Grenadians, Suriname and Venezuela  are signatories to the Petrocaribe Agreement]

Adapted From Taipei Times

Chavez To Next US President: Let’s Work Together

Hugo Chavez wants to work together with the next US president, the Venezuelan president said Saturday, adding that Venezuela and the United States should cooperate to resolve problems including world hunger, energy shortages and climate change.

But Chavez also warned that George W. Bush “will be much more dangerous during the last months that he has left” in the White House, and accused the outgoing US president of attempting to orchestrate his assassination or spur a military rebellion in Venezuela.

“Whoever is the next president of the United States, I’d like start preparing the way to start working together,” said Venezuela’s socialist leader.

By cooperating, both countries could “help save the world from the food crisis, energy crisis and climate crisis,” he added.

Further Reading – Chavez: Venezuela Wants To Cooperate With Next US President

US Navy Patrols In Venezuela Waters Rattles Chavez

A few days ago after after violating Venezuela air space, the Pentagon has announced that it will reactivated the Navy’s fourth fleet to patrol Venezuela waters.

That’s right folks. The US navy is gearing up their patrols in the area. Of course Chavez will have something to say about that.

“They don’t scare us in the least. If a North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] exists, why can’t a SATO exist, a South Atlantic Treaty Organization?”