The Chase Files Daily Newscap 2/16/2018
Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for February 16th 2018. Remember that you can read full articles via purchasing a Weekend Nation Newspaper or via Barbados Today.
DLP PLOT – The Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) is accusing the Freundel Stuart administration of plotting to bypass the ruling by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) on the sale of Barbados National Terminal Company Ltd to the Sir Kiffin Simpson-led Sol Group. The BLP’s Kerrie Symmonds said in Parliament yesterday that he had evidence Government was contemplating changing the law so the sale could proceed, despite the FTC’s ruling on November 28 last year that the deal could not go through in its current form because it was “anti-competitive, restricts competition or potential competition”. In fact, during debate on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for 2018 to 2019 Symmonds claimed to have had a copy of a January 19, 2018, letter from Sol to the ministries of Finance, Energy, and Industry and International Business, seeking confirmation on a draft legislation. According to Symmonds that letter also asked about confirmation on implementation of a moratorium, something the FTC had rejected. “If there is a request for draft legislation, it would suggest to me that there is an intention or some discussion about having legislation which would do that which the Fair Trading Commission said should not be done,” the BLP parliamentarian said. In a bid to prop up tumbling foreign exchange reserves and close the gaping fiscal deficit, Government last year agreed to sell the statutory corporation to Sol for US$100 million – a decision over which Sol competitor, Rubis, has gone to court, challenging the inclusion of a 15-year moratorium clause in the agreement between Government and Sol for the merger. The clause prohibits the construction of another oil terminal in Barbados, as well as the granting of licences for the storage of fuel, aviation fuel and jet fuel for the commercial and industrial purposes. The FTC, which had also been looking at the deal, later ruled that the deal could only go ahead if certain conditions were met, such as a stipulation that there could be no 15-year moratorium on the construction of new terminal facilities. The regulatory authority also rejected Sol’s call for a 32 per cent pre-sale increase in throughput fees at the Fairy Valley storage site on the basis that it could impinge on the provisions of the Fair Competition Act, which prohibits post-merger increases in prices. “Higher throughput fees charged post-merger may provide a sufficient cushion for Sol to engage in anticompetitive tactics in any of its downstream operations, which could potentially have a negative impact on consumers,” the FTC had said. With the controversial deal, there were also concerns that costs would likely be passed onto consumers and that Sol could end up with an energy monopoly. Despite this ruling, Symmonds claimed, “a letter is being directed to the Minister of Finance asking for confirmation of the implementation of the moratorium by the Government”. The letter as read by Symmonds also sought confirmation of a proposed 32 per cent increase on throughput fees for gasoline and diesel. “If the Government is saying that they are going to go behind the Fair Trading Commission and legislate what they wish to legislate in spite of the commission’s protection of consumers in Barbados . . . then the Government must come clean and say, ‘we are turning our back on the Fair Trading Commission and we are going do what we want to do through Parliament,’” the Member of Parliament for St James Central said. “If Government’s intention is in fact to take the step of legislating its way so as to ensure that the transfer of the BNTCL to this particular company is done, then Government has to be mindful of the Opposition’s position” that there must be “a Barbados which is characterized by fairness in the marketplace”. Minister of Commerce and Industry Donville Inniss was quoted earlier this month as saying efforts were under way to salvage the BNTCL sale. However, while there was no information on the efforts, the minister is reported to have stressed that any such divestment “must be” done under FTC rules, with his preference being an arrangement that includes both Sol and Rubis. (BT)
BPWCCUL STRIKES BACK AT CRITICS OF ITS PRESIDENT – The board of the island’s largest credit union today hit back at those behind claims that its president Raphael Holder has been guilty of possible conflict of interest. A story published by Barbados TODAY on February 5, 2018, stated that the supervisory committee of the Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Limited (BPWCCUL) had confirmed that it was giving top priority to a probe into claims that Holder might have breached Section 75 of the Cooperative Societies Act CAP 378 A, which requires directors of the board to disclose their interests in the award of material contracts. The investigation was triggered by an unsigned letter purportedly from an aggrieved employee or employees of the BPWCCUL, alleging that Holder’s private company, CER Holdings Inc, was also the landlord for the newest credit union branch at Mile-And-A-Quarter, St Peter. But today, Group Chief Executive Officer Clordina Alleyne was adamant that the claims were untrue. “The public should therefore be cautious in drawing inferences as to the integrity of our president Raphael Holder, the Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Limited, its board of directors, elected committee members, management and members as well as CER Holdings Inc and its directors,” Alleyne said in a statement. She said it was unfortunate that the “untruth” was published in that the information could tarnish the credit union’s good name and that of all others associated with the non-banking financial institution. “The Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Limited remains a strong, vibrant and open organization. Such openness is evident in the fact that the Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Ltd investigates complaints, even if those complaints are made by anonymous persons and are not supported by a scintilla of evidence,” the CEO said in defence of her organization’s reputation. Alleyne also noted that the openness was also evident in the fact that members have the opportunity to express their views on any matter. In a separate letter to Deputy General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) Dwaine Paul, which the BWU official had said then he had not yet seen, but a copy of which had been obtained by Barbados TODAY, the author outlined a number of grievances, including “questionable dismissals and hiring practices” and fears surrounding the location of the Mile-And-A-Quarter branch. “One of the most recent concerns is the new location at Mile-And-A-Quarter in St Peter where they have chosen to put our branch so far off the main road. Mr Paul, people are being attacked at ATMs [automated teller machines] and remote bank branches are being robbed,” the writer said, while making a desperate plea for help. “Things look rosy on the outside [of the general credit union operations] because we, the staffers, are the ones keeping the credit union together, but we are under pressure and the cracks are widening.” But today the Alleyne sought to defend the organization’s management reputation and to distance it from any questionable decisions. “The Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Ltd is on a solid foundation, is properly managed and commits to providing its members with opportunities to enhance their financial, social and economic well-being, which are hinged on cooperative principals. Such opportunities are supported by sound decisions made at board level, elected committees and management level and are often buttressed with advice from experts in their respective fields where necessary,” she told Barbados TODAY. (BT)
ICE CREAM COMPANY LOOKS TO PRODUCE HERE AGAIN – After nearly a decade of outsourcing production of its ice creams, local company BICO Ltd could return to producing the sweet, frozen stuff at home again if all goes according to plan. Executive Chairman Edwin Thirlwell announced today the financially struggling company was seeking to construct a $3 million production facility within another six months to manufacture a range of its ice cream products. It was on August 18, 2009 that the ice cream company lost its Harbour Road, St Michael manufacturing facility to fire, forcing it to outsource its production to Trinidad and Suriname. Speaking at the company’s annual media conference to report on its financial performance for the year ending September 30, 2017, Thirlwell said the decision to reconstruct a production plant here was due mainly to some challenges being experienced in the markets where the ice cream is being produced. (BT)
NSRL CHILL FOR BICO – While Barbadians continue to gobble up ice cream, the dreaded National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL) continues to bite into the profits of BICO. According to the local company’s executive chairman Edwin Thirlwell, while BICO showed modest growth for the first month of the year, the NSRL was negatively impacting business. During a press conference at the company’s Harbour Industrial Park headquarters yesterday, Thirlwell said Barbadians love for the frozen treat had resulted in BICO reporting increased sales for January. He revealed that following a “flat performance” in 2017, revenue for the month of January had showed a modest one per cent increase over the same period last year. “Fortunately, people are still buying BICO ice creams and for that we are grateful. We have shown a one per cent increase over January last year and while we don’t like to blow our own trumpets, that is a significant feat in the current circumstances,” Thirlwell said. (WN)
SEWAGE CRISIS FIX AHEAD OF SCHEDULE – The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) is reporting significant progress in the digging of 300-foot injection wells that are expected to offer a medium-term solution to the long running sewage crisis on the island’s south coast. In fact, the BWA’s Acting General Manager, Charles Leslie revealed today that barring any hiccups, relief should come much sooner than anticipated, although he did not say exactly when. Minister of Water Resource Management Dr David Estwick said last Saturday that with the digging of the wells, people and businesses affected by the sewage spills would get relief within three to six months. But at a press conference this morning at the site of the first dig at Graeme Hall, Christ Church, Leslie said that based on the progress made since digging began last weekend, he expected a considerable amount of time to be shaved off the minister’s estimation. (BT)
TAKE TOURISM SERIOUSLY – The head of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is suggesting that Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean are not taking tourism seriously enough. Speaking this morning at a press conference at the organization’s Baobab Tower, Warrens, St Michal headquarters where the CTO delivered the Caribbean Tourism Performance Report 2017, Secretary General Hugh Riley complained that tourism was being treated as a “casual pursuit” not as the serious enterprise that it is. Riley reminded the authorities that tourism employs 13.7 per cent of Caribbean people and contributes between seven and 80 per cent to gross domestic product (GDP). Yet, he said, it did not get the necessary attention to have it realize its full potential. “Tourism is a business that delivers foreign exchange every time a plane lands or a cruise ship docks. It reduces unemployment and delivers massive amounts of tax dollars to our national treasuries. Therefore, we should worry when we are not using this job-creating, tax-generating, foreign exchange earning machine to its full potential,” the Barbadian tourism professional said. The regional tourism development agency reported that despite the two category five hurricanes that devastated parts of the Caribbean last September, the region recorded 1.7 per cent increase in arrivals in 2017 to reach 30 million visitors for the first time ever. In addition, the CTO said, tourism spend jumped by 2.6 per cent to reach a record US$37 billion in revenue. Riley said despite the record performance, it was not time to jump for joy because there was a lot of work left to be done. (BT)
AG: ANNOYED OVER US RANKING - For the fourth year straight, Barbados is in the Tier 2 ranking of the United States’ (US) Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite yesterday chided the United States government for continuing to rank Barbados based on a lack of prosecutions. He was speaking at a workshop by US company Warnath Group on human trafficking in the Caribbean at the Baobab Tower in Warrens, St Michael. (WN)
WOMAN HURT IN PROSPECT SMASH-UP - A woman had to be freed from her car by the Barbados Fire Service using the Jaws of Life after she was involved in an accident with a sport utility vehicle along Prospect Main Road, St Michael. Police public relations officer Acting Inspector Roland Cobbler said the accident occurred around 3 p.m. The female driver apparently suffered a broken leg, while the male driver of the other vehicle complained of chest pains. (WN)
STUBBORN STREEKS SENT TO PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL – A 43-year-old man on a theft charge displayed a stubborn streak today when he was told he was being sent to the Psychiatric Hospital for an assessment. Ricardo Orlando Streeks, of Hill Road, Bank Hall, St Michael, is alleged to have stolen a $3.70 bar of soap from Massy Stores on Valentine’s Day. When asked to enter a plea, Streeks began rambling before eventually saying that he had someone who could pay the bill on his behalf. Based on his utterings, Magistrate Douglas Frederick informed him that he would be remanded into the care of doctors at the Black Rock, St Michael mental institution for assessment and the charge would be put to him again on March 8. But Streeks kept disturbing the sitting, telling Frederick that he could get the money paid. He also would not cooperate with the officer who tried to escort him from the No 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court to the holding cells in preparation for his transfer. (BT)
PUMA ACCUSED CHARGED – Customs documents allegedly showed that OUCH Boutique owner Grenville Delpeache brought in backpacks, in bulk, at the declared cost of $9 each, which were then sold at $110. Those documents also showed, the court heard, that Delpeache brought in slippers, sneakers and shoes at the declared cost of US$2.33 but then sold the slippers for BDS$100, Creepers sneakers for BDS$450 and Puma sneakers for BDS$200. This was the evidence of investigating officer Acting Sergeant Rodney Holder, who testified in the fake Puma case against Delpeache in the Bridgetown Traffic Court on Wednesday. Delpeache, 43, of Passage Gardens, Passage Road, St Michael, has denied three charges in relation to 17 pairs of slippers, seven single shoes (those placed on display) and 31 haversacks, which were allegedly found to be fake Puma items. He will give his defence on Monday. “I told the accused that my investigations suggested that based on the prices he was retailing the items for, he was well aware of the value and quality associated with the Puma brand. So the purchase price he was paying for the slippers, shoes and backpacks should have been an indicator that the items were not genuine Puma products,” the lawman said he told Delpeache, who replied: “No comment.” Holder said during his investigations he spoke to customs broker Anderson Cadogan who handed over two customs C63 Forms dated February 22 and August 18, 2017. The sergeant said the accused subsequently arrived with his attorney Romain Marshall and he told both of them about the offence of unauthorised use of the Puma trademark and that a search warrant had been executed at the Swan Street boutique. Backpacks, shoes and slippers had been seized. He said the accused, however, declined to comment when he told him (Delpeache) that investigations revealed them to be fake. The accused also declined to give a written statement. The investigating officer continued he asked the accused a number of questions including: “Is the genuineness of the product a factor you consider when purchasing stock?” and “What steps do you take to ensure that you are purchasing a genuine product?” He said the accused replied: “No comment.” Holder said he showed the accused the shoes and bags and asked him what he could say about them. The accused replied: “No comment.” The officer said the accused also declined to comment when asked from where did he purchase the items; whether that place was an authorised dealer for Puma and whether he was aware that the items were counterfeit. “I then told the accused that according to the customs documents the declared cost of a backpack was US$4.50/BDS$9, while the declared cost of the footwear, which to my understanding includes shoes and sneakers, was US$2.33/BDS$4.66. “He was purchasing a Puma backpack for US$4.50 and retailing it in his store for $110. He was purchasing a pair of Puma Fenty by Rihanna slippers for US$2.33 wholesale and retailing them at his store for $100. “I further told the accused that my investigations revealed that he was selling a pair of Puma Rihanna Creeper sneakers for BDS $450 and Puma sneakers for $200. I then asked him what he could say and he replied ‘no comment’.” He later charged the accused with three offences. When cross-examined by attorney Satcha Kissoon, he admitted that nowhere in the form were backpacks mentioned. He explained he had divided the price of the items by the number of items to arrive at the individual prices. (WN)
WRONG FIGHT – Magistrate Douglas Frederick today strongly chided a 37-year-old man who got involved in a “little girls’ fight” to defend his sister whom he said was a victim of bullying. “You are wrong on so many different levels,” Frederick told Kyrnan Alonzo Brewster, of Upper Hindsbury Road, St Michael, after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a 14-year-old girl yesterday. According to Sergeant Theodore McClean, Brewster’s sister, who is also 14 years old, was involved in an altercation with the other girl. When he got home and was told about the incident, he went to the girl’s house to speak to her but the situation deteriorated and they engaged in a verbal exchange, which ended with Brewster slapping the teen across her face. He had also armed himself with a rock and a 2×4 piece of wood. The incident was reported to police and the man was later arrested. In his defence, Brewster said he was told that the victim had crossed a road, rushed into his mother’s gallery and cuffed his sister without uttering a word. “All I did was go over to the grandmother’s to speak [with them], to find out what going on and why. I don’t really deal with children but this is three times now she interfering with my sister,” he said, adding that at one point the young girl “cussed” her grandmother. “I told her that she was wrong but I drop some cuss words too,” Brewster admitted. He further explained that he hit the girl after becoming vexed and frustrated. “She kicked at me and I slip back and my hand must have slapped her,” he said. The magistrate told Brewster he had given quite a credible account of the incident up until that point. “Nobody believes that,” Frederick stated, to which Brewster responded, “I respect that.” He also admitted that he armed himself with a rock and piece of wood when the little girl ran for a rock and aimed it at his sister. “I know I am wrong and I am very sorry for hitting she, but my intention was to clear the air and to find out why she targeting my sister all the time . . . Especially how these little children going I don’t want my sister to get [hurt],” Brewster said. But Frederick made it clear that Brewster should not have taken matters into his own hands. “You went there angry and she is a little girl. You went and put the law completely out of your favour. Two wrongs don’t make a right,” the magistrate said, “especially as you are already on bail and not adhering to your conditions or even showing for court.” For Brewster missing court on the pending charge, his surety had to pay $500 forthwith from the $2,500 bail and he was further granted bail in the sum of $2,000 to return to court on March 2. On that date, the magistrate will speak to the family of the 14-year-old victim. (BT)
GRENADIAN ACCUSED OF CRIMES AGAINST TOURISTS – A Grenadian man accused of committing two offences against frequent visitors to Barbados has been remanded to Dodds until February 23. Donshaine Shyan Akim Douglas, of no fixed place of abode, is accused of robbing Ghandilal Pandian of a $1,050 cellular phone and a $400 watch on February 9, as well as assaulting Maria Godja on the same day, with intent to rob her. He pleaded not guilty to the charges when he went before Magistrate Douglas Frederick today but prosecutor Sergeant Theodore McClean objected to bail, saying officers would find it difficult to locate Douglas if he were to abscond from court. In response, the accused stated that he was living at a friend in the St Michael area and was in between residences. However, the prosecutor told the court: “The place the accused mentioned, the police went to that residence and the lady there said she only keeps his clothes but he does not sleep there.” McClean then outlined more grounds for his objection to bail. He noted that Douglas was presently in the country on a CARICOM Skills Certificate and another person was also being sought in connection with the matter, and also pointed to the strength of the evidence against the accused. “The victims are workers on a cruise ship and are here regularly. We are making every effort to get their evidence when they dock here again on February 23,” the prosecutor added. Douglas stated that he had an Associate Degree in Social Science and had come to the country for work as a mixologist. However, he said he has had other minor jobs since being laid off. “You have too many obstructions at this time,” Frederick stated as he remanded the accused to the St Philip penal institution. (BT)
TEEN: ANGER FUELLING VIOLENCE – There are times when parents are unaware of what their children are doing. And it’s probably anger that is fuelling the violence among schoolchildren. These were the views of the 16-year-old schoolboy who has been charged in connection with the cutlass attack at Ellerslie School last November. Tyriz Nathan Skinner, of Fustic Village, St Lucy, was back in the Bridgetown Traffic Court yesterday, where he produced his finished report on the two books Stride Towards Freedom and Strength To Love by slain American civil rights activist, Dr Martin Luther King. He had been charged with wounding 17-year-old Ellerslie fourth former Dale Selman on November 22, 2017 and remains on $10 000 bail and a dusk-to-dawn curfew. “Do you know,” Magistrate Graveney Bannister asked the boy, “what is the root of the violence in schools?” “Probably anger,” the boy replied. “But who are you angry with and who are you retaliating against? And do you believe the parents should be held responsible?” the magistrate further asked. “It depends. Sometimes parents are unaware,” the boy replied. But the magistrate noted: “When you are a certain age, you must take responsibility for your actions and you must see the consequences of your actions – immediately and in the long term.” He then asked the boy what he had learnt in the wake of reading the two King books, to which the boy replied: “Don’t retaliate when things are bad or somebody interferes with you. “I have learnt that the use of violence does not solve anything,” he added. The magistrate further asked Skinner what lessons he would give to other students from the two books. “Try your best not to create violence and love one another,” said the 16-year-old, who has been moved from the Ellerslie School to a private secondary school. In the report, the boy listed the non-violence principles espoused by Dr King and the lessons he had taken from them, including one which he said confused him at first “since it advised that suffering should be accepted without retaliation.” “This principle suggests that the victim should accept the beating and blows without striking back. I asked myself why should I allow myself to be repeatedly beaten without defending myself. As I read further I began to understand the answer. My understanding is that there is power in suffering which builds character and strength in order to get through any bad situation,” the report said. Skinner’s report concluded that “in order to be the good citizen I want to become, I must conquer evil with love at all times don’t matter how difficult it may seem, in order to break the chain of tragedy and hurt”. The boy returns to court on April 30 and was exhorted by the magistrate, to keep reading and to share his knowledge with his friends. (WN)
FBI WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT FLORIDA MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING 17 AT SCHOOL – The Federal Bureau of Investigation was warned in September about an ominous online comment by the 19-year-old man accused of killing 17 people at his former high school but was unable to locate him, an agent said on Thursday. Authorities said the ex-student, identified as Nikolas Cruz, walked into the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, near Miami, on Wednesday and opened fire with a legally purchased AR-15-style assault rifle in the second-deadliest shooting at a public school in US history. Cruz may have left warning signs on social media in the form of a comment on a YouTube video that read “I‘m going to be a professional school shooter.” That comment troubled the person whose video Cruz commented on, Mississippi bail bondsman Ben Bennight, who passed it on to the FBI, according to a video he posted online late Wednesday. “No other information was included with that comment which would indicate a time, location or the true identity of the person who made the comment,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Lasky told reporters. Investigators were unable to find the commenter, he added. The FBI is conducting an extensive review of how it handled that tip to see if mistakes were made, a federal law enforcement official told Reuters. Wednesday’s shooting was the 18th in a US school this year, according to gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. It stirred the long-simmering U.S. debate on the right to bear arms, which is protected by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. President Donald Trump addressed the shooting in a White House speech that emphasized school safety and mental health while avoiding any mention of gun policy. “It is not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference,” Trump said at the White House. “We must actually make that difference.” Broward County schools superintendent Robert Runcie called for action on gun laws. “Now is the time for this country to have a real conversation on sensible gun control laws,” Runcie told a news conference. Democrats in the US House of Representatives criticized the Republican leadership for refusing to take up legislation on tightening background checks for prospective gun buyers. (BT)
TRINIDAD: GRANNY, 37, DEFENDS TAKING BABY IN BAND – A 37-year-old-year-old grandmother was reportedly warned by police officers against jumping up in a band with
her five-month-old grandson on Carnival Monday. The woman, dressed in full costume, was seen chipping behind a music truck on the streets of San Fernando with the child in a sling. As she approached the judging point at Harris Promenade, she was approached by a policewoman. Francesca Cabrera, of San Fernando, was a masquerader in the band Lionel Jagessar and Associates. The child’s mother, Bianca Cabrera, was also playing mas in the band. Photographs and footage of the grandmother dancing behind a music truck with the babe in arms outraged many on social media. But Bianca Cabrera was not too concerned. She contacted the Express yesterday to respond to her critics. Cabrera, 23, said she had been playing mas with her mother since childhood and wanted her children to be a part of the festivities. Her three-year-old daughter was also playing mas in the band. Cabrera said her baby boy even played kiddies Carnival on the streets of San Fernando on Sunday. “When he played on Sunday, everyone was saying how cute he looked and wanted pictures with him. Now, they want to criticize me? My daughter was there, too. My younger brother and sister were there, too. My mother was there. “I want people to stop minding my business. I know where my children are. They’re not hungry. Tell them to go and take care of their families,” she said. Cabrera denied her mother was scolded by police officers. She said her mother was simply having a conversation with the officer. Cabrera said she was carrying the baby during the parade, but handed him over to the grandmother on reaching the judging point. “I was an individual in the band and I had to do my portrayal before the judges. So when we reached the judging point, I gave him to my mother to hold. I don’t see anything wrong with having my child with me,” she said. Cabrera said she would not be deterred as she was a good mother. And she promised to return with her two children in Carnival 2019. San Fernando masman Lionel Jagessar said he observed the baby in the woman’s arms earlier in the day. His wife, Rosemarie Jagessar, cautioned the woman and asked that she not carry the baby in her arms during the parade. He said: “Many people come to us and say they have nowhere to leave their children. We tell them Sunday is for the children. Sometimes, on Carnival Monday, we allow older children to be a part of the band with their parents. But not these little ones. It is dangerous for them. The music is not good for them and then there are diseases floating around. “I saw the woman with the baby. At first, I did not notice the child in front of her. But when I realized it was a little baby, I told my wife to talk to her and she did.” Jagessar said he was directing the band members before the judges and was not aware the baby was still in the mother’s arms. (BT)
DAME BILLIE TO WEIGH IN ON QUEEN’S SUCCESSOR - Barbados is to help Commonwealth nations decide who should succeed Queen Elizabeth as head of the international grouping of former British colonies should she die in office. A high-level group of major Commonwealth figures, including Dame Billie Miller, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados; Robert Hill, a former Australia minister of defence, and Dr Ngozi Okonjo Weal, a former Nigeria minister of finance, will meet soon in London and on their agenda, according to the BBC and the Press Association of London, will be the subject entitled “wider governance considerations”, code words for who should succeed the Queen as the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth, say officials. (WN)
ENERGY DIVISION CLOSED – The public is advised that the offices of the Division of Energy and Telecommunications at Trinity Business Centre, Country Road, St Michael andGun Hill, St George, will be closed today, Friday, February 16, to allow staff to attend a function. The Division apologises for any inconvenience caused. (WN)
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