Daily Archives: 03/21/2014

Guyana: The business community and declining fortunes

GCCI

The business community and declining fortunes

MARCH 13, 2014 |  EDITORIAL

The Georgetown Chamber has completed yet another attitudinal survey and as has been the norm, its findings hold no surprises for those who have been following business trends over recent years. The overwhelming majority of those who responded to the survey say that they do not hold out much hope for a change in their fortunes this year.

This comment jars sharply against comments by the government that the economy is on the ‘improve’ and that businesses are expanding.  The government has over the years, been keen to inform the world that it was open to expediting the investment climate and that people were falling head over heels to come to invest in Guyana.

Such a report would have brought smiles to the members of the business community. For example, the hotels would have been reporting better occupancy, because the visiting investors would have had to stay somewhere.  Continue reading

The real meaning of the protests in Venezuela – Commentary

Commentary: The real meaning of the protests in Venezuela
Published on March 21, 2014 – Caribbean News Now
By Jose GomezIt is obvious to keen observers that a coup d’état is being attempted in Venezuela,The tactics are inspired by the “Gene Sharp” protocol. Sharp is a former US military officer, now professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts and author of an essay entitled ‘From Dictatorship to Democracy’. The essay provides a political framework as a method to undermine the stability of an established government that is regarded as ‘not friendly’ to the United States.

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Jose Gomez is Venezuela’s ambassador to Barbados

The book, translated into more than 30 languages, describes methods to overthrow governments, divided into three major phases: protest, non-cooperation and intervention. It is these methods that are being employed by the opposition in Venezuela following the outcome of the presidential election of April 14, 2013, in which they were defeated by Nicolas Maduro. The methods are:

Softening: the development of media priming and agenda setting in national and international public opinion focused on actual or potential deficits; thrust of conflict and promotion of discontent”. The media is overwhelmingly in the hands of the opposition.   Continue reading

A Hundred Years Later – by Uri Avnery

Europe in 1914

A Hundred Years Later

Uri Avnery   – 22/03/14

THERE IS an old Chinese curse that says: “May you live in historic times!” (If there isn’t, there should be.)

This week was a historic time. The Crimea seceded from Ukraine. Russia annexed it.

A dangerous situation. No one knows how it will develop.

AFTER MY last article about the Ukrainian crisis, I was flooded with passionate e-mail messages.

Some were outraged by one or two sentences that could be construed as justifying Russian actions. How could I excuse the former KGB apparatchik, the new Hitler, the leader who was building a new Soviet empire by destroying and subjugating neighbouring countries?  Continue reading

UK: Airline Taxes to the Caribbean will be reduced next year

UK: Airline Taxes to the Caribbean will be reduced next year

(News Americas) LONDON, England, Thurs. Mar. 20, 2014:

British-Airways-Aircraft A tourist flying to the Caribbean from the UK will soon shell out less to get there, thanks to reforms of the controversial Air Passenger Duty (APD)  announced by British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne Wednesday, March 19,2014.

Right now, flying to the Caribbean costs an additional £83 to £166 in taxes to the British government on an outbound ticket. Little wonder that visitor arrivals to the Caribbean from Britain has been on a decline since 2011.

But all that could change come April 1, 2015. That’s the date Chancellor Osborne announced that all long-haul flights will be moved into ‘Band B,’ meaning customers travelling to the Caribbean will pay the same as if they were travelling to the US.   Continue reading

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