Uruguay

Caribbean countries that live in fear of being blacklisted by the European Union should band together and take legal action, according to Barbados-based economist and Caribbean policy expert Marla Dukharan.

“I felt like there should be some legal recourse that should be pursued collectively,” Ms. Dukharan said on Feb. 23 on the regional livestreamed show “Territories Talk,” hosted by Shaina Smith-Archer, chairwoman of the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association.

The Virgin Islands has been added to the European Union’s “grey list” along with nine other jurisdictions in the Caribbean and elsewhere, the EU Council announced after its meeting on Feb. 24.

Besides the VI, the EU added the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Israel, Montserrat, Russia, Tunisia, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Vietnam, bringing the total list up to 25 jurisdictions.

AT least two executives at Scotiabank are opening up about the factors which contribute to rising bank fees and charges.

Executive vice-president of Scotia Caribbean, Central America and Uruguay (CCAU) and International Banking, Anya Schnoor and Audrey Tugwell Henry, president and CEO of Scotia Group Jamaica, told the Jamaica Observer that while the issue is universal, some of the charges are relevant because of Jamaica's unique circumstances.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved eight financial operations for Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, and Uruguay for a value of US $ 1.65 billion.

The operations they will be destined for aim to strengthen public finances, reactivate the economy, and improve health services, water and sanitation, and transportation.

Scotiabank yesterday announced that its Jamaica chief, Audrey Tugwell Henry, will be given additional responsibilities as the senior vice-president (SVP) of its Caribbean North and Central operations.

The appointment, which takes effect January 1, 2022, will see Tugwell Henry expanding her oversight of Scotiabank's operations to include the Bahamas, Cayman, Turks & Caicos, in addition to its Jamaican operations.

It comes just a year after Tugwell Henry was appointed the president and CEO of Scotia Group Jamaica in January 2021.

Rappler.com and c oda.com, in a weekly technology feature, have highlighted the objection made by Transwave - a non-government organisation (NGO) engaged in transgender advocacy - to the latest version of legislation to facilitate a digital national identification system in Jamaica.

The Government of Jamaica is designing and developing the National Identification System (NIDS), aiming to capture and store personal identity information for citizens and persons ordinarily resident in Jamaica.

The Head of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Dr Carissa Etienne has warned that many countries of the Americas are seeing a resurgence of coronavirus infections.

“In the Caribbean, infections are also going up,” Dr. Etienne reported, highlighting that Cuba saw the highest number of weekly cases since the start of the pandemic, and cases have tripled in the British Virgin Islands just weeks after reopening to cruise ships.

She said that COVID-19 cases rise when complacency sets in.

Cannabis store Kaya Herb House says plans are in place to open in St James, in late 2021 while the groundwork is also being laid for further Caribbean expansion.

Kaya Herb House was the first medicinal ganja retail operation in the Caribbean. Its retail centres, which can house 1000 patrons each, are now located in Drax Hall, St Ann; Lady Musgrave in Kingston and in Falmouth, Trelawny. Plans for a store in Rose Hall, St James, have been delayed, but are expected to mature in the fourth quarter 2021.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says regional states, including Barbados, could dramatically increase employment levels and improve sustainable development if they closed the digital connectivity gap with nations of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Importantly, the study has revealed that in Latin America and the Caribbean, major broadband penetration and 4G technology coverage gaps still existed compared with OECD countries.

THE administration of new US President Joe Biden holds the key to developing countries including Barbados, getting access to new financial allocations under the Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).

This is the view of Richard Kozul-Wright, Director of the Division on Globalization and Development Strategies at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).