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CSME the best response to changes in Europe – CARICOM Outgoing Chair

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CARICOM, Greater Georgetown, Guyana Secretariat, Turkey – The CSME is the Community’s best response to the inevitable changes in its traditional markets in Europe, the prevalence of economic liberalization and the emergence of economic blocs, Outgoing Chairman of the Caribbean Community said Tuesday evening.

Speaking to the opening of the 38th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government at the Grenada Trade Centre in Grand Anse, the President of Guyana said the CSME is still the best vehicle to allow small states like those of CARICOM to compete in the global economy while promoting economic and social development.

CARICOM Heads of Governments, who began the first business session of their two-day meeting on Wednesday, are expected to examine the findings of a comprehensive review of the CSME.

Describing the deepening of economic integration by advancing a single market and economy, as the “most ambitious project attempted by the Community,” President Granger said, “It must not become its most ambiguous.”

“The CSME, especially given the present uncertainties facing the Region’s international relations, must be accelerated in order to create a single economic space.”

With an encouraging tone, he said: “The Community, with a total land area of 462, 352 km2, is larger than Sweden and, if it were a single country, would be the 56th largest in the world. Size matters. The Community be the 56th largest in the world. Size matters.”

Given the accumulative land, the labour, the talent and the capital the Community possess, it could guarantee food security for its citizens, the Guyanese Head of State posited.

Within this context, he bemoaned the Community’s annual food import bill, which he said exceeded US$4B.

Noting that such a situation was “a notorious indictment,” the outgoing Chairman said non-tariff barriers continued to constrain trade in food. The need was urgent, therefore to re-examine how it can dismantle the non-tariff barriers to trade in agricultural products while generating employment for citizens,” he said.

Emphasising the critical importance of removing barriers to foster more efficient intra-regional trade, he said: “Small internal markets consign states to high dependence on external trade. Intraregional trade, therefore, is important. The Caribbean Common Market was established to ensure markets for regional production, inter alia. Intraregional trade provides a basis for increasing national production, augmenting investment and generating employment. The environment is an inescapable economic reality.”

As he reflected on his “semester” as Chairman of the Community, President Granger said current international realities provided ample opportunities for the Community to work together to protect vital interests at the levels of citizen, country and the community.

Expressing confidence in the future he said, “With such a clear vision and commitment, CARICOM can confront the future with confidence.”

The President of Guyana reminded his colleagues to keep citizens at the centre of the Community and to reject “the odious notion of ‘statelessness’.”

Providing a nexus between the rights of the citizen and the freedom of movement regime of the CSME, he said that the respect of the right of citizens obliged leaders to “dismantle restrictive immigration practices, which impede free movement.”

Referencing the original Treaty of Chaguaramas, he said the founding fathers envisioned the strengthening of   “bonds among the people of the Caribbean to fulfil aspirations for “…full employment and improved standards of work and living…”

He also recalled that the Charter of Civil Society of the Caribbean Community established the respect for every citizen’s fundamental human rights, including the right to life, liberty and security of the person.
Therefore, he stated: “The perverse notion of a ‘stateless’ person is anathema to the Community’s concept of human dignity. The Community must never cease condemning inhuman treatment meted out to Caribbean citizens in the Dominican Republic or anywhere else.”

The Guyanese Head of State said: “The Caribbean, our home, must be secure. It must remain a ‘zone of peace’ through our unstinting solidarity in defence of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of member states.”

At the same time he said that security cooperation, under the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACs) and through international agreements such as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), which have helped to keep citizens safe, were not sufficient in an age of international terror.
Underscoring the importance of advancing the Roadmap for a Single ICT Space, he said could help the region to “straddle the 3,200 km2 of sea space, which separates Nassau in the north from Paramaribo in the south, through information and communications technology.”

[http://pr1122017%20%20address%20by%20his%20excellency%20brigadier%20david%20granger%2C%20%2838th%20hogc%2C%20grenada%202017%29.doc/]full text of the speech delivered by Outgoing Chairman of the Caribbean Community, H.E. David Granger, President of Guyana at the opening of the 38th CARICOM Summit.

Photo caption: Outgoing Chairman of the Caribbean Community, H.E. David Granger, President of Guyana delivering his remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 38th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, Tuesday 4 July 2017, Grand Anse, Grenada.

Press Release: BIS

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Twist To Win Ends in a Grand Style with Four $5,000 Mall at Marathon Shopping Sprees  

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Twist To Win grand finale winners (l-r) Brian Bethel, Taraceta Neely, Ashia Demeritte and Merlin Adams posing along with their winnings from the shopping spree.

NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.

The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.

With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.

Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.

Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.

Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!

After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.

The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.

At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.

Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.

Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.

The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.

Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.

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 The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival  

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NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival.                                                                                                                                                                              Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.

As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.

Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole, with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.

Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.

Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the listening booth.

Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.

For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!

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CWS Brings a Galore of Bubbles at Annual Jollification Festival  

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Caribbean Wines & Spirits team members smiling behind one of the company’s two bars at Jollification

NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.

Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.

The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members.  Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.

Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine.  To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.

On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking in the comfort of the chic lounge.  In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.

The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.

Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.

To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.

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