Sygnus invests US$4-million private equity in Chukka Loop Jamaica

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

Sygnus Deneb Investments (SDI), the private equity investment company managed by Sygnus, has announced the completion of a US$4 million equity investment in Chukka Caribbean Holdings effective October 7, 2022.

The investment was made through the issuance of Convertible Preference Shares that will help the company to continue its strategic expansion and deepen its regional footprint, providing world-class nature adventure excursions across the Caribbean.

“This investment in Chukka is directly aligned with Deneb’s strategy to provide growth capital to middle market firms with established track records to catalyse their growth and strengthen their capital structure and balance sheet” stated Ike Johnson, Chief Operating Officer, Co-Founder and Head of Private Equity and M&A at Sygnus Group.

The Chukka Group is one of the leading Nature Adventure Tour Operators in the Caribbean. With a commitment to delivering the highest quality tours with well-trained guides and stringent safety standards, the company takes pride in showcasing the natural beauty of the Caribbean through unique and sensational experiences and providing opportunities for local residents and businesses.

Today, Chukka operates over 85 tours in five countries, namely Jamaica, Belize, Turks & Caicos, the Dominican Republic and Barbados, including eight cruise ship ports.

Chukka expanded its reach in 2020 by acquiring Resort Solution Ltd which operates the largest Watersports company in Jamaica from 9 major resorts on the North Coast.

The company also offers other services to resorts such as the Tour Desk and Gift Shop at the renowned Round Hill Hotel and Villas and the Valet Parking Desk, Concierge/Tour Desk and Airport Transfers at the newly opened ROK Hotel in Downtown Kingston.

Marc Melville, CEO of Chukka Caribbean Adventures shared, “We have a growth strategy, and we see a lot of opportunity and untapped potential in the region and many outstanding natural assets that people want to experience. In order for us to fully capitalise on all of these opportunities and further grow our business we thought private equity would be the right way to go. Finding the right private equity partner is no different than finding the right business partner. What we have found in the Sygnus team is the same as our own Chukka DNA, they understand people, focus on partnership, are visionaries and growth-oriented.”

SDI is a regional Private Equity (PE) investment company managed by Sygnus and is dedicated to providing equity and mezzanine capital in the key growth industries regionally. It targets investments in medium-sized companies with revenue ranging from US$5 million to US$50 million.

The fund typically invests in private companies via equity, convertible preference shares, subordinated debt, and other hybrid securities with equity components.

The investment in Chukka is the second portfolio investment by Sygnus Deneb, with the first being Aruba Wine and Dine made in 2020.

Sygnus Deneb has a robust pipeline of opportunities valued at almost US$100 million, which includes industries such as logistics, energy, maritime, retail, manufacturing and distribution, and we are looking to close additional deals before the end of the year.

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NGP Congratulates Descartes-Pelius, Says She Faces ‘A Daunting Task’ – St. Lucia Times News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

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The National Green Party (NGP) has congratulated Crusita Descartes-Pelius on her recent appointment as Acting Police Commissioner.

“On behalf of our party and the executive members, we would like to congratulate our new Commissioner of Police – a daunting task, to say the least, Madam Commissioner,” NGP leader Andre ‘Pancho’ de Caires stated.

He told St Lucia Times that Descartes-Pelius had taken office during a high crime period.

“We are going through many experiences in terms of criminality from the lowest levels to the highest levels,” he observed.

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Nevertheless, de Caires said the NGP would support all efforts to bring crime under control.

But he noted that the NGP does not support capital punishment as a green party, although he knows that many countries are returning to judicial executions.

“We don’t believe in capital punishment,” the NGP leader explained.

As a result, he noted the need to find means to alter personalities and remove criminality from people’s minds.

The NGP leader declared that the job of the new Acting Police Commissioner would be challenging.

However, he said Descartes-Pelius has the NGP’s support.

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The National Independence Service was held on Sunday

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

Vincentians from various denominations attended the National Independence Service, which was held Sunday  in commemoration of this country’s 43rd Anniversary of Independence.

The Service organized by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Christian Council, was held at the St. Georges Cathedral with the theme “Our Resilience, Our Fortitude, Our People”.

Governor General, Her Excellency Dame Susan Dougan was among dignitaries who attended the Service.

In her address, she encouraged persons to use this Independence period to reflect on the past and celebrate the country’s accomplishments.

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Dame Susan commended Vincentians who worked tirelessly amidst the recent challenges faced in SVG.

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Vincentians in the Diaspora join in the celebration of SVG’s 43rd Anniversary of Independence

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

Vincentians in the Diaspora are also celebrating this country’s 43rd Anniversary of Independence.

Consul General in Canada, Fitzgerald Huggins is spearheading activities in the Canadian Diaspora.

He says one of the highlights of the activities will be a Flag Raising Ceremony on Wednesday.

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Meanwhile, Consul General in the USA, Rondy Luta McIntosh says several activities will be held in New York.

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Clean up on the Kingstown Central Market has commenced

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

The Kingstown Board has begun the process of cleaning the Kingstown Central Market.

Warden at the Kingstown Board, Clayton Burgin says the cleanup of Kingstown is a priority for the Government.

He told NBC News that the vendors were given ample notice about the clean-up, which began on the weekend.

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Mr. Burgin says despite the opposition from some vendors the Government will continue to address the vending situation in Kingstown.

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Reports of another rape, murder case in search for Rushane Patterson Loop Jamaica

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

Reports are surfacing that Rushane Patterson, was held five months ago by the police after he reportedly absconded bail in a case where he was being investigated for murder and rape.

This is nine years after a judge threw out a similar case against the 33-year-old man. In the 2013 matter, Patterson was placed under investigation for rape abduction, and murder. Reports are that case was thrown out as the witness failed to show.

Checks by Loop News have found that following that 2013 development, Patterson, was reportedly held by officials in Lucea in May 2022, after they had sent out a warning calling for him to turn in himself to answer to a case of rape and murder.

A senior police official in that parish has since confirmed the information and told Loop News that the case, at the time, was later transferred to the Corporate Area and Patterson was scheduled to appear before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

The revelation has left several social media users asking what took place between that time, as five months later, Patterson is at the centre of another investigation and has been named a person of interest in a case where the body of a social media influencer was found at a beach in St James.

There are also reports circulating that Patterson who was given until Saturday, October 22 at 5:00 pm to turn over himself to the police may have fled the island.

Senior members of the police high command have however denied the reports that Patterson recently booked a flight and left the island via one of the international airports.

In the matter in 2013, a Judge threw out a case against Patterson after prosecutors conceded that they could not find the primary witness.

Allegations were raised that on February 9, 2013, a woman and her partner were walking along Cargill Avenue in St. Andrew when they were accosted by men in a motor vehicle.

The couple was held up at gunpoint. The male victim was placed in the trunk of the vehicle and was later fatally shot when he jumped from the moving vehicle in a bid to escape.

The woman was taken to a location where she was raped and her throat was slashed.

She was left for dead, but survived and reported the matter to the Half-Way-Tree Police.

Following an investigation, Patterson was held in Half-Way-Tree Square in 2014. He was later pointed out in an identification parade.

The case was dismissed after the Crown was given time to locate the witness but they failed to do so. The Judge later dismissed the case.

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Victim Stable After Shooting In Castries – St. Lucia Times News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

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The Saint Lucia Fire Service (SLFS) says the victim of a Ti Colon, Castries shooting on Monday was stable when emergency personnel transported him to the hospital.

SLFS Communications Officer Stacy Joseph said at about 9:45 pm, a crew from fire service headquarters in Castries responded to a report of an alleged shooting.

“The emergency crew found a male individual, who appeared to be in his late twenties, lying on the floor,” Joseph disclosed.

She said an assessment revealed that the patient had sustained several penetrating wounds.

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According to the SLFS spokeswoman, the emergency responders tended to the man’s wounds before transporting him to the OKEU Hospital.

“The patient remained in stable condition and was handed over to medical personnel upon arrival,” Joseph said.

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Dexter James appointed new CEO at Medical Complex in St Lucia Loop Barbados

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Barbados News

Dr William Dexter James is the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Millennium Heights Medical Complex (MHMC) in St Lucia.

The announcement of his appointment was made by the MHMC board of directors and took effect on Monday, October 17, 2022

The MHMC is the primary healthcare institution in St Lucia comprising Owen King EU Hospital, National Mental Wellness Centre, and Turning Point Rehabilitation Centre.

Dr James is the immediate-past CEO of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados.

The formative years of Dr James’ career were in a senior management role in the field of commercial and development banking until his subsequent move into the health sector in 1995. Over the past 25 years, Dr James has been at the forefront of public sector management and transformation, leading health reforms and health systems development as a policymaker and practitioner in the Caribbean.

He has held several Chief Executive positions in the public health systems, including Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and Anguilla, as well as in Barbados.

His most recent appointment was with the Commonwealth of Dominica, during which time he provided technical support to the interim board in establishing the Dominica Hospital Authority and was subsequently appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer of the Dominica Hospital Authority in January 2021.

Dr James has provided advisory support on regional governments’ public health policies and reforms. In that regard, he has been engaged as an expert and technical resource by regional agencies such as PAHO/WHO and international organizations such as Accreditation Canada International.

The new CEO is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) / Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) of Nova Scotia and a Chartered Accountant (CA) of Trinidad and Tobago; he also holds an MBA in Health Services Management. Dr James obtained his doctorate from Bangor University, Bangor Business School, Wales (U.K.) in Public Health Organization and Management, with emphasis on public sector organization, management, and transformation.

In May 2018, he was appointed as “Professor of Practice” in Public Policy and Healthcare Administration by the University of the West Indies (UWI), Faculty of Medical Sciences, Cave Hill, in recognition of his leadership role in health reforms and sterling contribution to healthcare practice in the region.

Dr James specialises in public health reforms, performance management, corporate governance, and healthcare innovation. He has presented research papers at regional and international conferences on many subject areas, such as health sector reform, healthcare financing and innovation.

He is the recipient of an international award from the Emerald Group Publishing Limited for Outstanding Doctoral Research in the Management and Governance category.

Joanna Raynold Arthurton, the chairperson of the MHMC board of directors, extends a warm welcome to Dr James. She informed that at this juncture, the Board is seeking to re-strategize and assess the current needs of MHMC to identify gaps and determine the priorities.

She informed that the Board sees this as a necessary step in developing a way forward for the institution.

Dr James will therefore play an integral role in making these determinations and establishing a new vision for the institution. He is expected to apply his wealth of knowledge and expertise in areas such as hospital administration, policy planning and analysis, health sector reform, financial management, strategic management, and organizational change to help position MHMC as a healthcare provider of choice in the Caribbean.

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COMMENTAAR: Situatie bij Staatsolie

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: De Ware Tijd Online

DE STAATSOLIE WERKNEMERS Organisatie Suriname roert zich. Ze hield vrijdag een ledenvergadering die werd bezocht door ongeveer 600 mensen, dat is

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Meloni dément être fasciste et ancre l’Italie dans l’UE et l’Otan

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Martinique FranceAntilles

La nouvelle Première ministre Giorgia Meloni a fermement ancré mardi l’Italie au coeur de l’UE et de l’Otan tout en rejetant toute “proximité” avec le fascisme, un mois jour pour jour après la victoire historique de son parti d’extrême droite…

La nouvelle Première ministre Giorgia Meloni a fermement ancré mardi l’Italie au coeur de l’UE et de l’Otan tout en rejetant toute “proximité” avec le fascisme, un mois jour pour jour après la victoire historique de son parti d’extrême droite Fratelli d’Italia aux élections et l’inquiétude qu’elle a suscitée.

L’Italie fait “pleinement partie de l’Europe et du monde occidental”, a-t-elle affirmé mardi avec force lors de son discours de politique générale devant les députés.

“Je n’ai jamais eu de sympathie ou de proximité vis-à-vis des régimes antidémocratiques. Pour aucun régime, fascisme compris”, a tenu à souligner celle qui fut dans sa jeunesse une admiratrice de Mussolini, même si en août elle avait déjà assuré que la droite avait “relégué le fascisme à l’Histoire”.

La première femme à diriger un gouvernement dans l’Histoire de l’Italie a aussi promis que le pays resterait “un partenaire fiable de l’Otan en soutien à l’Ukraine qui s’oppose à l’agression de la Russie”.

Ces déclarations visent clairement à rassurer Bruxelles et les partenaires de Rome, alors que Mme Meloni compte dans sa coalition des partenaires prorusses, notamment le chef de la Ligue Matteo Salvini et le leader de Forza Italia Silvio Berlusconi, ami personnel de Vladimir Poutine.

“Ceux qui pensent qu’il est possible d’échanger notre tranquillité contre la liberté de l’Ukraine se trompent”, a-t-elle assuré depuis la tribune de l’hémicycle.

“Céder au chantage de Poutine sur l’énergie ne résoudrait pas le problème, cela l’aggraverait, ouvrant la voie à de nouvelles prétentions et chantages et de futures augmentations (du prix) de l’énergie encore plus importantes que celles que nous avons connues ces derniers mois”, a-t-elle jugé.

Concernant l’Union européenne, elle a expliqué que l’approche italienne n’était pas de “freiner et saboter l’intégration européenne” mais de faire mieux fonctionner la machine communautaire.

“L’Italie va respecter les règles” européennes, a-t-elle également assuré, même si Rome veut aussi “contribuer à changer celles qui ne fonctionnent pas”.

L’UE est “une maison commune pour affronter les défis que les Etats membres peuvent difficilement affronter seuls”, a-t-elle ajouté, jugeant que l’UE n’a pas fait assez dans ce domaine dans le passé.

“Qui s’interroge” sur les défauts de l’UE “n’est pas un ennemi ou un hérétique mais quelqu’un qui veut contribuer à une intégration européenne plus efficace pour affronter les grands défis qui l’attendent”, a dit Mme Meloni, qui a pris ses fonctions dimanche.

Pour Lorenzo Codogno, ex-économiste en chef du Trésor italien et professeur invité à la London School of Economics, ces paroles, qui affirment le respect des institutions démocratiques et des alliances internationales, montrent qu’”on se dirige plus vers un gouvernement conservateur classique et non vers un régime à tendance fasciste”.

Ce discours sera suivi d’un vote de confiance, mardi soir à la Chambre des députés puis mercredi au Sénat. Mme Meloni est assurée de l’emporter puisque sa coalition dispose de la majorité absolue dans les deux chambres.

“Réduire la pression fiscale”

Alors que l’inflation fait rage, elle s’est engagée, mais sans rentrer dans les détails, à “renforcer les mesures de soutien aux ménages et entreprises, aussi bien pour les factures énergétiques que pour le carburant”.

L’ex-Premier ministre Giuseppe Conte, chef du Mouvement 5 Etoiles (ex-antisystème, opposition) a fustigé un discours où “les citoyens n’ont pas entendu un seul mot sur des solutions à leurs factures exorbitantes ou à la crise énergétique”.

L’inflation a augmenté de 8,9% sur un an en septembre et l’Italie a été particulièrement touchée par la crise énergétique en raison de sa dépendance aux importations de gaz russe.

La péninsule devrait entrer en récession en 2023 alors que sa dette atteint 150% du PIB, soit le ratio le plus élevé de la zone euro après la Grèce.

“La solution pour réduire la dette n’est pas une austérité aveugle (…) mais une croissance économique durable et structurelle”, a avancé la Première ministre, dont le discours a été régulièrement interrompu par des salves d’applaudissement.

Parallèlement, elle veut “réduire la pression fiscale sur les entreprises et les ménages”, alors que “le poids excessif de la fiscalité est l’un des principaux obstacles à la création d’emplois et à la compétitivité de nos entreprises sur les marchés internationaux”.

Concernant la manne de près de 200 milliards d’euros de subventions et de prêts accordés par l’UE dans le cadre de son fonds de relance post-pandémie, elle s’est engagée à les dépenser “au mieux en négociant avec la Commission européenne les ajustements nécessaires (…) à la lumière surtout de la hausse des prix des matières premières et de la crise énergétique”.

Sur l’immigration clandestine cheval de bataille de l’extrême droite, elle a affirmé la volonté de son gouvernement d’”arrêter les départs illégaux (d’Afrique, NDLR) et de mettre un terme à la traite d’êtres humains” en Méditerranée.

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La nouvelle Première ministre italienne Giorgia Meloni (c) s’adresse au Parlement, entourée du vice-Premier ministre et ministre des Affaires étrangères Antonio Tajani (d) et du vice-Premier ministre et ministre des Infrastructure Matteo Salvini (g), le 25 octobre 2022 à Rome
• Andreas SOLARO

La nouvelle Première ministère italienne Giorgia Meloni au Parlement, le 25 octobre 2022 à Rome
• Andreas SOLARO

Italie: Meloni nie toute “sympathie” ou “proximité” avec le fascisme
• Giovanni GREZZI

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