On 29 May, a validation meeting was convened in Nassau, The Bahamas, at which the non-state stakeholders met with national authorities to discuss the last details for national implementation plan for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European union (EU).

The meeting was considered as a crucial step in the finalization of that plan, which is expected to position The Bahamas to better coordinate its approach to implementing the provisions of the EPA, in terms of obligations and benefits.

The final Bahamas National EPA Implementation Plan is slated to be submitted to the Government of the Bahamas next month, and the expectation is that it will be given effect thereafter.

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The board of directors of CIBC FirstCaribbean has appointed three senior executives, subject to regulatory and governmental approvals.

From 1 June, 2013, Daniel Farmer will assume the role of managing director in corporate lending and investment banking, replacing Ian Chinapoo, who has taken up another senior position outside of CIBC FirstCaribbean in his native Trinidad.

Mark St. Hill will assume the role of managing director in retail and business banking and Donna Wellington will assume the role of managing director in Barbados.

Mr. Farmer started his career in Barbados with Citicorp Merchant Bank Limited (Citigroup), managing the corporate bank in Barbados. He was later promoted to corporate bank head for the non-branch territories in the Caribbean (Barbados, Eastern Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname and Belize). He joined the Simpson Group of Companies in 2006 as the group’s vice president of treasury and overall group director. Mr. Farmer joined CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank in February 2010 as managing director for the Barbados Operating Company.

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Bahamas Petroleum (LON: BPC)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities researchers at Goldman Sachs in a research report issued on Tuesday, Stock Ratings Network reports. They currently have a GBX 16 ($0.24) price objective on the stock, up from their previous price objective of GBX 14.40 ($0.22). Goldman Sachs’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 295.06% from the stock’s previous close.

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TORONTO–(Marketwired – June, 2013) – Sigma Systems, the leader in catalog-driven service fulfillment solutions, announced today that Cable Bahamas, a leading communications provider and first to offer Triple Play services to the Bahamas, has deployed the Sigma Systems Provisioning Solutions for the fulfillment of its residential voice services throughout Nassau, Grand Bahamas, Abaco and Eleuthera.

Sigma’s service fulfillment solutions enable Cable Bahamas to automate the provisioning of its SIP-based residential VoIP services. The platform allows the operator to easily configure and activate the telephony switching platform, voicemail system and numerous device types that subscribers use for their VoIP service.

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China should encourage more of its enterprises to invest in manufacturing in Caribbean countries to promote bilateral economic and trade relations, experts have suggested.

“Manufacturing is a promising investment prospect in the Caribbean region because if Chinese companies transfer their production base to the region, they will be closer to major target markets, including the United States,” said Wang Haifeng, a researcher at the Institute for International Economic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission.

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The prestigious Venice Art Biennial 2013 exhibition opened its doors this weekend, featuring work by artists from all over the world, including debutant The Bahamas.

The government has said that cuts and streamlining have helped provide more funds for education in the 2013/14 budget. Watch a ZNS Network news segment on the budget here.
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Prime Minister Perry Christie says that China will offer technical and financial support in areas such as education, tourism and agriculture as part of the further development of bilateral ties.
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College of The Bahamas president Betsy Vogel-Boze will not renew her contract when it reaches the end of its term later this year. Vogel-Boze took up the position January 1, 2011.
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The discussions regarding introduction of the Economic Partnership Agreement in The Bahamas and the purchase of the Nassau Palm Resort top the business news agenda this week. Watch a ZNS Network news segment here.
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