A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 11 March to Sunday 17 March 2013.
Monday, 11 March 2012
Microsoft Opens Call For ‘Imagine Cup’ Competition
Puerto Rico – In keeping with its commitment to promote the development of Puerto Rico’s video game industry, Microsoft is accepting registration for its Imagine Cup 2013 competition in technology and most prestigious student design worldwide… more
Caribbean cyberattacks on the rise?
Regional – The recent Bahamas bank breach is only the latest to hit the Caribbean. Regional technology writer Michele Marius of ict-pulse.com curated the following list of Caribbean cyber crime stories from 2012 to 2013… more
Is 2013 the Year of the Hacker?
Regional – The Caribbean is not the only region being hit by cybercriminals. Cyber attacks are big business. Norton’s annual cybercrime report put the global cost of cybercrime in 2012 at $110 billion… more
Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Mobile phone money transfer comes to Guyana
Guyana – Guyanese can now transfer funds and pay some bills whether they are in the remote hinterland corners of the country or the densely populated coastland through their cellular phone on the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) network… more
Increased Computer Access at Holy Trinity High School
Jamaica – Holy Trinity High School is on the way to improved academic results, with the assistance of technology, and teachers being able to “walk” with laptop computers for use in classes… more
New fishing technology could benefit the Caribbean region
Regional – The Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) is a relatively new technology in the region which allows fishers to capture more fish with less effort, but in order to reduce the risk of overfishing, sound monitoring and management measures must be put in place… more
TTconnect Express Services Coming To Tobago
Trinidad & Tobago – TTconnect Express services are coming to Tobago within the next two to three months, Chief Secretary Orville London disclosed after a meeting with Minister of Science and Technology Dr Rupert Griffith on Monday… more
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Haiti finds solutions to cash transfer payments using Western Union tools
Haiti – The government of Haiti announced today that it will use certain Western Union tools that will allow thousands of Haitian mothers, university students, the handicapped, and elderly to more easily access government cash payments at more than 600 locations throughout the country… more
Cutting cost with e-books
Jamaica – Local publishers aren’t shying away from the transition to digital… more
Free online textbook for CXC students
Jamaica – e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited (e-LJam) has signed a two-year contract with United Kingdom publisher Nelson Thornes for the lease of an e-textbook used in preparation for the Caribbean Secondary Education (CSEC) Geography examinations… more
ISP start-up targeting North Coast
Jamaica – Start-up telecommunications company, Noble Wi-Fi, plans to provide wireless Internet access to the north coast… more
Scam worry – Gov’t ministers trying to speak at congressional hearing
Jamaica – A two-man Jamaican delegation, led by National Security Minister Peter Bunting, is now in the United States trying to get a voice in today’s congressional hearing on the lottery scam… more
E-Government Information Session for Tax Advisors and Business Community Representatives on Wednesday
St. Maarten – One of the goals of the Government of Sint Maarten is to introduce the concept of E–Government… more
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Government Looking at Ways to Prevent Possible Lottery Scam Fall-Out
Jamaica – Minister of Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, says the Government is looking at ways to prevent any possible fall-out that lottery scamming may cause in the telemarketing industry… more
Jamaica Comes Down Tough on ‘Lottery Scams’
Jamaica – This week, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held an important hearing on the recent scourge of phone fraud schemes, which target U.S. seniors… more
Jamaica not unfairly targeted in lottery scam crackdown – Robinson
Jamaica – The Jamaican Government has dismissed claims the country is being unfairly targeted as a haven for lottery scammers… more
C@ribNET— linking the Caribbean through partnerships in research and education
Regional – Last month’s historic launch of C@ribNET has opened the door for a more modern approach to tertiary education here at home and across the Caribbean… more
How to respond to a hacker attack
Regional – “We’ve been hacked!” … more
Is the Caribbean harbouring digital pirates?
Regional – Cyber crime has cast an unwelcome shadow over a region long thought to be a sunny paradise. Islands of the Caribbean Sea, renowned for secluded bays and sandy beaches, seem to be harbouring a new breed of digital pirates… more
Friday, 15 March 2013
BTC reports 81% smartphone explosion
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is forecasting a 40 percent “uplift” in data traffic this year after registering an 81 percent explosion in smartphone usage for 2012… more
GT&T deploying new billing system
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) on Friday announced that it was deploying a new billing and customer management system… more
Debate suspended on anti-lottery bill
Jamaica – The highly anticipated debate in the Senate on the anti-lottery scam legislation has been delayed until next week Thursday. It was expected that the bill known as the Law Reform Fraudulent Transactions Special Provisions Act, would have been debated and possibly passed in the Senate on Friday afternoon… more
Jamaica way ahead in fight against lotto scam, says US official
Jamaica – United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations chief, Vance Callender said Jamaica was way ahead of the United States authorities in addressing the problem of the “876 scam phone fraud”, which targets seniors in the United States… more
Multiple Bonus for Digicel Jamaica on TelephoneJamaica.com
Jamaica – TelephoneJamaica.com announces a multiple bonus offer for all recharges to Digicel mobiles in Jamaica. The promotion is available on TelephoneJamaica.com starting March 12th, 2013 and is valid until March 31st… more
New bill intended to curb Jamaica lottery scams
Jamaica – Jamaican officials said Thursday that they are hopeful new legislation will finally result in a stream of convictions and lengthy sentences for fraudsters behind a multimillion-dollar lottery scam that has swindled mostly elderly Americans out of their retirement savings for years… more
Proficiency in Math and Science Critical – Minister Paulwell
Jamaica – Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says Government has identified the critical need to build proficiency in science and mathematics to transform the economy and create a more sustainable future… more
Success Is Coming In Lottery Scam Fight – Bridgewater
Jamaica – United States Ambassador to Jamaica Pamela Bridgewater has expressed optimism that the island is on the cusp of realising “some good successes” in the fight against the lottery scam… more
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Radio, TV frequency allocation discriminates against Guyanese, other Caricom nationals- media associations
Guyana – Media practitioners and media owners on Saturday heaped scorn on government’s allocation of radio and television licenses to itself and close associates of the ruling Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), saying that the move smothers freedom of expression and leaves little space for other Guyanese and Caricom nationals… more
Broadcasting Commission warns against hacking
Jamaica – The Broadcasting Commission is reminding Jamaicans that they can be imprisoned for hacking data from computers and telephone… more
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Bahamas State Minister For Finance Promotes Simplifying Government Business Via E-Government Portal
Bahamas – Simplifying government business through offering online payment services would enhance the ease of doing business in The Bahamas… more
Caribbean Cyber Security Causes For Concern
Barbados – The protection of Caribbean Public and Private Information and Communication Infrastructures is one of the most serious economic and security challenges facing our entire region… more
GPA reacts to recent radio licences distribution
Guyana – The Guyana Press Association is disturbed over what appears to be the unfair distribution of Frequencies weighed in favour of the Governing party… more
Media owners demand reversal of Jagdeo-issued broadcast licences
Guyana – Revelations that former President Bharrat Jagdeo farmed out radio and television licences to his friends and others close to the government just before the last elections have sparked widespread concerns and a statement of defiance from privately-owned media houses… more
Cruelly robbed! One family’s ordeal with the Jamaican lottery scam
Jamaica – The following is an edited excerpt of the transcript from the March 13, 2013 statement by American citizen Kim Nichols before the US Congressional Special Committee on Aging… more
Image credits: RambergMediaImages (flickr); Wikipedia; CKLN; Wikipedia
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