Archives for Saturday, September 27, 2003:

US ambassadors agree with Bird on FTAA

ST. JOHNS, Antigua: Two U.S. Ambassadors say they understand the issues of "high fiscal revenue dependency on international trade taxes" and agree that there should be an exemption to tariff elimination for smaller economies with such characteristics in the Free Trade Area of the Americas plan... read more...

Trinidad & Tobago Trade Minister says pending trade negotiations crucial

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad: Talks on the Free Trade Area of the Americas will be crucial to the twin-island's Republic bid to host the organisation's headquarters... read more...

Dominica's health sector on alert for migration of nurses

ROSEAU, Dominica: Dominica's Health ministry is on high alert for what may become a massive migration of the country's best nurses who are being targeted by medical institutions in the United States and other Caribbean nations... read more...

Haiti protests enter day four as Aristide addresses UN

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti: Protests continued for the fourth day in Haiti yesterday over the fatal killing of an Aristide loyalist. Supporters of Mr. Amiot Metayer, clashed with police as they continued their demonstration. One man was shot to death and six others were wounded yesterday, the Associated Press reported... read more...

Bermudans spared Juan's wrath

HAMILTON, Bermuda: The threat of a second storm is no more for Bermudans. The center of Hurricane Juan passed well to the east of Bermuda late yesterday and all tropical storm warnings were dropped for the island, forecasters at the National Weather Service reported... read more...

New storm close to Lesser Antilles

MIAMI, Florida: A new storm showed up on the radar yesterday, and at 11 p.m. last night, was some 1,280 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. Tropical Storm 16, which has not yet to be named, is being monitored by forecasters, who say it is moving towards the north-northwest near 16 mph and this general motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed today. 
Islands in the Lesser Antilles include the Virgin Islands, St Martin, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada.

Brazil's Luiz meets Cuba's Fidel

HAVANA, Cuba: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio da Silva will wrap up his second day of talks with Cuba's President Fidel Castro, in Havana this morning before departing for his South American homeland... read more...

U.S. government to help Suriname fight trafficking

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Suriname will soon benefit from a US$147,000 grant to help fight human and drug trafficking.  The Associated Press says Justice Minister Siegfried Gilds and U.S. Ambassador to Suriname, Ms. Marsha Barnes, signed a cooperation agreement yesterday to partner on the effort. "Criminal organizations are working together, so to fight them governments must also work together," AP quoted Mr. Gilds as saying.

In June, the U.S. State Department alleged in an annual report that Suriname was one of 15 countries that had made no significant efforts to stop trafficking in humans. And the U.N. Drug Control Agency estimates that 22 metric tons (20 short tons) of cocaine is smuggled each year through Suriname to Europe.

New leader of Jamaica's NDM party promises a revival

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaica's National Democratic Movement, has a new leader. He is Mr. Earl DeLisser, who has vowed to lead a revival of the struggling eight-year-old party. 

The new president, according to CMC, says the NDM remains a viable political movement, despite the departure of senior members over the past three years and its continued poor showing in successive elections held since its founding in 1995.  Mr. DeLisser, while saying he recognized that the party was at a low ebb, stated at the NDM was far from dead. 

BUSINESS NEWS

New Governor of the Central Bank of Belize appointed

BELMOPAN, Belize: Belize's government of Said Musa has named its deputy governor of the Central Bank as the new governor. He is Mr. Sydney Campbell, a Florida International University alumnus, who has served the Bank in various capacities over the past 22 years... read more...

CTO announces booking engine for small hotels

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands: Looking to book your stay at a small hotel in the region? You soon will be able to do so with a new engine launched by the Caribbean Tourism Organization... read more...

BVI seeks to lower food imports

ROAD TOWN, BVI: The British Virgin Islands government wants to reduce its food import bill. Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Mr. J. Alvin Christopher, speaking at a farmer's meeting recently, said that while the territory is dependent on imported foods, he believes that there is a market in the BVI for local farmers. The minister also encouraged more youth to become involved in agriculture.

SPORTS NEWS

Officials gather in St. Lucia for summit on 2007 World Cup

CASTRIES, St. Lucia: Who will host the 2007 cricket World Cup? The process towards that decision is currently being discussed in St. Lucia, where about 170 delegates from 13 countries, are attending the two-day venue summit... read more...

The first Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride is just one week away - Saturday, 4th October in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, N.Y. Join the effort and support immigrant workers rights today.