Archives for Thursday, January 1, 2004:

Haiti opposition group denies declaring ceasefire for bicentennial

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): The head of an armed opposition group battling Haiti's President Jean Bertrand Aristide claimed Tuesday the government had fabricated a statement in which he allegedly called a truce... read more...

US exempts Belize from ICC sanctions

CRAWFORD, USA (AFP): US President George W. Bush on Tuesday waived restrictions on military aid to Belize because it has exempted US soldiers from prosecution by the International Criminal Court... read more...

Net spreads in hunt for missing Cayman Islands billions

ROME, Italy (AFP): The net spread on Wednesday in the hunt for billions of dollars missing from Cayman Islands subsidiaries of failed Italian food giant Parmalat with seven arrests in a scandal which US experts say is one of the biggest frauds in history... read more...

Little for Haiti to celebrate on its bicentennial

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): Haiti marks its bicentennial on Thursday, but for most in the poverty-ridden Caribbean state in the throes of political chaos, there is little to celebrate... read more...

Britons held on drug charges in Jamaica denied bail

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (AFP): Two British men accused of trying to smuggle nearly 160 pounds (72 kgs) of marijuana out of Jamaica will spend New Year's in jail after they were denied bail here Wednesday... read more...

Corruption allegations denied by Guyana Minister of Finance

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Guyana Minister of Finance Sasenarine Kowlessar said Wednesday that allegations of corruption in the issuing of duty-free concessions to re-migrants are unfounded and malicious and if anyone has evidence of such acts they should provide it to the relevant authorities... read more...

Local economist advises Nevis Credit Union to tackle the problems that confront its members

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: Local Economist, Mr. Peter Adrien has said that if the Nevis Cooperative Credit Union (NCCU) was to remain an institution for change, it needed to grab and hold the problems that confront the Nevisian people... read more...

Cuba welcomed 1.9 million foreign tourists in 2003

HAVANA, Cuba (VNA): The Cuban Ministry of Tourism has announced that the country welcomed 1.9 million foreign tourists this year, a 12.7 percent year-on-year rise. The tourism sector contributed over 40 percent of the country's foreign currency earnings... read more...

Guyana to supply raw sugar for Trinidad and Tobago refinery

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: On Christmas Eve Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago concluded an agreement for the twin island Republic to import raw sugar from Guyana in 2004. This will allow Trinidad and Tobago to meet the additional requirements of the refinery operated by Sugar Manufacturing Company Limited... read more...

HEALTH NEWS

Local beef is safe says Jamaican agriculture minister

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaican Minister of Agriculture, Roger Clarke has assured Jamaicans that it is quite safe to consume local beef despite the mad cow scare generated in the United States... read more...

SPORTS NEWS

Worries aplenty for the West Indies

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AFP): Two days before the third Test against South Africa, which starts at Newlands on Friday, there are worries aplenty for the West Indians, despite captain Brian Lara's assertion after the second of four Tests there would be no repeat of the whitewash defeat the players from the Caribbean suffered in five Tests in South Africa in 1998/99... read more...

Cuba hopes to host Olympic Games in 2012

HAVANA, Cuba (VNA): Cuba wants to host the 2012 Olympic Games, said Jose Ramon Fernandez, Chairman of Cuba's Olympic Committee in an interview on Tuesday with a Viet Nam News Agency correspondent... read more...