Archives for Wednesday, March 3, 2004:

US Marines move to protect Haitian PM as rebels refuse to disarm

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): Haiti's rebels on Tuesday raised the stakes in the country's crisis by declaring themselves in control of security, refusing to disarm and vowing to arrest the prime minister... read more...

Aristide irks Central African hosts as world ponders asylum

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AFP): Haiti's deposed president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was Tuesday proving to be a headache for his Central African Republic hosts as the world decided what to do with him... read more...

Antigua-Barbuda and Barbados lose trade preferences

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP): The White House announced late Monday that Antigua & Barbuda and Barbados will lose their designations as beneficiary developing countries for purposes of the generalized system of trade preferences... read more...

Barbados MP shares austerity lessons with Dominican party

ROSEAU, Dominica: Barbadian opposition MP David Thompson used a delegates' conference in Dominica on Sunday to pass on the harsh lessons learnt by his Democratic Labour Party in implementing austerity measures while in government to the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP)... read more...

Antigua PM issues statement about stopover of Aristide's plane

ST JOHN'S, Antigua: In a statement released Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Mr Lester Bird said that, given the many speculative statements which have been made regarding the stop in Antigua on Sunday 29 February of an aircraft bearing Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide, he considered it important to advise the public of Antigua and Barbuda of the circumstances surrounding this matter as the Government knows it... read more...

Montserrat Chief Minister wants to press ahead with lottery

BRADES, Montserrat (GIU): Montserrat's Chief Minister John Osborne has responded to criticisms from a grouping of religious leaders about an Internet lottery.  Mr Osborne, in an interview aired on Radio Montserrat, said things are difficult in Montserrat and the government has to look at ways to raise money without increasing taxes... read more...

Bahamas strikes deal with Australia to fight money laundering

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP): Australia said Wednesday it had signed an agreement with the Bahamas to share financial intelligence in a bid to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism... read more...

Single telecoms regulatory agency for Jamaica by year-end

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaican Commerce, Science and Technology Minister, Phillip Paulwell has said that the new Telecommunications Policy recently approved by the Cabinet will seek to establish a single regulatory agency for the telecommunications sector and assist in achieving universal access across Jamaica... read more...

Unlawful killings, excessive force, arbitrary arrests in Dominican Republic says Amnesty International

WASHINGTON, USA: The Dominican Republic's 'iron fist' approach to maintaining public order amidst the country's current economic crisis is taking a devastating toll on human rights, warned Amnesty International Tuesday in a new report, Dominican Republic: Human Rights Recession... read more...

Central Bank reports improvement in ECCU economies

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) is reporting an improvement in the economies in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU)... read more...

SPORTS NEWS

England hit by Butcher injury

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AFP): An ankle injury to left-hander Mark Butcher cast a cloud over the England cricket team on the second day of a non-first class, warm-up match against Jamaica at Sabina Park here on Tuesday... read more...