Archives for Tuesday, December 14, 2004:

Antigua MPs under fire for irresponsible statements

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua:  The Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Winston Williams, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister with responsibility for Communications and Works have come under fire for statements they made in Antigua and Barbuda's Parliament during the debate on the 2005 Budget... read more...

Antigua-Barbuda state television receives new equipment

ST JOHN'S, Antigua:  Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Information, Dr Jacqui Quinn-Leandro, on Monday handed over new equipment to the state owned ABS Television and Government Information Service.  Dr. Leandro presented the equipment costing over $400,000...  read more...

Transport fares on the rise in St Vincent and the Grenadines

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent:  Commuters and other members of the travelling public in St Vincent and the Grenadines will be paying increased fares come next year.  This comes as a result of increased oil prices on the world market and is reported to be one of the measures cited by Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves...  read more...

Forensic science lab for St. Vincent and the Grenadines police

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent:  St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, has announced that his government is taking steps to construct a Forensic Science Laboratory early next year.  The move comes as the Gonsalves Administration attempts to bring closure to several unsolved homicides in the country... read more...

Vincentian diplomatic passport holder held on cocaine charges

LONDON, England:  London police have arrested a Canadian/Vincentian for allegedly having one kilo of cocaine in his possession... read more...

New Guyana telecoms subsidiary giving USVI-based ATN stiff competition

GEORGETOWN, Guyana:  The Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN), a company publicly trading in the United States Virgin Island of St. Thomas, is up against extremely stiff new competition to its telecommunications operations in Guyana... read more...

Jamaica's Operation Kingfish netting big

KINGSTON, Jamaica:  It is just eight weeks old, but already Jamaica's newly launched anti-crime initiative dubbed ‘Operation Kingfish’ is netting big, and Officer in charge, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Glenmuir Hinds is confident the programme will succeed... read more...

Proceeds of Crime Bill to be brought to Jamaican Parliament

KINGSTON, Jamaica: The Proceeds of Crime Bill is to be brought before the Jamaican Parliament soon, as part of efforts to fight organised crime and to ensure that persons engaged in criminal activities do not profit from their illegal activities.  National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips made the announcement...  read more...

Bahamas Government gets green light to repair runway

NASSAU, The Bahamas:  The Bahamian House of Assembly has approved a resolution for the Government to guarantee a loan of $40 million from the Royal Bank of Canada to the Airport Authority for the reconstruction of runway 14/32 at Nassau International Airport... read more...

Aristide likens Haiti to apartheid South Africa

SEBOKENG, South Africa (AFP):  Deposed Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Sunday likened the political situation in his home country to apartheid South Africa, saying a small minority was oppressing his "huge" support base... read more...

Cuba put US on notice with Monday's massive war games

HAVANA, Dec 12 (AFP) - Cuba's armed forces are gearing up for their biggest military exercises in almost 20 years, with hundreds of thousands of troops and millions of civilians expected to take part, officials here said Sunday... read more...

Chavez due to arrive in Havana for official visit

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP):  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was expected in Cuba Monday for an official visit with Cuban leader Fidel Castro... read more...

St. Kitts-Nevis Students Association ends year on a high

BASSETERRE, St Kitts:  The St. Kitts-Nevis Students Association (SKNSA) at the Cave Hill Campus of UWI in Barbados held its annual Christmas Social on Saturday 27th November, 2004. The successful event took place downstairs the Students’ Union and was well attended by SKNSA members and friends...  read more...

COMMENTARY

The Commonwealth’s importance to the Caribbean

Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, spent from December 1st to 6th in the Caribbean. He visited The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda.  Part of the purpose of his trip was to ‘highlight Commonwealth co-operation on small states... read more...

Law and Politics: What went wrong - and why?

A judge once wrote these words in his written judgment, before sentencing a man who was found guilty before him - “Let so much admitted : all of us have erred; in the lives of every one of us deeds have been done, words spoken, even thoughts conceived whose remembrance is grievous, whose burden is intolerable.”... read more...

Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (Trinidad) condemns CCJ

Now that the Regional Judicial & Legal Service Commission (RJLSC) has finalized the appointment of the first set of judges for the Caribbean Court of Justice (which is supposed to replace the Privy Council) we wish to express our concern at the exclusion and marginalisation of the Indo-Caribbean community... read more...

LETTERS

An open letter to Reverend Christopher Baker Superintendent of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies

I was indeed amazed at your piece in the Barnacle Newspaper of November 2004. It was amazing to see a man of the cloth reader of visions and signs who was so blind to the works of God. It is unquestionably sickening to see what you had to say about Grenadians and labeling us as sinful and corrupt among other things... read more...