Archives for Friday, December 17, 2004:

Trinidad and Tobago retains ACS chairmanship

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: Trinidad and Tobago was unanimously chosen to chair the special committee on trade development and external relations at the just concluded Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) which ended here Wednesday afternoon... read more...

Cuban dissident takes refuge in Argentine embassy in Havana

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP): Cuban dissident Hilda Molina has taken refuge in the Argentine embassy in Havana, a top Argentine official told AFP Thursday, as tight-lipped Cuban authorities upped security around the compound.  Molina, a 61-year-old neurosurgeon, has been campaigning for 10 years to be able to travel to Argentina to see her son... read more...

US eases publishing sanctions against Cuba

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP): The United States has quietly eased sanctions against three of its old nemeses -- Cuba, Iran and Sudan -- to facilitate literary, cultural and scientific exchanges that could help foster dissent there... read more...

Castro's granddaughter pledges allegiance to US flag

MIAMI, Florida (AFP) - Alina Salgado, a granddaughter of Cuban President Fidel Castro, became a US citizen this week 10 years after leaving communist Cuba to reunite with her émigré mother...  read more...

US seeks more international aid for Haiti

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) :The international community must speed disbursement of aid pledged to Haiti and make new contributions ahead of elections in the Caribbean nation next year, the top US diplomat for the Americas said Wednesday...  read more...

Britain to close to High Commission in Nassau

LONDON, England (AFP): Britain is to close its High Commission in Nassau, Bahamas, along with 18 other diplomatic missions abroad by the end of 2006 in a cost-cutting drive, the Foreign Office said Wednesday... read more...

French mission in Dominica to discuss airport road project

ROSEAU, Dominica: A team from Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) arrived in Dominica on Wednesday, December 15th 2004 on a two-day visit to discuss the financing arrangements for the road from Roseau to the Melville Hall Airport... read more...

Economic prospects for Jamaica remain positive

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies has said that overall, the prospects for the Jamaican economy remained positive and that progress should continue for the rest of the fiscal year, albeit at a slower rate than originally projected due to the damage caused by Hurricane Ivan... read more...

Grenada to receive Cdn$4.8 million from Canada

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada: Acting Prime Minister of Grenada Gregory Bowen and Canadian Minister of International Cooperation Aileen Carroll on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding for $4.8 million (CDN) to assist the Government of Grenada in the reconstruction process... read more...

HEALTH NEWS

Region must develop new modalities to fight HIV/AIDS

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica: Prime Minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur, has called for the development of “new modalities of cooperation” in the fight against HIV/AIDS, as the region moved closer to the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).  He was speaking at the opening of a two-day meeting... read more...

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Cable & Wireless introduces pre-paid roaming coverage in the Caribbean

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: Cable & Wireless, the Caribbean's leading communications provider, has added even more service and value for its GSM pre-paid mobile customers by introducing pre-paid roaming across all 12 of the Caribbean markets it serves...  read more...