Archives for Thursday, June 9, 2005:

Trinidad opposition leader returns to jail despite reduction in bail

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: Having refused bail which was reduced by TT$100,000 when he made a second appearance before a city magistrate on corruption charges on Tuesday, former prime minister and political leader of the minority United National Congress (UNC), Basdeo 'Bas' Panday, was hurried away from the court by police... read more...

Aruba men still held for missing teen

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (UPI):  A judge in Aruba ruled Wednesday there is enough evidence to keep two suspects jailed in the disappearance of an 18-year-old Alabama teenager... read more...

OAS closing statement omits US proposal to strengthen democracy

FORT LAUDERDALE, USA (AFP): The 34-member Organization of American States omitted a US proposal on strengthening democracy in Latin America from the closing statement of its three-day summit issued late Tuesday... read more...

Antigua-Barbuda re-elected to the Inter-American Commission on human rights

WASHINGTON, USA: Antigua and Barbuda’s Clare Kamau Roberts received an overwhelming endorsement from the people of the Americas when he secured the largest number of votes cast during an election for a position on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an organ of the Organization of American States (OAS)... read more...

US Latin America envoy in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): US assistant secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega arrived Wednesday in Haiti for a 24-hour visit to see how the United States can contribute to stem unrest, a Haiti government source said... read more...

US donates police vehicles to Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): US Ambassador James Foley Wednesday presented Haitian police with 46 vehicles and other equipment worth 2.6 million dollars.  The vehicles will help police perform their missions, Foley said at a ceremony with Leon Charles, director of Haiti's police.  Foley said Washington was committed to help... read more...

Tropical depression forms southwest of the Cayman Islands

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: The Cayman Islands National Weather Service is keeping its eye on Tropical Depression #1 of the 2005 storm season. The system is currently located well to the west of the Cayman Islands and moving north.  The Cuban government has issued a tropical storm watch... read more...

Seven dead, 12 injured in Cuba crash

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP): Seven people were killed and 12 injured in a traffic accident late Tuesday in east-central Cuba involving only one vehicle, local media reported Wednesday... read more...

Brazil to produce ethanol in Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Prensa Latina): Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorin confirmed here Wednesday possible negotiations to produce ethanol as an alternative fuel... read more...

CSME provides for development of agriculture , says Jamaican minister

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaican Minister of Agriculture, Roger Clarke has said that the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) provided favourable conditions for the growth and development of agriculture, on which so many Caribbean economies were dependent... read more...

Jamaicans urged to get organised for World Cup Cricket

NEW YORK, USA: Jamaican Minister of Industry and Tourism, Aloun Ndombet-Assamba has said that Jamaicans wishing to take advantage of the many opportunities that would be available during the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup Championship in the Caribbean, must be prepared to be formalized, organized and structured... read more...

Grenada revises disaster plan

ST. GEORGE’S Grenada: Various stakeholders from Government, NGOs the private sector and service clubs, met recently to revised their roles and responsibilities. Lessons from Ivan were discussed and included in the National Disaster Plan... read more...

Panama hosts Caribbean church conference

The Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) will be holding its 7th General Assembly from June 9 to 16, 2005 in Panama.  The Assembly is being held in Panama on the invitation of the Ecumenical Committee of Panama (COEPA) of which the Methodist Church - a member church of the CCC – is also a member... read more...

UWI scholarships for OECS nationals

CASTRIES, St Lucia: The OECS Secretariat is teaming up with another leading regional integration icon to help further the education of Caribbean people... read more...

St Croix's oldest educator dies at 99

ST CROIX, USVI: St. Croix's oldest educator, Theodora Augustina Dunbavin, has died two months shy of her 99th birthday. Dunbavin was a former teacher, principal and deputy Commissioner of Education. In 1974, the La Grande Princess School in St. Croix was renamed in her honor... read more...

BUSINESS NEWS

Digicel enters Haitian telecommunications market

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti: Digicel Group, the fastest growing mobile telecommunications provider in the Caribbean, announced Wednesday that it is the first company to be awarded a license to operate a GSM network in Haiti. This comes as a result of a tender process entered jointly with onefone... read more...

Swedes buy majority shares in Cruzan Rum

ST CROIX, USVI: Swedish wholesale liquor distributor Vin & Spirits AB, also known as V&S Group recently announced it has acquired 67.8 percent of the shares in Cruzan International Inc. for $121.8 million, or $28.37 dollars a share from Trinidad-based Angostura Ltd. Angostura has been Cruzan’s majority stockholder since 1999... read more...

SPORTS NEWS

Losing the toss a big factor in West Indies loss to Pakistan, says coach

KINGSTON, Jamaica: West Indies team head coach Bennett King believes not winning the toss was a big blow in his team's 136-run loss to Pakistan in the second and final Test match at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday... read more...

Tendulkar to miss tri-series involving the West Indies

DELHI, India: India's little batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, who is ranked at world number 12 on the latest issue of the LG ICC Test Batting Rankings will miss the three-nation One Day International tournament in Sri Lanka involving the West Indies after recently undergoing surgery on his elbow in London last month... read more...

Yorke says traveling to and from the region won’t affect his game

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad:  Trinidad and Tobago’s captain Dwight Yorke is insisting that flying from Sydney, Australia to Caribbean will have no negative effects on his physical readiness to represent the “Warriors” in international fixtures... read more...

Decision time for selectors on wicket keeping issue

A Test match that should be remembered for the excellent bowling of Corey Collymore and the batting genius of Brian Lara will probably be recalled by West Indians for the less positive image of a crucial dropped catch by wicket keeper Courtney Browne.  His error allowed Inzamam-ul-Haq to lay the foundation for a series leveling win... read more...