Archives for Thursday, June 23, 2005:

UN bolsters peacekeeping force in Haiti ahead of vote

UNITED NATIONS (AFP): The UN Security Council on Wednesday decided to send more than 1,000 extra peacekeepers in Haiti in a bid to improve security ahead of elections in the impoverished, strife-torn Caribbean nation... read more...

Taiwan president hopes to visit St Kitts-Nevis in September

TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNA): President of Taiwan Chen Shui-bian expressed the hope Wednesday that he can visit St Kitts and Nevis in early September.  The president made the remarks while receiving St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas at the Presidential Office... read more...

Police in Suriname nab kidnappers and free hostages

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Police in Suriname arrested a gang of kidnappers on Friday and freed their victims. According to police, four immigrants from India, all men, and a Guyanese woman were held hostages since June 8... read more...

Major private development projects to change Santo Domingo’s face

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic: This month the Government of the Dominican Republic has announced the start of two important private development projects for the Dominican Capital, Santo Domingo, that, if ever carried out as planned, will definitely change the city’s face, constitute a major boost for tourism, and have a major economic and employment impact upon the country as a whole... read more...

Jamaica signs new bi-lateral agreements with China

BEIJING, China: Four bi-lateral Agreements were signed between the Governments of Jamaica and the People’s Republic of China in a move designed to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries... read more...

EU lays out plans to slash sugar prices

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP): The European Union's executive commission unveiled a plan Wednesday to reform Europe's heavily subsidised sugar market by sharply cutting EU guaranteed prices... read more...

US cries foul after Cuba blocks baseball game

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP): The United States told Cuba it would continue to "play ball" on Wednesday, despite complaining that communist authorities blocked a friendly baseball game between US officials and youths in Havana ... read more...

Dominican government convenes meeting with donor community

ROSEAU, Dominica: The Government of Dominica will convene a meeting with the Caribbean and international donor community in Roseau on Thursday, 23rd June 2005. Participating in the meeting will be representatives from the ECCB, CDB, USAID, UNDP, the European Union, CIDA and the People’s Republic of China ... read more...

Guyana Government unveils 5-Year National Drug Strategy Master Plan

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Faced with increasing incidences of narco-trafficking, Guyana’s Government has launched a 5-Year National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2005 -2009. The plan is a comprehensive approach and is carefully crafted with assistance from the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) through the Organization of American States (OAS)... read more...

BUSINESS NEWS

Digicel to acquire Cingular's Caribbean wireless operations

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Digicel Group, the fastest growing mobile telecommunications provider in the Caribbean, announced Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Cingular's Caribbean operations in a multi-million dollar deal that significantly increases the size of Digicel's pan-Caribbean network ... read more...

LETTERS

Yet more letters on the Aruba investigation

We publish yet another sample of the many emails Caribbean Net News continues to receive on the investigation in Aruba into the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway... read more...

SPORTS NEWS

Jamaica’s Johnson eyeing a third clash with Tarver

TENNESSEE, USA:  Jamaican Glen Johnson and American Antonio Tarver (Magic Man) are expressing interest in a third bout after the American squared the head-on clash 1-1 on Saturday night to claim the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) light heavyweight title... read more...

Jamaica offers helping hand to Chinese athletes

BEIJING, China: Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson has offered help to Chinese athletes in the area of track and field. He said that the facilities and coaching expertise at the University of Technology were available to assist Chinese track athletes in their preparation for the 2008 Olympics... read more...

Vincentian McLean released by Somerset

TAUNTON, England:  Former West Indies fast bowler Nixon McLean has been released by English County Division II team Somerset, following a series of injury problems... read more...

Brown and Burns set up 100m clash at Trinidad’s Track and Field Championships

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad:  Trinidad and Tobago's top two male sprinters Darrel Brown and Marc Burns will come face-to-face in the 100-metres at this year's two-day Sagicor National Open Track and Field Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium starting on Saturday.  This season Burns has run a personal best 10.11 seconds... read more...

Jamaican-born Cunningham voted MLS player of the week

DENVER, USA:  Following his four-goal performance that helped to lift Colorado Rapids to fourth spot in the US Major League Soccer (MLS) Western Conference standings, Jamaica-born Jeff Cunningham was selected as the Honda MLS Player of the Week by the Professional Soccer Reporters Association... read more...