Archives for Tuesday, July 5, 2005:

Tropical depression develops over the southeastern Caribbean

MIAMI, USA: According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, satellite information and surrounding surface observations indicate that a strong tropical low over the southeastern Caribbean Sea has developed into Tropical Depression Four.  The initial intensity is based on satellite estimates of 25 kt and a 31-kt wind report... read more...

Two suspects released in Aruba case

ORANGESTAD, Aruba (UPI): A judge in Aruba has ordered the release of two brothers held nearly a month as suspects in the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway... read more...

Dominica’s PM calls for support for St Kitts as it closes its sugar industry

CASTRIES, St Lucia: In addressing the official opening of the 26th CARICOM Summit in St Lucia on Sunday, Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit called upon the leaders of the region to pay serious attention to regional agriculture and to "rally" around the Government of St Kits and Nevis as it closes down its sugar industry... read more...

CARICOM summit opens in St Lucia with concern still being expressed over Haiti

CASTRIES, St Lucia: The 26th General Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) opened on Sunday in St Lucia with concern continuing to be expressed over the situation in CARICOM member state Haiti.  Secretary General of CARICOM, Dr Edwin Carrington, said that Haiti "remains another major challenge"... read more...

Cayman Islands staying with CARICOM says Tibbetts

CASTRIES, St. Lucia: Leader of Government Business of the Cayman Islands, Kurt Tibbetts, says his country will not abandon CARICOM and is continuing to do the best it can in recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan in September last year.  Tibbetts said that not much discussion has taken place in Cayman on the CSME... read more...

Opposition leaders pleased with CARICOM meeting

CASTRIES, St Lucia: A committee made up of some six members of Government along with Opposition Leaders from across the region has been organized to develop what has been termed as "effective ways" in moving forward regional programmes designed to improve economies, development as well as governance of regional states... read more...

Grenada PM challenges regional leaders to be more unified

CASTRIES, St Lucia: Grenada's Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell, has called on Caribbean leaders to be more unified in their approaches to policies that affect the people of region.  Speaking at a meeting for Government and Opposition leaders in Castries, Mitchell said that regional leaders were guilty of creating "Doubting Thomases"... read more...

Arubans step up missing girl questioning

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (UPI):  Aruban police investigating the disappearance of an 18-year-old Alabama girl have intensified their questioning of three young men in custody... read more...

Dominica to benefit from PetroCaribe agreement with Venezuela

ROSEAU, Dominica: Dominicans will soon be paying less for fuel as a result of the signing of an Agreement by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and twelve other Caribbean leaders in Venezuela last week... read more...

Conjoined twins born in Dominica fail to survive

ROSEAU, Dominica:  Conjoined twins born at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Roseau, Dominica, last Thursday died at the weekend before their parents and doctors could decide on surgical options... read more...

Challenges facing Caribbean ports highlighted

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas has said that adequate human resource, revenue generation and proper security to deter terrorism are among the challenges facing ports in the Caribbean.  He also emphasised that port security is no longer a run-of-the-mill matter to be dealt with casually... read more...

New fisheries terminal will boost food security, says St Kitts-Nevis PM

BASSETERRE, St Kitts: The new Fisheries Terminal, when constructed, will not only be critical to the transformation of Old Road, but also to the sustainable growth and development of food security in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis.  So says St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas... read more...

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Wyclef Jean highlights St Kitts Music Festival experience

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: Fresh from his scintillating and energetic performance at the 9th annual St. Kitts Music Festival, R&B/Hip Hop star Wyclef Jean touted the musical encounter as extraordinary.  During the 5th annual BET Awards Show Wyclef told the audience that he just had an exciting time at the St. Kitts Music Festival... read more...

Miss SVG wins St Vincent’s Miss Carival title

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent:  St. Vincent and the Grenadines’s delegate at the Miss Carival pageant won the beauty contest last Friday, 20 years after the now deceased Vincentian Donna Young won the first competition in 1985.  In 1985, the then Carnival Development Committee introduced the Miss Carival pageant, (short for Miss Caribbean Carnival)... read more...

Glenroy Ceasar is St Vincent’s new National Calypso Monarch

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent: The man who has been hailed as one of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ most consistent calypsonians deposed the defending National Calypso Monarch during the finals of that competition at the Demarche Gras show on Sunday to reign as calypso supreme once again... read more...

COMMENTARY

Europe should heed warnings from the ACP

CARICOM countries have been active in the last few months in Europe trying desperately to persuade European Union (EU) countries to reconsider proposals by the European Commission to cut the price paid for sugar. If the proposals are implemented they will undoubtedly cripple the economies of many small and vulnerable ACP states... read more...

Law and Politics: Threats of violence and media control returning

The happenings in our Spice Isles nowadays, seem to be pointing towards a return to the dark old days of 1972/74 on the one hand, and 1979 to 1983 on the other.  In the 1972/74 period, beatings of suspected opponents of the Gairy regime was commonplace on the streets of Grenada, and nothing came of any reports made to the police... read more...

LETTERS

More correspondence on the Holloway situation in Aruba

Those who express outrage and claim that people are blaming Natalie for being a victim are missing the point. Of course, the one to blame is the one who hurt Natalie, and not at all Natalie herself, however naive or lacking in common sense she may have been... read more...

TRAVEL NEWS

Virgin Atlantic inaugural London flight touches down in The Bahamas

NASSAU, The Bahamas. Bahamas Minister of Tourism, Obie Wilchcombe, and Minister of Transport and Aviation, Glenys Hanna-Martian, along with various government and travel sector representatives greeted Virgin Atlantic's inaugural direct Nassau-London flight, as it touched down last Tuesday, June 28, at Nassau International Airport... read more...

SPORTS NEWS

Seven players drafted into West Indies ‘A’ team in Sri Lanka

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua:  The West Indies selectors have replaced the members of the West Indies 'A' team who have joined the senior team for its tour to Sri Lanka with seven fresh players... read more...

Trinidad's Clayton Ince now a Coventry City man

LONDON, England:  Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Clayton Ince has joined fellow countryman Stern John at English League Championship club, Coventry City.  The veteran rejected a new two-year contract extension from Crewe Alexandra and he said he cannot wait to get started... read more...

Burns and Brown head Trinidad's CAC squad

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad:  Marc Burns and Darrel Brown, who finished 1-2 in the men's 100-metres at the Sagicor National Open Track and Field Championships in career-bests lead a strong Trinidad and Tobago team for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Championships in Nassau, Bahamas from July 8-11... read more...

Jamaica announces final squad for CONCACAF Gold Cup 

KINGSTON, Jamaica:  The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and head coach Wendell Downswell has named the nation's final squad for the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup which is set to kick off on July 6 and conclude on July 24... read more...