Archives for Thursday, July 7, 2005:

Year's first Atlantic hurricane threatens Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba

MIAMI, USA (AFP): Tropical storm Dennis strengthened into this year's first Atlantic hurricane Wednesday as it neared Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba, with a longer term track taking it over offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.  Information from a US hurricane hunter aircraft showed that Dennis packed sustained winds of 80 miles per hour... read more...

Missing Alabama girl's mother makes plea

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (UPI): The mother of a missing Alabama teenager has asked police in Aruba to ban two suspects from leaving the island until her daughter is found... read more...

Five dead as UN peacekeepers stage security operation in Haitian slum

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): At least five people were killed Wednesday in a major security operation by 350 UN peacekeepers in a shantytown in Haiti's capital, UN military spokesman Colonel Elouafi Boulbars told AFP... read more...

US Ambassador promises help to diversify St Kitts-Nevis agricultural sector

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: The top United States diplomat in the Eastern Caribbean is promising to assist St. Kitts and Nevis in the diversification of its agricultural sector.  The Barbados-based U.S. Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis, Mrs. Mary Kramer gave this undertaking to the Federation’s Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas... read more...

Accused murderer Fazall Sahied to return to Grenada

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada: Monday, July 4, 2005 marked the 3rd anniversary of the brutal slaying of Gillian Celestine Sahied in Grenada. It was on that day that Gillian, the wife of Fazall Sahied, was killed at her husband’s home in Frequente and her body was dumped on the Baylese Bacolete Beach, St. David, where it was discovered on July 6, 2002... read more...

UN Secretary General urges Caribbean leaders to be bold about policies for reaching goals

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged the leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to devise national development strategies “bold enough to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)” aimed at reducing or eliminating socio-economic ills by 2015... read more...

OAS head visits Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (UPI): Organization of American States Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza is visiting Haiti to determine the situation in the embattled Caribbean nation... read more...

St Kitts-Nevis PM invited to pay Official Visit to Japan

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas has been invited to pay an Official Visit to Japan.  The invitation was delivered to the St. Kitts and Nevis leader by Japan’s Ambassador to the Federation, Shigenobu Kato from Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi during talks in Castries, St. Lucia... read more...

Brazilian technical team to visit St Kitts-Nevis

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: A technical team from Brazil is to visit St. Kitts and Nevis. This was disclosed Tuesday following talks in St. Lucia between St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas and Brazilian Envoy, Luiz Filipe de Macedo Soares. The discussions took place on the sidelines of the CARICOM Conference in Castries... read more...

Antigua-Barbuda PM presents case for retention of work permits after CSME

GROS ISLET, St. Lucia: Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Baldwin Spencer, has presented his government’s case to the Heads of CARICOM for the retention of work permits for non-nationals after the implementation of the CSME in December 2005.  Antigua and Barbuda was granted derogation by the Heads in July of 2002... read more...

Italian assistance for Grenada

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada: Yet another one of the country’s international friends is making moves to assist the Hurricane ravaged island. On Saturday July 2, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell met with a delegation from Italy as a follow up to a meeting which took place about one month ago... read more...

CDERA activates its regional response mechanism

BARBADOS (CDERA): The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) on Wednesday afternoon activated its Regional Response Mechanism (RRM) to assist Jamaica as Hurricane Dennis barrels towards the member state... read more...

Hurricane threat shortens Jamaican PM's stay at CARICOM meeting

CASTRIES, St. Lucia:  Jamaica's Prime Minister P. J. Patterson was forced to cut short his attendance at the 26th Conference of Caribbean Heads on Wednesday as he headed home to oversee preparations in his country, which is bracing itself for the arrival of Hurricane Dennis on Thursday...  read more...

UVI collaborates with Caribbean libraries

ST. CROIX, USVI: The University of the Virgin Islands has embarked on a project to link historical, research information and other public records of Caribbean islands under one umbrella to allow the documents to be accessed via the internet ... read more...

COMMENTARY

Beach volleyball: A great potential for sport tourism in Jamaica

An emerging segment of the world's largest and fastest-growing industry, sport tourism capitalizes on the relationship between tourism and the extremely high-profile, multi-billion dollar sports industry... read more...

LETTERS

More readers’ letters on the investigation in Aruba

I have just returned from Aruba with my two granddaughters 16/18, I used the same precautions there as I would here in the US. If the boy is guilty he needs to be punished but if he is not I would hate to see the police railroad him just to shut up the American news media... read more...

TRAVEL NEWS

easyCruise announces the launch of its 2005-2006 Caribbean cruise program

LONDON, England: easyCruise, a recent venture of Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the serial entrepreneur and founder of the easyGroup of companies, including easyJet PLC (Europe's leading low-cost airline listed on the London Stock Exchange) has announced its entry into the winter 2005-2006 Caribbean cruise season with its ship, easyCruiseOne... read more...

SPORTS NEWS

England’s former skipper Mike Atherton calls for changes in West Indies Cricket

LONDON, England:  Former England captain and opener Mike Atherton says the only way to end the ongoing dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) is to change the leaders in both organizations... read more...