Archives for Tuesday, August 30, 2005:

Bermuda may be facing its own 'Natalee Holloway' situation

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: Amid allegations of incompetence or a cover up similar to those flying around in Aruba over the Natalee Holloway case, a lawyer in Bermuda has now reportedly offered to sell photos to the family of the late Dimitri Pappas that the attorney said would prove that he did not commit suicide as claimed... read more...

Martinique-bound plane crash burned for 20 minutes, says official

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP): The West Caribbean Airways flight bound for Martinique, which crashed in Venezuela killing all 160 aboard burned for about 20 minutes on the ground, a Venezulan official said Monday, a fact which rendered unlikely the theory that the plane had run out of fuel before crashing... read more...

Venezuela offers Haiti assistance

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (UPI):  Venezuela is offering to assist Haiti with its economic development, energy needs and education, a U.N. official in the Caribbean nation said Monday... read more...

Kidnapped Guyanese national released in Trinidad

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad:  A 31-year-old Guyanese businessman kidnapped in Trinidad has been released by his abductors.  While the family remains tight-lipped on the abduction it is believed that an undisclosed sum of money has been paid to secure the release of the Guyanese national... read more...

Venezuela, Cuba offer to treat Americans' eyes

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP): Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday urged Americans with eye problems to visit Caracas' embassy in the United States, saying Venezuela and Cuba are ready to treat them... read more...

New Peace Corps director for Eastern Caribbean

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: The United States Peace Corps in the Eastern Caribbean has a new director. He is Terry Armstrong who took up his position as Country Director for Peace Corps Eastern Caribbean on August 22, 2005, and is based in the regional Peace Corps office in St. Lucia... read more...

COMMENTARY

Regulating the cruise ship industry in the Caribbean’s interest

Cruise ship tourism is increasingly being promoted by Caribbean tourism officials as evidence of larger numbers of tourist arrivals to many countries in the region.  In some cases, pointing to larger numbers of cruise passengers is the plaster that covers a growing sore of decreasing airline passengers and lower hotel occupancy... read more...

Law and Politics: Some revealing and disturbing news

The situation in today’s world setting is such that ordinary folks must be left wondering what is really happening and what, if anything, they can rely on for truth and worthy examples for emulation.  It is one thing for those in positions of authority, like everyone else, to make mistakes, or wrong decisions, or have differences of opinion... read more...

Remembering greatness: Dr Martin Luther King

Lyndon B Johnson, the thirty sixth President of the United States said” "The spirit of America weeps for a tragedy that denies the very meaning of our land." (April 5, 1968) on the assassination of the great humanitarian activist Martin Luther King.  As we in the Caribbean community struggle to define our own identity... read more...

Run for your lives, Katrina’s coming, Katrina’s coming!

TV stations cover natural disasters purportedly as a public service. But there’s no denying that such coverage is a ratings boon for their bottom line – catering as it does to the perverse thrill of suspense that keeps us fixated on the hype of impending doom.  Therefore, it was no surprise that programming in America was interrupted... read more...

The Bahamas and the coming crisis

I have been known to say that if The Bahamas were to suffer a great economic upheaval, it will not come on the back of a natural disaster. That is an expression of faith. I have argued that our calamities, should they come, will turn on a failure of principle and/or purpose. That is an expression of fact; even if it is philosophical... read more...

New Castro with big money

At 79, Fidel Castro has outlasted 10 U.S. presidents, outfoxed 15 directors of Central Intelligence, defeated a U.S.-organized invasion by Cuban exiles, survived eight U.S. assassination attempts, the Cuban missile crisis, a 45-year-long U.S. embargo and the collapse of the Soviet Union, which abruptly ended an annual subsidy of $4 billion, and found a worthy successor... read more...

SPORTS NEWS

Two Caribbean world champions set for ISTAF Berlin

BERLIN, Germany:  Recently crowned world champions, Cuba's Zulia Calatayud and Jamaica's Trecia Smith, are confirmed to take part in the 64th edition of the ISTAF Berlin, the last meeting of the IAAF Grand Prix Golden League series, which is slated for Sunday September 4.  World leader Chandra Sturrup will also be in attendance... read more...

Breese hits 47 runs in Durham’s win over Scotland

CHESTER-LE-STREET, England:  Former West Indies and Jamaican all-rounder Gareth Breese produced with both bat and ball to help his team Durham to an easy 93 runs win over Scotland in England National league Division Two limited overs competition on Sunday... read more...