Archives for Wednesday, December 14, 2005:

Violent protests strain Haiti-Dominican Republic relations

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): The Haitian government on Tuesday condemned violent protests that forced the president of the Dominican Republic to cut short his visit to Haiti amid tensions between the two countries over the treatment of Haitian immigrants... read more...

FBI agents assisting with probe into death of USAID advisor in Guyana

GEORGETOWN Guyana: Agents from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrived in Guyana Monday night to assist local police in their probe into the murder of USAID advisor Hubert Daniel Thompson, 55 of Staunton, VA, USA... read more...

Sakharov Prize winners say Cuba holding them "hostage"

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP): The wives of five Cuban political prisoners who founded the "The Ladies in White" protest movement accused the government Tuesday of making them "hostages" after they were blocked from traveling to France to receive a human rights award... read more...

Trinidad signs million-dollar steel deal with China

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: The Trinidad and Tobago government on Monday signed a multi-million dollar deal agreement with China which would see the setting up of three steel manufacturing plants in Trinidad... read more...

Near tax-free half a billion dollar 2006 Budget for St Kitts-Nevis

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts: All telephone calls in St Kitts and Nevis, including domestic ones, will attract a five percent tax from January 1 next year.  This was one of the fiscal measures announced Tuesday by St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Denzil Douglas, when he presented a EC$494.7 million Budget for 2006... read more...

Jamaica expects double-digit tourism growth for winter season

KINGSTON, Jamaica: The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is anticipating double-digit growth for the five-month winter tourist season which begins on December 15... read more...

CARICOM development fund: Vital aspect of CSME

KINGSTON, Jamaica: With just about a month before the expected January 2006 introduction of the CARICOM Single Market (CSM), Ministers of Finance constituting the Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP), met in Kingston to discuss the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), which is said to be in its final stages of construction by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)... read more...

Caribbean urges development agenda for small, vulnerable countries at WTO

CHRIST CHURCH, Barbados: The Sixth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial got underway Tuesday, amidst mounting concern over the prospects for a successful outcome for the six-day meeting in Hong Kong... read more...

French ambassador for CARICOM

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: France now has an Ambassador to CARICOM, Patrick Boursin, who on Monday, presented his credentials to CARICOM Secretary-General, Edwin Carrington at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana... read more...

Millionaire Cuban exile pleads not-guilty to weapons charges in Miami

MIAMI, USA (AFP): A millionaire anti-Castro activist and one of his employees pleaded innocent in Miami Tuesday to charges of possessing an illegal arsenal of automatic weapons... read more...

Illegal Guyanese immigrants jailed in Suriname

PARAMARIBO, Suriname:  Two Guyanese nationals, who allegedly entered Suriname illegally, were sentenced to jail Friday by Judge Iwan Rasoelbaks. The suspects, Kendroy Codogan and Devon Nelson, received jail terms of 6 month each and were also fined for possession of marijuana... read more...

Land transfer deal paves the way for new development in Antigua

WASHINGTON, USA: The transfer of lands, paving the way for a multi-million dollar development at Hatton Bay in Antigua was completed last week in Washington D.C with members of US development consortium of the Federal/ Owens Group.  Mr McChesney Emanuel, Honorary Consul General for Antigua-Barbuda in New York, attended the ceremony... read more...

Antigua-Barbuda sponsors Atlanta gala

NEW YORK, USA: On the eve of Delta Airlines’ inaugural direct flight from Atlanta to Antigua, which begins on Sunday, December.18, the twin islands of Antigua and Barbuda will sponsor an exciting line-up of events to celebrate this new service... read more...

Take advantage of the Youth Empowerment Programme, says Nevis premier

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: Premier of Nevis Vance Amory issued a call to the youth in Nevis to take advantage of the opportunities being created by the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) for their empowerment and to recognise that they are the future of Nevis, a future that began now.  Mr Amory made the call on Sunday at a Youth Rally... read more...

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Fest goes the Grammy route

NEW YORK, USA: Soul crooner John Legend, who grabbed eight Grammy nominations on Thursday, December 8, along with superstar Shaggy, who picked up one in the reggae category, are among the Grammy-winning line-up for this year’s Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival.  Legend and Shaggy will join master flutist, Nestor Torres... read more...

SPORTS NEWS

Jamaican club Portmore United claims Caribbean Football Union title

PARAMARIBO, Suriname:  Jamaica’s defending national football league champions, Portmore United FC, rebounded from a one-goal first-leg deficit to clobber Suriname home side, SV Robinhood, 4-0 in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Champions Cup at the Andre Kamperveen Stadium on Sunday... read more...

English FA agrees to hear Jamaican Ricketts red-card appeal

LONDON, England:  English Coca-Cola Football League One side Bradford City confirmed early Monday morning that the league’s Football Association (FA) will hear an appeal from Jamaican international Donovan Ricketts, who was sent off in the team’s 1-1 draw with Southend United at Roots Hall on Saturday... read more...

Williams-Darling gunning for Commonwealth Games gold

SYDNEY, Australia:  Bahamas’ World and Olympic 400-metres champion Tonique Williams-Darling has announced that she will be going for another gold medal next season, this time it’s the Commonwealth Games title in Melbourne next March.  The Bahamian finished the year as the second best performer behind sprinter Sanya Richards... read more...