HAMILTON, Bermuda (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters called for Bermudian Premier Ewart Brown to step down and accused him of acting like a dictator in allowing four Guantanamo prisoners from China to settle on the mid-Atlantic island. Some 600 people gathered outside Parliament in the island's capital Hamilton. read more...

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LONDON, England (AFP) -- Bermudan authorities should have consulted London before agreeing to allow four Uighur detainees from Guantanamo Bay onto the British overseas territory, the Foreign Office said Thursday. London is helping Bermuda to carry out a "security assessment" on the four. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) -- The United States has sent to Bermuda four Uighur men who had been held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba despite having been declared no threat to US national security, the Department of Justice announced. They are the first Uighur detainees to be resettled since 2006. read more...

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HAMILTON, Bermuda -- Following Bermuda’s signing of its twelfth Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with the Netherlands in London on Monday, the OECD has updated its progress report to include Bermuda with other jurisdictions that have substantially implemented the internationally agreed tax standard. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) -- Shareholders of Ingersoll-Rand Co approved the conglomerate's plan to reincorporate from Bermuda to Ireland by a margin of 97 to 3, and the reorganization will become effective within four weeks, the company said on Wednesday. Shareholders also elected all 12 nominees to the board. read more...

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TORTOLA, BVI -- Additional cases of the new strain of Influenza A H1N1 have been identified in the Caribbean with two cases being confirmed in Jamaica, one case in the Bahamas and one in Bermuda. These add to the three previous cases confirmed in Cuba and two in the Dominican Republic. read more...

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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES, USA (Reuters) -- Technology outsourcing and consulting firm Accenture Ltd said on Tuesday it plans to change its place of incorporation to Ireland from Bermuda, joining an exodus of large US companies as the US government plans to tighten tax rules. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) -- The trustee recovering money for the defrauded customers of swindler Bernard Madoff's firm asked the court to stop two Kingate funds and the Bank of Bermuda from transferring money. He asked the court for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. read more...

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MIAMI, USA -- The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) on Monday protested the decision of Bermuda Prime Minister Ewart Brown to reduce the supply of his government's information to the newspapers. The Royal Gazette and Mid-Ocean News, is calling the move an act of discrimination. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) -- Moody's Investors Service cut its long-term foreign currency credit rating on Bermuda to 'Aa2' from 'Aa1' on Wednesday, citing vulnerability to external shocks because of its small size and lack of diversity. Moody's said the government's debt ratios are still low by international standards. read more...

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ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) -- Offshore centres are rushing to sign data exchange tax deals with small Nordic countries such as Greenland to be taken off a "grey" list of tax havens, making a mockery of a G20 bid to clamp down on evasion, campaigners said. The G20 summit named 40 or so countries. read more...

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GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: The Net News Group (NNG), a widely-read media publishing and communications company based in the Cayman Islands, has established a contributor partnership with McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), one of the largest media groups in the United States. read more...

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LONDON, England (Bloomberg): Lloyd’s of London, the world’s biggest insurance market, said Bermudan insurers are “interested” in joining Lloyd’s to lower their dependence on the US and improve their credit ratings. Expansion from Bermuda to London may signal a reverse of the trend in recent years. read more...

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HAMILTON, Bermuda: The Head of the United Kingdom Government Independent Review of British Offshore Financial Centres, Michael Foot, and his team from the UK Treasury are now in the region visiting some of the Overseas Territories.  The team has already visited the Cayman Islands. read more...

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LONDON, England (Bloomberg): Old Mutual Plc, South Africa’s biggest insurer, is closing its Bermuda-based US life- insurance unit to new customers to control potential liabilities and cut costs. Old Mutual this month scrapped dividends and said profit fell 55 percent last year partly because of losses at its US unit. read more...

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BOGOTA, Colombia (Bloomberg): Bermuda’s bond ratings may be lowered by Moody’s Investors Service, which said the “small and relatively undiversified economy” is vulnerable to the global economic slowdown. Moody’s placed the nation’s Aa1 foreign debt rating and Aaa local debt rating on review. read more...

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SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters): While city breaks, country retreats and resort getaways are all well and good, nothing beats the decadence of escaping to a luxury island. Men's website Askmen.com has come up with a list of its Top 10 Luxury Islands, which includes five Caribbean islands and Bermuda. read more...

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LONDON, England: In 2008 natural disasters cost the world US$200 billion. Global maps, produced by risk specialists Maplecroft, show the United States and China to bear about 90% of this burden and be the countries most susceptible to economic losses. In terms of GDP, small island developing states are most at risk. read more...

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HAMILTON, Bermuda: Choice Hotels International has announced plans to bolster Caribbean tourism's efforts to beef up business in today's challenging economic environment. The company has confirmed its elite gold sponsorship package for the 13th annual Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters): Ingersoll-Rand Co will ask its shareholders for approval to move its incorporation from Bermuda to Ireland, the maker of climate control equipment said on Thursday. Such a move would take advantage of Ireland's membership in the European Union, the company said. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA (Reuters): The US government widened its legal assault on tax dodgers with secret offshore accounts on Thursday by suing UBS AG to try to obtain the names of thousands of the Swiss bank's rich US clients. The lawsuit came just a day after UBS agreed to pay $780 million. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters): Bermuda's business climate is getting chillier, so some multinational companies are seeking more hospitable locales -- like wind-swept Ireland and snowy Switzerland. In recent weeks, there has been an exodus of large companies incorporated in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA (Bloomberg): A Senate committee is investigating whether multinational companies abused a tax break in 2004 that gave them an 85 percent discount on profits made overseas and brought back to the US. Almost 10 percent came from Bermuda and 5.5 percent came from the Cayman Islands. read more...

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HAMILTON, Bermuda: Bermuda is celebrating its 400th anniversary and activities began over the weekend with a cultural programme that was attended by the Governor, Sir Richard Gozney, Premier Ewart Brown and hundreds of others. The Premier said that 400 years was a long time for a country to have persisted. read more...

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CHICAGO, USA (Reuters): Health care products company Covidien Ltd is moving its headquarters from Bermuda  to Ireland to take advantage of the country's favorable tax structure and location, it said on Tuesday. The move from Bermuda should not affect Covidien's financial results, the company said. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Bloomberg): XL Capital Ltd, the biggest Bermuda- based insurer by assets, is seeking a buyer after reporting investment losses larger than its market value, four people with knowledge of the matter said. The property and casualty underwriter has been buffeted this year by losses. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA: The Caribbean region is offering a variety of last-minute travel deals with value-added escape packages this holiday and winter season. These market-mindful values are available throughout 2009 for travelers seeking a romantic getaway or a vacation with the family. read more...

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HAMILTON, Bermuda (Reuters): UK-listed insurer Hiscox Ltd said on Wednesday it was refocusing its reinsurance portfolio and would close the Bermuda-based specialist insurance team and expand its business in the United States. Hiscox said it would also set up new lines in its property insurance services. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters): The international financial crisis is putting a squeeze on cash-strapped governments across the Caribbean as the region braces for a steep economic slowdown. A severe spillover from the crisis will be seen in the Caribbean's important tourism market. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters): Citadel Investment Group, one of the world's biggest hedge funds, is closing down a Bermuda reinsurer it formed in 2004, according to a source familiar with the matter. Citadel, which manages roughly $18 billion, thought it had a winning business plan with CIG Re. read more...

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BASSETERRE, St Kitts: The marquis event for this years St.Kitts-Nevis national carnival is once again expected to be the Digicel Haynes Smith Miss Caribbean Talented Teen Pageant. The pageant which is in its 29th year promises to be an exciting part of the St. Kitts National Carnival celebrations. read more...

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GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: With the US election looming on November 4, whoever is elected as the next president will have a major impact on global issues. According to Stephen Platt, Chairman of the BakerPlatt Group, a Senator Barack Obama victory could be a particular threat to offshore centres. read more...

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LONDON, England: Meg Munn, Minister for Overseas Territories at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been replaced by Gillian Merron in a recent ministerial reshuffle by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Merron’s responsibilities include the British overseas territories and the Caribbean. read more...

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TUCKER'S TOWN, Bermuda (AFP): American Jim Furyk eagled the first playoff hole here Wednesday to defeat Ireland's Padraig Harrington and win the 26th PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Harrington, the British Open and PGA Championship winner, and Furyk each fired a two-under par 68 for the second day in a row. read more...

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MIAMI, USA (Reuters): The end-of-season PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which brings together the winners of the four majors, will return to the island of Bermuda for the next two years, organisers said on Tuesday. The 36-hole stroke-play event will be moved to Port Royal Golf Course. read more...

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: A boost to Nevis’ Tourism and Financial Service sectors was the objective of Premier Parry’s visit to Bermuda recently. Bermuda, which has a thriving financial services and tourism market, opened their doors to Parry and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Laurie Lawrence. read more...

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MIAMI, USA (AFP): Tropical Storm Kyle could strike the northeastern US coast and Canada as a hurricane by Monday, according to National Hurricane Center forecasts on Friday. At 2:00 pm Kyle was still far away from land, its center swirling about 445 miles southeast of Bermuda. read more...

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: Premier of Nevis, Joseph Parry will leave the Federation on Monday to meet with Premier and Minister of Tourism in Bermuda, Dr Ewart Brown the following day. Parry will be accompanied by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Laurie Lawrence. read more...

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HAMILTON, Bermuda: The Bermuda government is offering assistance to Turks and Caicos to assist the sister British Overseas Territory in restoring itself following the destruction caused by Hurricane Ike last weekend. Bermuda Governor, Sir Richard Gozney, and Premier Ewart Brown promised to give all possible assistance. read more...

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As I sit before my computer to put my thoughts into writing, Bermudians will be gathering at Bernard’s Park to show their disapproval for the violence that is taking over the island. Being a good judge of human nature I will attempt to stick my neck out and offer some predictions as to what to expect. read more...

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