DETROIT, USA (Reuters) -- Chicago Cubs' Geovany Soto has been banned from playing for Puerto Rico for two years after failing a drugs test at this year's World Baseball Classic, the catcher said on Thursday. The suspension will have no impact on the player's Major League status. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) -- The Puerto Rico government will soon activate a new Public Private Partnership Authority and aims to have six PPP projects underway by year's end, according to the head of the Government Development Bank. Puerto Rico officials hope to complete the first projects over the next five years. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) -- A $250 million bond issue the US Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority plans to bring to the municipal market next week is the latest sally in a Caribbean rum war with Puerto Rico over federal tax rebates. The issue will finance a $165 million rum plant in St Croix. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) -- Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto retained his World Boxing Organization welterweight title with a grueling split decision win over Joshua Clottey of Ghana at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Judges Don Trella and John McKaie scored the bout for Cotto. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto -- As millions of Puerto Ricans join National Day Parade events across the USA as part of a celebration and appreciation of Puerto Rican culture, groups from around the world have launched a campaign calling on the government of Puerto Rico to stop the construction of a major monkey farm. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Shares of Popular Inc fell as much as 16 percent on Tuesday, a day after the Puerto Rico-based bank set a plan to boost its Tier I common equity by about $1.2 billion through an exchange offer and said it will suspend dividends on its common and preferred stock after June 30. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Key Largo repatriated 13 Dominicans, three Haitians and one Cuban to La Romana, Dominican Republic on Tuesday, following an at-sea interdiction by Caribbean Border Interagency Group law enforcement authorities on Monday. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Animal protection organizations across the world have launched a campaign calling on the government of Puerto Rico to stop the construction of a major monkey farm following reports that the monkeys will be supplied to the international research industry: in particular the USA. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Puerto Rico’s Secretary of State, Kenneth McClintock, described President Barack Obama’s nomination of Associate Justice-designate Sonia Sotomayor as “a historic moment 111 years in the making.” McClintock exercises the role of lieutenant governor in the territory. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) -- Puerto Rico on Monday reported its first confirmed case of H1N1 swine flu -- a 39-year-old man who had returned from a week-long eastern Caribbean cruise. Mexico remains the epicenter of the H1N1 outbreak, which has been detected in 46 countries. read more...

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CHICAGO, USA (Reuters) -- Popular Inc, the parent of Banco Popular, on Thursday said it plans to shed more than 20 percent of its US branch network, in an effort to focus on more profitable operations, including New York. The San Juan, Puerto Rico-based company said it will close its California in-store branch network. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA (Reuters) -- Procter & Gamble failed to adequately address contamination and other manufacturing problems at a plant in Puerto Rico that produces over-the-counter drugs and Olay cosmetics, US regulators said in a letter released on Tuesday. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) -- Popular Inc, the parent of Banco Popular, reported a sequentially narrower quarterly loss as expenses fell and the company recorded a gain from sale of securities. Popular, Puerto Rico's largest bank, said first-quarter net loss was $52.5 million, or 27 cents a share. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The crew of a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter located and hoisted two of three missing watercraft riders to safety from the rocks on Cabo Mala Pascua, Maunabo, Puerto Rico, Monday afternoon. The woman and 14-year old girl were transported by the crew of the HH-65 Dolphin. read more...

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ST THOMAS, USVI -- The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Reef Shark rescued three men on Saturday night aboard a 14-foot pleasure craft, after their vessel became disabled and adrift in waters southwest of Fortuna Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The crew of the Reef Shark located the men aboard their vessel. read more...

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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- A Puerto Rican environmental revolutionary group leader, Alberto de Jesus Mercado, a veteran global of anti-US protests from Israel to the United Nations, was deported from Trinidad on Thursday after being deemed a security risk to the country. read more...

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SAN JUAN/ST THOMAS -- The Coast Guard began enforcement of the Transportation Worker Identification Credentials for ports in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands on Tuesday. Commander Carlos Torres, Chief of Prevention Operations Department said both island have implemented the necessary provisions. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Air Station Borinquen medevaced a 28-year-old man from Culebra Island , Puerto Rico Saturday afternoon. The man was aboard a vessel in the waters when he reportedly dove into the water and resurfaced unconscious and not breathing. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Key Largo repatriated 11 Dominican migrants to La Romana, Dominican Republic Friday morning, while four others were detained for prosecution following an at-sea interdiction by Caribbean Border Interagency law enforcement authorities on Thursday. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA: Martinique has become more accessible to US travelers thanks to newly expanded service from American Eagle Airlines. Beginning May 1, 2009, American Eagle will offer daily service between its hub in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: A Coast Guard rescue crew from Station San Juan, pulled a man to safety after a 30-foot Beltran fishing boat carrying six passengers capsized and sank Friday morning in waters off Caballo Reef in the vicinity of Boca Cangrejos, Carolina, Puerto Rico. 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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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: In a move that will help boost the economy, create new jobs, build the foundation for long-term economic strength, and protect human health and the environment, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Friday a national competition for $156 million in funding. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: The Caribbean’s biggest gastronomic event, the internationally known Saborea Puerto Rico: A Culinary Extravaganza will be even more extravagant this year than ever before, according to event coordinators. The event is slated to be held April 4 and 5 at the Escambrón Beach in San Juan. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship the “Nancy Foster” will be coming back to Puerto Rico this week to continue a multi-year effort to study coral reef ecosystems and fish habitat in the Commonwealth’s near-shore waters. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi announced Thursday that Puerto Rico will be receiving some $34 million for energy efficiency and conservation projects to be implemented in more than 40 towns in the US territory. The grant will be used to reduce and improve total energy use. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rico Teacher’s Federation is planning to call island educators to go on strike before Governor Luis Fortuño’s Fiscal Reconstruction Plan goes into effect and possibly lays off over 500 teachers. The Federation will hold a meeting Sunday to decide what actions they will take. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: Former New Progressive Party Senator Jorge De Castro Font’s, now federally convicted, political consultant and aide Alberto Goachet, 67, was sentenced to three months in prison, three months of home detention and three years of supervised release. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters): Puerto Rico mortgage lender, Doral Financial Corp, said its Chief Financial Officer Marito Domingo stepped down and it named Robert Wahlman as its new chief financial and investment officer. Wahlman was most recently the CFO of Merrill Lynch Bank USA. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: After former Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá was found not guilty of nine federal charges related to irregularities in his campaign finances, Popular Democratic Party President Héctor Ferrer called on US Congress to investigate the way federal prosecutors handled the probe. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: US Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen during a Monday morning ceremony in San Juan, welcomed the crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Reff Shark, the new cutter assigned to patrol the waters around the USVI. The Congresswoman was invited to be the vessel’s sponsor. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: In an attempt to put an end to illegal political campaign donations, Governor Luis Fortuño vowed to approve substantial amendments to the local Electoral Law, before the 2012 general elections. Fortuno said the Law definitely needs to be amended, modernized. read more...

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana: A new airline is expected to serve 12 Caribbean countries from next month. The airline intends to use the Fairchild Dornier 328 jet, the world's first 32-seat regional jet. A regional jet is a short-haul, turbofan-powered aircraft used for commuter flights and means shorter flight times. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: After a near month long campaign corruption trial, former Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá was found not guilty on all counts he was facing by a jury of six men and six women. The jury was expected to deliberate throughout the weekend, but after a little over two hours they announced their verdict. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters): Doral Financial Corp, once Puerto Rico's largest mortgage lender, posted a net loss for the fourth quarter, hurt in part by a rise in provision for loan and lease losses, and suspended dividend. The net loss for the quarter was $315.8 million, or $6.02 a share. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: A memo that 93 Puerto Rico government agency heads affected by the Fiscal Emergency Law received on Friday will allow them to choose the way they want to inform their workers on how they plan to reduce payroll. Agency heads will be able to speak with workers that will be affected. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: The latest Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report issued on Friday by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found a decrease in releases to the air and water in Puerto Rico. According to EPA their database provides the most recent information available. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: Just as consumers are reducing energy costs at their homes, Governor Luis Fortuño called on all government agencies to contemplate an energy reduction plan by reducing consumption by 10 percent. All 130 government agencies have 60 days to submit their energy reduction plans. read more...

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MIAMI, USA (AFP): A stunning three-run rally in the ninth inning capped by the greatest hit of David Wright's life gave the United States a 6-5 victory over Puerto Rico and a World Baseball Classic semi-final spot. The United States will join Venezuela in this weekend's semi-finals at Los Angeles. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: Former Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá’s campaign finance corruption case will soon be over as defense attorneys’ announced late Tuesday afternoon that they will not be presenting any witnesses, saying that “they are confident that there is no charge that merits a response.” read more...

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