THE NATION'S most powerful group of business leaders, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), has joined other associations and individuals in disagreeing with the Government's decision not to sign the extradition...

Difference is always noted, and so it was for the duo Duane McIntosh and Sandre Malcolm, marketing students at the University of the West Indies (UWI)...

Junior government minister Everald Warmington staged a one-man walk out of Gordon House yesterday after failed attempts to register a nay vote against an Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) report...

THE HAUNTING wail of a mother who lost her child continues to echo in the heads of her neighbours four days after Ruthlyn Williams received word that her 11-year-old son had died in hospital...

Five-year-old Rojay King went missing two days after his mother's birthday in 2002.Janet Hardie, King's mother, described a time in her life where she was depressed, heartbroken and longed for her son."I was mentally...

The heated argument over the erosion of Saunders Beach continued yesterday as two senators went head to head over the issue during the mid-term budget debate in the Senate yesterday afternoon.

Anse-a-Pitre, HAITI. ? As part of its continuing disaster relief intervention in Haiti, the Batey Relief Alliance (BRA) is dispatching on March 27th a team of 20 dental and medical specialists from the United States to far-reached earthquake-affected border commune of Anse-a-Pitre to deliver much needed dental and medical care to children and their families living in impoverished conditions.

Santo Domingo ? There is now help available for English speakers with a spiritual inclination here in Santo Domingo. Starting January 3, 2010 and continuing every Sunday thereafter, Christian meetings are held in English at the ?Salon del Reino de los Testigos de Jehová,? #33 Avenida Francia on the corner of Galvan, in the Gascue sector of Santo Domingo.

Santo Domingo.- The Mazda - Mcdonald?s ? Coastal - Auto Haus Racing team, and its new auto Mazda 6 Tindol Motorsport, was presented to the press last night, and will be competing in the Nacional Motorsport Prize in the category DTS.

Santo Domingo.- The radio station Fuego 90 is sponsoring a motorcycle race on Sunday, in the Mobil 1 raceway on the Las Americans highway.

Santo Domingo.- Prosecutor Alejandro Moscoso today asked a National District court the luxury condo Torre Atiemar, property of the Spaniard Arturo del Tiempo, being held in his country in connection with the 1,200 kilos of ?highly pure? cocaine shipped from Dominican Republic and seized in the port of Valencia, while other buildings are now the target probes.

A CRIMINAL probe was quietly launched last September against Calder Hart, the former executive chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT).

Trinidad and Tobago’s soul has been affected by allegations against UDeCOTT, former chairman Calder Hart and the Government.

THERE IS no need to launch a criminal investigation into the construction of the controversial church being constructed at the Heights of Guanapo, Attorney General John Jeremie said yesterday.

Dr Krishna Bahadoorsingh, deputy chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) said he does not want the job of executive chairman.

The San Fernando East constituency has agreed to pass a motion expressing its ’full confidence’ in Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who is also their parliamentary representative.

A stalemate of sorts, seems to be all that developed from a special meeting Monday, 8 March, between the Civil Service Association and the elected members of Government.  The closed-door meeting, called by Association President James Watler at the Mary Miller Hall in Red Bay, was to address questions and pose concerns regarding a Government proposal to cut salaries and benefits of all civil service workers.

In a letter to civil service staff on Tuesday, chief executive officer of the interim government in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Mark Capes, informed all public employees that public service salaries and wages for all staff, plus certain allowances, excluding housing, will be cut by 10 percent.  This reduction will take effect, for wage earners, on 16 April and, for salaried staff, at the end of the month.

The first day of a new certificate programme intended for Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) recruits took place at the University College of the Cayman Islands campus on Tuesday, 9 March.  The new programme is a result of partnership between the RCIPS and the UCCI and is designed to provide personal and professional development for RCIPS officers. “This was an idea about how we can take forward improvements...

In this second of three excerpts from the Third Quarter Economic Report for 2009 released last week by the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO), the report covers Money & Banking and Financial Services. After peaking in the first quarter of 2009, broad money supply (M2) declined for the second consecutive quarter to settle at $5,458.4 million in the third quarter. However, this represents an increase of 16.8% from September 2008.

According to Premier McKeeva Bush in his national address on Monday night, the proposed cruise ship berthing facility and the new sewage system, amongst other projects, have been prevented from moving ahead by what he described as “pure bureaucracy.”  He complained that our elected representatives cannot do their jobs because of bureaucracy. Mr Bush said that he has now spent over eight months talking.

Derek Walcott paid a visit to the Grow Well Centre library to the delight of children and volunteers alike. In the above picture little Faith Danzie looks through children?s colouring sheets because she wants to show the famous poet/artist her ?paintings?. Grow Well board member Paul Lorde briefed the Nobel laureate on the upcoming Young [...]

SOL EEC Limited, agents for Shell fuel and lubricants in the region recently re-launched a retail business program which enables and empowers retailers and their sales force to deliver consistent operational excellence at all of their service stations. It is called People Make The Difference Real (PMTDR) and is designed to maintain, measure and reward [...]

The St Lucia Amateur Swimming Association (SLASA) successfully hosted the Fourth Annual Soufriere Open Water Swimming Challenge on Sunday in conjunction with the Soufriere Marine Management Association in the Soufriere Bay. The main sponsor was Anse Chastanet Resort and Jade Mountain with additional sponsorship provided by Paradise Springs Water. With over 40 swimmers coming from the ranks [...]

Those attending the Course 30 Passing Out Parade at the St Lucia Police Force Academy on Friday March 5 looked on with pride as a new set of recruits made their way into the Bordelais Correctional Facility and the Royal St Lucia Police Force. The ceremony celebrated the graduation of the recruits from their [...]

Aided by a compassionate opponent, Rolstan Pamphile of the Choiseul Secondary School, dug deep over the final two kilometers to win the overall first place in the male division the 2010 Saint Lucia Secondary Schools Road Race last Friday in a time of 50 minutes, 8.82 seconds. The Race started opposite the Daher Building in Vieux [...]

JFK airport terror plot An anonymous jury is being sought by the US Government in the case involving former Guyanese parliamentarian Abdul Kadir and three others ...

The Suriname government has noted the concerns raised by Guyana concerning public statements reportedly made in that country about a past plan to invade Guyana?s ...

Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson yesterday ordered that a 19-year-old be remanded to prison when he appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrate?s Court for ...

? climate change office The Office of Climate Change (OCC) last night described the objections by some indigenous leaders to the LCDS and REDD+ policies as ...

Eping Ave deaths Samples were taken from the decomposing remains of the Cuban doctor who was found dead along with a woman in his house last ...

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados -- The number of candidates sitting the 2010 January Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations more than doubled, with some 54,866 candidates writing the examinations compared with 26,093 in 2009. Subject entries also increased significantly.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (SKNIS) -- The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a catalyst for the recovery of the earthquake devastated Haiti and its adoption for other disasters were explored at a recent meeting in Grenada. This was one of the many topics at the 4th Meeting...

My recent information is that a new company is being formed to take over the assets of the collapsed British American Insurance Company. I understand that the Eastern Caribbean governments and two un-named private investors will invest in this new company. It is my understanding that depositors in BAICO...

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) -- A Cuban dissident journalist on a hunger strike for two weeks was diagnosed as suffering from heart arrhythmia and severe dehydration but again refused hospitalization, a spokesman said Wednesday. Guillermo Farinas, 48, rejected a recommendation for his hospitalization made by physicians.

Sonia Rosita Boddie's commentary, "OAS vs The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States" from 10 March was interesting both in where it is insightful and where it is dangerous. Boddie's description of the OAS as an instrument of US control over the hemisphere is a good one.

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Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has given the de facto government until Monday to consider his counter-proposal for ending the country's political crisis.

A representative of the ousted leader, Ricardo Martinez, said if no agreement is reached by then, the dialogue is broken.

Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya says talks on ending the stand-off stemming from his ouster have broken down.  Speaking from the Brazilian Embassy in the capital, Tegucigalpa, where he has taken refuge, Mr. Zelaya told reporters the talks are suspended until the other side presents what he called a "reasonable" stance.

More than three months into a political crisis in Honduras, business leaders are starting to feel the pain. Owners say the dispute between ousted President Manuel Zelaya and the interim government is scaring off new investment and creating other problems.  "This is the Tegu Honduras factory," explains U.S. entrepreneur Chris Haughey. He has high hopes for his fledgling toy manufacturing company in Tegucigalpa.

From Yahoo Sports

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP)?Honduras is going to the World Cup for the first time since 1982.

Carlos Pavon redeemed himself for last weekend?s penalty kick miss against the United States by scoring in the 64th minute, and Honduras beat El Salvador 1-0 Wednesday night to qualify for the World Cup for only the second time.

MEXICO CITY ? There were reports of a deal on Wednesday, followed by reports of no deal. By the end of the day, the Honduras political standoff was mired in the same confusion that has characterized it from the start.

One leader says the region is being excluded from reconstruction efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Caricom leaders discuss economy and Haiti, Venezuelans tackle energy crisis - and other stories.

Are internet services in the Caribbean satisfactory based on speed, cost and accessibility?

BBC Caribbean looks back on a month of Haiti coverage and lifeline programming for Haitians.

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CARACAS, Mar 10 (IPS) - Although most of the governments in Latin America today are described as progressive, abortion is only legal in one country, while in five countries it is banned under all circumstances, even when the mother's life is at risk.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Mar 9 (IPS) - Perched near the top of a steep hill, the fractured pink walls of Villa Manrese overlook the rest of the capital city. Both ends of the three-story compound have collapsed, spilling into mounds of rubble. The first floor was pulverised into a layer of dust. There are still bodies inside.

HAVANA, Mar 8 (IPS) - The state news media in Cuba reported Monday on the case of dissident Guillermo Fariñas, who has been on a hunger strike for 13 days and refuses to go into exile in Spain.

WASHINGTON, Mar 8 (IPS) - With U.S. President Barack Obama preparing to host Haitian President Rene Preval at the White House Wednesday, Congress is moving quickly to show support for far-reaching debt relief and additional aid for the earthquake-stricken Caribbean nation.

PORT OF SPAIN, Mar 8 (IPS) - A few days after she created history by becoming the first woman to be elected as opposition leader and the leader of a major political party in Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad Bissessar was kicking mad at the "misunderstanding" of the role of women and their contribution to society.

Option activity ramped up on Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) Wednesday, with put volume soaring to nearly double the cruise concern's daily average...( Read More )

March 11, 2010

(AP:SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) Puerto Rico's government has approved a plan to build 25 wind turbines capable of generating electricity for 20,000 households in the U.S. territory.

KINGSTOWN (St Vincent) ? Zimbabwe will be looking to edge closer to becoming the latest visiting side to make history in the Caribbean, when the third one-day international against West Indies is contested today at the Arnos Vale Multiplex.

In the face of political scandals and nasty partisan immaturity, Americans are no longer so astonished when they hear of something devious in the political world. We shake our heads at the news that a politician has had an affair or taken a bribe, but we don?t lose sleep over it. Congressmen went to the Caribbean on a corporate tab? Quelle surprise. read more