ST JOHN’S, Antigua, Observer- A probe is underway to determine what caused a LIAT plane to fill with smoke while en route to Antigua on Sunday night.
Several members of the country’s national swim team were on that flight, which was forced to divert to Guadeloupe.
OBSERVER media’s Rory Butler has more details about the incident, which passengers have described as traumatic.
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda says it is positioned to benefit from the establishment of a major tourism development project with Qatar. In a statement on Saturday, it was revealed that Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer recently held official talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, regarding cooperation for the new Azure Bay Property Development Project. According to Spencer, the Azure Bay Property Development project, when implemented, will represent the “largest high-end hospitality development opportunity in Antigua and Barbuda.”
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, Observer - – A local medical practitioner is making a case for government to relax the rules on the use of marijuana … while at the same time calling for a complete ban on tobacco. Dr Leslie Walwyn acknowledged that ganja has some harmful effects such as inducing mental health issues but she stressed that the medicinal properties are even more significant. Non-smokers are also at risk of developing complications associated with exposure to second hand smoke.
PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC – A Suriname based foundation is calling on the Netherlands to apologise for its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Chairman of the Broki (Bridge) Collective said if the Dutch didn’t apologise in 2013, then the group would lodge a complaint with international organizations. “If the Dutch don’t apologize this year, I will seek support from other countries with a slavery past to bring this matter to the attention of the European Union and the United Nations and force the Netherlands to formally apologize,” Bottse said.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government says it remains resolute in ensuring that equitable trading practices are observed by all stakeholders in the manufacturing sector, whether local or international. “We have to ensure that our trading partners play honestly, and that unfair trading practices do not undermine viable business models,” said Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton.
NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Police are appealing for public assistance in apprehending those involved in the murder of two unidentified people, whose charred remains were found inside a vehicle over the weekend.
Police said that they had responded to a “bush fire” and after extinguishing the blaze, fire fighters discovered the remains.
The police statement gave no details about the identity of the bodies, expect to say they “are appealing to members of the public who may have any information that can assist police in arresting the perpetrators to contact them anonymously”.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The murder trial of singer Vybz Kartel was adjourned to June 10 after a witness failed to appear in court on Monday Kartel, whose real name is Adijah Palmer, is jointly charged with Lenburgh McDonald and Nigel Thompson in the July 2011 murder of St Catherine businessman Barrington ‘Bossy’ Bryan, who was gunned down by men travelling in a motor vehicle. The trial was first adjourned in February after the prosecution told the court that the main witness in the case was being uncooperativeional countries CASTRIES, St.
ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – The Dominica government says it has no intention of changing the present buggery laws even as the advocacy group, Minority Rights Dominica (MiriDom) said it was seeking talks with the authorities on the matter of equal rights. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, speaking on the state-owned DBS radio Monday, said his administration’s position on the matter is stated in law “and this matter is still on our books and will remain there for the foreseeable future. “I respect the views of this new group. I understand from persons they intend to write to the government.
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda government says it is seeking to build a new prison to alleviate “some of the issues caused by the overcrowding of the current prison.
The Baldwin Spencer administration said that the new prison, which will accommodate 550 inmates, would “focus on rehabilitation and not just incarceration”.
The original prison was built in 1735 to accommodate 151, but at the end of December last year had a population of 395.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Express - No provision has been made or contemplated for the establishment of a military base in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar assured yesterday. The Prime Minister’s office issued a press release yesterday confirming that Trinidad and Tobago has ratified the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States.