CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The St. Lucia government Monday denied regional media reports that Police Commissioner Vernon Francois had been sent on leave in the wake of a decision by the United States to bar him from attending a conference in that country. “The attention of the government of St. Lucia has been drawn to a story on the online news site, Caribbean News Now allegedly written by a ‘Caribbean News Now Contributor’.
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC –Police say they have arrested two men following violent attacks on a British Red Cross Mission Chief and his Haitian gay partner while they were organising a ceremony in the capital. Police Inspector in the Petion-Ville district, Patrick Rosarion, told the Haitian website, HCNN, that a mob in the Bourdon area attacked a group of gay individuals on Saturday night while they were attending a betrothal ceremony. "When people in the neighbourhood learned about what was going on, they launched an attack against the house with molotov cocktails and other means.
WASHINGTON, CMC – The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Peter de Clercq of the Netherlands to the top United Nations humanitarian coordination position in Haiti. He will serve as the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), where he will also serve as UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative, the spokesperson for UN Secretary General has announced.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana government Monday said that the total public debt for Amaila Falls is “zero” and insisted that there has been “considerable confusion” in recent weeks regarding the cost of the multi-million dollar project.
In a statement which the Donald Ramotar government said was aimed at “clearing this confusion” it said Guyanese citizens will pay for Amaila Falls in two ways.
ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – A prominent Dominican businessman Monday said the regional airline, LIAT, is contributing to the damage of fragile economies in the Caribbean through its poor service, especially over the past few weeks.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC– the regional airline, LIAT, Monday warned passengers to brace for more travelling woes this week after one of its new aircraft was grounded “as a result of a technical issue”. In a statement, the airline told passengers that “its operations continue to be affected by numerous challenges throughout its network” and that despite the re-fleeting exercise LIAT continues to operate its scheduled passenger and cargo service and carry out scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on its entire fleet of aircraft including the Dash 8 and new ATR 72.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana government Monday said it is “deeply saddened” by the recent loss of lives and injury to several people as a result of domestic violence and urged the perpetrators to seek help through the various systems set up by the government and non-government organisations. Police last week reported that on two occasions last week, men have killed their wives and children following domestic disputes.
NEW YORK, CMC - A United States federal district judge on Monday ruled against the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) policy of stop-and-frisk against Caribbean immigrants, blacks and other minorities. In a ruling in Manhattan Federal District Court, Judge Shira Scheindlin said the policy was unconstitutional, appointing a monitor to reform the practice.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados-based Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Monday said that overall performance at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) has reached the 90 per cent mark for the first time in six years.
It said this year, 90.15 per cent of the Unit entries achieved Grades I – V, which are the acceptable grades at CAPE, noting that in the last five years the percentage of entries achieving acceptable Grades remained steady at 89 per cent.
MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) - Mexico’s plans to break a 75-year state monopoly on energy could boost flagging growth and double foreign investment, potentially providing the biggest leg-up to its economy since the North American Free Trade Agreement two decades ago. The government is finalizing proposals to lure private investors into the oil, gas and electricity industries in order to boost production and lower energy costs for manufacturers, which are up to twice as high as those paid by U.S. companies. The plan is expected to be unveiled and sent to Congress this week.