| Bahamas | |
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NASSAU, Bahamas — Dozens of prime ministers, local government ministers and mayors from the Commonwealth have converged in Grand Bahama for a four day conference which opened Monday afternoon. The theme of the conference is “Improving local government the commonwealth vision”. read more…
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| Barbados | |
 HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) — The Prime Minister of Barbados, DavId Thompson, arrived in Cuba on Monday morning for a three-day official visit at the invitation of his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro. In brief statements to reporters at the airport, the Barbadian leader said he expected a strengthening of bilateral relations. read more…Bermuda
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| Cuba | |
 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The EU should swiftly normalise ties with Cuba, the bloc’s development commissioner Louis Michel urged Monday, despite persistent European concerns over human rights abuses. EU foreign ministers will take their next look at relations with Havana when they meet in June. read more…
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 HAVANA, Cuba (Reuters) — More than a year after Cuban President Raul Castro pushed through a wage reform aimed at rewarding productive workers most state-run companies have yet to implement it, the official Bohemia magazine reported. The decree promulgated by Castro was supposed to lift wage caps. read more…
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| Guyana | |
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GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Several Commissioners of Police (CoP) from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are meeting in Georgetown to look at the way forward in the fight against crime. The 24th Meeting of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police, opened here on Monday. read more…
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The stage is set for Guyana to have its first casino. The Kaieteur News reported that the management of Buddies International Hotel, now Buddy’s Princess International Hotel, the Princess Group of Companies Operations Manager, Oguz Tayanac, disclosed that the government has already granted the casino licence. read more…
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| Jamaica | |
 KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica is undoubtedly the leading country in the region with violent crimes and the newly appointed Minister of National Security is taking a new approach to combat crime in the country. His mission would only succeed, the Minister said, if law abiding citizens come on board and play a part. read more…
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| Montserrat | |
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BRADES, Montserrat — The Montserrat Tourist Board is providing free tourism skills training courses. This programme is part of the Tourism Development Projects Phase 2, funded by DFID and the EU. The present initiative follows the recent tourism audit by a Caribbean Development Bank consultant. read more…
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| St Kitts & Nevis | |
 BASSETERRE, St Kitts – On Monday morning, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a letter to Dr David DeYoung, dean of the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on the Caribbean island of St Kitts, thanking him for ending teaching surgeries on healthy animals. read more…
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| Suriname | |
 PARAMARIBO, Suriname – Customs officers and teachers in Suriname have suspended strike actions for one week effective from Tuesday following a request from the country’s president Ronald Venetiaan. Last week the Head of State appointed a mediator to broker a deal between the government and unions. read more…
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| Trinidad & Tobago | |
 PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — The pressure is mounting on Trinidad and Tobago President, George Maxwell Richards, to resign mainly because of the manner in which he appointed the Integrity Commission, a very important body which investigates wrongdoings of public officials. read more…
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| US Virgin Islands | |
 ST THOMAS, USVI — In a written statement released Monday night, newly - seated Senate President Louis Patrick Hill requested that US Virgin Islands Police Commissioner James McCall step down from his position as head of the territory’s police force. “I speak as President of the 28th Legislature… read more…
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| Venezuela | |
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CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — President Hugo Chavez has said his government will “soon” nationalize the Bank of Venezuela, a local branch of Spain’s Grupo Santander. Speaking during his weekly television address the leftist leader said a long-planned state takeover of the bank would proceed. read more…
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 CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — President Hugo Chavez said that Venezuela will be capable of exporting three million barrels of crude oil a day to China, an eight-fold increase on current levels. “Last year we topped 380,000 barrels a day and we have signed a deal to soon reach the one million mark.” read more…
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CARACAS, Venenzuela (Bloomberg) — Venezuela’s benchmark bonds fell to a one-week low on concern President Hugo Chavez’s seizure of assets at 60 oilfield service companies will prompt foreign investors to shun Latin America’s biggest crude exporter. “This is quite concerning,” said an emerging-markets strategist. read more…
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HOUSTON, USA (Reuters) — Ensco International Inc, which had one of its drilling rigs seized by Venezuela in January, said on Monday it plans to terminate that contract unless it is paid or an agreement is reached by May 30. In January 2009, Ensco suspended drilling operations. read more…
source: caribbeannetnews.com
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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. 
PARAMARIBO, Suriname — Caricom’s Council for Community Relations (COFCOR) at its just concluded 12th meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, have endorsed the candidacy of Ambassador Albert Ramdin of Suriname for re-election as Assistant Secretary-General to the Organization of American States (OAS). | Antigua & Barbuda | |
 ST JOHN’S, Antigua — Addressing the country on Saturday, The leader of the opposition Antigua Labour Party, Lester Bird, said that the resignation of Wilmoth Daniel as deputy prime minister in the United Progressive Party government on grounds of no confidence in the Prime Minister speaks for itself. read more…
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Cayman
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HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) — The Fourth Cuba-Suriname Intergovernmental Commission concluded in Havana with the signing of several accords in healthcare, social welfare and agriculture. The agreements signed also include the framework for cooperation in high school and higher education,and sports. read more…
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| Guyana | |
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GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA) — President Bharrat Jagdeo has reaffirmed the government’s position of maintaining a liberalised telecommunications environment in Guyana despite the “fairly decent” relationship which he said exists with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) company. read more…
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| Jamaica | |
 KINGSTON, Jamaica – Tough-talking Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding says that his administration will not bend under pressure from threats of protest action by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and workers at the National Water Commission. “This administration will not be bullied,” Golding said. read more…
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KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding urged the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to forge a unified approach to effectively address issues such as the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and fallout from the current global economic crisis. Caribbean countries signed the EPA last year. read more…
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KINGSTON, Jamaica – Alcohol drinkers in Jamaica will not have to pay extra for their drinks after all. Finance Minister Audley Shaw had announced in his Budget Speech that the prices of alcohol would increase because of an increase in special consumption tax (SCT) on alcohol and cigarettes. read more…
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| St Vincent & the Grenadines | |
 KINGSTOWN, St Vincent — A small Beech 18 twin-engined aircraft caused the ET Joshua Airport on mainland St Vincent to be closed for a short period on Friday morning after it ran off the runway onto the airstrip and damaged the fencing. The aircraft had a lone occupant on board, pilot Colombian-born Jorge Pardo. read more…
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| Trinidad & Tobago | |
 PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Trinidad and Tobago Opposition leader Basdeo Panday has expressed great concern at the number of road accidents and fatalities in the twin island republic. He issued a statement after six persons were killed within 48 hours and attributed most of the fatalities to the consumption of alcohol. read more…
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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Trinidad and Tobago Chief Justice Ivor Archie said that crime is a national problem in the twin island republic and said that it must be fought at all angles. Speaking at the opening ceremony of a Symposium of the Crime and Justice Commission, the Chief Justice called for unity. read more…
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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Speaker of the House of Representatives in Trinidad and Tobago Barendra Sinanan was forced to suspend the House on Friday afternoon following a clash between opposition leader Basdeo Panday and People’s National Movement (PNM) MP Colm Imbert for his comments. read more…
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| US Virgin Islands | |
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ST THOMAS, USVI — New motorcycles, motor scooters and all terrain vehicles (ATV) were received by the US Virgin Islands Police Department last week in the two districts of St Croix and St Thomas/St John. The equipment was purchased from a $1,000,000 fund appropriated by the 26th Legislature. read more…
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| Venezuela | |
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CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuelan unions estimated that nearly 22,000 oil contractors stand to lose their jobs after President Hugo Chavez’s government seized the assets of 60 local and foreign-owned oil firms. “This law does not benefit us,” Bernardino Chirinos, leader of the Union of Oil Workers said. read more…
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GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: Placing the blame squarely on court stenographers, counsel for Cayman Islands Grand Court judge Priya Levers on Thursday told a three-man judicial inquiry into her professional conduct that the complaints against her were “totally without foundation”. 
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The 12th meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council for Foreign Affairs and Community Relations (COFCOR), which ended in Jamaica on Saturday, was said to be highly successful. Among the topics dealt with were the global financial and economic crisis. 
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Queen Elizabeth will be in Trinidad in November for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which is scheduled for November. Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma, who was in Port of Spain making arrangements for the Summit made the announcement. 