US First Lady’s in Haiti
The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, is making an unannounced visit to Haiti.
It is her first official trip overseas without President Obama since he took office last year.
She’s expected to spend several hours in the capital Port au Prince visiting projects set up in the wake of devastating earthquake there in January. Mrs Obama will then fly on to Mexico for a previously announced visit.
Venezuela sets up ‘guerrilla’ team
The Venezuelan government has launched a programme to train young people to promote the government to the media — so-called “communicational guerrillas.“
Seventy-five teenagers were sworn-in at a ceremony attended by senior government officials.
The teenagers will carry out extra-curricular media classes in Venezuela’s public schools and will be trained to make programmes for pro-government television channels.
The inauguration took place on the anniversary of a short-lived coup against President Hugo Chavez in 2002 – a coup which the president says private television stations supported.
UK payout for Vincentian soldier
An employment tribunal in Britain is considering how much the Ministry of Defence should pay a former soldier from St Vincent who’s won her case against the Army for sexual and racial discrimination.
Tilern DeBique – a 28-year-old single mother – was disciplined when she failed to appear on parade because she had to look after her daughter. She could be in line for a payout of up to £100,000 (US$153,000). After quitting the Army in 2008, she launched employment tribunal proceedings and won her claim for sexual discrimination.
She also successfully argued that she was the victim of race discrimination after saying that immigration laws prevented her bringing a relative to the UK to help with childcare