Regional News

British Airways strike action Planned industrial action by British Airways staff could have a devastating impact on the Caribbean’s tourism industry.

CARACAS (Reuters) – President Hugo Chavez is confident that God and nature will pull Venezuela out of a power crisis battering both the economy and his popularity.

(Trinidad Express) – The Ministry of National Security does not view the ’growing trend’ in the number of illegal immigrants detained in the country over the past five years ’as an uncontrollable influx,’ Minister of National Security said.

(Trinidad Express) – Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has trained her political guns on Prime Minister Patrick Manning, turning up the heat over the controversial UDeCOTT fiasco and filing, in the Parliament, a motion of no confidence in Manning over his conduct in the matter.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus threw his weight yesterday behind calls for an expansion of US trade benefits to help Haiti rebuild its clothing sector after its devastating earthquake.

Minister wants less state intervention Cuba’s Economy Minister Marino Murillo is calling for less state intervention in the country’s affairs.

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Haitian President Rene Preval plans to tell US President Barack Obama tomorrow that food aid to the earthquake-devastated Caribbean nation should be stopped because of the risk of damaging its economy.

(Trinidad Guardian) – A 48-year-old Couva businessman was expected to appear before a Couva magistrate yesterday, charged with possession of close to $1 million worth of goods stolen from Ansa McAl’s Chaguanas warehouse.

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba, trying to deflect international criticism over the recent hunger strike death of a political prisoner, said yesterday it would not be “blackmailed” by another dissident hunger striker, whom it accused of being a convicted criminal.

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s FARC rebels said yesterday they were waiting for the armed forces to provide security guarantees for the release of two hostages whom guerrilla commanders promised to hand over nearly a year ago.

(Jamaica Observer) Five well-known Jamaicans are among a number of witnesses whose statements the United States Government intends to use against Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, the diminutive and powerful Western Kingston don who has strong family and business connections in the constituency of Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

Rowley: Other board members must go (Trinidad Express) Following a call for his resignation by Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Urban Develepment Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) Executive Chairman Calder Hart resigned on Saturday with immediate effect.

Bas, Ramnath block UNC motion on UDeCOTT chairman (Trinidad Express) Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s effort to have Government respond to the allegations against UDeCOTT Chairman Calder Hart ’as a definite matter of urgent public importance’ in the House of Represen-tatives, on Friday came up against the rock of Basdeo Panday’s obstructionism.

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday pledged more US help for Central America’s fight against drug cartels, saying the United States was part of the problem as trafficking and violence spread.

– Matthew gets 5 years in prison (BVI Platinum News) – “What you have done is totally wrong and you told the officer that it was a crime passion and that you didn´t mind going to jail.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama plans to meet next week with Haitian President Rene Preval in their first face-to-face talks since an earthquake devastated Haiti in January.

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Nearly two months after Haiti’s earthquake a shocking number of people lack shelter because aid groups are slow to deliver tents and tarpaulins, the international medical relief organization Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Friday.

Tax systems hampering investment The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says complex tax systems and widespread evasion are hampering investment decisions by companies in the Caribbean and Latin America.

(Jamaica Gleaner) – The government is banking on handing over national carrier Air Jamaica to Trinidad and Tobago-operated Caribbean Airlines by April 12, says Bruce Nobles, president and chief executive officer of the national airline.

(Trinidad Express) – The longstanding denials by controversial executive chairman of UDecott, Calder Hart, about family links to a firm he awarded a multi-million-dollar government contract to five years ago have effectively been debunked by documents recently obtained from the Malaysian Government.