Regional News

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that an “insatiable” appetite in the United States for illegal drugs was to blame for much of the violence plaguing Mexico.

(Trinidad Express) – Acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert is investigating an alleged plot to kidnap one of the daughters of Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday.

Beware of organised crime Caribbean academic Mark Figueroa has sounded a warning against the emergence of organised crime.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies will have to deal with the threat of England’s talismanic all-rounder Freddie Flintoff, when they go in search of a series-leading win in Friday’s third One-Day International at Kensington Oval.

(Trinidad Guardian) Three days after publicly signing the Memorandum of Under-standing (MOU) aimed at saving Clico’s depositors and policyholders, Lawrence Duprey was scrambling in a virtual fire sale to sell off key energy assets to his German business partners, according to documents made available to the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.

(Jamaica Gleaner) West Portland on Monday forcefully rejected an application from People’s National Party (PNP) candidate Kenneth Rowe to be its member of parliament, and opted instead to have the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Daryl Vaz resume representing it in the House of Representatives.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Hours after embattled premier of the Turks and Caicos, Michael Misick stepped down, he was on Monday replaced by businessman Oliver Galmo Williams, a member of his organisation, the Progressive National Party (PNP).

(Trinidad Express) – Tempers flared, tables were hurled amidst aggressive pushing, shoving and other types of physical confrontation. 

(Antigua Sun) – A small, local bank in Venezuela previously owned by global businessmen, Sir R.

Roseau points to ‘rewarding’ relations with Beijing Five years after ditching Taiwan and opening relations with Mainland China, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is describing Roseau’s ties with Beijing as “rewarding”.

(Jamaica Gleaner) – Thirty local police officers will be part of a regional team to provide security at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, from April 17-19.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo  Chavez on Saturday almost tripled his government’s borrowing  plan and trimmed his budget to offset a slide in oil revenues,  but resisted pressure to devalue the local bolivar currency.

…as economic slowdown affects buyers (Jamaica Gleaner) The downturn in the economy has hit real-estate developers, with some forced to stall projects while others are hurting in the pocket as houses on the market are being sold at a painfully slow pace.

(Barbados Nation) The Nation group of companies yesterday terminated 23 members of staff.

(Barbados Nation) – Don’t panic! This is the advice Prime Minister David Thompson gave countrymen yesterday, as he spoke in the House of Assembly during debate of the 2009-2010 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure.

Opposition challenges election results The main opposition Antigua Labour Party says it’s going ahead with challenging the outcome of the results in four constituencies from the general elections on March 12.

– then commits suicide (Trinidad Express) – Driven out of his mind by an obsession over a teenage schoolgirl, a 27-year-old PH driver beat her to death and then drank poison, police said on Tuesday.

Mothers demand release Mothers and wives of Cuban dissidents imprisoned since a March 2003 crackdown have demanded their release.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is preparing diplomatic “artillery” for a summit next month that could produce the first encounter between the anti-Washington leader and US President Barack Obama.

(BBC) – The US government is chasing at least $226.6m (£161m) in taxes, penalties and interest it says billionaire American financier Sir Allen Stanford owes.