SmallShop Caribbean News

Almost 500 Cuban medical workers have arrived in Bolivia to help authorites cope with the country's worst ever dengue epidemic. 31,000 cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been diagnosed in recent weeks, with 20 people dying. Bolivian troops are moving through the worst affected areas helping with fumigation efforts. Al Jazeera's Sebastian Walker reports.

Guyana pension fund loses $5.5m in Stanford deal : "GEORGETOWN: A Guyanese pension-fund lost $5.5 million deposited in Stanford International Bank (SIB), President Bharrat Jagdeo said the other day. Jagdeo told a press conference that the Hand-in-Hand Trust Company had invested four million dollars in Certificates of Deposits on which SIB was ostensibly offering lucrative interest-rates, and 1.5 million in pension funds."

The Nation Newspaper "'IN THINGS RACIAL we have always been, and I believe continue to be, in too many ways essentially a nation of cowards.' Eric Holder, United States Attorney-General and the son of Bajan parents, was describing the country which he loves and which he readily acknowledges has given him a unique opportunity to write a new chapter in its history as the first black person to lead the US Justice Department. Holder, who was born and raised in a black Bajan home in New York City, attended some of the best public schools and gained a law degree from the prestigious Columbia University, knew what he was talking about."

The Associated Press: "GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Police in Guyana say they are looking for bloggers who caused alarm with a false report that a commercial bank in the South American nation had requested a $5 million bailout to avert a collapse. The Guyana Bank for Trade & Industry said it fielded thousands of calls from worried customers after the Web site posted a report on Thursday that it was seeking government aid, which it said was not true. The bank said there was no mass withdrawal of funds and the government's central bank said the institution was sound."

Dominica News "Leader of the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) Judith Pestaina is re-emphasizing calls for a national consultation on the global financial crisis. She says the feeling that Dominica will not be affected by this worldwide phenomenon, must be corrected."

The Trinidad Guardian : "A brother and sister were yesterday remanded in custody after appearing before a Port-of-Spain magistrate charged with murder and possession of a firearm and ammunition, respectively. Around 4 pm, Lasharn Mc Clean and her brother, Shawn Mc Clean were seated separately in the prisoners’ dock in the Four B Court, awaiting the arrival of magistrate Avason Quinlan"

JamaicaObserver.com : "WEST Portlanders will be going to the polls in March to select a member of parliament following the Court of Appeal's refusal yesterday to hand over the seat to People's National Party (PNP) candidate Abe Dabdoub who had waged a long and intricate legal battle to unseat the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP's) Daryl Vaz."

The Nation Newspaper "KELA THOMPSON is claiming that an encounter with the police is responsible for her dislocated shoulder, and says she is willing to go as far as necessary for justice. The 22-year-old resident, of 1st Avenue,Greaves Land, Black Rock, St Michael, has lodged a complaint with the Police Complaints Authority (PACA) and says she will take her case to the law courts."

The Nation Newspaper "THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BRAKE of BT4 registered to the Transport Co-operative Society was worn beyond use, the gear shift was stuck in reverse and the handbrake was not working. Add to that 40 screaming passengers on their way to the Mount Gay/Cable & Wireless Party Monarch Finals on July 29, 2007, the steepness of Horse Hill, and a panicked bus driver doing all he could to stop the crash."

Stabroek News "Former long-serving Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur last night said he found it disturbing that regional heads have failed to move in the direction of a regional response to the financial woes that engulfed CLICO since the Trinidad crisis though “it is a major regional financial conglomerate” with policy holders and investors spanning the Caribbean."

Stabroek News "The PNCR and the AFC yesterday demanded the resignations of both the Minister of Finance and the Commissioner of Insurance over the crisis that has engulfed CLICO (Guyana)."

A family from the Kaierre in La Clery needs help in locating a member who has been missing for four days now. The 16-year-old boy was sent to the shop by his mother and has yet to return. His disappearance has left his family fearful since he has never gone missing before...

Trinidad Express "Republic Bank does not intend to sell its shares in the Barbados National Bank. The Port of Spain-based bank responded on Wednesday to reports that the Barbados government had indicated its intention to buy Republic's 65 per cent stake in the BNB subsidiary. 'Republic Bank affirms that BNB is of strategic value to the bank's Pan-Caribbean strategy and that it has no interest in selling the Barbados-based subsidiary,' Republic Bank said in a statement."

The LKP and two employers' unions agreed to a €200 monthly minimum wage increase Thursday night in the French island of Guadeloupe. But the Medef, France's largest employer organisation, abstained from signing the deal.

The Nation Newspaper "AFTER 176 DAYS of fighting for the right to be a father to his child, the effort has paid off for a 31-year-old man. Last week, Marvin Bristol held his son for the first time, and broke down in tears. Bristol had known he was the father to a child left abandoned at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) since last September, based on a privately conducted DNA test."

Antigua Sun : "Although the House of Representatives passed a motion yesterday afternoon to acquire lands belonging to Sir Allen Stanford, the historical sitting of Parliament seemed not to have served the purpose for which it was initially intended as it more or less turned into a show of political strength. Spectators, most of whom turned out in their numbers in support of the ruling United Progressive Party (UPP) to witness the historic proceedings were overly exuberant, forcing the Speaker to address the gallery and members on both sides. Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer urged supporters at a rally the night before to come to the sitting in their party colours."

Kaieteur News : "Colonial Life Insurance Company (CLICO) Guyana sold its shares in the Berbice River Bridge for $2B to New Building Society a mere two weeks ago. The move came as depositors were making a rush to collect their money from CLICO (Guyana) following reports that the parent company, CL Financial, as well as the various CLICO assets in the Caribbean were being frozen or divested."

Stabroek News "Assets of CLICO (Guyana) that escaped the ravages of the collapse of its sister company in the Bahamas are now under the supervision of the High Court, which has appointed Commissioner of Insurance Maria van Beek to manage its affairs as the government here scrambles to protect policyholders."

JamaicaObserver.com : "Caribbean mobile telephone service provider Digicel is contesting the price structuring of LIME's Homefone product and its handling of bad debt regarding retail fixed to mobile rates. Earlier this month Digicel filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of Jamaica against Lime to the tune of approximately J$1.7 billion plus interest. This claim equates to 200 per cent of LIME's pro rata full year 08/08 profit or alternatively around 25 per cent of its pro rata full year 08/09 revenue."

The Nation Newspaper "BARBADIANS are being urged to rise above their colonial past and become a humane and progressive society. This call came from UNICEF Representative, Tom Olsen, who also charged that by continuing to use corporal punishment in schools, Barbados was contravening the Convention on the Rights of the Child which the Government ratified in October 1990."

Stabroek News "A list of names and places including drug accused, dead notorious criminals and present and past members of the Guyana Police Force will be included in a questionnaire for prospective jurors in the trial of Guyanese drug accus-ed Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan. According to the list seen by this newspaper the jurors will be asked about their knowledge of a number of city businesses, including nightspots, two prominent hotels, a local pharmacy and even the Guyana Defence Force’s Officers Club and Camp Ayanganna. The ‘Timehri Airport’ is also included."

nternational Herald Tribune : "French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Thursday security forces would maintain order on the Caribbean island of Martinique after youths clashed with police overnight in a protest over economic conditions. The unrest on Martinique has spread from the neighbouring island of Guadeloupe, where talks to end a general strike that has dragged on since January appeared to be making progress."

Stabroek News "Guyana’s Commissioner of Insurance, Maria van Beek has secured an order from the High Court to place CLICO (Guyana) under judicial management prior to winding up of the company. The decision came following Tuesday’s move by the Bahamas Supreme Court to order the liquidation of CLICO (Bahamas). CLICO (Bahamas) held 51% of the assets of CLICO (Guyana) at the end of 2007."

International Herald Tribune : "WILLEMSTAD, Curacao: R. Allen Stanford's alleged offshore investment fraud snared dozens of people in Curacao and elsewhere in the Dutch Caribbean, a law firm said Thursday. At least 50 people have registered with the HBN Law seeking help to recover their investments and more are expected to come forward, said Caroline Fievez, an attorney with the firm."

CNBC.com : "Accused fraudster and Texas billionaire Allen Stanford has been making calls to his Caribbean base of Antigua to try and gain support and allies, CNBC has learned. The Antiguan Parliament will convene an emergency session Thursday to seize some 250 acres of Stanford's property in Antigua. Stanford, head of Stanford Financial Group, was charged with orchestrating an $8 billion fraud. He attempted to get a one-way flight out of the country to Antigua, where his offshore banking operations are based."

Antigua Sun : "Three Gray’s Farm youth charged for the killing of Renold “Steve” Mingo yesterday made their first appearance before a St. John’s magistrate. Antonio Smith and Trevor Boston, both 20, and a 15-year-old appeared before Chief Magistrate Ivan Walters in the St. John’s Magistrates Court. The three are charged with murder and conspiracy to murder. Bearing sombre countenances, Smith, Boston and the teenager stood in the accused box as the magistrate read the charges to them. The teen’s mother stood with him as the charge was read."

Its a lesson in honesty for youngsters out there, but, at the same time the situation facing some active hill residents may be the result of breaking the law. The residents complain about a situation with water threatening their squatter homes, and they want government to do something about it.

The inquiry into the governance of the former labour administration has started.

Stabroek News The badly decomposed remains of the 17-year-old boy who was missing following a mishap with a 30-ft fishing boat around 9 am last Saturday was found at the Bush Lot, West Berbice foreshore yesterday. Fishermen discovered the swollen body of Lakeram ‘Baby boy’ Mohanlall of Kilcoy Squatting Area around 2:30 pm yesterday and informed his relatives at Bush Lot. The lad went under around 6:30 am on Sunday."

Stabroek News "A motion to acquire over 250 acres of land owned by the Stanford Financial Group of Companies is to be moved today by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda when it convenes an emergency meeting of the House of Representatives. A statement out of the Office of the Prime Minister in St. John’s, Antigua yesterday said that the move by the government follows an order in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas for a receiver to be appointed to take control of the assets of Sir R. Allen Stanford and his companies after he was charged with fraud to the tune of US$8B."

JamaicaObserver.com : "ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC) - Antigua Labour Party (ALP) candidate Asot Michael has apologised for offensive comments he said were made 'at the height of provocation'. During an ALP rally last week, the senior party member told supporters that 'blood will flow' if authorities arrested him or any of his colleagues. In a written statement on Sunday, Michael said he regretted the comments which drew concern and criticism from the public, including members of his own party."

Kaieteur News : "The Barbados Nation has reported that a High Court judge has granted an ex-parte injunction to the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT) and the Colonial Life Insurance Company Limited (CLICO) preventing the embattled conglomerate CL Financial from conducting any local or international business with its assets. CL Financial Group finance director Michael Carballo said he was surprised at the move by the CBTT, according to the Barbados Nation. “I can confirm that since the intervention by the Central Bank…CL Financial has not dealt with, or disposed of any assets held by CL Financial…”"

Stabroek News "CLICO (Bahamas) Ltd was on Tuesday ordered liquidated raising serious concerns here as the company held 51% of CLICO (Guyana’s) assets at the end of 2007 and sources last night said the government could move to the courts as early as today to protect the interests of local clients. It is unclear what the figure held by CLICO (Bahamas) was at the end of December, 2008 as accounts for that year are not yet available and CLICO (Guyana) has not volunteered any details. Importantly, CLICO (Guyana) holds $6B for the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and that would be one of the major concerns of the authorities here."

Jamaica Gleaner News "IT WAS billed as a late-night party at Kingston Harbour, but the boat never left the dock, as a barrage of bullets brought the session to its premature end. When the gunfire ended, one man lay dead, just a few metres from the boat, two were nursing gunshot wounds and several others had minor injures after a mad rush for safety."

JamaicaObserver.com : "A Ministry of Justice report has revealed that child maintenance matters accounted for most of the cases brought before the nation's four family courts in 2008. According to the report, of the total of 49,925 cases brought before the family courts, 18,055 - or 36 per cent - were matters related to child maintenance."

The Nation Newspaper "My secret is that a lay preacher at my church is a paedophile. I know this because he felt my breasts and vagina when I was 10, and would have gone further if my older brother and our cousin did not keep coming back to the vestry to check me. At that time, too, he was considered a respectable elder church leader. He was the person others went to for advice on financial matters and guidance on any legal problems they had. He was, and still is, considered a reliable, responsible, Christian man who has the congregation's best interest at heart."

The Nation Newspaper "THE STANDS will be packed and the pitch will be quick, as thousands of cricket fans descend on Kensington Oval for today's all-important Fourth Digicel Test match between West Indies and England."

Saint Lucia has over 700 recorded cases of people living with HIV and aids.

Antigua Sun : "Over 50 candidates are expected to be nominated today to contest the 12 March general elections in Antigua and Barbuda. At the end of the period, which runs from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., in all the 17 constituencies, the electorate in the country will officially know the contending candidates in the 2009 general elections. Just about 16 candidates from the United Progressive Party (UPP), 17 from the opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP), one from the Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM), four from the Organisation of National Development (OND) and approximately four independent candidates are expected to be nominated today."

The Nation Newspaper "FOLLOWING the halting of work last week at the Four Seasons hotel project there is a request that Guyanese workers not be unduly affected by the temporary closure or changes."

The case of Allen Stanford will open a hornets nest says Wayne Madsen, a Washington-based investigative journalist and columnist.

The Trinidad Guardian : "Not even dark skies and intermittent showers could damper the spirits and waistlines of thousands of masqueraders who came out yesterday to celebrate Carnival."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : "Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez is the first woman to win the Soca Monarch crown and thousands of masqueraders yesterday made her their queen of the road, prancing to her hit “Meet Superblue” and setting the stage for her to win her third Road March."

Kaieteur News : "Guyana’s interior is fast becoming the murder capital of the country, with yet another brutal murder engaging the attention of the police. Twenty-six-year-old Neville Melville is the latest victim, having been shot in the head while he was asleep in a hammock in his mining camp near Mahdia early on Monday. It is believed that his death is linked to an argument he had with another man at the mining camp over the use of an engine."

Stabroek News "A 17-year-old boy is missing and feared dead following a mishap with a 30-ft fishing boat around 9 am on Saturday while the captain survived by clinging onto a rope on the boat for 27 hours. Relatives are still searching relentlessly for Lakeram Mohanlall called ‘Baby boy’ of Kilcoy Squatting Area who disappeared in the water around 6:30 am on Sunday while apparently sleeping."

Jamaica Gleaner News "Airline crew should now expect to go through regular searches at the island's two international airports as the Customs Department implements more stringent measures placing them under the microscope. The decision comes in the wake of Air Jamaica Captain Gerald Aarons who was found with several pieces of jewellery in his bags and pockets at the Sangster International Airport last Saturday, Commissioner of Customs Danville Walker told The Gleaner."

JamaicaObserver.com : "The Court of Appeal will this Friday hand down its much anticipated decision in the dual citizenship case involving Junior Minister Daryl Vaz and Abe Dabdoub, the Observer has been reliably informed."

The Nation Newspaper "PUNISHING THE WORKING CLASS will not solve society's problem and the Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Dr Marion Williams should realise that. That's the position of the general secretary of the Barbados Workers Union, Sir Roy Trotman who yesterday accused the governor of 'beating up on workers.'"

WTVJ | Miami : "An air ambulance is expected to arrive in Miami Tuesday carrying several passengers who were injured in a tour bus accident in the Caribbean island of Dominica."

Antigua Sun : "The government of Antigua and Barbuda has successfully defended its case against the Hadeed-owned Antigua Power Company (APC) which had sought judicial review in reference to an alleged failed joint venture agreement between both entities. The APC will also have to pay costs to two of the four defendants – Attorney- General Justin Simon QC and the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA). In early Dec., 2007, the government took action to stop the APC from offloading new generators from a barge onto its compound."

Kaieteur News : "Police officials yesterday refuted media reports that Lorenzo De Freitas, the fourth bandit from the Bartica gang, had been captured or killed. Police said that the reports appear to be based on rumours that are circulating around the community. According to a police source, a Joint Services team had travelled to Arimu, Cuyuni on Sunday to check on reports that Brazilian miners had captured De Freitas. However, they found no evidence that the suspect had ever been caught."

JamaicaObserver.com : "THE Opposition People's National Party (PNP) is insisting that it is ready for a general election if Prime Minister Bruce Golding decides to call one this year, even though the party's deputy general-secretary Julian Robinson admits that there are some constituencies in which the PNP has no representatives."

Jamaica Gleaner News "A prominent businessman with branches of his organisation in May Pen, Linstead and Kingston was arrested yesterday by the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) for molesting his 12-year-old daughter. According to a spokesperson for CISOCA, an employee saw the man sexually abusing the child and reported the matter to his son, who contacted the police."

Trinidad Express "Carnival Monday in Port of Spain, more so at the Queen's Park Savannah, was one of the most subdued in years. By 2 p.m. yesterday, only a few bands had crossed the judging point opposite the construction site of the Performing Arts Centre and the majority of the bands did not have their full complement of masqueraders."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A 29-YEAR-OLD American man, on vacation and in Trinidad for the Carnival celebrations was shot dead yesterday morning in full view of a police officer and several others, following the “Dawn” fete on Cipriani Boulevard, Tragarete Road in Port-of-Spain. But in a swift move, police arrested a 30-year-old Canadian man and a 26-year-old British woman in connection with the shooting of the American identified by police as Leevurn Lyons. A gun and several rounds of ammunition were also seized."

Dominica News : "A truck carrying tourists crashed in Castle Comfort this afternoon, injuring some of the occupants. According to eyewitness reports, a Bedford truck with license plate HB688, lost control and slammed into a wall at about 4 p.m. on the Castle Comfort highway near the Sorhaindo's residence. The injured persons were taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital. It is believed that more than a dozen persons were in the truck."

JamaicaObserver.com : "ST JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC - As billionaire Sir Allen Stanford faces fraud charges in the United States for an alleged multibillion-dollar scam, the man whose government granted the wealthy investor access to Antigua and Barbuda says he has no regrets."

Dominica News : "Family members sobbed openly as they took in what is steadily becoming a familiar picture: a murder scene in Antigua. Steve Mingo of Dominica lay motionless in the middle of the road early last Saturday morning shortly after he received several gunshots to the body while he was lying in his bed at his Gray's Farm home. Mingo ran from his home after he was shot, but collapsed in the middle of the road several yards away from his house and died. The young fisherman and mechanic became the country’s fifth murder victim for 2009 and the second person within two weeks to be gunned down in Gray’s Farm."

Dominica News "One of Montserrat's most endemic species, the Mountain Chicken, could be under threat. According to the Department of the Environment, dead Mountain Chickens were recently found in the Jack Boy Hill and the upper Pelican Ghaut area. It says the cause of death is not yet known as officers at the Department are still is in the process of collecting samples for analysis overseas."

There are many victims swindled by billionaire investor, R. Allen Stanford, including those who worked at his business in Antigua, where Stanford was a financier and philanthropist.

After weeks of violent protests and the slaying of a popular Union leader, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy says the worst of Guadeloupe's unrest is over. But masked demonstrators are still blocking the Carribean nation's main highway, and employers are still in negotiations with striking workers. Sebastian Walker reports from Guadeloupe.

Kaieteur News : "Lorenzo De Freitas, the fourth bandit from the gang that had terrorized Barticians in recent weeks, died from injuries some hours after being captured by Brazilians at Arimu Backdam. Some reports said that De Freitas succumbed from gunshot injuries, which he sustained while fleeing during Saturday’s shootout, in which three of his associates were killed."

Stabroek News "A fourth man believed to be the accomplice of the three killed by Joint Services ranks on Saturday at Arimu backdam, Cuyuni was captured later that day. Two women have also reportedly been detained."

Antigua Sun : "Family members sobbed openly as they took in what is steadily becoming a familiar picture: a murder scene in Antigua. Steve Mingo of Dominica lay motionless in the middle of the road early Saturday morning shortly after he received several gunshots to the body while he was lying in his bed at his Gray's Farm home. Mingo ran from his home after he was shot, but collapsed in the middle of the road several yards away from his house and died. The young fisherman and mechanic became the country’s fifth murder victim for 2009 and the second person within two weeks to be gunned down in Gray’s Farm."

JamaicaObserver.com : "A police constable was yesterday taken into custody for questioning by the Bureau of Special Investigation (BSI) following the shooting death of his 30-year-old common law wife Clovetta Wynter at their 2 East, Greater Portmore home."

The Nation Newspaper "FROM TIME TO TIME, a debate opens about prostitution in Barbados but then tends to die, almost as quickly as it surfaces. As a result the only purpose is to remind us that we have prostitutes in Barbados, as is the case in other countries. This time around, the debate has been sparked by advice from George Griffith, the director of the Barbados Family Planning Association. He indicated that it was time Barbados took the issue pertaining to prostitution seriously, while hinting that up to now, having a law making prostitution illegal, was as 'serious' as we had gone over the years."

Canada.com "MONTREAL -- In winter, a tourist woman’s fancy lustily turns to thoughts of sex. By the thousands they descend on the Caribbean every year, women driven by one urge: to spend a week or two sleeping with local 'beach boys' and paying them back in drinks, meals, gifts, and cash."

JamaicaObserver.com : "His is a household name in the tiny Eastern Caribbean island of Antigua & Barbuda. Afterall, when you get to be as wealthy as Robert Allen Stanford in an island of 68,000 inhabitants, it would be unlikely that a man so named and with a face that at times seemed as pleased as Jack popping out of his box, would not grab the attention of even the most unconcerned."

Jamaica Gleaner News "AFTER BEING locked out of his office, having over 300 patient files confiscated and being interdicted from duties on quarter salary, Dr Dennis Anthony Pyne, consultant general thoracic and general vascular surgeon, is fiercely defending his professional integrity."

JamaicaObserver.com : "Faced with a spiralling crime rate that is tied to gun use, Jamaica's law enforcers are grappling with the unique methods utilised by criminals to transport guns and ammunition across the island. The practice by gunmen of using garbage compacters and market trucks to move weapons undetected, often under the very noses of the security forces, is apparently well established. But the police hierarchy maintains that its plan to catch such lawbreakers is working."

Kaieteur News : "Three members of the gang that was believed to have carried out a spate of brazen robberies at Bartica and outlying communities were shot dead yesterday during a pre-dawn gunfight with Joint Services ranks at Arimu Backdam, Cuyuni. Police said that 25-year-old Dwayne Marks called “Bully” of Bartica; Antwan Smith, 35, called “Deportee” of Linden ; and Gavin Gray, 27, called “Sweet Eyes” of Bartica, were slain at around 02:30 hrs after opening fire on the ranks who had tracked them down."

Stabroek News : "Joint service officers shot and killed the alleged mastermind of the spate of gun crimes at Bartica and two of his gang members yesterday during an early morning operation at Arimu backdam, Cuyuni; a third gang member who was reportedly wounded, escaped."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : "Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez made history on Friday night at the National Stadium as she became the first woman to win the Soca Monarch, Groovy Soca Monarch and the bmobile People’s Choice."

The Nation Newspaper "THE STATUTORY FUND of CLICO Holdings Barbados Ltd is in deficit to the tune of $93 million, or possibly more, says Opposition Leader Mia Mottley. Mottley made the disclosure at a Press conference yesterday at the Office of The Opposition, stating that she had documentary evidence to support these facts and that 38 000 policy holders and thousands more holders of pension funds and annuities could be affected."

The Nation Newspaper "NEWS THIS past week that the FBI was investigating the possibility that Antigua-based Texan billionaire Allen Stanford might have been laundering drug money for the notorious Mexican Gulf Cartel must have raised even more eyebrows locally than allegations of his fraud on a 'massive' scale. United States television network ABC News quoted Federal authorities as saying the FBI and others have been investigating whether Stanford was involved in money laundering."

Unrest in Caribbean has roots in slavery past : "POINTE-A-PITRE, Guadeloupe (AP): Protests that have nearly shut down the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique are not just about demands for lower prices and higher wages: For demonstrators they are no less than a battle against the vestiges of slavery. Afro-Caribbean islanders - most of whose forbears toiled in the sugarcane fields under the yoke of slavery more than 160 years ago _ not only resent France's handling of the global economic crisis, they have long resented that slaveholders' descendants control the economy on both islands."

Caribbean regulators took control of an Antiguan local bank owned by Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford and froze the assets of a Stanford-owned investment bank. Stanford is accused of leading an $8 billion fraud scheme.

msnbc.com : "FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique - Martinique is canceling its yearly carnival festival for the first time as a two-week-old strike continues to paralyze services across the French Caribbean island."

Caribbean Net News: "CASTRIES, St Lucia: Strong winds with gusts of up to 50 mph will affect St Lucia and the Eastern Caribbean area during the next 24 to 48 hours. This will cause rough seas with waves 10 to 13 feet to affect the coast of St Lucia and the other islands of the Lesser Antilles, which will result in some coastal flooding. Small craft operators, especially local fishermen are advised against venturing far from port."

Pointe-a-pitre is almoste entirely closed because of the strike. Burned cars still remain in the streets after the clashes between the youth and the police

The Nation Newspaper "JASON COLLYMORE denied yesterday that he had a homosexual relationship with Shon Boyce and reiterated that I'Akobi Maloney never visited his house. Collymore, a supervisor at the Ararwak Cement Plant, told Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris yesterday at the coroner's inquest into Maloney's death that everything Boyce told the court last week was 'absolutely untrue'."

Reuters : "CRABS PENINSULA, Antigua (Reuters) - The tranquil, reef-fringed isle off Antigua's north coast sustains mangroves, deer and a rare duck species -- along with ambitions for one of the Caribbean's biggest development projects. But the U.S. investigation into Texas billionaire Allen Stanford and his Antiguan-based bank could deal a fatal blow to the estimated $1 billion (697 million pound) plan that has dangled near death several times since surfacing in 1998."

Caribbean360.com : "ST JOHN'S, Antigua, February 20, 2009 - The head of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP), under whose government Sir Allen Stanford made major investments in the island, has sought to distance itself from the legal troubles now facing the prominent businessman."

Antigua Sun : "Minister of Justice Colin Derrick said the Linquist report related to the alleged embezzlement of public funds reveals more suspects than expected and that some of them will come as a surprise. Derrick revealed the above information during the United Progressive Party Justice Rally Wednesday evening in St. John’s. The event was held on the corner of Redcliffe and Temple Streets. “What happened was very wicked, very wicked indeed and I can assure you that some of the names that you have associated with this matter are not the only names involved. There are others who will surprise you,” he said." Also UPP Press Release Re: Lester Bird And The ALP Sinks To Despicable Depths As Their Day Of Reckoning Draws Nearer The United Progressive Party (UPP) condemns the defamatory and inflammatory language used by members of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) on its Platform at meeting of hate held at Thwaites Corner, Thursday night, February 19 th , 2009. The Unite

Ninja Dan, whose given name is Jonathan St. Rose, left the Courthouse on Brazil Street to the shouts of murderer. Armed police guards lined the building keeping a large angry crowd at bay. They had gathered outside the Courthouse on news that St. Rose would make his first appearance before a Magistrate since he was arrested on suspicion of murder early Saturday morning.

The trial of Desi Bouterse, Suriname's former military leader, resumed on Friday. Bouterse, who is running in next year's presidential elections, faces murder charges for executing 15 political opponents in December of 1982.

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "INSTEAD of going through a vein, a doctor is alleged to have pumped medicine via a needle into the flesh of a woman resulting in an infection. Annette Hamilton Gladstone, 62, of D’Abadie has sued the Eastern Regional Health Authority alleging negligence and seeking damages."

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday "A South African man has been detained for questioning in the murder of German woman Claudia Maria Feldmeier, who died after being stabbed in the neck at Summerland Villas in Tobago on Thursday night."

Stabroek News : "Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, President Bharrat Jagdeo, yesterday called on army officers to go not only after criminals with high powered weapons but to also focus on drug dealers, money launderers and people who steal from the Treasury."

JamaicaObserver.com : "THE Broadcasting Commission took another step in its drive to clean up Jamaica's airwaves by issuing a directive banning music promoting sex and violence. 'The Broadcasting Commission is prohibiting transmission of any soca music content that displays, simulates or instructs about sexual activities or positions. The commission has also put a halt to the transmission of lyrics glorifying the gun and promoting killings and other acts of violence,' said the commission in a statement yesterday."

FOXNews.com "Establishing himself in Kingston, Jamaica, and using the assumed name Jermaine Thomas, Carpenter got a job at a BMW car dealership, driving high-profile clients around town. He made lots of friends. He even had a child, a boy, who turns three next month. Last week, Thomas' intricate web of lies finally unraveled when the FBI, acting on an anonymous tip, tracked him down. Carpenter, 31, was taken into custody Feb. 11 and extradited to California."

NYTimes.com : "ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — When Robert Allen Stanford arrived here in the early 1990s, few locals had ever heard of the Texas financier. Today, he dominates so many aspects of life on this sun-drenched Caribbean island that some have taken to calling it “Stanford Land.” At one point or another, he has owned an airline that many locals and visitors fly on. A local newspaper that covers their goings-on. A vast residential complex where many live. Two restaurants where they eat. And the national stadium where they go to watch cricket, the island’s favorite sport."

CNN.com : "(CNN) -- Antiguan and Barbudan regulators Friday took control of U.S.financier Robert Allen Stanford's financial institutions on the twin-island nation, a day after federal agents served the Texas businessman with papers accusing him of running an investment fraud scheme."

Antigua Sun : "Minister of Justice Colin Derrick said the Linquist report related to the alleged embezzlement of public funds reveals more suspects than expected and that some of them will come as a surprise. Derrick revealed the above information during the United Progressive Party Justice Rally Wednesday evening in St. John’s. The event was held on the corner of Redcliffe and Temple Streets. “What happened was very wicked, very wicked indeed and I can assure you that some of the names that you have associated with this matter are not the only names involved. There are others who will surprise you,” he said."

Stabroek News "Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, President Bharrat Jagdeo, yesterday called on army officers to go not only after criminals with high powered weapons but to also focus on drug dealers, money launderers and people who steal from the Treasury."

JamaicaObserver.com : "She is 10 years younger than she thought she was, but yesterday 112-year-old Ida Stewart learnt that while she was not the world's oldest person, she was close to being Jamaica's longest living citizen at this time. For decades, Stewart, also known as 'Miss Ida', who lives in the cool climes of Devon in Alexandria, St Ann had been under the impression that she was born on November 5, 1886, as the one document which could verify that was unwittingly destroyed by an overzealous relative who was house cleaning."

Texas financier R. Allen Stanford was tracked down Thursday in Virginia, where FBI agents served him with legal papers in a multibillion-dollar fraud case.

The Nation Newspaper "GOVERNMENT wants back the Barbados National Bank Inc. (BNB) and will be looking to reclaim its majority shares once again. Yesterday at a post-Cabinet Press conference at Government Headquarters, Prime Minister David Thompson said Cabinet had approved the move. 'We met and considered the current financial crisis which was affecting the world and some of the spin-off implications which have affected the Caribbean, particularly what has been happening in relation to CL Financial."

Depositors came looking for their money at a bank in Antigua controlled by Texas billionaire Allen Stanford, accused of a multi-billion-dollar fraud. But they went home without any cash.

Times Online : "For those with something to hide, there is a plenty to like about Antigua. The Caribbean island has been on financial regulators’ radars for more than a decade as potential hotspot for criminals to launder dirty money. A so-called international business corporation can be set up in the island within 24 hours, complete with offices and even board directors provided by the Antiguan authorities. Only $5 million (£3.5 million) in capital is required to open a bank, with an international banking licence available from the authorities for $15,000."

msnbc.com : "WASHINGTON - FBI agents on Thursday located disgraced billionaire banker R. Allen Stanford in Virginia, and served him with court papers filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said FBI agents, acting at the request of the SEC, served Stanford with documents related to its actions against his companies. Stanford, who was found in Fredericksburg, Va., is not under arrest and is not in custody."

Human Rights Watch : "(New York) - Jamaica's leaders should condemn the comments of a governing-party member of parliament who called for gay organizations to be outlawed and demanded life imprisonment for homosexual conduct, Human Rights Watch said today in a Letter to Prime Minister Bruce Golding. Citing endemic violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Jamaica, Human Rights Watch urged the government to repeal the colonial-era law against 'buggery' and publicly affirm equality before the law."

The cookies — made of dirt, butter and salt — hold little nutritional value, but manage to keep Haiti's poor alive.

Go Jamaica "Human rights group Amnesty International is trying to convince the Governor of the US State of Virginia to reduce the sentence of a Jamaican man who is due to be executed today. Edward Nathaniel Bell, 44, has been convicted of the 1999 murder of a police officer. Prosecutors said Bell shot the sergeant in the face because he feared the officer would find him carrying a gun or drugs. Amnesty International is claiming that Bell was convicted despite woefully deficient legal representation and serious questions about his guilt. It also claims Bell might be mentally retarded."

Antigua Sun : "ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke has defended the ECB’s partnership with Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford who was Tuesday charged in an investment fraud scheme. The ECB, along with the West Indies Cricket Board, signed a deal with Sir Allen last June to stage the multi-million dollar Stanford Twenty20 Challenge over the next five years but Clarke said that at the time, their checks had revealed nothing improper. “He was conducting a banking operation, which, at the time, based on the information from the work that was done, showed no indication that there was anything that could prevent him from paying his obligations,” Clarke was quoted as saying, as news broke that United States financial regulators had put Sir Allen at the centre of an US$8 billion investment fraud scheme."

Reuters : "(Reuters) - C.A.S. Hewlett & Co, the small Antiguan firm that Texas billionaire Allen Stanford identified as the auditors of his offshore bank, said on Thursday it had no information about ties to the tycoon accused of fraud. St. John's-based Hewlett has been identified by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as the auditors of Stanford's $8 billion offshore bank, but executives there provided little indication they even knew who Stanford was."

HTS Channel 4: St Lucia News "Long lines greeted drivers near gas stations throughout the city, as people prepared for a possible shutdown of service come Friday. Petroleum Dealers are upset that government has failed to address their demands for a bigger margin in a positive way. Gas station attendants were kept busy throughout the day fueling vehicle, and filling up empty gas containers. But one worker at Jn Marie’s Gas Station did not understand the real reason for the rush at that point."

Antigua Sun : "The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and Bank of Antigua (BOA) have sought to reassure bank customers against panicking and making mass withdrawals of savings in light of fears surrounding recent allegations of fraud against the Stanford International Bank and other affiliates. On Tuesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Sir R. Allen Stanford of fraud and multiple violations of US securities laws for alleged “massive ongoing fraud” involving US$8 billion in certificates of deposits. The assets of the Stanford International Bank, the Stanford Group Company and Stanford Capital Management were since frozen."

Harry Smith spoke with a whistleblower and victims of the Stanford Financial scandal. The company's owner, R. Allen Stanford, is accused of swindling investors out of billions.

Kaieteur News : "Dealing with the issue of torture and other infringements of citizens’ rights by the Disciplinary Forces, Backer said that while the reduction of road fatalities was the highpoint of the force during 2008, the torture and subsequent investigation that followed, and some which are still to be investigated, represent yet another chapter of the violation by the two major bodies."

Jamaica Gleaner News "The Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC) has become the latest addition to the ongoing debate surrounding the purification of Jamaican dancehall music, with the organisation calling for a further ban to be placed on street and community dances, which perpetuate the playing of sexually crude and explicit songs."

JamaicaObserver.com : "THE central bank has not asked banks to limit the foreign exchange they sell to businesses, Bank of Jamaica governor, Derick Latibeaudiere insisted last night, against claims that manufacturers could only get between US$1,500 and US$2,000 per day."

The Nation Newspaper "The photos were taken from the girl's original profile and added to a new one with similar personal information and the same photos and name – vulgar messages and insults were [then] sent to other girls of the same age on the same website. 'I am scared for my life. I was slapped in my face on the bus last week by a girl I don't know and it is not fair. It is not me sending these nasty messages and it really hurts to see them tagging nasty comments underneath my photos,' the girl from a Christ Church secondary school said."

The Nation Newspaper "Local regulators said the bank's finances are sound and appealed for calm. The bank, though owned by the Stanford Financial Group, Stanford's Houston-based financial advisory firm, is not part of the United States complaint. 'If individuals persist in rushing to the bank in a panic they will precipitate the very situation that we are all trying to avoid,' said K. Dwight Venner, governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the banking regulator for Antigua and seven other island economies."