HAVANA, Cuba, CMC – Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov says his country will forgive part of Cuba’s US$25 billion Soviet-era debt and restructure the rest as part of agreements that include Havana getting Russian jetliners worth US$650 million. On an official visit here, Manturov told reporters that Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Ricardo Cabrisas, vice president of the Council of Ministers, had initialed the debt agreement, adding that the details would be worked out by the end of the year.
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WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States has denied reports that it plans to remove Cuba from a list of countries that support terrorism. “I saw that report. Let me say firmly here it is incorrect,” US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters here. “This department has no current plans to remove Cuba from the state sponsor of terrorism list. “We review this every year, and at the current moment when the last review was done in 2012, we didn’t see cause to remove them,” she added.
Cuban President Raul Castro has been re-elected for a second five-year term. The 612-member National Assembly of People's Power Sunday elected Castro, who turns 82 in June, as president of the State Council, Xinhua reported. "The National Assembly of People's Power today approved, in this capital, Army General Raul Castro Ruz as president of the Council of State, and elected Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, as its first vice president," Cuba's state-run National Information Agency (AIN) said.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana - IT is unbelievable that former Guyana and West Indies cricket captain Clive Lloyd has failed to get a seconder as a nominee for the presidency of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). One would have thought that Lloyd who led the West Indies cricket team for over a decade as the number one in the world and possesses a formidable knowledge of the game would have been an obvious choice to lead the WICB, but as circumstances dictate he could not even get a seconder.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC - The Government has responded to concerns surrounding the controversial advertisement by German appliance company Saturn, which includes images showing the improper handling of the Jamaican flag. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday said the commercial appears to be well intentioned, as it seeks to use the powerful symbolism of Brand Jamaica to project the products and services of Saturn.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington has described as “shameless, heartless and senseless” the murder of retired deputy superintendent of police, Denzil Boyd, 63, who was shot and killed at his home in the Corporate Area on Sunday. The murder of the well-known former crime fighter has sparked anger among members of the police force, with the Police High Command making it clear that those responsible will be found and brought to justice.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Former prime minister Patrick Manning stood for more than an hour yesterday as members of his San Fernando East Constituency Office held a special thanksgiving ceremony for him. Manning, who spent Thursday night at the San Fernando General Hospital after suffering another seizure, walked into the National Academy for Performing Arts’ (Napa) south campus at San Fernando unaided by his cane. He was escorted by his wife and former Education minister Hazel Manning along with sons Brian and David Manning.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - When the Eleventh Evidence Hearing of the Commission of Enquiry into the collapse of CL Financial and the Hindu Credit Union (HCU) begins tomorrow morning at the Winsure Building, Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain, two major players in Clico and the State’s 2009 $20 billion bailout will not be among the witnesses.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - It might sound like the Jamaicanised pronunciation of the number which comes after 79, but Haiti is a historical enigma and its people are a worthy of respect, dignity and even our admiration. This is the last week in Black History Month, and it is ironic that in the 28 days given to us to come to an understanding of ourselves, we have figuratively and literally missed the boat regarding the first nation in modern history to have a black government. The Haitians are not as far from us as one thinks.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has reiterated the Jamaica Government’s position on shifting Jamaica further away from its neo-colonial state by putting plans in place to remove the Queen as Jamaica’s head of state. In an exclusive interview with the Jamaica Observer yesterday, Simpson Miller said that utterances by Shaun Bailey, special advisor to Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, would not throw the island off course in its quest to move away from the monarchy.