United States of America

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.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The US Supreme Court has declined to block the deportation of thousands of Caribbean and other immigrants who over two years ago were not warned by their lawyers that, when they pleaded guilty to serious crimes, they would be targeted for deportation. The law calls for mandatory deportation for Caribbean and other immigrants, including lawful permanent residents, who have an “aggravated felony” on their record. In a 7-2 decision, the justices refused to apply the ruling retroactively to cases of immigrants who had unintentionally pleaded guilty before 2010.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The implementation of a Caribbean Civil Registry and Identity System (CCRIS) has been completed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The announcement was made by St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), La Celia Prince. CCRIS was developed to facilitate birth registration and to provide uniform vital statistics in the Eastern Caribbean, said Prince in a statement issued here on Wednesday.

BRUSSELS—The European Union and the United States announced yesterday that they have agreed to pursue talks aimed at achieving an overarching trans-Atlantic free trade deal. The 27-country EU said such an agreement, first announced in Tuesday’s State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, would be the biggest bilateral trade deal ever negotiated. Any agreement could boost the EU’s economic output by 0.5 per cent—a highly desirable outcome when the EU and the US are struggling with slow growth, high unemployment and high levels of debt.

LOS ANGELES, CMC - The 55th Grammy Awards here Sunday night paid tribute to legendary Jamaican reggae superstar Robert Nesta Marley, renowned worldwide as Bob Marley. But, for a moment, it appeared as though there would hardly be any tribute to the late great reggae artist when about two-thirds of a set that was supposed to honour him was used by other performers. Bruno Mars and sting kicked off the tribute by singing not anything from Marley's massive repertoire but their own songs. Mars did reggae-influenced “Locked Out of Heaven,” and Sting sang The Police's “Walking on the Moon”.

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba, (Reuters) – A simulated wave of Caribbean migrants sailed to the Guantanamo naval base this week for a training drill designed to prepare U.S. troops and security agencies who might someday have to handle the real thing. The exercise is held every two years to prepare for a potential mass migration brought on by political upheaval or natural disaster in the region. More than 500 U.S. troops and government workers flew to the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in eastern Cuba for the drill, which started on Saturday and runs through Friday.

NEW YORK, Feb 10, CMC – As the New York Police Department (NYDP), over the years, faced intense criticism over the controversial “stop-and-frisks” policy regarding Caribbean and other immigrants and minorities, the department has reported what it described as a “major decline” in the use of the tactic. In its latest report of data for 2012, the NYPD said cops used the controversial tactic 22 percent less and seized 14 percent fewer weapons than in the previous year.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The Congresswoman who represents the largely Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, wants her colleagues as well as President Barack Obama to include the Caribbean Diaspora as they debate the contentious issue of immigration reform. Congress Tuesday started hearings on the issue and Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said they have brought together this week various stakeholders, including government representatives and academic institutions to develop a plan of action for reducing deaths caused by breast and cervical cancer.

LOS ANGELES, California, CMC – The United States Department of Justice has filed a civil fraud lawsuit against one of the world’s larger credit-ratings agencies that services several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states.