March 15, 2015
Bus plunge in southern Brazil leaves 42 dead
A tour bus has plunged off a mountain road into a ravine in southern Brazil, killing at least 42 people. Police say the bus, carrying about 50 people, fell 400m (1,300ft) into a wooded area near the city of Joinville in Santa Catarina state. At…
March 15, 2015
Chile forest fire near Valparaiso sparks evacuations
Chilean authorities have declared a state of emergency as a raging forest fire forced thousands of people to flee their homes. The fire is threatening the port cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. The interior ministry said about 4,500 people had…
March 13, 2015
US, Cuba to Resume Talks on Diplomatic Relations
U.S. and Cuban officials will launch a third round of talks Monday on restoration of diplomatic relations. A senior State Department official said the talks would take place in Havana and might last several days. The two sides last met in Washington…
March 13, 2015
$10-b tax package hits motorists, smokers, electricity users hard in Jamaica
Jamaicans will have to pay more taxes to drive, smoke and use electricity on April 1 when a $10.3-billion tax package introduced yesterday by Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Peter Phillips takes effect. The tax measures came as no surprise to…
March 11, 2015
PM calls for end to discrimination, violence against women, girls
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller is urging Jamaicans to end all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls. Her call comes as the world celebrates International Women’s Day today under the theme: “Empower Women, Empower…
March 3, 2015
Caribbean observes World Birth Defects Day
The Caribbean Tuesday joined the international community in observing World Birth Defects Day with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) noting that congenital anomalies, or birth defects, are the second-leading cause of death in children…
March 3, 2015
Dominica to formally adopt CCJ on Friday
The Commonwealth of Dominica, will on Friday 6 March 2015, officially recognize the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as its final appellate court. The historic occasion, scheduled to take place at the State House’s conference room from 10AM in the…
March 1, 2015
Guyana issues warning to Venezuela in oil drilling dispute
Guyana has issued a warning to neighbouring Venezuela to refrain from interfering in offshore oil exploration efforts. Venezuela has objected to the planned offshore exploration by US company Exxon. In a press release issued late Saturday, the…
March 1, 2015
Dominican President says, ‘no extension to alien regularization plan.’
President Danilo Medina said in a speech Friday that no foreign nation or international body may require the country to make sacrifices outside its constitutional and legal order, neither on migration nor on any other sovereign right. "We are…
March 1, 2015
Venezuela imposes limits on US diplomats
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has announced measures to limit the number of US diplomats working in the country. President Maduro said he wanted a review and reduction of American diplomatic staff. US citizens visiting the country would also…