Caribbean & International

Colombia and Farc reach deal on war reparations

(BBC)  The government of Colombia and Farc rebels have announced that they have reached a deal on reparations for war victims. The agreement deals with one of the most sensitive issues in the three-year peace talks taking place in the Cuban capital, Havana. It will include the establishment of a special judicial system to deal […]

Ralph Gonsalves wins 4th term in St. Vincent

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – The Ralph Gonsalves-led Unity Labour Party (ULP) made history here tonight by winning its fourth consecutive general election. However, it had to settle for the same slender one seat margin as it did in the 2010 poll. The incumbent ULP won eight of the 15 seats, according to the preliminary results. The main […]

Argentina’s Fernandez bids emotional farewell

(BBC) Argentina’s outgoing President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has made an emotional farewell speech to supporters in Buenos Aires. She urged people to take to the streets if they feel betrayed by the new centre-right government. Conservative Mauricio Macri, who won a run-off election last month, is due to be sworn in as president later. […]

Guyanese woman appointed UN Under-Secretary General for General Assembly and Conference Management

  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of Guyanese national, Catherine Pollard as the Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management. She will succeed Tegegnework Gettu of Ethiopia, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service and able leadership. According to the UN Secretary General’s office, since 2014, Ms. Pollard served […]

Brazil links Zika fever to birth defects

(BBC)  The Brazilian health ministry has confirmed a link between a mosquito-borne virus from Africa, Zika Fever, and a high incidence of birth defects. The fever, it said, is behind a spike in cases of micro-encephalitis – an inflammation of the brain contracted in the first months of pregnancy. It has recorded two adult deaths […]