Carrington visits Haiti to view storm damage

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CMC):

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Edwin Carrington arrived in Haiti yesterday for talks with President René Préval and other officials on the devastation caused by the passage of four tropical storms over the past few weeks.

A CARICOM secretariat statement said that Carrington is being accompanied by Ambassador Colin Granderson, the assistant secretary general for foreign and community matters. They are expected to get a first-hand look at the devastation caused by the storms that killed hundreds of people and left thousands more homeless.

The secretariat said that food and water are desperately needed in the areas affected by the storms, and relief efforts were also being hampered by the flood waters that have not yet receded.

Former treason accusedsays he's on a hit list

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):

Guyana police say they are investigating claims by former treason accused Mark Benschop that his name is on a list of persons targeted for murder.

Police Commissioner Henry Greene told the Caribbean Media Corporation that he met with Benschop and two other persons to discuss their fears.

Benschop, who had been given a presidential pardon after being in prison for five years on a charge of treason, told reporters that an unidentified man had visited his office over the weekend informing that he was to be killed.

Grenadian PM talks transparency on US visit

NEW YORK, united states (CMC):

Grenada's Prime Minister Tillman Thomas stressed the need for greater transparency in government as he began his first visit to the United States since assuming office in July.

Addressing a town hall meeting Sunday at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, Thomas said the vision of his National Democratic Congress administration is to "build a society, a land, that is fair".

"To really actualise this is to make this vision good in terms of accountability, inclusion and respect for the rule of law. Once we take this vision, we'll minimise corruption in society," said Thomas, who is being accompanied on his visit here by the Minister for Carriacou and Petit Martinique Affairs George Prime and the Minister for Youth Development, Sports and Culture Patrick Simmons.

Guyanese ex-policeman loses wrongful dismissal appeal

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has dismissed an appeal brought by a former Guyanese police officer who claimed that he was wrongfully dismissed from his country's police force almost 20 years ago.

But the Trinidad-based CCJ also warned that the delay in dealing with the case, originally filed in July 1989 by the officer, Vibert Gibson, had the potential to erode the public's trust in Guyana's judiciary.

The three-member CCJ panel found that the High Court proceedings in the matter were not concluded until November 2004, 15 years after the case was filed.

Region to benefit from new IDB grant facility

WASHINGTON, United States (CMC):

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says it is prepared to assist Caribbean governments in improving water and sanitation services for their populations.

The IDB said that regional countries can now apply for grants under the Aquafund, a new source of financing approved by the bank's board.

"The Aquafund is a fast-disbursing vehicle intended to help accelerate the development of projects in the water, sanitation and solid waste disposal sectors. It can be used to finance activities, ranging from pre-feasibility studies to technical training and knowledge dissemination, depending on specific local needs," the IDB said in a statement.