Haitian vessel blocked

A vessel carrying more than 100 Haitians fleeing their country has been intercepted by Turks and Caicos Islands police.

The vessel was said to be carrying 126 people including several children under eight years old.

According to Turks and Caicos police, they are being held at a sports complex instead of being sent back to their country.

The police also say they will not be deported until conditions in Haiti improve.
Cuba reform

The Roman Catholic Church in Cuba warned on Sunday that the country is on the verge of an economic collapse that can only be prevented if President Raul Castro institutes sweeping economic and social reforms.

Writing in the latest edition of the church’s New Word Magazine, economist-priest Father Boris Moreno said the situation is close to free fall.

He said there was “no sign at all” of the changes President Raul Castro promised after he took over from his ailing, older brother Fidel in 2006.

The Cuban government admitted recently it was having cash flow problems after a disappointing 1.4 percent economic growth last year — well below an expected 6 per cent.

The Castro administration has launched a savings program entailing sharp cuts in social spending and priority investment in currency-generating sectors of the economy.

But Fr Moreno said the government should instead promote exports and small- and mid-size businesses, provide a safe environment for foreign investment, institute business reforms and a single currency – and allow Cubans “to give their opinions without fear of reprisal.”