Staff Editor

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – Republican lawmakers succeeded today in delaying a Senate vote on confirming President Barack Obama’s choice of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary, but another vote was planned for later in the month and Obama said he expected his nominee to be approved.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Director of Tourism, John Lynch was among the more than 100 passengers including Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority personnel who boarded the inaugural Fly Jamaica Airways aircraft earlier this morning en route to the John F.

Delta Airlines today confirmed that it will no longer offer its service to Guyana effective May 6th of this year.

The parliamentary opposition together with labour and civil society today held a picketing exercise outside the Marriott Hotel construction site.

Police say that at about 1800h yesterday, the driver of motor car PPP 923 was proceeding along the roadway at Mahdia, when he lost control of the vehicle which crashed and turned turtle.

(Barbados Nation) There has been a worrying spike in dengue cases so far this year.

(Trinidad Express) Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams has launched an investigation into claims that a revamped “Flying Squad” is currently operating.

JOHANNESBURG,  (Reuters) – South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius, known as the “Blade Runner” for his racing prosthetics, was charged today with murdering his girlfriend at his home in Pretoria.

VATICAN CITY,  (Reuters) – Pope Benedict indicated today he would withdraw into isolation, away from public sight after his resignation at the end of the month.

MOBILE, Ala.,(Reuters) – More than 4,220 people aboard the stricken cruise ship Carnival Triumph today faced one more night of what some have described as hellish conditions before their expected arrival in Alabama, even as the company said the situation was improving.

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba,  (Reuters) – The warden of the Guantanamo prison camp testified today that he had forbidden military guards from listening to attorney-client conversations but did not know that the rooms where the meetings took place had been bugged by intelligence agents.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is undergoing “delicate” and “complex” alternative treatments after having cancer surgery in Cuba, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said today.

(Jamaica Observer) KINGSTON, Jamaica — New local airline Fly Jamaica is scheduled have its inaugural flight Thursday morning.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips yesterday unleashed a $15.9-billion tax package described by his counterpart as “massive and iniquitous” before Opposition members stormed out of Parliament in anger as Government members used superior numbers and louder voices to suppress their protestations.

CGX today announced that the Government of Guyana has issued two new petroleum prospecting licences, one to CGX Resources Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of CGX and one to ON Energy Inc (“ON Energy”), a 62% owned subsidiary of CGX.

MUMBAI, India, CMC – Gutsy West Indies defied the odds to beat Australia and book their place in the final of the Women’s World Cup for the first time here today.

BRISBANE,  (Reuters) – Johnson Charles smacked a half-century and West Indies tore through Australia’s batsmen with slow bowling to win their Twenty20 match by 27 runs in Brisbane on Wednesday.

ANGELUS OAKS, Calif., (Reuters) – A gunman thought to be an ex-cop who led California authorities on a six-day manhunt barricaded himself inside a mountain cabin northeast of Los Angeles yesterday and traded gunfire with police, killing one before the cabin burned to the ground.

(CPL) Sandy Lane Country Club – St James, Barbados – Financier, Ajmal Khan, Founder and Chairman of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), revealed further details about the League, including regional and international franchise player information, event dates, potential franchise countries, plans for player development in the region, tournament logo and the terms of agreement between the League and the WICB, all of which can be found on newly launched website: www.CPLT20.com.

LAUSANNE,  (Reuters) – Wrestling was left in a state of shock after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a surprise recommendation today to drop the sport from the 2020 Games.