Regional News

(Trinidad Express) Sports  Minister Darryl Smith is responding to a video posted on social media sites that shows him in an embrace with a woman.

(Jamaica Gleaner) In its 12th edition of the annual Best Countries for Business report, Jamaica is ranked the highest among Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, while Haiti is ranked among the worst three countries in the world for doing business.

(Trinidad Guardian) Residents of El Carmen, St Helena said they risked their lives to chase an armed bandit after police officers froze in apparent fear after being shot at.

BRASILIA,  (Reuters) – The head of Brazil’s Supreme Court suspended parts of a Christmas decree from President Michel Temer granting pardons to convicted criminals yesterday, saying Temer’s actions needed further examination by the court.

(Barbados nation) Cleviston Haynes has been appointed as Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Hundreds of Venezuelans took to the streets in poor parts of Caracas overnight to protest a shortage of pork for traditional Christmas meals in the latest symptom of social discontent during a brutal economic crisis.

(Trinidad Guardian) The sound of machine-gun fire sent patrons of an all-night private pool party scampering for safety in Couva yesterday and left one teenager dead and another injured.

(Trinidad Guardian) The Law Association’s Council will caucus tomorrow regarding a preliminary report on alleged matters involving Chief Justice Ivor Archie, who’s expected back from overseas this weekend.

(Trinidad Express) Nermal “Massive” Gosein has called for a boycott of the 2018 Chutney Soca Monarch, saying the issue is no longer about his song “Rowlee Mother Count” but about the right to freedom of expression.

((Jamaica Gleaner) Barbados-born international singer, Rihanna, has called for an end to gun violence in her country after her 21-year-old cousin was shot and killed Wednesday night.

BUENOS AIRES,  (Reuters) – An explosion at a grains terminal in Argentina owned by China’s COFCO International yesterday killed one employee, injured others and affected shipping activities from one of the world’s top food suppliers, the conglomerate said.

(Reuters) – The original owner of the Baha Mar Resort, BML Properties Ltd, has filed a $2.25 billion lawsuit alleging a “massive fraud” by the Chinese contractor of the luxury hotel and casino project in Nassau, The Bahamas, that opened its doors in April after years of delays.

BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) – Alberto Nisman, the Argentine prosecutor who was found dead days after accusing former President Cristina Fernandez of covering up Iran’s role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center, was murdered, a federal judge said yesterday.

HAVANA,  (Reuters) – A fireworks explosion injured 39 people, including six children between the ages of 11 and 15, during a popular Cuban carnival on Christmas Eve, state-run media reported on Monday.

(Trinidad Guardian) Former head of the public service Reginald Dumas isn’t interested in being a candidate for the country’s highest office.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Three dozen opponents of Venezuela’s socialist government were released from prison and reunited with their families yesterday as part of a wider Christmas release, a local rights group said.

LIMA,  (Reuters) – Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski pardoned former authoritarian leader Alberto Fujimori late yesterday, clearing him of convictions for human rights crimes and graft before completion of a 25-year prison sentence.

A number of countries in the northeastern Caribbean were afftected by a 5.2-magnitude earthquake yesterday morning, according to the US Geological Survey..

GUATEMALA CITY,  (Reuters) – Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said yesterday he had given instructions to move the Central American country’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, a few days after his government backed the United States in a row over the city’s status.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – A federal judge in Seattle partially blocked U.S.