United States of America
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Pentagon report on NKorea nuclear capabilities stirs worry, doubts
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A Pentagon spy agency report concluded for the first time that North Korea likely has a nuclear bomb that can be launched on a missile, but U.S. defence and intelligence officials cast doubt on Pyongyang’s atomic weapons capabilities. Illustrating the high stakes surrounding the escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, a study by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence…
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New technology speeding progress on bird flu vaccine
CHICAGO, (Reuters) – Even as U.S. officials this week awaited the arrival of a sample of the new bird flu virus from China – typically the first step in making a flu vaccine – government-backed researchers had already begun testing a “seed” strain of the virus made from the genetic code posted on the Internet. This new, faster approach is…
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Hypertension scare
WASHINGTON, DC, USA (CMC) —The Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) says that at least one in three adults in the Americas, including the Caribbean, has high blood pressure or hypertension. PAHO, an arm of the United Nations’ World Health Organisation (WHO), said on Wednesday that hypertension is the number-one risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death throughout the world. Hypertension is…
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CARIBBEAN-ECONOMY-Caribbean shows comeback in growth performance
WASHINGTON, CMC – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says low-income countries (LICs), including the Caribbean, have “bounced back” in the past two decades. An analysis in the Washington-based financial institution’s latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) suggests that “dynamic low-income countries are on a stronger economic footing today than before the 1990s, and, therefore, better placed to stay on course.” After…
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South Korea Moves to Defuse Tensions With the North
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea appeared to ease its stance on North Korea on Thursday by calling for dialogue to help defuse tensions, as its president moved to calm foreign investors whose confidence the North has tried to shake with increasingly belligerent maneuvers. “We hope the North Korean authorities come out to the dialogue table,” Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae,…
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South Korea says North likely to test-launch missile
SEOUL/WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – South Korea said yesterday there was a “very high” probability that North Korea, after weeks of threats of war, would test-launch a medium-range missile at any time as a show of strength. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said South Korea had asked China and Russia to intercede with the North to ease tension that has mounted since the…
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New data shows US immigration initiative pays off for illegal Caribbean immigrants
WASHINGTON, CMC – New United States federal data shows that President Barack Obama’s immigration initiative has paid off for 454,000 young Caribbean and other immigrants who were brought to the US illegally. Under the “deferred action” initiative that took effect late last year, 26,000 New York residents were granted immunity from prosecution for at least two years, the third-highest in…
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Private sector called on to help save the Caribbean Sea
WASHINGTON, CMC – As the World Ocean Council (WOC) gets ready to host the Save our Seas conference (SOS) 2013, the Washington-based Institute for Caribbean Studies (ICS) has issued a call for private sector leadership in securing the future of the Caribbean Sea. “SOS 2013 is an unparalleled, world-class gathering of the diverse ocean business community. It sets the agenda…
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Caribbean Airlines fined for barring passengers from leaving plane
WASHINGTON (CMC) – The Trinidad and Tobago-owned Caribbean Airlines, (CAL) has been fined US$100,000 for violating United States federal rules after it prevented passengers from disembarking from one of its planes delayed on the tarmac at the John F Kennedy International Airport last August. The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) said the plane was delayed for more than four…
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US to review solitary confinement for Caribbean detainees
WASHINGTON, CMC –The United States says it will review cases in which Caribbean and other detainees are being held in solitary confinement in detention centers and jails around the country. Homeland Security Department Secretary Janet Napolitano has asked US federal immigration officials to provide her with more information about immigrants being held in solitary confinement at federal facilities. “I think…
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