ONE-MINUTE READS - News from around the region

ANTIGUA-

Mike Tyson seeking to establish wellness centre in Antigua

Former world heavyweight champion boxer, Mike Tyson, has held talks with the Antigua and Barbuda Government for the establishment of a wellness centre that "will rely upon medicines made from hemp and other organic substances to cure diseases," according to an official statement issued here.

The statement said that, Tyson, who has twice visited the island last year, met with Cabinet earlier this week and will be returning later this year to participate in a weeklong conference on cannabis that is expected to be attended by 500 experts and delegates.

It said that during his meeting with Cabinet, Tyson and his team sought to get the approval for the establishment of a wellness centre that will operate from an existing hotel property which the Tyson firm will purchase or lease.

"The wellness centre will rely upon medicines made from hemp and other organic substances to cure deadly diseases," the statement said, noting that Cabinet was informed that " a similar centre has been in operation in Costa Rica for seven years and that it has grown because of its 87 per cent success rate at reversing many diseases including Alzheimer's, depression, and other hard-to-cure illnesses that plague humans.

BARBADOS

This region must always check itself - Mia Mottley

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has warned of the attempt to divide the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping as some regional leaders get ready to meet with the United States Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo on Tuesday.

"We don't look to pick fights. I don't look to pick fights, but I am conscious that if this country does not stand for something, then it will fall for anything. As chairman of CARICOM, it is impossible for me to agree that my foreign minister should attend a meeting with anyone to which members of CARICOM are not invited. If some are invited and not all, then it is an attempt to divide this region," Mottley told a ceremony in Barbados.

Pompeo arrives in Jamaica tomorrow for a two-day working visit.

"Conscious that this region must always check itself to ensure that we not become the pawns of others, the satellites of others, but that we keep every most and uppermost in our minds what we must do for our people without simply becoming pawns on a chessboard for others to be able to benefit from," Mottley said.

HAITI

UN honours Haiti earthquake victims

The United Nations on Friday honoured more than 200,000 Haitians who perished in the devastating earthquake that struck the French-speaking Caribbean country 10 years ago.

In a solemn ceremony of remembrance, at UN headquarters in New York, the global organization also honoured 102 staffers who died in the earthquake on January 12, 2010.

The UN said the death of its staffers was "the single greatest loss of life" in its history.

At the wreath-laying on Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Haitians had been starting a new year with optimism, but "in a few seconds, their hopes turned to dust.

"I will never forget the shock and sadness across the world and throughout the United Nations as the scale of the tragedy became clear", he said.

Guterres said although January 12, 2010 was "one of the darkest days in its history," Haiti "drew on the courage and determination of its people and the assistance of its many friends.

Cholera victims want reparation

Persons affected by the cholera epidemic that swept through this French speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country ten years ago, have asked the state and the international community to ensure that rights and expectations of victims are at the heart of priorities and all forms of assistance.

Ten years have passed since the start of the cholera epidemic, introduced by Nepalese MINUSTAH soldiers, whose sewage was negligently discharged into a tributary of the Artibonite.

While the eradication of the epidemic itself is welcome, the reparation and assistance to which the victims are entitled has still not been provided.

"After consultation, victims say collective projects are useful in helping the country to overcome the ordeal, but such projects must necessarily be complemented by individual measures responding more specifically to suffering and needs of those most affected by the epidemic, including women, children and others who have lost a loved one. They must be listened to, all the more so since a detailed study concludes that such specific support measures for the main victims are feasible," said Me Pascal Paradis, director general of Lawyers Without Borders Canada.