ROSEAU, Dominica: Minister for National Security, Immigration and Labour, Rayburn Blackmoore has called for greater cooperation on maritime matters between Dominica and the French Departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe. The Minister made the call at the Second Franco-Dominica Joint Security Meeting. read more...

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BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters): The European Commission gave the green light to France on Tuesday to dole out 500 million euros ($779 million) in state aid to support freight to overseas departments in 2007-2013. The European Union executive monitors whether the bloc's 27 members obey strict rules on state aid. read more...

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PARIS, France (Reuters): French primary school children will start studying the history of slavery from the next academic year to increase awareness in society of the suffering it caused, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Saturday. France was one of the nations most active in the transatlantic slave trade. read more...

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PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad: The Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) made his first official mission to Guadeloupe, since assuming office in March 2008. The highlight of the mission was the Secretary General’s meeting last month with the President of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe. read more...

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The sub-region has a new Regional Association for Heritage Protection as six OECS member states and two French Departments of the Americas launched the Regional Heritage Association (RHA) on January 29, 2008 at the Rex Resorts Hotel in St. Lucia. The RHA is a non-profit, non governmental organization. read more...

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ROSEAU, Dominica: Josette Borel-Lincertin, 1st Vice President of the Regional Council of Guadeloupe will arrive in Dominica on Friday to sign a Transnational Agreement with the government of Dominica that will support the further development of Dominica’s geothermal resources. read more...

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POINTE-A-PITRE, Guadeloupe (AFP): Authorities were questioning four boys in connection with a fire that killed seven people on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, judicial sources said Tuesday. The four, aged between 15 and 17, were placed under formal investigation on Monday. read more...

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POINTE-A-PITRE, France (AFP): Six people were killed in a fire that destroyed a Chinese-run shop which sold fireworks on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, rescue services said Saturday. Firemen took nine hours to control the fierce blaze in the island capital of Pointe-a-Pitre, which broke out late Friday. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica: Caribbean mobile operator Digicel Group has announced the promotion of Ghada Gebara, former CEO of Digicel Haiti, as the new regional CEO to lead Digicel's French Caribbean operations: Haiti, French West Indies and French Guiana, into their next stage of growth. read more...

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CASTRIES, St Lucia: In order to show its dedication to strengthening the ties between the French Caribbean and the OECS, the University of the French West Indies and Guiana (Université des Antilles et de la Guyane – UAG) is offering a language training programme to new applicants from the OECS. read more...

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PARIS, France (AFP): The French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique face a "health disaster" with soaring cancer and infertility rates because of the massive use of banned pesticides on banana plantations, a top cancer specialist warned Monday. read more...

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PARIS, France (Reuters): Hurricane Dean caused damage of around 500 million euros ($679.7 million) on Martinique and Guadeloupe when it hit the French Caribbean islands earlier this month, the French government said on Wednesday. Overseas Minister Christian Estrosi said insurers would likely pay 185 million euros. read more...

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More photographs from around the region after the impact of Hurricane Dean on several Caribbean islands. The hurricane roared through the Caribbean, gradually increasing in intensity, leaving a trail of devastation from Martinique, Guadeloupe and St Lucia in the east to Belize in the west. read more...

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POINTE-A-PITRE, Guadeloupe: Five days after the passage of Dean over Guadeloupe and Martinique, it’s time to review the consequences of this hurricane. French prime minister, Francois Fillon, arrived in Martinique and was due to follow with a trip Guadeloupe for a very short stay. read more...

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PARIS, France (Reuters): Prime Minister Francois Fillon will fly to the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe on Wednesday and Thursday to visit areas that were ravaged by Hurricane Dean, his office said on Monday. The hurricane destroyed all of Martinique's banana crop. read more...

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PARIS, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Hurricane Dean has destroyed all of Martinique's banana crop and 80 percent of the plantations in the nearby Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, the head of the banana producers union said on Saturday. Dean trampled Martinique, and other Caribbean islands on Friday. read more...

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POINT A PITRE, Guadeloupe: The campaign for France’s presidential elections, which has just been completed in Guadeloupe, has not caught the attention of the voters. In spite of the visits of presidential candidates and of an important media group, the inhabitants of Guadeloupe seemed indifferent. read more...

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PARIS, France (AFP): A Paris court Thursday sentenced Guadeloupe-born French national Willie Brigitte to nine years in jail for conspiring with Pakistani extremists to plot terrorist attacks in Australia.  Brigitte, 38, showed no emotion as the verdict was read out in the Paris criminal court. read more...

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POINTE À PITRE, Guadeloupe: When you travel all through the Caribbean, you realise all the islands -- including the largest, such as Cuba, Jamaica or the Dominican Republic -- have something in common -- Carnival fever. Most of these islands celebrate Carnival in the same state of mind. read more...

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