CARIBBEAN TODAY


 World Bank launches first ever

 Caribbean disaster insurance plan
WASHINGTON The World Most Caribbean community
Bank has launched a disaster (CARICOM) member states
insurance plan that will benefit will be beneficiaries of the fund,
at least 18 Caribbean countries the World Bank said, pointing
in the event of natural disasters, out that they would be required
 The bank said that the to pay a "one-off, non-refund-
"Caribbean Catastrophe Risk able entry fee and an annual
Insurance Facility" (CCRIF), premium".
launched late last month, would "Countries still need to
be restricted to hurricanes and engage in mitigation and
earthquakes. improve territorial building
 "The facility will allow codes and emergency services,"
CARICOM governments to pur- said senior World Bank urban
chase coverage akin to business specialist Francis Ghesquiere.
interruption insurance that would The Caribbean countries
provide them with immediate have been hard hit by hurri-
cash payment after the occur- canes in recent years, with
rence of a major earthquake or Grenada's economy being dev-
the passing of a hurricane", it stated two years ago when
said in a statement. hurricanes Ivan and Emily
 The World Bank said last lashed the island. Caribbean


month's donor meeting in
Washington, involving the
European Union, Britain, France
and Japan, would seek to raise
between $30 million and $50 mil-
lion in reserves for the CCRIE


countries have also complained
in the past of the slow pace of
immediate relief to their recon-
struction efforts in the wake of
natural disasters.
0


Angela King, former

 U.N. diplomat, dies


ngela King, former
 assistant secretary-gen-
 eral of the United
Nations and special adviser to
the secretary general of the
U.N. on gender issues and
advancement of women, died
last month at New York's
Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Centre. King had been
battling cancer for sometime.
 King, who retired from the
U.N. in April 2004 for health
reasons, after 40 years of serv-
ice, was born in Kingston,
Jamaica and attended St.
Hilda's High and Wolmer's
High schools. As assistant sec-
retary general, she made histo-
ry in being the first woman and
first Jamaican to hold that post.


Besides advising the secretary
general on women's affairs,
 King was also
 chairperson
 of the U.N.
 International
 Committee
 on Women's
 Rights.
 "Angela
 King led the
 United
King Nations'
 efforts for
the empowerment of women
with knowledge, passion and
courage", read a statement
issued recently by the spokesper-
son for U.N. Secretary-General
Ban Ki Moon.
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Bahamas government minister resigns

 in Anna Nicole Smith controversy


NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC -
Prime Minister Perry Christie
last month accepted the resig-
nation of his Immigration
Minister Shane Gibson, who


Gibson


had become embroiled in a
controversy involving the late
United States Playboy model
Anna Nicole Smith.
 Christie described
Gibson's resignation as "the
correct course of action."
 Gibson had been facing


severe criticism and calls for
him to step down after a news-
paper published a photo show-
ing him in bed with the late
model, who died last month in
a hotel room in the U.S.
 Gibson had also been
accused of favorably fast track-
ing Smith's immigration appli-
cation for a r ,ini 1,i1 permit.
 "I unconditionally deny
that I ever abused my ministe-
rial office by granting Anna
Nicole Smith any permit of
which she was undeserving or
for which she was not quali-
fied under the laws of The
Bahamas," Gibson said in a
television broadcast announc-
ing his resignation.

APOLOGY
 Gibson apologized "to all
persons who may in any way
have been offended by any-
thing that I have said, done or
perceived to have said or
done."
 He was critical of those
"mischievous" persons, who in
the political season had sought


to create an impression that
did not exist.
 "I didn't have an individ-
ual relationship with her, it
was a family relationship,"
Gibson said, telling viewers
that family members were
present when the pictures
were taken out with Smith.
 Christie is preparing to
call general elections later
this year.
 Meanwhile, Smith's
body was flown back to The
Bahamas for burial.
0


N.Y. City Council challenges status


of newly elected Haitian legislator


NEW YORK, CMC The
Speaker of New York City
Council last month said she is
seeking legal advice from the
New York state's attorney
general regarding the appoint-
ment of the council's first-ever
elected Haitian legislator.
 Speaker Christine Quinn
said that she had sent a letter
to Attorney General Andrew
Cuomo requesting his opinion
on the fate of Dr. Mathieu
Eugene, who convincingly
won last month's special elec-
tion, in a 10-way race, for the
predominantly Caribbean
40th Councilmanic District
seat in Brooklyn.
 "Is it your view that a
council member must be a res-
ident on the date of the elec-
tion?" she asked Cuomo, cit-
ing the Public Officers Law.

RESIDENCY
 New York City Board of


UUIIIII
Elections officials said last
month that the city council is
the one to determine Eugene's
residency in order for him to
be formally sworn-in as the
duly elected representative for
the district. The council last
month postponed Eugene's
official swearing-in ceremony
amid reports that he does not
live in the district.
 City council officials, how-
ever, said they expected to


swear-in Eugene early this
month after confusion about
his residency is clarified.
 The seat was vacated by
newly-elected Caribbean
American Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke, who replaced
retired veteran African
American Congressman Major
Owens as representative for
the 11th Congressional District
in Brooklyn.
 Paul Wooten, Eugene's
lawyer, said he had asked the
council to postpone his client's
swearing-in ceremony until
the election results are certi-
fied. He claimed that Eugene
had moved into the district
before the elections.
 "It wasn't a factor from
our point of view," Wooten
said, alluding to questions
about Eugene's residency out-
side the district.
0


Haitian wins council seat, creates history in New York


(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4)
percent, and Pakistani
Mohammad Razvi got 420
votes, or 7.12 percent.
 Jamaican-born communi-
ty activist Leithland "Rickie"
Tulloch received 299 votes, or
5.06 percent. Former
Vincentian United Nations
Ambassador Joel Toney fell
close to the bottom of the
race, receiving only 369 votes,


or 6.25 percent, while
Panamanian entrepreneur
Zenobia McNally secured 269
votes, or 4.56 percent with
Jamaican domestic violence
counsellor Karlene Gordon in
the cellar position, receiving
just 66 votes.

COMING OF AGE
 Eugene urged his rivals to
work with him for the advance-


ment of the community.
 "We're blessed with
another extraordinary con-
stituency," Congresswoman
Clarke said.
 "We have demonstrated
that we have come of age,
socially and economically,
and, as we take our seat at the
table, no one will be left
behind."
0


March 2007