Castro
Empty Castro seat at assembly meeting
HAVANA, (Reuters):
Cuba's National Assembly began its year-end session yesterday without ailing leader Fidel Castro, who was last seen in public on July 26.
The seat usually used by the 80-year-old Castro was empty at the start of the meeting in Havana's convention centre. The meeting was led by brother Raul Castro and other members of the island's Communist Party leadership. Raul Castro, 75, took over the government temporarily on July 31 when his brother relinquished power for the first time since Cuba's 1959 revolution.
Man threatens to blow up bank
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):
Panic broke out at a packed branch of Scotia Bank in the eastern part of the country Thursday when a man who painted his body in white, threatened to blow up the bank if he did not get TT$2,000 (one TT dollar = 15 US cents), police here said. Screaming customers scampered out of the building when the man, covered with toilet paper, his body painted with white paint and with a piece of wire tied around his neck, entered the bank and made his way to one of the tellers.
As a bank manager approached the man he threatened to pull the cord to detonate a bomb if he did not get the money to give to his mother. Security guards grabbed the suspect and called the police. No explosives were reported to have been found.
Anthony
Former St Lucia PM leaves leadership in party's hands
CASTRIES, St. Lucia (CMC):
Former Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony who led his St. Lucia Labour Party to defeat in this month's general election said his continued leadership of the party was in the hand of its delegates.
Addressing his first media conference since his party's defeat, the new Leader of the Opposition said he would leave his fate to delegates at the next annual conference, but had no intention of giving up leadership of the party which suffered a 6-11 defeat at the hands of the United Workers Party in the December 11 poll.
