LOCAL NEWS

Next  Puerto Rican rum fight spills over to NY Parade Monday, March 8, 2010 NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) -- Organizers of the New York Puerto Rican Day Parade, one of the largest US outdoor events, said they are ending a 30-year relationship with the makers of Captain Morgan Rum citing Diageo PLC's plans to move distillation of the drink from Puerto Rico. read more... White House task force hears Puerto Rico grievances Wednesday, March 3, 2010 (Reuters) -- Puerto Ricans told a White House task force on Wednesday that persistent wrangling over the US Caribbean territory's political status was hampering solutions to its worsening social and economic problems. The status debate has long dominated politics in Puerto Rico read more... Diageo fires shot at Bacardi in Carribean rum war Wednesday, February 24, 2010 NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) -- Diageo PLC accused rival Bacardi Ltd of trying to drive its Captain Morgan rum production out of the United States in order to protect its own substantial rum subsidies from the Puerto Rican government. Guy Smith, executive vice president of Diageo North America, said... read more... Puerto Rico announces large tree-planting initiative Saturday, February 20, 2010 Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, or DRNA, has launched an ambitious, island-wide reforestation project that includes the goal of planting a million trees over the next three years. One tree supplies the daily oxygen requirements of five people. read more... Coast Guard repatriates seven migrants to Dominican Republic Wednesday, January 13, 2010 The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Pea Island repatriated seven Dominican men to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Tuesday, following an at-sea interdiction by Caribbean Border Interagency Group Law Enforcement authorities on Monday. The crew detained one other Dominican man. read more... US administration urged to develop 'Government-wide Marshall Plan' for Puerto Rico Saturday, January 9, 2010 WASHINGTON, USA -- With Puerto Rico’s unemployment rate now at 16.5 percent, the Chairman and President of the National Puerto Rican Coalition on Friday urged the President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status to develop “a government-wide ‘Marshall Plan’ to rebuild the economy of Puerto Rico”. read more... Judge halts plans for monkey-breeding facility Saturday, January 2, 2010 In response to a lawsuit filed by local citizens and supported by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Superior Court Justice Juan Frau Escudero has ruled that further construction of a massive monkey-breeding facility in Guayama, Puerto Rico, must be brought to a halt. read more... Canadian drug manufacturer to close or sell plant in Puerto Rico Friday, December 11, 2009 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) -- Canadian contract drug manufacturer Patheon Inc said it plans to close or sell its plant in Caguas and consolidate its Puerto Rico operations into its site located in Manati. The company said it was planning to offer available positions at Manati to affected employees. read more... Faulty fuel monitor likely caused Puerto Rico fire Wednesday, November 18, 2009 (Reuters) -- A malfunctioning fuel monitoring system was the likely cause of an Oct. 23 explosion and massive fire at a Puerto Rican fuel storage depot, the US Chemical Safety Board said on Tuesday. No one was killed at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp (Capeco) facility in Bayamon. read more... Starwood Hotels set to double portfolio in Puerto Rico Tuesday, November 10, 2009 WHITE PLAINS, USA -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts, has announced that it will double its presence in Puerto Rico in the next year with the opening of the island’s first W and St Regis hotels and its second Sheraton. Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel – the first full-service hotel and casino built in... read more... USVI governor commends National Guardsmen who battled Puerto Rico blaze Wednesday, November 4, 2009 ST CROIX, USVI -- Governor John deJongh on Tuesday expressed his appreciation and commended the members of the US Virgin Islands National Guard who assisted in a recent fuel depot fire in Puerto Rico. DeJongh said he was pleased to see VING personnel reaching out to the USVI's Puerto Rico neighbours. read more... Fuel leak caused depot blast, says FBI Saturday, October 31, 2009 (Reuters) -- A fuel leak created a vapor cloud that caused last week's explosion and massive fire at a Puerto Rican fuel storage depot, according to federal investigators who ruled out arson or sabotage on Friday. The fire raged for more than two days at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp. read more... Coast Guard investigates grounding of vessel Thursday, October 29, 2009 Coast Guard Marine Investigators are investigating the cause that led to the grounding of the 570-foot tank ship Port Stewart, after the vessel grounded and was later refloated on Tuesday, approximately one and a half nautical miles east of the Shell Yabucoa Harbor in Puerto Rico. read more... Firefighters put out oil depot blaze Tuesday, October 27, 2009 (Reuters) -- Firefighters in Puerto Rico extinguished a huge fire on Saturday that had raged for more than two days at an oil storage depot outside San Juan and forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 local residents.  Federal agents prepared to make a detailed inspection of the site at the Bayamon facility. read more... More evacuations as oil blaze burns on Saturday, October 24, 2009 (Reuters) -- Authorities in Puerto Rico on Friday ordered the evacuation of hundreds more residents from homes around a huge fire at an oil depot which spewed a column of toxic black smoke into the sky near San Juan. Despite the size of the blaze, no deaths have been reported. read more... Drug feud shooting kills 8 in Puerto Rico Tuesday, October 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- Feuding drug gangs opened fire in a crowded bar in Puerto Rico over the weekend, killing eight people, including the unborn child of a pregnant woman who was wounded, police said on Monday. A 9-year-old girl was also among the 20 injured. read more... Puerto Rico strikers shut down centre of San Juan Friday, October 16, 2009 (Reuters) -- Tens of thousands of Puerto Rican public workers protesting layoffs shut down the center of the capital San Juan on Thursday in a one-day strike that closed many government offices, businesses and schools. Labor unions called the 24-hour strike to protest the firing of thousands of workers. read more... Governor threatens protestors with terrorism charges Thursday, October 15, 2009 As Puerto Rico struggles with a 17 percent unemployment rate, Republican Governor Luis Fortuno is pushing forward with his plan to lay off more than 17,000 state government employees. The Governor has targeted government employees who provide critical public services to children. read more... Cuba advocates decolonisation of Puerto Rico at United Nations Wednesday, October 7, 2009 HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) -- Cuba once again advocated the decolonisation of Puerto Rico and the Western Sahara during a session of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation. “The cause of the Puerto Rican and the Sahrawi peoples should remain a priority for this world body,” said Rodolfo Benitez. read more... St Kitts-Nevis PM welcomes agreement with University of Puerto Rico Tuesday, October 6, 2009 BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CUOPM) -- St Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Denzil Douglas has hailed the cooperation agreement between the OECS and the University of Puerto Rico that benefits nationals of the English-speaking Caribbean. Speaking at a dinner in his honour in the Puerto Rican Municipality of Caguas... read more... St Kitts-Nevis PM praises new efforts for Eastern Caribbean-Puerto Rico relations Friday, October 2, 2009 CAGUAS, Puerto Rico (CUOPM) -- St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas says a three-day exhibition and trade fair in the Puerto Rican city of Caguas signifies a new level of interaction that United States commonwealth and the member countries of the Eastern Caribbean states. read more... CHTA meets with Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno Thursday, October 1, 2009 CORAL GABLES, USA -- During a successful meeting with Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño to discuss the 14th Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC 2010) - taking place at San Juan's Puerto Rico Convention Center, May 4-6 the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) confirmed... read more... More government jobs cut Saturday, September 26, 2009 (Reuters) -- Puerto Rico on Friday said the commonwealth's new governor would undertake a second round of layoffs to eliminate 13,774 government jobs in order to trim a $3.2 billion deficit and shelter wobbly credit ratings. Moody's and Standard & Poor's rate Puerto Rico a notch above junk level. read more... Hotel & Tourism Association stages annual convention Saturday, September 26, 2009 The Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association's (PRHTA) Convention, the main event of the year for Puerto Rico's tourism industry, begins Wednesday, September 30, 2009 with a focus on stakeholder and community commitment to high standards of excellence across the industry. read more... Puerto Rico utility plans $850 million bond sale Friday, September 25, 2009 MIAMI, USA (Reuters) -- The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority is planning an $850 million bond deal in November to fund new power lines and plant improvements and to pay off bank loans, a spokeswoman for the utility said on Thursday. Executives of the authority will meet with ratings agency analysts. read more... Puerto Rico hopes to gain from US healthcare reform Friday, September 25, 2009 (Reuters) -- The national healthcare reform pushed by President Barack Obama seeks to provide coverage for every American citizen, but millions of people in Puerto Rico may be excluded from key aspects of the plan. With Obama having pledged to provide equal treatment for US territories... read more... Public-private partnerships authority to hold first projects conference Friday, September 18, 2009 The Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority will host its first Public-Private Partnerships: Puerto Rico Projects Conference on October 15 and 16 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in the Miramar section of San Juan, it was announced on Thursday. read more... US anti-drug swoop arrests American Airlines staff Wednesday, September 16, 2009 (Reuters) -- US agents arrested 21 people, nine of them American Airlines employees, accused of smuggling suitcases loaded with cocaine on flights from Puerto Rico to the United States, authorities said on Tuesday. The accused were charged with a conspiracy to distribute cocaine. read more... New convention centre hotel and casino to open in November Wednesday, September 16, 2009 The new Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino will open its doors in November 2009. Located adjacent to the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan’s newest commercial and residential district, the new 503-room property will accommodate both business and  leisure travelers. read more... Coast Guard suspends search for missing vessel off Puerto Rico Tuesday, September 15, 2009 MIAMI, USA -- The Coast Guard suspended its search on Sunday evening for a capsized vessel in the vicinity of Luquillo, Puerto Rico, after a reporting source notified watchstanders of a possible boat fire on Sunday morning. Coast Guard crews searched for 10 hours and covered an area of more than 800 square miles. read more... Coast Guard searches for missing vessel off Puerto Rico Monday, September 14, 2009 MIAMI, USA -- Coast Guard crews continued searching for a capsized vessel in the vicinity of Luquillo, Puerto Rico, after a reporting source notified watchstanders of a possible boat fire on Sunday morning. A good Samaritan called watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center around... read more... Pennsylvania businessman pleads guilty in Puerto Rico corruption case Saturday, September 12, 2009 WASHINGTON, USA -- Dr Candido Negron Mella pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Thursday for his participation in a corruption scheme involving the 2000 Resident Commissioner campaign of a former governor of Puerto Rico, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Criminal Division. read more... Coast Guard searches for overdue fishermen in Mona Passage waters Saturday, September 5, 2009 Coast Guard rescue crews were searching on Friday for two overdue fishermen, missing since Wednesday, from a fishing trip in the Mona Passage to the fishing areas of Los Pichinchos, Los Rabos and Los Golfos. Coast Guard rescue crews have been searching since Thursday read more... Tropical Storm Erika weakens to depression Friday, September 4, 2009 (Reuters) -- Tropical Storm Erika weakened to a tropical depression in the northeast Caribbean on Thursday but still threatened Puerto Rico and neighboring islands with heavy rainfall, the US National Hurricane Center said. Most government offices and schools closed early on Thursday. read more... Coast Guard urges mariners in the USVI and Puerto Rico to prepare for Tropical Storm Erika Wednesday, September 2, 2009 With the approach of Tropical Storm Erika to the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the maritime community and boating public are strongly urged to monitor its progress and take early action to protect themselves and their vessels. Mariners are urged to secure their vessels for Tropical Storm Erika. read more... Verdanza Hotel to debut in Puerto Rico Thursday, August 27, 2009 Effective December 4, the Holiday Inn San Juan will officially become the new Verdanza Hotel, a member of the Summit Hotels & Resorts collection of Preferred Hotel Group. With its launch, Verdanza Hotel will become the only independent full-service hotel in the San Juan Metropolitan area. read more... NHC says tropical wave in Atlantic could strengthen Wednesday, August 26, 2009 NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) -- The US National Hurricane Center said Tuesday a tropical wave in the western Atlantic Ocean northeast of Puerto Rico had a high chance -- greater than 50 percent -- of becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours. The system is located about 300 miles northeast of Puerto Rico. read more... Coast Guard responds to vessel taking on water Saturday, August 22, 2009 US Coast Guard rescue crews are assisting a 118-foot landing craft cargo vessel Friday with dewatering and stabilization efforts, after the vessel started taking on water and lost power to both engines on Thursday, approximately half a mile west of Mona Island, Puerto Rico. read more... Puerto Rico economy shrank 5.5 percent in fiscal '09 Saturday, August 22, 2009 (Reuters) -- Puerto Rico's economy shrank by 5.5 percent in its 2009 fiscal year that ended on June 30, but the economy is expected to recover this year, Planning Board President Hector Morales Vargas said on Friday. He estimated the economy would growing by 0.7 percent in fiscal 2010. read more... Coast Guard urges mariners to prepare for Tropical Storm Ana in USVI and Puerto Rico Monday, August 17, 2009 With the approach of Tropical Storm Ana the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the maritime community and boating public are strongly urged to monitor its progress and take early action to protect themselves and their vessels. Mariners are urged to secure their vessels for Tropical Storm Ana. read more... Next