Caribbean Report 26-02-1999 - Richards, Ken (anchor, correspondent); Daniels, Louis (correspondent); O'Connell, Paddy (correspondent); Dupuy, Ricot (interviewee); Annan, Kofi (interviewee); Hamilton, Carolyn (interviewee); Andrew Thomas, Kimberly (correspondent) (The British Broadcasting Corporation, 1999)
1. Headlines with anchor Ken Richards (00:26)
2. The two main political parties in Antigua the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) and the United People Progressive Party (UPP) are intensifying campaigns for the March 9th general elections. Political observers predict a close fight between the two major political parties. An independent pollster based in Washington DC predicts that the ALP is headed for a major win with fifty eight percent of likely voters committed to the party. A six member Commonwealth Observer delegation is expected in Antigua to monitor the elections. Louis Daniels reports from St. Johns (00:27 – 06:30)
3. In Cuba, four dissidents will go on trial for sedition after openly calling for democratic changes to the Cuban political system. Calls for the release of the four detainees have been issued by the European Union, the US, the Vatican and other human rights organisations. A French judge has dismissed three legal petitions of crime against humanity and drug trafficking levelled against Cuban President Fidel Castro arguing that French law did not cover the crimes (06:31- 07:11)
4. The World Trade Organization will be the forum for discussions between the US and European Union on the ongoing banana trade war with the US calling for sanctions imposed against the European Union. Paddy O’ Connell BBC Business analyst in New York discusses a possible compromise at the meeting between the two opposing sides (07:12 - 09:28)
Keywords: Elections -- Antigua; Antigua Labour Party; United People Progressive Party; Cuba -- Politics and government; Castro, Fidel, 1926-; Bananas -- Commerce -- Europe; Bananas -- Commerce -- United States; Bananas -- Commerce -- Caribbean Area; Elections -- Haiti; Haiti -- Politics and government; Britain -- Race relations; Lawrence, Stephen; Crime and race -- Great Britain