KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner - Long admired for world-class academics moulding young minds, the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, could be depleted of such individuals in the next few years. Professor Hubert Devonish has estimated that some 300 academics are due to retire in the next five years, and replacements are hard to find because of comparatively low salaries. Devonish noted that UWI brought salaries down to regional levels decades ago, but the continuing slide of the Jamaican dollar has had a negative impact.

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – Police Wednesday charged junior minister Mark King with aggravated assault, use of threatening words and disorderly conduct, following a pre-dawn brawl at a casino in northern Belize over the weekend. King, 38, the junior minister of Human Development and Social Transformation, has been suspended without pay by Prime Minister Dean Barrow. He has also publicly apologised for his behaviour. The first time legislator, who will return to court on April 16, was one of two men who were thrown out of the casino after an altercation involving a member of his entourage.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Portia Simpson Miller led administration has been forced to cut its spending this year by J$10 million (One Jamaica dollar = US$0.01 cents) as it grapples with lower than projected revenue inflows. The cuts were outlined in the revision that the government has made to its spending plans for the current fiscal year, which ends next month. The governments' spending plans had been under pressure this fiscal year, as it was getting less money than needed to carry out the spending. The cuts were tabled in the Parliament on Tuesday.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC- The Coast Guard of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has increased border patrols in the wake of reports that more Haitians could be heading towards Jamaica. The heightened concern, follows the arrival of a group of 25 Haitians in Portland on Tuesday. Deputy Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, (ODPEM) Richard Thompson told reporters on Wednesday that based on information out of Haiti, nine boats left the country hoping to reach the United States.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner - Jamaica has been touting its plan to develop itself as the world's fourth logistics hub, but Panama is ahead of the game and will likely take that title. Jamaica is banking on Panama's signature project, the canal expansion due for completion in 2015, to realise its own hub dream which will take a decade to realise. Panama began rolling out its hub project in 2007, known as the Panama Pacific Special Economic Area (PPSEA). The tendered project was won by British company London and Regional, which has been developing the hub in Port Arthur since then.