INTERNATIONAL NEWS in brief

US Coast Guard seizes US$4m in cocaine southeast of Kingston

FLORIDA (CMC):

The United States (US) Coast Guard reportedly seized US$4 million worth of cocaine from a 30-foot go-fast vessel with suspicious packages aboard, southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, recently.

The authorities in Florida say, on February 11, the Coast Guard's Seventh District Command Centre received a report of a vessel with suspicious packages.

An armed Coast Guard helicopter responded and fired warning shots to get the vessel to stop, following which Coast Guard officials went on-board to detain the suspected smugglers.

While on-board, officials reportedly recovered 171 kilograms of what turned out to be cocaine.

The suspects were taken to the US and handed over to law enforcement. The cocaine was offloaded in St Petersburg on Monday.

T&T media association disappointed in new libel, defamation bill

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT), on Wednesday, said it was disappointed that the government had piloted legislation that could stifle press freedom and even lead to journalists being imprisoned.

The Senate on Tuesday night passed the Libel and Defamation Amendment Bill with members of the opposition voting against the measure. The legislation received the nod of the independent legislators.

But in a statement, MATT said it had been "keenly following the debate on defamation and libel" and was urging lawmakers to repeal the sections that could lead to imprisonment for journalists.

"If lawmakers are genuine, given that their mission of ensuring press freedom remains an inviolable right of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, they will remove this restrictive legislation, ensuring that journalists continue to enjoy the liberty and autonomy to make responsible decisions to the benefit of our society, without the fear of imprisonment."