A package of news briefs from the Caribbean

CRICKET: Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer dies during World Cup

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) _ Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer died Sunday soon after he was found unconscious in his hotel room.

Pakistan lost in an upset to Ireland at the Cricket World Cup on Saturday, ending its chances of advancing in the tournament and almost ensuring the end of Woolmer's tenure as coach.

Mass outrage in Pakistan at the loss soon turned to mourning when team officials announced Woolmer, 58, died within an hour of being rushed to a Kingston hospital on Sunday.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Naseem Ashraf said Woolmer had complained of breathing difficulties before the team left for the World Cup, and was diabetic.

The cause of death was not immediately released. Pakistan team spokesman Pervez Jamil Mir said an autopsy would be conducted by Jamaican authorities.

Woolmer was survived by his wife, Gill, and two sons.

West Indies captain Brian Lara, who was playing for Woolmer at English county Warwickshire when he scored his world record 501 not out in 1994, had fond memories of the Englishman.

"He was a very focused man with a great love for the game but what shone through was the great love he had for players under his charge, everyone meant something to him," he said.

International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed said Woolmer would be missed by "thousands and thousands of friends within cricket."

PUERTO RICO: Flow of guns from Florida to U.S. territory worries authorities

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) _ Lenient rules on the purchase and transportation of guns in Florida are subverting stricter gun laws in Puerto Rico, fueling a black market for weapons on the island, authorities said.

About 60 percent of the guns seized in Puerto Rico in the last decade came from Florida, according to estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Puerto Rican police linked illegal guns to many of the more than 7,000 murders in the last 10 years.

Authorities said the March 5 arrest of Orlando airline workers on charges they attempted to smuggle guns to Puerto Rico is just a small part of the problem.

A key concern is airline regulations that make it tougher to transport a dog to Puerto Rico than a suitcase full of handguns, rifles and ammunition. Dogs require paperwork, fees and certification. Gun owners generally need only to tell airlines the unloaded guns are packed in a secure container in checked baggage.

Once in Puerto Rico, the guns often stay, in violation of the U.S. territory's strict gun control laws, said Puerto Rican Police Superintendent Pedro Toledo.

"They usually have been pre-ordered," said Marcial Orlando Felix, an ATF agent stationed in Puerto Rico.

DOMINICA: Opposition calls for government to reject Venezuela refinery

ROSEAU, Dominica (AP) _ Dominica's main opposition party is urging the government to reject Venezuela's offer to build an oil refinery, saying it will damage the Caribbean nation's image as a nature island.

United Workers Party leader Edison James said the government should instead seek to take control from Venezuela over the tiny, nearby Isla de Aves, or Bird Island, to help lure ecotourists.

"Bird Island would bring greater economic benefit to Dominica ... instead of an oil refinery," James said Saturday, adding it would boost "the island's nature tourism image through scuba diving and whale watching activities."

Venezuela has maintained ownership of the uninhabited, treeless island since 1865 and has a small outpost on it shared by naval troops and scientists. The island is about 565 kilometers (350 miles) north of Venezuela but closer to Dominica.

Dominica Foreign Minister Charles Savarin declined to comment Sunday on the opposition proposal. The island's premier, Roosevelt Skerrit, has recognized Venezuela's claim to Bird Island, as have the United States, France and the Dominican Republic.

The Barbados-based Caribbean Conservation Association has also urged Dominica to reject the refinery, being built as part of Venezuela's Petrocaribe deal _ under which 14 Caribbean nations benefit from preferential terms to buy oil from the South American country.

PUERTO RICO: President of House of Representatives injured in motorcycle accident

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) _ The president of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives and his wife were injured in a motorcycle accident Sunday.

Jose Aponte suffered a cut to his left eyebrow and was knocked unconscious when he struck a parked car near the rural town of Lares, said Marisely Zambrana of the regional police department.

He was flown by helicopter to a San Juan hospital, where he is in stable condition and will stay for a few days, said Health Secretary Rosa Perez Perdomo.

Aponte's doctor, Pablo Rodriguez, said the lawmaker suffered a fracture to his left eye socket and he was keeping him in the hospital since Aponte lost consciousness and doctors wanted to perform some tests.

Aponte's wife, Aida Rodriguez, suffered minor injuries and did not need to be admitted to the hospital, Perez said.

The couple was heading to the western town of Las Marias to participate in an orange festival at the time of the accident.

Aponte, of the opposition, pro-statehood New Progressive Party, has been House president for two years.

JAMAICA: Man charged in trade official's death

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) _ A man has been charged with killing Peter King, the former chairman of Jamaica's Trade Board, after a one-year police investigation into the slaying, authorities said Sunday.

Sheldon Pusey, 23, was charged Friday with murder and will appear in court this week, said constable Richard Minott of Jamaica's national police.

King's nude, mutilated body was discovered March 20 on the floor of his bedroom in his town house in an upscale Kingston development.

Police had initially named Pusey a suspect in King's death. They said he was the only person at a party at King's home the night before the slaying who had not given them a statement about what happened that evening.

Minott said Pusey was arrested three weeks ago in St. Mary parish, 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of the Jamaica capitol.

Police have not provided a motive.

King, 63, was a respected member of Jamaica's trade sector for more than 40 years. He served as Jamaica's deputy high commissioner to Trinidad, Barbados and Guyana during the 1980s, and was a representative for Jamaica to the 15-member Caribbean Community in the 1990s.

TRINIDAD: Missing Canadian man on vacation in Trinidad found hospitalized

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) _ An elderly Canadian man who disappeared after attending a church service in Trinidad was found one day later at a hospital, his wife said Sunday.

Keith Best, 81, of Toronto, was in stable condition at Port-of-Spain General Hospital after falling into a diabetic coma on Friday at a store in the capital, said his wife, Yula Best.

Yula Best made several phone calls Friday evening when her husband did not return to their local home in St. Joseph, 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of Port-of-Spain.

"I found out yesterday from the doctor at the hospital that he was brought there having collapsed in the store," she said.

The couple, native Trinidadians who are now Canadian citizens, have been returning to the Caribbean twin-island nation in recent years to escape the cold winters back home.

CRICKET: West Indies looks to seal Super 8s berth

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) _ Brian Lara's West Indies lineup is seeking to seal its Super 8s spot when it takes on Zimbabwe in Monday's World Cup Group D match at Sabina Park.

Launching its World Cup campaign with a victory over Pakistan in the tournament's opening match, the West Indies now finds itself placed behind Ireland in the preliminary group.

Debutant Ireland's shock win over Pakistan on Saturday will mean Inzamam ul-Haq's team slumps out in the first round for the second successive World Cup.

Ireland, with three points from two outings, is now within striking distance of making the Super 8s. It will play the West Indies in the last group match, but Lara's team is eager to secure its passage into the next round before that.

Lara's team came into the tournament fresh from a shocking batting display in a warmup game against India, where it was bundled out for 85 and lost by nine wickets.

The hosts bounced back to produce a fine rally against Pakistan at Sabina Park three days later.

Zimbabwe coach Kevin Curran said is hoping to spring a surprise on the West Indies after being held to a tie _ only the third ever in the World Cup _ against Ireland.

CRICKET: Bermuda coach Logie says pressure will be on desperate India in World Cup

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) _ Bermuda coach Gus Logie is expecting India to come out charging Monday with its World Cup survival at stake.

India was shocked by a five-wicket loss to Bangladesh on Saturday and must win the remaining two Group B matches against Bermuda and former world champion Sri Lanka to advance.

"It's a matter of survival for India," Logie said. "I'm sure it will come out charging against Bermuda, but that's the scenario where mistakes can happen."

Logie spoke to his team about Bangladesh's showing, while India coach Greg Chappell expressed disappointment at the performance in the first outing.

"We've played badly, but must stay positive and get our focus back," Chappell said. "India's done it before. The team's got experience and the boys know what they've got to do."

After being bundled out for 191 in an upset loss to Bangladesh on Saturday, India captain Rahul Dravid said his batsmen would use Monday's match against Bermuda to strike form.

India still expects to make the Super 8s by finishing first or second in Group B, which also saw Sri Lanka beat World Cup rookie Bermuda by 243 runs earlier this week.

India's loss to Bangladesh was only its second in 15 one-dayers against its subcontinental rival, in what was their first meeting at the World Cup.