A package of news briefs from the Caribbean

CARIBBEAN: Cuban bass player Cachao, who developed the mambo, dies in Florida at 89

MIAMI (AP) — Cuban bassist and composer Israel "Cachao" Lopez, who is credited with pioneering the mambo style of music, died Saturday at age 89, a family spokesman said.

Known simply as Cachao, the Grammy-winning musician had fallen ill in the past week and died surrounded by family members at Coral Gables Hospital, spokesman Nelson Albareda said.

Cachao left communist Cuba and came to the United States in the early 1960s. He continued to perform into his late 80s, including a performance after the death of trombonist Generoso Jimenez in September 2007.

Cachao was born in Havana in 1918 to a family of musicians. A classically trained bassist, he began performing with the Havana symphony orchestra as a teenager, working under the baton of visiting guest conductors like Herbert von Karajan, Igor Stravinsky and Heitor Villa-Lobos during his nearly 30-year career with the philharmonic.

He also wrote hundreds of songs in Cuba for bands and orchestras, many based on the classic Cuban music style known as son.

He and his late brother, multi-instrumentalist Orestes Lopez, are known for the creation in the late 1930s of the mambo, which emerged from their improvisational work with the danzon, an elegant musical style that lends itself to slow dancing.

CUBA: Island condemns criticism of China over Tibet ahead of Olympics

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba rejected criticism of China for its crackdown on recent riots in Tibet, which has led to calls for a possible boycott of this summer's Beijing Olympics.

In an e-mail statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, Havana also accused U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia of being the principal voice behind talk of a boycott.

Protests against Chinese rule in Tibet have drawn a harsh response from Beijing, and Chinese authorities say 16 people have died and 325 were injured. The Dalai Lama's exiled government says 99 Tibetans have been killed.

Havana — one of five communist governments including Beijing — also was quick to reject international complaints about its own human rights record.

The government added that it believes the Tibet riots were "promoted from outside the country," and expressed opposition to "any attempt to meddle in the internal affairs of China."

President George W. Bush has long planned to attend the Beijing Olympics, and the White House said this week that the crackdown in Tibet was not cause for him to cancel.

The European Union also spoke out against a boycott, saying it would be counterproductive to efforts to improve human rights in China.

GRENADA: Island to resume negotiations with offshore investors

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada (AP) — Grenada is looking to relaunch its shuttered offshore financial sector after a six-year hiatus that was prompted by a multimillion-dollar (euro) fraud scheme.

A consultant is expected to meet soon with government officials to recommend what type of offshore entities would best suit the eastern Caribbean island, said Timothy Antoine, secretary in the Ministry of Finance, on Thursday.

Grenada in February created a new regulatory body to oversee financial institutions, including credit unions and offshore brokerages, to avoid fraudulent activity, Antoine said. A similar agency existed before the fraud scheme, but only monitored offshore banks.

The First International Bank of Grenada collapsed in 2000 after its owner promised investors huge returns from the bank, which he said was backed by a US$20 million (euro13 million) ruby carved into a statue of a boy on a water buffalo.

The bank's 4,000 investors were cheated out of US$170 million (euro110 million) through a Ponzi scheme that used their cash to lure other investors without paying them back. Most were U.S. citizens hoping to boost their retirement income.

Part of the money was returned to investors as phony interest payments.

In 2002, Grenada suspended its financial sector's operations and later revoked the licenses of all offshore banks.

PUERTO RICO: Bo Van Pelt moves closer to first U.S. PGA Tour win

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (AP) — Bo Van Pelt held on to his lead — barely — at the inaugural Puerto Rico Open on Saturday and moved a step closer to his first U.S. PGA Tour victory.

Van Pelt shot a 1-under 71 at Trump International Golf Club to finish in front at 13-under. But there's no shortage of challengers just as eager as Van Pelt for a tour victory.

Briny Baird (69) and Greg Kraft (69) were one back, while Brenden Pappas (69) and Jerry Kelly (72) were two behind.

Marco Dawson (69) and Tommy Armour III (67) were tied at 10-under, with Ryan Blaum (72) and Ted Purdy (73) another shot behind.

Van Pelt decided late to play in the tour's first visit to the island — usually at weeks opposite World Golf Championship events like this one he takes off to relax and recharge.

Van Pelt's schedule change has worked so far.

He opened here on Thursday with a 64, his lowest round in nine months, and continued his near flawless play with a 68 on Friday.

Van Pelt, 32, has only had one victory on the minor Nationwide Tour since turning pro in 1998 but is one of the steadiest performers — he's earned more than US$1.3 million (euro840,000) in each of the past four seasons.

The group behind him have rarely, if ever, enjoyed a U.S. PGA Tour win in their careers.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Ambulance drivers charged with drunk driving

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Two ambulance drivers are facing drunk driving charges for allegedly transporting patients while under the influence, Dominican authorities said Saturday.

Medical staff at a Santo Domingo hospital alerted police Friday, after the two allegedly drove several car crash victims more than 120 miles (200 kilometers) to reach the facility, the government's information office said in a statement. It did not give further details.

The drivers were fired and were expected to appear in court on Monday, the statement said.