GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) _ Police say a jaguar prowling the lush jungles of Guyana killed a gold and diamond miner as he fetched water from a creek.

A police statement says fellow miners found 43-year-old Kurt Rodrigues after the mauling. He died while en route to a hospital.

Rupununi Region vice chairwoman Claire Singh said Tuesday it's unusual for jaguars to attack people.

But Guyanese cattle and poultry farmers often complain that jaguars and ocelots maul their livestock.

Monday's attack occurred around dawn near the Marudi mountains in the South American country's southwest, near Brazil.

ST. VINCENT: Island to consider severing ties with queen as monarch visits region

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) _ The small Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines decides whether to remove Queen Elizabeth II as their official head of state, just a day before the British monarch makes rare visit to the region.

St. Vincent votes Wednesday in a referendum on a new constitution to replace the one in place since gaining independence from Britain in 1979.

The new constitution would create a president nominated by the two political parties among other changes.

Both parties agree on ousting the queen but disagree on other aspects of the document. The referendum requires a two-thirds vote for passage.

The queen was visiting Bermuda on Thursday and planned to be in Trinidad on Thursday for a Commonwealth summit.

CARIBBEAN: Leaders to seek relief from new airfare tax in meeting with Britain's Brown

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) _ Caribbean leaders say they intend to challenge British Prime Minister Gordon Brown over a new airfare tax during a summit this weekend.

Caribbean Community Secretary-General Edwin Carrington says the bloc's members are angry over the U.K. measure, which aims to help cut carbon emissions.

The tax charges passengers according to how far they fly. It increases the levy on economy seats to the Caribbean by nearly 13 percent this year and 50 percent in 2010. Fares to the U.S. are taxed at a lower rate.

Carrington called the tax a "friendly fire" attack on Caribbean tourism, already suffering from the economic downturn.

Caricom leaders are to meet with Brown during the Commonwealth summit in Trinidad.

GRENADA: Islands sleeps through arrival of inaugural flight; official demands explanation

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada (AP) _ Grenada officials declined to rise before dawn to greet an inaugural flight from Canada, and now the island's tourism board chairman is demanding explanations.

Richard Strachan says he is investigating why no one received the 90 passengers including a Grenada diplomat and top officials with Sunwing Airlines.

The plane also was forced to circle an extra 30 minutes over the tiny eastern Caribbean island because the daily runway inspection had not been completed.

Tourism marketing director Raylene Lazarus said Tuesday that the tourism board and airline had previously agreed to a new welcoming event for the flight route.

Grenada is seeking more visitors to boost its tourism-dependent economy.

PUERTO RICO: Lawmakers criticize 30 pct raise for tourism chief amid economic crisis, layoffs

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) _ Puerto Rican lawmakers are demanding the island's tourism director resign over a $36,000 raise even as the government has laid off thousands.

Sen. Cirilo Tirado accuses tourism chief Jaime Lopez of "lacking respect for the Puerto Rican people in the middle of a crisis."

Also at issue: an additional $35,000 payment to Lopez that Tirado is calling a Christmas bonus.

Tourism deputy director Mario Gonzalez replies that a 30 percent raise for Lopez was planned since last year, although it was formally approved only last week. He says the other payment was not a bonus but retroactive compensation for separate work.

Lopez was traveling outside Puerto Rico and could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

CARIBBEAN: US Salvation Army general seeks more funding to fight human trafficking in Haiti

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) _ The general of the U.S. Salvation Army says the organization will likely increase its funding to Haiti to fight human trafficking.

Shaw Clifton says he is concerned about reports that such crimes have increased in the impoverished Caribbean country. He says women from the Dominican Republic and Belize are being increasingly forced into prostitution in Haiti.

Clifton spoke Tuesday in Jamaica ahead of a five-day trip to Haiti.

He declined to provide details about the amount of funding, saying he will release more information after meeting with Haitian officials.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic share a border known for its rampant drug smuggling and human trafficking.

PUERTO RICO: Miami-based America TeVe merges with CV Network, expands to island and New York

MIAMI (AP) _ America TeVe, a Spanish-language channel in Miami, has merged with CV Network and is now in charge of operations, distribution and selling advertising for the latter's stations.

Under the deal, America TeVe will be taking over CV Network's three stations, which are WFUN in Miami, WPXO in New York and WJPX in Puerto Rico. The merger allows America TeVe to expand to Puerto Rico and New York.

Omar Romay, President and CEO of America TeVe, said: "The integration of the two companies represents an opportunity for the creation of new content, the development of new markets and access to a platform of expanded distribution."

The deal was signed on Nov. 19, but was officially announced Tuesday.