The surviving Haitian migrants, who were aboard the boat that capsized earlier this week off the Turks and Caicos islands, are now being deported by authorities, the BBC reports. At least 15 people died and 70 people are still missing after the wooden vessel, which was carrying about 200 migrants, turned over. Sixty survivors were flown back to Haiti on Tuesday. Rescuers are still searching, but hopes for finding more survivors are dimming by the hour. Haitian migrants often try to escape a life of poverty by boarding small vessels hoping to reach the United States, the Bahamas or the Turks and Caicos islands, the news service reports.

Liberia’s President Asked to Resign
Liberian opposition officials have asked President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who’s also the continent’s first elected female leader, to resign, the BBC reports. The call was made after a report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said Johnson-Sirleaf should be barred from office because of her past support of former President Charles Taylor (who is now facing war crimes charges). “The presidency has been brought to public disrepute,” one opposition official said. The report’s recommendation could become law if Liberian lawmakers vote to implement them. And this is possible, since the opposition currently has the majority in Parliament. The country’s information minister says Liberians already knew about Johnson-Sirleaf’s past support of Taylor before they elected her. “They decided to reconcile with her, and they elected her president by popular vote,” he told the BBC. The president has expressed regret for supporting Taylor 20 years ago, saying she had been “fooled.” “I feel it in my conscience. I feel it every day,” she said.
 

Turks and Caicos Economy is Suffering
Alleged government corruption is behind the Turks and Caicos flailing economy, reports the BBC. The territory is due to return to British rule later this year, but investors are hesitant to put money back into the island’s once-healthy economy. Part of their hesitation could be due to the constant legal battles associated with British governance. Last year, a commission discovered extensive corruption in the island’s government under the leadership of former Premier Michael Misick. The economy is reliant on the real estate and finance industries, which have been suffering, the BBC reports. Since February of 2008 and February of this year, bank deposits have plummeted by an astonishing $288 million. Real estate sales have also suffered, going down 70 percent within the last year.

19 African migrants drown.

A boat capsized off the coast of the Canary Islands resulting in 19 African migrants drowning, reports the BBC. An 8-year-old girl is among the dead. Six people were rescued from the boat this past weekend and helicopters are searching the area for more survivors. Three people are still thought to be missing. But as time goes by, hope for finding more people alive grows more and more dim. Most of the people on the boat are thought to be from Morocco. Thousands of North Africans have flocked to the Spanish Canary Islands, which are off the coast of North Africa, in the past few years in search of a better life, reports the news service. The number of migrants that actually make it there, however, has gone down recently due to an increase in security. Only 9,000 migrants made it to the Canary Islands in 2008, compared to almost 32,000 in 2006.

Turks and Caicos leader to step down. Turks and Caicos Premier Michael Misick has announced that he’ll step down from his post next month. He says the move is in the best interest of his political organization, the Progressive National Party (PNP), amid corruption allegations: “In recent months, there has been much discontent among some ministers and PNP members…It now appears to me that the divide within the party is too deep.” Las year, while a Foreign Affairs Select Committee made up of British Parliament members were routinely examining the affairs of British territories, they found that Misick was allegedly gaining from “selling off Crown land to fund current investment.” Misick says he’ll leave office effective March 31. His public separation from actress wife Lisa Raye has also made headlines recently.

Superman Caribbean Parliament Member Thwarts Robbery
A Turks and Caicos’ Parliament member exchanged fire with four thugs who robbed a gas station on the island, reports Caribbean Net. The official, Arthur Robinson, was called to the station by his wife, who was in an office nearby and saw the four bandits sticking up the station’s attendant. Robinson’s wife also called police. Robinson got there first, though, and saw the robbers (who still had their masks on) fleeing the scene in a car. He pursued the vehicle in his Ford Explorer, ramming it from behind and forcing it off the road into a ditch. At that point, all of the robbers got out of the car and started shooting at Robinson as he was chasing them down on foot. Robinson shot back at them with his licensed 9-mm handgun, hitting one of them in the butt. Police arrived shortly thereafter and arrested three of the robbers (the driver managed to escape). The money they took from the station was also recovered.
South Africa Set to Elect New Leader
South Africa’s presidential elections will be held on April 22, interim President Kgalema Motlanthe announced Tuesday in front of lawmakers.  Jacob Zuma, leader of the popular African National Congress, is an early frontrunner to win the presidency. But only a few months after the scheduled vote, Zuma is due to face corruption charges, setting up a precarious situation should he be elected president. The popular leader stands accused of accepting bribes from a French weapons company, fraud and racketeering. Zuma denies the charges.