Kingston, Jamaica (CNN) -- Jamaican authorities declared a state of emergency in Kingston after gang members supportive of an alleged drug lord wanted by the United States attacked police stations and blockaded a large swath of the city.

Two police stations were evacuated after being hit with Molotov cocktails, while the status of a third was unclear.

Gang members blocked off a miles-long area of Jamaica's capital city -- mostly in West Kingston -- using vehicles, sandbags, barbed wire and anything else they could find.

The standoff revolves around attempts by the United States to extradite suspected drug kingpin Christopher "Dudus" Coke. Last year he was charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine and with conspiracy to illegally traffic in firearms in U.S. federal court.

After an on-and-off courtship lasting almost a year, Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines have officially taken the first step towards initiating consolidation among airlines in the region. The Jamaican government has been shopping Air Jamaica around to various buyers since former president Bruce Nobles returned to head the carrier in October 2008.

Those discussions culminated in 2009, first with Caribbean and then with Indigo Partners, the majority owner of privately-held US low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines. Ultimately Indigo walked away from the talks, and the Jamaican government early this year resumed acquisition discussions with Caribbean.

While the government was courting potential buyers for Air Jamaica, the carrier has pared down its network and its fleet, from 15 to six Airbus narrowbodies operating to just five international destinations: Fort Lauderdale, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Toronto. It will also keep operating between Montego Bay and Kingston.

Coinciding with the latest pare-down, Air Jamaica is set to begin transitioning some of its operations to Caribbean Airlines as the latter continues talks with the Jamaican government to firm up a purchase of Air Jamaica.

In Haiti, another earthquake was the last thing needed. Yet today, another Haiti earthquake/aftershock struck with nearly as much force as the last one. In fact, the aftershock rated a 6.1 on the Richter scale, just .9 less than the 7.0 that battered the nation. The death toll and damage can't be as bad as last week's quake, especially since there's much less to destroy now. But in Haiti, another earthquake continues the seemingly unending nightmare.

Since this was a mere aftershock, and not a full fledged earthquake, the damage shouldn't be as extensive. Yet considering how Haiti has barely cleared the damage from the last earthquake, more tremors are not welcome - especially ones that rate a 6.0.

There are no official totals yet on the damage and in how many more may have been killed. According to Yahoo News, this time the center was 35 miles west-southwest of Port-au-Prince. If there is any consolation, it's that another Haiti earthquake occurred farther away from the battered capital.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — A devastating earthquake struck Haiti late Tuesday afternoon, causing the collapse of the National Palace, leveling countless shantytown dwellings and bringing even more suffering to a nation that was already the hemisphere’s poorest and most disaster-prone.

The earthquake, the worst in the region in more than 200 years, left the country in a shambles. As night fell in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, fires burned near the shoreline downtown, but otherwise the city fell into darkness. The electricity was out, telephones were not working and relief workers struggled to make their way through streets blocked by rubble.

In the chaos, it was not possible for officials to determine how many people had been killed and injured, but they warned that the casualties could be substantial.

The physical toll was easier to assess. The headquarters of the United Nations mission collapsed, the United Nations said in a statement, and many employees were missing.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A group of promoters and entertainers say they plan to write the State-owned Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) asking it to withdraw its sponsorship of the February 18 concert featuring the American singer Beyonce.

Former chief executive officer of the Caribbean Prestige Foundation, Gregory Fernandes, who is among those involved in the effort to get TSTT to rescind its decision, said that they intend submitting the letter to the company’s CEO, Roberto Peon, on Wednesday.

Fernandes, speaking on local radio here, said that TSTT has already indicated that it would be reducing its funding to activities for the Carnival celebrations this year.

“Bringing Beyonce at this time puts more pressure on the industry,” he said, adding “Carnival activity is a very high risk and a lot of bands suffer high losses”.

First, reggae singer Buju Banton was in the news this month because of his best reggae album Grammy nomination. More on that later.

Now Banton, a Jamaican performer whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, is in federal prison in Miami, the Miami Herald reports.

He's been in custody since Thursday, arrested on a charge of conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute, more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, a DEA spokesman said.

NASSAU, The Bahamas - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs the Hon Brent Symonette will participate in the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers meeting in Port of Spain , Trinidad and Tobago from November 25 to 26, 2009.

The meeting is a forerunner to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) from November 27-29.

Mr. Symonette is accompanied by Frank Davis, First Secretary at the Bahamas High Commission in London.

Foreign Ministers will consider global development, taking into account the global economic situation, climate changes and its effects on Commonwealth nations, initiatives to include youth in mainstream, among other matters.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is held every two years and brings together Commonwealth leaders to discuss global and Commonwealth issues, and to agree upon collective policies and initiatives.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 countries that support each other and work together toward shared goals in democracy and development.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning could not hide his feeling of vindication and national pride as he opened the $480 million controversial National Academy for the Performing Arts yesterday.

There was vindication over his strategy of using UDeCOTT, its executive chairman Calder Hart and Chinese contractors, such as Shanghai Construction Group, in pursuing Government’s massive construction programme; and pride over what this has accomplished thus far.

Delivering the feature address at yesterday’s opening of the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Manning spoke of the ’slings and arrows’ he endured, the public scepticism and cynicism. But, he noted triumphantly, all this was changing to pride as the facilities were being completed.

Singer Rihanna is to talk for the first time about being assaulted by her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in an interview being screened in the US this week.

The 21-year-old will tell ABC's Diane Sawyer what happened on the night of the attack in February, a statement from the TV network said.

Brown was sentenced to five years probation and six months community service in August over the attack.

The interview will be screened on Good Morning America on Thursday and Friday.