Montserrat shares EU aid

Eight British dependent territories, including the volcano stricken island of Montserrat, will share EU aid worth more than pounds 13m.

The money, which has been blocked for more than a year, was released yesterday when EU foreign ministers settled a long-running dispute with The Netherlands over duties on rice imports from African Caribbean and Pacific countries under the EU's trade and aid regime for poor countries. Doug Henderson, minister for Europe, welcomed the breakthrough which will also benefit St Helena, Anguilla, Tristan da Cunha, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Pitcairn.

- Katherine Butler