Thousands of police and soldiers stormed the Jamaican ghettos where reggae was born in search of a reputed drug kingpin wanted by the United States, intensifying a third day of street battles that have killed at least 30 people.

Virgin Atlantic will take over the London to Kingston route of Jamaica’s national airline and reduce daily service to two round-trip flights each week, company chairman Richard Branson said.

Struggling carrier Air Jamaica has announced plans to trim its staff size, cut salaries of top executives and discontinue several routes as part of sweeping cost-cutting measures.

Pro-government mobs looting the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince have withdrawn from the streets after a plea from President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Foreigners, some guarded by US Marines, were fleeing Haiti in droves today, as looting erupted in the capital and pressure grew for an international intervention and for President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to step down.