The absence due to illness of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez played a major role during the final day of a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Santiago on Monday. Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro read out to leaders a long letter from Chavez, which Ve...

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - That UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week applauded French military intervention in Mali underscores international concern about developments in that nation which occupies so revered a place in African history. Mali is, among other things, home to Timbuktu, the ancien...

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The latest of studies commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have underscored the serious negative impact that crime and violence are having on economies of the Caribbean at a time when economic growth with job-creation continues to be elusive for  a nu...

WASHINGTON, CMC - As the Caribbean reels from the global economic crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that growth will “strengthen gradually” this year. In an update to its World Economic Outlook (WEO), the Washington-based financial institution said the constraints on...

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government says it is close to finalising negotiations for the long-awaited Stand By Agreement (SBA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The National Executive Council (NEC) of the ruling People's National Party (PNP's) met on Sunday and af...

The UN Security Council said Monday that it remains committed to supporting the Haitian people in pursuit of peace, stability and prosperity. Masood Khan, president of the Security Council for this month, reaffirmed the commitment in a statement issued here after the UN body received a briefing by M...

WASHINGTON, CMC - The United States Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have issued what they describe as “comprehensive final regulations” to combat Caribbean and other offshore tax evasion. The departments said the reporting and withholding tax provisions...

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda government said Monday it had been granted authorization by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to suspend certain concessions and obligations it has under international law to the United States in respect of intellectual property rights....

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Bahamians voted overwhelming in a national referendum on Monday to reject proposals legalising web-shop gambling and a national lottery. Preliminary results showed that by a margin of almost two to one, the voters in this Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country voted &ldqu...

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - BARBADOS will be embarking on a $450 million project to breathe fresh life into the country’s ailing sugar industry. The project was outlined yesterday by Agriculture Minister, Dr. David Estwick, prior to a meeting with industry officials and representatives of two compa...