(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Honourable Secretary-General:

First, allow me to express to you the warm greetings of the President of Chile, H.E. Sebastián Piñera and of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Alfredo Moreno. It is an honour to be hosted Mr. Secretary-General, here at the headquarters of the Caribbean Community. In Chile you are well known for your long standing commitment with CARICOM and the integration process of the region. Honourable Secretary General_

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General, on Wednesday acknowledged the acceleration of CARICOM-Chile relations which he said had been deepened and strengthened under the auspices of President of Chile H.E. Sebastián Piñera.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Government of Chile on Wednesday conferred the `Order of Bernardo O’Higgins – Grand Cross’ on Ambassador Colin Granderson, Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations, Caribbean Community (CARICOM), in recognition of his role in coordinating and representing the interests of CARICOM and those shared by Latin America.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados government will soon discuss legislation allowing for the seizure of the ill-gotten gains from criminal activity through civil procedures, Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs, Adriel Brathwaite, has said. Brathwaite said over the last two years, Bridgetown has been working with the United States embassy here to champion the effectiveness of a civil asset recovery regime. “It is my hope that within the next week we can take the proposal to Cabinet.

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – The Bahamas government has warned nationals travelling to the United States to be careful about their possession as they embark upon shopping expeditions in the North American country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this “is the traditional season for Bahamians to shop before back to school and while shopping may not be paying particular attention to their documents and possessions.

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – Belize has issued a dengue alert after a outbreaks of the virus in neighbouring countries like Costa Rica, Nicaraqua, El Salvador and Honduras.
The Ministry of Health said that a state of emergency had been declared in Honduras where 16 people had died from the virulent fever. It said that at least 40,000 people had been infected in Central America with 26 deaths reported.
Chief Executive Officer of the Vector Control Unit, Kim Bautista said that while the virus has not hit Belize as yet, “it’s a very active season throughout the region.

Zimbabwe GEORGETOWN, Guyana - When –as appears likely, at least at this juncture – general elections are held in Zimbabwe later this year under a new constitution Robert Mugabe will, in all likelihood, be running for office as President of the Southern African country again. The one-time freedom fighter turned 89 in February, a juncture in most political leaders’ lives when the trappings of office and the addiction to power tend to evaporate in thick mist of physical and mental deterioration. That, it seems, is not the case with Mr. Mugabe; at least not yet.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - With looming uncertainty over the PetroCaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement, following the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, there is concern that the future of the projects under the cash-rich PetroCaribe Development Fund (PDF) is also unsure.
With an asset base of $241.2 billion up to January 2013, the PDF was set up in 2006 to undertake a number of national projects.

BOGOTA -- Drugs, lies and murder plots. Venezuela’s compressed presidential campaign officially begins Tuesday in a race that will determine the future of the Andean nation after the death of President Hugo Chávez, who led the country for 14 years. But the accusations and innuendos being hurled between the two main candidates are threatening to turn this into one of the uglier races in recent memory.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – An accountant has been appointed to look into the business affairs of companies of former financier R Allen Stanford.
Hordley Forbes of Forbes & Associates, Chartered Accountants, will conduct investigations into Stanford Development Company (SDC) Ltd and three other affiliated companies who are registered owners of property in Antigua.
Attorney General Justin Simon QC on March 5 obtained a court order for the investigation.