KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace said Wednesday that the United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office is investigating the Buccament Bay Resort project and that he has “a copy of submissions” made to that office. “I shall say more on this at a later date. This is as yet a developing matter,” Eustace told a news conference as the fallout continues from an encounter between Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and two journalists from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) over the weekend.

St. John’s Antigua- Former CEO of LIAT Mark Darby has accepted US $15,000 for alleged wrongful dismissal from the carrier three years ago after originally seeking almost a quarter million US dollars. In person, he agreed to the settlement during a three-and-a-half-hour mediation session before Kelvin John in the High Court on February 6. Highly placed sources told Observer media that the former airline executive was seeking a total payment of US$220,000, including US$165,000 for 11 months of lost earnings following his dismissal in 2009.

President Evo Morales of Bolivia said Wednesday that Hugo Chávez, the cancer-stricken president of Venezuela and one of his closest friends, had endured “most difficult moments” and that Mr. Chávez’s doctors and family were encouraged now that he had returned home, more than two months after surgery and convalescence in Cuba. Speaking to reporters at the United Nations, Mr. Morales said he had not seen Mr. Chávez while visiting Venezuela on Tuesday, a day after the Venezuelan leader’s surprise predawn homecoming.

Hugo Chávez’s stealth return to Venezuela this week, which was carried out with the same signature secrecy that surrounds all aspects of his health status, makes it clearer than ever that Venezuela is leaderless and in need of someone else to take over. Mr. Chávez’s entry was unlike any of his triumphal arrivals from previous overseas trips, which featured adoring crowds cheering the return of their hero. Indeed, his delivery into the country was carried out like a secret intelligence operation.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - AILING President Hugo Chavez has returned to Venezuela, but that is not synonymous with a return to active service as leader of the country. His arrival in Caracas is not likely to silence political opponents salivating at the prospect of his demise, nor will it end the rampant speculation that his precarious health could force him to resign from office. He has been president for 14 years during which time he has been a populist in domestic policy and a nationalist in foreign policy.

MIAMI, CMC - A United States federal district judge has ruled against a New York-based online Haitian newspaper for publishing false and defamatory statements against Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and his former business partner and prominent South Florida businessman, Patrice Baker. Judge Ursula Ungaro ruled that the Haiti Observateur's publications were “replete with statements that are outrageous, scandalous and reminiscent of a tabloid publication,” adding that the paper and its reporter acted with malice.

St. John’s Antigua- Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have advised that the local banking sector must be strengthened with “tightened” regulations, if Antigua & Barbuda is to have continued economic recovery. The assessment follows the IMF executive board’s Article IV consultations with the country on October 31, last year. The review is to determine each member state’s economic health and to prevent potential future financial pitfalls.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, (UPI) -- Caribbean security industry operators are seeing business growth in response to both prosperity of an emerging wealthy class and a rise in crime risks to rich individuals and business organizations. Vigorous armed pursuit of organized crime in Latin America, in particular in Colombia and Mexico, has driven criminal drug gangs and syndicates toward potential rich pickings in the Caribbean. Governments have responded by building up security services, often with British or U.S. help.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Caribbean Community(CARICOM) leaders are expressing their “full support” for the referendum that could lead to an end to the border dispute between Guatemala and Belize. The regional leaders who ended their 24th Inter-Sessional summit here on Tuesday night., said they had received an update on arrangement being made by the two countries to hold a simultaneous referenda on October 6 this year.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The implementation of a Caribbean Civil Registry and Identity System (CCRIS) has been completed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The announcement was made by St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), La Celia Prince. CCRIS was developed to facilitate birth registration and to provide uniform vital statistics in the Eastern Caribbean, said Prince in a statement issued here on Wednesday.