PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has indicated that her former national security minister Austin “Jack” Warner is not an automatic choice of the ruling United National Congress (UNC) to contest the parliamentary seat he vacated in the wake of a damning report of his activities as an international football executive.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is trying to rebuild his political party as the Caribbean nation prepares for legislative and local elections, a prominent hotelier said Sunday.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, CMC – The two main political parties used Monday’s Labour Day celebrations to encourage voters to be prepared for a general election that though constitutionally due by 2015, could, according to political observers be held long before that deadline.
Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas, addressing a large gathering at the Allers Playing field in the St. Johnson’s Village, following the Full Confidence Labour Day Parade, told supporters that they should ensure they are registered in order to vote.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has been defending his government's decision to join the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) dismissing suggestions that membership would harm the island’s future socio-economic development.
Last month, Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy said St. Lucia was joining Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines as the newest member of the Venezuelan-led initiative.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados is moving to establish a hotel innovation fund to provide low-cost finance to hoteliers and other stakeholders in the tourism industry, Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Chris Sinckler has announced.
“I recently had discussions with the chairman of the National Insurance Board, Dr. Justin Robinson, and he has assured me that very shortly we will be able to bring our sector stakeholders and players in to begin to fashion the Hotel Innovation Fund that we had announced in the Financial Statement and Budgetary proposals of last year.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - The group, Jamaicans United for Sustainable Development, is calling for the newly established International Monetary Fund Oversight Committee to ensure that the country takes immediate advantage of the new economic zone for investment, trade and development.
The economic zone was among measures agreed on by PetroCaribe member states during the summit in Venezuela over the weekend.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - The Jamaican and Venezuelan governments are to work out a new payment deal under PetroCaribe, which could see Jamaican cement being sold in that market under a special arrangement.
The Energy Minister, Phillip Pauwell says, the Venezuelan government gave its assurance the deal will continue during a PetroCaribe summit on the weekend.
Paulwell says the Jamaican Government is grateful for the continuation of the deal by the Nicolas Maduro-led government.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - The Bahamas government says it will establish a separate entity to regulate the civil aviation sector in the country.
Prime Minister Perry Christie said his administration will be establishing the Civil Aviation Authority to serve as a regulator, taking away that function from the Civil Aviation Department that also acted as a service provider.
Christie said the government has received funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to establish the new entity.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Minister of Labour Dr Errol Cort has reassured the aviation industry that “extensive” consultations would have to take place before government acts on suggestions to designate that industry an essential service.
“I am aware of the recent call by the CEO of LIAT for the aviation sector to be named an essential service in this country,” Dr. Cort said.
“While we are open to all ideas before we move ahead of anything, there will certainly be extensive consultation on that and any other matter.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Concerns surrounding State-owned airlines in Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries clearly exist amongst a wide cross section of the community. Evidence of this arose not only from the fact that fellow writer on Caribbean affairs, David Jessop, tackled this issue in the same week that I did, but also from the comments that have been sent to me.
This commentary features some of the comments that I have received.