The Bahamas is a valued Member of our Community, and the fact that yours was one of the first diplomatic appointments made by the recently-elected Government of The Bahamas is testimony to the importance that your country attaches to its membership of CARICOM.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States has changed its mind in allowing the daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro to attend a gay rights forum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reversing a previous rejection. Sexologist Mariela Castro, the director of Cuba’s National Center for Sex Education and a vocal proponent of same-sex marriage and gay rights, has received a US visa to attend several gatherings in May at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan in New York.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Advocate -The year 2012 was hot! In fact, it was ranked among one of the top 10 warmest years on record, says Omar Baddour, Climatologist with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This, despite the cooling influence of La Niña early in the year. He recently indicated that extreme weather and climate events were also noted last year, such as Tropical Storm Sandy which hit the United States and the Caribbean.

BONN, Germany (Reuters) – A US-led plan to let all countries set their own goals for fighting climate change is gaining grudging support at UN talks, even though the current level of pledges is far too low to limit rising temperatures substantially. The approach, being discussed this week at 160-nation talks in Bonn, Germany, would mean abandoning the blueprint of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which set central goals for industrialised countries to cut emissions by 2012 and then let each work out national implementation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea’s continuing development of nuclear technology and long-range ballistic missiles will move it closer to its stated goal of being able to hit the United States with an atomic weapon, a new Pentagon report to Congress said yesterday. The report, the first version of an annual Pentagon assessment required by law, said Pyongyang’s Taepodong-2 missile, with continued development, might ultimately be able to reach parts of the United States carrying a nuclear payload if configured as an intercontinental ballistic missile.

THE South American country of Guyana is trying to decide what to do with a large quantity of gold it bought from local miners when demand was high. President Donald Ramotar said Saturday that he will meet with advisers to determine when it's best to sell the gold following a recent fall in prices. He declined to say how much gold the Guyana Gold Board had bought from local miners, but miners' association spokesman Tony Shields puts the number at 60,000 ounces. He says the association warned the government about dropping prices.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles challenged President Nicolas Maduro’s narrow election victory before the Supreme Court yesterday, prolonging what appears to be a futile effort to overturn last month’s vote. Capriles refused to accept the results of the April 14 vote for a successor to late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, and called on supporters to take the streets. That led to unruly demonstrations in which the government says nine people died.

WASHINGTON, USA — Fewer Americans are losing their jobs. Employers are struggling to squeeze more work from their staffs. The US is producing so much oil that imports are plunging, narrowing the trade deficit. A string of data Thursday raised hopes for stronger hiring and US growth in coming months. More jobs would spur spending and help energize the economy, which has yet to regain full health nearly four years after the Great Recession officially ended.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Observer - Key stakeholders in the business community in western Jamaica are cautiously optimistic about the deal struck between the Government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and have given the Richard Byles and Brian Wynter-led monitoring committee its vote of confidence.