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GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Iran is offering to help Guyana develop its agricultural, mining and industrial sectors.

Newly accredited Ambassador to Guyana Hojattolah Soltani has extended an invitation for a Guyana delegation comprising agricultural and industrial stakeholders to explore opportunities in his country as it seeks to deepen relations between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
Soltani, who presented his letters of Credence to President Donald Ramotar, said Iran has profound expertise making reference to mining, agriculture and industry.

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – The Bahamas government is providing a tax amnesty to property owners ahead of the June 30 deadline.

The government says effective immediately, the Real Property Tax Amnesty Programme could save home owners up to 50 per cent of the taxes owned to government if they make arrangements with the assessment team. But the government gave no indication as to how much money is owed to it by tax payers.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it is making available more than US$10 million to Antigua and Barbuda after completing review of the island’s economic performance under a three-year Stand By Arrangement (SBA) indicating also that the economy is showing signs of gradual recovery after three years of being stagnant.
The IMF said it had also approved a waiver of non-observance of the continuous performance criterion on external arrears.

CARICOM BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart hinting that the global economic crisis may have forced Caribbean countries to become more inward looking, says nonetheless the regional integration movement is “alive and well.”

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Apr 12, CMC – Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) countries have been urged to take advantage of the standby facility for capacity building under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that was signed with the European Union in 2008.

Addressing a Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) organised Technical Briefing Meeting on the EPA Standby Facility for Capacity Building, Clairvair Squires, said the facility is intended to assist CARIFORUM states by underpinning national institutional capacities

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Nation News - Tensions in the Korean Peninsula must be of concern to all of us even though it is on the other side of the world. So much so that uncharacteristically China, North Korea’s only ally, was forced to speak out. China’s new President Xi Jinping, at an economic forum in Hainan Province, though not calling names, said “no one should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gains”.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Guardian - The sudden death of a few fish and 150 or so corbeaux may not seem to be particularly alarming—especially the latter, as they are considered by many to have only nuisance value and are not blessed with the aesthetics of other birds. This may be one reason why the response of the authorities to date suggests they may not be treating the incidents sufficiently seriously.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Observer - OPPOSITION Leader Andrew Holness has warned Jamaicans to be cautiously optimistic as news emerges that an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) nears. Holness said yesterday that while the IMF agreement is likely to be approved by the end of April, the sentiment in some quarters that Jamaica’s problems were solved has been misguided. "We take note that the originally planned loan sum has increased by US$200-million.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Observer - IN a press briefing yesterday, Governor Brian Wynter expanded on Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) statement released that morning on the foreign exchange market. In the BOJ's press statement, they had noted that the fall in the exchange rate "had occurred in the context of extended negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new borrowing programme, and some uncertainty regarding the extent of the financial support".

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner - THE GOVERNMENT is beginning to get its critical economic pieces in their place. Last week, Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips tabled an expenditure budget that, taking into the account the effects of inflation, projects spending at more than a fifth less than the previous fiscal year.