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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.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Unintentionally, perhaps, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) was less than generous with the facts, or the interpretation thereof. But through its wool and waffle we discern an effort to finally get on with the job of delivering new, cheaper electricity-generating capacity to the country and to give the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and its parents a fair shot at the effort. This newspaper supports the move because Jamaica has dilly-dallied for too long on the energy question.

St. John’s Antigua- Antigua & Barbuda is due before the World Trade Organization (WTO) next Wednesday in a bid to stop the United States “misinformation” over its efforts to resolve the gaming dispute. The country’s trade officials are expected to plead their case before the dispute settlement body in keeping with a statement made by Finance Minister Harold Lovell, last month. He was critical of a statement by the US, which claimed that Antigua & Barbuda failed to accept reasonable settlement for the decade old dispute.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Caribbean leaders are calling on the United States to comply with the ruling by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to end the long running dispute with Antigua and Barbuda on internet gaming. In a ruling last month, the Geneva-based WTO allowed Antigua and Barbuda to suspend certain concessions and obligations it has under international law to the United States in respect of intellectual property rights. Washington has criticised the move by St. John’s warning that it might further hurt trade relations between the two countries.

St. John’s Antigua- Two former public servants agree that a clean sweep by any political party in a general election would create a governance crisis in Antigua & Barbuda. Former Attorney General Keith Forde is among those who have commented on the historic victory of the New National Party (NNP) in Grenada. The NNP, led by Dr Keith Mitchell, was returned to power winning all 15 seats in Tuesday’s poll. Forde said it would be “very difficult to run a country without an opposition”.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - THIS IS THE DAY and now is the moment. Barbadians will cast their vote today to elect an administration to govern the island for the next five years. As a people, we need to appreciate the importance of the vote and not pass on the opportunity, only to complain at a later date, whether in whispers or anonymously on one of the radio talk shows, when things do not go the way we expected.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbadians Thursday began casting their votes in a general elections that political observers say could be historic if the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) fails to win a second five year term in power. No government since the island attained its political independence from Britain in 1966 has failed to obtain a second consecutive term, but the opinion polls suggest that the DLP is in danger of becoming the first party that would fail to achieve to maintain the feat.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Dr Patrick Antoine, the chief economic advisor to the new Grenada Government, yesterday declared the island was open again after Tuesday’s general election at which the New National Party, led by Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, won all 15 of the constituencies. Speaking on his way to yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony, Antoine said the main challenge facing the new administration would be to raise revenue in the context of the declining economy.