The International Monetary Fund has advised the government of Trinidad and Tobago to cut back on its expenditure.

	The IMF advice won't stop the carnival, but it could be a wake up call for Trinbagonians

In Port of Spain for its annual article four consultation and report, the IMF projected a significant lowering of economic growth in the energy-based economy over the next year.

IMF economists say while the Trinidad and Tobago economy is better equipped than many to deal with international recession, there could be hard times if the world economy stays in a difficult position for a protracted period of time.

Talking integration

The people of the OECS sub-regional states are not exactly all fired up at the moment about the process of OECS economic union being pushed by the leaders of these countries.

Consultations have already been held in Montserrat, Dominica and St Vincent, with the focus this week on St Lucia.

But the process appears to be just limping along with no real enthusiasm - there was a bit of a lull between the earlier discussions and the current one in St Lucia.

The Director of the Economic Affairs Division at the OECS Secretariat Randy Cato says there were a number of factors that contributed to delaying the process, including Grenada's general elections in July, and internal wrangling within St Lucia's governing United Workers Party.

Layoffs coming

St Lucia's Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet has warned that there could be significant layoffs in the tourism sector, if the global economic situation does not improve.

Mr Chastanet says while the Caribbean had not yet started to feel the full effect of the United States recession "worse could be coming".

He says advanced bookings from April 2009 onwards are down by 30 to 50 per cent.

The Tourism Minister spoke against the backdrop of the recent layoffs of eight hundred workers at the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas.

Minister downplays board resignation

Jamaica's Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett is fending off criticisms in the wake of the wholesale resignations of the Directors of the local Tourist Board.

	Jamaica taking a critical look at its approach to tourism

Mr. Bartlett is claiming that the resignations, announced on Monday, did not result from a feud with the Board over policy changes at the JTB.

At a hurriedly called press conference the Tourism Minister said the Board decided to disband in order to give him a free hand in appointing new Directors.

The mass resignations have been eliciting much comment, coming as it does in the wake of several resignations of boards appointed by the Jamaica Labour Party administration.

Emigration a serious concern

A discussion on the brain drain and emigration has been told that the brightest and the best from the Caribbean are still leaving the islands for better opportunities and more money abroad.

The discussion was facilitated by the Caribbean Development Bank.

One expert Dr Keith Nurse, who heads a centre for international trade policies, warned there that this culture of emigration was stunting the region's development.

He said losing top talent leaves a gap in the labour market that's difficult for the region to fill.

Council taken to task

A high court judge in the UK has ordered one city council to reconsider its decision to offer a destitute family its airfare back to Jamaica, but not emergency accommodation.

The Jamaican woman sought help from the Birmingham City Council earlier this year, when her aunt, with whom she had been staying, said she could no longer put her up.

The council offered to cover the family's flights back home, as well as a resettlement grant.