Premier Michael Misick has rejected the allegations of corruption against his administration

A commission inquiring into allegations of corruption in the Turks and Caicos Islands has reported an improvement in cooperation from elected officials.

The commissioner, British judge Sir Robin Auld, had threatened to compel ministers and members of the legislature to attend the inquiry to give evidence on oath.

He'd complained last month that he wasn't receiving full disclosure.

But Sir Robin says he has now been collection more information from officials though he said he would still issue summonses if considered necessary.

Caricom 'ahead' of UN education goals

A senior Caricom official has been talking up the region's progress in education.

Deputy Caricom secretary-general Lolita Applewhaite said Caricom nations, with a few exceptions, had achieved most of the targets in education set under the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

One of them is universal primary education.

In fact, Ms Applewhaite said that in many cases, some nations had surpassed the UN targets.

But the Barbadian administrator said much more still needed to be done in some areas, such as information and communication technology, language skills, science and teacher training.

Guyana plane search abandoned

Guyana has suspended its search for a US-registered plane with three people aboard that disappeared over its jungle interior two weeks ago.

Transport Minister Robeson Benn said government teams had unsuccessfully scoured mountainous forests to find the Beechcraft King Air plane.

The aircraft was conducting aerial surveys for a Canadian mining company when it went missing.

Mr Benn said the plane's owners planned to continue limited ground searches.

Building named after Jonestown victim

A Post Office in California has been renamed to honour the congressman killed in Guyana 30 years ago by followers of Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones.

Leo Ryan was gunned down November 18, 1978, on an airstrip in an area called Jonestown. Four others also died in the shooting.

The congressman was investigating reports that members were not being allowed to leave the area.

More than 900 of Jones' followers died there later that day, most from cyanide poisoning.

The renaming ceremony of the San Mateo post office was was attended by congresswoman Jackie Speier, who was working as Leo Ryan's aide when he was killed.

She was shot five times in the attack.

Bahamas sex laws toughened

Voyeurism is the name given to a new offence of sexual spying being created in the Bahamas.

It is included in a bill to toughen penalties for sex crimes being debated in Parliament.

The bill takes account of modern technology and seeks to punish people who take unauthorised photographs or video images of people in compromising positions.

Child pornography now carries a life sentence on conviction, as does attempted sexual intercourse with a child under 16.

But the penalties aren't all going up.

Under the proposals, the punishment for sex in a public place will be two years in jail, down from 20 years which cabinet minister, Desmond Bannister, called draconian.

UN boosts Haiti agriculture

The United Nations says it is in a race against time to rehabilitate Haiti's agriculture.

The industry which has suffered from four successive hurricanes, soaring food prices and the impact of the global economic downturn.

The UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, or IFAD, said in a statement that more crop failure will mean even more hunger for Haiti.

IFAD said more than 240,000 Haitian smallholders are receiving a package of vegetable seeds, cereal seeds, sweet potato and banana plants to help farmers start planting again and ensure more food in the local markets.