The governing Free National Movement in the Bahamas has gained an additional seat in parliament.

Independent MP Kenyatta Gibson announced that he was joining the FNM, a year after leaving the opposition Progressive Liberal Party.

He'd fallen out with Opposition Leader Perry Christie.

In a statement, Mr Gibson said that he had put country and constituents before his former party.

The FNM now has 24 seats in the House and the PLP has 17.

Official: Libya to open embassy

A government official in Guyana has said that Libya is preparing to open an embassy in Georgetown.

Liz Harper, the director general of Guyana's foreign ministry, said a Libyan delegation is expected to travel to Guyana later this month to launch the embassy.

Guyana's official news agency, GINA, said President Bharrat Jagdeo is an official visit to Tripoli and has held several meetings with officials in Moammar Gadhafi's government.

The Georgetown embassy will serve as Libya's regional contact with the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

French Caribbean population rises

New figures released in Paris have shown a rise in the overall population of France's Caribbean departments.

In the years between the 1999 and 2006 censuses, the number of inhabitants of Martinique rose by 4.3% to 397,732.

In French Guyana, the increase was even bigger -- 31% to 205,954 inhabitants.

But in Guadeloupe, the population dropped by 5.1% to 400,736.

That gave the French Caribbean an overall increase of 10.7%.

The figures were carried by the French news agency, AFP, based on statistics from the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies.

Nigeria line up Jamaica friendly

Nigeria will play a friendly against the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica in London on 11 February.

The Nigeria Football Federation said the fixture replaces an earlier game planned against West African rivals, Ghana.

The Super Eagles will use the game as a build-up for their World Cup qualifier in March.

St Kitts calls in ex-FBI man
St Kitts and Nevis is the latest Caribbean nation to turn to international sources for help in combating rising violent crime.

The Prime Minister, Denzil Douglas, has said the government has engaged a former FBI assistant director to assist the police and defence force in developing crime prevention policies.

Dr Douglas, who is the minister of national security, said the decision had the backing of local forces.

He also defended the pre-Christmas hanging of a condemned murderer, which led to withering international criticism.

UN crime handbook for Caribbean

The United Nations has said that murders, property crime and sexual assault are disproportionately higher in the Caribbean and southern Africa than the rest of the world.

That's why the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime has just released a booklet on prevention policies for the two regions.

It says the Handbook on Planning and Action for Crime Prevention in Southern Africa and the Caribbean is meant to help policymakers and practitioners reduce the burden of crime on the poor.

The Office asks why Jamaica, for example, has the world's highest homicide rate, with 54 victims per 100,000 people per year.

Obama confirms Cuba changes

Barack Obama's choice to be US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has spoken of a change in policy towards Cuba.

She did so at her first Senate confirmation hearing.

Mrs Clinton confirmed that the new government would lift the ban on Americans with families in Cuba travelling there, and sending money there.

Hotels start price sales

Some Caribbean hotel chains have started heavy discounting to boost occupancy in these tough economic times.

The Jamaican-owned Sandals has advertised savings of 50 percent on packages at its properties in the region.

So too has Almond Beach Resorts which has hotels in Barbados and St Lucia.

Windies bats on top of the world

The West Indies now have the highest ranked batsmen in Test and one-day cricket, in spite of their lowly position in the international ratings.

After a commanding display in New Zealand, Chris Gayle has shot up to the top of the rankings in one-dayers.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been at number one among Test batsmen for several months.