Dr Douglas is being accused of trying to intimidate the courts

The opposition People's Action Movement (PAM) has accused Kittitian Prime Minister Denzil Douglas of trying to intimidate the country's courts.

PAM officials accuse the Douglas administration of breaching a court injunction dealing with proposed constituency boundary changes against which the opposition party has mounted a legal challenge.

PAM leader Lindsay Grant said in a statement that the prime minister had despite the injunction, tabled a report of the disputed boundary changes at an emergency session of parliament on Wednesday.

But speaking in parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Denzil Douglas rejected the suggestion that he was in breach of the court injunction.

UK reiterates plans for direct rule in TCI

Britain has restated its intention to suspend the Turks and Caicos constitution and resume direct rule in that Caribbean territory.

The director of Overseas Territorities Colin Roberts told a Chamber of Commerce meeting in the Turks and Caicos on Wednesday night that Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office was determined to return the TCI to a point of good governance.

A commission of inquiry found widespread corruption in the government of the former premier Michael Misick.

Colin Roberts told the meeting that taking corrective actions within the territory was a British priority.

But new premier Galmo Williams continues to push the option of general elections.

He is also questioning Britain's motives for wanting to suspend the constitution.

Clinton optimistic about Haiti's future

Former US president Bill Clinton says a lack of coordination among aid groups, Haitian politicians and business leaders is hurting efforts to ease poverty in the Caribbean nation.

Mr Clinton on Wednesday wrapped up his first official visit to the country as the UN's special envoy to Haiti.

He said he was optimistic about Haiti's future, but was surprised by the continuing divide between the private and public sectors and the non-governmental organisations operating in the country.

Mr Clinton met on Wednesday with business leaders, heads of executive and legislative branches of government and NGOs and civil society groups.

Ahead of that meeting, one lawmaker - Steven Benoit, told BBC Caribbean that Haitian parliamentarians had been left in the dark about the Clinton appointment and visit.

Caribbean on 'warning' alert

Eleven Caribbean countries have been included in the 2009 Failed States Index.

The report, published by the US organisation Fund for Peace, ranks 177 countries based on their social, political and economic indicators.

Barbados is the only country in the region to receive a moderate ranking.

Haiti has been placed in the alert level, but the others - the Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Venezuela - have all been placed in the warning category.

This means that there are significant pressures that could lead to destabilisation in those countries if they are not addressed.

Mark Loucas, the organisation's research associate, told BBC Caribbean that the rating does not mean there is impending failure in those countries.