Guyana is going the route of trying to put in place lay magistrates to help ease a huge backlog of cases.

	Mr Corbin not convinced the initiative will work

There was a backlog of 17,000 cases pending in the magistrates courts at the end of 2008.

The Guyana Parliament on Thursday evening passed a bill which clears the way for the constituting of lay magistrate's courts.

Opposition leader Robert Corbin hasn't exactly rejected the idea.

But he's not convinced that it will prove successful.

AG resigning

Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Patrick Manning has confirmed receiving a letter of resignation from Attorney General John Jeremie.

But Mr Manning hasn't said what he'll do about that offer of resignation.

The country's Law Association passed a no-confidence motion against the attorney general last week.

Its reasons included an alleged attempt by Mr Jeremie during an earlier stint to pressure the Director of Public Prosecutions into bringing corruption charges against a businessman and the opposition leader Basdeo Panday.

Bleak economic outlook

OECS finance ministers meeting in Dominica have been told that the economic outlook for the sub-region remains bleak, as the financial crisis continues to impact the economies of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.

	PM Skerrit expects OECS revenue to fall

Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is the incoming chairman of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank's Monetary Council.

He told the meeting that regional governments' revenue is expected to fall by 12.9 % this year, while tourism and construction in the sub-region will decline by 14 %.

Mr Skerrit says the member countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States will continue to focus on the ECCB's eight-point stabilisation and growth programme.

Grenada sticking with PRGF programme

Grenada's finance minister Nazim Burke is clearing the air on the current relationship the island has with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Mr Burke says Grenada is not seeking a new financial package from the IMF.

And he said the island was not planning to scrap the existing Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility programme that it has with the Fund.

The minister said the IMF had commended the government on the manner in which the programme was being conducted.

Mr Burke confirmed that a request for an additional $6 million dollar injection into the programme had been granted by the Fund.

Marketing initiative under fire

Saint Lucia's Tourism minister has defended a controversial plan for the government to join Sandals in a tourism marketing initiative.

	The Pitons, one of St Lucia's tourism attractions

The plan, part of a government stimulus package to the floundering hospitality sector, has caused some raised eyebrows among hoteliers.

In a bid to allay fears, the Minister has scheduled a meeting with the local Hotel Association next week to discuss the matter.