Grenada's environment minister is confident of a climate deal

Grenada's Environment Minister Michael Church believes an international legally binding outcome on climate change is still feasible at the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled for next month in Denmark.

Mr Church remains optimistic despite US President Barack Obama's announcement that time has run out to secure such a deal.

Mr Church is leading the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) delegation to the pre-summit talks in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, this week.

"One must not lose sight of what the long term objective is and that is basically doing things that would save our planet," Mr Church said.

Possible second downgrade for Barbados

International credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's, has warned of the possibility of a second downgrade of Barbados' economic outlook.

S&P on Friday lowered the island's outlook from stable to negative.

It said that results for the first three quarters underscore a rapid deterioration in Barbados' public finances, as well as a sharper economic contraction.

Opposition leader Mia Mottley has accused the government of incompetence following the latest downgrade.

And she said Barbadians should brace for further hardships as a result of belt tightening measures to improve the state's finances.

UN wants coordinated approach to hunger

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has called for a more co-ordinated approach to the problem of hunger.

Mr Ban said the world's poorest have been caught in a vicious cycle that threatened millions of lives.

The UN chief was addressing a food summit in Rome on Monday.

The international organisation says over a billion people are going hungry because of soaring food prices.

Jagdeo focuses on agriculture

	Mr Jagdeo says he'll seek funding for the region's agriculture sector

Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo says he'll be seeking more assistance for the region's agriculture sector, at this week's UN food summit in Rome.

Mr Jagdeo, who is responsible for agriculture in Caricom's quasi-cabinet, says there is still not enough support for the industry among member states.

Officials attending the UN talks are seeking a solution to global hunger.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation is also hoping that the meeting will encourage poor countries to end their dependence on food aid by producing enough to feed their own people.

Dominica signs water export deal

The Dominica government has signed a deal with a US company to export water to countries around the world.

The 10-year license allows Sisserou Water Inc to collect three billion gallons of fresh water annually.

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Lucien Blackmore, said studies found that the venture will not affect locals, or damage the island's ecology.

Democrats get anti-Castro funding

A new study says groups opposing Cuba's communist regime have dramatically shifted funding towards the US Democrats, since the party took control of Congress in last year's elections.

The Washington-based non profit organisation, Public Campaign, said the survey showed 76% of funding from anti-Castro political action committees in the past 12 months, went to the Democrats.

The 53 Democratic law makers who voted against lifting the decades old embargo against Cuba, were among the beneficiaries.

Campbell-Brown eyes World Indoors

Jamaica's World and Olympic gold medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown is eyeing next year's World Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha.

It will be her first time at the event, if she does make the Jamaican team for the 12 - 14 March competition.

Campbell-Brown won gold at the 100m at the outdoor World Championships in Osaka, Japan in 2007 and in the 200m at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

She also took silver in the 200m and placed fourth in the 100m at the World Championships in Berlin in August.