Dominica's Prime Minister has warned that three opposition elected members of the parliament yet to be sworn in since the 18 December general election could face by-elections in their constituencies if they miss three consecutive parliamentary sittings.

	PM Skerrit says by-elections could be held

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit's Dominica Labour Party won 18 of the 21 seats in the December election, with the other three going to the United Workers Party (UWP).

The UWP has gone to court challenging some of the results, arguing that there were irregularities in the elections.

The party is boycotting parliament and its three MPs have missed the two sittings held so far.

They are holding instead, in conjunction with other groups, what they have labelled the people's parliament.

Activist Athie Martin, who heads a consulting firm, is involved in the so-called People's parliament.

He told BBC Caribbean the exercise was a useful one.

Cabinet reshuffle a minor one

It was a cabinet reshuffle, but not a major one.

That's how changes announced by Barbadian Prime Minister David Thompson to his cabinet are being described.

One senator was sent to the health ministry to help address concerns about the island's main hospital.

The prime minister said his action was aimed at making maximum use of available resources.

NDC divisions claims rejected

Media reports of deepening divisions within the Grenada government are not unfounded but have been greatly exaggerated.

This is the conclusion of newspaper publisher Leslie Pierre, who told BBC Caribbean he was surprised it had taken this long for the cracks to show in the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

There have been persistent suggestions that there is a growing movement within the NDC government aimed at destabilising the Tillman Thomas administration.

But it's a claim which has been strongly denied by Grenada's Finance Minister, Nazim Burke.

Support for humanitarian force

The Haitian President, Rene Preval, has supported the idea of a UN-sponsored international humanitarian force so there can be a faster global response to disasters like the earthquake that struck his country in January.

	Mr Preval would support a humanitarian force

He said while the response to the Haitian disaster was massive, spontaneous and generous, its effectiveness needed to be improved.

President Preval said that was why he supports the idea of the creation of the so-called "red Helmets" humanitarian force within the UN.

He spoke after meeting US President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington.

Police capture suspect

Vincentian police have confirmed shooting and capturing a young man suspected of brutally raping a 10 year old student of a primary School this week.

The police say they shot the suspect who was on the run, in the leg, as he tried to elude them on Wednesday afternoon.

The man has been hospitalised.

The police have not yet identified him.