A parliamentary committee in Britain has endorsed the introduction of full-body scanners at airports, saying that fears that they would infringe passengers' privacy are overstated.

In a report by the Home Affairs Committee, MPs said the scanners represented no more of a threat to passengers' rights than pat-down and bag searches.

In January, the British government announced plans to introduce the technology after a failed attempt to bomb a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit in the United States.

Opponents say the scanners subject passengers to a virtual strip search.

St Kitts considers IMF programme

	Dr Douglas presented the 2010 budget on Tuesday

It has emerged that all member nations of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank have been advised to seek funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help steer them through the current economic downturn.

The St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas said Tuesday that the recommendation was made by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank - though he did not say what type of IMF programme they had in mind.

Dr Douglas was presenting the 2010 budget, which was delayed as a result of January's general election.

He said his government, which received low-interest IMF funding last year, was examining the bank's proposal.

The prime minister identified four areas for immediate action - the high debt, the national finances, public sector modernisation and tax reform.

Development Fund up and running

The Caricom Development Fund is now fully operational.

The Fund was set up mainly to help disadvantaged or lesser developed countries compete within the fledgling single trading market.

It was one of the conditions insisted on by member countries of the OECS when the single market was established four years ago.

Fay Housty, an adviser to the Caricom Development Fund, told BBC Caribbean that as a start-up organisation, the Fund had to spend time recruiting staff and developing procedures.

It is now ready to provide financing to the countries which are so-far fully paid up - Belize, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica.

Farmers' request declined

St Lucia's agriculture minister says he is not in favour of a call from farmers for cash grants from a European-funded banana aid programme.

The farmers say they need urgent funds rather than the usual technical and material support to combat falling production caused in part by a prolonged dry spell.

Mr Joseph said however that the money was not earmarked for banana farmers alone but also to assist diversification and to support communities worst affected by the industry's decline.

Unions, government on collision course

Trinidad's trade union movement and the government appear headed for a showdown.

The two main trade union organisations have vowed to take action if the Patrick Manning administration does not settle all outstanding negotiations by 19 June.

They are also protesting the government's plans to shut down the Inland Revenue Division and the Customs and Excise department, to be replaced by a new organisation, the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority.

That would result in the retrenchment of over 2,000 public officers, but the government says it will improve tax collection.

Haitian diaspora meets

Hundreds of Haitians living abroad have been meeting in Washington to discuss what role they can play in the reconstruction of their homeland following January's earthquake.

The Haitian diaspora conference was convened by the Organisation of American States.

Many of those present hold dual nationality, which presents them with tricky constitutional, political and investment hurdles in Haiti.

The subject was taken up by Richard Coles, a prominent businessman in Haiti and a former president of the country's manufacturers association:

"The dual citizenship (issue) must be addressed so you can access elections or potential ambitions so you feel like you're home," Mr Coles said.