BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Guardian - FINANCE and Economic Affairs Minister, Christopher Sinckler yesterday announced a 19-month rescue mission for the Barbados economy that he said would see a lower fiscal deficit and improved activity. In what amounted to some very tough actions to deal with a ballooning deficit and a declining economy, the Minister used his fourth Budget to announce a shift in financing the education of Barbadians at the University of the West Indies, come September next year. They will have to pay tuition fees while Government continues to pay their economic costs.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government is moving to amend the Evidence Act to facilitate easy admission of computer generated evidence in cases, Justice Minister Mark Golding has said. “Our provisions in the Evidence Act are antiquated and require quite a convoluted series of steps in terms of proof of the working of the machine, before any computer-generated evidence can be admitted,” Golding said, adding that given the prevalence of computers, the government wants to modernise the provisions and make them more user friendly.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados faced with a decline in revenue Tuesday announced new measures to revive an ailing economy with Finance Minister Chris Sinckler announcing new tax measures while acknowledging that the government's macro–economic programme is off track and must be brought in line. Sinckler, delivering his first national budget since the Freundel Stuart administration won the last general election in February, told Parliament that he is optimistic the fiscal measures will bear fruit.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – A new publication based on the work of St. Lucia’s second Nobel Laureate, Derek Walcott, has been released here and acclaimed as an essential addition to the understanding and appreciation of his work. The book titled “Interlocking Basins of a Globe – Essays on Derek Walcott” feature essays that range from discussion of Walcott’s earliest poetry in Twenty-Five Poems (1948) to his most recent collections that explore encroaching old age, The Prodigal (2004) and White Egrets (2010).

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – President of the St. Lucia Manufacturers Association (SLMA), Paula Calderon, is calling on the government to give more attention to the manufacturing sector which has been making a consistent contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In a television interview, Calderon expressed the opinion that greater attention is being paid to tourism, the mainstay of the economy, which she says “has received everything they’ve ask for”.