Minister of State for Finance the Hon Zhivargo Laing addressing the Twenty-Fourth Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) at the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Seated left is the Hon Dr. Kenneth Baugh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica. (BIS Photo/Tim Aylen)

NASSAU, Bahamas – Minister of State for Finance the Hon. Zhivargo Laing said that despite the economic challenges facing the Caribbean, the region is still a preferred destination in the global tourism market.

He was addressing the Twenty-Fourth Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) at the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008.

“We assemble at this time in this place at a time of change, challenge, possibility and uncertainty. The global economic climate is challenged by escalating oil prices and declining financial fortunes. Political change seems to be the order of the day in our region and beyond,” Mr. Laing said.

He told Ministers of Finance and financial advisors in attendance that the impact of emerging trade agreements, including the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), “challenges” the status quo of doing business across the region.

“As we gather, we will no doubt discuss all the very weighty issues and more. I hope for the best in these discussions and take this time to welcome each of you,” he said.

“Notwithstanding this, these are also times of possibilities. Functional cooperation still offers the hope for improving the social, economic and political fortunes of our region and thereby enhancing the lot of the peoples that call it home,” Mr. Laing said.

Minister of State for Finance the Hon Zhivargo Laing addressing The Twenty-Fourth Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) at the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Seated from left are Ambassador Irwin Larocque, Assistant Secretary General, Trade and Economic Integration, CARICOM Secretariat; Dr Edwin Carrington, Secretary General, Caribbean Community; the Hon Dr. Kenneth Baugh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica; and Minister of State for Finance the Hon Zhivargo Laing. (BIS Photo/Tim Aylen)

He continued: “The rising cost of food is impacting the pocket books of peoples throughout our territories. These are indeed times of challenge, change and uncertainty.

“There is enormous wealth in our world, skewed in its distribution as it is. Many developing nations are making gains in their own economic fortunes, even if not at the pace they would have hoped,” Mr. Laing said.

“The Caribbean, despite its competitive challenges in the world’s most robust and expansive industry; tourism, still maintains a prominent place in the hearts of global travellers,” Mr. Laing said.

“Modern information and communication technology continues to offer unrealised possibilities for personal wealth creation, national economic growth and regional development,” he said.

The COTED consists of Ministers designated to promote the development and operation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, ensure international competitiveness of industrial and agricultural commodities, and coordinate policies for the enhancement of external economic and trade relations of CARICOM.

The COTED, the Twelfth Meeting for the Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP) and the Nineteenth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community are being held in The Bahamas from March 3 – 8.

NASSAU, Bahamas -- An inquest into the death of Anna Nicole Smith's 20-year-old son was put on hold Thursday pending a legal challenge filed by Howard K. Stern, the lawyer-turned-partner of the former Playboy Playmate.

A judge in the Bahamian Coroner's Court had picked a seven-member jury and was preparing to call witnesses when Stern's lawyers persuaded him to halt the proceedings until the island's Supreme Court could rule on a motion to submit a questionnaire to potential jurors to gauge any bias.

Stern attorney Wayne Munroe argued it would be "reckless" to continue the inquest before the Supreme Court had ruled on the issue.

No date has been set for a Supreme Court hearing on the issue and it was unclear when the inquest would resume, though jurors were instructed to return to court on April 11.

"I'm very disappointed with the delay tactics they are using," Virgie Arthur, Anna Nicole Smith's mother, told reporters as she left the court. "But I'll be here every day. I'll be here until the end."

CONTINUED 

The Associated Press

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Anna Nicole Smith — dressed in a designer gown, her coffin covered in a pink rhinestone-studded blanket — was buried in an extravagant funeral, but the fight over her baby and a potential large inheritance remains.

The reality TV star was mourned at a lavish memorial service on Friday, with her companion Howard K. Stern, her mother Virgie Arthur and her former boyfriend Larry Birkhead — all battling for custody of her 5-month-old Dannielynn — in attendance.

Smith's mahogany coffin, topped by the pink blanket with rhinestones spelling out her name, was carried into Mount Horeb Baptist Church as hundreds of tourists and fans watched from behind steel barricades guarded by police. Some in the crowd cried out "Anna! Anna! We love you!"

Inside the church, Smith's favorite color was on display. Pink roses and flower arrangements lined the aisle and adorned the altar, where organizers placed two photos of the blonde bombshell — including one showing her in a shimmering white gown and striking a Marilyn Monroe-like pose.

There were fewer than 100 guests at the service, even though an organizer said about 300, including an "Entertainment Tonight" camera crew, had been invited. Rock guitarist Slash, formerly of Guns N' Roses, was among the guests, and country singer Joe Nichols performed two songs, guests said.

Arthur, Birkhead and Stern took turns eulogizing the 39-year-old Smith, who died last month in a Florida hotel.

"It was pretty tough. The funeral itself was a mixture of emotions, there was a lot of crying and laughing," Birkhead, wearing a pink tie, told MSNBC after the service.

He also referred to comments Stern reportedly made at the service about the legal fight over custody of Smith's daughter.

"We were all given equal amount of time and that's how he chose to spend his time. I wouldn't have used my time that way. ... It doesn't make anything better," Birkhead said.

Kathryn Beranich, a supervising producer on Smith's reality TV show, said she thought Smith would have been happy with the ceremony.

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Anna Nicole Smith laid to rest near son

Reuters Entertainment Summary

Anna Nicole Smith Laid to Rest

Smith Saga a Boon for Some in Bahamas

A Muted TV Farewell for Smith

Anna Nicole Smith's 'over the top' funeral

Wilson and Haig prove a turn up for the books

Anna Nicole Smith funeral

Anna Nicole Smith Is Buried in the Bahamas

Wilson and Haig prove turn up for the books

Anna Nicole receives muted TV farewell

Anna Nicole Smith probably died of no single thing, but a combination of factors in deadly combinations, including all of the Seven Deadly Sins.

The Anna Nicole Smith Story, chroinicled in this video, shows exactly how she killed herself with these sins and left behind a tangled mess that will perhaps take as long as she lived to untangle - Including the paternity suit.

• Howard K. Stern is the #1 suspect.
• Money is the motivation. It could be as much as $1.4 billion.
• The Prinz wants to have a DNA test to settle the matter and smoke out Howard K. Stern.

LISTEN