France ‘to avoid double-dip recession’

France will avoid a recession this year, according to the country's statistics body.  INSEE said the economy will grow 0.4% in the last three months of the year, after contracting 0.1% in the third quarter. President Francois Hollande has been under…

DIGICEL ACQUIRES SUBMARINE FIBRE ASSETS ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN REGION

Digicel today announced that it has reached an agreement with the Guadeloupe-based Loret Group and with Caribbean Fibre Holdings to acquire a submarine fibre network across the Caribbean region. Digicel will acquire Middle Caribbean Network,…

Cuba to eliminate currency pegged to US dollar

The Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) will be eliminated in the process to reestablish a one-currency system on the island, confirmed VP Marino Murillo, during a plenary session of the Cuban Parliament on Friday. Tourists currently use a convertible peso…

St. Lucia in top ten wealthy Caribbean nations based on Gross National Income

The World Bank has named Saint Lucia among the top ten wealthy Caribbean nations based on Gross National Income (GNI). St. Lucia was ranked seventh with a GNI of $6,530. In its 2014 World Development Report, the World Bank used the GNI to measure…

Richard Branson request Boycott of Uganda over gay rights

UK business tycoon Richard Branson has called on companies and tourists to boycott Uganda after its parliament approved a bill to toughen the punishment for homosexual acts. It was against his conscience to support a country which carried out a…

Blackberry and Foxconn agree a five-year deal

Struggling smartphone maker Blackberry has agreed a five-year deal with Foxconn, the big Taiwan-based maker of electronic products and components. The two companies will initially work on the development of a new smartphone. Blackberry also…

France takes Bermuda off tax blacklist

France has removed Bermuda from its tax blacklist, Finance Minister Bob Richards said today.  The move came after high-level talks between French officials and Finance Ministry staff. Mr Richards said: “I was impressed by the goodwill shown by…

Trade between the DR & Haiti: US$1.1B formal; US$900.0M informal

Dominican Republic’s and trade with Haiti of around US$2.0 billion per year is split nearly evenly at US$1.1 billion formal and US$900.0 million informal, Industry and Commerce minister Jose del Castillo revealed Thursday.  Speaking at a luncheon…

BAE shares fall on setbacks over Middle East fighter jet sales

Shares in BAE Systems fell 4.5% after the UK's biggest manufacturer suffered setbacks over fighter jet sales in the Middle East.  News that a deal to sell 60 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to the United Arab Emirates had collapsed were compounded by fears…

Rupert Murdoch’s media company NewsCorp has bought Irish “social for $25 million (£15.3m).

Rupert Murdoch's media company NewsCorp has bought Storyful, an Irish "social media news agency".  The Dublin-based firm has been acquired for $25 million (£15.3m). Storyful specialises in licensing and distributing social media content to major…