Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson urged leaders in the hospitality and tourism sector to undertake more marketing research in the industry in an effort to boost earnings in that multibillion dollar sector. "There is a clear need for more research which is of relevant and practical benefit to the hospitality and tourism industry," Mr. Patterson said.

Hilton Hotels Corp. is in discussions to acquire the hotel division of British company Hilton Group Plc., according to a media report last week. Ladbrokes, the London-based gambling business which is a part of Hilton Group, isn´t included in the deal. Hilton Hotels Corp. has more than 2,300 hotels it owns, manages or franchises, while Hilton Group´s portfolio includes more than 400 hotels under the Hilton and Scandic brands.

The collapse of the Dominican Republic in the global ranking of competitiveness, carried out by the Global Economic Forum, is staggering, slipping from 41st in 2001 to 112th in 2005. The 2001 ranking took into account the four years of President Fernandez´ first term, 1996-2000. The significantly lower 2005 rankings coincide with President Mejia´s term in office.

Mexican President Vicente Fox said his government will spend about 5 billion pesos ($463 million) to repair flood damage to houses, roads, bridges and other infrastructure caused by Hurricane Stan. Heavy rains in the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca last week killed at least 15 people in Mexico, and brought floods that affected as many as 2 million. In neighboring Guatemala, a mudslide stemming from Stan´s heavy rains in the villages of Panabaj and Tzanchaj may kill as many as 1,400 people.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic has sent out a governmental mission to Venezuela, headed by the country´s Secretary of Industry and Commerce and Dominican Ambassador to Venezuela Miguel Mejia, to tie up loose ends and smooth troubled waters over the PetroCaribe deal. Secretary of the Presidency Danilo Medina said sectors linked to the fuel business had barred the execution of the PetroCaribe agreement. He said the DR had been on the point of firming up the deal, but now has to start from scratch.

The Consumer Prices Index soared 1,2 percent during September in Argentina accumulating 8,9 percent in nine months according to the latest release from the Argentine Statistics and Census Institute. The September index is four times August´s 0,4 percent and pushes the annual projection dangerously close to the 2005 target of 10,5 percent. The 1.2 percent index surprised most analysts who had forecasted a September increase in the range of 0.7 percent, according to a market expectations poll taken by the Central Bank during the last week of the month.