Minimal Caribbean growth expected

The World Bank said it could lend up to $14 billion to Latin American and Caribbean countries in the fiscal year that began this month.



The sum matches last year\'s record and is nearly three times the historical average.



The bank\'s vice-president for Latin America Pamela Cox said the unusually large sum was directly linked to the global financial crisis, which has shut many countries off from international markets.



Meanwhile, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean has predicted that the region as a whole should grow 3.1 per cent next year, following the 1.9 per cent contraction it has forecast for this year.



According to the commission, the English-speaking Caribbean should expand by just 0.5 per cent next year.