The US state of Delaware beats all other international financial centres, including the Cayman Islands, in a contest for the most secretive financial jurisdiction, a tax justice rights group said on Saturday.  The United States, led by the eastern seaboard state, took in $2.6 trillion in deposits from non-resident corporations and individuals in 2007, according to a survey of financial jurisdictions analysed by the Tax Justice Network.

Banana deal:

An end is in sight to the world's longest-running trade dispute, involving bananas, and a deal could be in place by the end of the year, senior European and Latin American trade negotiators said on Monday.  Settling the banana dispute would be a fillip for the World Trade Organisation, whose long-running Doha round to free up global commerce, like other trade negotiations, has at times been held hostage by the decades-old row.

A family affair:

Cuba's state-run media on Monday condemned a just-published book in which Fidel Castro's sister admits she spied for the Central Intelligence Agency.  The country's media added that the expose proves that the former Cuban leader was a "victim" of decades of US targeting.