Jamaica
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House Approves CARICOM Act Amendments
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The House of Representatives Tuesday passed a bill which seeks to amend the Caribbean Community (Free Movement of Skilled Persons) Act. The bill was passed without the parliamentary Opposition contributing to the debate. Labour and Social Security Minister Derrick Kellier opened debate on the bill last week, after which it was suspended. However, yesterday, no member of…
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Myrie Scored A Victory For Us All
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Shanique Myrie, a Jamaican woman of humble background, sued the Barbados government and apparently won several rights for all CARICOM citizens. She spoke up for equal rights and justice. It was financially costly and time consuming. Myrie's attitude and actions can be considered heroic. Myrie was subjected to a painful and humiliating body-cavity search in unsanitary conditions…
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CCJ judgment to shift way in which business is conducted in CARICOM
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Irwin LaRocque, says the recent judgment by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the case of Shanique Myrie and the Government of Barbados will lead to a shift in the way affairs in the Community are conducted. LaRocque who made the statement at a conference hosted by the Sir…
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Lawmakers Give Nod To Decriminalisation Of Ganja
KINGSTON, Jamaica – LAWMAKERS YESTERDAY gave the nod to a private member's motion calling for the decriminalisation of ganja following two weeks of rigorous debate which saw members on the government side split on the issue. Despite sharp divisions among members of parliament (MP) on the controversial issue, at the end of yesterday's debate, the motion was passed without a…
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Concerns over rising exchange rate for US currency in Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Former finance minister Audley Shaw Tuesday called on the Jamaica government to implement a number of measures aimed at slowing or reversing the exchange rate of the local dollar against the United States currency. Shaw, who is seeking to take over the leadership of the main opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), said that the Portia Simpson…
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Arnaldo Ventura Appointed To CARICOM Committee
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Dr Arnoldo Ventura, professor at The Mico University College, has been invited by the Prime Minister responsible for Science and Technology in CARICOM, Dr Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, to serve on the CARICOM Committee for Science, Technology and Innovation. The first meeting of this committee will take place in Grenada in January 2014 and will…
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Can the CCJ impose law on non-members?
KINGSTON, Jamaica – ON October 4, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) handed down its ruling in the case of Ms Shanique Myrie against the Government of Barbados for being denied entry, being physically abused, and deported to Jamaica in March 2011. Ms Myrie sued the Government of Barbados and was awarded BD$77,240 and the refund of her medical expenses,…
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PM and other senior PNP officials file appeal against ruling by Constitutional Court
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Two weeks after the Constitutional Court ruled that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and other leading members of the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) should answer questions from Dutch investigators under oath in open court , the ruling is being appealed. The Dutch authorities want to question Prime Minister Simpson Miller, PNP Chairman Robert Pickersgill, Energy…
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Unemployed? – Look to the UN, urges official
KINGSTON, Jamaica – JAMAICANS are an endangered species at the UN Secretariat housed in New York in the United States. Of the roughly 43,000 people employed there, only 136 are Jamaican. Of that number, only 28 fall within the professional category, with “very few” in senior-level posts. “Jamaicans, therefore, remain underrepresented at the senior levels within the United Nations. Further,…
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Jamaica Facing Possible Currency Crisis
KINGSTON, Jamaica – A country enters a currency crisis if its exchange rate depreciates by more than 25 per cent in a given year. So far this year, the Jamaican dollar has depreciated approximately 12 per cent, moving from J$93 to US$1 in January to roughly J$104 to US$1 at the moment. The last time the Jamaican dollar had such…
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