Jamaica
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Jamaica hosting conference on economic empowerment in the Caribbean
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, CMC – A three-day conference supporting economic empowerment and development in the Caribbean and the Pacific begins here on Wednesday. The forum, being organised by the United States Department of State in collaboration with the New Zealand government, will bring together women growers from the Caribbean and Pacific Islands, technical and area experts as well as companies…
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More CARICOM spin will get us nowhere fast
KINGSTON, Jamaica – JUST before last week's 34th meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Conference of Heads of Government in Port of Spain, we bemoaned in this space that CARICOM, some five years after the eruption of the global economic crisis, had still not formulated a regional response. The rationale for a regional response is two-fold. First, joint action with…
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Trade Unions concerned about impact of economy on work force
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The state of the economy will be the focal point of a meeting of trade union officials who have raised concern about how Government paid employees are coping. With a public sector wage freeze in place, the devaluation of the Jamaican dollar and the recent increase in toll rates, the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU)…
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EDITORIAL – Graduating from what?
KINGSTON, Jamaica – It is not only the election of Doran Dixon to a second stint as president of the teachers' union. Other evidence abounds of how we have this education thing upside down; that there is a premium on form over outcomes. This past Sunday, for instance, this newspaper highlighted an expanding ritual in Jamaica's schools, which might be…
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Henry hopes CARICOM reparation fight won’t fall flat
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Long-time reparation activist and parliamentarian Mike Henry is applauding the move of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to pursue reparations for native genocide and slavery. On Saturday, wrapping up the four-day 34th Heads of Government Conference held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, the Caribbean leaders agreed on follow-up action in regard to the matter. “If indeed…
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Recompense integral to growth – Antigua PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Baldwin Spencer, believes a call for reparations is an integral element of the community's development strategy. Spencer noted during discussions by CARICOM heads of government last week that the legacy of slavery and colonialism in the Caribbean severely impaired the region's development options. “We know that our constant search and struggle…
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Energy diversification will reduce bill
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner – Rainford Angella Rainford, managing director of UK-based Rekamniar Frontier Ventures, is confident that Jamaica's move to diversify the energy sector will result in an almost immediate reduction in the country's oil bill. Jamaica's oil imports amounted to US$2.4 billion in 2011. “Once the plants are commissioned, you should see a fairly instantaneous reduction, as you will…
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Prepare for external shocks
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has urged the Portia Simpson Miller led administration to devise a plan for shocks that could jeoparise the deal currently in place with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). During Friday’s sitting of the Upper House, Opposition Senator, Dr. Christopher Tufton moved a motion stating that the government needs to examine…
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JAMAICA-ENERGY-Cuba to provide expertise in local manufacture of solar panels
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC- Jamaica will partner with Cuba to facilitate the local manufacture and assembly of cost effective solar light panels. This undertaking forms part of the administration’s move towards incorporating renewable alternatives into the local energy mix in order to reduce the country’s huge energy bill. Energy Minister, Phillip Paulwell, who made the disclosure during the ceremonial switching on…
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CARICOM Free Movement Bill tabled
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A Bill to amend the Caribbean Community (Free Movement of Skilled Persons) Act, to broaden the categories of skilled nationals able to access jobs in regional countries has been tabled in the House of Representatives, by Minister of Labour and Social Security, Derrick Kellier. The Bill provides for the introduction of a single certificate system, and it…
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