Jamaica
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Toward a New Venezuela-Caribbean relationship
KINGSTON, Jamaica – SINCE 2005 when the late president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez introduced the PetroCaribe initiative, several Caribbean governments have enjoyed a vital lifeline. But the time may have come to review the scope and expectations of the PetroCaribe relationship in the interest of the beneficiary Caribbean countries and Venezuela itself. Under PetroCaribe, the beneficiary countries have been allowed…
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Clash over CARICOM – Let’s take a break!
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The following is an edited version of a speech delivered to the Lions Club of Kingston recently. Many Jamaicans are still uncertain as to the net benefits of our membership of CARICOM. The primary concern has been our trading relations with Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) within this free-trade framework. The Jamaica-T&T trade issue has been caught up…
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EDITORIAL – Tough sentences alone won’t do
KINGSTON, Jamaica – MOST PEOPLE, we expect, will welcome the harsher penalties as well as the new offences introduced into the law against human trafficking. For our Government, this week's approval by the House of Representatives of the amendments is a signal to the United States that we are serious about the issue. We will, hopefully, now be rewarded by…
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Jamaica passes legislation to tighten measures dealing with human trafficking
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica parliament has approved the legislation dealing with human trafficking less than a month after the United States placed the island on a Tier Two status for not fully complying with the minimum standards set by the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act. National Security Minister Peter Bunting successfully piloted the Human Trafficking Bill that which…
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JLP serious about suspending relations with CARICOM — Holness
KINGSTON, Jamaica – OPPOSITION Leader Andrew Holness says that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) believes that Jamaica should consider suspending its relationship with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) until it sorts out current issues with the regional body. “There could be a suspension until we get our house in order, so that we can participate on equal footing with everyone,” Holness…
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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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