Jamaica
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Government to build million-dollar medical facility
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Cabinet has approved the construction of a US$200 million medical facility in the western parish of St. James in an attempt to tap into the multi-billion dollar global health tourism industry. Minister of Health, Dr. Fenton Ferguson said construction of the facility represents the first formal health tourism project for Jamaica and will be spearheaded…
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Rating Agency reacts to IMF/Jamaica agreement
KINGSTON, Jamaica – RATING Agency Standard and Poor's says that last week's approval by the International Monetary Fund of a new agreement with Jamaica does not warrant a review of that country's credit worthiness at this time, as the details of the agreement were in line with expectations. At the same time, agency spokesman and analyst Joydep Mukherji has acknowledged…
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Paucity of Caribbean citizens in the top echelons
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Former Prime Minister P J Patterson, speaking at the launch of Ambassador Rudy Insanally's new book Multilateral Diplomacy for Small States, bemoaned the fact that people from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are no longer in top posts in international organisations. Mr Patterson is quite correct on that score. But what is now important is to conduct an…
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EDITORIAL – What, really, are agro-parks?
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Agro-parks must be good things. Roger Clarke, the agriculture minister, talks about them a lot. So, too, does Peter Phillips, the finance minister. Indeed, in these hard economic times, in which he is facing the strictures of the International Monetary Fund, Dr Phillips is allowing the agriculture minister to spend more than J$1 billion on these parks.…
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Jamaica, US to sign agreement on FATCA
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaican Government and the United States (US) are expected to sign an agreement by July aimed at endorsing a new hegemony tax act called the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which requires local financial institutions to rat out US account holders. Concurrently, a government working group is seeking to get a number of institutions exempted…
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Post-IMF ‘hard work’ and challenges
KINGSTON, Jamaica – When Dr Peter Phillips announced the approval of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal as he wrapped up the annual Budget Debate last week, many in the House and across the nation were happy – the ecstasy had waned by then. Dr Phillips, who earned respect by the way he handled the negotiating process, must be congratulated…
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PM opts out of regional airline talks
KINGSTOWN—The shareholder governments of regional airline, LIAT, will meet in Barbados today, but a planned meeting in Bridgetown with T&T’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar will not materialise, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has said. He told a news conference his T&T counterpart was unable to attend the meeting because Parliament would be meeting on the same day. Gonsalves, who…
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State visits amplify Obama focus on Latin America, Caribbean
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Keeping a keen eye south of the border, the Obama administration is intensifying its engagement with Latin America, hosting leaders from a pair of presidents at the White House and sending Vice President Joe Biden to visit two others. Peru’s President Ollanta Humala and Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera will travel to Washington in June to meet with…
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Transfer sentiments about Air Jamaica to Fly Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica – TRINIDAD-BASED Caribbean Airlines (CAL) assumed responsibility for Air Jamaica flights as well as the right to use the Air Jamaica brand name in 2010. But it is clear that Jamaicans still have lingering sentiments about Air Jamaica, which have not been transferred to the new majority owners. There is also resentment over the recent decision by CAL…
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Reparations debate needs to be settled
KINGSTON, Jamaica – SIR Hilary Beckles' recently published book, Britain's Black Debt, has returned to the spotlight the burning issue of reparations. Launched last Thursday at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, the book definitively establishes that there is a case to be answered by providing detailed historical evidence of slavery. The issue has been one…
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