Jamaica
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EDITORIAL – The PM’s Divestment Of Leadership
KINGSTON. Jamaica – Leadership is often a difficult, lonely process that is not given to being franchised out. But judging from her handling of the Richard Azan debacle, this is a concept that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller does not find opportune, at this time, to embrace. The PM, instead, uses her Cabinet as insulation. Maybe she didn't think deeply…
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IMF cuts growth forecast for Jamaica
KINGSTON. Jamaica – THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its 2013 growth forecast for Jamaica, with the country now projected to grow by .5 per cent, down from the one per cent estimate in October 2012. But the country's economy should strengthen in 2014, with real GDP growth of 1.2 per cent, according to the fund in its latest edition…
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The EPA — Better late than never
KINGSTON, Jamaica – OUR commendation goes to fellow columnist Sir Ronald Sanders for his insightful and descriptive piece on the Cariforum states and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU (Sunday Observer 7th April ). This agreement has been somewhat of a non-starter since its provisional acceptance on 15th October 2008, and has not yet been ratified. The reasons…
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Blanco moves closer to WTO director general post
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Dr Herminio Blanco has been chosen to contend in the next round of the selection process for Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The selection committee, based in Geneva, Switzerland, and headed by the president of the WTO's General Council, presented the results of the first stage of consultations which involved the 159 member countries…
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Iron Lady’s legacy won’t rust in peace
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Britain will this week bury Margaret Thatcher, the prime minister who transformed her country, for better or worse. Opinion polarises about the woman the Soviet press famously dubbed the 'Iron Lady'. On the Right, she is celebrated as the woman who took down the unions, breathed life into a moribund public sector, reinvigorated the economy and thus…
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CCRIF makes donation to Jamaica following Hurricane Sandy damage
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) says it is providing US$100,000 to Jamaica to support the island’s post-disaster recovery and restoration initiatives following the effects of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. In a statement, the CCRIF, which is a not-for-profit risk pooling facility, owned, operated by Caribbean governments, said Jamaica’s hurricane policy with CCRIF did…
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Government to outline solutions to have Russian-owned bauxite plants re-opened
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government is to outline a solution that it hopes will facilitate the re-opening of the Russian owned ALPART and Kirkvine bauxite plants here. Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister Phillip Paulwell will outline the solution when he make his contribution to the 2013/14 Sectoral Debate. The government has been engaged in months of intense…
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Reshuffle on the cards – Foreign affairs, national security among those ministries targeted
KINGSTON, Jamaica – There were heightened discussions in government circles yesterday that a Cabinet reshuffle could coincide with the upcoming Budget Debate. Dr Peter Phillips, the finance minister who succeeded in eking out a long-awaited deal to be signed later this month with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), appears to be the big winner in the impending Cabinet shake-up. Well-placed…
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What economic growth?
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Government is correctly preoccupied with what it calls “the growth agenda”, and has been telling the country that there will be growth in the immediate future. This is not likely, and there is no gain in talking optimistically about the imminence of economic growth. That kind of talk must be reserved for assuaging speculation, as would…
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Sink, swim or fly?
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – gainst the backdrop of less than favourable reports coming out of the Central Bank of Barbados last week on the performance of Barbados’ economy and with the ensuing comments from the business leaders, some are questioning whether our approach to riding out the recession has been right all along. Traditional industries are crying out for more stimulus…
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