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Private sector groups worried at slide in local currency
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Two private sector organisations are warning that the Jamaican economy is nearing crisis level amid concerns of a rapid slide in the local currency. At the end of trading on Tuesday, the US dollar was being sold at a record J$99.08. At the start of the year, the US dollar was trading just above the J$93…
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No surprise at T&T being third fattest country, Doctor blames it on fast food
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Paediatrician Dr David Bratt said in a telephone interview yesterday he is not surprised that T&T is ranked as the third fattest country in the world. While Bratt questioned the validity of the UK Daily Mail’s report, he also said he was not surprised by the report, since lifestyles have changed. “There is worse food…
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Government plans to reduce food import bill by US$300 million
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government says it intends to significantly reduce the island’s food import bill, which stands at a staggering one billion (US) dollars. Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Roger Clarke said the intention is to reduce the bill to US$700 in the short to medium term.“We have targeted some 8,000 acres of government lands that we intend…
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Gridlock in Haiti
Sixteen months after Haiti was supposed to hold a critical round of elections, the voting procedure remains on hold. The country’s warring political factions can’t agree on a date or the membership of the panel that would supervise the process. Even the U.N. Security Council is reaching the end of its tether with Haiti’s political leaders. It’s not as if…
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Lessons learnt from Haiti earthquake
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – An expert with respect to disaster management in the Caribbean is suggesting that Haiti is an excellent example of how a disasters can create an opportunity for enhancing coping capacity. Retired head of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Jeremy Collymore, told the media recently that it has been a lesson for the entire region as…
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Export-led growth: Who will lead? Part 2
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Despite all the promises of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU), the countries of the Caribbean have not benefited from increased exports to EU markets or from increased investment from the EU. The 15 Caribbean countries to which I refer are the 14 independent member states of the Caribbean Community (Caricom)…
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EDITORIAL – Arms control and America’s moral obligation
KINGSTON, Jamaica – This newspaper, as a matter of principle, welcomes this week's passage by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly of the long-awaited UN treaty on trade in arms. We would have preferred a more robust document, with specific language against the transfer of weapons to non-state actors, and would have liked the treaty to apply also to domestic…
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CAL ‘not strapped for cash’
cash’ PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Caribbean Airlines is not cash-strapped, the airline’s vice-chairman, Mohan Jaikaran, said yesterday. Jaikaran’s statement comes on the heels of a report in the weekend Mirror that the carrier was seeking an immediate $100 million injection from the Government to pay suppliers and employees. “I do not know where anyone got that, but it is…
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Opposition Leader warns of more “unpleasant actions” from the United States
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) Tuesday predicted that the United States would implement “other unpleasant actions’ as it blanks the request from the Trinidad and Tobago government for information on whether or not National Security Minister Austin “Jack” Warner is the subject of a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)…
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Government promises improved economic situation
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas is predicting an improved economic situation in St. Kitts-Nevis when he presents the federation’s national budget next Tuesday. “I must point out that our country’s current account surplus, the overall balance surplus, and the primary balance surplus …will all be realized even after the reduction in corporate taxes and these…
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