News
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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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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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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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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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World Bank outlines “bold agenda” for ending extreme poverty in the Caribbean
WASHINGTON, CMC – The World Bank has outlined a “bold agenda” for ending poverty in the developing world, including the Caribbean. “We are at an auspicious moment in history when the successes of past decades and an increasingly favorable economic outlook combine to give developing countries a chance – for the first time ever – to end extreme poverty within…
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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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Government seeking to get unions agreement on wage freeze
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government says it is continuing efforts for a wage restraint agreement within the public service, but not all unions have bought into the initiative which is seen as important to sealing a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Public Utilities Minister Horrace Dalley, said the three-year agreement, which was signed last month, will…
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