BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The difficulties confronting regional economies continue to stare us in the face on a daily basis. We hear of problems with the fiscal deficit in most islands, along with the pain and stress of civil servants clamouring for wage increases to cushion them against increases in the cost of living. Quite often, such increases are outside the reach of the governments; and the discussion turns to the almost inevitable austerity-like measures that some administrations may be forced to implement with a view to making ends meet, if only on a short-term basis!
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KINGSTON, Jamaica - THE Government has once again tabled Bills in the House of Representatives as it pushes to keep its promise to replace the United Kingdom-based Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as Jamaica's final appellate court.
Leader of Government Business in the House, Phillip Paulwell, gave notice of first reading of the Bills on behalf of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller yesterday during the meeting of the Parliament at Gordon House in downtown Kingston.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Like President Obama, this newspaper hopes that America will soon find out who is responsible for Monday's bombings in Boston and that they are made, as he puts it, "to feel the full weight of justice".
CARACAS, Venezuela — Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Venezuela should hold a recount of votes cast in its presidential election, which the country’s electoral authorities say was narrowly won by a protégé of former President Hugo Chávez.
The protégé, Nicolás Maduro, was declared the winner of Sunday’s special election with a margin of less than two percentage points over the opposition candidate, Henrique Capriles Radonski.
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – The ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) has congratulated president –elect Nicolas Maduro on his victory and has dismissed critics who point to his slim victory in Venezuela.
At least seven people were killed and 61 were injured in post-election violence across Venezuela, state media reported Tuesday.
Violence erupted in Venezuela after authorities rejected opposition candidate Henrique Capriles’ demands for a presidential election recount.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – One of the authors of the history of St. Lucia , Robert Devaux has died after a short battle with cancer. He was 79. Devaux, a field engineer by profession, spent his lifetime the history, ecology, landscape and culture of St Lucia. He served as director of the St. Lucia National Trust and wrote and published several books and articles, including the monumental St Lucia Historic Sites (1975).
WASHINGTON, CMC - A bipartisan group of United States senators on Tuesday passed a sweeping immigration bill that seeks to legalize the status of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, including Caribbean nationals, residing in the US. The bill is also aimed at re-orienting future immigration by bringing Caribbean and other nationals to the United States based increasingly on the job skills and personal assets they can offer.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Former vice president of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Austin “Jack” Warner is due to appear in court on September 25 after a company filed a lawsuit claiming that it is owed money for work done during the 2010 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup here.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - FOR the last 40 years, Jamaica has continued to suffer from a low growth rate, which averages approximately of 0.8 per cent per annum. The national debt now stands at $1.7 trillion, about 140 per cent of our GDP, which has effectively forced us to return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance. The tragic state of our economy is further compounded by a high energy bill, declining productivity, and an import bill that is unsustainable.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - EVEN AS Jamaica struggles with a growing food import bill projected to go past US$1 billion for 2012, representatives from Caribbean neighbours The Bahamas are in the island looking to copy our good agricultural practices, looking at ways to improve their food security. Member of Parliament Arnold Forbes and the other six members of the Bahamian delegation were special guests at the official launch of the annual Jamaica 4-H Clubs Achievement Day expo, at the Medallion Hotel, St Andrew, on Monday.