PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - It appears that Tillman Thomas will remain leader of Grenada’s National Democratic Congress (NDC)—at least until a general membership meeting of the party. The NDC, which had been in government since July 2008, suffered a humiliating 15-0 defeat by the New National Party (NNP) at general elections on February 19. But NDC deputy chairman, Ken Joseph, said that Thomas’s leadership has not been an issue in post-election discussions held by the party’s executive.
News
KINGSTON, Jamaica - THOSE of us in the Caribbean journalism profession who have long come to appreciate the excellent, almost reverential, ethical standards established by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), would always share the disappointment and sense of hurt whenever colleagues of this internationally renowned media institution fall victim to improper behaviour and activities.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC - A new survey has found that children as young as seven have experimented with drugs and alcohol in Bermuda. According to the “Report of the Survey of Student’s Knowledge and Attitudes of Drugs and Health 2012”, one-third of Primary 5, Primary 6 and Middle 1 students had tried drugs, cigarettes or alcohol. Some students admitted trying alcohol at the age of six and marijuana at seven.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC - The Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) has written Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretary-General, Irwin La Rocque, in an attempt to discourage Caribbean participation in a March meeting in Ecuador to discuss the future of the Inter-American human rights system.
The ACM says “it is our view that this meeting of signatories, which is not based on a conventional legal standard, is inconsistent with the process that has been developing for more than two years within the Organization of American States (OAS).”
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Workers employed at the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) stayed away from their jobs on Friday protesting the decision of the utility company to hire a 65 year-old Trinidadian as a manager.
The Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU) said that the company had replaced electricity manager Lyndon Francis with the un-named Trinidadian and that at least 100 workers had decided to stay off the job.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Public servants took to the streets in Castries on Friday in support of demands for higher wages that the government of Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony said it cannot afford.
The workers are seeking a six per cent wage hike with benefits or a nine per cent increase, but Anthony said the government could only afford a four per cent wage increase and warned of retrenchment within the public service if the increase is any higher.
SANTO DOMINGO—More than 25 business support organisations (BSOs) across the region participated in a regional workshop aimed at equipping them to support their respective private sectors. The training was through the 2nd Regional Trade Information Training Programme and Data Processing and Collection Mechanisms Training.
NEW YORK, USA (CMC) — The Council of the City of New York has passed a bill that will prohibit the New York Police Department (NYPD) from turning over Caribbean and other immigrants charged with low-level crimes to US federal authorities.
"When your fingerprints are taken at arrest, you're charged. You're not guilty," said Council Speaker Christine Quinn, following the passage of the bill by a vote of 40-7.
KINGSTON, Jamaica - The Bank of Jamaica posted on its website February 15 an IMF press release with the caption, 'IMF and Jamaica authorities reach staff-level agreement on key elements of the EFF-Supported programme'. This is the first of two steps in the approval process; the other is approval by the IMF board that should take place by the end of March. This means that Jamaica will be able to draw down U$750m, 175 per cent of the amount to which it is entitled. It also means that Jamaica will be able to receive loans and grants from other multilateral and bilateral sources.
NEW YORK—Recently-elected Turks & Caicos Premier Dr Rufus Ewing, will showcase investment opportunities in the territory, at the third annual Invest Caribbean Now Forum, presented by luxury real estate company Avalon Partners, on June 5 at the Radisson Martinique Hotel in New York City.