Accredited Third States

LONDON—A pledge by the Group of Seven most powerful economies to not intentionally weaken their currencies pushed stocks higher on yesterday while dragging the dollar lower against the Japanese yen and the euro. The G-7 nations, which include the US, Japan and Germany, said their economic policies should be "oriented towards meeting domestic objectives and not towards setting specific exchange rates." That was meant to ease concerns that major economies were retooling their monetary policies to specifically weaken their national currencies to help domestic exporters.

HAVANA, (Reuters) – More than a week after former leader Fidel Castro was quoted in Cuban media as saying Venezuela’s cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez was “much better,” the Communist Party newspaper published a different, toned down version of his comments yesterday. The transcript n Granma, said to have been “reviewed and updated” by Castro, left out the more positive assessments of Chavez’ condition, but did say he was recovering. Castro, who spoke with reporters when he went to vote in Cuba’s National Assembly election, was quoted in Feb.

LOS ANGELES, CMC - The 55th Grammy Awards here Sunday night paid tribute to legendary Jamaican reggae superstar Robert Nesta Marley, renowned worldwide as Bob Marley. But, for a moment, it appeared as though there would hardly be any tribute to the late great reggae artist when about two-thirds of a set that was supposed to honour him was used by other performers. Bruno Mars and sting kicked off the tribute by singing not anything from Marley's massive repertoire but their own songs. Mars did reggae-influenced “Locked Out of Heaven,” and Sting sang The Police's “Walking on the Moon”.

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba, (Reuters) – A simulated wave of Caribbean migrants sailed to the Guantanamo naval base this week for a training drill designed to prepare U.S. troops and security agencies who might someday have to handle the real thing. The exercise is held every two years to prepare for a potential mass migration brought on by political upheaval or natural disaster in the region. More than 500 U.S. troops and government workers flew to the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in eastern Cuba for the drill, which started on Saturday and runs through Friday.

NEW YORK, Feb 10, CMC – As the New York Police Department (NYDP), over the years, faced intense criticism over the controversial “stop-and-frisks” policy regarding Caribbean and other immigrants and minorities, the department has reported what it described as a “major decline” in the use of the tactic. In its latest report of data for 2012, the NYPD said cops used the controversial tactic 22 percent less and seized 14 percent fewer weapons than in the previous year.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Observer - JAMAICAN manufacturers of some key items are likely to have their profit margins squeezed by higher duties in the Canadian export market, if Caricom fails to reach a new trade agreement with the North American country before year end.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The Congresswoman who represents the largely Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, wants her colleagues as well as President Barack Obama to include the Caribbean Diaspora as they debate the contentious issue of immigration reform. Congress Tuesday started hearings on the issue and Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D.

WASHINGTON, CMC – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said they have brought together this week various stakeholders, including government representatives and academic institutions to develop a plan of action for reducing deaths caused by breast and cervical cancer.

LOS ANGELES, California, CMC – The United States Department of Justice has filed a civil fraud lawsuit against one of the world’s larger credit-ratings agencies that services several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will seek to build momentum for US immigration reform this week ahead of his State of the Union address, which is expected to challenge Republicans to take up an overhaul amid an increasingly contentious debate in Washington. Obama plans to hold a series of White House meetings with corporate chief executives, labour leaders and progressives today to lobby for their support, and he has dispatched Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to the Southwest to tout the administration’s border security efforts.