Jamaica

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The lead attorney for the Barbados government, Queen Counsel Roger Forde, will continue his cross examination of Jamaican Shanique Myrie on Tuesday as the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) continues its first ever sitting here in the case in which the Jamaican national has sued Barbados.

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.

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 - 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.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - An important event is unfolding in Kingston today which, perhaps, may be a defining moment for Jamaica. We hope it is.
The matter to which we refer is the sitting here of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), albeit in its original jurisdiction, which it is to say in its capacity as arbiter of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that established the Caribbean Community's Single Market and Economy, of which Jamaica is a member.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - THE Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will today convene for the first time in Jamaica when it sits at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston to hear the case against the Barbadian Government by Jamaican Shanique Myrie.
Myrie is seeking damages for what she said was discriminatory treatment by Barbadian Customs and Immigration officials when she attempted to enter that Eastern Caribbean island in March 2011 via the Grantley Adams International Airport.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Last Thursday, the United States Congress abandoned efforts to find consensus on a way to avoid automatic budget cuts.
Although both Republicans and Democrats professed willingness to compromise and pursue a balanced and pragmatic approach, the two political parties adhered rigidly to their ideological economic fundamentalism.
Sequestration requires 5.1 per cent automatic cuts amounting to US$85 billion. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that if sequestration remains in place there would be job loss of 750,000 during the remainder of 2013.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner - Although long in coming, the Simpson Miller administration has gone public with plans, developed by the Entertainment Advisory Board, to drive growth in the creative industries. These plans include the regular staging of events, such as the Arts in the Park concert held recently at Hope Gardens in St Andrew, to showcase emerging talents to business executives in the international entertainment industry.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner - AGRICULTURE MINISTER Roger Clarke has shot down fears of Jamaicans consuming horse meat as beef, as reports surfaced in the United Kingdom recently that DNA evidence proved that horse meat was passed off in beef burgers in Builth Wells, Wales.
"We do not import beef from Europe, so that is not a consideration. The beef that is consumed in Jamaica is either produced locally or imported from The United States, Australia, South America, New Zealand, Panama and Costa Rica. So have no fear, we are not getting horse meat here," Clarke assured.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA, CMC - The authorities are trying to locate the source of noxious fumes that forced the evacuation of several employees and visitors of the Central Sorting Office of the Post and Telecoms Department in the Corporate area on Thursday.
According to media reports more than 600 people were evacuated and some were rushed to the nearby Kingston PUblic Hospital for treatment.
Classes at several schools in the vicinity of the Central Sorting Office were also suspended because as the  fumes started to affect the institutions.