KINGSTON, Jamaica, Observer - Employers discriminate against sickle cell patients, say experts SICKLE cell experts yesterday debunked as myth, a common belief that the illness is a death sentence, and appealed to Jamaicans to end stigmatisation and employment discrimination of people with the disease. Director of the Sickle Cell Unit Professor Marvin Reid, and officials of the Sickle Cell Support Club of Jamaica and the Sickle Cell Trust, told the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange that the nature of the stigmatisation has resulted in depression among many sickle cell patients.
Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner - A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was due in the island yesterday and is expected to remain in Jamaica until February 15. The mission is being headed by Jan Kees Martijn. In a release yesterday, the Ministry of Finance and Planning said the mission followed extensive discussions by Jamaican officials with representatives of the IMF in Washington, DC.
(Trinidad Guardian) KINGSTON—The Government of Jamaica has unveiled ambitious plans that will build the Caribbean island into a Global Logistics Hub for the Americas and position it as a regional trading mecca similar to Singapore, Dubai and Rotterdam. High level discussions have already started with a number of overseas investors to develop vast areas of prime real estate to handle increased volumes of air and sea cargo.
(Jamaica Observer) - Former Assistant Commissioner of Police detective Les Green has painted a hellish picture of his eight-year tour of duty in Jamaica with a job he said was a “tremendous strain”. In a story in yesterday’s edition of British newspaper the Mirror, Green told of a place where life is cheap, guns rule and drugs are rife. He also spoke of a level of violence that took some getting used to, even though he had a background investigating shootings in London’s Jamaican community as part of Scotland Yard’s Operation Trident team.
Kingston, Jamaica, CMC - Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller is warning leaders in the country from making statements that may have international repercussions. She made particular reference to a recent criticism by Opposition Leader Andrew Holness in relation to the ongoing talks between the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over a new Stand By Agreement for the country. “Anything we say in Jamaica is captured globally. What kind of message do we want to send as leaders to the international community?” she said.
Miami Herald - While the global financial meltdown appears to slowly be on the mend, Caribbean economies still face significant challenges. As Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller addressed her heavily indebted nation last month, the Caribbean leader reminded Jamaicans of her steadfast determination to not just balance the books but also people’s lives. But with one of the world’s highest relative public debt burdens, the country that some are calling the Greece of the Caribbean could soon find that taking care of its most vulnerable is an obligation it cannot afford.
MONTEGO BAY, St James, Jamaica Observer — Minister of National Security Peter Bunting says he is fearful that Jamaica’s image will be further tainted overseas after the airing of a 60 Minutes documentary on the lottery scam, now being produced by Dan Rather, a former CBS news anchor. “Now this is one of the best-known names in television journalism and the reason they were drawn to come to Jamaica is not a positive one. He and his camera crew did not come here and ask to see some of the nice resort areas such as Doctor's Cave Beach...
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Observer — JAMAICA'S top diplomat in the United States, Ambassador Stephen Vasciannie, has pointed out that his island's refugee policy incorporates reference to international human rights standards and provides a good framework for the treatment of asylum seekers. "It also provides a model that could be used in some other Caricom states," Ambassador Vasciannie said in his presentation to an international refugee law course staged by the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC recently.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner — OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN on Finance Audley Shaw has claimed that the Government has been irritating the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by having other countries lobby the multilateral on behalf of Jamaica. "Stop diverting your efforts to ask foreign governments to lobby the IMF on your behalf," Shaw told the Portia Simpson Miller-led Govern-ment during his address to the Rotary Club of Kingston recently.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Gleaner — FORMER INVESTMENT banker Aubyn Hill says the Government is taking too long to negotiate a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips had set a December 2012 deadline for the sealing of a deal with the multilateral, but to date none as materialised.