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KINGSTON, Jamaica - Deputy Mayor of Kingston, Delroy Williams is rejecting statements made this week by mayor and Chairman of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAMC), Andrew Swaby, as a “weak attempt to distract from lack of transparency and bad governance practices which have plagued the corporation since the People’s National Party (PNP) re-assumed control.” In a press release on Friday, Williams cited recent comments by Swaby regarding a...

KINGSTON, Jamaica - The Union of Clerical, Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) is calling for a meeting with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security following the collapse of wage negotiations with Hawkeye Electronic Security Limited regarding security personnel stationed at the British High Commission. In a January 17 letter to the ministry, UCASE president Vincent Morrison said the union was displeased with Hawkeye's “paltry 5 per cent increase” for...

KINGSTON, Jamaica- The US dollar on Friday, January 17, ended trading at $157.50 down by 68 cents according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily exchange trading summary. Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar ended at $­­­ 110.22 down from  $110.84 and the British pound ended at $ 193.43 up from  $192.76.

ST JAMES, Jamaica- The community of Mount Salem in St James is set to become the epicenter of a youth-driven social change initiative, powered by a timely micro grant funding from the Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS). The micro grants represent a component of the 30-month intervention funded by the European Union (EU) to strengthen Civil Society Organisations as actors of governance and development. Spearheaded by local organisation, the...

KINGSTON, Jamaica- The outsourcing industry is expressing deep sadness at the passing of Patrick Casserly, a stalwart and pioneer of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector in Jamaica. In a release, the Global Services Association of Jamaica (GSAJ) president Wayne Sinclair noted that Casserly "paved the way for this industry when he took the risks about a quarter century ago and started his own contact center in the the Montego...

WASHINGTON, (CMC) – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says while most Caribbean businesses are either innovative or potentially innovative, they still face challenges. But, a new IDB report, which delves into the critical role of innovation in driving economic growth and productivity in the Caribbean region, noted that innovative businesses in the Caribbean have 26 to 35 per cent higher levels of productivity and 21 to 81 per cent higher...

KINGSTON, Jamaica-Wavell Hinds, Opposition Spokesperson on Labour, has raised concerns surrounding discussions about removing redundancy payment protections from Jamaica’s labour laws. Hinds in a statement on Friday emphasised the critical role redundancy payments play in providing financial security for workers in the absence of a mandatory pension system. “These payments offer relief and stability for workers as they navigate the uncertain period between jobs. They also acknowledge the years of...

MULTAN, Pakistan (AFP)— Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan hit unbeaten half-centuries to lead a Pakistan fightback in the first Test against the West Indies on Friday as the hosts reached 143-4 at the close of a fog-hit opening day. When bad light in Multan ended play with just 41.3 overs bowled, Shakeel was on 56 for his ninth half- century and Rizwan was 51 not out for his 11th. The...

KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Accountant General’s Department (AGD) is advising the public that there may be delays in contacting its office and receiving in-person services on Friday due to a disruption in the agency’s electrical services. The advisory follows an incident on Thursday which resulted in a loss of power after a transformer blew, causing a fire just outside the premises of the AGD’s New Kingston office. There were no reports...

HARTFORD, (CMC) – Two Jamaicans convicted of criminal offenses in the United States, including one wanted by local authorities, have been arrested by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. ICE said it arrested Sanjay Sivan Walsh, 28, convicted of sexually assaulting two children and tampering with evidence, on December 17. "Walsh was convicted of committing unspeakable crimes against two children, and he was sentenced to prison for...

KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC) is reporting a 22 per cent progress in the implementation of the 365 recommendations contained in the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission (JETC) report. “This is up from the 20 per cent progress reported at our last quarterly briefing,” said Chairman, Dr Adrian Stokes. Addressing Friday’s ETOC press conference, held at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters at Mona, he...

Police divisions in Area Four will be targeting gangs which they say are behind the crime wave affecting the Corporate Area. Head of Area Four, acting Assistant Commissioner Michael Phipps, shared that many of his divisions are known to have several conflicts and other issues surrounding gangs. The acting ACP said, as such, a very critical part of the police strategy is to give particular focus on the gangs, especially...