The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has spoken positively about steps being taken by the St Kitts and Nevis government to address a debt problem that led to the country defaulting on a domestic bond that became due on November 25. An IMF mission to the twin island federation November 28 – December 12, to undertake the [...]

The credit rating of St Kitts and Nevis, the smallest independent state in the hemisphere, took a hit when it defaulted on a bond payment the end of November. The administration of Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, in the midst of developing a debt rescheduling package with the help of London-based consultants, White Oak Advisory, to [...]

The Faculty of Engineering and Computing, University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), has received a software grant with a commercial value of US$38.85M (JA$3.4B) from Siemens PLM software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services. The presentation by Leecorp Ltd, the local representative, [...]

Dr Tilly Johnson, 82, one of Hamilton Farmers’ Market’s longest-serving vendors, has been slapped with a 30 day suspension under the Hamilton Farmers’ Markets’ Zero-Tolerance policy. The staff acted on a customer’s allegation that she was harassed by Johnson; the incident occurred Saturday, May 21st. Johnson was given notice at 3 pm Friday. Despite Ms [...]

After a quarter of a million US dollar upgrade, Great Huts, one of Jamaica’s most distinctive resorts, has something new for visitors seeking an Afro-Caribbean vacation in a rustic setting this spring and summer. The Jamaican resort opened its brand new Queen of Sheba and African Sunrise huts as part of its renovation of the [...]

Mona GeoInformatics Institute and the Earthquake Unit at the University of the West Indies (UWI) have developed an earthquake risk model for NEM Insurance Company Jamaica Limited, says NEM’s General Manager Chris Hind. The model aims to determine whether NEM has adequate reinsurance coverage to cope with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, similar to the one [...]

Jamaican businesses are mobilising to make significant gains by partnering to develop trade and investment opportunities leading up to the Olympic Games in London, UK in 2012. Earl Jarrett, Chairman of the Trade Policy committee in the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and general manager of Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), said that government [...]

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has concluded the first review of Jamaica’s economic performance under a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), enabling the immediate disbursement about US$94 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to about US$705, it was announced Wednesday (June 23). Jamaica has performed very well under the program. All quantitative [...]

Against the background of the global economic crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $117.8 million loan to support the Antigua and Barbuda’s plan to recover from mounting government debt, weak economic growth, and the effects of the economic crisis. The global lender announced June 8 that the money will help Antigua and [...]

It was the immense industrial potential of palm oil that first grabbed the attention of Europeans during the Industrial Revolution and led to Britain waging war on King Ja-Ja (Jaja) in the 19th century writes Afua Asantewaa in the conclusion of her series.