About 2,400 government employees were laid off on Friday in the latest cull.
Last March, Governor Luis Fortuno said more than 20,000 layoffs were needed to pare down a $3.2 billion deficit and avoid a government shutdown.
Jamaica battles record homicides
After a record year for murders, Jamaica’s police are planning to launch anti-gang campaigns in the capital, Kingston and problematic parishes.
Police said the majority of last year’s 1,680 killings – six more than the previous record set in 2005 – involved victims of drug and extortion gangs. Most were shootings.
Acting deputy police commissioner Glenmore Hinds said the force was struggling to resolve numerous conflicts between gangs that often lead to reprisal killings.
The government plans to hire an additional 800 recruits this year to bolster the 8,400-member force.
Support for Haiti’s children
A star-studded auction has been taking place on Ebay to raise money for children in Haiti, according to the World Food Programme.
Actor Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith are among those auctioning off artwork.
The UN agency provides meals to more than 500,000 Haitian school children.
The artwork is based on a map of world hunger, decorated with personalized silhouettes drawn by Will Smith, his family, and artists who performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Norway in December.
Among the artists who helped in the creation of the artwork are Wyclef Jean, Natasha Bedingfield and Donna Summer.
French Caribbean voters say ‘no’
Martinique and French Guiana have voted overwhelmingly against more autonomy from France.
In a referendum on Sunday, nearly 79 per cent of voters on Martinique said no, while the result was almost 70 per cent in French Guiana.
The referendum offered the chance to vote for changes that would have given lawmakers in the two French Caribbean departments more scope to initiate legislation of their own.
Analysts said voters were fearful a change of status would lead to less generous financial support from Paris.
