Audrey Marks rejects claim she proposed third-country nationals deal as accessibility call grows

Cabinet minister Audrey Marks has rejected suggestions that she was the one who put forward the disputed arrangement that could see Jamaica accepting as many as 10,000 third-country nationals from the United States. Marks said she is not in a position to determine American policy and argued that reports had incorrectly tied that memorandum of understanding to a different plan she prepared in March last year, when she was Jamaica's ambassador in Washington, to attract skilled foreign workers.

On another local issue, Opposition spokesperson on persons with disabilities Denise Daley is calling for a full accessibility review of government buildings and agencies. Daley said the audit should be led by the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities and should include firm timelines to remove obstacles affecting disabled Jamaicans.

Elsewhere in the region, Dr Terrance Bent has taken the oath as assistant commissioner of police with responsibility for training and development in the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. Bent, who previously served as a senior superintendent of police, now joins Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey, another former member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, in the territory's top police leadership.

In Venezuela, rescue crews found a 43-year-old security guard alive in the basement of a collapsed shopping centre eight days after strong earthquakes battered the country. The rescue came after the quakes caused major destruction.

In sport, Jamaica's Under-20 football squad is intensifying its build-up for the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, set to run from July 25 to August 9. The team is continuing preparations even though it has not had the benefit of international practice matches.

Currency trading at midday showed the US dollar selling for J$158.35, while the British pound went for J$212.05 and the Canadian dollar sold for J$113.10.

For the weather, Friday morning was expected to bring partly cloudy skies across eastern parishes, with mostly sunny conditions in the rest of the island. During the afternoon, forecasters said widely scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms were likely across western parishes and hilly districts.