I-Octane set to release debut album next month
I-Octane will release his debut album Crying To The Nation on February 14, 2012. The 16-track opus is a joint venture deal with reggae powerhouse VP Records and Scikron, which is owned and operated by Robert Livingston, former long-time manager of multi-platinum artiste Shaggy.
On I-Octane's first full-length LP, he will reinvigorate the feeling of roots and dancehall at its purest. I-Octane has already proven himself as a powerful lyricist and unveils his uncanny ability to sing romantic ballads and socially aware tunes on this traditional reggae album.
I-Octane's Puff It, which is featured on Crying To The Nation, is chosen as one of National Public Radio's Top 5 dancehall tracks for 2011.
NPR's Baz Dreisinger describes I-Octane as "2011's buzzworthy newcomer: a Rastafarian DJ in the vein of Sizzla or Capleton, comfortable moving from conscious music to hardcore dancehall and back again."
The year's favourite anthem showcases his "signature style: rapid-fire rhyming skills, haunting vocals and simple, sing-a-long hooks," Dreisinger adds.
I-Octane also renews his Digicel sponsorship deal for 2012. This is the second year he will serve as the sole Brand Ambassador for the Caribbean's largest mobile communications provider.
Crying To The Nation Track Listing:
1. Rules Of Life
2. Help I Please
3. Vanity Will Come
4. Nuh Love Inna Dem
5. Puff It
6. No More Violence
7. System A Beat Dem
8. Zion Awaits
9. L.O.V.E. Y.O.U.
10. Missing You ft. Agent Sasco
11. Once More
12. The Master's Plan
13. Lose A Friend
14. All We Need Is Love ft. Tarrus Riley
15.Space For All Of Us ft. Alborosie
16. Crying To The Nation
Rihanna’s TTT goes gold
With hit singles like We Found Love and You Da One as part of the tracklist, it was only a matter of time until Rihanna’s Talk That Talk (TTT) was certified gold in the United States.
On December 16 last year, the RIAA solidified RiRi’s sixth studio album as gold status after shipping out over 500,000 copies of the project. This week the Barbadian singer passed the 500k mark by selling another 42,000 copies this week, bringing the total sales to 514,000.
Her gold status comes less than two months after her November 21, 2011 release of TTT.
In other RiRi News, Rihanna is ending the year with a huge paycheck from her “Loud” tour efforts, making over $90 million. And it nearly cost her health along the way.
The superstar’s hard work actually beat out Jay-Z and Kanye West on their “Watch the Throne” tour which made only $48.3 million. According to Pollstar’s Top 25 Worldwide Tours of 2011, the “Loud” tour ranked No. 7 also stomping out Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.
Rihanna appeared in 78 cities around the world promoting her 2010 album “Loud.”
The project also produced three No. 1 records: “Only Girl (In the World),” “S&M,” and “What’s My Name?”
But that’s not all. Her fifth and latest album, “Talk that Talk” debuted at No. 3 last week.
James dominates in return, Heat beat Nets 101-90
LeBron James returned to the lineup and scored 22 of his 32 points in the first quarter, and the Miami Heat rolled to a 101-90 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Saturday night despite playing without Dwyane Wade.
Wade missed his third straight game with a bruised left foot, but James had the game under control by the time his All-Star teammate arrived at his seat on the bench.
James made his first seven shots, leaping high for dunks, lobs and blocked shots and showing no effects from the sprained left ankle that forced him to miss a game. The NBA's leading scorer added nine assists and seven rebounds.
Chris Bosh added 16 points after a slow start for the Heat, who won their third straight and ran the NBA's best record to 8-1. They hope to have Wade back when they move to the West for the final three games of a five-game trip.
Kris Humphries tied a career high with 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Nets, who shot just 33.7 percent in front of a sellout crowd of 18,711. Deron Williams had 10 points and 10 assists but was just 4 of 16 from the field.
James took part in the morning shootaround, but the Heat didn't decide he would play until shortly before tipoff in order to see how he felt after warming up.
He was fine.
James quickly proved it, taking a hit but converting the basket for a three-point play barely a minute into the game during the Heat's 10-0 start. He hung on the rim as the backboard shook for a couple of seconds after one dunk, appearing to motion to someone near the court.
Wade also worked out prior to the game before the Heat decided to give him additional rest. He arrived at the Heat bench near the end of the first quarter, just in time to see James throw down a fast-break dunk in the final minute and later hit a 19-foot jumper with 0.2 seconds left for a 31-18 lead.
James finally missed after returning from a second-quarter rest, off on an attempted bank shot, but made his final shot of the half and Miami took a 57-35 lead into halftime.
Bosh, who had 33 points and 14 rebounds Thursday in the Heat's triple-overtime victory in Atlanta without the other two-thirds of the Big Three, shot 1 for 6 in the first half.
The Nets were 15 of 31 behind the arc in Friday's 97-85 victory over Toronto, and coach Avery Johnson said the 3-ball needed to be a weapon because his team has no post game with starting center Brook Lopez out with a broken right foot. But the Nets missed 18 of their first 21 Saturday before finishing 10 of 33.
Still, the Nets cut it to 10 on Williams' 3-pointer with 4:27 left in the third, and had a chance to get closer on their next possession when rookie MarShon Brooks drove for a layup. But James blocked the shot to trigger a fast break that led to Shane Battier's 3-pointer, and rookie Norris Cole followed with one to make it 72-56.
Udonis Haslem had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat.
CARICOM chairman calls for a year of change
The incoming Caribbean Community (CARICOM) chairman, Desi Bouterse, has called on the region to make 2012 a year of change.
Bouterse, who is also the president of Dutch-speaking Suriname, said that “by changing the way we do things, this Community will be a changed one – for the better – by the end of 2012.”In his first message since taking over as chairman of the 15-member regional grouping from St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas, the Suriname head of state said that the uncertainty caused by the continuing global crisis would continue to pose a problem for the Caribbean.
“The global economic and financial crisis shows no signs of abating, with the resulting challenges of unemployment, low or negative growth and increasing disparity between the rich and the poor. Given the relationship between the economic health of the major nations and its effect on us in CARICOM, it requires a major effort to overcome the challenges presented by this on-going situation.
“It also requires that we take a hard look at the way we operate, and accept changes that may be necessary,” said Bouterse, noting that the challenges can be overcome if CARICOM countries bind themselves even closer together.
“We stand a better chance to confront these challenges as a group united, than each swimming against the tide alone,” he said, adding it is also the task of the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat to lead the change.
He said the review of the Secretariat must be completed and the relevant recommendations implemented to improve the management and operation of the Secretariat, as it is CARICOM’s principal organ.
Dominican-born Irwin La Rocque was appointed CARICOM secretary general in August last year, and Bouterse said he should be at the forefront of the changes.
“My colleagues and I have every confidence in the ability of Ambassador La Rocque to effect the necessary repositioning of the Secretariat,” Bouterse said, adding that, as CARICOM chairman, he would place emphasis on enhancing awareness of the efforts being undertaken by the regional grouping.
“We must ensure that the people of the Community feel the impact and recognize the benefits that come to them from integration. In 2012, we will increase our focus and attention on these areas, and on ways the population can more readily feel the benefits,” he said.
He said that one of the main areas he would be paying attention to will be the involvement of young people within the region.
“The Paramaribo Declaration of 2010 laid out ideas and recommendations for greater youth involvement in the affairs of the Community. These must be pursued urgently and diligently, as the participation of the young people in the integration movement is essential to ensure that it is kept alive and dynamic,” Bouterse said.
He said he would also be looking improve the coordination among the various regional blocs to which CARICOM belongs, adding “we must aim to strengthen our position in these organizations and groupings, and make the best of the opportunities they present.
“Through working more closely together, we can improve the standard of living of our citizens,” Bouterse added.
Guyana moves ahead of other CARICOM countries
Guyana advanced ahead of other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries when it passed the amendment to the Caribbean Community Free Entry of Skilled Nationals Act to include an additional nine categories of persons under the free movement regime.
At a press conference on Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett made reference to Guyana’s compliance with the requirements under the CARICOM Single Market (CSM) which she said is substantial since it puts Guyana ahead of other countries with regards to legislation.
The foreign minister also alluded to the CARICOM retreat that was held in Guyana, during which several areas such as education, agriculture, energy, foreign investment and Information Communication Technology (ICT) were highlighted.
Guyana noted the importance of the issues and “is pleased that Suriname …now chairing CARICOM will continue with the work identified during the retreat,” she said.
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI)
With regard to the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), Rodrigues-Birkett stated that much work has been done since the meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Jamaica where she announced the $77 million fund for the CBSI.
At the bilateral level under the CBSI an agreement was signed to look at two key areas: law enforcement and money laundering.
Bilateral relations
Guyana/Venezuela
Bilaterally, Guyana also made much progress in relations with Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil and Rodrigues-Birkett said that the implementation of several cooperation initiatives will continue. She expressed hope that the homeless shelter, which is being funded by the Venezuelan government, will be completed this year.
Guyana/Suriname
Guyana’s relations with Suriname were taken to a different level as there is now very active cooperation in law enforcement. Discussions on the Corentyne River Bridge have also progressed to the preliminary designs stage. This, the minister said will be advanced in this year.
Guyana/Brazil
With regard to Brazil, much progress has also been made as several meetings were held at the level of the Guyana/Brazil frontier committee. Significant advancement was made in terms of the language training by both countries. Brazil would provide experts to teach Portuguese in schools starting in Region Nine, while Guyana would reciprocate likewise, Rodrigues-Birkett said.
The 4th Political Consultation meeting held in Guyana also discussed several issues including the Linden to Lethem road and the additional list to the partial scope agreement. Guyana has completed its internal work in terms of bringing the agreement to its implementation stage.
A first for Caricom – Region now has two serving women prime ministers
When Portia Simpson Miller took the ceremonial oath yesterday afternoon from Governor General Sir Patrick Allen as Jamaica’s new prime minister, it was a history-making event for the rest of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
For, along with her Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, it would mean that for the first time in Caricom’s 38-year history two women prime ministers will now be among the heads of Government in the 15-member Community.
Of quite different cultural and political background, what the 66-year-old Simpson-Miller, leader of the People’s National Party (PNP) and Persad-Bissessar, leader of the United National Congress and dominant partner in her People’s Partnership Government, would have in common is an evident commitment to expedite the process of ending all forms of discrimination, and most certainly elevate the rights of women.
They have triumphed over male colleagues of recognised political expertise and long history in multi-party parliamentary democracy to reach the zenith in leadership of party and government. Now it would be most instructive to follow how, separately and together whenever possible, they make their impact on regional policies and programmes of immediate and longterm interests to Caricom.
The popular ‘Sister P’ in Jamaican politics had her baptism as prime minister in March 2006, after she succeeded the retired PJ Patterson, by defeating all her male challengers for the PNP’s leadership. By September 2007, her PNP was defeated by the Jamaica Labour Party, then under the leadership of Bruce Golding who chose to walk away from the challenge to lead it into a new general election before last year end.
And with Golding’s successor, 39-year-old Andrew Holness as new JLP leader and prime minister for some two months, Simpson-Miller triumphantly took the PNP to the ‘mountain top’ by capturing 42 of the now 63-member House of Representatives. Following her official appointment as prime minister yesterday afternoon, it would be reasonable to expect the initial shape of her Cabinet, if not the complete composition before weekend.
At the same time, in the last internal election of Trinidad and Tobago’s UNC, prior to the national poll that took place within months of each other in 2010, the result was the historic emergence of a woman for the first time in the history of electoral politics in that twin-island state.
The woman of such fame was Persad-Bissessar, first female attorney general under the Government of Basdeo Panday, her former political guru who she had convincingly defeated for the party’s leadership and went on to secure, some three months later, a stunning national victory when her coalition of parties swept to State power with 29 of the 41 parliamentary seats.
Before the rise and fall (at different election periods) of Simpson Miller and Persad-Bissessar, party politics and governance within Caricom had the opportunity to assess and benefit from the separate leadership provided by the indomitable Janet Jagan of Guyana and Dame Eugenia Charles of Dominica — both now deceased.
CCJ among challenges
Among current political challenges facing both Prime Ministers Simpson Miller and Persad-Bissessar would be how they deal with an issue of regionwide interest that cannot be expediently brushed under the carpet — accessing the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the institution of last resort in their respective jurisdictions.
When the UNC was in power, and Persad-Bissessar was in Panday’s Cabinet, the government of Trinidad and Tobago was quite supportive of arrangements to operationalise the CCJ with headquarters in Port-of-Spain. During last year, the Persad-Bissessar PPG administration did nothing to encourage hope for accessing the CCJ as the country’s final court. Instead, it had raised more uneasiness about an improved relationship with the CCJ, beyond a current original jurisdiction on settlement of disputes.
In Jamaica, on the other hand, the then opposition JLP kept frustrating efforts by the PNP to cut the constitutional apron string with the London-based Privy Council and access instead the CCJ — both as the court of original jurisdiction and as a final appellate institution.
Now, within days of the PNP’s landslide victory, former attorney general A J Nicholson, chose to signal the determination of the Simpson Miller-led administration to push ahead with plans to access the CCJ as Jamaica’s final Court of Appeal.
Nicholson has since also dismissed a call for a national referendum on the issue, pointing out that there were no precedent of a former British colony having to first secure a referendum mandate to sever ties with the Privy Council. He has stressed that as Jamaica proceeds with arrangements to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year as an independent nation, the Government would be advancing plans to have legislation in place to end the relationship with the Privy Council.
As citizens of our Community wait to assess the commonality and differences in leadership styles of Prime Ministers Simpson Miller and Persad-Bissessar and, of more relevance, their policies and programmes on regional developments, there are reasons to think that both of these women leaders can be assured of much political goodwill across the region, even as they face domestic challenges.
They would meet for their first encounter in regional politics when they participate in Caricom’s forthcoming scheduled Inter-Sessional Meeting in Suriname, which will be hosted by new chairman of the Community, President Dési Bouterse.
BY RICKEY SINGH
Jamaica Observer
Barbados take T20 title
A healthy dose of restrictive bowling, along with a composed knock from newly-appointed captain, Kirk Edwards, guided Barbados to a five-wicket victory over archrivals, Trinidad & Tobago, when the final of the UWI Cave Hill Campus Twenty20 Festival was played on Friday under lights at the 3Ws Oval.
For much of the quadrangular tournament, which was being used as preparation for the imminent Caribbean T20, Barbados had easily looked the strongest outfit. And Friday night’s match against the reigning Caribbean champions proved to be no different.
Winning the toss and electing to bat before a large and vocal crowd, Trinidad & Tobago struggled to build partnerships and a total of 135-9 off 20 overs reflected it.
Kevon Cooper’s 57 off 47 balls, decorated with two fours and four sixes, was the only knock of any real value in an otherwise deflated performance with the bat. Besides Cooper, only Jason Mohammed (17), Lendl Simmons (10) and Darren Bravo (10) recorded scores in the double digits.
The wickets for Barbados were spread evenly with the fiery Tino Best grabbing three for 26, lanky left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn taking two for 14, medium pacer Carlos Brathwaite two for 26, and off-spinner Ashley Nurse the same.
In reply, Kirk Edwards’ unbeaten knock of 42 off 53 balls, inclusive of one boundary, guided Barbados to their winning total of 136-5 with seven balls to spare.
Alcindo Holder got in on the action with 23, as did Shane Dowrich with 20.
In the preceding match between the Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) and the C.O. Williams All-Stars, the students crushed the All-Stars by 69 runs on their home ground.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, CCC’s batsmen pillaged the All-Star bowling for 165-7 before they stifled their opposition for 96-6 off 20 overs.
The CCC’s Kyle Mayers was in devastating form, cracking 59 from 33 balls, along with five fours and three sixes.
In contrasting fashion, Ryan Wiggins and Floyd Reifer both scored 38, with Wiggins facing 40 deliveries for his runs, and Reifer 20 for his. Obviously the more patient of the pair, Wiggins hit two fours and one six, while Reifer went on the attack with two boundaries and three sixes.
Dane Currency picked up three for 31 and Christopher Jordan two for 27 as the All-Stars struggled to contain a rampaging CCC middle order.
In reply, the All-Stars never came close, with Raymon Reifer’s run-a-ball 36 being the only real highlight in an otherwise lackluster performance with the bat.
Slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Kavesh Kantasingh, was the pick of the CCC bowlers, ending with three for eight from four overs.
Summarised Scores
THIRD PLACE
Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) vs C.O. Williams All-Stars
CCC 165-7 (20 overs) (Kyle Mayers 59, Ryan Wiggins 38 not out, Floyd Reifer 38; Dane Currency 3-31, Christopher Jordan 2-27).
All-Stars 96-6 (20 overs) (Raymon Reifer 36, Nekoli Parris 25, Omar Phillips 12; Kavesh Kantasingh 3-8).
Toss: CCC.
Result: Combined Campuses & Colleges beat C.O. Williams All-Stars by 69 runs.
SCORECARD
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
L. Simmons b Best 10
A. Barath c Brathwaite b Best 0
D. Bravo c Nurse b Best 10
J. Mohammed c wk Dowrich b Brathwaite 17
*+D. Ramdin c & b Benn 1
K. Cooper c Hinds b Benn 57
S. Ganga b Nurse 7
S. Narine c Smith b Nurse 3
R. Emrit b Brathwaite 9
S. Badree not out 5
S. Gabriel not out 1
Extras (b1, lb4, w8, nb2) 15
TOTAL (9 wks, 20 overs) 135
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-22, 3-27, 4-34, 5-58, 6-114, 7-116, 8-120, 9-134.
Bowling: Best 4-0-26-3, Hinds 3-0-16-0, Searles 2-0-22-0, Benn 4-0-14-2, Brathwaite 3-0-26-2, Nurse 4-0-26-2
BARBADOS
D. Smith c Emrit b Badree 9
*K. Edwards not out 42
R. Hinds b Gabriel 1
J. Carter c wk Ramdin b Emrit 5
+S. Dowrich c Narine b Cooper 20
A. Holder lbw b Narine 23
A. Nurse not out 7
Extras (b10, lb2, w12, nb5) 29
TOTAL (5 wks, 18.5 overs) 136
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-16, 3-28, 4-63, 5-126.
Did not bat: C. Brathwaite, J. Searles, S. Benn, T. Best.
Bowling: Gabriel 3-0-27-1, Badree 4-0-15-1, S. Narine 4-0-23-1, R. Emrit 2-0-13-1, S. Ganga 3-0-17-0, K. Cooper 3.5-0-29-1.
Result: Barbados won by five wickets with seven balls to spare.
Toss: Trinidad & Tobago.
Umpires: Jonathan Blades, Patrick Grazette.
Match referee: Carlyle Carter
Mavericks sign Chinese forward Yi Jianlian
The Dallas Mavericks officially signed 6- foot-10 Chinese forward Yi Jianlian to a one-year deal contract on Friday.
Yi is expected to begin his stint with the Mavericks on the team's D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends in Frisco, when the club returns home on Sunday to play the Maine Red Claws.
"Time will determine that," coach Rick Carlisle said in regards to when Yi will join the Mavs. "It's going to take him awhile to get used to what we're doing. I can't give an accurate answer right now as far as when exactly he's going to be up and on the roster."
Yi, 24, has spent the past four seasons in the NBA but was still available in free agency thanks in part to a knee injury Yi suffered during a brief stint playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, after helping the Chinese national team clinch a spot in the 2012 London Olympics earlier in the summer.
Yi averaged 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in three games with Guangdong but has been recovering from a knee injury after a teammate fell on him during a game.
Playing in the D-League will reunite him with Legends coach Del Harris, who coached China to an eight-place finish at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
In 2011 with the national team under American coach Bob Donewald, Yi averaged 16.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and earned tournament MVP honors while leading China to the championship.
Yi was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, thanks to Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson's longstanding connections to China.
Dallas was the first NBA team to successfully sign a Chinese player, drafting Wang Zhizhi with the 36th overall pick in 1999 and ultimately bringing him over during the 2001-02 season.
Yi spent last season with the Washington Wizards and has career averages of 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds.
FIFA rejects Warner's claims over $1 WCup TV deals
Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner peddled "inaccuracies and falsehoods" when he claimed last month that he got World Cup television rights for $1 in exchange for supporting Sepp Blatter's presidential campaigns, football's governing body said yesterday.
FIFA confirmed Warner's claim that he received Caribbean broadcasting rights for $1 per tournament, though from 1986 and not, as Warner said, from 1998 when Blatter was first elected.
"Such rights were ceded in order to provide an additional source of revenue for football development in the CFU (Caribbean Football Union)," FIFA said in a statement.
"This had nothing to do with the 1998 or 2002 election campaigns, or with any other election campaign.
"To imply the contrary is completely false," FIFA said.
FIFA said that, until 1998, World Cup rights were often sold for nominal sums to maximise coverage in developing nations, and provide football bodies with extra revenue from reselling rights to broadcasters.
alleged bribery
Warner was expected to raise money for his home Caribbean region, which he led for more than two decades until resigning all his duties last June to avoid a FIFA investigation into alleged election bribery.
FIFA said Warner detailed a television deal involving "his private company JDNG and Kirch Media" at executive committee meetings in late 2001. German media giant Kirch had acquired World Cup rights months earlier after FIFA's former marketing partner, ISL, collapsed into bankruptcy.
"Jack Warner explained that he then resold the rights to the Caribbean Football Union, subsequently ploughing the money back into football development in the Caribbean area," FIFA said in an extract of meeting minutes released in yesterday's statement.
Warner continued to control Caribbean World Cup television deals beyond 1998, and held the 2014 rights until his resignation.
In October, FIFA revealed it had sold rights "across the Caribbean" for 2014 to broadcaster IMC after it terminated the long-standing agreement with Warner.
Warner made his claims last month, days after FIFA paid for Caribbean football leaders to attend a summit in Zurich aimed at rebuilding the CFU's reputation and structures after the turmoil caused by the bribery scandal.
After years of backing Blatter, Warner had switched sides ahead of last June's presidential election to support challenger Mohamed bin Hammam.
The two invited Caribbean voters to a May meeting in Warner's native Trinidad where delegates were offered US$40,000 cash in brown envelopes.
Whistleblowers alerted FIFA to the conspiracy, and bin Hammam and Warner were provisionally suspended three days before the vote, allowing Blatter to win unchallenged.
Bin Hammam is challenging his life ban imposed by FIFA in a proceeding at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The scandal also revealed the CFU's financial problems, despite years of apparently benefiting from Warner's World Cup TV deals.
A presidential election conference to replace him last November was postponed because the CFU could not afford to stage the event in Jamaica.
AP
US economy creates 200,000 jobs in December
The US economy created 200,000 jobs in December, marking the sixth month in a row of gains, official figures show.
The rise was much more than expected. Analysts had forecast an increase of about 150,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate dropped to 8.5%, which was the lowest level in nearly three years, from a revised 8.7% in November, the Labor Department said.
Large job gains were seen in retail, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing and healthcare.
For 2011 as a whole, some 1.6 million jobs were created, which was the highest since 2006, led by rises in the private sector.
Employment in the private sector rose by 212,000 in December and by 1.9 million over the year.
'Showboating'
Government employment was little changed in December but was down by 280,000 over the year.
The unemployment rate had remained stubbornly high at about 9% for several years, peaking at 10.1% in October 2009. But December marked the fourth month in a row that it had fallen, after routine updates were made to previous months' data at the end of the year.
However, November's figure was revised up slightly from 8.6% to 8.7%.
The euro, which has fallen sharply against the dollar in recent days, continued its decline after the better-than-expected jobs report.
On Friday the euro fell under $1.27 for the first time since September 2010.
However, the jobs report failed to bolster Wall Street, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 indexes closing lower on continuing worries about the eurozone debt crisis.
But the fall in the unemployment rate will come as a welcome boost to President Obama who is bidding for re-election this year.
He said the report showed that the US economy was "moving in the right direction. We are creating jobs".
Marcus Bullus, trading director at MB Capital, said the data would "cheer everyone bar Republican spin doctors".
"The Obama administration could be forgiven for showboating over this convincing evidence that America's economy is pulling away from Europe's," he said.
But he added: "From a market perspective, strong US data like this will add to optimism, but nobody doubts the considerable downward pressure the eurozone will continue to place on the global marketplace during 2012."
Some 28,000 jobs were created in retail in December, 23,000 in manufacturing, and 23,000 in healthcare.
The transportation and warehousing sector was boosted by a rise of 42,000 jobs in the couriers and messengers industry, although the Labor Department said that seasonal hiring had been particularly strong.
"At first glance, [it] looks like the trend is going in the right direction. The number might be suspect, but if we get a second month of hiring like this, that will suggest a stronger trend," said Frank Davis, director of sales and trading at LEK Securities in New York.
"But there's still a long way to go until the labour market is strong, and there's still a lot that could happen with Europe."