Jamaican News & Announcements
JAMAICA NEWSWEEKLY For the week ending June 22nd, 2012
Published Jun 22, 2012----------------------------------------
THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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MCNEILL SUGGESTS COUDRAY-GREAVES KNOWN BY ATTACKERS—06/16/12
Dr. Wykeham McNeill, Jamaican Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, believes that the Jamaica Constabulary Force will soon make an arrest in the case of the disappearance of Michelle Coudray-Greaves. From his knowledge of the investigation thus far, he believes that the attackers knew Coudray-Greaves, whose body is believed to have been found in a field on the outskirts of Montego Bay. He also said Jamaica must reach out to the family of Ms. Coudray to assure them that everything possible is being done to bring the criminals to justice.
PNP REPORTS GETTING $1 MILLION FROM SWINDLER SMITH—06/17/12
According to leaders of the People's National Party (PNP, the governing party received $1 million from David Smith, a swindler who defrauded thousands of people in the Caribbean region and the United States. However, the PNP does not believe it has to refund the money, which was spent during the 2007 national election campaign. Party chairman Robert Pickersgill said the leaders of the PNP do not believe they should pay back the money to help some 6,000 investors recoup losses associated with Smith's Olint investment club, since Olint was operating as a going concern when it received the money.
JUSTICE MINISTER CALLS FOR BUSINESS SECTOR TO BE PRO-INVESTMENT—06/18/12
Senator Mark Golding, Jamaica's Justice Minister, is asking business owners to enhance their investment in Jamaica. He believes this is necessary to ensure the country enjoys sustainable growth during the next 50 years. Golding says that, since international investors are backing off, Jamaica needs its own business leaders to take a more aggressive pro-investment position. He wants business owners to take a chance on Jamaica's future and help the government, which is limited in the amount of investment it can provide.
AGRICULTURE MINISTRY WANTS TO EXPAND PRODUCTION OF GINGER, TURMERIC—06/19/12
Both private and public stakeholders in Jamaica's agriculture and food-production sectors are involved in actions designed to increase the production of Jamaica's unique foods and their place in the global market. The latest plan is a project totaling $42 million to increase the output of ginger and turmeric. This project is led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries through the Export Division. Roger Clarke, Portfolio Minister, stated that the project represents the fulfillment of a promise made at the beginning of 2012 to find and earmark about 510 additional acres of land for the cultivation and production of the spices.
IMF DIRECTORS DISAGREE ON JAMAICAN AUSTERITY—06/20/12
While Jamaica's Finance Minister told Parliament that there were no pre-conditions to be met before receiving a new loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the nation's new "creditor's budget" is designed to satisfy the IMF following problems with the previous loan agreement. The IMF praised the budget cuts made by Jamaica, but not all of its 24 executive directors were supportive of a balanced pace of adjustment to protect the country's fragile economic recovery and social environment. More than 25 percent of the Executive Board warned against "front-loaded" fiscal austerity.
POLICE STATION IN FALMOUTH TO OPEN IN SEPTEMBER 2012—06/21/12
The Falmouth Police Station is in the final stages of construction, and officials say it is on schedule to open in late September 2012. The project is under the oversight of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC). It is funded by the PetroCaribe Fund. Shardon Haye, director of quantity surveying at the UDC's office in Falmouth, said the members of the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) engineering unit are working hard to complete the project within its time constraints.
GRADE SIX ACHIEVEMENT TEST RESULTS ANNOUNCED—06/21/12
Officials at some schools in the Corporate Area have expressed concerns about the social and emotional well being of students placed in non-traditional high schools after seeing the results of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GST). Karen Siyanbola, principal of Sts. Peter and Paul Preparatory School in St. Andrew, said that despite the excellent test results, she was surprised that some students were being sent to Kingston Technical High, Tarrant High, Pembroke Hall High, and Dunoon Technical High. These schools are all outside of the students' geographical area. She said parents are not concerned about the academic standards of those schools, but about the social environment, which is very different from the children's experience.
SIMPSON MILLER PAYS VISIT TO NEW EMBASSY IN BRASILIA—06/22/12
Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaica's Prime Minister, is meeting with personnel at the new Jamaican embassy in Brazil's capital city, Brasilia, before heading to Rio de Janeiro for the Rio+20 Summit. The embassy was established in May 2012 and is headed by Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe. Its official opening date has not yet been announced. The new embassy represents part of Jamaica's plans to strengthen relations in the region in general and with Brazil in particular, since it is an emerging economy and the second largest producer of ethanol in the world.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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LEGAL ACTION TAKEN BY JAMAICANS AGAINST FORMER EMPLOYER—06/16/12
Four Jamaican workers who traveled to Bermuda for work have brought their former employer to court. Melton Anglin, Dennis Knott, Owen Reid, and Albert Rickets have charged Germaine Burt, the owner of Burt's Top Grade Contracting (BTG) with violating their civil rights, gross mistreatment, and breach of several sections of the Employee Act and Human Rights Act. Their attorneys say that this case is one of the worst involving employer mistreatment of foreign workers that they've seen in Bermuda.
NEW U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY TO BENEFIT MANY JAMAICANS—06/17/12
There may be 100,000 Jamaicans in the United States that will benefit from a new immigration policy announced by U.S. President Barack Obama. The new policy will stop the U.S. from deporting undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country before the age of 16 and who are currently under 30 years of age. According to Patrick Beckford, chairman of the Jamaica Diaspora US North East Region, the new policy, which goes into effect right away, is long overdue.
JAMAICAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S. FAVORS CCJ—06/18/12
Jamaica's new Ambassador to the United States believes that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) should replace the Privy Council as the court of last resort on the island. Professor Stephen Vasciannie does not think that Jamaica should have its own final appellate court, however, calling the idea "unworkable." Vasciannie will take on his new role in Washington, D.C. at the beginning of August 2012.
SIMPSON MILLER CITES IMPORTANCE OF DIASPORA—06/19/12
Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller made a point of emphasizing that Jamaicans who live overseas are as important to the development of their home country has those who live on the island. Simpson Miller's message to the Jamaica Diaspora North East United States conference in Boston were delivered by Herman LaMont, Jamaica's Consul-General to New York.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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ALTERNATIVES TO GAS PIPELINE CONSIDERED IN PUERTO RICO—06/16/12
CUBA MOVES TOWARD CAPITALISM WITH ADVERTISING—06/17/12
MARIJUANA FOUND IN JAMAICAN ORANGE SHIPMENT—06/18/12
FIVE BASKETBALL PLAYERS FROM CUBA MISSING IN PUERTO RICO—06/19/12
BUS OVERTURNS IN HAITIAN RIVER—06/20/12
HAITIAN DANCE GROUP KEEPS CULTURE ALIVE—06/21/12
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BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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HIGH COSTS TO ARISE FROM COMPLIANCE WITH NEW U.S. BANKING LAW—06/16/12
Chris Larkin, senior manager with Ernst & Young, reported that United States authorities estimated the cost of bringing entities into compliance with a new U.S. banking law could total US$30 million for each financial institution. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is designed to impose taxes on Americans regardless of where they live. According to Larkin, the costs relate to getting systems up to speed and educating internal staff. Much of the cost goes toward due diligence as well. All local Jamaican financial institutions will be affected by FATCA.
MCNEILL BELIEVES AIR JAMAICA/CAL WILL SUCCEED—06/17/12
Dr. Wykeham McNeill, Jamaican Tourism Minister, believes that Air Jamaica/Caribbean Airliners Ltd. (CAL) will be successful following the takeover. He is hopeful that the airline will grow in the near future. When CAL took over Air Jamaica, it doubled its passenger numbers right away and became the dominant carrier in the Caribbean region. While some routes have been eliminated, the actions were taken for economic reasons, and that improvements are expected for the future of the airline. McNeill says the government wants the carrier to succeed.
CARIBBEAN GOVERNMENTS MUST USE HOLISTIC APPROACH TO TOURISM—06/18/12
Attendees at the Caribbean Tourism Summit held in Montego Bay paid much attention to tourism and taxes. A debate focused on whether increasing taxes on visitors and tourist travel would make the region less attractive and competitive in the marketplace and how to balance the interests of governments and the tourist industry. In particular, industry representative were concerned about raising taxes at a time when the region struggles to its economies.
JAMAICA MAKES EFFORT TO BE BUSINESS-FRIENDLY—06/19/12
According to Jamaica's Information Minister Sandrea Falconer, the nation's budget for the coming year is not exactly what the government wanted for its citizens and that imposing more taxes is not enough to fix the economy. There are several structural issues that must be addressed if the economy is to represent an environment that is friendly to business interests. "Every effort" to create such an environment is being made, said Falconer, including efforts to address high energy costs, high crime rates, and too much bureaucracy.
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CARIBBEAN TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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JAMAICANS RUSH TO CAPITALIZE ON NEW MOBILE RATES—06/16/12
FACEBOOK FAVORED BY JAMAICAN YOUTH—06/17/12
UNMANNED DRONES SCAN CARIBBEAN FOR DRUG SUBS, SPEEDBOATS—06/20/12
DIGICEL, UTILITIES REGULATORS TO MEET IN COURT—06/21/12
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ENTERTAINMENT
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TOURISM MINISTER HIGHLIGHTS JAMAICA 50 PLANS—06/16/12
Dr. Wykeham McNeill, Jamaica's Minister of Tourism, discussed some celebrations scheduled for locations around the world in honor of the 50th anniversary of the nation's independence. The Caribbean Tourism Summit & Outlook Seminar Activities will feature "Respect Jamaica 50" during the two-week event to be held in various locations worldwide from July 25 to August 6, 2012, including Canada, New York, and London.
JUBILEE SONG RECORDED—06/17/12
Ten Jamaican musicians collaborated on a new single written and recorded in honor of the nation's 50th anniversary of independence. The song, "Mission 50," was created by Shaggy, and it celebrates Jamaican athletes who will represent the homeland in the 2012 Olympics as well. Robert Bryan, project director of the Jamaica 50 Secretariat, approached Shaggy with the idea of writing such a song. Artistes on the track include Beres Hammond, Tarrus Riley, Assassin, Tifa, and others.
JAMAICAN DEEJAY APPEARS IN MINNESOTA COURT—06/20/12
Jamaican Glendale Goshia Gordon, who is known as Busy Signal in his career as a popular deejay, made his first appearance in a Minnesota court after his arrest in May for traveling with false documents. Gordon was detained by authorities in Minneapolis in 2002 and charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He then fled to Jamaica before his trial. Gordon has since waived extradition and was re-arrested in Kingston. He is best known for his dancehall tracks, including "Step Out."
GOLDEN JUBILEE HONORED BY MISS JAMAICA FLORIDA PAGEANT—06/21/12
Jamaica's 50th anniversary of independence will be celebrated at the 23rd anniversary of the Miss Jamaica Florida Pageant scheduled for June 24, 2012, in Coral Springs. Contestants range in age from five to 21, and they will compete in four age categories. The pageant will feature songs, dancing, and drama. A tribute will also be paid to the memory of Anthony Bernard Baker, the founder of the pageant, during the event.
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SPORTS
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BLAKE WINS 100-METER RACE IN EDMONTON—06/16/12
Jamaica's Yohan Blake won the men's 100 meters at the Donovan Bailey Invitational in Edmonton, Canada, with a time of 10.05 seconds. Sheri-Ann Brooks of Jamaica won the women's sprint double at the meet, clocking 22.92 seconds for the 200 meters.
SENIOR NETBALL TEAM VICTORIOUS OVER SOUTH AFRICA—06/17/12
The senior netball team of Jamaica beat South Africa with a score of 63 over 48 in the first game of the Supreme Ventures Sunshine Series. The Jamaican team dominated in all the game quarters. While South Africa won the opening center pass, the team lost the ball through interception by the Jamaicans. Ultimately, the Sunshine Girls, led by Captain Nadine Bryan, hit their stride and achieved the victory.
FIFTH PLACE FOR JAMAICA AT CENTROBASKET CHAMPIONSHIPS—06/18/12
Jamaican women achieved fifth place at the 18th Women's Centrobasket Championships, which were held in Morovis, Puerto Rico. The team was coached to its strong finish by Simone Edwards. Tanta Gordon totaled 17 points for most points in the game against the U.S. Virgin Islands, which secured her team's ranking. Shenneika Smith and Angelee Latouche scored 13 points each.
MOU SIGNED BY JCA AND G.C. FOSTER—06/21/12
A four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) and G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport. The partnership between the two organizations is meant to encourage the development of the sport of cricket, according to Lyndel Wright, president of the JCA. The organizations will provide support via academic programs, short-term technical courses, research on the preparation and maintenance of pitches, and the prevention of injuries.
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DEVOTIONAL
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Dealing With Doubt
Have you ever had to wrestle with doubt? Those times when you silently question the spiritual truths you believe? Times when you wonder if the Bible is true and God is loving, fair, and omnipotent, then why are things still so hard in your life and the lives of others around you? "Why am I still sick?" "Why am I still unemployed?"
While most Christians would consider it blasphemous to voice these thoughts, the reality is that some people struggle with these and similar questions in the privacy of their own minds. Some of these people are seated in the church pews every Sunday. In some ways they are like the man who brought his son, who had a "dumb spirit" whom Jesus' disciples could not cast out, but when the father stood before Jesus he asked of Him, "If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us" (Mark 9:22b, KJV). The narrative continues, "Jesus said, 'If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen.' No sooner were the words out of His mouth than the father cried, 'Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!'" (vv. 23-24, The Message).
The fact that Jesus' disciples had failed caused the father to question Jesus' ability. However, Jesus turned the situation around by reminding the man that the issue was not His [God's] ability, but rather the lack of faith on the part of the one asking. In other words, with God all things are possible but do we have the faith to believe that? It is important to understand that belief is not a matter of mental assent or agreement, but rather a conviction in one's heart. Someone once said, "Until you believe the truth in your heart, all you have is information." Yes, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent; nothing is impossible with Him, but is that truth in our heads or has it taken root in our hearts?
What we believe in our hearts will manifest itself in our thoughts, actions, and attitudes. The next time you find yourself doubting and worrying, ask yourself what is it that you truly believe. God is not intimidated by shaky faith and He can handle doubts, for He knows our frame and remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:14). We want to believe, we say we believe, but doubt saps the life out of our faith. However, God's abilities do not wane because we have trouble believing. He is who He say He is. Once we move that truth from our heads to our hearts, we have it on good authority that nothing in accordance with the will of God will be impossible to us. Still not sure? Just ask Jesus. You can trust whatever He tells you.
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The weekly news is compilation of new articles from top Caribbean and Jamaican news sources.
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