------------------------------------------------
THIS WEEKS NEWS SUMMARY
------------------------------------------------
'MILLION-WOMAN MARCH' ON VIOLENT CRIME – 5/29/05
'Mother in Crisis' will march against the alarming rate of Jamaican violent crime in an August 1 Emancipation Day event promoted as the 'Million-Woman March'. Doreen Billings, founder of 'Mother in Crisis', is organizing the event for Jamaican women to take a united stand against violence on the island. Mrs. Billings hopes to attract Jamaican mothers and sisters from North America and across the globe in protest under the banner 'We have the Power'.
EYE ON JAMAICA – 5/30/05
US$8,000 in the form of clothing and recreational items is to be donated to the Winnifred Rest Home Shelter in Fairy Hill, Portland for the benefit of over 200 Haitian refugees. The gift of everything from boxer shorts to dominoes comes from the generosity of the Florida-based charity Eye of Jamaica. Ronald Thomas, chairman of the non-profit, stated that Eye of Jamaica will continue to make monthly contributions to help the Haitian refugee population as long as they remain in Jamaica.
OPERATION KINGFISH CHARGES 'ZEKES' IN MURDER – 5/31/05
Matthew’s Lane strongman Donald 'Zekes' Phipps has been charged in the April 15 double-murder of Rodney Farquharson and Deighton Williams. The suspected drug-related execution-style killings of the two men were discovered in an open lot on Rose Lane, West Kingston after having been set ablaze with rubber tires. Phipps appeared in court last week on charges for the unlawful possession of over $18 million. It was the second arrest for Phipps in the past seven months for the possession of millions of dollars for which he was unable to account.
OBESITY NUMBER ONE JA KILLER – 5/31/05
Obesity out ranks all other causes of death and poor health in Jamaica, a finding extended to the whole of the Caribbean, so says a study presented by Professor George Alleyne, Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and chairman of the Caribbean Commission of Health and Development to the Cabinet on Monday. Cancer, HIV/AIDS and violence were found to be the next leading causes of death.
MPS ACQUIESE TO PSOJ DECLARATION – 06/01/05
Members of Parliament are to make written declarations stating that they will not knowingly associate with criminals or accept their financial support in response to the PSOJ 2005 Declaration of Emancipation Park. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson’s agreement with the PSOJ on behalf of the 36 MPs was met with angry rebuke by some members of Parliament, saying that they should not be singled out as politicians. Richard Azan, MP for North West Clarendon, further criticized the PSOJ’s demands as hypocritical, pointing to widespread extortion paid by the private sector to criminal elements.
POLICE COMMISSIONER BLASTS JCF CORRUPTION – 6/02/05
Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) officers slain with bullets supplied to criminals by fellow officers — Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas spoke of such a possibility while addressing the 62nd annual conference of the Police Federation in Montego Bay, St. James on Wednesday. Blasting JCF officers for supplying criminals with bullets, sharing operational information and for drug trafficking, Commissioner Thomas said that there was corruption at the JCF at the highest ranks. Restoring the nation’s trust in the JCF will be a difficult process, the commissioner added, stating that he was in favor of a proposed oversight body to monitor police activity.
OVERSEAS CALLS TO JA BLOCKED – 6/02/05
U.S. and British telecom providers AT&T, MCI, Sprint and British Telecom were blocked from making calls to Jamaica on Tuesday after failing to comply with a levy against overseas calls made to the island. The three-year levy of U.S. two cents per minute (three U.S. cents per minute for cell phone calls) is expected to raise $1 billion to fund the e-Learning program to be implemented in schools this year. The Ministry of Commerce, Science and Technology announced that another major international provider is expected to enter the market to route U.S. and U.K. calls.
SPELLING BEE C-H-A-M-P – 6/03/05
Stacey-Ann Pearson proved herself to be a champ among champs at the 78th Scripps Howard Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. on Thursday. The Aredenne High School student spelled her way to a 15th place finish out of 273 competitors, making her the highest place JA wordsmith since Trudy McLeary placed third in 2003. Stacey-Ann correctly spelled C-O-L-O-P-H-O-N in Round Eight before, alas, stumbling on T-O-R-R-E-N-T-I-C-O-L-E.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SPORTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BOYS’ TOWN SUPER LEAGUE WIN – 5/30/05
Boys’ Town showed Bull Bay the way home in the Jamaica National Building Society/KSAFA Super League winning the title in a 6-4 overall score. The Red Brigade was awarded their first championship in 13 years after Boys’ Town’s Captain Fitzroy Anglin scored on a penalty shot.
SUCCESS, AT LAST – 5/30/05
Chris Gayle led his West Indies teammates to a win in the first Test match against Pakistan in the Digicel Series at Kensington Oval, Barbados on Sunday. Gayle took a five-wicket haul for 91 in the 276-run defeat of Pakistan, giving team captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul his first win in five Tests since assuming leadership in March. Play in the second and final Test against Pakistan will begin without fast bowler Fidel Edwards who is out due to injury.
LARA MAN OF THE YEAR – 6/02/05
West Indies batsman Brian Lara may not think he is deserving of the 2004 International Cricketer of the Year award — but the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) clearly disagreed in bestowing the award to the world record holder Tuesday night. The former West Indies captain, who scored a record 400 against England, suggested the honor should be awarded to a younger teammate. Lara scored 1,178 runs from 12 Test matches, beating out Christopher Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan to be named 'Test Cricketer of the Year'.
STREET COP TO NATIONAL COACH – 6/02/05
Police National Coach, Corporal Calvin Lewis, aspires to one day coach for the national football program. For now, however, the Police National’s 2004/2005 KSAFA Major League victory is a major success for the top cop-cum-coach who began his career as a volunteer coach of the Point Hill football team while serving as a police officer in rural St. Catherine. Police National defeated Meadhaven 4-2 in the finals to take the KSAFA Major League title.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CREDITS/SOURCES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The weekly news is compilation of new articles from top Caribbean and Jamaican news sources.