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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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POLICE INVESTIGATE CACHE OF GUNS AND AMMUNITION—02/06/10
Jamaican police continue their investigation of a huge gun and ammunition find in east St. Andres. Owen Ellington, Acting Commissioner, has threatened strong action against police force members who may be involved in the suspected theft of arms and ammo from the police armory. A sergeant of the force has already been arrested, although there is no confirmation yet of the fact that the 19 guns and 11,000 rounds of ammo found were part of the armory theft.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN MURDERED ALONG GANG BORDERLINE—02/07/10
According to Delroy Hewitt, Superintendent of Police for the St. Andrew South Division, says that violence and bloodshed often occurs along the boundary separating two gangs or two groups with opposing politics. Hewitt says that borderline is a “demilitarized ” zone that no one from either side should cross. While the border violence tends to be rooted in political differences, gang warfare has had a disastrous effect on innocent people living in these areas.

GOLDING ASKS FOR AUDIT OF HAITI RELIEF MONIES—02/08/10
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding is calling for an audit of all the funds collected in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations. Golding believes the audit should begin immediately to discover the total amount collected, how much has been spent to date, and how much remains.

JAMAICAN PRISON RIOT INJURES INMATES AND GUARDS—02/09/10
A riot that began over water supplies and new rules on contraband resulted in injuries to 36 prisoners and nine prison staff members. Riot police, correctional officers, and soldiers used tear gas and batons to stop the riot at the adult maximum security prison in Kingston. Prisoners were reacting to new rules designed to stop the flow of cell phones and drugs into the prison, said Dwight Nelson, National Security Minister.

SPENCER MAKES APPEAL TO JAMAICA WOMEN TO USE CONDOMS—02/09/10
Rudyard Spencer, Jamaica’s Minister of Health, has asked Jamaican women to be tested for HIV and to take more responsibility for the use of condoms. Spencer made his appeal during Jamaica’s Safer Sex Week, saying it is urgent that women purchase, carry, and use condoms correctly and consistently.

BANKS ASSURE CUSTOMERS OF THEIR SAFETY—02/10/10
Jamaican banks want to reassure their account holders and users of banking services that savings and investment accounts are safe. Customers will be able to access their money and bank services in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane. Jamaica’s central bank also has policies in place to protect banking information and the physical bank buildings.

TANZANIA LEARNS LAND MANAGEMENT TIPS FROM JAMAICA—02/11/10
A tour of the Jamaican National Land Agency was conducted to give International Land Systems Inc. of Tanzania an idea of its modern and integrated land registry and cadastre system. The tour is part of a contract with an ILS World Bank to perform a needs assessment for a land title registry under the bank’s private sector competitiveness project. The delegation from Tanzania was led by Patrick Rutabanzibwa, permanent secretary of Tanzania.

GOLDING ASKS WHY PUBLIC DEFENDER LOCKED OUT OF HORIZON—02/12/10
Bruce Golding, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, has demanded answers from prison officials who had barred investigators from the Public Defender’s office from entering the Horizon Remand Center. Unless justification for the action can be provided, the Prime Minister will take appropriate actions, said Karl Samuda, Minister of Industry and Commerce.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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CHINA’S PRESIDENT CONFIDENT IN JAMAICAN ECONOMY—02/06/10
The President of China, Hu Jintao, has said he is confident that the government of Jamaica is committed to developing the nation’s economy and improving life for all Jamaicans. The president expressed his confidence to Bruce Golding, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, who was on a visit to Beijing.

JAMAICAN ARRESTED IN COLD CASE—02/10/10
Patrick Anthony Brown, 36, a Jamaican originally from Mattapan, was charged with the stabbing death of Zandera Sullivan, 21, in May 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts. Brown was arrested in Belize by United States and local authorities and is being held without bail. Investigators say he used fake passports to elude them over the years, going by the alias of Derrick Mollay. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Brown’s capture should act as a warning to other criminals that no matter how much time has passed, his police force will hunt them down and get justice for victims.

ARTS CENTER IN BROOKLYN TO HONOR NETTLEFORD—02/11/10
The Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College in New York plans to dedicate two performances in March 2010 to the memory of Rex Nettleford, who died February 2, 2010. Performances by the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica on March 6 and 7 will honor Nettleford, who was the company’s founding artistic director.

JAMAICAN SENTENCED TO 24 MONTHS IN BARBADOS JAIL FOR DRUGS—02/12/10
Michael Francis, a Jamaican man who admitted smuggling marijuana into Barbados, has received a 24-month jail sentence. Francis swallowed 64 marijuana pellets in his smuggling attempt. He pleaded guilty to possession, trafficking with intent to supply, and importing the drug. The presence of the pellets was confirmed with a hospital x-ray after Francis admitted swallowing them.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY
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WITNESS IN MURDER CASE KILLED IN NEW YORK—02/06/10
Sean Quamina of Trinidad & Tobago, a state’s witness living under a new identity in the United States, was gunned down in his New York apartment. His wife and child escaped harm. Quamina, an admitted thief, helped to convict Garvin “Beam” Sookram and Keron “Bellies” Lopez in 2009. Detectives in New York believe they know who killed Quamina. Quamina, 26, had been protected for five years by the police and was kept at a safe house.

GUYANA PROVIDES MOST DONATIONS TO HAITI—02/08/10

Guyana is the most generous nation in terms of aid provided to Haiti after the earthquake. According to ReliefWeb, a website run by the United Nations to provide information to humanitarian organizations, Guyana was the top country for donations as a percentage of its GDP. Each person in Guyana donated US$1.31 to Haiti on the average. The Red Cross in Guyana announced donations of over US$1.4 million to Haiti.

VENEZUELANS PRAY TO RESOLVE POWER CRISIS—02/09/10
Electricity workers in Venezuela are asking for help from God to address the country’s power crisis, which has resulted from the failure of power rationing and lack of rains. The state oil company Edelca has scheduled an hour-long prayer meeting for all its employees called “Clamor to God for the National Electricity Sector.” The power crisis stems for low water levels due to drought at the Guri Reservoir and hydroelectric complex that provide almost 50 percent of the country’s power.

ANDERSON APPOINTED JUDGE TO CARIBBEAN COURT—02/10/10
Charles Anderson, a Jamaican professor, has been appointed a judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice, which is based in Trinidad. Anderson will replace Duke Pollard who will retire in June 2010. Anderson lives in Barbados, has a degree in law from the University of the West Indies and a Doctorate in Philosophy in international and environmental law from the University of Cambridge.

AIR JAMAICA WORKERS PROTEST SALE OF AIRLINE TO T&T—02/11/10
Many workers and informal commercial importers of Air Jamaica protested the planned sale of the airline to Trinidad & Tobago. The workers believe this protest will be the first of several designed to show their opposition with the Government’s decision to make the sale. Khurt Fletcher, chief delegate and reservation officer of Air Jamaica, hoes the Government will listen to the protestors and recognized the need to take all stakeholders seriously before making any final decisions about the airline.

U.S. CONSIDERS FEDERAL PROTECTION FOR CORAL—02/12/10
The Obama Administration in the United States is considering federal protection for 82 species of coral endangered by warming water temperatures in the Caribbean. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, significant scientific information indicates that these corals, which are found near Florida and other U.S. territories, may be threatened by warming waters, increased acidity in the ocean, and pollution.
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SPORTS
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GAYLE NOTES “GREAT START” IN AUSTRALIA—02/06/10
West Indies Captain Chris Gayle says his team’s decisive victory over the Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval, was a perfect start of their one-day tour and was a good sign for its coming series against Australia. The West Indies finished a 90-run over the opposition. “This is what we wanted,” said Gayle.

SHEREE FRANCIS BREAKS HIGH JUMP RECORD—02/07/10
Sheree Francis, former student at Vere Technical High School, has broken the national record for the women’s high jump at the Youngster Goldsmith Hurdles and Field Events Classic. She made a comeback after several years of injuries caused her to leave track and field competition. She credits her return to the support of her friends and family. She cleared the bar at 1.91 meters, breaking the 1.90-meter mark established by Dianne Guthrie of the United States in 1992.

KERR BELIEVES JAMAICA CAN WIN AT WINTER OLYMPICS—02/11/10
Errol Kerr, Jamaica’s one-man skiing team, is confident of victory at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Kerr is competing in the newest Olympic event, ski cross, to honor his Jamaican father who died when Kerr was 14. “I plan to win,” he says. He also believes he will be instrumental in making Jamaica a recognized force in Alpine skiing.

REGGAE BOYZ HAILED BY BURRELL—02/12/10
Jamaica Football Federation president Captain Horace Burrell congratulated the Reggae Boyz after their performance at the competition for the Copa Loteria de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Burrell also issued  warning that he will ask his technical committee to remove some players he believes are not performing well, however. The Boyz are ranked 78 globally and led the Argentina team 1-0 until the 86th minute.

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DEVOTIONAL
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Stir Up the Gift!

In his second letter to Timothy, the spiritual son he loved so much (2Tim. 1:1), the Apostle Paul, after commending him for his honest faith, felt it necessary to encourage Timothy in the use of the ministry that God had placed upon his life. We are not told what was going on with Timothy at the time but judging from the contents of what we know as the first chapter, it would appear that for whatever reason(s) he was reluctant to step into his God ordained ministry. Paul writes, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (vv.6-8).

It is not always easy to do the will of God.  Surrounded by values that conflict with our own, and in environments that are often hostile to God and the things of God, it is easy for the believer to be intimidated into silence.  We need look no further than how difficult it is to share one’s faith in the workplace, or to speak openly about God in public places. Our culture dictates that religious convictions are a “private matter” and the more we accept that as the norm, the more our light grows dim.  But as he reminded Timothy so Paul reminds us that amidst the challenges, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear.” As Bible Scholar Matthew Henry observes of this verse, “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, of courage and resolution, to meet difficulties and dangers; the spirit of love to him, which will carry us through opposition. And the spirit of a sound mind, quietness of mind. The Holy Spirit is not the author of a timid or cowardly disposition, or of slavish fears. We are likely to bear afflictions well, when we have strength and power from God to enable us to bear them.”

We cannot afford to hide our candle under a bushel, nor can we allow ourselves to be intimidated into not walking in the spiritual gifts that God has given us.  What is your gift or ministry?  I encourage you to “stir it up” and walk boldly in doing the things that God has called you to do.

CEW

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CREDITS/SOURCES
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The weekly news is compilation of new articles from top Caribbean and Jamaican news sources.