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THIS WEEKS NEWS SUMMARY
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HEROES WELCOME FOR OLYMPIANS– 10/15/2004

Jamaica’s Olympic and Para-olympic athletes returned to the island on Thursday amidst cheers from their adoring public. They were greeted by hundreds of exuberant Jamaicans at the Norman Manley Airport. Many also lined the streets of Kingston and St Andrew to welcome the athletes’ home.

JAMAICAN GOV’T TO BUILD 540 HOUSES – 10/15/2004

The Jamaican Government will be constructing 540 housing units for the relocation of people from flood-prone areas as a result of Hurricane Ivan. The total cost of the project is $112.7 million. Publicly-owned lands have been identified in Old Harbour Bay, St Catherine and Brighton/Little Bay/Salmon Point in Westmoreland for the relocation of people. The Government is in the process of identifying land in Portland and Clarendon to relocate residents in those parishes that were affected by flooding.

MUSGRAVE AWARDEES HONORED – 10/15/2004

On Wednesday, Roxanne Daley, a 27-year-old woman who has overcome the debilitating challenges of being born with Downs Syndrome, was presented with the 4th annual Musgrave Youth Medal for her contribution to the creative arts through dance. She was one of 13 Musgrave awardees honored at a ceremony outside the Institute of Jamaica, in downtown Kingston. The other awardees were bronze medalists Diane Brown (children’s literature), Basil Dawkins (drama), Keith Goldson (horticulture) and Calvin Mitchell (drumming). Silver medalists were Anthony Winkler (literature), Franklyn ‘Chappy’ St. Juste (cinematic art), the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society (environmental protection), the Montego Bay Marine Park (environmental protection), Valerie Facey (heritage preservation and publishing) and Dr. Kwame Davis (literature).

JNBS PARTNERS WITH USAIS FOR HURRICANE ASSISTANCE – 10/15/2004

Yesterday Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) announced that it is partnering with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide a special grant/loan program to benefit communities in four parishes (St. Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth) hard hit by Hurricane Ivan. JNBS will be making $13.7 million available in small loans while USAID will provide $9.1 million in grants for those who cannot afford to repay loans.

NO BUILDING APPROVALS – 10/14/2004

Kingston Mayor Desmond McKenzie said on Tuesday that the Building Committee of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) will not be approving applications to rebuild homes destroyed by hurricane Ivan on Caribbean Terrace. Residents have responded by asking what alternative plan the KSAC is proposing.

GUN BATTLE DOWNTOWN – 10/14/2004

A fierce gun battle between rival gangs from Tivoli Gardens and Matthews Lane brought commercial activities in the busy market area of Heywood Street, West Kingston to a halt yesterday morning. At least five persons were shot and injured.

NATION HONOURS THREE WITH OJs – 10/14/2004

The Order of Jamaica (OJ), the country’s fourth highest honor will be presented to Chris Blackwell, Professor Kenneth Hall and Shirley Miller, at the national honors and awards ceremony on National Heroes Day, Monday, October 18 at King’s House. They will be awarded for their outstanding contribution to nation building.

GOVT. RAISES EURO 150 MILLION – 10/13/2004

The finance ministry announced yesterday that the Jamaican Government raised euro150 (US$184 million) on the European market, completing its foreign borrowing for the current fiscal year. The bond carries a 10-year maturity and carries a rate of 10.5 per cent.

JAMAICAN ECONOMY GROWS 2.7% – 10/13/2004

Data just released by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica show that the Jamaican economy grew by 2.7 per cent on a comparative basis, for the quarter to June 30, 2004, despite slipping on a sequential quarter basis.

HOUSING GRANTS ANNOUNCED – 10/13/2004

The government announced that housing grants to persons whose homes were affected by Hurricane Ivan just over a month ago will range from $5,000 to $20,000. The grants are at three levels – $20,000 for totally destroyed houses, $7,500 – $10,000 for severely damaged houses and $5,000 for other damage.

SPANISH HOTEL FOR ROSE HALL – 10/13/2004

Construction of a US$100 million hotel in Rose Hall, Montego Bay by Iberostar, a Spanish hotel chain that operates properties in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, United States, Greece and Turkey, will begin later this year. The hotel will be the first for Iberostar in the English-speaking Caribbean, and follows the investment in Jamaica by another major Spanish chain, Riu, which now operates two hotels in Negril.

670 TO LOSE JOBS – 10/13/2004

The Jamaican garment industry continues to decline as it was announced that 670 workers will lose their jobs in 3 weeks when the Hart Group of Companies halts operations at its remaining garment factory in the Montego Bay Free Zone. The factory is a cut, make and trim operation that makes 52,000 dozens Hanes T-shirts weekly for the US firm Sara Lee. The inability to compete with garment manufacturing companies in the Far East is one of the main factors for the decline in the industry.

SANDALS LIFTS SAME-SEX BAN – 10/13/2004

In a statement released yesterday, the Sandals hotel chain, which since 2001 has enforced a ban on same-sex couples, said the company has decided to remove the word ‘heterosexual’ from all its advertising. Sandals said the decision to remove the word heterosexual from its advertising, is in direct response to emerging commercial and social laws in some jurisdictions that now interpret what was traditionally regarded as niche marketing, to be a modern-day form of discrimination.

UDC TO FIX DAMAGED SCHOOLS – 10/13/2004

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has assumed responsibility for the rehabilitation and repair of 59 secondary and tertiary institutions in seven parishes which sustained damage caused by Hurricane Ivan more than four weeks ago.

HERB MCKENLEY LEADS AGAIN – 10/13/2004

Jamaican Track and Field legend Herb McKenley will be presented with the Order of Merit (OM), Jamaica’s third highest honor, on National Heroes Day, October 18th 2004. He heads the list of 100 Jamaicans who will be officially recognized at the national honors and awards ceremony at King’s House.

US$100 M RELIEF FOR CARIBBEAN – 10/12/2004

One Hundred Million U.S. dollars has been earmarked by the US Congress for hurricane relief for the Caribbean. The disaster bill sent to President George Bush to be signed.

LUCEA WATER SUPPLY PROJECT COMPLETED – 10/12/2004

The Jamaican Government has reported that the 39 million Euro Great River to Lucea Water Supply project in Hanover was completed on time and within budget. The announcement was made by Minister of Water and Housing, Donald Buchanan, at a press briefing held at the Great River water treatment facility to mark the completion of the main project,

PM LIFTS STATE OF EMERGENCY – 10/11/2004

The public State of Emergency announced by Prime Minister P. J. Patterson on the eve of Hurricane Ivan has been lifted, effective October 09.

SCHOOLS ISLANDWIDE ARE BACK IN OPERATION – 10/11/2004

The Jamaican Government has reported that it has been successful in avoiding the relocation of students of schools that were severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan a month ago. They reported that as of Monday, October 4 the entire island’s schools were back in operation.

JAMPRO WINS BEST INVESTMENT AGENCY – 10/09/2004

The award of “World’s Best Trade promotion organization for the year 2003/04”, in the small country category, was bestowed on to Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro). The agency received the award at the 5th World Conference on World Trade held in Malta last weekend.

HURRICANE PLEDGES AT $900 M – 10/08/2004

The Office of National Reconstruction (ONR) revealed this week that they have gotten pledges amounting to $900 million for the National Hurricane Relief Fund. Less than a quarter of the pledge has actually materialized to this date.

RULING OVERTURNED BY UK PRIVY COUNCIL OVERTURNS

This week the United Kingdom Privy Council handed down a ruling in favor of 44-year-old Jamaican lithographic printer Clinton Bernard who was shot and wounded in the head in 1990 by an off-duty police officer at a telephone booth. The Privy Council, in setting aside the Court of Appeal’s ruling of November 9, 2001, ruled that the Government was liable to pay damages for the actions of the policeman. In doing so, the British law lords restored the Supreme Court judgement which was handed down by Justice Zaila McCalla in 2000, awarding Bernard $2.5 million with interest.

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SPORTS
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Euell cleared by FIFA – 10/13/2004

FIFA has cleared Charlton Athletic striker Jason Euell to represent the “Reggae Boyz “ in the World Cup qualifiers. He clearance came a day before Jamaica played El Salvador in a Qualifier.

El Salvador hold Boyz to 0-0 draw – 10/13/2004

Host Jamaica (1-1-3, 6 Points) were held to a scoreless draw at the National Stadium in Kingston last night in their crucial CONCACAF World Cup semifinal Zone A game against El Salvador. The result places the Reggae Boyz in second place on six points, five less than the United States, and one ahead of Panama. El Salvador are still at the bottom with four points but kept their hopes alive by sharing points with the Boyz. Jamaica were clearly the better side last night and constantly pressured El Salvador’s defenders but they just could not find the target when it mattered most. El Salvador, Jamaica and Panama are now in a battle for the second and and last Group A berth

This week’s ISSA Pepsi/Sports Plus Manning Cup Scores

Scores: Excelsior High 1 St. Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) 1, Jamaica College 3 Edith Dalton-James 1, Norman Manley 4 Cumberland 0, Spanish Town 4 Tivoli 2, Bridgeport 1 Campion 1, Mona 2 Ardenne 1, Donald Quarrie 3 Vauxhall 1, Denham Town 3 Tarrant 1, Clan Carthy 1 Inswood 0.