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THIS WEEKS NEWS SUMMARY
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1.9 M ARRIVALS AT SANGSTERS AIRPORT – 12/13/2004
MBJ Airports Limited the operators of Sangster International Airport in the Montego Bay say passenger arrivals at the airport totaled 1,928,827 for the period April to October this year, an increase of 7.9 per cent over the corresponding period last year. Director of marketing, Ken Campbell, said that the increase in arrivals was due to a combination of higher loads into Montego Bay spurred by events in the Middle East and Europe, and also the addition of three charter airlines from Europe during this year.

TPDCo LAUNCHES KNUTSFORD NIGHTS – 12/13/2004
Last Saturday the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), launched ‘Knutsford Nights’ a project aimed at fostering tourism in New Kingston, the heart of Jamaica’s business district. The goal of ‘Knutsford Nights’ is to establish sections of Knutsford Boulevard as a centre for high quality entertainment and cultural activities while fostering the development of tourism in the New Kingston area.
TPDCo is the product development agency of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism

TOLL INCREASE – 12/14/2004
This week toll road fees were increases as the second leg of Highway 2000, connecting Kingston to Sandy Bay, Clarendon, was officially opened. The new toll to be collected at the already operational Vineyards Toll Plaza in Bushy Park, St. Catherine, will be increased to $160, up from $50, for Class I vehicles including small motor cars.

UNITED AIRLINES TO BEGIN MOBAY FLIGHTS – 12/14/2004
United Airlines will launch flights to Jamaica on Saturday, the first of scheduled weekend runs into the Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay. General manager Blair Keetch said “For now, the airline will offer flights from its Chicago base on Saturdays and Sundays”. United Airlines is the, second largest airline in the world,

US TOLD TO RETHINK POSITION ON CUBA – 12/15/2004
At a meeting Monday with, Ambassador John Maisto, US permanent representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), Jamaican Foreign Minister K. D. Knight urged the United States of America to rethink its position on the Castro-led administration in Cuba. Minister Knight urged the Bush administration “not to increase the isolation of Cuba through the Helms-Burton Act”.

REVIEW OF SODOMY LAW – 12/15/2004
This week Information Minister Burchell Whiteman said that the sodomy laws were likely to come up for review in the future; suggesting however that years would pass before it happened and only if Jamaicans became more accepting of sexual diversity. The minister told the media “Jamaica is not ready for it. It may be ready for it in years to come but before any legislation process is embarked upon, there will have to be a much broader level of acceptance.”

GERMAN GOV’T DONATION TO HELP HURRICANE VICTIMS – 12/15/2004
The German Government donated building materials and supplies valued at about $4 million to the residents of Portland Cottage in Clarendon. The handing over ceremony took place in the community.

FRANCE HONOURS NETTLEFORD HONORED BY FRANCE – 12/15/2004
This week Professor Rex Nettleford, retired vice chancellor at the University of the West Indies (UWI), receive the French Decoration of Art and Letters (Arts Et Lettres) in recognition of his outstanding work in promoting the arts here in Jamaica and abroad.

NCE MEMBER ADVOCATES GAMBLING – 12/15/2004
This week Dr. Ralph Thompson, a member of the National Council on Education, said the introduction of casino gambling would be the answer to funding the $52 billion per year needed to transform the education system over the next ten years. Speaking at the Rotary Club of downtown Kingston weekly luncheon at the Hilton Hotel, New Kingston he said “The Government should stop pussyfooting around and introduce casino gambling,” and that “Its take of the revenue from casinos could be split 50/50 between tourism and education.”.

POSITIVE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK– 12/16/2004
This week at a presentation in the House of Representatives Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies said that overall, the prospects for the economy remained positive and that progress should continue for the rest of the fiscal year, albeit at a slower rate than originally projected due to the damage caused by Hurricane Ivan.

DEVELOP NEW OURLOOK TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS – 12/16/2004
Prime Minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur, has made a call for the creation of a Caribbean society in which stigma and discrimination against those infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS disease have been ‘dethroned’ and replaced by compassion and care.
He was speaking at the opening of the two-day meeting of the Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on December 14 at the Half Moon Hotel in St. James.

AIRSTRIP BOMBED IN OPERATION KINGFISH – 12/17/2004
This week Operation Kingfish, the counter narcotics task force, bombed an illegal airstrip in Greenwood, St James, with the help of the army. Police information officer, Sergeant Steve Brown, said the Greenwood strip was the first of several targeted in the bombing operation.

JDF GETS GO-FAST BOAT FROM US – 12/17/2004
This week the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard was given a refurbished 39-foot go-fast boat by the United States Government to help the island in its fight against the narcotics trade. The boat is equipped with radar, three powerful engines, siren, flashing blue lights and Global Positioning System (GPS).

DECLINE IN ROAD FATALITIES – 12/17/2004
The Gleaner: The National Road Safety Council reported this week that there has been a significant reduction in the number of road fatalities and motor vehicle accidents reported across the island over the last year. Up until December 16th 3002 at least 278 persons were killed in 312 motor vehicle accidents since January. For the subsequent period last year, the figures were 379 deaths from 339 fatal accidents.

US $265,000 FOR HURRICANE RECOVERY – 12/17/2004
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reached an agreement that will result in agricultural sector benefiting from US$265,000 in hurricane recovery assistance

GOV’T TARGETS ORGANIC PRODUCE – 12/17/2004
Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke announced this week that the Ministry of Agriculture has allocated $20 million to the development of the organic agriculture industry over the next three years. The goal is to tap into the international organic market, which is estimated to value some US$25 billion.

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SPORTS
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DISQUALIFICATION RESULTS IN CAMPBELL AWARDED INDOOR BRONZE
Following the disqualification of American gold medalist Michelle Collins for doping violations Jamaican former World Indoor champion Juliet Campbell is being promoted to the 200-metre bronze medal position at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor track and field championship,

DENBIGH WINS PREMIER CROWN
Denbigh won the ISSA All-Island School Girls Netball Senior Trophy after a 34-28 victory over Wolmer’s in the final at Brooks Park in Manchester this week

GLENMUIR WIN OLIVER SHIELD
Glenmuir defeating Excelsior 2-0 this week in the second leg of the Olivier Shield finals to claim the prestigious Olivier Shield.

BOYZ ADVANCE IN DIGICEL CUP – 12/20/2004
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz team defeated St Lucia 2-1 in the second leg of their quarter-final Digicel Caribbean tie at the National Stadium yesterday. The win gives Jamaica a 3-2 aggregate advantage after drawing the first leg 1-1 in St Lucia. Jamaica will now face French Guiana in a home-and-away series on January 9 and 16. Jamaica took the lead with just 40 seconds on the clock when a Luton Shelton cross found Roland Dean who had an easy task of tapping home the first goal. St. Lucia fought back and found the equaliser in the 23rd minute with a goal from Titus Elva. St Lucia continued to pressure Jamaica in the second half but in the 66 minute the Boyz went ahead courtesy of a curling 25-yard free-kick from Harbour View’s midfield maestro Jermaine Hue

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