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THIS WEEK”S SUMMARY
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GOVERNMENT TO OPEN RESEARCH CENTER—10/23/10
Bruce Golding, Jamaican Prime Minister, will officially launch a new research center in St. Elizabeth. The National Irrigation Commission’s Hounselow Research Center and Demonstration Plot will help the Commission experiment with crops grown under different conditions. The center’s findings will provide data to aid farmers in understanding and mitigating growing problems.
GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS TO ATTRACT FOREIGN INVESTORS—10/24/10
Jamaica’s government plans to focus its attention on local direct investment (LDI) aimed at improving the nation’s foreign direct investment (FDI). The government believes that foreign investors want local investors to lead the way. According to Reginald Budhan, permanent secretary at the Minister of Industry and Commerce, FDI is critical to economic growth, since there is a lack of local savings.
CLINTON VISITS KINGSTON—10/25/10
Bill Clinton, former president of the United States, made a brief visit to Kingston as a guest speaker at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. Clinton will give an inspirational lecture on the common humanity. Clinton previously visited the island with his wife, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
JAMAICA CHOSEN AS “LEADING DESTINATION” IN CARIBBEAN—10/26/10
Jamaica, the third largest island in the Caribbean, won the World Travel Award for 2010, being named the “Caribbean’s leading destination” for the fifth year in a row. The Jamaica Tourist Board was also recognized as the top tourist board in the region for the fourth consecutive year. Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, said the award was a “prestigious honor” for the nation and proof of its excellent tourist industry.
GOLDING COMMITTED TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS—10/26/10
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding says he is committed to press freedom and promises that the committee in Parliament that is responsible for the Constituency Development Fund will be open to input from the media. Golding said he was unaware that the committee had had private meetings behind closed doors for over two years.
POLICE ARREST SUSPECTED CREDIT SCAMMER—10/27/10
Police in Jamaica say they have arrested a man suspected of being the mastermind of a large-scale credit and debit scam. Kirk Powell, 47, operates a club in Montego Bay. He was taken into custody on charges of conspiracy to defraud in connection with stealing credit card information and cloning cards. Computer equipment used to skim card information and create the cloned cards was found in Kirk’s possession.
JAMAICA IMPROVES RANKING ON GLOBAL CORRUPTION INDEX—10/28/10
According to the 2010 report from the Global Coalition Against Corruption, Jamaica has improved its standing compared to other nations around the world. The coalition measures the corruption levels in 178 countries. Almost three-quarters of the countries ranked below a measurement of 5. Zero denotes a highly corrupt environment, while 10 is a virtually uncorrupted situation. Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore ranked at the top with 9.3. Jamaica had a score of 3.3. Jamaica ranked 78th in the world and 16th in the Americas.
GOVERNMENT ENHANCES SURVEILLANCE FOR CHOLERA—10/29/10
Jamaica’s Ministry of Health has enhanced its preparedness level in response to the cholera outbreak in Haiti. Dr. Marion Bullock DuCasse, director of Emergency Disaster Management and Special Services in the Ministry, said the agency is reviewing its level of preparedness and that health personnel are now posted at all ports of entry.
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JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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FOOD FOR THE POOR IMPROVES TIES WITH DIASPORA—10/24/10
Food for the Poor is partnering with the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board for Southern United States and the Consulate General of Jamaica to provide a tour of Caribbean community Diaspora organizations in South Florida. The tour will occur on November 18 and begin with a Thankful Thursday service. There will be a presentation by officials from the organization on best practices and the resources available to meet the needs of the poor in the Caribbean region.
GREGORY ISAACS DIES—10/25/10
The Jamaican reggae start Gregory Isaacs died in London at the age of 59. He was known as “Cool Ruler” for his smooth singing style. According to his manager, Isaacs died at home after a year-long battle with lung cancer. He had continued performing until just weeks before his death. Isaacs was born in Kingston in 1951 and became popular in the 1970s.
BUJU’S SECURITY DETAIL APPROVED BY JUDGE—10/27/10
Anthony Porcelli, a magistrate in the United States, has given his approval to a security company hired by reggae star Buju Banton. The firm will provide security while Banton is out on bail, in spite of objections from the prosecution in his drug case. Additionally, the judge approved a property in Miami, Florida, that was provided as collateral for Banton’s bond by Stephen Marley, son of Bob Marley.
JAMAICAN TRADER GETS EIGHT YEARS IN CAYMANS—10/28/10
Robert Christopher Girvan, a Jamaican, was sentenced to eight years in prison in the Cayman Islands after pleading guilty to 18 counts of theft and three counts of money laundering totaling $19 million. He was charged with running a “complex web of deceit” as a director with the now defunct Grand Island Funds. Girvan’s crimes occurred between 2004 and 2009 while he managed funds created by his business partner.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS SUMMARY provided by Caribbeantopnews.com
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CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN HAITI—10/23/10
PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS DIES—10/24/10
GRENADA, GUADELOUPE ADVANCE—10/25/10
CLOSER TIES WITH CUBA FOR EUROPEAN UNION—10/26/10
BORDER BETWEEN HAITI, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC CLOSED—10/27/10
THOMPSON REMEMBERED AS A CHAMPION OF SMALL BUSINESS—10/28/10
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BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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JAMAICA’S LACK OF FISCAL DISCIPLINE TO BLAME FOR RATE HIKES—10/23/10
Bruce Bowen, chief executive officer and president of Scotiabank, says that the Jamaican government’s lack of fiscal discipline caused interest rates to rise. He noted the different ways that these rates are applied before and after the Jamaica Debt Exchange, an exchange in which the government traded high interest earning instruments for those with lower yields and longer maturity.
AIR JAMAICA, CARIBBEAN AIRLINES TO INTEGRATE TORONTO BUSINESS—10/24/10
Individuals who travel on Air Jamaica flights from Toronto, Canada, will have to check in at Caribbean Airlines. This is necessary between the two airlines are consolidating their operations in North America. Laura Asbjornsen, spokesperson for Caribbean Airlines, said the move was a cost-reduction and energy-saving measure as well. These measures will be put in place as the two airline companies integrate operations.
BTC OBJECTS TO DEAL WITH CABLE & WIRELESS—10/25/10
Two unions in the Bahamas are voicing their disapproval of government actions that could result in a majority stake in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) sold to Cable & Wireless. Rex Grant, vice president for the Bahamas Communications and Public Managers Union, said the union has already told the government that it doesn’t want Cable & Wireless in the country. The unions have called for a more transparent process and the chance to participate in discussions of the sale.
PORTMORE SUN NEWSPAPER DEBUTS—10/26/10
Portmore, St. Catherine, has become one of the fastest growing communities in Jamaica, and it now has its own newspaper. The Portmore Sun is a full-color paper that will be published every week and be distributed to 40,000 households and businesses. The paper is designed to focus on local people, events, and issues. While not the first newspaper in Portmore, it is the first to use a home delivery model to ensure that all residents have access to the publication.
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TECHNOLOGY NEWS SUMMARY
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CARIBBEAN LEADS IN BIOMETRIC BORDER CONTROLS—10/23/10
The Caribbean region is the top area in the world in terms of multi-country biometrics border controls. This is because the 15 countries in the region have joined together to develop the biometric technology. Colin McGeachey, biometrics specialist with 3M Canada, says the Caricom nations began pooling border control resources in 1972. Currently, this group has 15 member nations and some 16 million people flying through 18 airports every ear. Since 2007, the Caricom country residents have used a biometrics-enabled card when they travel out of or in to their home countries.
ANTIGUA FIRM USES REDLINE WIRELESS BROADBAND FOR WIMAX—10/24/10
Antigua Computer Technologies is using broadband from Redline Communications Group Inc. for an installation of a fixed WiMAX network across the island. This effort will provide last-mile Internet access to remote locations. The WiMAX network has 72 base station sectors, 33 tower locations, and a capacity of over 1.3 Gigabytes of data. This is one of the largest WiMAX networks in the Caribbean region.
DIGICEL, WEDO TECHNOLOGIES FORM PARTNERSHIP—10/26/10
Digicel French West Indies has partnered with WeDo Technologies to deploy RoamBroker, a system that will help Digicel FWI manage relationships with roaming partners. RoamBroker lets Digicel FWI to address the whole lifecycle of its roaming agreements, including signing, testing, rating, and exchanging traffic files.
SUNSHINE, BREEZES IN CARIBBEAN PERFECT RENEWABLE RESOURCES—10/27/10
The Caribbean islands have all the resources required for renewable energy. The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the United States is working to help islands worldwide develop policies and infrastructure to take advantage of solar energy, wind energy, and wave energy. The program is an initiative of the Energy Development in Island Nations project.
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SPORTS
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WICB DENIES CONTRACT TO UNFIT ATHLETES—10/23/10
The West Indies Cricket Board is becoming more business-like in its operations. The board has decided that it will link the fitness of players to its contract policy. The WICB recently denied a contract to Jamaican fast bowler Jerome Taylor. Taylor had been plagued by injuries and is recovering from a back strain.
TOP GOLFERS IN HUNT FOR MAJOR PRIZES AT PANASONIC CLASSIC—10/24/10
Jamaica’s leading golfers will participate in the inaugural two-day Panasonic Golf Classic tournament to begin November 20, 2010 at the Sandals Gold and Country Club in St. Ann. The tournament will cover 36 holes and include four competition categories: the men’s open, men’s seniors, men’s super seniors, and ladies’ open. The Classic has the support of the Jamaica Golf Association.
CUMMINGS CONTRIBUTES TO U.S. SOCCER STANDING—10/25/10
Jamaican Omar Cummings had his 14th goal in the Major League Soccer season. Cummings, a forward, provided the Colorado Rapids a 1-0 half-time lead, and while opponent Real Salt Lake brought the match to a 2-2 draw, the result did not impact the postseason claims of the Rapids.
TIVOLI GARDENS, WATERHOUSE MOVE ON TO FINAL IN DIGICEL LEAGUE—10/28/10
Tivoli Gardens and Waterhouse will meet in the first end of round final in the Digicel Premier League following wins in the latest matches. Waterhouse was victorious over Portmore United with a 1-0, while Tivoli continues its winning streak with four consecutive wins and an undefeated home record with a victory over Reno by 2-1.
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DEVOTIONAL
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Finishing Strong – Part 2
As the apostle Paul came to the close of his second letter to his spiritual son Timothy, he spoke of the Christian life as a fight to be fought, a race to be run, and a faith that is to be steadfastly maintained. As he looked back over his life, he was able to conclude, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7,KJV).
In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul writes, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25, KJV). Eugene Peterson paraphrases these verses, “You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally” (The Message). Paul not only concluded that he had fought a good fight, but that he had finished his course.
On these verses Bible Commentator John Gill writes, “The act of ‘running’ is a motion forward, a following on to know the Lord, a going from strength to strength, from one degree of grace to another, a pressing forward toward the mark for the prize; and requires spiritual strength from Christ, and a daily renewal of it. [It] is to be performed with readiness, swiftness, and cheerfulness, in opposition to a slowness of heart to believe, and a slothfulness and sluggishness in the business and service of Christ.” It is no wonder Paul was able to say “I have finished the course” because his life was one constant act of running; right up to these last days before his execution.
How are you doing in your race? Are you receiving spiritual strength from Christ? If so, is there a daily renewal of it?
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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.
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