FREEZE ORDER - Economist urges routine cost-cutting exercise as Gov’t tightens purse strings An economist has suggested that the Government should make identifying cost-saving measures a routine exercise, regardless of how much revenue it collects. The suggestion follows a new set of directives from the Government instructing public-sector entities to put on hold the acquisition of assets and entering into new lease arrangements. Public-sector entities have also been instructed to pause hotel retreats, as they were put on notice that a directive on annual end-of-year activities “will be issued”.
Eyes on reparations as King visits Caribbean The CARICOM Reparations Commission has labelled November’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, as the “reparations CHOGM”, insisting that the issue must take top priority. “The region is mobilised, the governments are mobilised, so there is no way to describe this CHOGM meeting other than the reparations CHOGM. That is what it is,” Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the commission, said at a press conference last week. “We are going to make sure that that is what it is,” he stressed.
Goffe: $100,000 fine does not fit Rio Cobre damage Attorney-at-law Dr Marcus Goffe has welcomed Monday’s court ruling against bauxite company UC Rusal over a 2019 pollution incident in the Rio Cobre, while arguing that the $100,000 fine imposed falls far short of reflecting the damage caused. His comments came after Senior Parish Court Judge Desiree Alleyne ruled that a case was made out against the company. The prosecution of the case was initially led by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and was taken over and completed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
JP defends role in Pathways defendant’s caution statement A Justice of the Peace (JP) has rejected suggestions that he failed to adequately perform his duties while witnessing a caution statement and question-and-answer session involving murder accused Andre Ruddock. The JP, who witnessed the proceedings alongside another colleague, maintained that he was competent to advise Ruddock of his rights and ensured that the statement was given voluntarily.
Int’l swimmer lends support to local beach rights campaign WESTERN BUREAU: Internationally acclaimed marathon swimmer Eva Buzo completed a 30-kilometre swim along the coastline from Trelawny to St James on Sunday to highlight the ongoing movement surrounding beach access rights in Jamaica. Buzo swam from the Half Moon Bay in Falmouth, Trelawny, to the One Man Beach in Montego Bay, St James, over a 10-hour period as part of the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement’s (JaBBEM) Swim for Rights Jamaica campaign.
$26b irrigation project exemption questioned Opposition Senator Allan Bernard is questioning the Government’s decision to exempt the $26-billion Pedro Plains Irrigation Expansion Project from public procurement rules by designating it a national development project. Bernard raised the concern last Friday in the Senate during the debate on the Public Procurement (National Development Project) (Pedro Plains Irrigation Expansion Project) Order, 2026, which was affirmed by the Upper House.
Gov’t to pump another $2b into ROOFS programme WESTERN BUREAU: More households are set to benefit from the Government’s ROOFS (Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters) programme as $2 billion has been added to the original allocation amid complaints that many persons who were impacted by Hurricane Melissa have not received any assistance. Speaking during a housing handover in the York Bush section of Mount Carey, St James, last Friday, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness disclosed that just over half of the roughly 115,000 households assessed had received grants.
Jamaica faces UN scrutiny - Advocates say proposed gun sentence hike a step in wrong direction as country faces human rights test The Advocates’ Association of Jamaica (AAJ) is raising concern over the announcement of a proposed increase in the mandatory minimum sentence for illegal gun possession to 20 years. The revelation came on Sunday on the eve of a human rights country review by the United Nations (UN). The current mandatory minimum sentence for illegal possession of a firearm is 15 years. The UN Human Rights Committee’s 146th session is currently under way in Geneva, Switzerland, from October 19 to November 6, and is reviewing Jamaica, Austria, Rwanda, and Cameroon.
J’can rape convict fights deportation from UK A Jamaican man serving a 14-year prison sentence in the United Kingdom (UK) for rape could potentially be returned to the island, but a legal battle over whether he would be adequately protected from criminal gangs is complicating efforts to deport him. The UK Supreme Court is being asked to consider the legal test for determining whether a person facing deportation can reasonably access state protection in their home country.
MELISSA 365 | 'We want to build back lives' WESTERN BUREAU: A year after Hurricane Melissa damaged 54 United Church congregations, destroying eight of their sanctuaries, the denomination is stressing that rebuilding church buildings is its last priority. Instead, its focus is on restoring shattered livelihoods, helping farmers return to the land, putting roofs over families’ heads and ensuring that communities devastated by the Category 5 hurricane can begin to stand on their own again.