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THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
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JAMAICA TAPS MEDICAL TOURISM MARKET—10/28/15
An agreement made between the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation and the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) has enhanced the nation’s ability to succeed in the medical tourism market. Under the agreement, JANAAC connections with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) will now include medical laboratory accreditation in regard to the International Standardization Organization (ISO) standard 15189. This allows for the utilization and acceptance of accredited medical test data and test results worldwide, which in turn, will give Jamaica more recognition for the quality and reliability of its medical facilities.
LOWE SIGNS EXCLUSIVE CANCER RESEARCH RIGHTS AGREEMENT—10/29/15
Noted Jamaican cancer researcher Dr. Henry Lowe is moving closer to his disease-fighting goals. Lowe’s company, Educational and Scientific LLC (ESL) has signed a licensing rights agreement with University of Maryland Ventures. The agreement gives ESL the exclusive rights to license its interest in developing a molecule with anti-cancer properties for commercial use. The molecule was discovered jointly by ESL and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and has consistently indicated a potential for treating several types of cancer, including lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
SIMPSON MILLER PRAISES PROGRESS IN NORTH-SOUTH HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION—10/30/15
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said she is happy with the progress that is being made on the building of the North-South Highway. The highway runs from Caymanas in St. Catherine to Mammee near Ocho Rios. The Prime Minister made her remarks during a tour of a portion of the highway between Caymanas and Treadways. Accompanying the Prime Minister was Ivan Anderson, the managing director of the National Road Operating and Constructing Company. He stated that the highway was approximately 80 percent completed.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICAN WORKERS IN NOVA SCOTIA SHIP GOODS TO FAMILIES ON ISLAND—10/30/15
Jamaican workers employed at Millen Farms in Nova Scotia combined their funds to rent a container they could load with supplies much needed by their families in Jamaica. The 166 workers left the island in March 2015 to work nine hours a day, every day, picking blueberries, strawberries and other produce in the fields near Masstown. As they prepare to go back home, they are using the large rented steel container to bring necessary items, including food stuffs, body-wash soap, big-screen TVs, microwave ovens, blenders and bicycles, to their families. Some of the items they are shipping have been purchased at a cost much lower than that paid in Jamaica. The workers consider their rented container to be a massive “care package” for their families.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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FIRST SORREL HARVESTING MACHINE DEVELOPED LOCALLY WILL CUT COSTS—10/27/15
Derrick Kellier, Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, welcomes the first sorrel harvesting machine to be developed locally. This machine is expected to significantly reduce the costs and harvesting time for the crop. The machine was created by Oral and Allison Turner, directors of Turner Innovations Ltd. and farmers in St. Elizabeth. It is designed to reduce the de-seeding time of sorrel by half and reduce the number of workers required for manual labor from ten to one. The machine will be field tested by local farmers.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
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DONNETTE INGRID ZACCA RECEIVES SILVER MUSGRAVE MEDAL—10/28/15
The National Gallery of Jamaica has congratulated Donnette Ingrid Zacca on winning the Silver Musgrave Medal for Art. Zacca received the award in recognition of her outstanding achievements in photography. Zacca was born in St. James where she received her first camera when she was in the ninth grade at Mount Alvernia High School in Montego Bay. She later attended the Jamaica School of Art, now part of Edna Manley College, and achieved a diploma in Art Education and Graphic Design. She continues to focus her attention on the outdoor spaces and natural beauty of Jamaica. She experiments with various techniques of taking and printing photographs and has used her expertise in photography to aid numerous national organizations such as the National Environmental and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Jamaica Environmental Trust (JET). She also created twelve stamps for the nation’s postal service in 2003, which offered views of White Sorrel and various historic and modern buildings on the island.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
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ALICIA ASHLEY EAGER TO REGAIN WORLD BOXING TITLE—10/29/15
Jamaica’s Alicia “Slick” Ashley is ready to re-enter the boxing ring in an effort to regain her World Boxing Council (WBC) title. The super bantaweight fight will pit Ashley against the Irish boxer Christina “Lightning” McMahon in Brooklyn, New York. Ashley was the title holder from July 2011 to September 2014. She lost to Jackie Nava in Mexico due to a controversial majority decision in the match. Ashley has a 22-10-1 record that includes four knockouts. She is more experienced than her opponent and says she is “so up for this fight” and is ready to face McMahon, who is currently unbeaten in her matches.
