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THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
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GOVERNMENT SAYS CAMERON MISREPRESENTED PRISONER TRANSFER DEAL—10/13/15
On a visit to Jamaica, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron said that the UK and Jamaica had signed an agreement to bring back to the island some 300 Jamaican citizens currently imprisoned in the UK, housing them in a new prison to be constructed to hold them. According to the Jamaican government, however, Cameron was “inaccurate” in his statement and “misrepresented” the existence of such an agreement. There is considerable controversy over the proposed repatriation of the prisoners, particularly the requirement that Jamaica would be responsible for funding approximately 60 percent of the cost of prison construction and all of its operating costs.
223 JAMAICANS TO BE HONORED ON NATIONAL HEROES DAY 2015—10/14/15
On National Heroes Day, scheduled for Monday, October 19, 2015, 223 Jamaican men and women will be honored for their contributions to the nation. The National Honors and Awards Ceremony will be held at King’s House. At the top of the list of those to be honored is Dr. Glenford Christian, OD. He will receive the Order of Jamaica (OJ) for his work in the pharmaceutical industry. Other Jamaicans will be honored in the categories of Order of Distinction. with ranks of Commander and Officer, as well as Medals of Honor for Meritorious service and Badge of Honor for Meritorious and Long and Faithful Service.
MOST JAMAICANS UNWILLING TO SUPPORT RE-ELECTION OF SIMPSON MILLER—10/15/15
According to a recent poll, 57 percent of Jamaicans do not think that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller should be re-elected to her post when the next elections occur. Thirty percent supported another term for Simpson Miller, while 13 percent declined to state a position on the issue. The low level of support for the Prime Minister was attributed to her reluctance to communicate with Jamaican citizens. Simpson Miller is currently serving her fifth year as Jamaica’s leader.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION IN U.S. URGES TEMPORARY WORKERS TO SUE—10/16/15
In the United States, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is encouraging Jamaican workers who traveled to the U.S. for temporary jobs to sue their former employers to recoup expenses incurred in order to work in the country. According to the organization, the estimated 275 Jamaicans who travel to the U.S. as part of the seasonal workers’ program should receive about J$77,000 each year to cover these costs. The SPLC is filing a lawsuit to force a former employer, the Kiawah Island Golf Resort near Charleston, South Carolina, to reimburse workers for travel expenses and visa costs, which they had to pay to get their jobs as cooks, housekeepers, servers, and other positions. The suits claims that Kiawah charged H-29 workers excessively high fees for housing and transportation and that it did not pay a mandatory 2013 wage increase in violation of U.S. Department of Labor requirements.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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JAMAICA TO SEND MORE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS TO UNITED STATES—10/12/15
Luis Moreno, the United States Ambassador to Jamaica, announced that more Jamaican agricultural produce will soon be exported for sale in supermarkets and groceries in the United States. Moreno noted that his team was involved with helping Jamaican exporters get their products to U.S. markets. He has also called for authorities in Jamaica to work to ensure that any obstacles in the export process will be eliminated. The Jamaican government has a role in facilitating the exports, according to Moreno.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
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MARLON JAMES FIRST JAMAICAN TO WIN MAN BOOKER LITERARY PRIZE—10/13/15
Jamaican Marlon James has won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for fiction in the United Kingdom. He is the first author from the island to take the prize, which includes an award of £50,000 (US$77,000). James was awarded the honor for his novel “A Brief History of Seven Killings,” which tells the story of the attempted assassination of reggae musician Bob Marley. James, who currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has written two previous novels.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
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JAMAICAN TO COMPETE IN WORLD EQUESTRIAN CHAMPIONSHIP IN CHINA—09/30/15
Julian Hyde, 20, has been given the chance to compete at the FEI World Championship equestrian event in China. Hyde was invited to participate in the event, which runs from October 14 to October 22, 2015, as the result of a chance meeting five years ago. He met a rider from Bermuda, Raishun Burch, who works in Beijing as an organizer of equestrian events. Burch invited Hyde to enter the competition in a special category.
