THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
FOREIGN EXPERTS TO PARTICIPATE IN TOURISM SECTOR SECURITY AUDIR
According to Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica will receive aid from international experts on a security audit of the nation’s tourism sector. Bartlett previously directed the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) to perform the audit through the Destination Assurance Division. The audit is designed to find security gaps and to ensure that destinations provide safety and security in a seamless manner to both tourists and local residents. The audit will be conducted with help from Dr. Peter Tarlow, one of the top safety engineers and consultants on tourism in the world. He will be supported by an international rescue team from the United States and other major destinations, including Canada and the United Kingdom.
JAMAICA STAYS ON COURSE TO REACH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has continued to make major progress toward meeting the nations sustainable development goals in 2018. Particular strides have been made in international relationships that have resulted in stronger bilateral partnerships involving economic and technical aid. The Ministry has implemented several public education and sensitization initiatives, including community outreach programs and promoting increased awareness and easier travel and work availability inside CARICON
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
CUBA AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL REACH AGREEMENT ON SIGNING PLAYERS
The baseball players’ association in the United States, Major League Baseball (MLB) has made an agreement with the Cuban Baseball Federation that will permit players from that country to sign contracts in the big leagues without having to defect. The arrangement is meant to stop the dangerous trafficking in players that has existed for many years. Under the agreement, which runs through October 31, 2021, permits Cubans to sign with big league teams under rules that are similar to those for players under contracts to baseball clubs in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. MLB has sought such an agreement for years in order to end the trafficking of baseball players from Cuba by criminal organizations.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
BROADCASTER WINSTON BARNES OPPOSES DIASPORA VOTING RIGHTS
Winston Barnes, a veteran Jamaican broadcaster and the City Commissioner for Miramar in South Florida, believes that Jamaicans who live beyond the borders of the home island have no right to vote in the elections of the country they were born in. Barnes, the host of a popular radio talk show, says that decisions about political power in Jamaica must be solely in the hands of individuals who live there, since they will have to live with the results of their choices. Jamaicans in the Diaspora have long wanted the right to vote in their birth country and note the major contributions they make to the nation’s development through their remittances and other initiatives.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
SUNWING NOW HAS FLIGHTS FROM ONTARIO TO MONTEGO BAY
Sunwing made its first flight from Sudbury in Ontario, Canada, to Montego Bay in Jamaica on December 20, 2018. The flight originated at Greater Sudbury Airport and marks the first of the season’s new direct weekly flight service from that Canadian city to the island. The flight leaves every Thursday through April 11, 2019. The new flight schedule means that residents of Greater Sudbury have access to two tropical destinations from their area. Sunwing also flies to Punta Cava, a service that was first available in the winter of 2017.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
BUJU BANTON TO START TOUR AT NATIONAL STADIUM IN KINGSTON
Reggae star Buju Banton will begin his “Long Walk to Freedom” tour in Kingston, Jamaica, and the National Stadium on Saturday, March 16, 2019. According to a press release, Banton’s promotional team stated that tickets for the show will be on sale January 16, 2018, through the musician’s official website at www.bujubanton.com. Banton, born Mark Myrie, returned to Jamaica following the completion of a prison sentence of eight years in the United States on a drug-related conviction. Reports indicate that the concert will see the return of Banton’s “Shiloh” band, which started rehearsals about a month ago. The tour has already been booked for Trinidad and Tobago, and he will perform a show on March 30, 2019, at the Nassau National Stadium in the Bahamas.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
REGGAE GIRZ “NEXT CHAPTER” SUPPORTED BY CEDELLA MARLEY
Cedella Marley, daughter of reggae legend Bob Marley, launched a line of jewellery called “Strike Hard” from which all profits go toward supporting the Reggae Girlz World Cup campaign. Sales are going well, but the team still need most support, Marley said. Marley has had a major role in finding funding for the team’s World Cup efforts. The “Strike Hard Collection” is a joint venture of Marley and Island Trinketz, a Jamaican jewellery firm. Marley expressed her pride of the Reggae Girlz and their qualifying for the World Cup, and she is focusing on raising the funds required to support them. According to head coach Hue Menzies, the team needs much more money than has thus far been committed by the Jamaican government via the Sports Development Foundation and Supreme Ventures Ltd.
