THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT TO INSTALL 1,000 CCTV CAMERAS TO THWART CRIME
As part of its effort to fight crime, Jamaica’s government has decided to install 1,000 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in strategic spots across the island by the end of 2018. The installations will take place under the JamaicaEye initiative of the Ministry of National Security. JamaicaEye is a partnership between public and private stakeholders designed to create a network of Ministry-owned CCTV cameras and feeds from privately owned CCTV cameras in order to reduce criminal activity. The camera network, which will be monitored by security professionals, will also be used in other emergency situations. The cameras have already been installed in public spaces in Montego Bay, Kingston, Mandeville, Ocho Rios, May Pen, and Negril.
GRANGE ANNOUNCES CULTURE CLUB CONSOLIDATION
Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, announced the establishment of the National Culture Clubs of Jamaica, a group that will manage culture club activates in schools and communities throughout the island. She made the announcement during a message delivered by Alando Terrelonge, Minister of State, at the National Culture Clubs Conference in St. Ann. The clubs are created through schools and community groups to provide a way to identify, develop and promote the creative talents of Jamaicans in a sustainable way. The National Culture Clubs of Jamaica will be under the management of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC). Grange believes the consolidation arrangement will strengthen Jamaica’s ability to create a better structure by which creative talents can be nurtured.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
MORE OIL DISCOVERED IN GUYANA, SAYS EXXONMOBILE
ExxonMobil, an American oil company, has struck oil once again in Guyana. The new discovery is at the Longtail-1 exploration well and is the eighth oil strike in the country. According to Hess Corp, an ExxonMobil partner, the new discovery brings the potential for more resource development in the southeast portion of the Stabroek block. It is near the Turbot discovery southeast of the Liza filed, stated Steve Greenlee, the president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company. While drilling results are still being evaluated, the combined amount of recoverable resources of Turbot and Longtail is estimated at the equivalent of more than 500 million barrels of oil.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
DIASPORA IN NEW YORK, TORONTO, TO BE BRIEFED ON CRIME IN JAMAICA
On July 17, 2018, Jamaicans in the Diaspora in Toronto will receive a briefing on the state of crime in Jamaica. Jamaican Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson serve as main speaker at the Jamaica National Group’s Outlook for the Future forum. He will also speak at the group’s forum in Brooklyn, New York, on July 19, 2018. The theme of the forum is “Arresting Crime and Violence: A National Priority for Jamaica.” The Major General will give his speech at the same time that violence and crime on the island remains a major concern among local Jamaicans and those in the Diaspora, many of who are reluctant to invest there. Anderson believes there is a strategic approach to reducing the crime rate, which involves eliminating guns and gangs, the elements that contribute to the high number of murders in Jamaica.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
JOBS WILL COME AS JISCO INVESTS BILLIONS TO BUILD INDUSTRIAL PARK IN NAIN
Because of an investment totaling between US$3 billion and US$4 billion by the state-owned Chinese Jiuquan Iron & Steel (Group) Co Ltd (JISCO) to build an industrial park in Nain, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica will see some 20,000 jobs generated. Another 60,000 jobs are estimated to arise once the comprehensive industrial complex is finished in 2035. The new facility will center on processing and manufacturing goods for export to markets in the Caribbean and the Americas. The industrial park is associated with the major concepts of international trade, modern-day logistics, research and development, professional services and urban support.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
INTERNATIONAL REGGAE DAY TO MARK HALF-CENTURY OF THE POPULAR GENRE
On July 1, 2018, International Reggae Day (IRD) will be celebrated around the world in recognition of its 50 years’ of contributions to Jamaica’s popular music scene. According to Andrea Davis of Jamaica Arts Holdings, the sponsor of IRD, the recordings of Toots and the Maytals and Larry Marshall in the year 1968 make that the years usually cited as the point of transition from rocksteady to reggae. IRD 2018 will also honor the Windrush generation of Caribbean migrants, including those from Jamaica, who moved to Britain after World War II. Davis cites the Windrush generation as being a catalyst in transplanting Jamaican culture and “planting the seed” for the global reach of the island’s music. “Those early travelers, those pioneers who left Jamaica took a piece of Jamaica with them in their suitcases,” she said. Events celebrating IRD will take place throughout the world in 2018.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
STAFANIE TAYLOR RECEIVES WIPA AWARDS
Jamaicans Stafanie Taylor took home multiple awards at the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) ceremony in Barbados. Jamaica and West Indies captain Taylor was named Women’s Cricketeer of the Year for the second time in a rose. She was also named Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year. Taylor consolidated her position as leading female cricketeer for West Indies over the past decade. In ODIs in the past 12 months, she had an average of 41.50 with the bat and scored half-centuries from 13 innings,. With the ball, Taylor averaged 24.25, taking 16 wickets.
