good afternoon I am Andrea Chism with
the midday news a special welcome if
you're watching on one spots media.com
we begin with an item of news just in
with five confirmed cases of Kobe 19 in
West Kingston the Southeast Regional
Health Authority this morning began
community surveillance activity in the
area
the persons are contacts of a confirmed
case that recently returned from the
United States some 100 health staff
including nurses public health
inspectors public health nurses and
community health aides will conduct
house-to-house visits and assess the
residents for symptoms residents with
symptoms of Kobe 19 and whose the health
team deemed are at high risk will be
tested for Kobe 19 and quarantined
orders will be served concern from
political commentators this afternoon
over the response to previous plans for
the lease of protected lands by Minister
Darrell Vaz as a Shane masters reports
they believe the issue should have been
dealt with differently where is a public
rebuke of Darrell Vaz
that's the question being asked by
political commentators over recent plans
by the former Minister without portfolio
with responsibility for land and
environment to lease land supporting the
protected Holi world National Forest
Park in Saint Andrew to build a private
cabin the commentators question follow
the announcement of missive Ozzy's
reappointment from the inland and
environment portfolio by the prime
minister last evening
political commentator Richard Crawford
that believes the move was a safe face
by Prime Minister Andrew Holness with
hints of a general election being called
shortly we so would have to do something
based upon the public outcry and
response to try and see a face it may
have satisfied or will satisfy some
people and a lot more are not going to
be satisfied because this is an issue
that has been repeated time again over
the past couple of years it's also a
point shared by leading environmentalist
and public affairs commentator Peter s
Butte
he says the Prime Minister has not
signaled that there was any abuse of
power by mr. Vaz who had portfolio
responsibility for lands Simon's has not
said to him you did wrong you should not
have first of all arranged to have the
land at the ties and secondly you should
not have applied for it and was wholly
improper as the portfolio Minister after
you to be involved in this sort of thing
so the end result is that minced of us
is able to make a kind of public
statement is making has already didn't
do anything wrong and this is a
promotion you might say for mr. s pute
any alienation of tear advance at this
juncture may be a iron spoke in the
wheel of a TLP s election machinery in
the meantime he says over the last two
years corruption has been rife within
the wholeness administration without
anyone being prosecuted among them
former Education Minister rural Reed and
a dr. Andrew Wheatley the former science
and Energy Minister I'm looking at the
chairman of predominate the personnel
manager
contract is bought out there give
millions in severance
nobody's prosecuted nobody's bought
support if Minister valve has indeed
uses enjoying to enrich himself if he
has I'm not singing out what I'm saying
if he has then there seems to be any
proceedings being taken against him if
there is corruption here we are not
aware that it is even being investigated
mr. Vance defended his attempts to lease
the property following a report in the
Tomica observable where the caretakers
of a park raised concerns that the
National Land Agency NLE was leasing
lands within the Halliwell National
Forest Park in st. Andrew a World
Heritage Site new mountain park the Blue
Mountains are a National Heritage Site a
UNESCO National Heritage Site that
really means essentially that that land
is untouchable and should we
in the ownership of the people forever
you can't have a heritage site which is
adulterated in the first place and you
can't reduce the high prestigious value
of a heritage site in your country
in this manner Ishida's TVJ news the
government is again defending the
integrity of Jamaica's financial
structure arguing that the island does
not belong on the EU blacklist the
blacklist is a tool used by the European
Union to identify tax havens in his
sectoral presentation to Parliament
Minister Darrell Vaz says the government
is closer to getting the country the
Financial Action Task Force requirements
because its assets had surpassed the 85
billion dollar threshold or greatest
challenges having an effective framework
for regulation and collection of
theatres with the designated
non-financial business and professional
sector which America international
finance services are Authority like
other stakeholders has a vested interest
in having Jamaica removed from the
batteries and has put forward
recommendations to efficiently and
expeditiously achieve such a goal during
the last fiscal year some amount of
progress was made in getting certain
pieces of legislation passed by and
still in Parliament the opposition is
again taking issue with poor service
from telecommunications providers
opposition spokesman on technology
Julian Robinson raised the issue during
his contribution to the sectoral debate
this week no service and data dropped
calls not being able to send or receive
calls as well as slow internet service
just some of the problems facing
consumers as they lament poor service
from the two major telecommunications
companies Digicel and flow is
unacceptable and we cannot go forward as
a nation if we have this poor quality of
telecommunication
opposition spokesman on technology
Julian Robinson therefore has several
questions is it the network congestion
is a result of bottlenecks or traffic
overflows is it a result of age in
network equipment is it poor capacity
management and our service providers
invest in enough to keep up pace with
the increase in demand being placed on
the network mr. Robinson is therefore
recommending that the office of
utilities regulation or you are conduct
an investigation to find out what's
going on with the telecommunications
providers he is also urging the
regulator to address the issues in
keeping with the all you are and
telecoms acts there was also this
suggestion through the Ministry of
Science energy and technology
immediately comment steps to increase
competition in our telecoms industry in
the meantime with a cope in nineteen
pandemic forcing schools to use more
technology to teach students mr.
Robinson is suggesting equipment and
software be purchased to introduce the
concept of a live a virtual classroom in
this digital replica of a traditional
classroom instructors teach and the
participants learn in real time via
Internet enabled technology devices the
use of a whiteboard the classroom
stepper remains intact while
brainstorming ideation discussion and
group work all happen in real time tests
and other forms of assessments can be
given and taken pre and post decisions
and it's time for break here on the
midday news but stay with us we have
much more stories when we return
welcome back and we're continuing the
news major improvement works will be
carried out at several public beaches
across seven parishes that announcement
was made by tourism minister Edmund
Bartlet yesterday during his
contribution to the sectoral debate in
Parliament to full use of the beaches of
our country and the program will
continue we have mr. speaker over
thirteen public beaches across Jamaica
the beaches to be improved include Rocky
Point Beach in st. Thomas Winifred Beach
in Portland guts river beach in
Manchester Orchard and Watson Taylor
beaches in hannover alligator pond and
kraid Road crane road beaches in st.
Elizabeth meanwhile mr. Barnett says by
the end of the year the much-anticipated
1.3 billion dollar closed Harbour Bridge
development project will be opened of an
attraction that will change the face of
Montego Bay as a tourism destination and
we have worked with the UDC in building
on the first Harbor Beach Park 1.3
billion dollars state-of-the-art Beach
facility for the people of Maine the
project primarily funded by the tourism
enhancement fund will see the conversion
of a 16 acre property into a
recreational space with amenities
meanwhile the tourism minister has
admitted that the number of tourists
arriving in Jamaica since the boarders
reopened have been fewer than projected
mr. Bartlett says the increase in
bookings has not been at the level
anticipated due to the cove in nineteen
pandemic he says the government must
continue to manage the pandemic to
encourage more visitors
it has not materialized to the extent
that people move before protocol to
establish you know when protocols are
established and they understand what
needs to be done and you know it changes
a little bit and so I think that then
you have the issue of the number of
flights that are coming in in relation
also to that projected booking so we
were influenced greatly in terms of the
numbers that actually come no definitely
by the number of flights that are coming
in the other thing is that the way in
which we opened are determined by and
large the flow and mr. Bartlett was
speaking this morning on power 106
morning agenda program local medical
practitioners have reportedly seen an
increase in the number of patients
seeking treatment for upper respiratory
tract infections and allergies since the
Saharan dust started affecting the
Jamaica
earlier this week president of the
association of general practitioners of
jamaica dr. Donald Gordon told our new
center that some of the common
complaints include sore throat runny
nose as well as itchy eyes and ears dr.
Gordon expects a further increase in the
number of persons equals but our
patients will probably try their home
remedies and if it doesn't work then
they'll turn off for the doctor so you
might take a few days before this
dialing earlier this week the Ministry
of Health warns Jamaicans to exercise
caution and miss the risk of severe
health complications from the Saharan
dust the Saharan dust is expected to
continue affecting Jamaica today CARICOM
chairman and barbados prime minister mia
motley has criticised recent decisions
on the Guyana elections process MS
motley said the community was saddened
by what has been transpiring in Guyana
more than 100 days since the people of
Guyana went to the polls and yet there
is no declared result the head of
Election Commission was the target of
the CARICOM Chairman's criticism
regrettably we have seen a level of
gamesmanship that has left much to be
desired and has definitely not portrayed
our Caribbean region in the best light
this is definitely not our finest hour
now we must not shy away from that
reality the Caribbean community is
concerned that reports that the chief
elections officer has submitted a report
to the Guiana Elections Commission which
is contrary to the directions given by
the Commission and which does not
reflect the results of the recount
process as certified by the very staff
of the gang Elections Commission and
indeed witnessed by representatives of
the political parties indeed these
numbers and the certification of them
were also witnessed by a CARICOM
observer team they traveled to Ghana in
spite of the pandemic and the risk to
themselves and they scrutinize the
recount process figures from the Guyana
Elections Commission showed that the
People's Progressive Party Civic had
secured 230,000 328 valid votes while
the AP and U and AFC had captured two
hundred and seventeen thousand two
hundred and fifty-nine votes with a few
more boxes still to be tabulated
following the ruling on Monday by the
appeal court chief election officer
Keith lowenfield yesterday submitted to
the Commission what he claims to be a
report of the valid and credible votes
cast at the March to polls these votes
show a victory for the incumbent after
invalidating almost 25 percent of the
votes cast on March 2 the report which
is intended to lead to the declaration
of a final result was yesterday put on
hold by the cabin court of justice
according to Mia motley the CARICOM
observer team believed that the results
of the recount certified as valid by the
staff of the Commission led to an
orderly conclusion on what grounds and
by what form of executive fear does the
chief elections officer determined that
he should invalidate
what far less over 115,000 watts
when the votes were already certified as
valid by the offices of the Ghana
Elections Commission in the presence of
the said political parties and in sports
one of Jamaica's iconic coaching figures
has hailed the efforts of Jamaica's 1998
world cup hero
Theodore Whitmore for transforming the
national team however he's disappointed
with the country's progress and what and
was almost brought to tears when one of
the country's most talented players
missed the opportunity to move from
Jamaica to play in Brazil more in this
report having led Jamaica to the
under-17 World Cup in 2001 former
technical director Clovis de Oliveira
who still follows Jamaica's football
keenly says 19 years has changed to
improve the sport despite those
sentiments de oliveira
who worked as Rene moyses assistant
coach is proud of the work done by head
coach Theodore Whitmore de Oliveira
hails him as one of the most intelligent
players he know and pointed out one
marked difference in but what is
disappointed they ala fear the most is
not seeing highly rated Lamar Walker
having the opportunity to take up an
offer with his boyhood club Vasco da
Gama in Brazil
de Oliveira who was instrumental in
getting walk on the trial in Brazil was
speaking on hits 92 FM Sports Grille
with Simon cross Gil Renard a brown 40
VJ sports and advance the midday news
I'm Andrea Chisholm join us at 7:00 for
the prime time news package on behalf of
the news sports and production teams
good afternoon
you
