good afternoon and Vashon brown with the
midday news a special welcome if you're
watching on one spot Mediacom 7 men
suspected to be major players in the
illegal drug trade were yesterday
arrested during operations led by the
counterterrorism and organized crime
division crime investigation division C
tokens and James a news release this
morning from the Jamaica Constabulary
force corporate communications unit said
the police military operations were
conducted in Rhine Park Westgate
Granville Mount Salem Catherine mountain
flanker it says among the suspects
detained are members of a major
transnational drug trafficking syndicate
suspected to be behind the export of
large quantities of dangerous drugs to
the United States and Europe some of the
men detained are believed to be
connected to the three Jamaican police
who were arrested in the United States
last week after they were held smuggling
a quantity of cocaine a large cache of
electronic devices cash in both foreign
and local currency with a value in
excess of 1.2 million Jamaican dollars a
BMW x6 motor car as well as a licensed
firearm were seized during the operation
Jamaica stands to suffer the greatest
economic fallout in tourism among
developing States due to covert 19
that's according to a report released
yesterday by the United Nations
conference on Trade and Development we
have the details in this report with the
onset of a covert 19 pandemic the global
tourism sector is expected to see a
significant decline that's according to
a report published by the United Nations
conference on Trade and Development on
Ted the report revealed that the world's
tourism sector could lose at least 1.2
trillion or 1.5% of a global gross
domestic product it's also noted that
the losses could also rise the 2.2
trillion or 2.8 percent of the world's
GDP if the break in international
tourism due to covert in nineteen last
for eight months
Jamaica stands to suffer the greatest
loss in GDP at 11 percent
Cina strategists in the tourism ministry
delano sieve right says the impact is
greater for the island based on the
interconnectivity of our industries
tourism is a lot more interconnected
than many people had a fueled people
seem to lose sight on the fact that our
tourism industry the linkages has been
beaten in over the years which is also a
good thing for Jamaica but yes it also
means that we must at all times continue
to develop other options as a related
story economy but the fact is tourism
has the biggest potential for growth not
that we are losing more money than other
countries obviously United States France
and other countries we lose a lot more
but Jamaica in terms of dependency
Authority la la la
but despite the gloomy picture mr.
Sebright believes that things will
rebound it in your future but we have
accepted the fact that we have to open
up but we have to open up cautiously I
were very confident that's certainly
within a year or so tourism will come
back and to appreciate the good levels
levels that are sustainable and and we
will go on a search essentially after
year or so back to the numbers that we
had three quarters 19 this is just a
very bad moment in a tear of tourism
that's also the view of dr. MacNeill but
he believes much more would need to be
done by the government in the recovery
process it's important for government to
look at creative ways use some of the CF
work with the banks put in a system
where just by putting the capital there
they can they can lower the cost of the
interest rates to do these waters and
entrepreneurs and in lowering the costs
to them maybe even put a moratorium on
principal payments just to allow them to
go through this fear the onset report
comes against a background of a tourism
ministers projections
that's Jamaica is expected to lose 146
billion Jamaican dollars from April 20
22 March 2021 due to the downturn in
tourism caused by kovat 19 or Shane
masters
TVJ news it was too aspirational that
concession from chief executive office
of the economic growth council about his
own government's plan to grow the
economy by five percent in four years
Alban Hill was facing Parliament's
public administration and operations
committee PA AC yesterday where he made
recommendations about how the country
can get back on track to the five
percent growth target here is Krista
Campbell
five in four was an aspirational in fact
an inspirational target almost three
years into his post as chief executive
officer of the economic growth council
EDC senator urban Hill insists the
government's 2016 plan to grow the
economy by five percent in just four
years was never a concrete target to
begin with but Parliament's public
administration and Appropriations
Committee P AAC member Fitz Jackson says
Prime Minister Andrew Holness already
made that concession about two years
into the target with the four years now
passed and the country yet to see a five
percent growth in the economy PA AC
members wanted to know what went wrong
Green produces growth in agriculture
except that in twenty seven it wiped out
agriculture so agriculture drop two if
we grew three or four percent in most of
those quarters of 2017 we're lucky
that's after a twenty eight percent
growth in the agriculture sector in the
second quarter of 2016
senator urban Hill said he initially
agreed to the five in four target
because he knew it was the only way to
get the country out of its huge debt but
he notes that when he assumed office in
2017 he felt a more realistic target
would be two point three percent growth
in 2018 that year the economy only grew
by one point two percent still he
insists the target is necessary unless
Jamaica grows in the vicinity of five
and six percent consistently over a long
period of time we will not be able to
lift the majority of Jamaicans are the
poverty and while he maintains he's not
in the business of predicting the future
but you are though working towards it
senator Hill is proposing a legislative
changes that would still make a five
percent economic growth our reality he
pointed to what he termed is a growth
triangle of water housing and energy
noting that any growth in these areas
will cause a boom in the economy as well
he gave a scenario of a young couple
trying to buy their first home to put on
solar and water catchment mr. chairman
you're gonna need another 1.5 to 2
million dollars in conduit so you know
what to do we remember Fitz Jackson we
make a law to say anybody who give their
mortgage NC BGN must include the entire
cost of the renewable items water
catchment and they and the solar so that
the young man and his bride can go and
get their house and pay for this over 20
25 year period laws are passed in this
Parliament by the majority in this
Parliament the government has the
majority said all that has to happen for
those laws that for which you speak to
the past it's for them to be brought
here krysta Campbell TV G news and we
now take a break on the midday news
we'll be right back please stay with us
welcome back continuing the news now
East Kingston and Port Royal Member of
Parliament Philip Paul well has rejected
suggestions of impropriety in his
acceptance of a six million dollar
donation from petrol jam for camperdown
high school to upgrade its sporting
facility Prince more has the details in
a report the director of investigations
at the integrity Commission said only
1.75 million dollars was spent on
drawings and plans but no evidence was
given to support statements from mr.
Paul well that the balance was in an
interest-bearing account at the national
commercial bank
camperdown High Principal Valentine
Bailey has since come forward to support
mr. Paul Will's account adding that the
balance was spent on operating expenses
such as electricity and water bills mr.
Bailey said mr. Paul was not involved in
the spending of the money in a Facebook
post this morning mr. pourable explained
that he was approached by the former
energy minister dr. Andrew weekly to
choose a charity for a donation from
petrol Djem I immediately thought of
Camden Camden is regarded as they spin
capital of Jamaica and indeed they do
very well at football and they have been
trying to secure their own field for
many years and I have been trying to
assist them so it was without hesitation
that I submitted the proposal which I
gather that the petegem Board considered
and approved and after words submitted
threw me a check for 6 million dollars
it check was made out in the name of
Camden High School it was handed over to
the principal and that was it for me mr.
Paul well says he expects the camperdown
principal to give a full account of the
expenditure filled I'm certain that the
principal will be doing full accounting
not only to me but also to petrol time
on how the funds have been spent
I want to reject any hint of impropriety
in this matter I'm very concerned about
what has happened with petrol John and I
believe those processes must be
concluded and the chips fall where they
may
in a statement
yesterday camperdown High Principal
Valentine Bailey confirmed that
camperdown received the six million
dollars and mr. Powell was not involved
in the spending of the money mr. Bailey
says the school can account for all the
funds spent if required he adds that the
school intends to replace the money once
it's able to resume the project burns
more TVJ news former energy minister dr.
Andrew weekly has denied any wrongdoing
and his refuting claims of nepotism in
the controversial petegem affair he was
responding to the integrity Commission
report which was tabled in Parliament on
Tuesday
janella Press news reports the former
Energy Minister has responded to two
issues raised in the integrity
Commission report the first relates to
Sophie Adair
dr. Wheatley says during the Integrity
Commission interview he was never asked
about any familial or historic link to
miss dare according to the former Energy
Minister he was only asked about her
competencies ability to serve and the
capacity in which she served he says he
answered all questions posed to him in a
truthful and forthright manner in the
integrity Commission report a statement
provided to the director of
investigation by dr. Wheatley regarding
his relationship or affiliation with
Miss chair was described as disingenuous
the director said the conclusion is
based on dr. Wheatley being less than
truthful when he described miss dare as
his former technical assistant
the report says miss dare has been
revealed to be the mother of dr.
Whitley's nephew dr. Wheatley also
responded to claims that he knew the
members who were assigned to the board
of petegem and the suggestion of
collusion
he said he appointed persons who
previously demonstrated the ability to
serve were qualified and of solid
character and reputation
dr. Wheatley added that all public
boards are subject to cabinet approval
janela press you Stevie J News
anti-corruption watchdog national
integrity action naa is again insisting
that the head of the Sultana Municipal
Corporation Mayor Michael Bell Navis
should resign executive director at the
a professor Trevor Monroe says mr. Ben
Davis has refused to respond to emails
calls and messages regarding the
construction of a building in violation
of the building act on captured
government land in Acharya Santana he
was speaking this morning on T V J's
smell Jamaica program on the face of it
the building act has been violated by
the person who heads the corporation
responsible for enforcing that act over
the center and parish no explanation no
side of the story deferred so if you
feel manner that you can do as you wish
then you need to resign you need to
resign even as a counselor because that
means the office and the cooperation in
the district in a context where
corruption improper conduct is becoming
more and more concern of the public the
mayor needs to say I am sorry I am wrong
accept blame or step aside as not
fulfilling his responsibilities and I
believe in this case to sanction a
resignation will be appropriately apply
general secretary for the Jamaica Labour
Party dr. Horace Chan says the party
will carefully consider its candidate
selection for Northeast's and Catherine
to replace Lesley Campbell who is not
seeking election his comment follows
complaints from some GOP supporters in
northeastern Catherine that they will
reject any outside candidate selected by
the party to replace Lesley Campbell now
The Gleaner reported that the supporters
say they were informed of plans to
present senator carencia Marcin to
constituents as the party's standard
bearer in the next general election
speaking on the morning agenda on power
106
dr. Chang said while said into Marcin
expressed an interest in the seat no
decision has been made on a replacement
additionally dr. Chang says a candidate
will not be named to replace Rohini
Robinson in northeast Santana until
she's buried
residents of baalbek district in South
Manchester welcoming the return of the
postal agency which was closed three
years ago a brand new facility was
officially opened yesterday so prospect
we no longer have to travel to the new
forest postal agency because you you
know how if you're within walking
distance from your home I believe that
the posts those offices and post
allegiances still have a vital please
in order to make and landscape several
industrialized countries still have
their post offices offering excellent
customer service
the agency was closed in 2017 as part of
an exercise by the postal services to
close post offices and postal agencies
that were no longer viable due to the
increased use of technology however with
the demand for services the postal
agency provided residents pleaded for
the return of the facility they argued
that it will ease the burden of having
to travel for miles to collect their
mail it is very important because some
people especially the elders it's only
so hard to open new forest industry
therefore the elders are so grateful for
it so we give thanks
to go to your face yes I am glad I got
for the empty orginal supervisor of the
Jamaica postal services Julie Faulkner
encouraged the residents to take
advantage of the services provided by
the facility we go now to sports the
inter secondary school sports
association is hoping a proposed program
from the Minister of Health and Wellness
could help in testing student athletes
as they aim to resume high school sports
ran out of brown reports it's announced
on Tuesday that October has been set as
a time period for the resumption of
sports at the high school level with
netball football and basketball
earmarked for the resumption but even
with that time period several months
away questions are being asked of
whether it's áwill test athletes and
support staff before the resumption but
speaking on hits 92 FM sports explosion
on Wednesday is the president Keith
Wellington revealed that the Ministry of
Health may help to ease the burden of
testing with a program expected to be
rolled out in September no I discussions
with him with the miniature health
representative represented is one of the
things that came out was that the
schools they have identified as schools
and communities specific communities are
going to be targeted for for some sort a
testing and monitoring and therefore
when school reopens we may have access
to tests in all student students we have
access to testing and these are whatever
drawn definitive
what it was suggested that these tests
may be done as part of a programme of
keeping schools and community sees you
the meantime Wellington expressed how
costly testing would be for just the
schoolboy football competition with well
over 3,000 players participating every
year I did a little rough calculation
and said one taste for just football as
being in under 19 put puzzle car 24
million dollars we have to be realistic
that oh your car habit right or it could
be that this is not practical and this
is a better approach but as I said
before we're looking at a four-month
spell that before we get to start in
this competition now what we are looking
at is holding holding holding Wellington
says the decision to resume sports in
October was well supported by coaches
and principals government protocol will
determine when schools will be allowed
to start their training programs
Renata Braun for TVJ sports and that's
the midday news on Vashon Brown join us
at 7:00 for prime time news package on
behalf of the new sports and production
teams have a good afternoon
