good afternoon I am Andrea Chism with the midday news for this Wednesday
January 22 a special welcome if you're watching on one spot media.com where the
controversy surrounding the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to
Jamaica he is this afternoon insisting there is no intention to divide CARICOM
at least four countries led by barbarous Prime Minister and CARICOM Chairman Mia
motley are suspicious about the visit arguing that not all countries were
invited to meet with mr. Pompeo only six countries and Jamaica will be
participating in this afternoon's around the table with the Secretary of State
prime minister Andrew Holness responded to the issue at a press conference this
morning
we almost respect the sovereignty of countries to determine how they
structure their foreign policy when friends are asked to be hosted or for us
to host them we're friends and so we do that we're friends with the United
States so we are happy to host here not to the exclusion of anyone and if anyone
wanted to attend they just had to signal from my perspective we would have done
everything to ensure that they are present there's no intent from the
United States to divide CARICOM we know that countries in this region will agree
with the United States and certain positions from time to time and disagree
with us from time that's true for Jamaica as well as true from any of the
folks that I'll visit with this afternoon we want to invite them all to
be part of the economic prosperity security zone that is this region we
welcome the leadership that Jamaica has demonstrated in this region in the
CARICOM region meanwhile Jamaica and the United States have agreed to strengthen
cooperation in security the main focus will be on bolstering
Jamaica's capacity to counter transnational organized crime secure our
borders and ports and interrupt the flow of illicit weapons into our country
development and infrastructure were also on our list of topics today
last year Jamaica became the first Caribbean partner to join our growth in
the Americas and were honored to assist our Caribbean friends and making their
countries more attractive to private sector infrastructure investment former
education minister ruel reed and a president of the cabin maritime
university professor fritz Pinnock will return to the Supreme Court next month
to have the fraud charges against them quashed
the full court is scheduled to hear the application on February 10 lead attorney
Hugh Waldman who told told our NewsCenter that the three member panel
of judges will hear the appeal Chief Justice Brian Sykes
did the application last month mr. Waldman says the law gives him the right
to renew the application before the full court and we returned to another story
talking about the CMU now the media and politics are being blamed for the
troubles now being faced by the CMU president in a 10 minute 43 second video
posted on YouTube professor P Knox daughter Abigail defended her father and
proclaimed his innocence we have more from TV Jason masters Mattel is
something my father is not a thief dr. Abigail
pinoke the daughter of CMU presidents professor Fritz pinnock coming to the
defense of her father in a live presentation on social media site
YouTube on Tuesday night much focus has been placed on the CMU in recent days
with the findings of the Auditor General's report on the operations of
the school being revealed by the media the AG report pointed to poor governance
practices at the CMU procurement breaches totaling close to 218 million
dollars and close to nine hundred and ninety thousand US dollars the HR policy
was also breached as staff were engaged without advertisements or interviews dr.
Pinnock in the almost eleven minutes presentation defended her father
describing him as a humble man who was being made a scapegoat case that's out
there about my father I want to let the world know right it's politics let me
tell you that politics first panic is not the man that they're trying to make
him out to look like admittedly something taxpayers money cannot pay
captain's on the staff and vitelli captains get over 5,000 US per month or
more okay half of the staff on there cannot be paid from taxpayers money so
the so the whole thing about stealing taxpayer money is crap she says since
professor Pinnock took charge of an institution in 2006 the volume of work
which has taken place at the institution could not be carried out with only
taxpayers money half at a times when that it goes on those trips
it's trying to get funding and people he said he's a professional beggar and that
is what he has become but at school that school never have since daddy nutiva
asked for them to raise in pay he's supposed to have raised PC got published
what I'm publishing again I bought his pay that was a lighter to get way less
than that and that's another thing he was like look at all of these Falls news
that inputs II know that he just sit down there calm him say you know what
when I teach nobody money me can't sleep good at night miss P no claims out the
country on a whole is not repaying the CMU head for the work which he has Donna
to bring a certain standard to the University whenever anybody tried to
progress whenever somebody have a heart for the country let us bring it on it's
politics man y'all don't understand what going on and when half of the things I
came to see on these things my father would be so upset if I came here but
y'all don't understand what going on there are Jesus I'm sorry it's so
emotional because the person that they're tried to make him out to be the
total opposite we would have been living real good if he had taken half of the
things from that school machine masters t be tenuous and it's time for a break
we have more stories right after these messages
welcome back and we're continuing the news the debate on amendments to the
Antigone law are to is to continue today well it's continued on Tuesday the Joint
Select Committee of Parliament is reviewing the recommendations of the act
we have details in this report recommendations in the report examined
that chooses Joint Select Committee meeting on the Antigone legislation but
there was lengthy debate on one issue the term serious offenses of a criminal
organization which would include smaller crimes such as simple arsenal it's
recommended that the term be replaced with an applicable offense but committee
members had different views what we have done there is we have known put
offenses into this legislation which we do not regard as
serious offenses to be dealt with as if they were it seems that this would
capture a gun of people kids for example which currently can't have been the
intention certainly you know as I think the minister who piloted the bill
through Parliament originally that was not they what we anticipated this would
be addressing Solicitor General Marlene Eldred noted that the Director of Public
Prosecutions supported the recommendation they have recognized that
there are offenses that are that are money-making offences for these gang
members that they are able to easily link with these gang members and it has
been coming up in a number of these new recent matters you change ways a gambit
which were involved in family robbery said the issue of simple last name and
family yeah the in take what a television and of course and then fence
it on a market and it was systemic operation you do 20 televisions a month
is good morning or in the case of sky and and where they would steal goats
which is pretty larceny but it was the gun activity to get goods got me to
Haiti to get firearms additionally Attorney General Marty mother who forth
explained that while a lesser offense of larceny would return a smaller penalty
on conviction the inclusion in this Act would prevent unforeseen issues so the
whole idea is to ensure that where evidence is clear that an offense has
been committed you do not end up with an acquittal of a mere technicality because
of offenses are categorized the matter was left for further debate the
committee will meet again on January 28th before submitting a final report to
Parliament
Prime Minister Andrew Holness is touting the success which can be achieved from
an increase in investments in Port Royal his comments follow the first cruise
call on Monday which saw over 2000 visitors to Port Royal speaking at the
launch of the Jamaica stock exchange conference last night mr. wholeness says
the country stands to benefit significantly from the opening of the
new Seaport 500 ships coming in a week and people start to invest in Port Royal
the employment that it will create but it won't be only Port Royal because on
this trip people went to trench though they went to Bob Marley Museum some went
up into the hills to see all the coffee we have so many attractions in the
meantime the prime minister says Monday's cruise port call was a test for
the government to see what needs to be adjusted before the official opening in
March he says a number of issues have been identified and the requisite
investments will be put in place before the port becomes fully operational
meanwhile given its history there are concerns about the environmental threats
at Port Royal but the government says it will preserve the historic
characteristics of the town 1692 the tone of Port Royal was hit by a large
earthquake the impact of that disaster is still evident today with almost half
of the communities still buried under the sea as a result Prime Minister
Andrew Holness says cruise ships docking at the tones port would have
implications for artifacts buried in the sea so we put it we brought in a
technology called it's a floating sea walk and so what happens is that the
ship is moored off the coast and the sea walk extends to the ship and that ship
doesn't come anywhere close to the sunken city or any other sensitive
environmental asset in the area mister wholeness explains that more
infrastructure development is necessary to preserve the historic tone and that
is why argues the government will be taking a proactive approach so in the
investment in Port Royal there will be works to build a seawall
there will be works to raise the various foundations of buildings that we are
putting in we will with in Port Royal remove houses that are at risk and place
them in safer places so the truth is that the investment in Port Royal is not
just going to create economic value but it is going to ultimately protect the
environment Rachid masters tv2 news the Western Regional Health Authority has
reported a reduction in the region's ADEs Index the regional vector control
officer is crediting the success to the efforts of vector control workers we
have more in this report according to vector control officer at the Western
Regional Health Authority Ryan Morris thousands of premises have been
inspected for mosquito breeding sites in the Health Region since July 1 he said
so far there have been a steady reduction in the mosquito population we
saw our index coming down from twenty four point two five in June because we
started at the first of july we start coming down from June from twenty four
point two four down to six point five at the end of December 2019 so that in
itself is significant gain over 17 percent reduction in the ADEs index
population he added that st. James Westmoreland and
Trelawny were in the 20s while Hannover was in the lower teens but cumulatively
that will have brought the population to little over 24 percent while he credits
the reduction to the increase in vector control workers and partnerships with
government entities he says citizens lack of personal responsibility is a
challenge we can't do it by herself we need everyone on deck as I mentioned
before a small number of ADEs mosquito can cause a large outbreak we are out
there doing our health education doing our place activity in intone centers
trying to educate person trying to change behavior yes we are worse we're
seeing positive strides but there are still some person who don't seem to be
connecting dots in the meantime he's imploring citizens in western Jamaica to
take part in the National dengue cleanup Drive scheduled for January 24 to 26 so
we'll focus on different aspects of the community on different days 24 the aim
is to focus on schools and business on the 25th we want to go tone centers
community for bulk waste collection and under 26 no where we'd have more persons
that own the same name what the focus on the Osceola with where they can go
around their premises tico what needs methi code and despite
the extension of the ministry's enhanced vector control to April 10 mr. Morris
said the Western Regional Health Authority will continue to step up its
vector control strategies in the fight against dengue Prince more TV J news and
in sports the sunshine girls started their 2020 season on a high and we'll be
looking to maintain their winning streak when they face world champions New
Zealand in the vitality Nations Cup today in Birmingham sunshine girls tough
taskmaster Connie Francis got her dream start on Sunday when the team defeated
South Africa 5954 in their opening game but despite winning on Sunday Francis
made note of some inconsistencies throughout the quarters and she's hoping
the team will show improvement in these areas we need a better concentration I
think we made some unforced errors that can be clean up and just to go at them
because I think that we stand a chance we know we're not as fit as them but if
we play our cards right you have been working really well
together we have been all the combination that we have tried it seems
to be coming through there is also one department that Francis will be giving
some extra attention if we can get a boss in or shooters are shooting really
well but it's just our through code players although it's just really one on
two times relapse I think it is costly and against the world champion it will
be very costly for us meanwhile top defender Samara Sterling's suffered an
injury to her ankle in Sunday's game which forced her to immediately lead the
court but not so worried sighs Francis um she got her scared at anchor shoe on
it slightly but our threshold for pain is very very high so what she's fine you
know how feyza has been working on the foot she'll be ready for tomorrow New
Zealand's Silver Ferns were also winners in their first game beating England 64
48 the game will get on the way at 12:30 p.m. jamaica time Trish Shawna McGowan
TVJ sports Shoshanna McGowan and that's 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