Displaying items by tag: jamaica

With a rise in Jamaican-related gang activities in Turks & Caicos Islands, the Territory’s Governor, Nigel Dakin, is appealing for support from the Jamaican Government to bring the situation under control.

While acknowledging a "worrying trend" on Tuesday, Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, reported a 3.8 per cent increase in major crimes across the island so far this year, when compared to the corresponding period in 2021.

After months of closure following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the tourism sector said it has, to date, raked in over US$5.7 billion in earnings since reopening its borders in June 2020.

Isat Buchanan, attorney-at-law representing Dancehall artist Vybz Kartel, has lambasted authorities for transferring his client – an appellant with a case before the Privy Council – to the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, known as GP on Thursday during a period of heavy rainfall.

Retired Jamaican sprint sensation Veronica Campbell Brown has welcomed her second child.

Per an Instagram post, the Olympian announced that her baby boy, Zane Lucas Brown ,was born on September 20, weighing six pounds 14.9 ounces.

This is the second child for the 40-year-old and her husband Omar, who welcomed daughter Avianna in 2019.

In a previous post announcing her pregnancy, the former Vere Technical High School athlete said her family “excitedly anticipate the arrival of baby number two”.

Police have taken a 17-year-old female student at the Kingston Technical High School into custody following the killing of a 16-year-old girl from the same school.

It is costing the country an estimated $360 million to clear roads that were flooded and blocked by trees and other debris as a result of rains associated with Tropical Storm Ian, which pelted the island between Saturday and Monday.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who made the disclosure in a statement to Parliament on Wednesday, said this figure represents very preliminary estimates to "reopen roads and make surfaces driveable".

"It might increase a little bit more, but thankfully it is not in the billions; the cost of permanent repairs are being assessed and over the next two weeks I will update Parliament as to what those will be," he said.

"Certainly, for the repair of retaining walls that have been destroyed those costs might be a little bit more, but, again, we are not expecting to see a billion-dollar bill for repairs," he said in reference to the usually high figure to repair damage resulting from extreme weather conditions in Jamaica.

According to the prime minister, based on the cost outlined, it is not expected that there will be any significant new budget allocations for the repairs. "So the National Works Agency [NWA] would have to look in its budget to see how these repairs can be addressed," he said.

In the meantime, Holness said the NWA has reported that parishes hardest hit were St Catherine and Clarendon, however, Kingston and St Andrew, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Trelawny, and Portland were also significantly impacted by the system.

Many areas were flooded while others experienced landslides, fallen trees, and scoured road surfaces, while the rains left some communities marooned, especially those in low-lying and flood-prone areas along the southern coast.

Holness said that in the aftermath of the flood rain, the NWA mobilised equipment and personnel to clear blocked roads and restore access to communities. He said the agency is now undertaking a rapid assessment to determine the full extent of the impact of the rains as well as to enable the determination for additional remedial measures.

"Primary consideration has been given to those corridors along which first responders, such as the Jamaica Public Service, National Water Commission [NWC], and Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management [ODPEM], would be required to use. So those areas have been cleared, and in clearing these areas, this would include the clearing of debris and other materials that would've washed on the roads and any landslides," the prime minister said.

Holness noted that the NWA's initial assessment is that approximately 47 roads in the parishes of St Catherine and Clarendon were badly affected by landslides, mud flows, downed trees, or inundation, which rendered some communities inaccessible.

"As of now, the floodwaters have receded and communities which were previously inaccessible, their access would've been restored," the prime minister said.

He said all roads have been reopened with the exception of the corridors in Clarendon from Chapelton to Rock River in the north; Macknie to Douglas Castle; St John's to Pedro River and Thatch Walk Bridge in Aenon Town. The Alley Road in southern Clarendon was damaged due to the Rio Minho overflowing and scouring a small section of the northern approach to the bridge. Access to this roadway has been restored.

Of note, Holness said, the road from Lower Chapelton to Rock River suffered a breakaway in the community of Sutton and this section of road will have to be rebuilt in order for it to be reopened.

"So this road would be one of the significant areas of damage which will last for a little while until we have repaired it," the prime minister said.

Further, Holness said, following directives to the NWA, several other locations within the parish of Clarendon are now accessible. These include Kemps Hill; Kupuis to Colonel's Ridge; Trout Hall and Denbigh to Manchester Avenue.

He also said the Bog Walk Gorge has been reopened, explaining that the road was closed before the heavy rainfall was experienced on Monday, following consultation among key disaster management agencies.

In addition, for roadways and retaining walls that have been damaged, designs are now being done for the repairs as required.

Meanwhile, Holness said the NWA is continuing with the cleaning and clearing of roads across the country.

"Not only would we be responsible for the roads that have been scoured and the retaining walls that have been destroyed, but there is significant debris that is on some roads which make them not impassible but difficult to drive on, so sand and gravel sometimes would have accumulated, trees would've fallen…and a significant volume of municipal waste — plastic bottles and all kinds of waste — have accumulated on some of our roads, so the NWC is doing that cleaning and clearing," he said, adding that the NWA is also cleaning critical drains in the aftermath of the storm.

The rain associated with Tropical Storm Ian, now Hurricane Ian, started affecting the island on Friday. Despite the heavy lashing, Jamaica only experienced the outer bands of the storm and there was no reported loss of life resulting from the passage of the system. After passing Jamaica, Ian strengthened into a hurricane and hit western Cuba and made landfall in Florida, United States as a strong Category 4 hurricane.

Lionel Messi scored a double coming off the bench to condemn Jamaica to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Argentina in their friendly international match at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on Tuesday. The 2-time World Cup champions got their first goal from Julian Alvarez in the 13^th minute.

Messi who came on for Lautaro Matinez with 35 minutes to go, notched his double in the 86^th and 89^th minutes. The Jamaicans are set to play Cameroon in Cameroon in their next friendly international on November 9.

Acclaimed songwriter and producer Mikey Bennett is marshalling a number of dancehall entertainers who are lending their voices to the Science Genius Jamaica competition.

Despite showing no remorse for raping a nine-year-old girl, who he strangled while buggering, the mother of the child says she has forgiven the cold-hearted, young killer.