Your news in a nutshell
- 40% J’cans say parents must approve teen abortions
- Opposition objects to SERHA board director leading neonate probe
- NWC to launch $15b bond
- Post-Cabinet press briefings to resume
- Pedal cyclists face tough fines
- Whitmore inks 4-yr deal with JFF
1. 40% J’cans say parents must approve teen abortions
(The Johnson Survey Research Limited poll on ‘A Woman’s Right to Choose’was sponsored by The Gleaner, the Ministry of Health and the National Health Fund.) Children’s Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison has joined the 40 per cent of Jamaicans who believe that a parent must give consent if a 16- or 17-year-old girl needs to have an abortion. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
2. Opposition objects to SERHA board director leading neonate probe
The breach in protocol that resulted in the improper disposal of the bodies of two neonates that were stored along with other body parts in the morgue at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) will trigger changes at the institution, according to Senior Medical Officer Dr Orville Morgan. At the same time, the Opposition People’s National Party has said that it was sickened by the gruesome discovery of missing bodies of neonates at the KPH and the subsequent finding of the missing dead babies among stray dogs in downtown Kingston. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
3. NWC to launch $15b bond
The cash-strapped National Water Commission (NWC) has turned to the public for much-needed capital. The NWA has advised that it has established a $15 billion local bond facility, arranged by National Commercial Bank Capital Markets Limited. “This facility will enable the NWC to become more financially viable, to allow for the re-balancing of its loan portfolio and to reduce its use of Government Guarantees,” the utility company said in a statement on Monday. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
4. Post-Cabinet press briefings to resume
The Government has announced that it will resume post-Cabinet press briefings shortly, following an urgent call from the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) for the weekly exercise to restart. In a news release issued yesterday, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information said that the format of post-Cabinet press briefings was being reviewed. According to the ministry, the Government is committed to updating the country on Cabinet’s deliberations. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
5. Pedal cyclists face heavy fines
Pedal cyclists who run the red light or refuse to obey stop signs on the nation’s roads could be dragged before the courts and face a maximum fine of up to $24,000 or, in default of payment, spend 10 days in prison. Under the new Road Traffic Act, pedal cyclists who breach the law will be issued summonses to appear before the court. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
6. Whitmore inks 4-year deal with JFF
Head coach Theodore Whitmore will take charge of the senior national football team for the next four years, after he officially put pen to paper on a new contract yesterday at the offices of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF). Whitmore, a former Reggae Boyz midfield star, has been at loggerheads with the JFF for some time, over his remuneration package, and had tendered his resignation early last month, before Sports Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange’s intervention led to a verbal agreement between both parties. See full story on The Gleaner’s website.
