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Tuesday, June 28, 2016     Daily, regular men, women and young people walk by the homeless on Jamaican streets. They perhaps feel a faint pang of empathy, but they walk on with their lives. Ashli-Ann Broughton (19) and her team of over 50 volunteers at Street People Liberation don't. They acted on the pangs of empathy, deciding to do something for some of society's most vulnerable. Street People Liberation   Street People Liberation is a non-profit organisation which was founded by Ashli-Ann in March 2014. It is operated by youths who plan projects geared towards improving the lives of the homeless, supplying them with clothing and toiletries throughout the year, and cooked meals on public holidays.   These TEENs cook and distribute hot meals to the homeless, primarily on public holidays, because the St James Parish Council Care Centre, which provides food and clothing for the homeless persons around Montego Bay throughout the week, is closed on public holidays. I

Monday, June 27, 2016 | 6:47 PM     KINGSTON, Jamaica – The US dollar on Monday, June 27, ended trading at J$126.37, up by two cents, according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily foreign exchange trading summary. Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar ended trading at J$96.78, down from J$99.19.

By Stephen Collinson, CNN Updated 5:02 AM ET, Tue June 28, 2016 Washington (CNN) House Republicans are planning to release a long-awaited report Tuesday on the Benghazi terror attacks that killed four Americans on Hillary Clinton's watch as secretary of state, reviving the politically charged issue less than five months before the election. Grim scene: Bloodstains at the main gate believed  to be from one of the American staff members of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Associated Press Photo.   The report, parts of which have already been reviewed by CNN, paints a picture of a perfect storm of bureaucratic inertia, rapidly worsening security in Libya and inadequate resources in the months that led up to the killings of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three colleagues on September 11, 2012. Clinton told the House Benghazi Committee last year that she was aware of the dangers in Libya but "there was no actionable intelligence" indicating a planned attack.

By Tiffany Ap, CNN Updated 4:04 AM ET, Tue June 28, 2016 (CNN) The headache for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games organizers shows no signs of subsiding. Six weeks before the Games are set to begin, Francisco Dornelles, the acting governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, told the Brazilian newspaper O Globo that the state has not yet received recently-approved federal funds to beef up security and transportation for the quadrennial competition. "I am optimistic about the games, but I have to show the reality. We can make a great Olympics, but if some steps are not taken, it can be a big failure," Dornelles told O Globo. Olympic Games: Is Rio ready?   The budget shortfall   adds to the "perfect storm"  Brazil is facing leading up to the Games, due to kick off on August 5. Organizers are dealing with concerns regarding the Zika virus,   a doping scandal  in which Brazil's only testing lab was suspended, high crime and political upheaval involving the country&

June 28, 2016...Excerpt from Huffington Post The fallout following the British vote to leave the European Union has triggered an uptick in racist incidents. An aversion to immigration has been at the forefront for the  “leave”  camp, emboldening xenophobes to reportedly come out of the shadows and publicly attack immigrant communities. Eyewitnesses have taken to social media to describe incidents they have encountered, and an account called  Post Ref Racism  was started on both Twitter and Facebook to offer people a “space to document the increase in racism,” according to the page’s description.  Britain’s Polish community has been specifically targeted by xenophobic sentiments. Police are investigating various “racially motivated   hate crimes “ targeting Poles in England. Authorities first found leaflets saying “no more Polish vermin” in central England. Graffiti  demanding that Poles leave the U.K. was later discovered at a Polish cultural center in London. The spokesman

Jamaica’s Olympic gold-winning sprinter Kemar Bailey-Cole has revealed that he is suffering from the Zika virus. The 24-year-old, who ran alongside Usain Bolt in Jamaica’s  successful 4x100m relay squad  at London 2012 and the world championships in 2013, said he feared it would affect his chances of making the Olympics in Rio. Jessica Ennis-Hill to miss Olympic holding camp but will compete in Rio   Read more “I was experiencing back pains and muscle soreness, but I thought it was just soreness from the exercises I was doing,” he said. “I didn’t know I had it until I went to get a haircut. After cleaning up, my girlfriend realised a bump was on my neck, which was a lymph node.” Bailey-Cole, who also won gold at 100m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and has a 100m PB of 9.92sec, said that he was still able to train. “I am a little worried but I am not letting that get in front of me. I am just praying that I get the strength to carry me through the roun

BY ALPHEA SAUNDERS Senior staff reporter saundersa@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, June 24, 2016     With a number of government departments and agencies continuing to break the law by not submitting annual reports — some for more than 15 years — legislators are now working on hammering out a solution to the chronic problem. According to a status document of annual report submissions to the Cabinet Office, up to June 2014 the Independent Commission of Investigations, Social Development Commission, Parole Board, University Hospital of the West Indies, and the Transport Authority are among those that have never submitted an annual report. Under the Public Bodies Management and Accountability Act, State agencies and departments are required to submit annual reports as soon as possible after the end of each financial year, but not more than four months thereafter. According to the Act, the annual reports should include audited financial statements of the public body. The ought to be

BY HOWARD WALKER Observer senior reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, June 24, 2016     Olympic 200m bronze medallist Warren Weir is the surprise package among several elite athletes that have signed up for the 100m and 200m double, while Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby has joined the golden girls in what will be an enticing 400m at the Supreme Ventures Senior Championships slated to start June 30 at the National Stadium. Bolt & Weir The incomparable Usain Bolt, double 100m Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, double 200m Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, Elaine Thompson, Kerron Stewart and Nickel Ashmeade have all entered for both short sprint, while Asafa Powell, who earlier indicated that he would double, was only entered for the 100m following the Monday, June 20 deadline. Weir, who has been running some decent times with a seasonal best of 10.07 seconds and a personal best established in 2013 of 10.02, will join the hot 100m involving Usain Bolt, Y

June 24, 2016 Ecerpts from Huffingtonpost The United Kingdom will exit the European Union, as a majority of British voters chose “leave” over “remain” in the country’s EU referendum on Thursday, the BBC projected. The result plunges Britain into an uncertain future, with both serious and immediate political and economic ramifications.  The “leave” campaign took a surprising early lead hours after the polls closed, and edged further ahead as the counting continued. With “leave” leading, the British pound plummeted to the lowest in 31 years, the  The Associated Press  reported. U.S.  financial markets were expected  to open sharply lower.  “The dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom,” said  Nigel Farage,  the anti-EU leader of the U.K. Independence Party. “Let June 23 go down in our history as our independence day.” The U.K. will now enter into  a two-year negotiation  with the EU on how its exit will be handled, although it could take even longer. The country is brac

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Eleven-year old, Tariq Wright, a student at the Holy Childhood Preparatory School, will be attending the Wolmer’s Boys’ School in September after receiving perfect scores in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT). Tariq Wright, Perfect in GSAT Exam in Jamaica Results for GSAT were released to primary and preparatory schools across the country today. A very happy Tariq told JIS News that he received 100 per cent in mathematics, 100 per cent in language arts, 100 per cent in science, 100 per cent in social studies, and 12/12 for communication task. “I studied very hard to get good grades and that helped. I did two hours of studying each day,” Tariq said. He said he was surprised that he received all hundreds as “I thought I would get one wrong in the science and one wrong in the social studies”. Tariq noted that he chose Wolmer’s Boys’ School as it was an “all-round institution” that focuses not only on education but also on extracurricular activities

06/13/2016 04:57 pm ET One day after the worst mass shooting in American history, Tennessee State Rep. Andy Holt (R) said he plans to give away two AR-15 assault rifles — the same kind of weapon used in the massacre — as a “door prize” at an upcoming political fundraiser. Holt, a self-described conservative Christian, had announced last week that he would give away one AR-15 at “Hogfest,” a barbeque fundraiser on his farm that has a petting zoo and hay rides. But when reporters asked him after the Orlando, Florida, shooting on Sunday whether he still planned to give away the assault weapon, he told reporters that he  now wants to give away two  instead of one.  “I’m furious that I get phone calls from the media asking me if I’m still going to give away an AR-15 at our HogFest, rather than asking me how many extra firearms I’ll be handing out to ensure people can protect themselves,” Holt  wrote in a Facebook post  on Monday. “After all, it was a bullet that stopped the terrorist

Donald Trump   on Monday proposed punishing Americans if they don’t turn in their friends and neighbors for behaving suspiciously. “In San Bernardino, people knew what was going on, they knew exactly, but they used the excuse of racial profiling for not reporting it,” Trump said during a speech in the wake of the Orlando mass shooting.  The presumptive GOP presidential nominee was presumably referring to  unverified reports  that a woman who lived near the mother of one of the San Bernardino shooters had noticed that the family received “ quite a few packages within a short amount of time, and they were doing a lot of work out in the garage.”    A man who  claimed to be friends  with this neighbor said she did not report the packages and the behavior to authorities because she “didn’t want to do any kind of racial profiling.” In Trump’s America, however, that woman would face serious consequences. “We need to make sure every single person involved in this plan, including anyone

By Howard Walker Observer senior reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, June 12, 2016   The incomparable Usain Bolt brought the house down at the inaugural JN Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium last night with a scintillating 9.88-second clocking to win the 100m, while Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce proved that she is back, winning in a season’s best 11.09 seconds. Bolt Wins in 9.88 secs Bolt, drawn between Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake, walked out of the blocks, catched the field after 50 metres and eased home to his season-best 9.88 seconds with a wind of (+1.0 m/s).  It was an awesome and ominous display by the legendary Bolt as he chases immortality at the upcoming Rio Olympics in Brazil. The effortless manner in which he dismissed the world-class field suggested that he is ready to defend his Olympic title. But the superstar was wary of his shaky start. “The start was horrible, because I stumbled out the blocks, but I like how I finished strong,” said Bolt

 By STEVE KENNYJUNE 12, 2016   A shooting inside a downtown Orlando, Fla., nightclub led to mass casualties, according to the police, who said that at least one gunman had been found dead inside. The shooting was reported at about 3 a.m., after last call at Pulse, one of the largest gay nightspots in the Central Florida city. On its Twitter feed,  the Police Department asked  residents to “stay away from area” and said that it was seeking support from local state and federal agencies. The club itself posted a message on its  Facebook page  about 3 a.m.: “Everyone get out of pulse and keep running.” Customers streamed out of the club into a chaotic situation with little idea of where to go. “Cops were saying, ‘Go, go, clear the area,’ ” Christopher Hansen told an Orlando television station. “You don’t know who’s what and who’s where.” Police swept inside the club and about 5 a.m. set off a “controlled explosion” in an effort to clear the club, the  department said in its Tw

By Brad Brooks  06/10/2016 07:01 pm ET RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Scientists have found dangerous drug-resistant “super bacteria” off beaches in Rio de Janeiro that will host Olympic swimming events and in a lagoon where rowing and canoe athletes will compete when the Games start on Aug. 5. The findings from two unpublished academic studies seen by Reuters concern Rio’s most popular spots for tourists and greatly increase the areas known to be infected by the microbes normally found only in hospitals. Dirty Beach in Brazil They also heighten concerns that Rio’s sewage-infested waterways are unsafe. A study published in late 2014 had shown the presence of the super bacteria - classified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an urgent public health threat - off one of the beaches in Guanabara Bay, where sailing and wind-surfing events will be held during the Games. The first of the two new studies, reviewed in September by scientists at the Inters

Friday, June 10, 2016     The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has launched a probe into the fatal shooting of two men inside a house on Denver Crescent in Maverley, St Andrew yesterday. The dead men have been identified as Ramone and Rameish Cummings, 24-year-old twin brothers of a Waterhouse address.  INDECOM, in a release yesterday, said that a team of 25 police officers was on an operation in search of wanted men and guns. It is alleged that the team, acting on information, went to Denver Crescent. On arrival, two people met them at the entrance of the house. It is alleged that the police advised the occupants that they wanted to “clear” the house. A confrontation, the police said, occurred when they entered the house. The cops involved in the shooting were interviewed and served with notices and the weapons assigned to them have also been taken out of circulation and packaged for submission to the government forensic laboratory. Further to that the p

June 4, 2016 Muhammad Ali, who was renowned as much for his wit and principles as his fighting prowess, died Friday night at age 74, a family spokesman said. The boxing legend popularly known as “The Greatest of All Time” died at a hospital in Arizona, where he had been treated for respiratory issues. “After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74,” spokesman Bob Gunnell said in a statement. He said the funeral would be in Louisville, Kentucky, Ali’s hometown. Ali was regarded as one of the most charismatic people of his generation. Through his athletic skills, braggadocio and defiance of the government, Ali piled up victories, fans and critics. He was the first boxer to win the world heavyweight title three times, retiring in 1981 with a  record of 56-5, with 37 knockouts . In 1999, he was named  Sportsman of the Century  by Sports Illustrated and  Sports Personality of the Century  by the BBC. Time once referred to him as the

 By Brian Bonitto Associate Editor -- Auto and Entertainment bonittob@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, June 03, 2016     SIX months after a highly publicised conversion to Christianity, Lady Saw, now Minister Marion Hall, is content with her new lease on life. “This is the start of me, God’s servant, winning souls for Him. I’m ready to minister. God a go do some awesome things through me,” a bubbly Hall told  Splash  from Florida this week. She is preparing to release  I Had Jesus  Sunday on her Minister Marion Hall label. “I realise my calling is to minister to broken women. So this song is for women who have been raped, women forced into prostitution and drugs and are still standing today. I am a victim of rape and I had Jesus who took me through it. I was battered and bruised... I could have been dead, but I’m still standing here today,” she said.  “This song is to empower women who have been down that road and are still standing,” she continued. Lady Saw I Had Jesus