IN JAMAICA: Edufocal awards top GSAT, CSEC students.... Guest speaker, Professor Errol Morrison told the young awardees "A thought is faster than the speed of light... whatever the mind can conceive, the revolving technology can achieve,"

BY GORGETTE BECKFORD Career & Education writer  Sunday, July 20, 2014    

EDUFOCAL has awarded nine students for performance in the recent Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Edufocal CEO Gordon Swaby (back right) and Edufocal
 Chairman Peter Levy pose with Edufocal GSAT and CSEC
awardees (from left) Matthew Irving, Shamique Francis,
 Shantol Barton, Tyrese Bryan, Thaia Malcom, Danielle Lindo,
and Kariem Lloyd.

Shamique Francis (last year's top GSAT performer), David Ramdeen, and Shantol Barton (top performer) were awarded for excellent work in CSEC, while Danielle Lindo, Thaia Malcom, Kariem Lloyd, Courtney Seivwright, Matthew Irving, and Tyrese Bryan (top performer) were awarded for their work in the GSAT. In addition to the plaques and gift baskets, the top performer from each level was given $30,000.

Edufocal, an interactive, user-friendly online learning environment which employs gamification to engage primary and secondary students, is the brainchild of CEO Gordon Swaby. Its incentivised model promotes learning in a competitive but relaxed community.

At the awards ceremony held at Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Swaby announced an upcoming SAT partnership, as well as an expansion to include other Caribbean countries. The current platform is concentrated on GSAT and CSEC.

This year marks the second staging of the awards.

Guest speaker Professor Errol Morrison implored the young awardees to open up their thinking and to not limit themselves.

"A thought is faster than the speed of light... whatever the mind can conceive, the revolving technology can achieve," Morrison said.

In the same vein he sought to emphasise the importance of being logical by sharing an anecdote: If there are three birds in a tree and you shoo one, how many would remain? Mathematically, two. But birds are easily frightened so logic dictates that all three would fly away.

The professor, who is currently the director general of the National Commission on Science and Technology, highlighted the significance of using the cellphone as a tool for education. more

Wow! BOY WONDER, 13 y-o SHAMARIE received STRAIGHT A's in 11 Subjects in High School at St. George’s College for Boys in Kingston, Jamaica! Shamarie has been on Paul Bogle Scholarship since 1st form

Shamarie

BOY WONDER!!! The Grades are in! SHAMARIE received STRAIGHT A's in 11 Subjects in High School at St. George’s College for Boys in Kingston, Jamaica! WOW. Mathematics: A+; Information Technology: A+; Spanish: A+; Social Studies: A+; Theatre Arts: A+; Metal Work: A+; Integrated Science: A; English Language: A; English Literature: A; Religious Education: A; Physical Education: A. 

The Caribbean Education Foundation says HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to our brilliant Paul Bogle Scholarship recipient, SHAMARIE, who has remained an "A" STUDENT at St. George’s College! He is 13 years old and in 2nd Form (Grade 8). He graduated from St. Peter Claver Primary School. Shamarie has been on CEF Paul Bogle Scholarship since 1st Form.

 BRAVO SHAMARIE! CEF is supported by individual donations in order to award scholarships to brilliant, poor children like Shamarie, so they have meaningful access to quality education, opportunities to succeed and transform their own lives. Public high schools are NOT FREE in Jamaica. CEF's scholarships pay school fees, text books, school supplies and transportation. Please LIKE and SHARE with your networks, so others will become aware of our important cause to give youths living in poverty a fighting chance in the world! Visit CEF Project on Global Giving and make a contribution. THANK YOU for your support. One love. more 

Safety our main concern, says Fly Jamaica Company, also knocks Observer report of resignations. "No one in this company must have any apprehension or any thought that we're flying an aeroplane that is not safe."

THE directors of Fly Jamaica Airways have rubbished a report in Friday's Daily Observer, saying that delays are not unusual to the airline industry and that the company is not rocked by resignations.

Insisting that the safety of their passengers and crew is their top priority, Captain Paul Reece, chairman and CEO; his wife Roxanne Reece, a director; and Captain Patrick Cousins, also a director, said the information in the Observer story was wrong.

Fly Jamaica

"No one in this company must have any apprehension or any thought that we're flying an aeroplane that is not safe. So that's why we have a maintenance delay," Captain Reece said in response to the report of a number of delays experienced by the airline in recent weeks.

"If we have a light go on in the cockpit, we are not going to fly with it. We have to be safe. No one must say that any of our pilots or engineers let the plane take off with a fault," Captain Reece insisted.

"So when we have a delay, and we say we're grounded for maintenance, we are grounded for maintenance, because we want to fix it so when we fly, the aeroplane is safe," he added.

Yesterday, in a news release, the company noted that in the airline industry passenger safety requires that pilots and engineers are trained not to allow any aircraft to be operated with any malfunction.

"Therefore, when there is any indication of any abnormal situation, the aircraft will be grounded and thoroughly checked and repaired to ensure the safety of the travelling public. This is the reason airlines maintain such a high safety record," the company said in its news release.

"All of our passengers whose travel plans were recently disrupted as a result of our irregular operation for a period of two days were contacted, were re-accommodated in hotels, and travelled to their final destination on other airlines at the expense of Fly Jamaica Airways," the company added. more

ISRAEL INVASION OF GAZA: 1 In 5 Of Gaza Dead Are Children

AP | By KARIN LAUB and YOUSUR ALHLOU

BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip (AP) — Sobbing and shaking, Ismail Abu Musallam leaned against the wall of a hospital Friday, waiting for three of his children to be prepared for burial. They were killed as they slept when an Israeli tank shell hit their home, burying 11-year-old Ahmed, 14-year-old Walaa and 16-year-old Mohammed under debris in their beds.

His personal tragedy is not unique: the U.N. says minors make up one-fifth of the 299 Palestinians killed in 11 days of intense Israeli bombardment of the densely populated Gaza Strip, where half the 1.7 million people are under age 18.

The Israeli military says it's doing its utmost to spare civilians by urging residents to leave areas that are about to be shelled or bombed as Hamas targets. It accuses the Islamic militants of using civilians as human shields by firing rockets from civilian areas.

But even if urged to evacuate, most Gazans have no safe place to go, rights activists say.

"If you are going to attack civilian structures in densely populated areas, of course you are going to see children killed," said Bill Van Esveld, a researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Seventy-one of those killed since fighting began on July 8 were under 18, according to an Associated Press count based on information provided by Palestinian health official Ashraf al-Kidra. Forty-eight of the victims were under the age of 13. Many of the children were killed in their own homes. more

2014-15 PALAS TOP PERFORMERS STORY (4 of 5).....JAVANNEY CAMPBELL of Kingston, Jamaica with "A" average at CLAN CARTHY High, TVJ's School's Challenge Quiz Contestant, PALAS GOLD STAR Winner & Finished 4th in 2014 PALAS evaluations....Gold Medal at Annual Spanish Fesitval & Principals Honor Roll for 4 years in High School

JAVANNEY CAMPBELL of Kingston, Jamaica is a 3rd form student with "A" average at CLAN CARTHY High, TVJ's School's Challenge Quiz Contestant, Finished 4th in 2014 PALAS evaluations....Gold Medal at Annual Spanish Fesitval & Principals Honor Roll for 4 years in High School.

Below is the essay that he submitted to PALAS with his 2014 application package.

He writes......

JAVANNEY CAMPBELL- Clan Carthy High

I am a third form student of the Clan Carthy High School with a passion for achieving and maintaining a high level of performance in school through hard work, consistency, determination and dedication to my studies.I am strong-willed, determined, committed and optimistic. I possess strong leadership qualities, am goal oriented, respectable, reliable, honest, trustworthy and not averse to being reprimanded. I sincerely dislike indiscipline, truancy, mediocrity and irresponsibility.
This scholarship would help to make me better able to obtain the necessary materials and equipment needed to help propel me along the path to success on which I am now trod. It will also aid in putting me closer in achieving my educational goals and my aspirations to become a Flight Attendant. Thus, bringing my career goals closer to my grasp.
My eligibility for this scholarship lies mainly in my academic performances, social objectives and also my educational intentions that I wish to pursue in the future. During my life period, I perceived that with education, there comes determination which means persistence in doing something that is difficult. Thus, I have gained the attitude in being eager to want to achieve something through academics. I have managed to maintain an average of over 90% in my examinations which has placed me on the Principal's Honor Roll. I have also represented my school at the TVJ's School's Challenge Quiz at the grade nine level and also represented my school at the Annual Spanish Festival where I obtained a gold medal. more 

Dancehall stage and style: Sumfest Dancehall Night crowd begs for more Ninjaman at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre in Montego Bay

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica -- Veteran deejay Ninja Man delivered an entertaining set to open the second segment of Sumfest Dancehall Night now on at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre in Montego Bay, leaving his fans begging for more. The large crowd responded to the ‘Don Gargon’ who was joined on stage by Tinga Stewart. They combined to perform Under You Love, Gal Gimme Piece, and Cover Me. Ninja Man who was later also accompanied by deejays  Specialist and Don Husky could do ...More

Jamaica to send 20 athletes to Summer Youth Olympics Games in Nanjing, China, August 16-28

BY HOWARD WALKER Observer senior reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com  Friday, July 18, 2014 

JAMAICA will be sending 20 athletes to the Second Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, August 16-28 where they will participate in athletics, beach volleyball, swimming, and fencing.

But, more importantly, they will get the chance to experience first-hand other cultures.

Members of Jamaica's delegation to the Youth Olympics
in Nanjing, China, pose with minister with responsibility for
 sport, Natalie Neita-Headley

Mike Fennell, president of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), noted that the Youth Olympic Games are the ultimate multi-sport event for young athletes, but they are more than just competing and performing, it's about learning important skills, connecting to other cultures and celebrating the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.

"It's a unique feature," noted Fennell. "The Youth Olympic Games is not just another sporting event. There is a compulsory element to it which is the Cultural Educational Programme. The idea is the development of the whole person," he said.

Christopher Samuda, JOA's general secretary, outlined that the organisation is firmly behind youth development and every encouragement will be given to assist.

"So our ensuring Jamaica's participation in the Nanjing Youth Olympics is born out of a duty, a responsibility we acknowledge we have to our youth and Jamaica's future," he added.

Jamaica will be a part of the Americas team and of course, track and field will be the strongest of the four sporting disciplines. Fifteen athletes have been selected with World Youth champions Jaheel Hyde (110m hurdles) and Martin Manley (400m) leading the charge. more

TODAY IS NELSON Rolihlahla MANDELA BIRTHDAY.... BORN JULY 18, 1918.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (/mænˈdɛlə/;^[4] Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was South Africa's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalised racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress(ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.

NELSON MANDELA

A Xhosa born to the Thembu royal family, Mandela attended the Fort Hare University and the University of Witwatersrand, where he studied law. Living in Johannesburg, he became involved in anti-colonial politics, joining the ANC and becoming a founding member of its Youth League. After the South African National Party came to power in 1948, he rose to prominence in the ANC's 1952Defiance Campaign, was appointed superintendent of the organisation's Transvaal chapter and presided over the 1955 Congress of the People. Working as a lawyer, he was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and, with the ANC leadership, was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the Treason Trial from 1956 to 1961. Influenced by Marxism, he secretly joined the South African Communist Party(SACP) and sat on its Central Committee. Although initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1961, leading a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government. In 1962, he was arrested, convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the state, and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial. more

IN JAMAICA: INDECOM may get phone records..... House committee favours granting of data for cops under investigation

BY BALFORD HENRY Senior staff reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, July 17, 2014    

THE Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) seems close to getting access to data from telephone calls made by members of the security forces accused of breaching the rights of civilians from local telecommunications providers.

A joint select committee (JSC) reviewing the INDECOM Act met at Gordon House and spoke favourably of recommending amendments to the Telecommunications Act and the Interception of Communications Act to make it possible.

The proposal, which was submitted to the JSC by INDECOM, has already received the support of Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and the Norman Manley Law School at Mona, although there has been no response from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) or the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), or even the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) during the review.

Yesterday, the proposal won additional support from both Minister of Justice Senator Mark Golding, who chairs the committee, and Minister of National Security Peter Bunting, who is also a member.

The only dissenting voices were Opposition spokesman on national security, Derrick Smith, who felt that the committee should be very careful in dealing with such sensitive issues, and government senator, Lambert Brown, who felt that the request should have been routed through the Cabinet.

Asked by Senator Golding to explain what INDECOM was seeking from amending the laws, INDECOM Commissioner Terrence Williams, said that it was necessary to “permit INDECOM to get communications data relevant to an investigation in the same way the police are able to”.

He said that the amendment would allow INDECOM to receive telephone data, “so that in an appropriate case we can know who were the persons making calls to this telephone, and who were receiving, and so on…” more 

IN JAMAICA: Country to know by weekend if suspected case is chikungunya....This would mean that Jamaica would be added to the list of 28 countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin American region, as of July 14, that have reported cases of chikungunya, with 5,227 cases confirmed.

 BY ANIKA RICHARDS Observer staff reporter richardsai@@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, July 17, 2014   

 THE country should know by the end of this week if the suspected case of chikungunya, which was reported late Tuesday, is in fact the island's first imported case.

This would mean that Jamaica would be added to the list of 28 countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin American region, as of July 14, that have reported cases of chikungunya, with 5,227 cases confirmed.

Neville Graham, director of communications at the Ministry of Health, told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that there should be a confirmation by Friday.

The ministry, late Tuesday, issued a news release saying its surveillance system detected the suspected imported case of the chikungunya virus, and that it involves an individual who travelled from an affected country and fell ill. The individual had screening tests done at a private laboratory, which indicated the illness, and a sample was sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for confirmation.

Graham was yesterday unwilling to disclose the name of the "affected country" or whether the individual is Jamaican, offering instead that, as a matter of protocol, they would not be disclosing any identifiers.

The release Tuesday quoted chief medical officer, Dr Kevin Harvey, as saying: "This does not indicate local spread of the virus, and we continue to monitor persons living in and around areas visited by the individual. We have heightened our vector-control activities to reduce the possibility of local spread."

This was reiterated by Graham yesterday.

"Even as we speak, we are monitoring the suspected case; we have activated our investigation processes where we check on places the person has been," said Graham, adding that the people this individual has come into contact with were also being monitored.

The health ministry said Tuesday that it has been putting measures in place for more than two years in anticipation of the chikungunya virus reaching the island.

"In terms of public education, with sharpening our surveillance mechanisms, and that involved training persons who were involved in surveillance apparatus, it had to do with bringing more health professionals up to speed about what to look for in recognising the disease and any treatment protocols that there may be.

"It had to deal with sensitising all our stakeholders, especially internal stakeholders, about the presence of the disease and what to do about it," Graham explained. more

IN JAMAICA: 'Hospital patient, Donovan Stewart shot by police was a good man'..... Savannah residents challenge police version of Mandeville incident

 BY KARYL WALKER Editor - Crime/Court Desk walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, July 17, 2014    

RESIDENTS of Savannah in Hayes, Clarendon are challenging the police's version of events which led to the fatal shooting of Donovan Stewart in the Mandeville hospital on Tuesday morning.

Police reported that Stewart attacked a patient and was in the process of strangling him when a nurse and another patient rushed to help.

Novlette Anderson (centre), cousin of the deceased,
 makes a point while her son Daniel (left) and brother Gerald
 Stewart look on. (PHOTOS: GARFIELD ROBINSON)

Stewart, police said, kicked the nurse and injured her before an officer who was guarding a prisoner on the ward rushed to the area where the commotion was unfolding and attempted to subdue Stewart.

However, the policeman was reportedly forced to open fire after Stewart attacked him with a Steinmann pin which he allegedly removed from his broken leg and attempted to use it to stab another patient, who had come to help.

The police said Stewart was shot in his leg by the policeman but became more infuriated and attempted to attack the lawman again before he was cut down.

However, residents of Savannah, including Stewart's cousin Novlette Anderson, said he was not a violent man and had never had any history of mental illness.

The residents yesterday blocked a section of the Hayes main road to protest against the fatal shooting.

"Is wicked the police wicked. Him crash off him bike and him foot broke in three places. Him was never in any condition to walk much less fight anybody," Anderson said.

They also argue that no pin was inserted in Stewart's broken leg.

"Them never do any surgery on him yet. Him crash off the bike, we take him to Lionel Town Hospital but him had to be transferred to Mandeville because that is where the bone specialist is. He needed $60,000 to do the surgery and it never do yet , so how them say him take out pin out of him foot?" one angry resident asked.

The dead man's brother, Gerald Stewart, said his cousin had carried $30,000 to Stewart to assist him in paying the cost of the surgery and his brother had given the money to a nurse. more

2014-15 PALAS TOP PERFORMERS STORY (3 of 5)…JULENE M. BARRETT of Kingston, Jamaica : Medical Student at University of Technology- GUYANA with 4.0/4.0 ("A") average in medical school. Holds a Bachelors Degree in Pharmacology with 1st Class Honours. Conferred with the University of Guyana Award & Guild of Graduates Award ....she has 18 CXC/CAPE passes with 10 distinctions

Julene Barrett is a resident of Kingston, Jamaica who currently attends medical school at the University of Technology in Georgetown, Guyana. She recently graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Pharmacy, 1st Class Honours from UTECH in Kingston, Jamaica. She currently holds a 4.0/4.0 or "A" average in Medical School. Julene has passes in 18 CXC/CAPE subjects with 10 distinctions (grade ones). 

Below is the essay that Julene submitted to the Peace and Love Academic Scholarship, Inc (PALAS) committee for evaluation of one of the sponsored scholarships. Julene scored the 3rd highest score, 28.5 out of a possible 30 points with PALAS this year....

She writes in her essay......

 I have always enjoyed watching television as a young child; I particularly enjoyed the fantasies my mind 

Julene Barrett, medical student at
 UTECH-Guyana, has straight "A" or 4.0/4.0 Avg.,
18 CXC/CAPE

frequently toyed with as I let myself become someone else. I became the person who lived in a neighbourhood where everyone was friendly and felt safe in their surroundings. My dream was surrounded by hearty laughs, hopeful people and the sweet aroma of baking goods. But like the flickering and fading 
images of any television show reaching its end, so were the false dreams my senses pretended to include. 
Instead, I was constantly overwhelmed by sad reminders of what my reality was: an inner city community plagued by frequent gun battles between neighbouring gangs and minimum wage citizens struggling to 
make ends meet. Memories of my two siblings and I sharing a small bed in a sectioned portion of a building 
housing five other families further fuelled my desire to translate misfortunes into motivation. Protected and guided by a mother who was forced to spearhead a single-parent household by spending long hours sewing, my desire to succeed was nurtured. 

I therefore introduce to you, Julene Marie Barrett, a surmounter devoted to successfully bettering life by impacting any person who I encounter. I am a Jamaican student currently pursuing my Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Medicine (MBBS) degree at University of Guyana, School of Medicine where I have steadily maintained a Grade Point Average of 4.0 whilst being employed part-time to cover my daily living expenses, rent and bills. 

PALAS, 'Preserving Young Minds for Posterity'. Please help us to support these brilliant students by donating at www.PALAS1.org or Send a check to PALAS, P.O Box 5461, Alpharetta, GA 30023. more

IN JAMAICA: Cops seize $465 million in counterfeit goods....Among the items seized were two truckloads of counterfeit or knockoff Clarks shoes, bootleg rum, fake pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, and a quantity of compact discs (CDs) and digital video discs (DVDs)....Among the pharmaceuticals seized were insulin, saline, Novocain, and injection needles.

BY KARYL WALKER Editor — Crime/Court Desk walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com  Wednesday, July 16, 2014    

POLICE from the Anti- Trafficking in Persons and Intellectual Property Vice Squad of the Organised Crime Investigative Division have seized more than $465 million worth of counterfeit goods in three separate raids between Monday and yesterday.

A policeman displays some of the fake Clarks shoes that
 were seized in St Mary by members of the Anti-Trafficking in
 Persons and Intellectual Property Vice Squad.

Head of the squad, Deputy Superintendent Carl Berry, said the raids were part of operations 'Swirl' and 'Push Back', which target perpetrators of intellectual property crimes which have been raking in millions into the coffers of organised criminal networks.

Among the items seized were two truckloads of counterfeit or knockoff Clarks shoes, bootleg rum, fake pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, and a quantity of compact discs (CDs) and digital video discs (DVDs). The police also seized a quantity of computer hard drives and other equipment during the raids.

"We did operations in parishes — St Mary, Kingston and St Catherine," Berry told reporters.

Police said 1,857 pairs of fake Clarks shoes of many varieties and sizes, valued at $13.5 million, and 4.5 million CDs and DVDs valued at $450 million were among the items.

A CD or DVD is sold for $100 on the streets.

"We know that our counter-offensive can reap rewards. Our focus at the Anti- Trafficking in Persons and Intellectual Property Vice Squad and, by extension, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, is to ensure that persons realise that intellectual property crimes are not only seen as a soft crime but that it is equally dangerous. It can cost lives," Berry said.

Four men between the ages of 25 and 40 were arrested. Two have been charged with breaches of the Trademark Copyright Act.

Two were picked up in Spanish Town, St Catherine, one man was nabbed in Kingston and the other in St Mary.

Among the pharmaceuticals seized were insulin, saline, Novocain, and injection needles.

Head of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Intellectual
 Property Vice Squad, Deputy Superintendent Carl Berry
 displays a bottle of the bootleg rum which was
seized in the operation. (PHOTOS: JOSEPH WELLINGTON)

"We are conducting investigations into trying to find the source and origins of these supplies," Berry said.

The police also found a quantity of counterfeit rum which Berry said could be very harmful to persons who unknowingly consume the bootleg liquor.

The seals on the bottles of rum were tampered with as the spelling of the brand was awry and close inspection showed that the broken seals were burnt back together.

Berry said it was easy to find out if the rum was fake by turning the bottle upside down and if bubbles appeared to be floating up it means there is sediment inside the alcohol.

The estimate put on the rum seized was $500,000. more

HORRIFIC KILLINGS IN JAMAICA:... Police seeking clues in murder of St James children, 10-year-old Meleeka Mitchell and 12-year-old Omari Sterling..... the boy was found in the water with his hands bound behind him, had a stab wound to the chest, while the girl, who was found in the nude, is believed to have drowned....kids may have been were lured away by a man whose hands and feet were heavily tattooed.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 | 7:48 PM    

TRELAWNY, Jamaica – The police say that up to late Tuesday evening they were processing the scene where the bodies of two children were discovered in Martha Brae, Trelawny in the morning

Meleeka & Omari were killed in Trelawny

The bodies have been identified as those of 10-year-old Meleeka Mitchell and 12-year-old Omari Sterling who were reported missing on Sunday after the left their St James home on a beach trip.

A large crowd converged on the scene Tuesday morning, across the road from the Hague Primary School, where the bodies were discovered in the Martha Brae river.

The police Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) late Tuesday would not confirm whether or not suspects have been nabbed in the incident.....Update @ 4:15 am 7/16/14 below

MARTHA BRAE, Trelawny — A heavy pall of grief hung over this town last night after police confirmed that the bodies found floating in a pond in the Martha Brae area of Trelawny early yesterday were those of the two St James children who were reported missing on Sunday after they went on a beach trip in Montego Bay.

They have been identified as 10-year-old Meleeka Mitchell, otherwise called 'Jody', and 12-year-old Omari Sterling, both of Paradise Norwood, St James.

Omari Sterling’s mother collapsed upon her arrival
at the scene and had to be taken to receive medical attention.

The result of an on-the-spot autopsy could not be ascertained up to press time. However, a police source close to the investigation told the Jamaica Observer that the boy, who was found in the water with his hands bound behind him, had a stab wound to the chest, while the girl, who was found in the nude, is believed to have drowned.

The bodies were found in one of several ponds situated near a section of the Martha Brae River by two men who went crab hunting.

"We were catching crabs and we were walking past and mek a one look inna the pond; we usually look inna the pond; so mi and mi brethren walk off, same time wi look and wi see a brown thing... wi feel it was a dead dog, but wi never sure. So wi shine the light in the water, then wi see sey is a dead youth. Wi walk go down more and see another one," Kevon Mitchell, also called Jabez, told the Observer.

The police were then called to the scene.

When news of the gruesome find broke, a large crowd converged several metres from the shallow pond located in an isolated area surrounded by trees.

The curious onlookers were denied access to the area by steely-faced police officers.

Among the many onlookers were the distraught parents and family members of the two slain children.

According to Meleeka's mother, Devona Kerr, her daughter was among a number of community members who were at the 'One Man Beach' in Montego Bay when she and Omari were lured away by a man whose hands and feet were heavily tattooed.

She claimed that she heard that the man, who positioned himself under the tree where the children donned their swimwear, sent a little boy from the group to call her daughter.

After doling out cash to the rest of the group to purchase hamburgers, the man allegedly made off with Meleeka and Omari.

She described her daughter as "friendly with everybody" and theorised that that contributed to the man being able to kidnap her.

Meanwhile, Omari's mother, who collapsed upon her arrival at the scene where the bodies were found, had to be rushed to receive medical attention. more 

Laurie-Ann Chin is Miss Jamaica World...The 22-year-old Chin — who wore the sash Miss University College of the Caribbean (UCC) — emerged ahead of the batch of 19 contestants to win over $15 million in prizes

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com  Monday, July 14, 2014    

LAURIE-ANN Chin walked away with the coveted Miss Jamaica World 2014 crown at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James, Saturday night.

The 22-year-old Chin — who wore the sash Miss University College of the Caribbean (UCC) — emerged ahead of the batch of 19 contestants to win over $15 million in prizes, including an Audi A3, courtesy of ATL Automotive, and a weekend for two at a Sandals Resort property.

Newly-crowned Miss Jamaica World Laurie- Ann Chin (centre)
is flanked by first runner-up Shellianne Young (left),
 and second runner-up Kimberly Webb.
 (PHOTO: ACEION CUNNINGHAM)

An overjoyed Chin, who also took the Best Figure award, spoke to the Jamaica Observer after she was announced the pageant's winner.

"I never believed that I had it (the crown). I believed that all of the contestants had a chance and I had confidence in everyone. I am happy that the hard work paid off. I never thought I would have won, but I am happy," she said.

Chin, who now has her sights set on representing her country in the upcoming Miss World contest in London on December 14, expressed that she will be a good ambassador for the nation.

"I will try my best to represent my country to the best of my ability," she told the Observer.

First runner-up was Shellianne Young, while second runner-up position went to Kimberly Webb, who enjoyed an overwhelming home-crowd support.

Webb, who wore the Sash Miss Sunset Beach Resort, also featured in the sectional prizes, copping the award for the Best Smile.

The event was not without controversy, as a large number of patrons who came in support of Webb openly expressed their disenchantment over the judges' decision.

Chin was impressive in her response to the telecasted International Celebrity's Question from Tessanne Chin, asking: "What does it mean to you to be an ambassador?"

"Not only being an ambassador but a good ambassador means to be able to be a role model for others to look up to and respect. To be able to represent your country, not only locally, but internationally, to possess integrity and passion for your country and its people," she said.

She was equally impressive in her response to the question to alternative sources of energy. more