A slippery tale - PNP says supporters did not oil roadway
MOTORISTS travelling in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) motorcade in Portland on Wednesday were forced to drive at considerably low speeds after party officials announced that oil was deliberately spilled on sections of the roadway leading out of Buff Bay.
The JLP officials accused People's National Party (PNP) supporters of spilling oil along the road where the motorcade was travelling in a bid to create mayhem.
But the PNP has since denied the claims.
"The PNP carried out extensive investigations into the incident and has been informed by our usually reliable sources that members of the Party were in no way connected with the oiling of the road. Our information is that the substance on the road came from a truck which was transporting waste," the PNP said in a statement.
On Wednesday, West Portland candidate Daryl Vaz said he was informed by the police that the road leading out of Buff Bay had been oiled.
Motorists travelling in the motorcade were forced to drive slowly to avoid skidding on the road, sections of which covered with oil in some sections.
Noting that this had never happened in any other constituency where the JLP had toured, Vaz labelled the incident a "new low" not only in West Portland but in politics.
"I thought we had put that behind us," he said.
Vaz who said he would not be drawn out, urged labourites at a mass meeting in Annotto Bay, St Mary later that night not to retaliate as too many lives had been lost to political violence.
"Sleep with one eye open and if you see them on the left hand side of road walk on the right, if you see dem in the bar go to another, even if them in the church find another," he instructed.
Deputy Leader of the JLP Desmond McKenzie said this is a sign of desperation from the PNP.
"All of a sudden the road leading out of Buff Bay some duppy get up out of the cemetery get some container with oil and oil the road," McKenzie quipped.
"Too much things happening and it is not coincidental," he added.
McKenzie said the culprits did not take into consideration that other motorists, including PNP supporters would be using the busy thoroughfare.
"How can people be so wicked and heartless in quest for power?" McKenzie questioned.
According to McKenzie, the JLP is resolute in its commitment for a peaceful campaign.
As such he urged the labourites to yield not to temptation.
Meanwhile Vaz did not mince words as he made it clear that he did not support the views of Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller who suggested that a PNP government would review the buggery law.
Simpson Miller, who was responding to a question during Tuesday's national leadership debate, also said she was not opposed to having gays in a Cabinet led by her and that parliamentarians should be allowed to vote their conscience. .
However, Vaz told supporters that he wanted to make his stance public even before the debate got to Parliament.
"Since I am going back to Parliament I am going to talk about it and I don't want to be taken out of context," he said.
"People of Portland ask me to tell you say we don't buy 'two' in a cash pot and since it is going to be a debate in Parliament I am going to say God created Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve," he said.
In the meantime the second day of the JLP's islandwide tour kicked off in Western Jamaica Thursday with bus and car loads of labourites travelling through several communities.
The tour, which began in Flower Hill, was led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness and candidate for the newly created Central St James constituency Heroy Clarke; candidate for East Central St James, Ed Bartlett; and candidate for North West St James; Dr Horace Chang.
The motorcade travelled through several communities where all that could be heard was the sound of clanging bells, horns and shouts of "shower".
As is the norm, a handful of People's National Party supporters also came out to stake their claim.
However, in communities like Salt Spring, Green Pond, Farm Heights, Rose Heights and Mt Salem, green clad supporters as well as curious bystanders eagerly reached out for the party paraphernalia being distributed.
LIME Presents Christmas Eve of a Lifetime
The LIME Christmas of a Lifetime continues this Christmas Eve with extended store hours from 9am to 9pm. New and Existing customers have plenty of ways to win a Lifetime of LIME.
The leading telecom is also a proud sponsor of "The Big Block Party", taking place at The Wash Car Wash (in the parking lot across from Bobby´s) on Christmas Eve, featuring the Sweetest Band in the World SmallAxe and a host of local DJ´s.
The event runs from 9:00am to 9:00pm. LIME will be on location from 1:30pm to 6:30pm with the infamous LIME Wheel of Fortune giving customers plenty of chances to win random prizes.
Back at the store from 1:00pm to 2:00pm LIME customers are welcomed to bring their kids to have their picture taken with Santa. Earlier from 11:00am to 12:30pm soca fans/St.Kitts Massive are welcomed to come in for meet and greet the members of SmallAxe Band.
Many ways to win
The LIME Christmas of a Lifetime campaign provides new and existing customers with many ways to win. Customers could win a lifetime of mobile services if they top-up as little as ($20- BDS, ANU $25 - SVG, $100- JAM, $10 - all other BUs) or if they buy a mobile phone or sign-up any post-paid service or upgrade any existing service. Customers who sign-up for any LIME post-paid service or pay any post-paid bills on time and in full, including subscribing to a LIME TV package are all automatically entered in to win one of the respective products for a lifetime.
People who want more information about the promotion can call customer care at 1 800 804 2994 or visit lime.com.
Payroll tax deal passes Congress in rare win for Obama
The US Congress has approved a short-term renewal of a payroll tax cut, a day after House Republicans caved in to overwhelming pressure on the issue.
The bill extends the tax cut as well as unemployment insurance for two months.
Lawmakers held voice votes on the deal, requiring only a few members to be present.
A joint conference committee will work on a year-long deal after the holiday recess. Mr Obama signed the bill before leaving for Hawaii for the holidays.
In a statement at the White House, he urged Congress to work on a longer extension to the package "without drama, without delay" in the new year.
"We have a lot more work to do," said Mr Obama. "This continues to be a make or break moment for the middle class in this country."
The tax break will affect the pay slips of some 160 million American workers.
After Republicans and Democrats passed the bill in the Senate last Saturday, John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, put the deal to members of his party.
But that conference call last weekend prompted a revolt from Tea Party-backed lawmakers, prompting this week's political showdown.
The president and his Democratic allies kept up relentless pressure on the House Republicans.
Republican divisions
But perhaps most tellingly, Mr Boehner and his caucus were pilloried by fellow Republican lawmakers, Bush White House strategist Karl Rove and even the conservative editorial board of the Wall Street Journal.
It was a rare retreat for Republicans, who since gaining control of the House in 2010's mid-term elections have wrung a string of concessions from the White House.
Under the compromise, House Republicans came away with face-saving language to make the package more small-business friendly.
Last week, Republicans also forced Mr Obama under the deal to make a politically awkward decision within 60 days on a controversial oil pipeline from Canada to the US Gulf.
The two-month extension will cost $33bn but be covered by a 0.1% increase on guarantee fees for home loans backed by federal mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Conservatives were initially sceptical about extending the payroll tax break, which economists say will aid US economic recovery.
But as Republicans demurred over the $120bn (£76bn) cost of the plan, Democrats accused them of backing tax cuts only for the wealthiest Americans.
Correspondents say Republicans lost the public relations battle and the party realised it would have faced blame for an effective tax rise on US workers in a general election year.
After Friday's voting, Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters he wanted the new year to be turning point for Congress.
"I hope this Congress has had a very good learning experience, especially those who are newer to this body," Mr Reid said in a press conference. "The American people need this institution to work effectively," he added.
Senate and House Democrat leaders named their appointees on Friday to a conference committee tasked with extending the compromise to a full-year version.
Brazil fines Chevron $5.4m for oil spill
Brazil has fined US oil giant Chevron $5.4m (£3.5m) for breach of its environmental licence when it tackled an oil spill in November.
Brazil's Ibama environmental agency said Chevron lacked the necessary equipment and was slow to respond.
Ibama had already fined Chevron $28m for causing the spill off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.
Chevron is also facing an $11bn lawsuit over the spill of about 3,000 barrels of crude oil at the Frade field.
Brazil has already suspended all of the drilling operations of Chevron and its contractors after the incident.
Chevron has apologised for the leak but stressed it acted as rapidly and safely as possible to contain it.
The spill happened at a well in the Frade oil project, 370km (230 miles) off the Brazilian coast.
In recent years Brazil has discovered billions of barrels of oil in deep water that could make it one of the world's top five producers.
But to date there has been little debate about the environmental risks of offshore drilling.
Political discussion has instead focused on how future oil revenues should be divided between different states.
Portugal in US$3.5b utility stake sale to China
Portugal is selling the state’s 21.35 per cent stake in national utility Energias de Portugal to China Three Gorges Corporation for euro 2.7 billion (US$3.5 billion), officials said Thursday. Three Gorges Corporation beat rival bids from German gas and electricity company E On AG and Brazilian utilities Eletrobras and Cemig SA in what was Portugal’s biggest-ever privatisation. The deal announced was the first in a raft of sell-offs that aim to earn at least €5 billion and ease Portugal’s crippling debt burden. The country needed a €78 billion (US$102 billion) bailout earlier this year to avoid bankruptcy. Cash-rich Chinese companies have in recent years made a string of investments in European countries hit by the continent’s sovereign debt crisis.
Luis Marques Guedes, a spokesman for the Portuguese Cabinet, said Three Gorges Corporation gives EDP “a financial strength and ability to invest ... that it didn’t have.” The Chinese company promised to invest in developing EDP’s manufacturing capacity for renewable energy equipment and in Portugal’s green energy sector, potentially lifting its total investment to €8 billion, Secretary of State for the Treasury Maria Albuquerque told a news conference. Three Gorges Corporation will also help EDP find business in new markets, Albuquerque said. She said Three Gorges Corporation paid a 53 per cent premium on EDP’s share price on Wednesday. The Chinese company becomes EDP’s largest shareholder. EDP’s share price surged 3.5 per cent Thursday before the Lisbon Stock Exchange suspended trading in its stock.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval. Details of the other bids were not made public. EDP runs electricity and gas operations in 13 countries, including six European countries outside Portugal, Brazil and the United States. It has also developed green energy projects, especially wind energy, through its subsidiary EDP Renovaveis. Its turnover last year was euro 14.2 billion, which generated a net profit of just over €1 billion. It had net assets of €40.5 billion and around 12,000 employees, according to its 2010 annual report. It also has €16.3 billion in net financial debt. The purchase follows a pattern of European business investments by Chinese companies in recent years.
In January, Sinopec bought around US$7 billion worth of Brazilian oil assets held by Spanish energy company Repsol, giving birth to one of Latin America’s largest energy companies. Last year, Internet service provider Tiscali SpA and Zte, a Chinese maker of telecommunications equipment, signed a deal for the development of ultra-wideband in Italy and French companies won deals with China worth US$22.8 billion
Tortuga Rum Companies unite
The shareholders of Tortuga CRC Jamaica Ltd, Tortuga Rum Company Ltd of the Cayman Islands, Tortuga Imports Inc, of Miami, Florida, and Tortuga Barbados/Baker’s Choice have consolidated their regional interests into a new international food group — Tortuga International Holdings, Limited. At the same time, Jamaica Producers Group Ltd (JP), an established international specialty foods group, has made a strategic investment in Tortuga International which is expected to make Tortuga a truly global brand. The founders of Tortuga Imports Inc will lead the new company with Marcus Simmonds as chief executive officer and Monique Hamaty-Simmonds the chief marketing officer for Tortuga International.
The board of Tortuga International Holdings includes representatives from each of its operating subsidiaries in Cayman, Miami and Barbados as well as Jamaica Producers Group. Founded in 1925, JP is a vertically integrated, international food company with operations in agriculture, manufacturing, marketing and distribution. Though its subsidiaries and associated companies, JP operates the leading processor of Blue Mountain coffee, the leading producer of fresh juice in The Netherlands and Jamaica’s leading producer of tropical snacks. The company’s specialty food brands include JP (fresh produce), St Mary’s (tropical snacks), Hoogesteger (fresh juice), and Jablum (coffee). It is a publicly traded company on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE).
“We are very excited about this partnership and adding the Tortuga brand to our portfolio,” said Jeffrey Hall, managing director of Jamaica Producers Group. “Having Marcus and Monique as shareholders and managers gives this new business the solid foundation needed to take Tortuga global.” Tortuga International Holdings Ltd now owns the Tortuga intellectual property rights (the brand, including cake and rum), recipes, bakeries, international marketing rights and other properties associated with the previous entities. “Merging our companies and partnering with Jamaica Producers is a vital step to achieving our vision for Tortuga to become a $100-million global brand,” said Marcus Simmonds. “This gives us economies of scale to have a much greater impact in developing the business. Having a well-established partner like Jamaica Producers further enhances our capacity to build and manage distribution of the Tortuga brand throughout the world.”
Jamaica Observer
Pope Benedict XVI attacks Christmas consumerism at Mass
Pope Benedict XVI has attacked the commercialisation of Christmas as he held the traditional Christmas Eve Mass at St Peter's Basilica in Rome.
In his homily, he urged worshippers to "see through the superficial glitter of this season and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem".
Benedict, 84, used a moving platform to cater for his mobility issues.
The pontiff will deliver his annual Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World) speech in a few hours.
Meanwhile, Christian pilgrims and tourists from around the world last night converged on Bethlehem for Christmas.
Celebrations culminated in Midnight Mass at the 1,700-year-old Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where it is believed Jesus was born.
About 120,000 visitors were in the Palestinian West Bank town, 30% up on last year, officials said.
Christmas Eve Mass in Rome was brought forward two hours to 22:00 local time (21:00 GMT) from midnight - in order to spare Benedict a late night.
Wearing cream and gold vestments, the Pope proceeded slowly up the aisle of St Peter's on his mobile platform.
In his homily, he urged the faithful to focus on the story of Jesus' birth, saying this would help "find true joy and true light".
He also lamented the enduring presence of violence in the world and prayed for those who would spend this Christmas in poverty and suffering.
Even if he is physically more frail now, his message was firm, the BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says.
In a few hours, the pontiff will give his traditional blessing and message in St Peter's square before tens of thousands of people from around the world.
Reconciliation plea
In Bethlehem, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fuad Twal, led the Midnight Mass.
He passed through the massive gate in the controversial Israeli security barrier that separates Jerusalem from Bethlehem and arrived in Manger Square, where he was greeted with a bagpipe band.
Patriarch Twal, a Palestinian who is a Jordanian citizen, has expressed concern for Christians in the current upheavals in the Middle East and asked them to support moves towards freedom and democracy.
His midnight homily urged "the return of calm and reconciliation in Syria, in Egypt, in Iraq and in North Africa".
It reads: "O Child of Bethlehem, in this New Year, we place in your hands this troubled Middle East and, above all, our youth full of legitimate aspirations, who are frustrated by the economic and political situation, and in search of a better future."
American visitor Irma Goldsmith told Associated Press: "I watch Christmas in Bethlehem each year on TV, but to be here in person is different. To be in the spot where our saviour was born is amazing."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attended the celebrations.
He said: "I wish for the Palestinian people that next year will be the year of implementing peace in the occupied Palestinian lands."
Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh also said he hoped the festivities would bring Palestinians closer to their dream of statehood.
Moscow protest: Thousands rally against Vladimir Putin
Tens of thousands of people have rallied in central Moscow in a show of anger at alleged electoral fraud.
They passed a resolution "not to give a single vote to (PM) Vladimir Putin" at next year's presidential elections.
Protest leader Alexei Navalny told the crowd to loud applause that Russians would no longer tolerate corruption.
"I see enough people here to take the Kremlin and [Government House] right now but we are peaceful people and won't do that just yet," he said.
Demonstrators say parliamentary elections on 4 December, which were won by Mr Putin's party, were rigged. The government denies the accusation.
A spokesman for Mr Putin, currently Russian prime minister, later said that "the majority of the population" supported him, describing the protesters as a minority.
In a BBC interview, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was confident that Mr Putin would win the presidential elections in March, saying he was "beyond the competition".
'We're the power'
On Saturday, a sea of demonstrators stretched along Sakharov Avenue, a few miles from the Kremlin, in sub-zero temperatures.
Rallies were taking place across Russia, with the first big protest in the far eastern city of Vladivostok.
At least 28,000 people turned out in the capital, according to the Russian interior ministry, but rally organisers said the true number was around 120,000.
President Dmitry Medvedev announced political reforms this week, but many demonstrators say it is not enough.
They are demanding a re-run of the poll, which was won by Vladimir Putin's party - but with a much smaller share of the overall vote.
Mr Putin poured scorn on protesters during a recent live chat on Russian TV, calling them "Banderlog" after the lawless monkeys in The Jungle Book, and likening their protest symbol, a white ribbon, to a condom.
However he also said protesters had the right to demonstrate if they kept within the law.
In Moscow, many protesters clutched white balloons and banners with the slogan "For Free Elections" while some mocked Mr Putin with images of condoms, to the extent that the first speaker, music journalist Artyom Troitsky, dressed himself up as one.
The resolution passed at Saturday's rally built on demands expressed at an earlier rally in Moscow on 10 December.
Another new point was a call for the creation of a new election monitoring body - the Moscow Voters' Association - to investigate ballot-rigging.
Mr Navalny, a prominent anti-corruption blogger who was jailed for 15 days over a street protest just after the elections, greeted the crowd with the words "Greetings to the Banderlog from the net hamsters [internet activists]".
Condemning Russia's leaders as "swindlers and thieves", he listed victims of injustice including imprisoned former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in custody.
"Who's the power here?" he shouted to cries of "We are" from the crowd.
He promised that the next protest rally would be a "million strong".
Alexei Kudrin, who recently resigned after serving a decade as Mr Putin's finance minister, was booed when he took the microphone to call for early parliamentary elections and urge a dialogue between the Kremlin and the opposition.
"There needs to be a platform for dialogue, otherwise there will be a revolution and we lose the chance that we have today for a peaceful transformation," he said.
A total of 22 speakers were lined up for the Moscow rally, with rival opposition figures addressing a crowd which mixed liberals with nationalists.
- In a video message, Russian rock musician Yury Shevchuk urged protesters to maintain their dignity and avoid "competing in hatred for the authorities"
- Billionaire and Putin election challenger Mikhail Prokhorov had been expected to address the rally but stayed in the crowd, saying he had heard presidential candidates were "not supposed to speak"
- Another presidential candidate, veteran liberal Grigory Yavlinsky, did speak, and called for a free electoral system
- Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, 80, did not attend after all, sending a message of support instead. He later told Moscow Echo radio that Mr Putin should not stand for another term in office
Saturday's rally in Moscow ended peacefully, with the last speaker a Grandfather Frost (Russian Santa Claus) figure who wished citizens of a "free Russia" a Happy New Year.
"People were scared before the first big demonstration on 10 December," protester Andrei Luzhin told AFP news agency.
"Now they no longer have fear."
Sudan army 'kills' key Darfur rebel Khalil Ibrahim
It says Khalil Ibrahim was killed in fighting in the Wad Banda area in North Kordofan.
The claim has not been independently verified.
Khalil Ibrahim is known as the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement in conflict-torn Darfur. Earlier this year, he returned from exile in Libya after the fall of Col Gaddafi's regime.
Sudanese army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Sa'd told the BBC Arabic Service that Mr Ibrahim was killed at dawn.
The spokesman also told Sudan's state TV that Mr Khalil Ibrahim and other rebel leaders had been trying to enter South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in July.
Khartoum had accused Jem of fighting for Col Gaddafi in his attempt to hold on to power.
Col Gaddafi's fall in Tripoli was a blow to the rebels as he gave them sanctuary and financial and military aid, analysts say.
The rebels signed a ceasefire with the Sudanese government in February 2010 but abandoned peace talks soon after, accusing Khartoum's forces of launching new raids in Darfur.
About 300,000 people have died in the conflict in Darfur since it began in 2003, the United Nations says.
Queen visits Prince Philip in hospital
Prince Philip has spent a second night in hospital after undergoing a procedure on his heart.
The 90-year-old Duke of Edinburgh had a coronary stent fitted after he was taken to hospital on Friday suffering chest pains.
The BBC's Royal Correspondent Peter Hunt says he is, by all accounts, very eager to leave Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire.
The Royal Family are gathering at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The Queen's Christmas broadcast this year has as its theme the strength of family, friends and the community working together.
Our correspondent says the royals will be greeted by well-wishers when they attend a church service on the estate.
He says the focus will be on the presence of the Duchess of Cambridge - celebrating her first Christmas with her in-laws - and on the absence of the duke from the Queen's side.
Dr Simon Davies, a consultant intervention cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, said the Duke could have suffered a heart attack before the stenting procedure was performed.
He explained how the stent worked: "What they have done is they put a miniature sausage-shaped balloon down the artery, pushed the balloon into the narrowed section and then blown it up.
"That forces the material that is blocking the artery outwards and then gets the blood flowing down the artery again."
Under observation
The Queen visited him in hospital on Christmas Eve and he remains under observation.
She was accompanied on the 45-minute visit by their sons Edward and Andrew, and daughter, Anne.
They arrived by helicopter for the visit, where they were met by the hospital's chief executive and Professor John Cunningham, chief physician to the Queen.
After they left, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived by car from Highgrove.
BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said the fact the Queen had visited her husband so promptly suggested it was a "moment of real anxiety" for the Royal Family, albeit one which appeared to have passed.
Good spirits'
Speaking outside the hospital, Buckingham Palace spokeswoman Ailsa Anderson said on Saturday: "The Duke of Edinburgh had a good night and is in good spirits but he is eager to leave.
"Sunday's church service is going ahead as planned and we don't anticipate changes to the Royal Family's Christmas celebrations."
The duke is not expected to attend that Christmas Day church service at Sandringham.
The "minimally invasive" coronary stenting procedure he underwent involves pushing a balloon into the artery and inflating it to remove the blockage.
The stent is a mesh sleeve fitted over the balloon, which remains fixed in position inside the body when the balloon is removed.
Prince Philip would have remained conscious during the procedure.
He was flown to the hospital by an RAF helicopter. No other member of the Royal Family travelled with him.
Papworth is the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital and the country's main heart and lung transplant centre, treating more than 22,800 inpatient and day cases and 53,400 outpatients each year.
Senior members of the Royal Family, including the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, arrived at Sandringham on Saturday for Christmas.
The family traditionally travel to St Mary Magdalene Church on the royal estate for a service on Christmas Day, while the duke was due to be leading Sandringham's Boxing Day shoot.
Prince Philip, who arrived at Sandringham on Monday, is the longest-serving royal consort and celebrated 64 years of marriage to the Queen in November.
He was last in hospital in April 2008, when he spent three days in London with a chest infection. On that occasion, the Queen did not visit him.
Speaking ahead of his 90th birthday, in June, the duke said he wanted to slow down. He stepped down as president or patron of more than a dozen organisations.
Royal biographer Penny Junor said the duke was generally in good health for his age.
"He is an extraordinarily fit man. He takes a lot of exercise, he does an awful lot of work. He's in very good shape generally. So with luck this is a blip and he'll be back fighting fit and back with the family for Christmas."
The Queen's Christmas Day broadcast to the nation will highlight the importance of the family unit. The speech, taped on 9 December, reflects on a year in which her grandson Prince William got married and her husband turned 90.