Jamaica Gleaner Lead Stories

1. Hanover man pleads guilty, fined $165,000 over ganja found during St Mary traffic stop

   A Hanover man who was held with ganja in his car during a traffic stop in St Mary was today fined a total of $165,000 in the parish court after pleading guilty.

2. Manchester man accused of signing documents as fake doctor and JP granted $600,000 bail

   A Manchester man accused of misrepresenting himself as a medical doctor as well as a Justice of the Peace and signing motor vehicle and other documents was today granted $600,000 bail in the parish court.

3. Fiscal watchdog reports marginal increase in Jamaica’s public debt burden

   Jamaica’s debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio has increased marginally amid an eight per cent increase in the stock of public debt, the country’s independent fiscal monitor has disclosed.

4. ‘Justice cannot run on charity alone,’ says MP Jess in call for JP stipend

   Making a case for Justices of the Peace (JPs) to be paid a stipend to cover basic expenses associated with their roles, Opposition Spokesperson on Justice Zuleika Jess described the current arrangement in Jamaica as institutional exploitation.

5. Tropical Storm Amanda is the first of the Pacific hurricane season, meteorologists say

   Tropical Storm Amanda formed Wednesday in the Pacific Ocean, marking the first tropical cyclone of the season, the National Hurricane Center said.

6. Congo’s football team seeks alternatives after Spanish city cancels World Cup warmup game due to Ebola

   Congo was still hoping to play its World Cup warmup against Chile after the mayor of the Spanish city of La Linea de la Concepcion denied authorisation for the match because of health concerns related to the Ebola crisis.

7. Man fatally shot by police in alleged shoot-out after cabbie reportedly hijacked

   A man was fatally shot during an alleged confrontation with police following a reported hijacking of a taxi along Camp Road in Kingston on Wednesday evening.

8. Opposition calls for resignation of FLA CEO over Integrity Commission report

   The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is calling for the immediate resignation of Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) Chief Executive Officer Shane Dalling following the tabling of an Integrity Commission report, which the party says exposed systemic corruption, falsified government records, and failures of accountability within the agency.

9. Trinidad and Tobago elected to UN Security Council

   The Trinidad and Tobago government on Wednesday welcomed the country’s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, saying it “will elevate our nation’s voice on the international stage”.

10. Stipend boost secured for Jamaican scholarship students in Cuba

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has secured an increase in the stipend provided to Jamaican scholarship students in Cuba, through the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.