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Weekly
Highlights
Alicia
Forrest,Youthlink Writer
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Forrest
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Along
with the weekly highlights,
I give my thoughts on the various issues.
Local
News
Taxi
operators want review of fare hike
Fact:
Route taxi operators were granted a
25 per cent fare hike recently. In light
of this, base fares have moved from $44
to $55 for the first three kilometres, and
a further $3 for each kilometre travelled
thereafter, up from $2.50. The Jamaica Urban
Transit Company did not apply for a fare
increase and as such, was not granted one.
Minibus
and hackney carriage operators are expected
to hear their new fares this week when the
Office of Utilities Regulation submits its
application to the Ministry of Transport.
However,
despite the increase, the National Association
of Taxi Operators is dissatisfied, as they
had expected an increase in the region of
30 per cent and upwards. The last fare increase
for taxi operators was granted in 2005,
when the base fare was hiked from $35 to
$44.
MY
THOUGHTS: Everybody wants a raise. I sympathise
with the taxi men who may want to charge
more, so they can feed their families. Fine.
So, too, do the passengers. It's a two-way
street, man. Can we all just be a little
more considerate of one another's needs?
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Taxis
will now earn 25 per cent more for
their drivers when they move from
this Spanish Town stand.
contributed
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Children's
advocate pleads for safety
Fact:
Children's advocate, Mary Clarke, has
urged all Jamaicans to be more attentive
to the needs of the nation's children.
In
her Child's Month message (Child's Month
is being celebrated under the theme, 'Today's
Investment, Tomorrow's Gain'), Clarke called
for certain infrastructure to be put in
place for the safety of children, such as,
proper play areas, access to safe drinking
water, adequate sanitation, and a more regulated
transport system, free from loud and lewd
music.
In
her address, she also lauded the National
Child's Month Committee which has been celebrating
Child's Month for the past 55 years. Clarke
also reminded the nation that focus needs
to be placed on children, not only for one
month, but throughout the year.
MY
THOUGHTS: I agree with everything she says.
Look from when wi a 'ear bout the children
are the future. The powers that be need
to start acting like it and ensure that
the children are indeed taken care of.
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CLARKE
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International
News
We
need money to feed haiti - wfp
Fact:
The gravity of the food crisis hit
this week as the United Nations' World Food
Programme (WFP) announced that it would
need US$54 million to help provide Haiti
with 50,000 tonnes of food until the end
of the year.
Pedro
Medrano, director of the WFP for the region,
has called the food-price increases a silent
tsunami, and has warned that the increases
are expected to continue. At least six people
were killed in Haiti last month because
of rising food prices and the WFP has called
the situation in Haiti 'a major crisis'.
WFP is calling on the international community
to intervene before it is too late.
Speaking
on the issue, Medrano said "It is not
so important how much money we are able
to raise for our cause. The question is
how much the international community and
all of us are prepared to pay for not doing
what needs to be done."
MY
THOUGHTS: This is not a joke. This is the
time we all need to band together. You know
that little saying, 'united we stand, divided
we fall'? No 'better dan' t'ing 'round 'ere.
Everybody is equal, 'cause everybody is
human, and we all need food to survive.
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Belarus
tells diplomats to leave country
Fact:
Recently,
the government of Belarus ordered the expulsion
of 10 United States (US) diplomats, claiming
the super powers had not cut its embassy
staff enough after Belarus' embassy staff
in Washington had been cut to six. However,
it is believed that the real reason behind
the expulsions is the sanctions imposed
on Belarus' state-controlled chemicals company
by the US.
Along
with the US, the European Union has also
placed sanctions on Belarus, restricting
the travel of president Alexander Lukashenko
and members of his inner circle, in an attempt
to pressure him into releasing political
dissidents.
However,
Lukashenko remains defiant and has said
that he would not release any political
prisoners, and that, "If the Americans
introduce new sanctions and think we will
collapse, that's rubbish".
MY
THOUGHTS: Tell them Lukashenko. If
you have a problem with us, then leave. So
I see it, too.
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CLINTON
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'yeah,
right' News of the week
Iran has complained
to the United Nations (UN) about remarks
made by United States democratic presidential
candidate hopeful, Senator Hillary
Clinton during an interview.
She
had said that "If I am the
president, we will attack Iran ...
we would be able to totally obliterate
them," in response to a question
about how she would respond if Iran
launched a nuclear attack on Israel.
In
its letter to the UN, Iran said
that her words were provocative
and irresponsible, and that Clinton
had, "unwarrantedly and under
erroneous and false pretexts threatened
to use force against the Islamic
Republic of Iran".
This
comes as Iran faces tougher UN sanctions
for failing to discontinue its uranium
enrichment, as part of its nuclear
programme, which it claims is solely
for power generation.
Video
clip of the week
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