Scammers improve technique

As local scammers find more inventive ways to rip off the unsuspecting, the fraudsters are now employing style and panache in their schemes by sending cabs to the doors of potential victims.

Reports from the Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Ontario, Canada are that lottery fraud attempts targeting single elderly residents in the county appear to be on the rise.

In addition to convincing unsuspecting persons to withdraw substantial amounts of money from their local bank accounts and transfering the money, this time around there is an interesting twist. It appears as though the fraudsters calling from Jamaica contact Canadian based taxi companies to order cabs to their victim’s front door.

This method appears to be an attempt to provide a cloak of legitimacy, all the while making it convenient for the victim to be transported to their local bank with the ultimate goal of swindling the victim’s hard-earned cash.

A number of taxi drivers in the area have reported that they have been dispatched to the homes of elderly residents by individuals calling from Jamaica.

As a result, Canadian authorities have warned the elderly to be wary of anyone attempting to have money sent to them in return for a prize. -BB

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Scammers improve technique

Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago to establish joint commission to improve bilateral relations

Foreign Minister A.J Nicholson (left) and his Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Winston Dookeran met in Port of Spain last week

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Tuesday July 1, 2014, CMC – Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have agreed to the urgent formation of a joint commission “or a similar entity” to advance the issue of enhanced functional cooperation between them.

A joint communiqué following the second round of bilateral talks between the two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries also re-affirmed “the importance of the consultations as a mechanism for strengthening political dialogue, reviewing bilateral cooperation and exchanging views on a range of pertinent issues”.

The first round of bilateral consultations on free movement in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was held here in December last year following the controversy that erupted when Port of Spain deported a number of Jamaican nationals. The move resulted in calls for a boycott of Trinidad and Tobago products in Jamaica.

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Foreign Minister A.J Nicholson and his Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Winston Dookeran met in Port of Spain last week and according to the communiqué released here Monday, both ministers said they were cognisant of the fact that the Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica’s bilateral relationship is based on a history of shared values, respect, friendship and a tradition of cooperation at all levels of government, business and civil society.

The communiqué noted that the meeting had assessed the progress made since the initial round of consultations “and agreed on the need to maintain and intensify efforts with a view to implementing initiatives on the bilateral agenda.

“In this regard, both sides agreed to explore urgently the formation of a Joint Commission or a similar entity to advance the issue of enhanced functional cooperation between the two countries.”

The communiqué said that both countries “have a vital stake in and share a common commitment” to CARICOM and in the spirit of regional cooperation,” will work together closely, seeking to advance common approaches to regional and international issues”.

On the issue of hassle-free travel, the ministers called for further discussions among their immigration and other relevant officials on the implications of the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the case involving the Jamaican national Shanique Myrie and Barbados.

The CCJ had in October last year ruled that Myrie be awarded BDS$75,000 (One Barbados dollar =US$0.50 cents) in non-pecuniary damage and BDS$2, 240 in pecuniary damages after she had alleged that when she travelled to Barbados on March 14, 2011 she was discriminated against because of her nationality, subjected to a body cavity search, detained overnight in a cell and deported to Jamaica the following day.

Myrie also claimed that she was subjected to derogatory remarks by a Barbadian Immigration officer and asked the CCJ to determine the minimum standard of treatment applicable to CARICOM citizens moving around the region.

The communiqué said that Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica had expressed a desire for the discussions on the implications of the CCJ ruling to be held region-wide as well.

”Both sides engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on Community law as outlined in the above-mentioned Ruling and took note of the fact that CARICOM member states should treat with the review and amendment of their domestic legislation as required, in light of that ruling.

“Trinidad and Tobago provided details of its existing procedures whereby those CARICOM nationals denied entry have access to an administrative review of the decision of the Immigration Officer. Jamaica noted that its law makes provision in certain cases for a referral to a resident magistrate and that this could be used as a transitional measure to provide for judicial oversight pending formal amendment of its law consistent with Community law.”

The communiqué noted that both countries provided details of their on-going efforts to train Immigration Officers and that Immigration Officers from Trinidad and Tobago participated in sensitization sessions facilitated by the CARICOM Secretariat late last month.

“The two sides assessed the progress made with respect to the implementation of the Complaints Mechanism approved by the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) in November 2013. It said that Trinidad and Tobago asserted that approvals from the respective line ministries and Cabinet were required before implementing the Complaints Mechanism and undertook to keep Jamaica abreast of developments in this regard. Jamaica noted that the Complaints Mechanism approved by the COTED has already been made available at its ports of entry.

“Both sides recommitted to the sharing of data regarding the travel of nationals between the two countries, and exchanged ideas on mechanisms to facilitate the enhanced exchange of information, on a regular basis, through mutually agreed channels.

“They also agreed to enhance the process for collecting and sharing more specific data in respect of travel between their respective countries.”

The communiqué said that discussions were also held on the issue of airport detentions and it was noted that Jamaica had dedicated accommodation facilities at their main airports for persons denied entry. In this regard, Trinidad and Tobago informed that options will be explored for providing facilities at the airports for persons denied entry.

“On the subject of the harmonizing of practices and procedures with regard to the free movement of skilled nationals, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica welcomed the work being undertaken in the context of the administrative component of the CARICOM Trade and Competitiveness Project (CTCP), with particular reference to the acceptance of a standardised Certificate of Recognition of CARICOM Skills Qualification (Skills Certificate).”

Both countries said that they had “reaffirmed their commitment to hassle-free travel and committed to work towards developing public education programmes to highlight the rights and responsibilities of those who exercise their right to travel or move freely in the Single Market”.

The next meeting between the two countries are expected to be held before the end of this year.

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Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago to establish joint commission to improve bilateral relations

"Mighty Sparrow" continues to improve

NEW YORK, United States (CMC) – The Calypso King of the World, Slinger Francisco, popularly known as the Mighty Sparrow, continues to get better, as he convalesces in a rehabilitation facility here.

According to the Brooklyn-based Trinidad and Tobago Weekly, Sparrow took a break from therapy over the Christmas holiday, at the High Land Health Care Center in Queens, New York, and “spoke for a long time and even sang”.Sparrow has been hospitalised for the past three months after going into a coma on September 22.“Tell my fans and the people of T&T they better watch out because Sparrow is coming to town,” Trinidad and Tobago Weekly quoted him as saying. “And I’m coming out dancing, people think it will be Santa; but, when they look closely, they will see it is Sparrow,” he added.“They love my singing,” continued Sparrow about the nurses and doctors at the rehabilitation centre. He thanked God for sparing his life, adding that, when he was in a coma, “many people didn’t think I’d be here right now”.He said he is “making steady progress and coming along quite well”.“The expenses for my treatment have been exorbitant, but people have begun calling for me to perform at shows before and after Carnival in different parts of the States,” Sparrow said. The “Mighty Sparrow”, 78, has been performing for more than four decades and has been having health challenges for the past three years.These include undergoing surgery in 2010 to treat a right inguinal hernia that had caused him to cut short performances in Trinidad and Tobago and in the United States because of excruciating pain while on stage.

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"Mighty Sparrow" continues to improve

"Mighty Sparrow" continues to improve

NEW YORK, United States (CMC) – The Calypso King of the World, Slinger Francisco, popularly known as the Mighty Sparrow, continues to get better, as he convalesces in a rehabilitation facility here.

According to the Brooklyn-based Trinidad and Tobago Weekly, Sparrow took a break from therapy over the Christmas holiday, at the High Land Health Care Center in Queens, New York, and “spoke for a long time and even sang”.Sparrow has been hospitalised for the past three months after going into a coma on September 22.“Tell my fans and the people of T&T they better watch out because Sparrow is coming to town,” Trinidad and Tobago Weekly quoted him as saying. “And I’m coming out dancing, people think it will be Santa; but, when they look closely, they will see it is Sparrow,” he added.“They love my singing,” continued Sparrow about the nurses and doctors at the rehabilitation centre. He thanked God for sparing his life, adding that, when he was in a coma, “many people didn’t think I’d be here right now”.He said he is “making steady progress and coming along quite well”.“The expenses for my treatment have been exorbitant, but people have begun calling for me to perform at shows before and after Carnival in different parts of the States,” Sparrow said. The “Mighty Sparrow”, 78, has been performing for more than four decades and has been having health challenges for the past three years.These include undergoing surgery in 2010 to treat a right inguinal hernia that had caused him to cut short performances in Trinidad and Tobago and in the United States because of excruciating pain while on stage.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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"Mighty Sparrow" continues to improve

Apple buys two start-ups to improve its mobile maps

Business

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple has bought online mapping services HopStop and Locationary as part of its ongoing effort to create a more formidable alternative to Google’s navigation system.The acquisitions confirmed over last weekend give Apple Incorporated more tools to round out the maps that it embeds in the mobile operating system running its iPhones and iPads. Apple relied on Google Inc for the built-in maps on those devices until switching to its own system last year.The switch turned into an embarrassment for Apple when iPhone and iPad users discovered the maps sometimes gave faulty directions and misplaced famous landmarks. Apple CEO Tim Cook ended up apologising for the gaffes, and recommended iPhone and iPad users to rely on Google’s maps until improvements could be made.When Google released a new mapping app for the iPhone late last year, it quickly became one of the most downloaded programmes for the device. Google’s maps are also widely used on mobile devices running on that company’s Android software, as well as through Web browsers on personal computers.Apple, which is based in Cupertino, California, isn’t saying how it plans to deploy its latest acquisition.“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” company spokesman Kristin Huguet said.New York-based HopStop provides directions to major transit systems and biking routes, popular features on Google’s maps.Locationary, which is based in Toronto, collects and analyses data to help create more precise maps.Terms of the acquisitions weren’t disclosed.Google paid US$1.03 billion last month to buy an Israel startup called Waze that relies on social networking to monitor local traffic conditions.— AP

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Apple buys two start-ups to improve its mobile maps

Hockey federation looks to improve coaching, umpiring

TO some it may seem strange that a template used over two decades ago could be the answer in 2013.

But to Nicole Grant-Brown, vice-president of women affairs at the Jamaica Hockey Federation (JHF), the methods used in the country’s past Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games triumph could be the guide to more success.She feels that a focus on the technical aspect and getting more competition for local players could result in a much-needed boost for the sport.“We have to look at how we are going to develop the base… We won CAC in 1990 and there are some things we had done that made us into champions. We may not go back to all the things, but we can pull from some of them. Players were competing a whole lot, so therefore, we have to ensure that now our players are playing a lot more.“What we also have to do now is to involve more coaches. We want to have all these people playing, so how is it that they are going to be coached? We have to develop more coaches,” she recently told the Jamaica Observer Sports Club at the newspaper’s Beechwood Avenue headquarters.Grant-Brown identified a partnership with the University of Technology (UTech) that could bear some fruit.“We are partners pretty much with UTech and they are very much interested in getting more involved in hockey. We want to have a coaching school, and they are ready to partner with us.”She, however, pointed to a massive obstacle that sits in the way of what the federation is trying to achieve. She explained that coaching graduates from GC Foster College inevitably stick to more lucrative sports.“There are coaches at GC Foster, but a lot of these coaches are not focused on hockey. They are going to focus more on the sport that will pay them. We don’t have that kind of funding, so you find that when they graduate from GC Foster they are going to coach football and track and field, and so on. So we have to give more incentive for them to do that (coach hockey),” said the women’s affairs vice-president.Richard Wisdom, vice-president of men’s affairs, said widening and improving the umpiring base, as well as increased attendance at overseas workshops, is another area that the federation has been targeting.He said that since many aspiring umpires are active players, these individuals are being forced to choose between the two.“A challenge for umpires is that they have to choose between playing and officiating because they cannot do both,” he said.Wisdom added that the JHF has been looking to “push persons to go to umpiring seminars so they can come back and impart some of that knowledge to the umpiring or the technical committee”.Also in attendance at the forum were JHF boss Leon Mitchell, director of international affairs and facilities manager Richard Shaw and general secretary Denise Wisdom.Nicole Grant-Brown (left), vice-president of women affairs at the JHF, makes a point to members of the Jamaica Observer Sports Club at the newspaper’s Beechwood Avenue headquarters recently. Looking on is Richard Wisdom, vice-president, men’s affairs at the JHF. (PHOTO: NAPHTALI JUNIOR)

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Hockey federation looks to improve coaching, umpiring

ITA vows to improve customer service

News

BY KIMBERLEY HIBBERT Observer writer Tuesday, July 16, 2013

THE Island Traffic Authority (ITA), which has for years been criticised for offering poor services at examination depots, says it is taking steps to improve its overall customer service.Ludlow Powell, director of the ITA — an agency of the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing — said the authority has been working with a consultant from a company that deals specifically with training customer service representatives to develop good customer service rapport.The training, he told yesterday’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper’s headquarters on Beechwood Avenue in Kingston, was being implemented because of complaints from people who utilise the agency’s service for the testing of vehicles to ensure fitness, road-worthiness and general compliance with standards of safety, that they were being treated unfairly and with disrespect.“It is a well-established problem that we’re having where bad customer service is concerned. We have heard the feedback from individuals and we’re working to have it fixed. By next month or September we should get the training under way. We are doing a serious customer service intervention in the ministry and at ITA, and we want to ensure the best is being given,” Powell said.The ITA director added that the customised training would be mandatory for all employees at the Authority, bearing in mind that each person employed in the company will be held accountable for the treatment they mete out to the public.“Each individual will be held accountable for what they do or say to the public, therefore, we are making sure that they go through this training process to prevent further complaints of insolence,” he said.“Funding will come from the ministry’s recurrent budget and I expect to get feedback on the training, participation and implementation of the actual skills on the job. For now we will rely on the feedback and hopefully we will have good reviews,” he said.Powell said the customer service training would not be assessed on a pass or fail basis, but regular assessments would be in done to ensure that workers adhere to what is being taught.

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ITA vows to improve customer service