Sizzling Serena joins sister Venus in Australian Open last 16

Saturday, January 24, 2015 | 1:18 AM    

MELBOURNE, Australia ( AFP) – World number one Serena Williams took time to wake up before sizzling into the Australian Open fourth round on Saturday, joining resurgent sister Venus and the dangerous Agnieszka Radwanska.

The American top seed, vying for a sixth Australian title and the first since 2010, was slow to get in the groove against 26th ranked Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, going down 6-4 in the first set.

But she shook off the cobwebs under the blazing sun on Rod Laver Arena to rattle through the next two sets 6-2, 6-0.

It keeps alive her quest to add a 19th Grand Slam title, which would take her to clear second on the all-time Open Era Grand Slam winners list.

She currently has 18 alongside Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and is four behind German great Steffi Graf’s 22.

“When in doubt just start running as fast as you can, that’s what Venus always told me, that helped,” said Williams, whose world number one ranking is on the line if she fails to win the tournament.

She added that her sister’s late-career renaissance was an inspiration.

“She’s winning, she’s doing so well and I can do better. We always motivate each other. I’m so proud of her and we’re so excited.”

Fellow world number one Novak Djokovic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka play later Saturday, with the Serb’s chances of a fifth Australian crown improving after Roger Federer’s shock exit on Friday.

Women’s fourth seed Petra Kvitova, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka and men’s fifth seed Kei Nishikori are also in action, while eighth seeded Canadian Milos Raonic swept aside Germany’s Benjamin Becker in straight sets.

It was a day to remember for the Williams clan with Venus making the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon 2011.

The evergreen 34-year-old battled back from behind to defeat Camila Giorgi of Italy 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 and set up a fourth round clash with Radwanska.

“That feels fantastic, especially when you have things happen in your life which are out of your control,” said Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner who has had a long battle with the energy-sapping Sjogren’s Syndrome.

“I don’t want to leave it at that, I’ll try to keep going,” she added, clearly enjoying the moment in front of an appreciative crowd on Margaret Court Arena.

Poland’s Radwanska defeated American Varvara Lepchenko 6-0, 7-5 and has doled out a dreaded 6-0 “bagel” to each of her three opponents at Melbourne Park this year, lurking as a dangerous dark horse.

She said she was eagerly looking forward to facing Venus, who she beat in the Montreal final last year.

“I think playing her is always a great challenge,” said Radwanska, who has made the quarter-finals or better in Melbourne on her last four visits.

“I think she is still playing great tennis even she’s a bit older. She’s still really fit and playing a high level. I think it’s going to be another good match.”

Serena will next face Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, who overcame a mid-match stumble to beat Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

The 24th seed beat Serena at the French Open last year and said she was up for the challenge again in Melbourne.

“I think I don’t have nothing to lose. I don’t think I have pressure,” she said. “I like to play big matches on centre court, so I’m just really happy that I can play against her.”

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Sizzling Serena joins sister Venus in Australian Open last 16

Scotiabank joins DBJ-World Bank loan facility

Scotiabank has signed on as part of a US$50 million DBJ-World Bank small business loan facility.   
The facility, which comes as part of  the Jamaica Foundation for Competitiveness and Growth Project, will provide Small and Medium sized Enterprises with loans not exceeding US$300,000. It is hoped that the solution will strengthen the business environment.    
The loan facility has been set up to assist entities manoeuvre their way through the business regulatory issues that exist and that may sometimes constrain entry.    
It will also facilitate the ability to improve capabilities through skills upgrading, as the fund will co-finance training support for firms.

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Scotiabank joins DBJ-World Bank loan facility

Cuba joins Ebola battle as virus spreads faster than capacity to manage it

GENEVA, Switzerland, Monday September 15, 2014 – As the deadly Ebola virus continues its relentless rampage in West Africa, Cuba is sending 165 medical professionals to help battle the outbreak that has now claimed more lives than all previous outbreaks of the disease combined.

Next month, a team of Cuban doctors, nurses and infection control specialists will travel to Sierra Leone to begin a six-month assignment.

The move by the communist Caribbean country comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) says new cases in West Africa are increasing faster than the capacity to manage them.

Director of the WHO, Dr Margaret Chan, said: “If we are going to go to war with Ebola we need the resources to fight.

“I am extremely grateful for the generosity of the Cuban government and these health professionals for doing their part to help us contain the worst Ebola outbreak ever known.

“Cuba is world-famous for its ability to train outstanding doctors and nurses and for its generosity in helping fellow countries on the route to progress,” Dr Chan added.

Cuban doctors have been sent to a range of countries, from Algeria to South Africa, and hundreds of Cuban medical workers were deployed to Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Among Havana’s established overseas medical initiatives is an extensive eye surgery programme in Venezuela.

Late Venezuela President Hugo Chavez chose Cuba for his cancer treatment, and the communist island is widely recognised for its cutting edge cancer procedures and research.

The Cuban health workers deployed to West Africa will be confronted with new challenges in the face of an outbreak of disease that has killed more than 2,500 people in recent months and infected over 5,000.

WHO officials say the number of people affected is likely to be much greater than current estimates suggest, moreover, and have forecast as many as 20,000 cases.

Of the six affected countries, the death toll remains highest in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. In the latter country, reports indicate there is not a single bed left to treat patients with Ebola.

After a recent trip to the region, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr Tom Frieden warned that the Ebola outbreak is much worse than official figures show and is “spiralling out of control.”

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Cuba joins Ebola battle as virus spreads faster than capacity to manage it

U.S. military joins Ebola response in West Africa

As one of the Ebola epicentres, the district of Kailahun, in eastern Sierra Leone bordering Guinea, was put under quarantine at the beginning of August. (Credit: ©EC/ECHO/Cyprien Fabre)

Carey L. Biron

WASHINGTON D.C., United States, Tuesday September 9, 2014, IPS – The U.S. military over the weekend formally began to support the international response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Advocates of the move, including prominent voices in global health, are lauding the Pentagon’s particularly robust logistical capacities, which nearly all observers say are desperately needed as the epidemic expands at an increasing rate.

Yet already multiple concerns have arisen over the scope of the mission – including whether it is strong enough at the outset as well as whether it could become too broad in future.

President Barack Obama made the first public announcement on the issue on Sunday, contextualising the outbreak as a danger to U.S. national security.

“We’re going to have to get U.S. military assets just to set up, for example, isolation units and equipment there to provide security for public health workers surging from around the world,” the president said during a televised interview. “If we don’t make that effort now … it could be a serious danger to the United States.”

While the United States has spent more than 20 million dollars in West Africa this year to combat the disease, Washington has come under increased criticism in recent months for not doing enough. Obama is now expected to request additional funding from Congress later this month.

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The military’s response, however, has already begun – albeit apparently on a very small scale for now, and in just a single Ebola-hit country.

A Defence Department spokesperson told IPS that, over the weekend, Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel approved the deployment of a “25-bed deployable hospital facility, equipment, and the support necessary to establish the facility” in Liberia. For now, this is the extent of the approved response.

The spokesperson was quick to note that additional planning is underway, but emphasised that the Pentagon is responding only to requests made by other federal agencies and taking no lead role. Further, its commitment to the hospital in Liberia, the country most affected by the outbreak, is limited.

The Department of Defence “will not have a permanent presence at the facility and will not provide direct patient care, but will ensure that supplies are maintained at the hospital and provide periodic support required to keep the hospital facility functioning for up to 180 days,” the spokesperson said.

“This approach provides for the establishment of the hospital facility in the shortest possible period of time … Once the deployable hospital facility is established, it will be transferred to the Government of Liberia.”

On Monday, Liberia’s defence minister, Brownie Samukai, said his government was “extremely pleased” by the announcement.

“We had discussions at the Department of Defence on the issues of utilising and requesting the full skill of United States capabilities, both on the soft side and on the side of providing logistics and technical expertise,” Samukai, who is currently here in Washington, told the media. “We look forward to that cooperation as expeditiously as we can.”

The current Ebola outbreak has now killed some 2,100 people and infected more than 3,500 in five countries. On Monday, the United Nations warned of an “exponential increase” in cases in coming weeks.

Yet thus far the epidemic has resulted in an international response that is almost universally seen as dangerously inadequate. Obama’s statement Sunday nonetheless raised questions even among those supportive of the announcement.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the French humanitarian group, remains the single most important international organisation in physically responding to the outbreak. While MSF has long opposed the use of military personnel in response to disease outbreaks, last week it broke with that tradition.

Warning that the global community is “failing” to address the epidemic, the group told a special U.N. briefing that countries with “civilian and military medical capability … must immediately dispatch assets and personnel to West Africa”.

Yet while MSF has welcomed Obama’s announcement, the group is also expressing strong concerns over the president’s reference to the U.S. military providing “security for public health workers”.

MSF “reiterates the need for this support to be of medical nature only,” Tim Shenk, a press officer with the group, told IPS. “Aid workers do not need additional security support in the affected region.”

Last week, MSF urged that any military personnel deployed to West Africa not be used for “quarantine, containment or crowd control measures”.

The Defence Department spokesperson told IPS that the U.S. military had not yet received a request to provide security for health workers.

The United States is not the only country now turning to its military to bolster the flagging humanitarian response in West Africa.

The British government in recent days announced even more significant plans, aiming to set up 68 beds for Ebola patients at a centre, in Sierra Leone, that will be jointly operated by humanitarians and military personnel. The Canadian government had reportedly been contemplating a military plan as well, although this now appears to have been shelved.

Yet the concerns expressed by MSF over how the military deployment should go forward underscore the fact that there exists little formal guidance on the involvement of foreign military personnel in international health-related response.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), for instance, has no broad stance on the issue, a spokesperson told IPS. As the WHO is an intergovernmental agency, it is up to affected countries to make related decisions and request.

“Each country handles its own security situation,” Daniel Epstein, a WHO spokesperson, told IPS. “So if governments agree to military involvement from other countries, that’s their business.”

Another spokesperson with the agency, Margaret Harris, told IPS that the WHO appreciates “the skills that well-trained, disciplined and highly organised groups like the US military can bring to the campaign to end Ebola.”

Yet there is already concern that the U.S. military response could be shaping up to be far less robust than necessary.

MSF’s Shenk noted that any plan from the U.S. military would need to include both the construction and operation of Ebola centres. Thus far, the Pentagon says it will not be doing any operating.

While around 570 Ebola beds are currently available in West Africa, MSF estimates that at least 1,000 hospital spaces, capable of providing full isolation, are needed in the region.

In a series of tweets on Monday, Laurie Garrett, a prominent global health scholar with the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington think tank, expressed alarm that the Defence Department’s Ebola response was shaping up to be “tiny” in comparison to what is needed.

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U.S. military joins Ebola response in West Africa

T&T joins criticism of Digicel

Another regional country has reacted negatively to the move by Digicel to block applications that utilize the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) on its service.

Digicel had already blocked its customers from accessing the applications in Jamaica and Haiti, before imposing the ban in Trinidad and Tobago. The services affected include popular “free calls” applications Viber, Tango and Nimbuzz.

Mr. Wilson, in an interview with the Trinidad Guardian newspaper, said Viber and Tango were described within the industry as “over-the-top” services. He said they were provided by organizations that do not have their own infrastructure and would often use those built by a service provider. He said it was unfortunate that the country’s legislation did not prevent Digicel from these maneuvers.   

Following the imposition of the ban, Mr. Wilson said the TATT would engage Digicel in dialogue to better understand the reason for the block.                   

Digicel’s response     

And, in an e-mail exchange with the Trinidad Guardian, Digicel’s Communications Manager, Penny Gomez, said unlicensed VoIP operators like Viber and Nimbuzz use networks to deliver their services, but do not pay for the access. She said the unauthorized activity puts enormous pressures on bandwidth, which means customers’ data usage experience is negatively affeccted.

Ms. Gomez said Digicel has been forced to take firm action to prevent what she described as parasitic activity. She added that VoIP services, by their nature, are network intensive and given priority in respect of delivery.   

She said, while Digicel invested millions in its network and business, unlicensed VoIP reaped the benefits with no capital investment.

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T&T joins criticism of Digicel

Promising Jamaican sprinter joins Usain Bolt as PUMA brand ambassador

Javon Francis joins PUMA’s global brand ambassador and triple world record holder Usain Bolt

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Wednesday July 2, 2014, CMC- A Budding Jamaican athlete who ran an astonishing relay leg to catapult his country from 5th to second at last year’s World Championships in Moscow has landed a professional contract with PUMA.

Javon Francis joins PUMA’s global brand ambassador and triple world record holder Usain Bolt as Jamaicans signed to the brand, the German sporting goods manufacturer has announced

Jamaican Sprint hurdlers Hansle Parchment and Andrew Riley, along with intermediate hurdler Ristananna Tracey also hold professional contracts with PUMA.

Details of Francis’ contract have not been made public.

“It’s an exciting time,” said Francis, the IAAF World Championships 4x400m relay silver medallist.

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“I am grateful that PUMA recognises my talent and have offered me such support, especially because of the commitment PUMA has for track and field in Jamaica”.

Francis rose to international prominence when he ran an astounding anchor leg at the World Championships last year in Moscow, Russia.

He took Jamaica from fifth at the final changeover to second, just holding off Russia for the silver medal, a performance which earned him the 2014 Viewers’ Choice Awards at the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year ceremony.

“We’ve watched Javon develop through the high school programme in Jamaica, seeing him develop into a fine young athlete with considerable potential,” said Christian Voigt, senior global head of sports marketing at PUMA.

“His talent, enthusiasm and character suggest he’s a star in the making, and he’s a wonderful fit for PUMA in our new ‘Forever Faster’ era”.

Francis, who withdrew from last weekend’s National Senior Championships nursing a sore hamstring, has a personal best 45.00 for the 400m.

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Promising Jamaican sprinter joins Usain Bolt as PUMA brand ambassador

Digicel joins other sponsors for AISK Sportsfeva

BY RUDDY ALLEN OBSERVER WRITER

Tuesday, January 28, 2014    

Digicel is now partnering with the American International School of Kingston (AISK) for the first time as an associate sponsor to host the fourth staging of the 2014 Lasco Food Drink AISK Sportsfeva which is presented by Gatorade, it was announced at a press conference yesterday at AISK in Kingston.

Jacqueline Burrell Clarke, public relations manager at Digicel said that her company is a huge supporter of sports and they are always happy to assist with the development of young people.

“We are very excited to be a part of this event for the first time. We are a huge supporter of sports and what the AISK programme is offering to the youth. We are really pleased to be on board to aid in the development of youngsters,” Burrell Clarke said.

Sherianne Thompson, brand representative of Lasco food drink, the main sponsors of Sportsfeva said that her company’s continued involvement with the AISK’s youth development programme was never in doubt.

“It is truly a pleasure to be here today as the students express themselves through sports. I am pleased to announce my company’s commitment in sponsoring this event as it is a programme that is building our youth,” Thompson said.

Also at the launch, Mitchell Watson of Pepsi Cola Jamaica, representing the presenting sponsor, Gatorade said that they are happy to be on the team sponsoring SportsFeva.

“Gatorade is an iconic energy drink that gives the athletes proper energy to take part in sports and we are honoured to provide our product,” he said.

Kelly Jarrett, the chairperson of the SportsFeva committee said that the school is very excited to be staging the event and to have participants from various schools in Jamaica and the Bahamas taking part. “Each year the event gets bigger and bigger and we are looking forward to the future and continued growth of the event.”

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Digicel joins other sponsors for AISK Sportsfeva

Hollywood actor joins Jamaica Tallawahs

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Hollywood actor Gerard Butler has said his involvement with the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is for the long-term after he arrived in Trinidad to watch the climax of the inaugural event.

Scottish-born Butler, whose list of movie credits includes 300, Reign of Fire and Olympus Has Fallen, has secured an equity stake in the Jamaica Tallawahs, confirmed his desire to remain involved as the tournament goes from strength to strength.“Absolutely (it is a long-term commitment),” he said. “I did not do this just to be in it for a couple of weeks. I did it because I hope this new league is a long-term league and that it keeps going and keeps building, so it is an investment you hope will build, but also (because) it is an excuse to come out here (to the Caribbean) to a place I love.”Butler is one of several high-profile names to become involved in the Limacol CPL with fellow actor Mark Wahlberg taking an equity stake in the Barbados Tridents, while Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is involved with the Antigua Hawksbills, and is also a tournament sponsor.“A bit of rivalry (with Mark Wahlberg)?” said Butler. “Absolutely. At one point we were going to invest in the same team and then we thought it would be better to keep it separate – ‘You take Barbados and I will go with Jamaica.’“We have had a laugh about it and I am so glad he got involved in this as well and I think more will follow without it becoming ridiculous. I think Hollywood will take more of an interest in this and hopefully around the world.”The 43-year-old actor explained his involvement with the tournament began with a conversation with his friend Ajmal Khan, the Founder and Chairman of the Limacol CPL.“He (Ajmal) said there is a chance to create this whole new league, make it really exciting, bring in outside players and it will be the biggest party in sport because it is going to be in the Caribbean, (so he told me) ‘Think about it and you could get involved in that.’“I thought ‘You know what, for me it is all about things that enrich your life experience.’ I want to get involved in different things, so I thought how cool it would be.“And Jamaica, for me, I have visited there a lot, I have a special affection for that place and they have Chris Gayle, so I thought that would be the one to get involved with.”Butler attended Thursday night’s first semi-final between the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel and the Guyana Amazon Warriors, a match won by the Warriors by seven wickets, and he said he could see immediately why the tournament has taken off to such a great extent.“I see the excitement,” he said. “I ask people ‘What was it like before?’ and they say ‘It was always fun, but now it is a really fun.’ It is much bigger, it is more exciting, it is just more. It feels like it is becoming the European Champions League of the Caribbean.“I went to the (Red Steel – Amazon Warriors) game and it was a carnival atmosphere… among the people there was a lot of competition, but it was a lot of fun and everyone was having a good time.”During his stay in Trinidad Butler has taken the opportunity to meet the Jamaica Tallawahs players and staff and was impressed with what he found.“There are a lot of personalities in there, but they are very warm and humble and a lot of strong and good players. I am excited and I really feel like I got behind the right team.”Having made a movie about football, based on the true story of the United States of America team that beat England in 1950, is there scope for a movie about cricket and would he like to be involved?“Absolutely, I think it would be great to make a cricket movie as you could come at it from many angles, whether it be the sport angle, the dramatic part of that, or somebody from another place that should not be where he is.”“There are a lot of ideas you could put into a great cricket movie. I know Brian Lara wants me to play him, so I think there is a possibility there,” he joked.The inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League was slated to conclude yesterday with the final match between Jamaica Tallawahs and Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.Jamaica Tallawahs coach Paul Nixon (left), and captain Chris Gayle (right) present new owner Gerard Butler with his team shirt recently.

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Hollywood actor joins Jamaica Tallawahs

Sangakkara joins Tallawahs for the final matches of the LCPL

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is set to link up with the Jamaica Tallawahs for the final stretch of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL), organisers have confirmed.

The elegant 36-year-old left-handed batsman will take over from Pakistan top-order player Ahmed Shezhad, who is leaving to join the Pakistan squad on tour in Zimbabwe.Sangakkara, who has played for three franchises in the Indian Premier League – Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad – becomes the fourth Sri Lanka player to join the LCPL following on from the signings of Muttiah Muralitharan (Jamaica Tallawahs), Mahela Jayawardene (Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel) and Lasith Malinga (Guyana Amazon Warriors).Reflecting on his move, Sangakkara said: “I did not expect to be playing the Limacol CPL this year, but when Murali telephoned and asked whether I might be interested in playing for the Jamaica Tallawahs I jumped at the chance.“To play alongside Murali again will, of course, be a great privilege, and it will also be very exciting to bat with Chris (Gayle) rather than being his opponent.“The Tallawahs have had a great season thus far, and I hope I can make a positive contribution as we seek to win the inaugural tournament.”Sangakkara brings with him not only that wealth of IPL experience, but also a significant amount of international experience too.He has played a total of 117 Tests, 354 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and 45 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), and led his country to the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in England in 2009, where they were defeated by Pakistan at Lord’s.Sangakkara was also part of the Sri Lanka side that again reached the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in his home country last October, only to be beaten once more, this time by the West Indies.In Tests he has scored 10,486 runs at an average of 56.98, with 33 hundreds and 42 fifties, while in ODIs his aggregate is 11,798 runs at 39.99 with 16 more hundreds, as well as 79 fifties.In T20Is he has a tally of 1,178 runs with a strike-rate of 120.08 runs per hundred balls and including seven fifties, while in all Twenty20 matches, domestic and international combined, he has played 138 times, scoring 3,481 runs with 20 fifties and a strike-rate of 124.76.The inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League runs until August 24, with the two semi-finals taking place in Trinidad and Tobago on August 22 and 23 and the final on the August 24.

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Sangakkara joins Tallawahs for the final matches of the LCPL

Sangakkara joins Jamaica Tallawahs for final CPL matches

Sport

Sunday, August 18, 2013 | 12:38 PM

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is set to link up with the Jamaica Tallawahs for the final stretch of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL), organisers have confirmed.The elegant 36 year-old left-handed batsman will take over from Pakistan top-order player Ahmed Shezhad, who is leaving to join the Pakistan squad on tour in Zimbabwe.Sangakkara, who has played for three franchises in the Indian Premier League – Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad – becomes the fourth Sri Lanka player to join the LCPL following on from the signings of Muttiah Muralitharan (Jamaica Tallawahs), Mahela Jayawardene (Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel) and Lasith Malinga (Guyana Amazon Warriors).“I did not expect to be playing the Limacol CPL this year, but when Murali telephoned and asked whether I might be interested in playing for the Jamaica Tallawahs I jumped at the chance,” Sangakkara said.“To play alongside Murali again will, of course, be a great privilege and it will also be very exciting to bat with Chris (Gayle) rather than being his opponent.“The Tallawahs have had a great season thus far and I hope I can make a positive contribution as we seek to win the inaugural tournament.”Sangakkara brings with him not only that wealth of IPL experience but also a significant amount of international experience.He has played a total of 117 Tests, 354 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 45 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) and led his country to the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in England in 2009, where they were defeated by Pakistan at Lord’s.Sangakkara was also part of the Sri Lanka side that again reached the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in his home country last October, only to be beaten once more, this time by the West Indies.In Tests he has scored 10,486 runs at an average of 56.98 with 33 hundreds and 42 fifties while in ODIs his aggregate is 11,798 runs at 39.99 with 16 more hundreds, as well as 79 fifties.In T20Is he has a tally of 1178 runs with a strike-rate of 120.08 runs per hundred balls and including seven fifties, while in all Twenty20 matches, domestic and international combined, he has played 138 times, scoring 3481 runs with 20 fifties and a strike-rate of 124.76.The inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League runs until August 24 with the two semi-finals taking place in Trinidad and Tobago on August 22 and 23 and the final on the August 24.

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Sangakkara joins Jamaica Tallawahs for final CPL matches

Caribbean joins OAS in paying tribute to Simon Bolivar

WASHINGTON, DC, United States CMC) — Permanent representatives from the region at the Organisation of American States (OAS) have joined the hemispheric body in paying tribute to Simon Bolivar’s legacy, while commemorating the 230th anniversary of his birth.

The OAS said its Permanent Council on Wednesday held a protocolary session during which representatives paid tribute to the “memory, work and legacy” of the Latin American revolutionary.Diplomats “recalled the continued validity of his thinking and the need to continue working for the unity and freedom of the peoples of the Americas,” the OAS said.Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the permanent representative of Trinidad and Tobago, Neil Parsan, referred to the challenges facing the region, warning that many of them have been around since the days of Bolivar.“The Hemisphere has witnessed positive changes that have occurred since then, but a lot still remains to be done. Our Hemisphere struggles with a high degree of inequality, poverty and the scourges associated with the drug trade, trafficking of illegal guns, violence, human trafficking and the exploitation of women and children,” he added, while praising the ideals of “this great regional hero we are proud to honour today.”Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the OAS and vice chair of the council, Deborah-Mae Lovell, said the celebration continues the tradition established in 1986 to institutionalise an annual tribute to the ‘Liberator’.The permanent representative of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Saladín Selin, meanwhile, mentioned his country’s historical ties with Simon Bolivar, as well as the “spark of freedom that he ignited in the Hemisphere”.He referred to the career of the liberator, his speeches, campaigns and struggles, saying that “no man deserves more the title of ‘Man of the Americas’, because he not only overflowed the borders of several countries of the Hemisphere, but also became the firmest personality of the history of Hispanic America.”

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Caribbean joins OAS in paying tribute to Simon Bolivar

Former Pepsi Jamaica manager joins CSS

Business

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

AYANNA Kirton has been appointed business development manager for Centralised Strategic Services Limited (CSS).Leading a team of sales representatives, her mandate is to grow the business relationship and revenue portfolios of the CSS — a limited liability company which was established year by the Jamaica Co-operative Credit Union League (JCCUL).CSS provides shared professional services to League members and external organisations.Kirton is a marketing and communications professional with over 10 years’ experience in the areas of sales, marketing and communication.Prior to joining CSS, she was brand manager for Pepsi Jamaica, where she managed one of Jamaica’s most successful portfolios of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and lauded for her contribution to securing the market leader position of the non-carbonated and carbonated beverage brands she represented.In addition to FMCG brand management, she has worked in sales and marketing in a diverse range of sectors including security services and film production.In addition to sales, she is passionate about environmental preservation and has spearheaded a number of beach clean-up initiatives aimed at reducing the damage to marine life, while improving the appearance of recreational areas.She holds an MA in Communications Studies and a BSc in Tourism Management, both from the University of the West Indies.KIRTON… has over 10 years’ experience in sales, marketing and communication

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Former Pepsi Jamaica manager joins CSS