Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Wednesday; SSL saga; Ian Hayles; Clovis Toon; Breaking News and more

Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Wednesday, January 25, 2023 More Gov’t departments to say if they have investments with SSL More Government departments could indicate as early as today whether they have funds invested in the scandal-hit Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL). SSL, a private securities dealer, is embroiled in scandal after a fraud estimated at $3 billion was uncovered earlier this month. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that [government departments must ensure transparency in the matter](. “Following on Cabinet meeting yesterday (Monday), and the general direction I have given to the government regarding transparency, I have asked all Ministers to check and disclose the status of any accounts or investment relationships their Ministries or Agencies may have with Stocks and Securities Limited,” said Holness. Both the National Housing Trust and the National Health Fund “have already made their release in keeping with this directive,” the prime minister added. Both have indicated that their funds at SSL are in good standing. During a [press conference on Monday]( Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke disclosed that the NHF has a balance of approximately $740 million at SSL; the NHT has a balance of $238 million; the National Insurance Fund (NIF) has a balance of $8.4 million; the Jamaica Agricultural Society has a balance of just under $9 million; and the Jamaica Banana Industry Catastrophe Fund has a balance of $98,285. Ian Hayles in hot water Former Member of Parliament for Hanover Western Ian Hayles — one of four vice-presidents of the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) — [could be the subject of a major police investigation]( based on recommendations from the Office of the Contractor General (OCG). In a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday the OCG said, based on an investigation that it launched in April 2015, it found what it described as "prima facie evidence of forgery" in a sketch plan which was submitted to what was then the Hanover Parish Council by Hayles and his wife. According to the OCG, it is referring Hayles and his wife Charlotte Alexander-Hayles to the commissioner of police for further investigation, pursuant to Sections 3, 5 and 9 of the Forgery Act 1942. Cops to intensify search for accused killer A man is dead and a [suspect is being sought by the police]( following the shooting death of a resident of Mount Hindmost in Clarendon. The deceased has been identified as Selvin Dunkley, a 58-year-old farmer of the usually quiet, rural community. Reports are that residents heard loud explosions that sounded like gunshots about 9:15 pm on Monday. However no report was made to the police. About 6:30 am on Tuesday, residents discovered the lifeless body of Dunkley and summoned the police. Cops arrived to find Dunkley's body in a yard close to his house. There were gunshot wounds to his head and neck. The body was removed to the May Pen Hospital where Dunkley was pronounced dead. The police are now searching for a suspect in connection with the murder. Advertisement US poised to approve Abrams tanks for Ukraine In what would be a reversal, the Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, US officials said Tuesday, as [international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode](. A decision to send a bit more than 30 tanks could be announced as soon as today, though it could take months for the tanks to be delivered. US officials said details are still being worked out. One official said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors. The US announcement is expected in coordination with an announcement by Germany that it will approve Poland’s request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to one official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been made public. By agreeing to send the Abrams at an as-yet unspecified time under the assistance initiative, the administration is able to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s demand for an American commitment without having to send the tanks immediately. Basketball: NBA All-Star rosters won’t be picked until game night The [NBA All-Star Game]( is February 19. And nobody will know the All-Star rosters until that night. Not even the players themselves. The team captains — probably LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and either Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant — will make their picks in a live, televised pregame segment shortly before the game begins in Salt Lake City. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced the format change on Tuesday night. This will be the sixth time that the league has used the format where captains choose their teams, but in each of the first five instances the rosters were selected several days before the game. The captains and starters will be announced on Thursday. James has been a captain in each of the last five years and, based on the results of voting released by the league late last week, is virtually certain to be one again this year. The leading vote-getter from both the Eastern and Western Conference earns the right to be a captain. Durant was the early leader among East players, then fell slightly behind Antetokounmpo in the most recent balloting. He’s still expected to be selected as a starter, and it won’t be known until Thursday if he reclaimed the East voting lead in the final days. ICYMI: WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING WATCH: PM urges Jamaicans to avoid gossip in SSL saga Prime Minister Andrew Holness has [urged Jamaicans not to fall prey to rumours amid the multi-billion-dollar fraud at investment firm Stocks and Securities Limited]( (SSL), pointing out that a country's financial market depends on credible information. Woman beater in viral video reportedly blames ‘frustration’, reveals suicidal thoughts The man who was captured last week in a viral video viciously kicking the mother of his children outside the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court [reportedly told her afterwards that he acted out of frustration and that he felt like killing himself](. Mike Tyson faces new rape lawsuit A woman in New York state has [filed a civil suit against Mike Tyson]( accusing the former boxing champion of raping her in a limousine in the early 1990s, according to court filings. CLOVIS TOON TODAY IN HISTORY Michael Jackson settles molestation lawsuit On [this day]( in 1994, Michael Jackson settles a lawsuit regarding the molestation of a young boy without admitting guilt, the terms of which leave the boy "very happy", the youngster's attorney says. For more stories, visit our website at www.jamaicaobserver.com or [sign up for our e-paper](. [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Website]( Copyright © 2023 Jamaica Observer, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 40 - 42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue Kingston 5 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.