Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Friday; Bolt deadline, Khanice Jackson; Diaspora elections; Clovis Toon; Breaking News and more

Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Friday, January 27, 2023 Khanice Jackson murder accused bail hearing The matter of bail for [murder accused Robert Fowler]( is expected to be deliberated in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston today. Fowler, a mechanic of Portmore, St Catherine, is accused of [killing 20-year-old accounting clerk Khanice Jackson](. When the case was mentioned on Monday it was adjourned until today and Fowler was further remanded. On Monday, Justice Vinette Graham Allen was informed that a medical examination ordered by the court on the last occasion was conducted. The judge was told that Fowler did a series of blood test on November 16 at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine. On October 5, 2022, his attorney, Lynden Wellesley, informed the judge that his medical condition was worsening and Justice Graham Allen placed the murder proceedings on hold to address Fowler's health condition. Jackson, a resident of Independence City in Portmore, was reported missing on March 24, 2021. Her partially decomposed body was found in an open lot two days later on March 26 along the Dyke Road, in the vicinity of the Portmore Fishing Village. Fowler, in his fifties, and also known as ‘Backra’, was taken into custody and charged after reportedly confessing to Jackson’s murder. Time's up: SSL on Bolt deadline Linton Gordon, one of the attorneys representing Olympian Usain Bolt, says the public should [look out for the "expected and the unexpected" today]( — the deadline given to investment firm Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) to return more than US$12 million fleeced from the track and field icon's account in a massive fraud perpetrated for more than a decade. On January 16 Frater, Binns and Gordon, the law firm representing Bolt, [sent a letter to SSL]( demanding that US$12,758,181.74 — the reported balance in Bolt's account at October 31, 2022 — be repaid by January 27. The attorneys also noted that only US$12,000 remained in the account. Bolt is one of at least 40 SSL clients whose investments were totally or almost wiped out in the fraud estimated to be more than $3 billion so far. Pressure mounts on teacher who threatened to 'murder' student An [emergency meeting of the Newell High School board has been called for today]( to address the matter of the male teacher who was caught on a now viral video [issuing death threats to a male student while telling the boy he had killed before](. The Minister of Education, Fayval Williams, says that in accordance with the 48 hours required by current regulations for notice to members, the Chairman of the Board has called the emergency meeting for today to deal with the conduct of the teacher. “I spoke with the Chairman of the Board of Newell High School, who is equally concerned by the verbal attack on the student and the death threats towards the student,” Williams said in a statement. She has condemned as “unprofessional and inexcusable”, the conduct of the teacher at the St Elizabeth-based school. Apart from the verbal threats, the teacher was also seen chasing the student. Minister Williams said such behaviour lowers the professionalism of the teaching sector. “This normalises violence in the minds of our students and does not provide the kind of role model that the society expects of our teachers,” Williams said. Children’s Advocate, Diahann Gordon Harrison has also [condemned the incident](. Advertisement Elections for Diaspora Council ends Voting will come to an end today in the [diaspora elections]( to seat members on the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council (GJDC) and the Global Jamaica Diaspora Youth Council (GJDYC). Established in 2020, the main objective of the Councils is to build a mutually beneficial relationship between Jamaica and the diaspora. Seven persons will be elected for membership to the GJDC and the GJDYC. Three members will serve in the United States of America (USA), two in the United Kingdom and two in Canada for the next three years. To serve on the diaspora Councils, persons must be 18 years or older and be Jamaican or of Jamaican heritage. Those who are between the ages of 18 and 35 will serve on the Youth Council. The population in this age group represents the descendants of the second, third and fourth generations in the diaspora. The members of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council and the Global Jamaica Diaspora Youth Council are elected to serve on a voluntary basis for a period of three years. An election process is carried out at the end of the three-year tenure of both councils. The election process for membership to the respective councils is carried out by an independent body that is established to conduct elections and manage the logistics for the election of Global Jamaica Diaspora Council and Global Diaspora Youth Council members. Voting started on January 10 after a weeklong period of campaigning and concludes today. The results of the election will be made public on February 1. Those elected to their respective council will serve to execute the overall impetus of the councils, deepening diaspora engagement with Jamaica, and engaging and connecting with young Jamaicans globally. The Kamina Johnson Smith-led Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, holds responsibility for Diaspora affairs. Israeli, Palestinian conflict escalates Tensions are rising in the Middle East today as Israeli forces on Thursday killed nine Palestinians — including at least seven militants and a 61-year-old woman — in the [deadliest single incident in the occupied West Bank in two decades]( Palestinian officials said. Two rockets were fired from Gaza early Friday, further escalating tensions. The Israeli military said both were intercepted by its Iron Dome missile defense system. It was the first such attack from the militant Hamas-ruled territory since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power at the head of a far-right government that has pledged a tough line against Palestinian militancy. The raid in the Jenin refugee camp and the rocket fire increases the risk of a major flare-up in Israeli-Palestinian fighting and casts a shadow on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s expected trip to the region next week. Raising the stakes, the Palestinian Authority said it would halt the ties that its security forces maintain with Israel in a shared effort to contain Islamic militants. Previous threats have been short-lived, in part because of the benefits the authority enjoys from the relationship and also due to US and Israeli pressure to maintain it. ICYMI: WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING WATCH: Emotional father, principal react to death of 12-y-o in Rollington Town The [death of 12- year -old Liah Hugh]( Thursday has rocked the community of Rollington Town in East Kingston and has left a father lost for words. Jamaican cleric convicted in NY state terrorism trial A Jamaican cleric accused of recruiting support for the Islamic State group was [convicted Thursday of state terrorism charges]( after being extradited to New York City following an undercover New York Police Department sting that went international. Double murder rocks Tucker, St James Two men [were cut down in a hail of bullets during an attack]( by gunmen at a pub in Tucker, St James, Thursday afternoon. CLOVIS TOON TODAY IN HISTORY Thomas Edison's lightbulb On [this day]( in 1880, Thomas Edison receives a patent for his electric incandescent lamp. For more stories, visit our website at www.jamaicaobserver.com or [sign up for our e-paper](. 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