Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Tuesday; Third Supplementary Estimates, Clovis Toon; Breaking News and more

Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Tuesday, January 31, 2023 Third Supplementary Estimates to be tabled Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke will today table the [Third Supplementary Estimates]( in the House of Representatives before referring same to the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee​ for its perusal and approval. The estimates make provision for the [payment of salary arrears]( due to thousands of public sector workers, for whom wage arrangements have not yet been settled. Clarke [told the Jamaica Observer earlier this month]( that "my hope is that we will be in a position to table and pass the third supplementary estimates by the end of January to put us in a position where the back pay that will become due, upon agreement with remaining groups, can be paid prior to the end of the fiscal year". The finance minister noted at the tabling of the $30.4 billion second supplementary estimates in Parliament on December 6, that payments up to a maximum of $100,000 had been approved for public bodies, based on their requests, pending the finalisation of their review exercise. He said the process is not expected to be protracted, and that those entities that are not financed from the consolidated fund would not receive the full amount of back payments. Clarke pointed out that the tabling of the estimates and making the payments was challenging, given that the 2023/24 national budget is to be tabled shortly after. "However, it is fiscally necessary as we cannot carry these large obligations into the next fiscal year without either jeopardising fiscal targets or delaying other critical expenditure," he stated. Traffic jam: Anxious motorists to choke traffic courts one final time With today being the [final day for motorists with outstanding traffic tickets to pay their traffic fines]( or make arrangements to do so, thousands will again descend on the courts islandwide in their attempt to settle their obligations. For yet another day on Monday,[thousands turned up at the traffic courts]( across the island in their bid to make the payments but many did not see a judge based on the sheer numbers. The Government has warned repeatedly over recent weeks and days that there will be no further extensions ahead of the new Road Traffic Act with its more punitive fines for traffic breaches taking effect on February 1. Some persons have complained that they have already paid their fines but are being told that they still owe. When the new digitised Traffic Ticket Monitoring System takes effect on Wednesday, persons with outstanding tickets run the risk of prosecution. They also run the risk of being unable to licence and sell their motor vehicles. Nurse for court on attempted murder charge The male nurse who has been [charged with attempted murder]( following his attack on a woman on Beeston Street, downtown Kingston on January 20, is scheduled to appear today in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court. Charged is 35-year-old Sade Rampassard, otherwise called ‘Coolie’, a registered nurse of Walkway 34, Braeton Phase 2, Portmore, St Catherine. Police reports are that about 10:30 pm, Rampassard held the woman by her hair and used a knife to stab her several times. The woman was assisted to the hospital where she was treated. The circumstances that led to the dispute are unclear. The incident was reported to the police and an investigation launched. On Friday, January 27, Rampassard was charged after a question and answer session in the presence of his attorney. Advertisement President Biden to end COVID-19 emergencies on May 11 President Joe Biden has informed Congress that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has [returned closer to normalcy]( nearly three years after they were first declared. The move to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations would formally restructure the federal coronavirus response to treat the virus as an endemic threat to public health that can be managed through agencies’ normal authorities. It comes as lawmakers have already ended elements of the emergencies that kept millions of Americans insured during the pandemic. Combined with the drawdown of most federal COVID-19 relief money, it would also shift the development of vaccines and treatments away from the direct management of the federal government. Biden’s announcement comes in a statement opposing resolutions being brought to the floor this week by House Republicans to bring the emergency to an immediate end. House Republicans are also gearing up to launch investigations on the federal government’s response to COVID-19. Then-President Donald Trump first declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency on March 13, 2020. The emergencies have been repeatedly extended by Biden since he took office in January 2021, and are set to expire in the coming months. The White House said Biden plans to extend them both briefly to end on May 11. “An abrupt end to the emergency declarations would create wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system — for states, for hospitals and doctors’ offices, and, most importantly, for tens of millions of Americans,” the Office of Management and Budget wrote in a Statement of Administration Policy. More than 1.1 million people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19 since 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including about 3,700 last week. Football: Transfer window deadline day – here are the gossips Arsenal are exploring a move for Jorginho with the 31-year-old Italy midfielder out of contract at Chelsea in the summer. [(Football London)]( Paris St-Germain hope to sign Chelsea and Morocco forward Hakim Ziyech on loan for the rest of the season, with the 29-year-old thought to prefer a switch to France rather than joining another English team. [(L'Equipe)]( Arsenal are also considering a late bid for Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans. The 25-year-old Belgium international is out of contract in the summer, but the Gunners are keen for immediate reinforcements to their squad. Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, 29, has turned down a loan approach from Inter Milan to fight for his place at Old Trafford - but will reassess his position in the summer. [(Daily Star)]( Tottenham have edged closer to completing a deal to sign Spain right-back Pedro Porro, 23, for 45m euros (£39.5m) from Sporting Lisbon. [(Telegraph)]( Sporting Lisbon will replace Porro with fellow Spain right-back Hector Bellerin, 27, from Barcelona. [(Fabrizio Romano)]( Manchester United have received 10 loan offers for Sweden winger Anthony Elanga, with Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven among the clubs interested, but Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag is reluctant to let the 20-year-old leave. [(FourFourTwo)]( Liverpool could make a surprise move to bolster their midfield by signing Chelsea and France midfielder N'Golo Kante, 31, who is out of contract at Stamford Bridge this summer. [(El Nacional)]( Tottenham full-back Djed Spence, 22, is set to head out on loan to French side Rennes for the rest of the season. [(Athletic)]( Bournemouth are close to agreeing a fee with Serie A side Sassuolo for their Ivory Coast midfielder Hamed Traore, 22. A training ground bust-up between Joao Cancelo, 28, and manager Pep Guardiola instigated the Portugal defender's [likely departure]( from Manchester City to Bayern Munich on loan. [(Mail)]( Southampton have agreed to meet the £26.2million release clause for Braga forward Vitinha, 22, who has played for Portugal's under-21 side. [(Football Insider)]( Newcastle see Sheffield United and Norway midfielder Sander Berge, 24, as an ideal replacement for Jonjo Shelvey, 30, who is set to join Nottingham Forest [(Newcastle Chronicle)]( Nottingham Forest are closing in on the signing of Atletico Madrid defender Felipe, 33, with the Brazilian having lost his place in Diego Simeone's starting line-up this season. [(Mail)]( Leicester have tabled a £15m bid for Stoke and Australia defender Harry Souttar, 24. The Foxes are also interested in Leeds winger Jack Harrison, 26, but their Denmark defender Jannik Vestergaard, 30, and Turkey centre-back Caglar Soyuncu, 26 are available for transfer. [(Telegraph)](. ICYMI: WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING WATCH: Mom of student crushed by truck not satisfied after driver sentenced The mother of Benjamin Bair [has expressed “mixed feelings”]( following Monday’s sentencing of the driver of the garbage truck that crushed and killed her seven-year-old son on the grounds of the Clan Carthy Primary School in October 2019. Cops charge dad after 8-month-old drowns in bath tub at home The father of an eight-month-old baby girl was [charged with her death]( after the child was reportedly left alone in a tub of water and drowned. 10 wounded in drive-by shooting in central Florida Ten people were injured Monday afternoon during a [drive-by shooting in a central Florida neighborhood]( police said. CLOVIS TOON TODAY IN HISTORY Mexican drug kingpin sentenced [On this day]( in 1997, Mexican drug kingpin Juan Garcia Abrego is sentenced to 11 concurrent life prison terms and fines that total nearly US$500 million. 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](.