Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Wednesday; Reggae Wednesdays in MoBay; Traffic Law review; Clovis Toon; Breaking News and more

Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Wednesday, February 8, 2023 NRSC to conduct first weekly review of new Road Traffic Act The [National Road Safety Council (NRSC)]( will today conduct its first weekly review of the new Road Traffic Act 2018 which took effect a week ago on February 1. Minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Floyd Green, who has oversight of the NRSC, said the reviews are being conducted at the direction of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who is the chairman of the NRSC. Speaking in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Green said “we will outline a process through which people can communicate; the Road Traffic Act is in force but as we go through the implementation phase we do expect that people may raise issues”. “The Government will look at broad issues and at the appropriate time we (the NRSC) will make a report to Cabinet and then we will see if there are any amendments that are needed that will come to the House,” Green added. He was speaking after the Minister of Transport, Audley Shaw had earlier announced that the Regulations governing the Road Traffic Act will be amended to [remove the requirement for operators of public passenger vehicles to have child restraint systems]( installed in their vehicles for children under 12 years-old. The announcement of the change followed outcry from taxi operators in particular, who had refused to transport children out of fear of being slapped with a $5,000 fine for breaching the law. Green explained that “as you go through implementation, because this is a law that has new provisions and also as we have seen, there are longstanding provisions that are being implemented that unfortunately some people seem to be unaware of. Some of the challenges will not be seen until the law is in its implementation phase, where it is now”. “When you go through the implementation phase, where issues are raised, we will look at it. Every issue raised doesn’t mean that there will be a change but what we’re outlining is a process through which those issues can be addressed,” Green concluded. Reggae Wednesdays to make MoBay debut Under the theme ‘Word, sound and Power’, [Reggae Wednesdays]( will today make its out-of-town debut at the Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay. Among the scheduled performers are Andrew Tosh, Shuga, Hezron, Iyah Style, Mackie Conscious and Rosh Reign. The host of the event will be Jackie Norman. Reggae Wednesdays is organised by Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) as part of [Reggae Month]( activities. Admission is free. Opposition wants further changes to the Road Traffic Act Transport Minister Audley Shaw has signalled that there will be a 90-day period of review of the new Road Traffic Act (RTA) during which the Government is open to suggestions and possible changes. Shaw was speaking in the House of Representatives on Tuesday where he announced that the [requirement for a child restraint system in public passenger vehicles for children under 12 was being abandoned](. Members of the Opposition raised several issues which they want addressed and Shaw has suggested that some things could be taken on board. He agreed with the Opposition that a [robust public education campaign]( the RTA was needed. Shaw also agreed with the Member of Parliament for St Catherine Southern, Fitz Jackson that motorists should not necessarily be fined for driving a vehicle where a light is malfunctioning or a bulb may have blown. “I’ve always maintained that while persons must make sure that the lights are working, there are some things that all of us don’t have control over. Those are electrical devices that can be working this minute when you leave home in the morning…and five minutes down the road it’s gone. It’s not fair for any such person to be penalised at the level they are being penalised for such circumstances,” Jackson stated. “The alternative proposal, minister, is that when that occurs, the person be given a warning ticket and that happens in other jurisdictions,” Jackson told Shaw. Jackson suggested that with the warning ticket, a motorist could be given a number of days to correct the problem. Shaw promised that this matter will be looked at. And the MP for St Catherine East Central, Natalie Neita Garvey, made a case for persons who travel on market trucks to sell their produce in markets across the country. The new RTA states that the produce must be transported in a separate vehicle from the vendor. “While I think we need to modernise transportation which takes our people from source to market, what exists is still a market truck. And that market truck takes with it produce along with vendors. “I’m asking that when you’re looking you look back at this,” Neita Garvey told Shaw. She said “practicably we’re not there right now.” Advertisement In State of Union, Biden declares US is 'unbowed, unbroken’ US President Joe Biden called on Republicans in his State of the Union address Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he sought to overcome pessimism in the country and navigate [political divisions in Washington](. The backdrop of the annual address was markedly different from the previous two years, with a Republican speaker sitting behind Biden and GOP lawmakers in the audience preparing to scrutinize both his administration and his policies. He sought to reassure the nation that his stewardship of the country has delivered results both at home and abroad, as he also set out to prove his fitness for a likely re-election bid. The challenges for Biden are many: economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine, growing tensions with China and more. And signs of the past trauma at the Capitol, most notably the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, were unavoidable, with a large fence encircling the complex as lawmakers and those in attendance faced tighter-than-usual security measures. Rather than rolling out flashy policy proposals, the president set out to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition, declaring that two years after the Capitol attack, America's democracy was “unbowed and unbroken.” "The story of America is a story of progress and resilience," he said, highlighting record job creation during his tenure as the country has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden also pointed to areas of bipartisan progress in his first two years in office, including on states' vital infrastructure and high tech manufacturing. And he says, "There is no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress.” Fears grow for untold numbers buried by Turkey earthquake Rescuers raced against time early Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble before they succumbed to cold weather two days after [an earthquake tore through southern Turkey and war-ravaged northern Syria.]( The death toll climbed above 7,700 and was expected to rise further. The last two days have brought dramatic rescues, including small children emerging from mounds of debris more than 30 hours after Monday's pre-dawn quake. But there was also widespread despair and growing anger at the slow pace of rescue efforts in some areas. “It’s like we woke up to hell,” said Osman Can Taninmis, whose family members were still beneath the rubble in Hatay, Turkey's hardest-hit province. “We can’t respond to absolutely anything. Help isn’t coming, can’t come. We can’t reach anyone at all. Everywhere is destroyed.” In Syria, residents found a crying newborn still connected by the umbilical cord to her mother, who was dead. The baby was the only member of her family to survive a building collapse in the small town of Jinderis, relatives told The Associated Press. Search teams from nearly 30 countries and aid pledges poured in. But with the damage spread across several cities and towns — some isolated by Syria's ongoing conflict — voices crying for help from within mounds of rubble fell silent. Monday's magnitude 7.8 quake and powerful aftershocks cut a swath of destruction that stretched hundreds of kilometers (miles) across southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria. The shaking toppled thousands of buildings and heaped more misery on a region wracked by Syria’s 12-year civil war and refugee crisis. ICYMI: WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING WATCH: Man shot dead in front St Elizabeth school children identified Relatives have [identified the man who was shot and killed by a gunman while he was picking up his nephews and niece]( from school at Park near Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth on Tuesday. Major crimes down 31% - police The police are reporting a [31 per cent decline in all major crimes]( since the start of the year with murders down by 34 per cent over the corresponding period of 2022. 'This is not CSI!' Deputy police commissioner tells detractors Fitz Bailey, the deputy commissioner of police in charge of the crime portfolio, has defended the investigative strength of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in regards to firearms and narcotics, imploring Jamaicans [not to believe the process is as simple as it appears in the television drama/mystery series, Crime Scene Investigations (CSI)](. CLOVIS TOON TODAY IN HISTORY Mary Queen of Scots beheaded [On this day]( in 1587, Mary Queen of Scots is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after being accused of plotting the murder of her cousin, England's Queen Elizabeth I. 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](.