Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Tuesday; Tabling of Budget; Parliament Opening; Clovis Toon; Breaking News and more

Morning Bites: 5 things to know for Tuesday, February 14, 2023 Clarke to table 2023/24 Budget Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Nigel Clarke will this afternoon [table the Estimates of Expenditure]( for the 2023/2024 fiscal year when the House of Representatives convenes at 2:00pm. The tabling of the estimates will follow the Ceremonial Opening of the Parliament and the delivery of the Throne Speech by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen. Following its tabling, the Budget, which is expected to top $1 trillion, will then go to the Auditor General’s Department where it will be reviewed for two weeks. It will then go before the Standing Finance Committee of the Parliament which is made up of all 63 Members of Parliament where it will be examined over two days from March 1-2. Clarke will then [open the 2023/24 Budget Debate]( on Tuesday, March 7 where he will tell the nation how the Budget will be financed. The National Budget for fiscal year 2022/23 which ends on March 31, [now stands at $998.2 billion]( after it was increased by $25.4 billion following the tabling of the Third Supplementary Estimates in the House of Representatives on January 31. Governor-General to deliver Throne Speech Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen will today deliver the Throne Speech as the 2023/2024 parliamentary year gets underway with the traditional [Ceremonial Opening of Parliament at Gordon House](. Sir Patrick will use the Throne Speech to outline the Government’s legislative agenda for the upcoming parliamentary year. Unlike the [openings in 2021 and 2022]( which were curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s opening will see a return to the full slate of invitees. In addition to parliamentarians and their guests, state officials, custodes, mayors and representatives of the diplomatic corps have been invited. This year’s ceremony will also see the so-called ‘march to Gordon House’ led by the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition being done in the traditional manner. In commenting on the ceremony, Leader of the House, Edmund Bartlett, said: “This year is significant, as we seek to recapture the grandeur of the ceremony prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jamaicans are resilient and we believe in properly celebrating the significant milestones in the life of our nation. With our jubilee celebration still fresh in our minds, we should mark this Ceremonial Opening with the same gusto and pride we demonstrated when we celebrated our first Ceremonial Opening in April 1963, mere months after becoming an independent nation.” Up in arms! DPP to appeal lenient 4-year sentence for gun crime The Director of Public Prosecutions, Paula Llewelyn, has stated that her office will be [appealing a four-year and six month sentence handed down to a man who pleaded guilty to illegal possession of firearm](. Dennis Mundell, the first person charged under the new Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, received the sentence for unauthorised possession of firearm and unauthorised possession of ammunition. Mundell, 28, also called ‘Gin Sing’ of Spanish Town Road, Kingston 13, who was arrested on suspicion of murder, was sentenced by Justice Calys Wiltshire. He had pleaded guilty on December 16 last year to illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was sentenced to four years and six months on each charge but three months were deducted for time already spent behind bars. Mundell had been on the run nearly two years for an alleged murder, when he was held during a police operation at a premises in St Catherine on December 2. An illegal firearm and ammunition were seized during the operation. Jamaicans have been constantly warned that breaches of the new Firearms Act [carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years]( in prison. However, in the case of Mundell, the judge took several factors into consideration, including that he had no previous conviction, had pleaded guilty at the first reasonable occasion and did not waste the court’s time. He also benefitted from a 50 per cent reduction in his sentence. “Upon further consultation and review of the FPRRA and the specific facts of this case (Rex v Dennis Mundell), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has formed the considered view that the interest of justice may be best served if a review and appeal of the sentence of four years and three months imprisonment is pursued in the Court of Appeal,” the ODPP's statement said. Section 5 of the newly-implemented act outlines that no one should be in possession of a prohibited weapon and that anyone who contravenes that order commits a felony and should be sentenced to life imprisonment or not less than 15 years. The ODPP has vowed to “take the appropriate administrative steps” to file the relevant appeal in order for the Court of Appeal to pronounce a more appropriate sentence, after scrutinising the provisions of the FPRRA. Advertisement Hug cows on Valentine’s Day - India India’s government-run animal welfare department has appealed to citizens to mark [Valentine’s Day]( this year not as a celebration of romance but as “Cow Hug Day” to better promote Hindu values. The Animal Welfare Board of India said “hugging cows will bring emotional richness and increase individual and collective happiness.” Devout Hindus, who worship cows as holy, say the Western holiday goes against traditional Indian values. In recent years, Hindu hardliners have raided shops in Indian cities, burned cards and gifts, and chased hand-holding couples out of restaurants and parks, saying that Valentine’s Day promotes promiscuity. Hardline political groups like Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal say such actions pave the way to reassert Hindu identity. Young educated Indians irrespective of their religion typically spend the holiday crowding parks and restaurants, exchanging gifts and holding parties to celebrate like any other Indian festival, especially since India began the process of economic liberalisation in the early 1990s. The Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing a Hindu agenda, seeking supremacy of the religion at the expense of a secular nation known for its diversity. Hindus comprise nearly 80 per cent of its nearly 1.4 billion people. Muslims account for 14 per cent, while Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains account for most of the remaining six per cent. The cow has long been embedded in the Hindu psyche and is deeply respected by many similar to one’s mother. Most states in India have banned cow slaughter. The animal welfare board’s appeal asks people to go out and physically hug cows on February 14. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst, said the message is “absolutely crazy. It defies logic.” “The unfortunate part is this now has official sanction,” he added. “This shows an eraser of one more line between the state and religion, which is very depressing. Now the state is doing what political and religious groups have been campaigning to do.” Two West Indians sold at inaugural WPL auction West Indies captain [Hayley Matthews]( was among the only two Windies players sold at the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) player auction at the JIO Convention Centre in Mumbai on Monday. The other is all-rounder Deandra Dottin who retired from international cricket in 2022. The WPL is the women’s version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and provides a big opportunity for the women to significantly boost their earnings. The tournament will run from March 4 and March 26. Matthews, who is currently [leading the West Indies at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup]( in South Africa, was sold to the Mumbai Indians for US$49,000. Dottin, an explosive top order batsman and right arm pacer, who has played at the highest level for the past 15 years, went to the Gujarat Giants for US$73,000. The WPL will feature five teams: Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz. Indian opener, Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive player sold. She was snapped up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for US$415,000. England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt and Australia’s Ash Gardner both went for US$390,000 to the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants, respectively. They were the most expensive overseas players in the auction. ICYMI: WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING WATCH: RGD customers pepper-sprayed by police A policeman [pepper-sprayed a number of customers]( at the gates of the Registrar General's Department (RGD) offices in Twickenham Park, St Catherine on Monday. WATCH: Man shot dead in Half-Way Tree A man was [shot and killed in Half-Way Tree]( St Andrew on Monday night. Grenada to deport 15 Haitians The Government of Grenada announced Monday that it would [deport 15 Haitian nationals]( who entered the island on Sunday. CLOVIS TOON TODAY IN HISTORY GraceKennedy launched [On this day]( in 1922, GraceKennedy and Company Limited — one of the Caribbean's largest conglomerates — is launched in Jamaica. 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? 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