Victoria Jubilee Hospital awards banquet

Friends of the Victoria Jubilee Hospital and the Kingston Public Hospital hosted the former's awards banquet at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Saturday.

From left: Chanique Cousins, Mr Goddy-Goddy, Courtney Foster and Deacon Glen Sinclair pose for the camera at the recent Kids for Charity gospel concert held at at the Altamont Court Hotel in New Kingston. - Contributed

Entertainer Cleve 'Lieutenant Stitchie' Laing presents a copy of an upcoming CD to former world record holder, Asafa Powell, during a homecoming celebration held in Powell's honour at Angels, St Catherine, on Sunday. - photo by Rasbert Turner

President of the Jamaica-China Friendship Association, Fay Pickersgill (right), escorts Governor General Sir Patrick and Lady Allen to the banquet to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of The People's Republic of China at Jade Garden Restaurant, Sovereign Centre, on Sunday. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

From left: A somewhat emotional Candice Hart, an excited Jacqueline Hall-Hamilton and Kathryn May savour success in Ironshore, Montego Bay, last Saturday during a reception for the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill's fund-raising committee. - Photo by Janet Silvera

Dr Carolyn Cooper greets Victoria Jubilee Hospital head, Dr Rudolph Stevens, at the hospital's awards banquet on Saturday night. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Sarah Obama, step-grandmother of United States President Barack Obama, reads Saturday's newspaper at her home in Kogelo, Kisumu, Kenya. The Norwegian Nobel Committee stunned many with its decision last Friday to award President Obama the peace prize for his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms and defuse tensions through diplomacy. But few in Kenya were critical because of their special regard for Obama, son of a Kenyan economist and an American anthropologist.

TUESDAYTALK

HOT TOPICS ON THE COCKTAIL CIRCUIT AND MORE ...

Action in Ghana

1. Two Ghanaian ministers who lapped up the Mabey & Johnson largesse have lost their jobs and other public officials in that country are expected to get the axe soon. The Ghanaian government dispatched its attorney general to the UK and she recently returned home with witness statements, transcripts and other pertinent documents as they seek to get to the root of the bribery scandal involving the English bridge-building firm. Criminal proceedings are expected in Ghana where the matter is being taken very seriously.

What's up?

2. As talk of the political axe grows louder, one high-profile politician who fears a wipe-out has been having talks with friends on the other side. Perhaps a defection is in the works.

Down splitsville

3. Friends were in shock when they heard that the 'forever' couple appear to be heading down splitsville. The thing is the husband has not had a real job for years. The wife has been toiling in faraway trenches and she has decided that the time has come for her to take it easy - but there is the mortgage, the loans, the car upkeep, etc., and now she has reached the tipping point.

Hush-hush

4. Yet another case of fraud at a financial institution has been allowed to blow quietly away. Too many employees of these institutions are pardoned and let go after they have committed a wrong. Seems the institutions prefer to hush things up as they feel publicity of this nature is bad for business. The sad thing is that these wrongdoers are never punished and survive to steal again.