It happened this week in 2006

Sunday, May 28

• Senator Colin Campbell was elected general secretary of the People's National Party (PNP). He said his main objective in his new post was to modernise the information technology and management systems of the party. Campbell was acclaimed the new general secretary of the PNP after being nominated and seconded by Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke and Education Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson, respectively.

• Fast bowler Jerome Taylor produced a telling three-wicket burst to spur West Indies to a fourth successive victory over India in the fifth and final Digicel one-day international at Queen's Park Oval. With India well on course at 170 for four in the 32nd over in chase of 256, Taylor came back for a second spell to claim three wickets for eight runs in four overs as the Indians were dismissed for 236 in 48 overs to give West Indies victory by 19 runs.

Monday, May 29

• Portia Simpson Miller received the nation's second highest honour - the Order of the Nation (ON) - at a brief ceremony at King's House, St Andrew, two months after being inaugurated as prime minister. With the conferral of the ON, Simpson Miller and her spouse, Errald, must now be officially addressed as 'The Most Honourable'. Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe placed the insignia of the Order of the Nation on Simpson Miller. In her remarks, Simpson Miller said she was privileged to have been given the opportunity to smash the glass ceiling, creating an opening for women in Jamaica to rise to any position in society.

• Ghana hammer the Reggae Boyz 4-1 in Leicester, England. Not even a spirited second half by Jamaica could undo the sins of a sloppy opening stanza and some unfortunate bounces of the ball which doomed the Reggae Boyz to a lopsided 4-1 defeat by World Cup-bound Ghana. Jamaica never fully recovered from a tardy arrival at Walkers Stadium, which embarrassingly forced the kick-off of the international football friendly to be delayed close to 30 minutes, and found themselves down by two goals at the half, courtesy of poor marking, inefficient use of the ball and limited tactical awareness, as the fit West Africans swarmed all over them with speed and skill.

Tuesday, May 30

• Matthews Lane strongman Donald 'Zekes' Phipps, who ruled sections of downtown Kingston with an iron fist for over a decade, will spend his next 30 years in prison. Justice Horace Marsh ordered that he should serve the full term before being eligible for parole, for a double murder in 2005. The life sentences were similar for each count and will run concurrently.

• The Government and trade unions signed an agreement that places a 20 per cent cap on the public-sector wage fund over the next two fiscal years, but allows state companies that can afford it to pay their workers more. While a broad cap is in place on the wage fund, officials suggested that actual increases would range between 13 to 27 per cent over the period, with junior, lower-paid public servants getting the bigger hikes.

• Former Jamaican prime minister, P.J. Patterson, received the Order of Excellence (OE), Guyana's highest national honour, for his role in the regional integration movement. "As the citation which accompanies the award recognises, his dedication and contribution to the cause of the Caribbean Community have been outstanding and exemplary. He is, therefore, most deserving of this distinction," President Bharrat Jagdeo said at the investiture ceremony held at State House in the capital Georgetown. Patterson said regionalism is "absolutely imperative to day", unlike the 1950s when it was premised on sentiments.

Wednesday, May 31

• The Government scored a major victory when the Court of Appeal threw out the constitutional challenge to the imposition of a toll on the Portmore leg of Highway 2000. Some Portmore residents, including four Jamaica Labour Party councillors, had appealed against a Constitutional Court ruling last year. The constitutional motion was the second challenge to the toll road.

• Jamaican international footballer Marlon King was booted from the Reggae Boyz training camp, just three days ahead of the historic clash against England, for breaking curfew. Wendell Downswell confirmed the report, but stated that there was to be another meeting to deal with appeals from Jason Euell and Jamal Campbell-Ryce, who had also been initially expelled for the same reason.

Friday, June 2

• Seamers Dwayne Bravo and Corey Collymore snared seven wickets between them to give the West Indies the upper hand against India on the first day of the first Digicel Test match at the Antigua Recreation Ground in Antigua. Bravo, who used the slower ball to good effect, grabbed four for 37. Collymore, who overcame an injury before the match, captured three for 37 as the Windies restricted the visitors to 235 for nine at the close. India, who won the toss and batted on a pitch with a fair bit of grass, never came to grips with the conditions.

• Jamaican sprint ace Asafa Powell logged a pair of sub-10 clockings as he sped to a predictable win among four Caribbean triumphs at the Golden League Bislett Games. Powell won his heat easily and captured the final in 9.98 seconds on an evening of high-quality track and field, featuring world-leading performances. Also winning were Brigitte Foster-Hylton, 100-metre hurdles, and a 400-metre B-Race triumph for Kalise Spencer.