THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
FORMER JAMAICAN PRIME MINISTER HOSPITALIZED IN FLORIDA
Edward Seaga, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, has been hospitalized in Miami, Florida, after becoming ill. Seaga, 88, had been in the United States seeking medical attention for about two weeks in regard to two chronic illnesses and complications associated with these illnesses. Seaga served as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1989, the lingers term of any Jamaican government member in history. He is currently the Chancellor of the University of Technology Jamaica after being reappointed to a three-year term in November 2017.
MONTEGO BAY HOTEL REPURPOSES PLASTIC TRASH
An initiative headed by Haniff Richards, the environmental, health, and safety officer at Sandals Montego Bay, has hotel workers repurposing plastic bottles and beer cans, making garbage bins from the trash. Richards is also encouraging other firms in Jamaica to find innovative ways to manage waste and enhance recycling efforts among their workers. Plastic bottles and beer cans are collected daily at Sandals Montego Bay as part of the resort’s waste management program and are given to Jamaica Recycles, and from there, the trash is transformed into trash bins for the use of guests and team members on the hotel property.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
GRENADA TO BRING CULINARY TEAM TO TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN CONTEST
In its debut appearance at the Taste of the Caribbean Competition, Grenada plans to field a team of seven member who will bring the flavor of the “Spice of the Caribbean” to the annual contest. The competition is scheduled to take place in Miami, Florida, between June 21-25, 2019. The Grenada Hotel & Tourism Association (GHTA) team of culinary experts will represent the three-island nation of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The GHTA, Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) and other private sector entities are sponsoring the team, which is headed led by Chef Belinda Bishop. It will join 11 other Caribbean teams in various competitions.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
FIVE MEN DEPORTED FROM UK TO JAMAICA KILLED AFTER ARRIVAL
Since March of 2018, it has been reported that at least five men deported from the United Kingdom back to Jamaica under policies imposed by the UK Home Office have been killed. The men were killed after being sent back to the island, which has one of the highest murder rates, per capita, of anywhere in the world. They were deported in spite of rules that prohibit deportation to countries where an individual’s life may be endangered. As the government does not routinely monitor what happens after people have been deported, but The Guardian newspaper has verified the deaths of five men. The reporting has raised the pressure on the Home Office to justify the resumption of deportation charter flights to Jamaica in February 2019.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
JAMAICAN, CARIBBEAN CLASSROOMS BENEFIT FROM PUBLISHING PARTNERSHIP
Oxford University Press, which is a department of Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and BookFusion, a provider of an ebook platform, have partnered to provide quality digital educational resources to classrooms in the Caribbean. The collaboration of these entities will support schools, institutions and education ministries in the Caribbean region through digital resources that can be accessed on all devices anywhere at any time. By the end of 2019, it is expected the initiative will cover the entire region with new resources including new publishing like Investigating Science for Jamaica Second Edition, Principles of Accounts for CSEC® Second Edition, and Information Technology for CSEC® Third Edition.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
REGGAE LEGEND EXHIBITS “DUB IN PHYSICAL FORM” IN NEW YORK
Reggae legend and pioneer Lee “Scratch” Perry has created his first exhibit “Mirror Master Futures Yard,” which is on exhibit at the Swiss Institute in the East Village in New York City. The exhibit will run through June 2, 2019. Perry’s exhibit features rocks, leaves, drawings, print-outs, and paraphernalia scattered on the floor of a room as reggae music came from a speaker. According to Lorenzo Bernet, an independent curator based in Zurich who organized the exhibition together with the Swiss Institute, it was sometimes challenging working with Perry who once tried to throw a rock at him – as a blessing. Bernet said he loves Perry’s work and calls it “dub in physical form.”
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
STAR ATHLETES ANNOUNCED FOR 2019 RACERS GRAND PRIX
Jamaican Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will join 130 athletes from 15 countries to vie for supremacy in 19 events at the fourth staging of the Racers Adidas Grand Prix on Saturday, June 8, 2019, at National Stadium in Kingston. Commonwealth and Olympic champions will compete with other medalists in the women’s 100 and 400 meters, men’s 100, 200 and 400 meters, and other star-studded events. Also appearing is World Under-20 and CARIFTA champion Brianna Williams.
