THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
RASTAFARIANS CELEBRATE EMANCIPATION DAY, CALL FOR REMOVAL OF BRITISH QUEEN AS HEAD OF STATE
A group of Rastafarians that included Ras Iyah V celebrated Emancipation Day on August 1, 2022, at the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) in Montego Bay. Ras Iyah V believes that the Rastafarian community was integral in successfully lobbying the Jamaican government in the 1990s to reinstate the celebration of Emancipation Day, stated that marking August 1, 1838, when slavery was abolished is meaningful to the community. He said that reparations from the British Government to “owners” of enslaved people for their “loss of property” does not compensate the former slaves who were freed and that Jamaica cannot be fully emancipated from slavery if the British Queen remains as its head of state.
NEW PHASE BEGINS IN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAMAICA AND NAMIBIA
Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, announced that Namibia and Jamaica have begun a new chapter in their bilateral relationship. She said that the two nations made considerable progress on all of their agenda items during the inaugural meeting of the Jamaica/Namibia Joint Committee at the Ministry in Kingston on August 3, 2022. The nations also defined the next steps to address the issues and arrangement of follow-up meetings. The issues under consideration include MOUs on children and youth, sports, culture, entertainment, agriculture, mining, energy, tourism, health, diaspora cooperation and urban development, among others. The Minister in the Presidency of the Republic of Namibia, Christine Hoebes, said the meeting offered meaningful insight into the development challenges facing both nations, which are promoting economic emancipation now they have achieved political emancipation.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
CARIBBEAN COASTLINES SMOTHERING IN SARGASSUM SEAWEED
Coasts of countries in the Caribbean are experiencing a huge influx of seaweed that is choking out wildlife, harming the tourism industry, and releasing harmful and toxic gases into the air. Over 24 million tons of sargassum seaweed covered the Atlantic Ocean in June 2022, an increase from 18.8 million tones in May, according to a report from the Optical Oceanography Lab at the University of South Florida. This was a historic new record, the lab reported. Researchers stated that more research is needed to discover why the sargassum levels in the area are attaining new highs, but the possible factors include higher water temperatures due to climate change, nitrogen-rich fertilizers, and sewage waste that fuels the blooms of algae. There is so much algae in some areas that Guadeloupe issued a health alert in July 2022 as high levels of hydrogen sulphide arising from rotting clumps of seaweed can affect people with respiratory conditions. Experts first noticed the rising levels of sargassum in the Caribbean in 2011.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
JAMAICAN DOCTOR NAMED PRESIDENT OF U.S. NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Dr. Garfield. A.D. Clunie, an expert in women’s health and health equity, has been named the president of the largest and oldest organization of African-American physicians in the United States, the National Medical Association. He has over 15 years of experience with the organization and has served on its Board in several roles over than time. Dr. Clunie is double-board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MEM). He is an assistant professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. A native of St. Ann, Jamaica, Dr. Clunie earned as BS degree in biochemistry at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and completed a post-baccalaureate program at Wake Forest University, also receiving his medical degree there. While training in maternal-fetal medicine at Tufts University, he received the Tufts School of Medicine Excellence in Teaching Award in 2002 and 2003. Dr. Clunie said he was honored to serve in a role that will help shape the policies that will work to eliminate disparities in the diseases that affect minority community.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS
JAMAICAN PRIME MINISTER LAUDS KINGSTON LOGISTICS PARK
Calling it a “big deal,” Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness hailed the opening of the Kingston Logistics Park, a US$17 million project designed to enhance the economic growth of the country as it positions itself as an international destination in the cargo trans-shipment and logistics services sector. The opening of the facility on August 3, 2022, is part of the broader Logistics Hub Initiative, and Holness predicted that it will bring more foreign exchange earnings and high-quality jobs to the country. Holness called the facility a big step in the direction of creating a distinct logistics industry and bringing in a new stream of foreign exchange revenues.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
SINGER MILEY CYRUS SUED FOR COPYING HER HIT “WE CAN’T STOP” FROM JAMAICAN SONGWRITER
In a lawsuit filed on August 2, 2022, the American recording star Miley Cyrus was sued by Michael May, also known by his professional name of Flourgon, who is claiming that her 2013 hit song, “We Can’t Stop,” was stolen. May’s lawsuit claims that he wrote the song, “We Run Things,” in the 1980s and that the song was a top hit in Jamaica. It was also well-received in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the US. He claims that the Cyrus song, which uses the phrase, “We run things. Things no run we” as the chorus of her 2013 tune, is a rip-off of his 1980s hit. Cyrus’ label, RCA, is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. May is seeking a court’s judgment that his copyright has been infringed, along with unspecified damages.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
JAMAICA’S SUNSHINE GIRLS STUN AUSTRALIA WITH HISTORIC WIN AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Australia’s Diamonds were expected to have an easy time in their Pool A matches at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and meet the second-ranked Pool B team in the semi-finals. However, the Australians experienced their first loss in history to Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls, who soundly defeated the Diamonds thanks to 47 goals from the global superstar Jhaniele Fowler and great defensive effort from Shamera Sterling. The Jamaicans won the match 57 to 55 to win the gold. Australia scored only three goals in the first seven minutes, and the Sunshine Girls maintained during the final seconds of the match as Shanice Beckford landed the final goal.
