THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
FOLLOWING REID RESIGNATION, SAMUDA ASSIGNED TO MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness assigned Karl Samuda, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, to replace Ruel Reid as head of the Minister of Education. In addition to resigning from the Education Ministry, Reid left his post in the Jamaican Senate. Reid resigned due to current investigations concerning allegations of corruption.
JAMAICA’S EMBASSY IN VENEZUELA TEMPORARILY CLOSED
According to Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, the Jamaican embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, will close temporarily on April 1, 2019. The decision to close the embassy was made in response to the “significant challenges” experienced by the embassy and Ministry in operating the agency during the past five years. During the closure, Jamaica’s relations with Venezuela will be directed from the Kingston office of the Ministry.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
INTERIM PRIME MINISTER NAMED IN HAITI
Haiti’s governor announced on March 21, 2019, that it appointed an interim prime minister. According to the country’s Ministry of Communications, Michel Lapin was named to form a new government, although no date was set for the date on which Lapin will actually take the role. On March 18, 2019, 93 of the nation’s 103 deputies voted to remove former Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant. Haiti has experienced significant political and social stress since February 2019 when protests against the failure of the former president to improve basic living conditions in the country.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
BUJU BANTON CLAIMS ROLE AS GLOBAL REGGAE AMBASSADOR
The historic “Long Walk to Freedom” concert on March 16, 2019, in Kingston, Jamaica, saw legendary reggae musician Buju Banton reclaim his destiny as the eminent ambassador to the reggae diaspora. Following his release from prison after serving a ten-year sentence, Banton’s historic concert was a resounding success and drew Jamaicans from around the world to be a part of his return to his rightful place as a talented embodiment of Jamaican pride.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
LEGAL ACTION CONSIDERED BY BUSINESS OPERATORS IN CORPORATE AREA
Operators of businesses in the corporate area are experiencing significant financial losses as a result of disruption caused by road projects. They are now considering legal action in an intensified effort to demand compensation from the government. According to a pool conducted by the Gleaner newspaper, a large majority believe that businesses incurring losses due to the road work should receive compensation. Hugh Johnson, president of the Small Business Association of Jamaica, had previously said that legal action would be a “last resort” for the business operators located between Constant Spring and Hagley Park Roads, but these operators now have a different view of the issue as they cannot see customers because these customers are unable to reach them. They now believe they should be compensated for the loss of business revenues..
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
18TH-CENTURY MAROON BATTLE FOR FREEDOM COMMEMORATRED IN MUSIC
Dr. Andrew Marshall was asked to compose a symphony honoring the battle of the Jamaican Maroons against the British in the 18th century by Steven Woodham the conductor of the Immaculate Conception High School Symphony Orchestra. On the orchestra’s 25th anniversary celebration on March 17, 2019, the symphony – the Kongkongkraba (Abeng) Symphony – was played. The performance marked an historic moment of pride for the participants, Woodson said, as the abeng is an instrument that has a history thousands of years old and is represented in every culture. ‘It unites us as a people to the rest of the world,” he said. Woodson added that he views the Symphony as “an artistic endeavor that expresses the layered culture that we have, and the history that a lot of us have read about, but emotionally have not yet connected with.” The symphony included two abengs, one played by orchestra member Natanya Higgins and the other by Omar Taylor of the Jamaica Military Band.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
JAMAICAN ATHLETE SHINES AT INDOOR NCAA COMPETITION
Jamaican Jordan Scott, former Camption College student athlete led the Jamaican triple-jump sector with a win at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Track and Field Championships. How at the University of Virginia, Scott was within a centimeter of his personal-best jump to win the title. Scott achieve 16.90 meters in February to become the third-best Jamaican triple jumper indoors. That jump was nearly duplicated at the NCAA when he jumps a distance of 16.89 meters. Other Jamaicans to attain their respective finals included Clayton Brown in the triple jump, Karayme Bartley in the 200 meters, Sharrika Barnett in the 400 meters, and Jazmine Fray in the 800 meters.
