THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
JAMAICA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS RECEIVES FUNDS FROM UNICEF
The Department of Correctional Services in Jamaica has received $1 million from UNICEF Jamaica to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization United Nations Children’s Fund Jamaica provided the money for preparations in juvenile institutions. The Department says the funds will be used to obtain personal protective equipment for correctional officers, as well as other medical supplies and equipment required to address the needs of medical and other corrections personnel during the pandemic.
ENTERTAINMENT GROUPS CANNOT HELP WITH ARTISTS” VISA PROBLEMS
Entertainment groups like the Jamaica Federation of Musicians and Affiliated Unions (JFMAU) and the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association report that they have no power to help reggae and other artists to regain visas or work permits that have been revoked. Some artists, including Bounty Killer, have been without a United States visa for some time. According to Rory Frankson, chair of the COVID-19 Response at JFMAU, there is nothing the organizations can do about visas or work permits as these consular services are controlled by the foreign secretary’s rules and procedures.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
SPIRIT AIRLINES TAKES ACTION TO REPATRIATE CITIZENS OF U.S. FROM HAITI
Economy airline Spirit Airways is working with officials tor authorization to provide a flight from Port-au-Prince in Haiti to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on June 2, 1010. The flight is designed to return American citizens who want to go back to the US. According to the US Embassy, it is unaware of any flights from Haiti to the US after the June 2 date or of any future flights on that route being authorized. Those US citizens who do not want to on the currently available flights may be forced to stay outside of the US for an extended period of time.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
JUDGE BORN IN JAMAICA APPOINTED TO SUPREME COURT IN FLORIDA
Jamaican-born judge Renatha Francis has been named to served on the Florida Supreme Court, the first Jamaica to be appointed to that position. Judge Francis, who is originally from St. Catherine, currently serves as a circuit judge in Palm County, Florida. Judge Francis spent her formative years in Portmore and was a student at St. Hugo’s High School. She graduated from the University of the West Indies in 2001, then went on to study at the Florida Coastal School of Law. She will move into her new role later in 2020.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS
OIL FIRM SEEKS NEW PARTNER TO CONTINUE PROJECT IN JAMAICA
The United Oil and Gas Limited firm, the minority partner in the search for commercial quantities of oil off the shores of Jamaica, wants to keep looking for a partner in the face of the departure of Tullow Oil, which had been the major partner in the deal. United told Jamaica’s authorities that it would like to explore its options for continuing what it believes to be a “transformative license.”
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
NATIONAL GALLERY TO PRESENT VIRTUAL “LAST SUNDAYS” PROGRAM
The National Gallery of Jamaica will present its “Last Sundays” program virtually, on YouTUbe and Instagram for the first time on the weekend of May 29, 2020. The virtual presentation will feature Tribe Sankof and the ongoing exhibition Jamaica Jamaica! The program, which began to mark Reggae Month in February, closes on June 28, and originally launched at the Philharmonie de Paris in 2017, It follows the development of Jamaican music and its various genres.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
RUMORS SPARKED BY FRASER-PRYCE TRAINING SEPARATELY FROM MVP MATES
Since Jamaican Olympic champion “Pocket Rocket” Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was seen training separately from her MVP clubmates, rumors have arisen questioning whether the athlete has switched coaches and camps for what is expected to be her final Olympic appearance, which is scheduled for the Tokyo 2020 Games. She is reportedly training with Reynaldo Walcott at Jamaica’s National Stadium while other MVP athletes train at the Stadium East facility. Management representatives for Fraser-Pryce have not provided answers to questions about this situation to date.
