THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
ACCUSED PATHWAYS PASTOR KILLED IN POLICE CAR ACCIDENT ON WAY TO FORMAL CHARGING
Kevin O. Smith, the pastor of the Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries accused of alleged ritual killings of parishioners, was himself killed while being transported in a police car to the station to face formal criminal charges in connection with the suspected ritual murders. According to Stephanie Lindway, Senior Superintendent of Police, two suspects in the double murder investigation were on their way to Kingston in two cars with police officers as escorts. One of the cars overturned, but no one is sure how the accident happened. Four people in the car were seriously injured, and two died. Smith was one of them. Smith and 41 members of his church in St. James were recently arrested following the deaths of two people in what the pastor called “a Roman Catholic sacrifice.” Smith has been charged posthumously with murder.
JAMAICA’S SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE ON INJUNCTIONS SOUGHT BY WORKERS AGAINST COVID-19 VACCINATION MANDATES
The Supreme Court of Jamaica is considering whether or grant injunctions requested by the workers at pharmaceutical firm Cari-Med Group and investment company AIC Jamaica, which object to the imposition of COVID-19 vaccination mandates. The Cari-Med suit will be heard by the Court on November 12, 2021, and the AIC Jamaica case will be addressed on November 19, 2021. In both cases, parties were ordered by the judge to file detailed submissions on the issues they will argue in November. The Court moved especially quickly on the matter in recognition of the significance of the cases and their implications for Jamaica’s industrial environment. The current target established by Jamaica to fully vaccinate two-thirds of the population by March 2022 is unlikely to be met. The Cari-Med workers are claiming the mandates breach their constitutional right to life, while the workers at AIC Jamaica allege contract violations.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
HAITIANS DEMAND NATION’S PRIME MINISTER RESIGN
Gangs in Haiti have blocked the entrance to ports storing fuel in protest against the nation’s current Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The chief gang leader has demanded that Henry resign from his post. Meanwhile, fuel shortages have made it very difficult for Haitians to obtain transportation, forced businesses to close, and may require hospitals that rely on generators because of constant black-outs may have to cease their services. The fuel shortages are pressuring the population, which is already suffering against a weakened economy and multiple gang kidnappings, including that of a group of Canadian and American missionaries. Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, the leader of the “G9” gang coalition in Port-au-Prince, he will ensure the safe passage of fuel trucks if Henry leaves office.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
MARCUS GARVEY’S SON CONTINUES TO FIGHT FOR POSTHUMOUS PARDON FOR FATHER
Dr. Julius Garvey, the youngest son of Jamaica’s first National Hero Marcus Garvey believes that with a Democratic president in office in the United States and a vice-president of Caribbean/Indian heritage, he and his supporters will have a better chance of success in their efforts to have his father pardoned and fully exonerated on charges of mail fraud in 1923. US President Calvin Coolidge commuted his five-year sentence as early as he could, but Garvey has never received a pardon. The effort to obtain a pardon was supported by New York’s Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke while Barack Obama was President, but he did not issue the pardon to the disappointment of Garvey’s supporters. Marcus Garvey has been cited as an inspiration for generations of leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, for his work in organizing the African Diaspora across nations to support civil rights around the world.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS
PRIVATE EQUITY FUND INVESTS US$15 MILLION IN HENRY LOWE GANJA COMPANY
Noble Capital, a private equity investment firm that considers environment, social, and governance matters when making funding decisions, has made an investment of US$15 million in the cannabis research and production organization Medicanja. Dr. Henry Lowe believes that the funding from Noble Capital will facilitate his organization’s efforts to grow. According to Sylvester Gbewonyo, director of Noble Capital Fund, the deal with Medicanja Limited came after two years of negations and will result in the cannabis company having a new eight-member board chaired by Lowe, who will retain 35 percent of the firm. Noble declined to state how much of the remaining 65 percent of the firm will be under its control.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
FESTIVAL SONG ALBUM ON LONG-LIST FOR REGGAE GRAMMY AWARD
The album titled “Various Artistes,” which features the 12 finalists of the 2021 Jamaica Festival Song Competition, has been included on the long-list of potential Grammy awardees. The album is under consideration in the Reggae category, and the long-list is currently under review by the eligible voting members of the Recording Academy. According to Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minster of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, this is “great news” for Jamaica. She is optimistic about the album’s chances, saying that it is a “great album” featuring “great Jamaican music.” Grange added that the news was especially good for upcoming artists, as well as for the established artists on the album and the Festival movement in general. The album features songs by Stacious, DB, Tamo J, Kimiela ‘Candy’ Isaacs, Peso, Althea Hewitt, Father Reece, Lutan Fyah, I-Octane, Dez-I Boyd, Reggae Maxx and Fab 5.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
JAMAICAN SPRINT CHAMPION SHELLY-ANN FRASER-PRYCE CONSIDERS PARTICIPATING IN 2024 PARIS GAMES
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 34, believes she is still at the “top of the game” and following her making the third-fastest 100-meter run in history, she is seriously considering making an appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Fraser-Pryce was the 100-meter champion at the Olympics in Beijing and in London and won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay and a silver medal in the 100-meter race at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In total, she holds eight Olympic medals. Her personal best of 10.60 seconds in 100-meters at a Diamond League meet in Lausanne has encouraged her to consider participation in Paris in 2024. She told Sky Sports that before her most recent season, she had thought Paris 2024 was out of reach for her, but her form in 2021 indicated she has more to accomplish on the track.
