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St Vincent PM wins defamation case against radio station

A pro-opposition radio station in St Vincent and the Grenadines has begun efforts to raise an estimated EC$225,000 it owes Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves after he successfully sued for defamation.

Gonsalves had filed the defamation suit after comments were made by talk show host, Matthew Thomas, on the programme “Stay Awake”, broadcast on NICE Radio in January 2007.

This is the second lawsuit that the station has lost to Gonsalves and management has started the radiothon to prevent the station from being liquidated in order to meet the judgement.

In the February 10, 2012, judgement, the High Court ordered Thomas and BDS Ltd., owners of NICE Radio, to pay Gonsalves EC$155,000 in aggravated damages, EC$11,625 cost, and interest of five per cent until the monies were paid.

According to the ruling, Thomas, on January 29, 2007, had made certain statements about Gonsalves having untoward intentions toward a former radio host. Thomas had also accused Gonsalves of using the Office of the Prime Minister to facilitate illegal activities.

The Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the lower court and the parties are due back in court on June 26, 2017.

Attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, who represented the respondents during the appeal, said she has revived a committee formed some years ago to raise a similar amount to save NICE Radio after the first defamation judgment in favour of Gonsalves.

She told radio listeners during the radiothon on NICE Radio Monday night that the respondents do not have to raise all the monies by then, but it would be good if that is the case.

Cuisine: Green fig and saltfish

The National Dish of St Lucia is green fig and saltfish (codfish).

Ingredients you will need

  • 225 g salt cod
  • coconut oil, or olive oil for frying
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp mild chillies, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • 2-3 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
  • 2-3 drops hot pepper sauce, or to taste
  • 2 green bananas, boiled until tender and skins have split, peeled and diced
  • 1½ tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 handfuls herbs, coriander, parsley or Caribbean celery leaf.

Directions

For the green fig and saltfish

  1. Prepare the salted cod by rinsing off the excess salt. Put into a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then drain; repeat 2-3 times until the water is no longer salty. Remove the skin and bones and flake the flesh.
  2. Heat a little oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion, seasoning peppers and garlic until softened. Add the spring onions and stir well.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the prepared saltfish. Add the tomatoes and hot pepper sauce. Finally stir in the bananas and mayonnaise to bind. The dish shouldn’t need any more seasoning because of the saltfish. Serve sprinkled with fresh herbs.

 

Caribbean players earn significantly less in MLS

Caribbean football players in Major League Soccer (MLS) are paid significantly less than their counterparts from other regions, despite the fact that many have been integral to their teams’ success. This, according to a report Wednesday in the Trinidad Guardian that said that no Caribbean player will be among the best paid in the league this season.

In what has been an ongoing issue for some time, the Guardian reported, MLS clubs often point to the relative lack of experience among their Caribbean players, who are also believed to be hindered by the belief that they have no reputation of excelling outside the MLS.

“I think when it comes to the Caribbean player it is all about market value perception,” said Damani Ralph, a Jamaican-born agent and former MLS player. “People will only offer you what you will accept. We have a right to say no to an offer, but if we say no, where else do we go? That is the problem for the Caribbean player.”

According to the Guardian report, England-born Jamaica international Simon Dawkins, a designated player with San Jose Earthquakes, is the highest paid Caribbean national in MLS. His guaranteed compensation for 2017 is $800,000. Dawkins is followed by Orlando City SC’s Giles Barnes, another England-born member of the Reggae Boyz, who is assured $781,250 this season.

Kaka...the highest paid player in the MLS
Kaka…the highest paid player in the MLS

Trinidad and Tobago’s Kenwyne Jones, who plays for Atlanta United FC, is guaranteed $413,333.33, while his compatriot Kevin Molino of Minnesota United FC is due $402,504. Rounding out the Caribbean’s top five is Jamaica’s Darren Mattocks of Portland Timbers. He will earn at least $316,666.67 this season.

“Look in every one of the MLS teams where there is, and I’m being specific, a Jamaican player, three quarters of us that’s in a MLS team are starting in our team, and, you know, that alone says a lot about it,” said Jamaica international Kemar Lawrence of the New York Red Bulls.

“So they respect us, but I don’t think the respect is where it needs to be same way. It has to do with salary. Because look at the way they pay any European player that is coming in.”

The numbers support Lawrence’s claim. Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco of Italy is guaranteed US $7,115,555.67 this season and the highest paid MLS player is Brazilian Kaka of Orlando City, who is guaranteed $7,167,500 this season.

Ralph believes the environment has to change before Caribbean players can begin to benefit.

“Once we can find a market to give the players an opportunity (things will improve),” he said.

Meantime, the players will have to continue to endure until those opportunities become reality but it doesn’t make it easier for them to deal with.

“It is what it is,” said Lawrence. “If it continues to change then maybe over time we can continue to be that big input that sparks the big changes. The league overall can do a lot better in the way, financially, they pay the players coming from the Caribbean. Because I think like if we compare what we get to some players that not even getting on the field sometimes, it’s a big joke.”

Unattached Jamaican youth get HOPE

Approximately fifteen hundred young persons on Wednesday attended the orientation and registration for the first phase of the HOPE program in Jamaica.

The HOPE programme is the Government’s flagship training and apprenticeship programme, which targets unattached youth, aged 18 -24, who are not in school or currently employed.

HOPE means Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment.

The orientation was held at the Jamaica College auditorium in Kingston.

National Coordinator of HOPE, Lieutenant Colonel Martin Rickman, says he is encouraged by the overwhelming response.

“We plan to continue this process of registering young persons so this is only the first step. We put out the advertisement aiming to get the first five hundred because we have spaces for five hundred to be placed,” explained Lieutenant Rickman.

He added that the programme provide opportunities for persons to be placed in positions where they can become good, responsible and productive members of society.

“The aim is for between 10,000 to 15,000 young persons for this financial year, to get involved and prepared through this programme for the workforce,” he added.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness introduced the programme during his contribution to the Budget Debate on March 21.

“Dispel misconceptions about marijuana” – says Jamaica’s Health Minister

Jamaica's Health Minister, Dr Chris Tufton

Jamaica’s Minister of Health Dr. Christopher Tufton says misconceptions about marijuana (ganja) must be dispelled to stem misuse of the drug, especially by children.

“Dispelling those perceptions means all hands on deck. It means public education, it means (those) in the court system or are providing counselling, being aware. You have to give that lecture almost every time you have to deal with that problem, until it seeps through, until it gets into the minds and the mind set and the psyche of the society,” said Tufton, who attended a Children’s Drug Treatment seminar in Kingston on the weekend.

However, he stated that given cultural practices and other factors, that it will be difficult to change persons’ views about the substance.

“In Jamaica, we have culturally accepted as a norm, the consumption of certain types of substances, marijuana of course, being almost a part of us in terms of general acceptance, availability and so on.”

Tufton said the government is concerned about the health of the public who use such substances which has the capacity to create negative side effects on the person and the society in general.

He noted that by “relaxing” the regulations under the Dangerous Drugs Act, which allowed for the decriminalization of ganja for medicinal, religious, scientific and therapeutic purposes, persons interpreted that as a “free for all” where it is now acceptable to have it in their possession, as well as smoke it freely.

Under the Act, the use of ganja is not legal. It is now a non-arrestable but ticketable offence to possess small quantities of ganja, amounting to two ounces or less. This attracts a fine payable outside of the court, but will not result in the person having a criminal record.

12-year-old boy shot in West Palm Beach

trend murders

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting involving a 12-year-old boy.

The police report that around 2:15 AM Wednesday, they received several calls of multiple shots being fired at 5089 Breckenridge Place.

The report states that four apartments had been fired into. A 12-year-old boy was in one of those apartments and hit by a bullet. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

No clashes at Sumfest

Having assumed control of Reggae Sumfest in 2016, just two months before show time, Josef Bogdanovich pulled out all the stops to make the annual event a success.

This time around, the jocular American anticipates a much better planned festival which runs from July 16-21 in Montego Bay. Most of the dates are parties leading up to the dancehall-dominated July 20-21.

“For the little time we had last year we did pretty well. This year, we’ve started since January which means we’re well ahead of the game,” Bogdanovich told CNW.

Sumfest launch parties have taken place in Kingston  and Montego Bay. The six-day festival takes place in the latter where it has been held since its inception in 1993.

A Beach Party, cruise (Sumfest at Sunset), All White Party, Retro Block Party and Heavyweight Sound Clash will be held throughout the tourist city before the main events, the perennially popular Dancehall Night(s) at Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex.

Bogdanovich promises no clashes at Sumfest this year, even though several artists at odds with each other, will be on the bill.

“It will be a real peace and love, joyous vibe. That’s something fundamental to reggae,” he said.

Dancehall Night One will have Alkaline, Mavado, Aidonia, Dexta Daps, Ding Dong and Bounty Killer, among others. The following night, Sizzla, Sean Paul, Kabaka Pyramid, Beenie Man and Richie Stephens and The All Star Ska Band, are among the headliners.

The California-born Bogdanovich started Downsound Records in the 1990s. That label made a name with acts like Nanco, Fantan Mojah, DYCR and Harry Toddler.

Until last year, Reggae Sumfest was promoted by Summerfest Productions, a group of Montego Bay businessmen.

 

Richards-Ross launches books in Kingston

Richards-Ross reveals that she had abortion before Beijing Olympics

Sanya Richards-Ross, the Jamaica-born athlete who represented the United States at two Olympic Games, launched two books on June 17 in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital.

Held at the Spanish Court Hotel, the event attracted over 100 persons including sports minister Olivia Grange, Mike Fennell, long-serving president of the Jamaica Olympic Association and Warren Blake, president of the Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association.

Richards-Ross, gold medalist over 400 meters at the 2012 London Olympics, introduced her books, Chasing Grace and Run With Me. She also donated copies and gear to Vaz Preparatory, the East Kingston school where her career started; and Immaculate Conception High School, which she attended for one year before migrating to the United States.

The 32-year-old quarter-miler also donated the US uniform she wore when she won the gold medal in London five years ago. The suit, along with a pair of spikes and running shoes, were given to the Jamaica Sports Museum which the Jamaican government hopes to start building this year.

“We hope that athletes like Usain Bolt will follow your lead and also make donations to the sports museum. We also encourage ordinary Jamaicans who may have collected athletic gear to donate them to the museum, and they will receive full credit for it,” said Grange.

Richards-Ross first competed for the US at the World Junior Championships in Kingston in 2002. She was booed by the crowd.

Despite an indifferent relationship with Jamaican track fans, she said her years at Vaz shaped her mindset.

“I always remembered the Vaz Prep motto — “Honest Labour Bears A Lovely Face” — it is something we said every day at school, and my father always instilled discipline in me to work hard for what I wanted. I also remember the heartbreak I felt when Marion Jones was caught cheating. She was someone I looked up to and it hurt to find out that she was cheating.”

Run With Me, an autobiography, recalls Richards-Ross’ journey from middle-class Jamaican upbringing to champion athlete.

 

TT spared full brunt of Bret

Trinidad and Tobago was  spared the full brunt of Tropical Storm Bret – the first named weather system of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season that made its way through the twin-island republic late Monday night into Tuesday.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) said there were no reports of injuries but several properties, mainly in the eastern and northern section of Trinidad, as well as in Tobago, had been affected by the storm.

“We have no reports of injuries,” said the head of the ODPM, Captain Neville Wint, confirming that at least 27 patients at the St. Ann’s Hospital on the outskirts of the capital Port of Spain had to be evacuated to another part of the building after the roof was blown away.

The ODPM also reported that trees and roofs were blown away by the storm.

In Tobago, a family was rescued by disaster preparedness officials after a tree fell on their home.

Schools, banks, and some commercial businesses remained closed Tuesday prolonging the long weekend that included a public holiday on Monday, observed as Labour Day.

Caribbean Airlines

Meanwhile, commercial flights are expected to resume Tuesday after both the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and the ANR Robinson Airport in Tobago re-opened.

Tropical Storm Bret 

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, its 8.00 am bulletin, said the storm was located near latitude 11.1 North, longitude 63.6 West.

“Bret is moving toward the west-northwest near 21 mph and this general motion is expected to continue through today.  On the forecast track, the center of the tropical storm will continue to move across the southeastern Caribbean Sea today,” the NHC said.

It reported that the maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph with higher gusts.

“Little change in strength is forecast today, and a weakening trend is expected to begin later today and Bret is forecast to become a tropical depression on Wednesday.”

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Venezuela from Pedernales to Cumana including Isla de Margarita, while a tropical storm watch is in place for Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba.

Blazers FC, Old Tymers triumph in CASA Super and Masters Leagues

Blazers FC and Old Tymers won the CASA Super and Masters League titles, respectively, last Saturday at Lauderhill Sports Complex.

In the opening final, Old Tymers dominated Lauderhill Lions 7-2, holding a 4-0 lead at half-time. Five goals came from Ray Graham, with the prolific Peter Marshall and Andre Waugh scoring the others.

Blazers took their fourth hold on the title. They won 2-0 through goals in each half from Akeem McCarty and Kemal Malcolm.

Organizers hailed it as a successful season of “high quality soccer, run by a tight knit CASA crew.”

The awards function will be held July 15th at The Lobster House Restaurant and Lounge, across  from the Lauderhill Sports Complex.

Airlines cancel dozens of flights

LIAT

LIAT and Caribbean Airlines (CAL)  cancelled dozens of flights for Monday and Tuesday because of Tropical Storm Bret.

When the airlines first announced flight disruptions, the system had not yet been upgraded.

CAL initially cancelled 31 international and domestic flights:

BW 550: Port of Spain to John F. Kennedy, New York
BW 1650, 1522, 1528, 1532, 1538, 1526,1530, 1536, 1540, 1550: Port of Spain to Tobago
BW 1651, 1523, 1529,1533,1539, 1527, 1531,1537, 1541, 1551: Tobago to Port of Spain
BW 483: Miami to Port of Spain; Port of Spain to Guyana
BW 459: Kingston to Antigua; Antigua to Barbados
BW 481: Fort Lauderdale to Port of Spain
BW 485: Orlando to Port of Spain
BW 434: Port of Spain to St. Lucia
BW 435: St. Lucia to Port of Spain
BW 448: Port of Spain to Barbados
BW 449: Barbados to Port of Spain
BW 438: Port of Spain to Grenada
BW 883: Port of Spain to Suriname

It subsequently announced flight cancellations and delays for both Monday and Tuesday.

19 JUNE              BW 601 DELAYED UNTIL JUNE 20 – Toronto to Port-of-Spain

20 JUNE              BW 884 CANCELLED and REPLACED with 3884 of June 20 – Suriname to Port-of-                                      Spain

20 JUNE              BW 551 CANCELLED – New York to Port-of-Spain

20 JUNE              BW 527 DELAYED – New York to Georgetown

20 JUNE              BW 527 CANCELLED – Georgetown to Port-of-Spain

20 JUNE              BW 484 DELAYED – Port-of-Spain to Miami

20 JUNE              BW 483 DELAYED – Miami to Port-of-Spain

20 JUNE              BW 440 DELAYED – Port-of-Spain to Grenada

20 JUNE              BW 439 DELAYED – Grenada to Port-of-Spain

CAL said affected customers travelling between today and Wednesday will be allowed to change or cancel their reservations without penalty, once they have a confirmed ticket issued before today, and the complete their travel by next Sunday.

Only eight LIAT flights have been affected.

LI 512 from Barbados to Guyana
LI 512 from Guyana to Barbados
LI 309 from St. Lucia to Port of Spain
LI 307 from Barbados to Grenada
LI 307 from Grenada to Trinidad
LI 393 from Barbados to Guyana
LI 737 from St. Vincent to Trinidad
LI 738 from Trinidad to St. Vincent

However, the regional airline said there may be further disruptions to its schedule and any additional affected flights would be published in a subsequent advisory.

LIAT said passengers who have been affected will be allowed to rebook with the next two weeks with all change fees waived.

 

Flooding again cause widespread devastation in Jamaica

Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) students, teachers, schools and programs wrapped up the 2016-2017 school year with an impressive array of honors and achievements. These achievements included a record breaking graduation rate of over 80 percent, exceeding the average of other large Florida school districts.

Visiting Miami last Friday President Donald Trump announced some reversals in the policies his predecessor President Obama had put in place to improve relationships between Cuba and the US. The reversals include reverting trade and travel policies to the situation prior to the Obama changes. This change could involve Americans who plan to travel to Cuba for business or vacation. However, there will be certain exceptions under which Americans can travel to Cuba and Cuban family travel will continue to be authorized. The changes won’t be effective until the US Treasury and Commerce Departments issue new regulations that conform with the Trump administration’s policy.

Flooding from heavy rains have again caused widespread devastation in Jamaica. Over the past weekend the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth were affected badly by flood rains. These parishes were in the process of recovering from very serious flooding early this month and once more people were forced to flee their homes and abandon flooded farms. The flooding is placing a heavy financial burden on the resources of the people affected and on the Jamaican government.

In Sports

A Reggae Boyz squad of 20 players and officials left Jamaica yesterday for Martinique to defend Jamaica’s hold on the Scotiabank CFU Men’s Caribbean Cup title from June 22-25. The team consists of players pulled from the US leagues, and at least two players, goalkeeper Dwayne Miller of Sweden’s Syrianska FC, and utility Kevon Lambert from Serbia’s FC Vojvodina — are joining the group from Europe The Boyz will play French Guiana in the opener on Thursday at the Stade Pierre Aliker in Martinique’s capital of Fort-de-France, while Curacao will tackle hosts Martinique.

Here’s What’s Trending

As the Muslim month of Ramadan approaches its end on June 24, Terrorists attacks continue to plague Europe. On Sunday night worshippers leaving a mosque in London were run down by a man driving a van leaving one man dead, and several other people injured. On Monday, a man driving a car containing weapons and explosives rammed a police van in Paris. The driver of the car was killed. And, in the US a Muslim teenager was attacked and beaten to death in Virginia while walking to a Mosque for Ramadan prayers.

For Tomorrow’s weather forecast

It will be  cloudy with scattered showers in Broward, Miami, and Palm Beach Counties with a high of 86 and a low of 79 degrees. Today’s news was brought to you by the Florida Department of Health in Broward County, who encourages you to Protect Your Baby, Vaccinate On Time, Every Time.  They remind you that Immunizations are SAFE, PROVEN PROTECTION. For more on these and other stories visit us at caribbeannationalweekly.com Make sure to pick your copy of Caribbean News weekly at your nearest Caribbean American outlet.

Cayman Islands to consider permanent resident applications

In the Cayman Islands, a backlog of between 900 and 1,000 permanent residence applications will be considered by the government appointed board this week.

According to the Ministry of Immigration, the applicants may be contacted by the Immigration Department if additional details are needed to process their case.

“I am pleased the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board and immigration leaders have stepped up to the challenge and together have developed a plan for resolution that looks to guarantee a high level of speed and efficiency in dealing with applications going forward,” said Premier Alden McLaughlin in a recent statement.

The requests from non-Caymanian residents to remain permanently in the British Overseas Territory have not been heard since at least January 2015 due to legal uncertainties surrounding certain criteria government had set for applicants.

The previous administration led by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) had approved changes to the  Immigration Law that took effect in 2013 – but only a few  applications were processed under the 2013 version of the law, but they were not approved based on concerns expressed by the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board members, and later by Chief Justice Anthony Smellie.

Last week, board Chairman Waide DaCosta said members would begin hearing residence applications in the order received.

Jamaican health officials monitoring patient with symptoms of cholera

The Ministry of Health in Jamaica is closely monitoring a patient who has symptoms of a water borne bacteria that are similar to cholera.

According to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Winston De La Haye, although “Vibrio Cholerae”  – the bacteria that found in the diarrhea illness was found in the patient’s blood during routine investigations , the patient’s symptoms are not consistent with cholera.

However, samples have been sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), in Trinidad and Tobago.

“The first order of business is to determine which type of organism it is; there are a number of other species, and it is for that reason that we have sent off a sample to CARPHA which is our usual reference laboratory,” he said.

CARPHA is scheduled to confirm their findings on Tuesday.

As a precautionary measure, the patient has been isolated .

Toddler pulls gun from toy box in Boynton Beach

A Boynton Beach woman is charged with child neglect after a toddler in her home pulled a gun out of a toy box.

The Department of Children and Families went to the home of Rosalyn Faniel, 34, on June 13 to investigate reports of possible child neglect.

While interviewing Faniel, a child in the home on Northeast 13th Avenue started to bring his toys out of the bedroom and into the living room.

One of the toys the child brought out was labeled “my little learning.” The child pulled out a black semi-automatic pistol from inside of the box.

Police confiscated the gun, which was loaded with a bullet in the chamber and the safety off.

Police also found a yellow box of 9 mm ammunition sitting on the top of the refrigerator in plain sight, and a pink makeup bag containing six small plastic bags of white powder which later came back positive as Oxycodone.

Tropical storm Bret forms in Eastern Caribbean

Tropical Storm Bret will continue to spread heavy rain and gusty winds across the southern Windward Islands and northeastern Venezuela through Tuesday

The National Hurricane Center reports that Tropical Storm Bret is currently about 20 miles east-northeast of Isla Margarita, moving swiftly toward the west-northwest. Bret is expected to track across the extreme southeastern Caribbean Sea Tuesday.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for portions of the northeastern coast of Venezuela.  Heavy rain, gusty winds and increased seas are expected to be the main threats in these areas into Tuesday.

This system is no threat to the U.S. mainland. Little change in strength is expected during the next 12 to 24 hours.

After passing through the Windward Islands, the forecast calls for this system to weaken into a tropical depression on Wednesday, due to increasing south-southwesterly wind shear and land interaction with Venezuela.

On Monday, there were reports of damaged roofs on the islands of Trinidad, Tobago and Grenada and some flooding has occurred in southern Trinidad. Tropical storm conditions, including gusty winds and heavy rain, will begin to subside later Tuesday in portions of the southern Windward Islands and the northeastern coast of Venezuela

Parts of Caparo, Trinidad remain under flood waters with fallen trees, utility poles and power lines.

Total rainfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are currently expected over the Windward Islands and the northeastern coast of Venezuela through Tuesday.

Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for portions of Venezuela from Pedernales to Cumana, including Isla de Margarita. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

Diaspora has contributed US$186,000 to Jamaica’s education sector

The Jamaican Diaspora has contributed US$186,000 to the education sector for the period April 2016 to March 2017. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, made the revelation while speaking at a Jamaica Diaspora Day breakfast event held at the Jamaica National Financial Centre on Belmont Road in Kingston on Sunday. The event was held to commission a study on the economic value of the Diaspora, undertaken by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) and the Jamaica Diaspora Institute (JDI). It was also part of activities to observe Diaspora Day celebrated locally and abroad on June 16.

Haiti has been hit by more tragedy. Although the impact was nowhere near the scale of the destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew last year, torrential rains left a trail of death and damage in the country. One person is reported dead and scores have been injured, including five in critical condition. The heavy downpours hammered Archaie, located north of the capital Port-au-Prince, triggering landslides. Several houses were destroyed. Officials reported that at least five residents were buried in a landslide, and rescue efforts are continuing in communities hard hit by the disaster.

The 21st American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is set to close its expansive schedule with a community event in partnership with the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), in tandem with Miami Film Month. The annual Community Day celebration took place on Sunday June 18 at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex The day included a film screenings and a panel discussion  The ABFF Community Day provides the community of Miami the opportunity to view some of the best films that showcased at the festival. This year, the two feature films being highlighted are Step, courtesy of Fox Searchlight and Downsized, courtesy of TV One.

And in Sports

Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson will return to the track at the Meeting de Paris returns to the Charléty Stadium on July 1, the French leg of the IAAF Diamond League will boast one of its best line-ups in recent years. Thompson, the Olympic 100m and 200m champion, will be competing in the shorter sprint event at the Charléty Stadium. The Jamaican, who sped to a world-leading 10.78 in Shanghai last month, will face Ivorian duo Murielle Ahouré and Marie-Josée Ta Lou. Jamaica’s world leading hurdler, Omar McLeod will also compete in the high hurdles.

Here’s What’s Trending.

The high-profile case accusing Bill Cosby of aggravated indecent assault ended in a mistrial Saturday after a Pennsylvania jury was unable to come to a unanimous decision. The outcome leaves one of America’s most recognized entertainers as well as his accusers without vindication, but prosecutors immediately announced they will retry the case. About an hour into the sixth day of deliberations, Judge Steven O’Neill declared that the jury of seven men and five women were hopelessly deadlocked in a legal battle closely watched by the public as well as dozens of women who have accused Cosby of similar misconduct in the past.

For Tomorrow’s weather forecast

It will be partly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms in Broward, Miami, and Palm Beach Counties with a high of 88 and a low of 77 degrees. Today’s news was brought to you by the Florida Department of Health in Broward County, who encourages you to Protect Your Baby, Vaccinate On Time, Every Time.  They remind you that Immunizations are SAFE, PROVEN PROTECTION. For more on these and other stories visit us at caribbeannationalweekly.com Make sure to pick your copy of Caribbean News weekly at your nearest Caribbean American outlet.

Color him father

George and Andrew Yap

George Yap is Dad in charge

By Karyl Walker

The most lasting impression Livingston George Yap has made on his four children is his never-say-die attitude and indomitable spirit.

Seventy-six year-old Yap, head of LEASA Industries, has been part of the South Florida business landscape for forty years. And despite facing challenges and disappointments in building his business, has always found time to bond with his children.

According to his son Andrew, the patriarch of the Yap clan has passed on many positive traits that have shaped him and his siblings’ outlook on life.

“I have learnt from him the value of hard work, perseverance and never giving up. When things were turning sour in Jamaica, my parents decided to leave for Florida. They only had $50 in their pockets, things were tough. It was very, very difficult but he kept on going. Until this day he will keep on going,” Andrew Yap said.

Like many Jamaicans, the Yaps migrated during the 1970s, a period of political turmoil in Jamaica. Their first business venture was growing bean sprouts. Over time, the Liberty City-based business evolved into manufacturing natural products.  LEASA grows bean and Alfalfa sprouts and are the largest manufacturers of tofu in Florida. Data released from the Soyfood Industry and Market Report ranks the company among the top twenty in the United States with an annual revenue of $5.7 million.

Andrew is the eldest of four children; his siblings are Sean, Allison and Lisa. The acronym LEASA represents members of the Yap family who were born at the time of its genesis. Livingston, his wife Enez, (now deceased), Andrew, Sean and Allison.

Andrew admires his father’s calm demeanor under pressure.

“He is always looking on the bright side of things. No matter how hard it was he would not let his children feel that. We were always in school. He was very protective and a very comforting parenting figure,” he said.

LEASA Industries currently employs 30 persons.

According to Andrew Yap, George is more than their boss.

“Many of them look up to him as a father figure. He will give you the shirt off his back,” he said.

Miami man charged with hate crime for hurling threats at mosque

A Miami man already charged with leaving recorded threatening messages at a mosque will also be charged with a federal hate crime.

Court records released Thursday show that 35-year-old Gerald Sloane Wallace was indicted by a Miami grand jury on a hate crime charge for obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs. A grand jury charged him last month with making an interstate communication that threatened injury.

State authorities had charged Wallace previously.

The indictment says Wallace phoned the Islamic Center of Greater Miami, located in Miami Gardens, in February and left a message using profanity against Islam, the prophet Muhammad and the Quran. He also allegedly threatened to “go down to your center.”

“I’m gonna shoot all y’all.”

Wallace faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Jamaican man sentenced to 70 years for murder

Trinidadian man faces up to ten years in jail after hiring hit man to kill former girlfriend’s lover

A 31-year-old man was sentenced to a combined 70 years in prison for murder and other related offences when he appeared in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston, Jamaica.

He is Oshane Smith, otherwise called ‘Andre Smith’ and ‘Kapachie’ of Airy Mount district and Portmore, St. Catherine. Smith was arrested in Bog Walk, St. Catherine in alk, St. Catherine in  broken down as follows:

one count of murder, two counts of shooting with intent, oie 11 on suspicion of March 2012 for the shooting death of a man and the injuring of two other persons.

He was subsequently charged with one count of Murder, two counts of Wounding with Intent, one count of Shooting with Intent and Illegal Possession of Firearm.

He was convicted by a unanimous decision by a seven-member jury after a nine-day trial.

Smith was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 17 years at hard labour for Wounding With Intent, 15 years at hard labour for shooting with intent and 10 years for illegal possession of a firearm.

The sentences for each offence will run concurrently. 

On Wednesday, December 12, 2011, Paul Moore, 43, otherwise called ‘Lindo’ was shot dead and two other men shot and injured in their yard at Dry River, Golden Grove, Guys Hill, St. Catherine. It was revealed that Smith, armed with a handgun, entered a family yard where a get together was in session. He reportedly opened fire, hitting the three men.

 

 

 

Today is Jamaica Diaspora Day

Today, June 16, is Jamaica Diaspora Day.

A study by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) on the value of the diaspora to the country has been launched.

The study is being jointly undertaken by CaPRI and the Jamaica Diaspora Institute (JDI).

Diaspora Day is being celebrated by Jamaicans at home and abroad.

Acting Director of the Diaspora Affairs Department of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Lincoln Downer, said designation of the day emerged from one of seven resolutions put forward at the first historic Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference held in Kingston from June 16-17, 2004.

“The Resolution noted that Jamaicans overseas were desirous of maintaining and strengthening their relationship with their homeland, and there was a general consensus that a day should be selected where the achievements of the diaspora would be highlighted and the oneness of the diaspora celebrated,” he said.

To formalise the recommendation from the conference, he said the Ministry obtained approval from Cabinet that culminated in the issuance of a proclamation on June 14, 2005 by the then Governor-General, Howard Cooke, for Jamaica Diaspora Day to be celebrated annually on June 16.

The Proclamation requested the support of Jamaicans at home and abroad around the activities of the Jamaican diaspora.

Launches were held in Jamaica and in specific diaspora locations to mark the inaugural celebration of Diaspora Day.

 

 

 

Former swim instructor convicted of molesting girls sentenced to life in prison

A former swim instructor who was found guilty last month of molesting three young girls in Deerfield Beach was sentenced Friday to life in prison.

Francisco De Aragon was found guilty on all counts against him, which included one count of sexual battery on a child, three counts of lewd and lascivious molestation and one count of battery.

The sexual battery on a child charge comes with a mandatory life sentence, but the judge on Friday decided to sentence De Aragon to a total of four life sentences.

De Aragon pleaded Friday with the judge to see things his way.

“There is no justice in this sentence,” he said. “There is no justice in putting a life sentence on a man who is innocent, and from day one until the day I die, I have always maintained and will always maintain that I did not do this. And to my accusers, I tell them the same thing that Christ demands us: ‘I forgive you.'”

De Aragon testified in his trial and denied that he touched the 6-year-old girls under their bathing suits during swim lessons in 2015 at the Deerfield Beach Aquatic Center.

“So why are you here?” his attorney asked him.

“I have no idea. This to me — I can’t explain it,” De Aragon said.

Each victim also testified, recounting similar stories about how De Aragon molested them.

“The lifeguard touched my private part,” one girl said in court.

Upon hearing the verdict, De Aragon cried and later mouthed, “I love you” to his wife, who was in the courtroom.

He appeared unemotional Friday when he asked the judge for leniency. Prosecutor Patyl Oflazian said she was pleased with the sentence.

“We’re very proud of the victims who came forward and testified in the trial,” she said. “This is a case that came down to what those three girls testified to versus the defendant’s testimony. Not only was it a fair sentence, it was a sentence that supported the evidence in the case and was required.”

De Aragon previously turned down a plea deal that would have sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

Security guards save themselves during murder of Chinese couple

Security guards who were assigned to protect a Chinese couple drove away while the two were peppered in a hail of bullets in Trinidad on Thursday.

The dead Chinese nationals have been identified as Shi Rui Zhao and Yangli Gu. They were escorted by security guards to their home. The couple had just left a members club and casino at Tarouba Road, Marabella, and were returning to their rented apartment at New Haven Avenue, Marabella.

Police said two security guards from the casino were driving in another vehicle behind Zhao’s black Toyota Atlis motorcar.

Both vehicles pulled into a car park at Kosume Bar, where the two gunmen were lying in wait, police said.

Zhao, 32, and Gu, 30, both self-employed, were still inside the vehicle when two men opened fire on them.

The security guards who were seated in the vehicle parked next to the couple drove off, police said.

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen stood on both sides of the vehicles and fired several shots hitting the couple multiple times on the head and body.

The windows and doors of the car were pierced with bullet holes.

Police arriving on the scene found both dead. Zhao was slumped over Gu.

The assassins escaped in a waiting car.

Jamaican woman fined for urinating in public

A woman was fined $1,000 for urinating in public when she appeared in the St Catherine Parish Court on Wednesday.

The woman, 34-year-old Michelle Valentine, pleaded guilty when she appeared before Parish Magistrate. Tara Kerr.

Valentine was arrested after she was seen stooping behind a tree along Young Street in the old capital of Spanish Town.

The magistrate asked the accused why she chose to put her dignity aside and relieve herself in public.

Vallentine replied that she could not hold her water any longer.

“Next time you hold your water. It is shameful, very shameful and against the law to do that in public,” the judge warned.

If the fine is not paid, Valentine will have to spend 10 days in jail.

Purse snatcher collared by Good Samaritan

Henry MacFarlane, a 65-year-old Jamaica-born man who hid crack cocaine and heroin in a body cavity has been sentenced

A man who allegedly tried to snatch a woman’s purse at Publix and run away with it was in jail Thursday after one shopper sprang into action, according to Boynton Beach Police.

A woman was loading groceries into her car outside of the supermarket in Boynton Beach when police said a man swooped in, snatched her purse, and bolted.

But his run was short-lived after another alert shoppers saw the whole thing and gave chase. The male shopper said he heard when the elderly woman screamed and saw the hoodlum sprinting away. He gave chase and soon caught up with the thief. After tackling the suspect a small scuffle ensued and the purse grabbed was further chased to a nearby parking lot where a woman was waiting in a getaway car.

The good Samaritan delivered a few blows to the suspect’s body before retrieving the stolen property.

According to an arrest report, the man kept the robbery accused Gregory Reneson and the woman, Tamlyn Dexter in their sports utility vehicle until officers got to the shopping center on Gateway Boulevard.

Investigators said they found syringes, spoons, and plastic baggies in the car.

Reneson and Dexter were charged with possessing drug paraphernalia

Reneson refused to appear in court this morning and also faces a robbery charge.

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