CARIBBEAN NEWS ROUNDUP – APRIL 29, 2019

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. April 29, 2019: Here are the top news making headlines from the Caribbean and its Diasporas for this Monday morning, April 29, 2019:

Bajan star Rihanna was among the celebs enjoying the Buju Banton Long Walk To Freedom concert over the weekend in Barbados.

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck south-west of Trinidad rattling parts of South Trinidad and north-eastern Venezuela Sunday.

The family of reggae icon Peter Tosh has filed a lawsuit against Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey for failing to protect and uphold the human rights and the dignity of Peter’s youngest son, Jawara McIntosh.
Jawara, 39, singer, also known professionally as Tosh 1, was mercilessly beaten on February 21, 2017 at the Bergen County Jail by another inmate while serving his sentence for cannabis-related charges.

In an unexpected turn of events, McIntosh, a devout Rastafarian and cannabis activist was attacked by inmate Kyrie Charon Baum. McIntosh sustained traumatic brain injuries and has been confined to a bed since the attack. The once energetic and vibrant singer and stage performer can no longer perform simple tasks. The father of four, who like his dad, was an activist for the legalization of cannabis, is virtually incapacitated after more than two years and two months since the attack. Despite the fact that the perpetrator was convicted for his heinous crime, the McIntosh family is still shattered by the absence of Jawara from their daily family life and from routine family activities.

“Fighting for ‘Justice for Jawara’ has not been a swift nor easy journey, but we won the first battle when the man that beat him into a coma was convicted”, Jawara’s mother Melody Cunningham told a news gathering. “Now, we will continue to fight on his behalf and hold the system accountable for failing to protect his fundamental human rights”, she added.

Jawara has since been transferred from New Jersey to Boston, MA, where he is currently in the care of his mother, Melody Cunningham and sister, Niambe McIntosh. In addition to the lawsuit, the family is also using Jawara’s story to advocate for the legalization of cannabis on the federal level, and, accordingly, have supported New Jersey Senator Corey Booker’s legislative push to pass the Marijuana Justice Act.

A passenger on a JetBlue flight from Dominican Republic to JFK was evaluated, cleared after a measles concern Sunday night.

An undocumented Cuban immigrant accused of murdering his friend cannot be deported back to Cuba because authorities refuse to take him.

Bill Gates reportedly owns a private island in Belize called Grand Bogue Caye, which is valued at about $25 million.

Calabar High School of Jamaica successfully defended two of their three titles by winning the 4x400m and 4x800m relays at Penn Saturday.

Jamaica’s women’s claimed the gold in both the 4x100m and 4x400m races at the Penn Relays Saturday.

The U.S. Men’s National Team is set to take on Jamaica’s reggae Boyz on June 5th in Washington, D.C.

And Soca Star Machel Montano and Dancehall Star Spice were among revellers at Jamaica’s carnival Sunday.