April 12, 2023

HAITI

THREE POLICE OFFICERS KILLED

By gang members - PM Henry condemns the violence - so far 21 police officers have been killed

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BROOKLYN, NY

REV. KIMBERLEY COUNCIL

Deputy Borough President - named by Borough President Antonio Reynoso

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JAMAICA

MURDER RATE DROPS 22%

For the year ending in March compared with last year says Commissioner Antony Anderson

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CUBA U.S. TRAINING ENTREPRENEURS

US venture capitalist in Havana holding seminars on how to do business in private ventures

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GUYANA

Says President Ali who says he wants every Guyanese family involved in some aspect of the oil business

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COP GUILTY OF RAPE

Of 9-year-old daughter with video proof of the incidents

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Page 5

AFRICA WORLD BRIEFS

OPED

by Ben Jealous - P 9

OPED

HEALTH

Passion to feed a healthier Gambia

The majority of food consumed in The Gambia is imported, but a growing number of young entrepreneurs are starting food production companies, encouraged by the availability of UN-supported training.

At only 24 years of age, Alhadgie Faal has built a successful small business, by turning family land in Kanuma, which is in Gambia’s North Bank region, into a sizable plot, where he grows fruit and vegetables to sell to restaurants and hotels. He started his company after receiving training from a UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) programme[DD1], focused on supporting women and youth, particularly in rural areas.

Haitian PM condemns the murders of police officers

Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, CMC – Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry has described as “barbaric acts,” the murders of three police officers on Sunday by members of the “Timakak” gang during an ambush. The General Directorate of the National Police of Haiti in extending condolences to the families of the slain police officers has identified them as Pierre Paul Dorcely, Nicolas Robinson and Medèze Fortilien.

SPORTS

“Before I started this business, I was a carpenter, but agriculture was always my passion. Without agriculture we can’t feed the nation, and I had a dream to supply The Gambia with healthy produce.

About four years ago, my stepfather told me that free UN training in agriculture, horticulture, and food processing was available. He applied for me, and I was accepted.

Planting the seeds of a business

I was really happy, because we are a farming family with little money, and I would not have been able to afford fees and transport. But all of these expenses were included in the offer, so I was able to go to the college.

The training was extremely useful. We learned about agronomics, how to manage crops, when to plant, and how to select the right site.

Reflecting on genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

As the world marks the grim anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which Hutu and others who opposed the massacre were also killed, the UN Secretary-General has said that a generation since those horrific events, “we must never forget what happened – and ensure future generations always remember.”

“We mourn the more than one million children, women, and men who perished in one hundred days of horror 29 years ago,” António Guterres said in his annual commemorative message on the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

He went on to say that: “We honour the memory of the victims – the overwhelming majority Tutsi, but also Hutu and others who opposed the genocide. We pay tribute to the resilience of the survivors. We recognize the journey of the Rwandan people towards healing, restoration, and reconciliation. And we remember – with shame – the failure of the international community.”

From hate speech, to hate crime

“A generation since the genocide, we must never forget what happened – and ensure future generations always remember,” said the UN chief, how easily hate speech – a key indicator of the risk of genocide – turns to hate crime and how “complacency in the face of atrocity is complicity.”

No place, and no time is immune to danger – including our own.

It said the officers from the Intervention Brigade, assigned to the Thomassin Sub-Commissioner, were “cowardly murdered” in Thomassin 32, a neighbourhood on the mountainside south of Pétion-Ville, where many upper-class citizens reside.

“Our police brothers have …once again, fallen under the murderous bullets of thugs without faith or law. We deplore these barbaric acts,” Prime Minister Henry said in a statement.

“To the families, to the brothers in arms of these valiant police victims, we send our sincere condolences and we assure them of our solidarity. We renew to the Haitian people our unshakable determination to do everything to achieve the creation of a climate of security and stability in the country which is too bruised and bereaved.

Curbing ‘expressions of violence’ a key to peace in Colombia: Guterres

Secretary-General António Guterres has underscored the importance of implementing the Peace Agreement in Colombia, and advancing dialogue, in his latest quarterly report on the UN Mission in the country, published on Monday.

The 2016 peace deal between the authorities and the FARC-EP militia group ended five decades of conflict, and the report is the first to cover verification of its chapters on comprehensive rural reform and ethnic issues, in line with a Security Council resolution adopted in January.

The report spans the period from late December to late March. Mr. Guterres highlighted progress made during this time, and commitment by the parties, noting that even in the midst of immense challenges, there were grounds for optimism.

Violence still occurring

However, he added that “the inescapable reality on the ground in Colombia today is that peacebuilding depends both on the full implementation of the Agreement and on the ability of the authorities to curb the expressions of violence that continue to occur.”

In this regard, the Secretary-General urgently called for de-escalation of the conflict and perseverance in the search for peace through dialogue.

Biden Issues Proclamation for Black Maternal Health Week by Stacy M.Brown - P 9

Countries Map Out Global Accord on Pandemic Prevention - P 16

Concacaf Announces Host Cities And Stadiums For 2023 Gold Cup

Barbados – PM Mottley’s Climate Plan to Overhaul IMF and World Bank

International Monetary Fund to shift “billions to trillions” of dollars into initiatives to reduce carbon emissions. Whereas the suggestions are still being discussed, they have acquired support from the powerful economies that control the World Bank and IMF, giving rise to expectations that they would be implemented in the near future.

The World Bank is under a lot of strain now that former CEO David Malpass resigned amid controversy around his views on climate change.

grain-producing regions have seen bouts of crop-killing heat waves, droughts, and floods.

For instance, Pakistan’s economy was already in trouble due to years of political unrest, but last year’s devastating floods and an increase in oil prices sent it over the edge.

costs already much surpass that amount, even while wealthier nations have fallen short of their own goal of giving $100 billion yearly to support poor nations’ investments in clean energy and increase resilience to climate impacts.

Next week’s World Bank spring meetings will be dominated by discussions of war and inflation, but advocates are calling for a revamp of the world’s financial system to assist nations to deal with climate change. According to experts, impoverished countries are finding it difficult to raise the money necessary to quit burning fossil fuels that warm the world and become ready for upcoming climate crises as they struggle with growing expenses, skyrocketing debts, and catastrophic weather occurrences.

In the midst of rising international tensions brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and trade disputes between the US and China, the issue is what to do about it.

During the COP27 climate meeting in Egypt in November, the leader of a Caribbean island nation vulnerable to hurricanes and sea level rise said, “We believe that we have a plan.”

She proposed what is known as the Bridgetown Initiative, which calls for a tax on fossil fuel revenues and the use of the

Before to Bank meetings and UN climate conferences later this year, French President Emmanuel Macron will attempt to maintain momentum by hosting a summit on climate financing in June.

According to Avinash Persaud, an economist leading the Barbados campaign with “one and a half people and a spreadsheet,” reform initiatives are gaining traction because they fill a “policy vacuum” over funding for the international climate response.

According to specialists from the United Nations climate science department, there isn’t much time left to make the necessary reforms to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels. The globe is currently off course and endangering the environment, human societies, and the global economy.

According to Harjeet Singh, Director of Global Political Strategy at the advocacy group Climate Action Network stated that the organization won’t be able to resolve the current climate issue without sufficient financial assistance .

In recent years, major worldwide

According to Persaud, climate change already costs developing nations a huge percentage of their annual GDP. He remarked in reference to global warming, “We are burning up and we are drowning in the same year, that’s climate change for you.”

In order to promote international trade and growth and assist in the reconstruction of nations decimated by World War II, the so-called Bretton Woods financial architecture was developed.

Economic expert Vera Songwe from Cameroon claimed that the globe has now reached a new turning point.

“If you combine all these crises we have today, it feels like we just came through a war,” she shared with the AFP.

She added that among these issues, climate change is currently the most serious and persistent concern and that it is “permeating every aspect of global economic development.”

Institutions of finance have already begun to intervene.

In order to support more sustainable growth in poorer or more susceptible nations, the IMF has established a new loanbased Resilience and Sustainability Trust. The very first beneficiary was Barbados. According to the World Bank, it provided a record $31.7 billion last year to assist nations in addressing climate change, and it has begun to develop a plan for change. Yet, research has indicated that the real

The Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Financing, co-led by Songwe, was established by the UN and reported last year that more than $2 trillion annually will be needed to address the climate catastrophe by 2030.

The Barbados proposal aims to fund those trillions through around $500 billion in Special Drawing Rights, which are IMF-reserved assets. These Special Drawing Rights will be used as collateral in a new climate trust that will be able to borrow money at low rates and engage in private-sector emissions-reduction initiatives. It also urges international development banks to considerably expand their loans while highlighting the need for catastrophe provisions in debt agreements, like Barbados’, which permit a government to postpone repayments for two years following a major incident.

Also, the proposal asks for taxes to assist nations in coping with climate losses and damages, such as taxes on earnings from fossil fuels.

Singh approved of the plan, but activists want debt cancellation discussed and wealthier polluters to take more accountability. The goal, according to Persaud, is to forge a sizable coalition of nations fighting climate change, or around 40% of the world’s population.

Barbados – School to be Named for Shirley Chisholm

The Vauxhall Primary School will be named in honor of Barbadian-born Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman ever to be elected to the US Congress. The inauguration service for the renaming of the Vauxhall Primary School will be held on April 4th, in Vauxhall Christ Church.

Barbadian parents gave birth to Shirley Chisholm in Brooklyn, New York. Chisholm spent a significant portion of her basic education in the Barbados school system after being moved to reside with her grandmother on a farm on the island of Barbados when she was three years old. She was the first black woman to be elected to the US Congress in 1968. From 1969 until 1983, she served seven terms as the representative for New York’s 12th congressional district.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training Kay McConney, and Parliamentary Representative Adrian Forde will all be present for the occasion.

Chad Blackman, the senior advisor to the director-general of the International Labour Organization, and Linda Taglialatela, the US ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, are two more dynamic figures who were anticipated to attend. Additionally present were Shirley Chisholm’s family members, an American politician who made history in 1968 by becoming the first black woman to be elected to the US Congress.

Caribbean American Legislators Condemn Expulsion of Black Tennessee Elected Officials

Caribbean-American Democratic legislators have strongly condemned what has been described as the unprecedented expulsion of two United States (US) Black Democratic lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Tennessee House of Representatives for “disorderly behavior” for their role in leading a protest calling for gun reform.

On Thursday, the Tennessee House voted to expel Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson.

A third Democratic lawmaker, Gloria Johnson, who is white and who faced expulsion, survived the vote that needed two-thirds majority support.

The Republicans charged that the three representatives “knowingly and intentionally” brought “disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives.”

“Last night, the Republican majority in the Tennessee State Legislature decided to openly defy their Constitutional responsibilities and disregard the right to dissent in a democracy,” Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

“To expel Tennessee State Representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones for standing with and amplifying peaceful protesters demanding meaningful gun reform is an unprecedented and radical shift away from the democratic values, rules, and traditions our nation was founded upon,” added Clarke, first vice chair of the US Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). “This is a democracy. exercising one constitutional right to peacefully assemble and protest is not subordinate to the right to the Second Amendment.

“They were exercising their first amendment right and, for that, these young, Black, duly elected men were expelled,” continued Clarke, who represents the predominantly Caribbean Ninth Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York. “They were stripped of their franchise, thereby disenfranchising the people they represent.

“Real change happens when we call attention to a problem, hold our elected leaders accountable, and create meaningful solutions and laws to make every community safer,” she said. “An overwhelming majority of Americans believe we must have common sense

gun control reforms. It’s past time leaders on both sides of the aisle come together to help save lives and curb America’s gun violence epidemic.”

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, said: “The injustice we have seen in recent days in Tennessee comes at an intersection of American failures – structural racism, punishing protest, and a willingness to wash our hands in response to unending, unspeakable violence.

“The backlash to this nonviolent act of civil disobedience, and who faced harshest consequences, shows it’s never about the means of demonstration but rather demonizing the identity and cause of those raising their voices,” he told CMC. “But protest is meant to disrupt. Protest is meant to draw attention to and drive change on systemic injustices.

“And in their initial act of protest, in spotlighting and condemning the racist, undemocratic response, these expelled public servants have achieved a great deal,” Williams added. “The initial ‘offense’ of these legislators was to demand action to prevent gun violence in the

wake of yet another horrific shooting.

“It is my hope that by expressing dual outrage at conservatives’ inaction on guns and authoritarian reaction to being called out for it, we can direct our anger into progress,” he continued.

Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair, New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, described the expulsion of the Black Democratic legislators, for “peacefully standing up against gun violence”, as “a deplorable action that goes against the will of the people, ignores due process, and is a clear violation of their First Amendment rights.”

On Friday, US Vice President Kamala Harris, the daughter of retired Jamaican economist Donald Harris, visited Nashville to meet with the expelled legislators.

At the same time, US President Joe Biden said Thursday’s expulsion of lawmakers who engaged in peaceful protest was “shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent.” (CMC)

VP Harris in Tennessee To Support Expelled Lesgislators

the people will not be silenced, to say that a democracy hears the cries, hears the pleas, who hear the demands of its people who say that children should be able to live and be safe and go to school and not be in fear.”

A White House official told CNN that one of the goals of the trip was to demonstrate the administration’s sincerity about democracy, and Harris took the occasion to do just that.

The Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris flew to Nashville where she gave a passionate speech in support of gun control and visited with two state representatives who had been dismissed from the General Assembly for demonstrating on the floor of the state House. In her speech in the Fisk University chapel, Harris stated, “Let’s not fall for the false choice, which suggests that you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want reasonable gun safety laws, we can and should do both.”

She said, referring to a horrific massacre that ravaged a Nashville school last month: “The underlying issue is one that we are witnessing, over and over again, this community experienced it firsthand just 11 days ago.”

VP Harris met privately with former Black Democratic representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson from Tennessee, both of whom were driven out of the legislature the day before for supporting gun control protests, as well as the entire Democratic Tennessee state caucus. The White woman Rep. Gloria Johnson, who was pardoned in the Republican-backed ouster, which the group criticized as authoritarian, vengeful, and racially motivated, was present at the meeting.

The three parliamentarians who were up for expulsion were praised by the vice president because they decided to lead and demonstrate bravery.

She continued, “And they understood the importance, these three, of standing to say

“We understand when we took an oath to represent the people who elected us that we speak on behalf of them,” she explained. “It wasn’t about the three of these leaders. It was about who they were representing. it’s about whose voices they were channeling. Understand that –and

is that not what democracy allows?”

The sudden travel demonstrates the importance that the Biden administration attaches to both this problem and gun regulation. Prior to this, Harris had no planned public activities on that day.

According to a recent readout by the administration, President Joe Biden met with the three Tennessee lawmakers to express his gratitude for their “leadership in seeking to ban assault weapons and standing up for our democratic values.” He also extended an invitation to all three to visit the White House.

Biden chastised Republicans for not acting more forcefully on gun control in a recent statement, calling the expulsion of the two legislators from the state’s House of Representatives “shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent.”

He added, “Rather than debating the merits of the issue, these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee.” He concluded, “A strong majority of Americans want lawmakers to act on commonsense gun safety reforms that we know will save lives. But instead, we’ve continued to see Republican officials across America double down on dangerous bills that make our schools, places of worship, and communities less safe.”

Guyana – President Wants All Families to Benefit from Oil

ness” in the oil industry rather than handling these efforts in the Stabroek Block, where more than 400,000 barrels of oil per day—on average—are being produced. During a recent live speech, President Irfaan Ali said that the Cabinet had been working long hours to create a model that would guarantee that families all throughout the nation were engaged in the petroleum industry.

possible health care and education.”

The government has made it apparent that ExxonMobil won’t be hired to pursue larger advantages from the Stabroek Block, despite its current efforts to guarantee Guyanese benefit from local content prospects.

in nations all over the world as a result of environmental changes.

Even though various unbiased analysts have encouraged the country to do so in its best interest, the Government of Guyana (GoG) has refused to go back on renegotiating the terms of the unjust agreement made with an oil company, ExxonMobil, to achieve greater advantages for Guyanese.

The administration can utilize its authority to enact certain clauses that would boost the nation’s earnings in addition to amending the Stabroek Block deal. To guarantee that each oil-producing field pays for itself, these measures include putting in place a ring-fencing provision and restricting the interest rates on loans taken out by the developer to extract the resources. ExxonMobil may be subject to national tax rules at the government’s discretion in order to further establish its power. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has already waived hundreds of millions of dollars worth of tax concessions for the globally renowned oil company. As additional projects enter the market, the tax agency has already warned that this yearly amount will skyrocket. The government claimed that it is currently developing a new plan to guarantee Guyanese households profit from “busi-

President Irfaan remarked, “Every night, we spend hours debating, discussing ideas, trying to figure out a model through which we can have every Guyanese family involved in some aspect of the business of oil and gas; creating and working on a model that would give Guyanese a holding in some aspect of this business.” He noted his concerns about the nation’s best interest and how the governing body can capitalize on Guyana’s economical potential to make the country better by stating, “That is what we worry about, that is what I spend my time (doing) and this government spends its time thinking about – advancing policies and ideas, understanding problems, analyzing global context and positioning Guyana as I said before to be among the top countries, if not the top country on food security, energy security, and climate security.”

President Ali continued by saying that Guyana, which is widely recognized for the wealth of its families, must always be brought up in discussions about climate change and the environment in the year 2030 and beyond, “There must be no conversation about energy security without Guyana being mentioned and the conversation of Guyana must be one in which the people are respected for their unity in which every family can have prosperity, one in which our people can enjoy the best

The oil firm had only uncovered 1.1 billion barrels of oil in the Stabroek Block when the deal with Exxon and its partners was struck in 2016 by the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition administration. Six years later, a significant rise of over 10 billion more barrels had been found in the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone, a finding that some claim justifies the necessity for a revision of the contract.

Dr. Vincent Adams, the former executive director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), brought attention to this particular finding for the first time ever back in September 2022.

Dr. Adams informed viewers during a GlobeSpan 24-7 online interview that although the government has turned its back on maximizing the value of its resources, Guyana has not only discovered more riches since the deal was signed but that exploratory efforts are still underway. The former head of the Environmental Protection Agency is not persuaded that the political justification for not renegotiating the Exxon contract is genuine. In fact, the expert who has worked in the oil and gas sector for a long time is hopeful that Guyana can get a decent bargain now that it has found 10 billion more barrels of oil in the Stabroek Block, where Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), also known as ExxonMobil Guyana, is operating. According to him, contracts are frequently modified

He stated, “I have spent 30 years at the highest level of the US government and I negotiated (and) I evaluated contracts. That was part of my life and as a matter of fact, that was a main part of my life, and I’m talking about the Exxons of the world. I have seen many contracts you can think about and changes are expected and the one thing that you always have a justification for changing a contract is when there is a major change.”

The arrangement that the previous administration agreed to was to be reviewed and renegotiated, but the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government has now determined that it must uphold the contract. Considering that Guyana only receives a two percent royalty for the resource extracted and that Exxon agreed to split the profits fifty-fifty after deducting its costs from the proceeds, the citizens of Guyana think that the current deal solely benefits the oil firm.

The agreement, which the oil corporation frequently boasts about to its shareholders, also obligates Guyanese to pay their fair share of taxes, which total millions of US dollars annually. As further surgeries begin, this amount will probably increase even higher.

Additionally, Guyana is taking on the risk by permitting ExxonMobil to operate offshore without complete liability protection in the case of an oil disaster. Ring-fencing provisions, which would prevent the oil corporation from using petroleum earnings from one field to pay for costs in another, are a crucial clause that is missing from the treaty.

T&T – Cop Guilty Of Raping Nine-Year-Old Daughter

A High Court judge will on May 3 sentence a police officer who pleaded guilty to a series of charges including having sexual intercourse with his nine-year-old daughter that he also video recorded nearly 13 years ago.

Justice Hayden St Clair Douglas on Thursday accepted the guilty plea on a series of charges, including having sexual intercourse with a female under the age of 14 and remanded the policeman to prison until the date of his sentencing. The Court heard that the first incident took place in March 2010, after the girl returned home from classes. In June 2010, he raped the

child again just after she showered. The prosecution said from the first occasion until June 2010, the policeman kept having sex with his daughter at least three times a week.

The prosecution said that while the child could not remember if the camcorder was on the dresser on other occasions, she was sure it was there on at least one occasion.

The court heard that on July 14, 2010, while house cleaning, the girl’s mother found a DVD on the floor and when she played it, she first thought she saw her husband having sex with someone who looked like her sister.

However, when she played it the next day she recognised the person as her daughter, who was 12 years old at the time. She made a copy of the DVD and gave one to a friend, who is also a pastor, who also viewed the DVD and made a copy. The girl’s mother confronted her husband but he remained silent. After threatening to bring her daughter to question her, the accused admitted it was true but said he did not mean to hurt anyone. She told him he had to leave the house and he did, but took with him the camcorder.

The prosecutor said that a friend of the mother gave the DVD to then

deputy police commissioner, Raymond Craig who later handed it to investigators.

When the accused turned himself in to police and was shown the contents of the DVD, he said he had nothing to say.

His wife also identified the people on the recording as her husband and daughter and also gave certain descriptions to investigators. The girl was also shown the DVD and she identified herself and her father.

The officer was then charged. (CMC)

U.S. Trains Cuban Entrepreneurs to do Business in Pioneering Workshops

HAVANA, Cuba - Following a decision by Cuba’s government in 2021 to lift a ban on private companies that had been in place since shortly after Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution, a program run by Stacey Brandhorst, US venture capitalist and Vice President and Investment Principal of Plains Venture, has traveled throughout Latin America giving advice to fledgling entrepreneurs. Recently, she is in Cuba. The workshops signal the latest sign of U.S. policy the Biden administration says is intended to support the Cuban people and private sector on an island that decades ago ditched capitalism for a Soviet-style planned economy dominated by a staterun enterprise.

Brandhorst, who is from Oklahoma, kicked off a series of in-person seminars last week that the U.S. Embassy in Havana says will offer tips to Cuban entrepreneurs looking to start and run their own

businesses.

Broadhorst says, “Being an entrepreneur is one thing, but (being one) in Cuba is entirely another,” she recently told a group of around 50 Cubans in a hotel conference room in Havana.

The program follows more than 7,000 similar businesses that have opened since, according to an Economy Ministry list updated on March 23. She describes the communist-run country as a tough nut to crack.

According to Cuba’s Communist Party, the companies range from restaurants to plumbing businesses and now account for 14% of Cuba’s 4 million employed.

Benjamin Ziff, Havana’s top U.S. diplomat, said, “Cuba’s state-run economy has traditionally not delivered, and recently has delivered even less,” Ziff said in an inter view. “We want a Cuba that’s democratic, free, and prosperous. The prosperous part

depends greatly on the private sector.” He told Reuters in an interview that private enterprise could take up the slack in an economy going through perhaps its greatest challenge since Castro’s revolution.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel said ahead of the recent March 26 elections in Cuba - “(The United States) is betting that the private sector, as it grows, will become a faction that opposes the Revolution,” “And we won’t let that happen.”

NYS – Rally Supporting ‘Access To Representation Act’ For Immigrant Families

English. The Access to Representation Act will ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of their wealth, will be able to secure the legal services they need to remain with their families, at their jobs, and in their communities. I look forward to working with the advocates and my Senate partner Brad Hoylman-Sigal, to ensure the passage of the Access to Representation Act in this year’s budget,” said Assembly Member Catalina Cruz.

Elected officials including State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal joined the CARE for Immigrant Families coalition at the Million Dollar Staircase to urge passage of the Access to Representation Act (ARA). The first-in-the-nation bill would establish a right to counsel in immigration court proceedings.

Prior to the press conference, hundreds of coalition members marched throughout the Empire Plaza – marking the CARE coalition’s largest action to date as advocates make their final push for the ARA.

Earlier this month, state legislators asserted their commitment to immigrant New Yorkers with a historic investment of $120 million in the one-house budget resolutions – the largest portion of which is for legal services funding. The funding will help immigrant New Yorkers access attorneys as they navigate a complicated legal system, but it falls short without the passage of ARA. As legislative leaders negotiate the final FY 2024 budget, immigrant advocates urge Gov. Hochul and lawmakers to both pass the ARA as a long-term legislative solution while maintaining the proposed $120 million funding.

Immigrant New Yorkers who can’t afford to hire an attorney are currently forced to represent themselves in court—regardless of age or language abilities — against trained government attorneys. Studies show that immigrants

in detention with legal representation are 10 times more likely to win their right to remain in the United States, making it more important than ever for legislative leaders to fund legal services and help keep immigrant families intact.

Sponsored by Sen. Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Cruz, the passage of the ARA will help thousands of New Yorkers stay in their homes with their families, contributing to their communities and our economy.

“Having a lawyer in an immigration hearing can be the difference between life and death. Non-detained people in immigration hearings are over three times more likely to achieve a successful outcome if they have representation. Our Access to Representation Act will help immigrants get the legal representation they need.

I am grateful to Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, the New York Immigration Coalition, the Vera Institute of Justice, Immigrant-ARC, and Make the Road for their advocacy in support of this critical bill,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.

“I’m proud to stand with immigrant New Yorkers knowing that our legislature is making an unprecedented commitment to them at a time of great need. I know how challenging the legal system is to navigate for all New Yorkers, but especially those who cannot afford legal representation and for those who may not speak

Assemblywoman Taylor Darling said, “Immigrants in New York need our help. Many of them are facing extreme hardships and deportation which leave them in great need of legal defense. Immigrants will have much better outcomes if they have counsel but many can not afford legal services. This is why it is so important to pass this bill in support of immigrants throughout the state. I am committed to continuing to provide protection to the immigrants of New York State. It is time to pass the Access to Representation Act now.”

“Absent federal action, our state has a duty to ensure due process and the right to counsel in immigration proceedings. Many immigrants faced with deportation have never known another home or may risk being sent back to a dangerous situation they had to flee from. Having the ability to make their case in court with the assistance of an attorney has life changing impacts,” said Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi. “Everyone deserves fair access to legal representation but without the Access to Representation Act, too many families are left to their own devices during complicated immigration cases.

I can feel the pain of discriminatory court practices in my community and it prevents working people from having dignified lives. Now is the time to pass the Access to Representation Act and uplift immigrant communities,” said Assemblywoman Marcela Mitaynes.

Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon said, “In the final week of budget negotiations, it is crucial that we include the first-in-the-nation

Access to Representation Act to guarantee legal counsel for immigrants during deportation proceedings. Many immigrants are forced to represent themselves in complicated legal proceedings simply because they lack financial resources. Immigrants who have access to legal counsel are 10 times more likely to establish their right to remain in the US as opposed to those without counsel. I stand firmly with the NY Immigration Coalition on their tireless advocacy to ensure legal rights for immigrants.”

“It is important that Gov. Hochul see that we are not giving up on the Access to Representation Act. Today, hundreds of New Yorkers from all over the state descended on Albany to ensure this historic legislation is passed. The governor must ensure historic investments in immigrant service are maintained and that the Access to Representation Act is included in the final budget to make our legal system truly equitable and just for all,” said Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition.

“Legal representation should not be a luxury for the well-connected. Every single data point shows that people facing deportation are far more likely to remain with their loved ones if they have a lawyer on their side. New York communities and economies are stronger when our families and workforce remain stable and thriving. We urge the legislature and Governor to build upon the Senate and Assembly proposals by delivering $120 million for legal and social services and enacting the Access to Representation Act in the final budget,” said Shayna Kessler, State Advocacy Manager for the Vera Institute of Justice’s Advancing Universal Representation initiative. their home countries, or forced to take on huge amounts of debt to hire private attorneys. This is a situation that NYS can fix now,” said Jessica Maxwell, Executive Director of the Workers Center of Central New York.

Growth of 5.7% for Caribbean Projected By CDB

The Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Vice President (Operations), Mr. Isaac Solomon says regional growth of 5.7 % is forecast for 2023. This is based on the continued revival of tourism arrivals and investments in the energy sector. The performance is, however, subject to some risks associated with Advanced Economies which are on track to register lower growth relative to 2022. “Looking ahead,” he added “for 2023 we project that, despite facing multiple challenges, Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs) economic performance will continue to improve over the medium term. While cautiously optimistic about the near-term outlook and recognizing the uncertainty regarding the war in Ukraine, it is difficult to estimate growth with a large degree of certainty.”

Examining the economic performance of the Bank’s BMCs in 2022, at the CDB’s Annual News Conference on January 18, in Barbados, Mr. Solomon indicated that increased economic activity spurred strong regional economic growth that averaged 10.3% largely because of increased energy production in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, higher international oil prices

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in commodity-exporting countries and economic growth of 4.6% in tourism-dependent countries. This performance, he stated, helped buoy increased Government revenues and improved fiscal positions. According to the Bank Executive, the challenges associated with past economic performance and global conditions place the region at a critical juncture, adding that the impact of protracted shocks compounded the Region’s socio-economic difficulties. CDB is lending much-needed support to its 19 BMCs through its diverse portfolio of loans and grants. The Bank, in 2022, disbursed USD 292.5 million across the region and approved 15% more grants and loans during that time totaling USD 158.1 million. There are currently over 65 CDB-financed projects under implementation regionally. There are focused on youth, agriculture, water, education, infrastructure, renewable energy, gender, trade, transportation, climate change, MSME development, and the creative sector among others.

Beyond CDB’s direct financial support to weather the period ahead, the Vice President also shared some recommenda

tions which could be implemented to aid in growth and development and increase the resilience of Caribbean economies and societies. This includes supporting comprehensive debt management strategies, public financial management, and promoting access to adequate and affordable financing; promoting gender equality, women’s reintegration into the workforce, and the prevention of discrimination; promoting a private sector ecosystem that has innovation, diversification, financial inclusion of the most vulnerable; key

priority actions in strengthening governance capacity to deliver through the implementation of cross-sectoral policies and programs, and protecting the poorest as well as revolutionizing digital infrastructure and technical proficiency and mainstreaming environmental sustainability and climate change.

The Bank, he emphasized, is a willing partner seeking new avenues and opportunities to fund the region’s growth and development. While more capital is required, much more work also lies ahead.

Gun Violence, a Global Human Rights Tragedy

Gun-related violence has threatened the very basic human rights of humanity globally, and one crisis that comes before us in significant ways, day in and day out, not only in the US but certainly in the Caribbean, in Africa, and indeed, around the world.

Gun violence is a daily tragedy that we can almost anticipate, affecting the lives of human beings around the world some in very personal ways and some threatening safety and security.

Globally, more than 500 people die every day by violence committed with firearms. In the United States gun violence contributes to more than 38,000 deaths per year and over 85,000 injuries. Unfortunately, gun violence disproportionately impacts communities of color, women, and other marginalized groups in society.

Back in 1965 during the historic March on Washington, Reverend Martin Luther King Junior addressed the question of the intractible national tragedy of gun violence, only to become a victim of that gun violence three years later. He was killed in the State of Tennessee where we have witnessed the tragic recent killing of children in school.

It was in Memphis, Tennessee that a high-powered killing device took Martin Luther King away from us, and it was the same kind of high-powered device that killed children and adults in Nashville, Tennessee, and have killed so many in the United States and around the world.

The guns that are used in this expanding violence are manufactured in the United States for the most part, and are manufactured not for the battlefield, but to a market of domestic use that has no need for these high-powered firearms. High-powered devices are manufactured and promoted within the United States and find their way to the Caribbean and other parts of the world; it is the manufacturers of these deadly firearms that must be targeted in a way that they are held responsible for the damage that is done by the devices that they have manufactured and marketed. The Republican lawmakers in the United States have been clear that they have no intention of passing even the basic gun control laws that would eliminate those devices that have very little to do with hunting or the protection of one’s home, but are assault weapons for the battlefield which have no place in the streets of the United States, the Caribbean, or anywhere else, with their deadly outcome.

This easy access to these deadly firearms has been the main driver of gun violence and its result in death and destruction, and regulations need to be in place that will hold the manufacturers responsible for the kinds of weapon they are turning loose on the market and for what use.

The campaign to force Republican lawmakers to do something about the protection of human rights by creating laws that will control or ban assault weapons, and cannot stop until we get results. And that is why we have to give credit to

the young black legislators, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, who stood up in the Tennessee House of Representatives after the massacre of children and adults at the school, the young men appealed for some degree of common sense gun control in their legislature and stood with people in protest

They were expelled, but the world was watching. The attention brought to this matter by the media and social media showed the level of thinking of the Republican super majority where they were not considering lives lost and how to protect lives, but punishing two black legislators for bringing it to their attention that gun violence is ripping the country apart and certainly Tennessee, and that some attention and action was necessary. They turned a blind eye to the appeal of the young legislators and instead attempted to punish them. What a misplaced sense of justice. These legislators should be looking to control the manufacturing and distribution of these deadly firearms and should be looking to hold manufacturers responsible and bring an end to this violence that has created such a tragedy in the country and in the world; but no, they instead chose to punish the young legislators. By their action, the Tennessee Republican legislators showed their misplaced priority and lack of any real justice - it looked to and worked towards the further marginalization of people of color by expelling two Black legislators and did

nothing to end the continued slaughter of human beings, but on their emphasis on the commercial and influence of manufacturers and gun associations. It has nothing to do with the Constitution as such but more for the profit of the gun manufacturers, profit that is wrapped in the bloodshed of the children of this country and the people around the world.

The late Warren Burger, who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1969 to 1986 called The gun lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment “ one of the greatest pieces of fraud” ever foisted on the American public. Chief Justice Warren was calling then for us not to be fooled by the cry out for the Second Amendment rights, looking at it as a fraud upon the country, and in today’s atmosphere, in today’s Republican driven policy, they are pushing this fraud on the country ever so strongly, while we see day in, day out the tragedy and the bloodshed and the loss of life that this country and the world is subjected to all in the name of profit for gun manufacturers.

Americans who want to end this horrifying, ongoing slaughter of her children in school and people at their workplace must move to defeat Republican candidates running for office so that we can bring some change and safety for our children and all people.

Ensuring Our Right to Invest in the Next Generation’s Future

by Ben Jealous

If a public opinion poll done last month is right, more than half of you won’t know what I mean by the initials “ESG,” and fewer than one in 10 will understand what they mean for financial markets. But listening to some self-interested politicians, many of whom have ties to our dirtiest industries, you’d think ESG was a significant threat to the American way of life. For the record, ESG refers to responsible investing that considers companies’ environmental, social, and governance practices. That’s actually something most Americans support. More than half of us think financial managers should be allowed to consider environmental factors, climate threats, and the risk involved in fossil fuels’ future and that states should invest

public retirement funds in clean energy. More than eight in 10 of us who invest for ourselves want sustainable options for our savings, Morgan Stanley reported. In economics class, we called that demand. In his 2022 annual letter to CEOs, Larry Fink, chairman of the world’s largest investment adviser BlackRock, called it “stakeholder” capitalism. “It is capitalism, driven by mutually beneficial relationships between you and the employees, customers, suppliers, and communities your company relies on to prosper. This is the power of capitalism,” he wrote, adding, “We focus on sustainability not because we’re environmentalists, but because we are capitalists and fiduciaries to our clients. That requires understanding how companies are adjusting their businesses for the massive changes the economy is undergoing.”

Perversely, Fink has been pilloried by right-wing politicians as a green ideologue when his firm claims to be the largest single investor in fossil fuel companies on the planet. These same politicians are trying to prohibit this kind of responsible investing through state and federal laws. They argue they are fighting for free

market capitalism when really they are limiting investors’ freedom to choose and the information that they need to make decisions. It’s not free markets, it’s political pressure.

The costs of these mistaken and misrepresented policies are real. Economists from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania determined that within eight months of Texas passing a law that prevented local governments from using five of the largest bond underwriters taxpayers would pay $300-$500 million more on $31.8 billion those governments wanted to borrow. That amounts to about a 1 percent tax on that debt. Not to mention the banks cut out of the Texas market have Texas employees whose companies can no longer compete in their state.

Fortunately, some public officials are insisting that they be allowed to shape portfolios in ways that are fiscally sound precisely because they consider environmental impacts. I was in New York City last week for an announcement by city Comptroller Brad Lander and the trustees of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System and the Teachers Retirement

System of their plan to reach net zero pollution from emissions in their investment portfolios by 2040.

“If the cynical war of political distraction waged by red-state politicians at the behest of their fossil-fuel donors deters us,” Lander predicted, “we will sacrifice our opportunity to maximize long-term investment returns along with millions of lives and trillions of dollars of global investment.” Opponents of this responsible approach to investing derisively label it “woke” because they know that term creates confusion and for some fear. So it’s a perfect wedge to divide us. If anything, they need to wake up to the idea that Americans want to pass on a safer, healthier planet powered by abundant energy to our children and our grandchildren. We want to put our money where our aspirations are.

Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

Biden Issues Proclamation for Black Maternal Health Week

by Stacy M. Brown

more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women,” the president remarked.

“This is on top of the fact that women in America are dying at a higher rate from pregnancy-related causes than in any other developed nation.”

He insisted that tackling the crisis begins with understanding how institutional racism drives these high maternal mortality rates.

In 2022, Health and Human Services

Secretary Xavier Becerra implemented actions to improve maternal health and reduce health disparities, and this year, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to champion policies to improve maternal health and equity.

Vice President Kamala Harris convened a meeting with Becerra and other Cabinet leaders amplifying a whole-of-government approach to reducing maternal mortality and morbidity.

On Monday, April 10, President Biden issued another proclamation to begin Black Maternal Health Week.

The president called the week a reminder that so many families experience pain, neglect, and loss during what should be a joyous occasion.

Biden called it urgent that all act.

“Black women in America are three times

Studies show that Black women are often dismissed or ignored in hospitals and other health care settings, even as they suffer from severe injuries and pregnancy complications and ask for help, the president reminded.

He said systemic inequities are also to blame.

“When mothers do not have access to safe and stable housing before and after childbirth, they are at greater risk of falling ill,” Biden exclaimed.

“When women face barriers traveling to the hospital for prenatal and postpartum checkups, they are less likely to remain healthy. Air pollution, water pollution, and lead pipes can have dangerous consequences for pregnant women and newborns. And when families cannot afford nutritious foods, they face worse health outcomes.”

He claimed his administration has penned the blueprint for addressing the maternal health crisis, an agenda that lays out specific actions the federal government would take to improve maternal health and secured funding from Congress to help implement it.

“Vice President Kamala Harris has been a leader on the issue of maternal mortality for years and led the charge to improve maternal health outcomes, including by issuing a call to action to address disparities in maternal care,” Biden stated.

“She continues to elevate the issue nationally, convening State legislators, medical professionals, and others so all mothers can access the care they need before, during, and after childbirth.”

The president continued:

“Additionally, my American Rescue Plan gave States the option to provide a full year of postpartum coverage to Medicaid beneficiaries — up from just 60 days of coverage.

“As a result, my Administration has approved requests from 30 States and Washington, D.C. to provide women with Medicaid coverage with a full year of postpartum coverage, and we have made this option permanent for every State that extends Medicaid postpartum coverage.

“My Administration has helped facilitate

Medicaid expansion in four States since I took office, and I continue to call on the Congress to close the Medicaid coverage gap.

“We are also working to expand and diversify the maternal health workforce, helping health care providers hire and train diverse and culturally competent physicians, certified nurse midwives, doulas, and community health workers to support women during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care.”

The president’s budget includes $471 million to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates, improving access to care in rural communities, expanding implicit bias training for health care providers, and further supporting the perinatal health workforce.

“This week, as we continue our work to make pregnancy and childbirth safe, dignified, and joyful for all, let us remember that health care should be a right and not a privilege,” Biden continued.

“Let us give thanks to the extraordinary maternal health care workforce, which serves its patients and their families every day. And let us join in common cause to end the tragedy of maternal mortality once and for all.”

Equifax, Experian and TransUnion Remove Medical Collections Debt Under $500 From U.S. Credit Reports

ATLANTA and COSTA MESA, Calif. and CHICAGO, - Equifax®, Experian, and TransUnion are jointly announcing that medical collection debt with an initial reported balance of under $500 has been removed from U.S. consumer credit reports. With this change, now nearly 70 percent of the total medical collection debt tradelines reported to the Nationwide Credit Reporting Agencies (NCRAs) are removed from consumer credit files. This change reflects a commitment made by the NCRAs last year.

Equifax Experian TransUnion Logos

Equifax Experian TransUnion Logos

“Our industry plays an important role in the financial lives of consumers. We understand that medical debt is generally not taken on voluntarily and we are committed to continuously evolving credit

reporting to support greater and responsible access to credit and mainstream financial services,” said Mark W. Begor, CEO Equifax; Brian Cassin, CEO Experian; and Chris Cartwright, CEO TransUnion. “We believe that the removal of medical collection debt with an initial reported balance of under $500 from U.S. consumer credit reports will have a positive impact on people’s personal and financial well-being.”

The NCRAs previously announced that as of July 1, 2022, all medical collection debt that has been paid by the consumer in full is no longer included on U.S. consumer credit reports. The time period before unpaid medical collection debt appears on a consumer’s credit report was also increased from six months to one year, giving consumers more time to address their debt before it is reported on their

credit file.

To further help U.S. consumers manage financial health during continued economic uncertainty, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion are also providing free weekly

credit reports through the end of 2023

DALLAS - MoneyGram International, Inc., a leading global financial technology company that connects the world’s communities, today announced it has been named one of the “Most Trustworthy Companies in America in 2023” by Newsweek.

The Most Trustworthy Companies were chosen based on a holistic approach to evaluating trust, which included three main touchpoints: customer trust, investor trust and employee trust. This honor recognizes companies across several industries, including Financial Services, in which MoneyGram was ranked fourth overall in the category.

“We are extremely honored to be named one of the most trustworthy companies in America, not only by a media organization as reputable as Newsweek, but also by a core group of stakeholders,” said Alex Holmes, MoneyGram Chairman and CEO. “This recognition is a testament to how we at MoneyGram set ourselves apart through an unwavering commitment to executing our corporate strategy, empowering our global workforce, and going above and beyond to exceptionally serve communities

around the world.”

MoneyGram continues to build trust by providing safe, reliable and transparent services that meet the financial needs of consumers globally. This is evidenced by the Company’s strong customer experience scores, remarkably high customer retention rates, and low consumer fees compared to industry averages. MoneyGram also prides itself as an industry leader in consumer protection as demonstrated by the investments made to further enhance its best-in-class compliance program. In addition to this recognition, MoneyGram is a two-time Top Workplaces USA winner and has received multiple local and regional workplace awards that highlight the Company’s strong corporate culture globally.

“A huge thank you to our employees around the world who embrace our culture of customer-centricity,” said Anna Greenwald, MoneyGram Chief Operating Officer. “This is yet another well-deserved acknowledgement of our team who continues to do what it takes to earn the trust of our customers each and every day.”

To compile the annual rankings, Newsweek partnered with Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data.

The study considered all public and private companies headquartered in the United States with a revenue of over $500 million. Results were based on an independent survey of approximately 25,000 U.S. residents who submitted a total of 95,000 company evaluations. Ultimately, the top 700 companies across 23 industries were named the Most Trustworthy Companies in America in 2023.

NYC – Black Woman Opens Marijuana Dispensary

Several firsts in history were recently accomplished with the inauguration of the Good Grades marijuana dispensary in Queens, New York. It is the first retail marijuana dispensary to operate in Queens among the first six retail marijuana dispensaries in New York State, and it is also the first woman-owned retail marijuana dispensary to get financial backing from the state’s social equity investment fund.

Nonetheless, co-owner Michael James Jr. claimed that a “pivotal moment” for the establishment of the firm came with the shop’s first client.

Donovan Richards, the president of the Queens Borough, bought something from the storefront on Jamaica Avenue initially.

Extasy James, the shop’s other co-owner, said on Monday that the event “killed a lot of stereotypes” and that it “was very ideal.” She said Richards purchased gummies.

Extasy James described the storefront’s big launch in Jamaica’s famed retail district as “unbelievable” and “high-energy.”

She noted, “It was so refreshing, and it was so fulfilling, and it was rewarding.” She added, “I also felt a lot of love, and that’s more important. Not just from family and friends, but also from the staff, from security, from everyone.”

The New York State Social Equity Cannabis Investment Fund, a public-private partnership that provided refurbished retail premises, provided assistance for the opening. Good Grades originally began as a brief pop-up, giving time

for staff training and funding. Following that, it will close for final construction before opening permanently, according to a statement from New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

The state’s Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licensing scheme is how the James cousins obtained their license. Only those who have been involved in the court system, or who have been previously convicted of marijuana-related offenses, and their families are eligible to apply. This program was designed to help those who are most impacted by marijuana prohibition.

Michael James first assisted his clients with the licensing application as an attorney and a legal champion for minority company owners. But, due to the fact that other family members—including Extasy James’ father, who was deported for a cannabis offense—have dealt with the criminal justice system, Michael James chose to apply alongside his cousin.

He claimed that marijuana ” goes from, you know, being literally a tool to over police our communities to now a tool of economic prosperity.” He further added, “The window of opportunity for poor, Black and brown communities, minority communities, to now benefit from it is just substantial.”

The dispensary represents a significant transformation for the area. Until recreational marijuana use became legal in 2021, Jamaica, a neighborhood that is home to three police precincts (the 105th, the 103rd, and the 113th),

King Charles Supports Monarchy Slave Ties Investigation

King William III in 1689.

The document was discussed in the newspaper as a part of a series of articles on royal riches and finances as well as the monarchy’s role in slavery.

Following the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles was crowned as the new head of Britain. His coronation is scheduled for May 6 of this year. While expressing their regret over slavery, Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have not mentioned the crown’s involvement in the slave trade.

has traditionally seen disproportionate cannabis criminality.

According to a 2018 analysis from the Manhattan district attorney’s office using data examined by Politico, the 113th Precinct, an area of New York City that is primarily Black and Afro-Caribbean, has had a higher rate of cannabis criminalization throughout the years compared to other communities. According to the study, there were 281 marijuana complaints and 280 arrests in South Jamaica, as opposed to 136 complaints and just 56 arrests in the 84th Precinct, which encompasses whiter, richer communities like Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill.

Blacks and Hispanics made up 71% and 80%, respectively, of cannabis-related arrests in Flushing and Forest Hills in 2018, while making up just 20% of those regions’ populations, the survey found. Racial discrepancies in marijuana arrests were also evident within Queens

neighborhoods.

Extasy James claimed that while visiting family in Queens or visiting the Bronx as a child, she saw families torn apart by marijuana-related charges.

“There’s a lot of families, even grandmas and grandpas, where they didn’t make enough money,” she remarked. “So they would sell cannabis on the side, and they would get in trouble. A lot of families would be deported, and it just broke up a lot of homes.”

According to Michael James, it seemed strange to launch the dispensary close to his childhood home.

“I lived five minutes away. My father had a business here,” he noted. “I watched businesses on this same avenue for years. I know it like the back of my hand. So it’s really full circle. This feels like where we’re supposed to be.”

According to Michael James, the dispensary intends to give back to the neighborhood as a family-run enterprise by educating customers and working with nearby charitable organizations to hold giveaways and community drives.

“We really just want to be a role model in his community,” he remarked. “We really do, and we want to just set the standard.”

Extasy James claimed that the opening conveys an inspirational message to the community as well as her family.

“We want to inspire the community that there are second chances and that dreams can come true,” she noted. “Anything is possible.”

A document that revealed an ancestor owning shares in a slave-trading organization prompted King Charles III to publicly endorse inquiry into the British monarchy’s connections to slavery for the first time, a representative for Buckingham Palace recently noted.

According to the palace, Charles takes the matter “profoundly seriously,” and researchers will have access to the royal collection and archives.

The declaration was made in reaction to an article in The Guardian newspaper that disclosed a document proving that the deputy governor of the slave-trading Royal African Company transferred 1,000 pounds worth of stock in the company to

The Commonwealth, a global association of nations made up primarily of former British colonies, is one of the countries the monarch has indicated he is working to better understand because of “slavery’s enduring impact.”

During a ceremony honoring Barbados’s two-year anniversary of being a republic, Charles talked of “the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history,” English settlers used slaves from Africa to turn the island into a successful sugar plantation. Manchester University and Historic Royal Palaces are both co-sponsoring the study, which should be finished by 2026, examining the monarchy’s connections to slavery.

Jamaica – Murder Rate Down 22%

Jamaica police are reporting a 22 percent decline in major crimes at the end of March 2023, when compared to the corresponding period last year, with the authorities indicating that murders had declined by 21 percent.

Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson, told a virtual news conference that shootings had declined by 13 percent; rapes, 47 percent; robberies, 32 percent and break-ins, 11 percent.

Figures released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) show that there were 303 murders compared to 382 for the same period ending March last year. There were 354 shootings as against 291 last year “We, however, continue to see a shift in the attribution of murders with the reduction in the gang-related murders relative to interpersonal conflict. As of March 31, gang conflicts accounted for 67 percent of these murders, interpersonal conflicts accounted for 22 percent, while four percent occurred in the furtherance of other criminal activities, and seven percent are still being determined,” he said.

He said the JCF would continue to partner with key agencies as well as provide the requisite support to enable its members to carry out their duties efficiently.

“As we continue to resource the Force, implement our policing plan and work closer with the communities, we have no doubt that people will begin to feel safe.

“It is not lost on us that the support from the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and other key partners has been integral in achieving these results. We expect to continue to impact crime and violence while we remain committed to all of the other community support activities,” Anderson said.

He urged Jamaicans to continue working with the police and provide information to rid their communities of criminals.

“We have been seeing encouraging signs that communities are less willing to accept criminals in their midst. The strategy of our commanders and their teams to be closer to their communities and build relationships is working. We do not regard these efforts as an event but as an ongoing part of our policing plan,” he said. (CMC)

Haiti – US Imposes Sanction on Former Senate President

The United States says it has imposed visa and financial sanctions on the former president of the Haitian Chamber of Deputies, Gary Bodeau, for his alleged involvement in corruption.

US Secretary of State, Antony J Blinken, said the decision is in keeping with efforts to “support the people of Haiti and respond to the ongoing instability in the country.

“The Department of State is publicly designating Bodeau under Section 7031(c), rendering him generally ineligible for entry into the United States. Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is designating Bodeau under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program and as a result of this action Bodeau’s financial assets in the United States have been blocked,” Blinken added. He said the United States and its partners will continue to “use all tools at our disposal to support the Haitian people and promote accountability for corrupt actors who exploit the Haitian people and contribute to the ongoing instability in Haiti”. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E Nelson, said “corrupt officials like Bodeau have created an environment that empowers illegal armed gangs and their supporters to inflict violence on the Haitian people.”

“Along with our partners, including Canada, we are committed to holding accountable those undermining the integrity of Haiti’s government and destabilizing the country,” he added.

Washington alleges that Bodeau was involved in several corrupt schemes “wherein he engaged in efforts to influence

the outcome of Haitian political appointments, including facilitating and soliciting bribes worth millions of dollars.

“In 2018, Bodeau paid Haitian officials to secure their votes while seeking ministerial position appointments. He also solicited a large bribery payment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from senior government officials in exchange for his political support,” it added.

Washington also alleged that in 2019, Bodeau offered to deliver a successful vote in Haiti’s Chamber of Deputies for a prospective ministerial appointee in exchange for millions of dollars paid out through individual payments to members of the Chamber of Deputies.

“Several Haitian businessmen provided between 500 and 600 million Haitian gourdes (approximately US$6.2-$7.4 million) to members of the Chamber of Deputies to influence the outcome of a ministerial vote.,” it said, adding that “in advance of the floor session, Bodeau participated in discussions on the vote and payments with various members of the Chamber of Deputies.”

Bodeau is not the first Haitian government or public official to be sanctioned by the United States. In recent months, Washington has imposed sanctions on President of the Haitian Senate, Joseph Lambert, Youri Latortue, Senator Rony Celestin and former legislator, Richard Fourcand. (CMC)

Countries Map Out Global Accord on Pandemic Prevention

Countries of the World Health Organization have mapped out how negotiations on a global accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response will move forward with a view to presenting a draft accord for approval by the World Health Assembly in May 2024.

Ending Thursday, discussions on the draft pandemic accord took place during the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), which includes WHO’s 194 countries.

Ms Precious Matsoso, Co-Chair of the INB Bureau, from South Africa, said: “Countries from all parts of the world were able to discuss their ideas, concerns and suggestions in a forum for all countries to hear and consider.”

Countries agreed to keep a window open for additional written proposals until 22 April and that those proposals will be compiled with all others made over recent

weeks into a package that will be made available to all drafting group participants. The INB Bureau will then provide, by 22 May, in addition to this package, for consideration of the Drafting Group, a Bureau’s Text, including options where feasible, based on all submissions received and included in the compilation document. The Drafting Group of the INB will then meet in June to continue negotiations.

INB Bureau Co-Chair, Mr Roland Driece of the Netherlands, said: “The world realises that what we want and need to achieve is an accord that will help us not to repeat the mistakes of the COVID-19 pandemic response. There are many proposals and constructive suggestions on the table for how to do this.”

According to the process agreed by governments at a special session of the World Health Assembly in late 2021, negotiations on the draft pandemic accord will aim to

produce a final draft for consideration by the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024.

In parallel with the pandemic accord negotiations, governments are also discussing more than 300 amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) in an effort to strengthen those regulations and make the world safer from communicable diseases while ensuring greater equity in the global response to public health emergencies. Governments have been working to ensure consistency and alignment across the INB and IHR processes. The proposed IHR amendments will also be presented to the World Health Assembly in 2024, and would together, with a future pandemic accord, provide a comprehensive, complementary, and synergistic set of global health agreements.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View Hosts Luncheon Celebrate Its Newsweek Ranking

NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View tops the list of 42 out of over 600 nursing homes in the state that were ranked

beyond in their care of our residents, even in the most challenging of times,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View CEO Matthew Levy, MHA, LNHA. “To be recognized as the best performing nursing home in all of New York State is truly incredible and one that fills my heart with a deep sense of pride.”

NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View hosted a luncheon on Tuesday, April 4th to celebrate its Newsweek ranking as the #1 nursing home in New York State for 2023. CEO Matthew Levy thanked employees for their hard work, dedication, and expertise that led to this outstanding accomplishment. Ryan Crimmins, Community Liaison with the Community Partnership Unit at the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office, presented Mr. Levy and NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View with a Certificate of Recognition for providing high-quality health care to those in need and promoting wellness across Staten Island.

“Receiving the #1 ranking from Newsweek is a tremendous honor and one that we are very proud of. I have always known that our exceptional staff go above and

“As a lifelong Staten Islander, it brings me immense pride that our very own Sea View was ranked as the top nursing facility in all of New York State,” said Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon. “We are so thankful to the dedicated nurses, physicians, staff, and families who make Sea View the great place that it is and incredibly deserving of this honor. Our Island is a better place now and will continue to be in the future because of the care they provide to our neighbors and loved ones.”

The Newsweek #1 ranking is based on rigorous criteria including performance data, reputation, response to COVID-19, and accreditation by the Joint Commission International. Newsweek partnered with Statista, a global data research firm, to create their annual list. 42 out of over 600 nursing homes in New York State were recognized. NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View tops the New York State list after ranking third last year and sixth in 2021, when Newsweek began publishing their Best Nursing Homes list.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View also has a coveted 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, and it known for its Alzheimer’s care and traumatic brain injury services.

Terrence Blanchard Making History Again at The Met Opera

Terence Blanchard, a jazz musician, and twotime Academy Award candidate once again embedded his footprint in the walk of history along the line of succession which took place at the Met Opera.

When the Metropolitan Opera produced Blanchard’s second opera, “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” last season, Blanchard made composer history for the Met Opera audience to witness the first composition piece composed by a Black person, being performed by the Met Opera blessing the ears of thousands present for the wonderful performance.

This critically acclaimed and widely received show will make a surprise return for an encore performance in the 2023–2024 season.

At the Met, Blanchard’s debut opera will now be performed as part of a remarkable yearlong partnership with several Lincoln Center resident companies. Opening on Monday is “Champion: An Opera in Jazz,” which had its international debut in 2013 at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. The event is a core component of “See Me As I Am: Terence Blanchard,” which is a historic endeavor in itself. This is the very first time a single artist’s work has been examined throughout Lincoln Center, including events at the New York Philharmonic, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Film at Lincoln Center, and other venues.

Emile Griffith, a welterweight boxing champion, and his fights with Cuban boxer Benny “The Kid” Paret are the subjects of the jazz op-

era “Champion: An Opera in Jazz.” Both boxers held a press conference when Griffith landed in New York City for the final of the two men’s three battles that year. Paret used a homophobic term to reveal Griffith as gay in an effort to gain the upper hand mentally.

Griffith took Paret in the ring and hammered him, striking him 17 times in less than 7 seconds. Paret then went into a coma and passed away. Griffith was tormented by Paret’s passing and the revelation of his sexual orientation for the rest of his life.

When considering an operatic approach, Blanchard considered how sad and redemptive the boxer’s journey was. According to Blanchard, Griffith “had to forgive himself for what he did.” He continued his statement by adding, “He was doing his job, you know.”

Years later, Blanchard depicts the seasoned fighter and Paret’s family meeting. “He’s dealing with dementia now, he’s forgetting things, can’t remember everything,” he remarked. “But then at the meeting, Benny Paret Jr. tells him, we just want you to know that we don’t harbor any ill will toward you. And at that moment, Emil broke down, and you can see that he had been carrying the weight of his death on his shoulders for 30 years.”

What Griffith said after that sparked Blanchard’s idea for an opera.: “I killed a man, and the world forgave me, but I loved a man, and the world wants to kill me.”

The composer could see the statement’s current

Rema Blown Away by Busy Signal’s ‘Calm Down’ Remix

Rema acknowledged the effect of dancehall on his work as an Afrobeats singer and said he was familiar with a handful of Busy Signal’s tracks, but not as much as one might expect given the veteran dancehall musician’s artistic abilities and skillset.

After the 2019 Dumebi, the former Gospel performer’s biggest song, Calm Down, climbed to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 before moving to the top of the Global Excl. U.S. chart thanks to a duet with pop sensation Selena Gomez.

looked to my wife and gave her a hug and a kiss, and proceeded to go up onstage to celebrate that moment,” Blanchard said. “And to think that he became a welterweight champion of the world, and couldn’t celebrate with somebody he loved openly – it hurts.”

Terence Blanchard expresses his thoughts on the emotional story of Emile Griffith, “To think that he became a welterweight champion of the world, and couldn’t celebrate with somebody he loved openly – it hurts,”.

Blanchard claims that the opera is not “a jazz opera” in response to the wording of the second half of the title “Champion: An Opera in Jazz.”

The orchestra and vocals are featured alone in several scenes. He drew on his extensive

understanding of jazz tradition and technique in certain instances, but, and others.

“What I’m trying to do is what any great composer in history has done,” he explained, “which is to take our folklore that exists in our country and use all the elements that I can that are appropriate to telling a story.” His score for “Champion” incorporates a variety of jazz and blues idioms, just as he did with “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” which included elements of gospel music.

Jazz and boxing do have similarities, according to Blanchard. He claims that the “six major punches” utilized in prizefighting are comparable to musical scales. Then there is the element of improvisation.: “It’s all happening with split-second timing,” he stated. “You don’t have time to sit down and really calculate what you need to do – it happens in the blink of an eye.”

“So it’s very much like being on the bandstand with some great musicians,” he added, “except nobody’s getting hit in the face.”

But ultimately, Blanchard is more excited about “Champion” than he is about the musical originality. Instead, what makes the novel intriguing and current is Emile Griffith’s terrible life and the message of salvation Blanchard discerns in it.

During a recent broadcast of Hot 97’s Ebro, Afrobeats superstar Rema is known for hits such as “Calm Down” was so ecstatic when Ebro and the crew played the remix of his Billboard-charting hit song Calm Down by Jamaican Dancehall artist Busy Signal that he was unable to control his joy.

“That’s hard,” The 22-year-old powerhouse exclaimed, “I swear that’s hard! ” He admitted that it was his first encounter with the Busy Signal verse.

“Nobody told you they had a Jamaican cat – a Dancehall cat on your record?” Ebro questioned Rema, but he merely repeated his denial that Busy Signal had remixed his song. He constantly remarked to the crew of the show, in between fits of laughing, that Busy’s take was “…so, so hard,” yet he was unable to disguise the fact that he was really thrilled with the cover. The Afrobeats artist noted that “It blew my mind, blew my mind.”

The song has earned Platinum certification in the US for sales of more than 1 million units, as well as Platinum in the UK for sales of more than 600,000 units.

Fans of both artists are asking for the track’s formal release despite Busy Signal’s interpretation not being an official remix.

After Rema’s statement that he was not aware of Busy Signal’s remix, one supporter attempted to defuse what may have easily turned into a legal issue by asserting: “Nigerians love Jamaicans.

We are never suing Busy.”

Remixing successful songs, frequently for the better, is something that Busy Signal has a solid reputation for doing.

The Dancehall artist remixed Phil Collins’ 1985 No. 1-charting Billboard song, One More Night, and it is still being played across the country and beyond as a lovers’ hit.

Reanno Devon Gordon, better known by the stage moniker Busy Signal, has also remixed and recorded Beres Hammond’s Tempted To Touch, The Gambler by Kenny Rogers, and Lionel Richie’s Hello from 1983.

CTO Leader Pushes for Gender Equality in Caribbean Tourism

BARBADOS – The chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Kenneth Bryan said the focus of International Women’s Day (IWD) this year reminded him of how much women have contributed to the success of the region’s most dynamic economic driver, tourism. Bryan, who is the Minister of Tourism and Transport of the Cayman Islands, said the IWD theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” aligns with the intergovernmental organization’s aim “to put more women in positions of influence so they can not only enhance the efficiency of our region’s major economic earner, but also be an exemplar for women everywhere.”

The tourism leader stated, “We want to strengthen our efforts to give women the technical education needed to enable them to explore, learn, and rally for their rights, which will enhance the ability of the CTO to coalesce its best and brightest people for the betterment of our tourism product, and for the people of the Caribbean.” “We must work to redress the imbalance and inequity in tourism with increased recruitment, training and education of women to rebuild the pandemic-affected workforce into a more equitable and productive sector,” Bryan said.

Bryan, who chairs the CTO’s Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism, said he wanted to ensure young women were fairly represented among new recruits into the sector, and that the industry was diverse enough to incorporate the entrepreneurial skills of a new generation of professionals.

He added that women had to be elevated from being among the lowest paid and lowest status jobs in tourism to being recognized for the significant amount of unpaid work they often perform in family tourism businesses. Minister Bryan reasoned that there is no need to reinvent the wheel because thanks to the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO) there are published guidelines on how the public and private sectors of Caribbean and other countries can provide specific tools to support tourism institutions and businesses to integrate gender considerations into their policies, programming and strategies and boost the opportunities tourism offers for women’s empowerment.

He said International Women’s Day is an excellent and timely reminder of the need of Caribbean women for employment with equitable remuneration, entrepreneurship, leadership, community and education “to ensure

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Concacaf Announces Host Cities And Stadiums For 2023 Gold Cup

(2011,2015, 2019)

Soldier Field, Chicago, IL (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2019)

TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH (first-time host)

DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL (2021)

State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ (2009, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)

Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ (2013, 2017, 2019)

NRG Stadium, Houston, TX (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2021)

As previously announced, SoFi Stadium, home to the NFL’s LA Rams and LA Chargers, will host the 2023 Gold Cup Final in its first-ever Gold Cup event. This will be the first time the cities of Cincinnati and St. Louis host the confederations’ tournament, and the fourth for the city of San Diego.

Other highlights:

The tournament returns to Canada for the second time, and first since 2015, when BMO Field, in Toronto hosted a group stage doubleheader.

Miami, FL – Concacaf has today announced the 15 stadiums in 14 United States and Canadian metropolitan areas that will host matches of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup. The 17th edition of Concacaf’s flagship competition for men’s national teams will be played between June 16 – July 16 and will crown the best national team in the region.

This announcement comes after the Confederation confirmed that Our Final, on Sunday, July 16, was awarded to Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium.

The 2023 Gold Cup is a key part of the region’s vibrant summer of football, which will also include the Final of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League on June 4, and the Concacaf Nations League Finals in Las Vegas, NV, between June 15-18.

Regarding this exciting 2023 Gold Cup announcement, Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President, Victor Montagliani, said: “The Concacaf Gold Cup is our flagship competition and showcases the very best of men’s national team football in the region. With each passing edition, this competition has reached new heights

on and off the pitch and I am certain the 2023 tournament will deliver outstanding football, and capture the imagination of fans across our confederation and beyond.

“The host cities and venues we have selected all have strong track records of hosting elite football, and world class events. I want to thank each and every one of them for their commitment to Concacaf, to our Gold Cup, and to our sport. This is a tremendous time for football in the region with Nations Leagues, men’s and women’s Gold Cups, and other exciting national team and club competitions taking place over the next three years as we head towards the FIFA World Cup 2026.”

“I look forward with great anticipation to watching the Gold Cup Prelims in June and enjoying compelling football involving all the Gold Cup teams right through to the Final and crowning a champion in Los Angeles on July 16.”

The 15 stadiums that will host Gold Cup matches are, in alphabetical order by city (previously hosted Gold Cups):

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX (2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2021)

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, TX (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA (first-time host)

Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV (2021)

Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA (first-time host)

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (2017)

CITYPARK Stadium, St. Louis, MO (firsttime host)

BMO Field, Toronto, Canada (2015)

Concacaf will announce a complete match schedule, including specific match venue assignments, ticketing information, and other details in the days following the official draw.

Gold Cup Venue Highlights

First-time host venues are:

TQL Stadium, home to Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati; CITYPARK Stadium in St. Louis, the newest soccer stadium in the United States whose MLS team St. Louis City SC debuted in MLS in 2023; Snapdragon Stadium, home of the San Diego Aztecs as well as the San Diego Wave FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL);

The 2023 Gold Cup will mark the seventh edition of the event hosted at Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) and NRG Stadium (Houston, TX), a record number in the history of the tournament.

2023 Gold Cup Draw

To kick off the 2023 Gold Cup, Concacaf will conduct the competition’s official draw on Friday, April 14, 2023, at SoFi Stadium. The live in-person event will begin at 12:00 pm PT/local time (3:00 pm ET) and will include the participation of Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President, Victor Montagliani, the head coaches of the national teams participating in the 2023 Gold Cup and important guests. The draw will be available for fans across the region to view on One Soccer (CAN), FS2 (USA), TUDN (USA and MEX), ESPN (Central America and Caribbean), and other regional broadcasters. For other territories, the event will be available on Concacaf GO, and Concacaf’s Facebook page and YouTube channel (all subject to territory restrictions).

For more details regarding the draw, including the procedures and seeded nations, click here.