Beenie Man Chided Bounty Killer and Mr. Vegas For Warring In Golden Years

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Beenie Man is adding his two cents to the ongoing dancehall war between Mr. Vegas and Bounty Killer.

The two artists have been at each other’s throats over the past few weeks, and their feud, which involves lyrical diss tracks, also got personal, with each artist making grave accusations at the other.

Mr. Vegas at first called Bounty Killer a derogatory name and claimed that the artist fathered a child with a minor when she was 15 years old and he was much older. Bounty Killer also shared that a woman alleges that she was raped by Mr. Vegas when she was only 13 years old.

The feud has been polarizing, with some like Dexta Daps, taking Bounty Killer’s side and running the risk of being set upon by Mr. Vegas. Beenie Man, however, says he is disappointed in the artists as they are older and ought to set better examples.

“Memba me ah di King of the Dancehall and memba mi fight dancehall artists to be together and that’s why mi nuh like this war with Vegas and Bounty Killer,” Beenie Man said on the Let’s Be Honest podcast.

“It nuh make nuh sense. Vegas ah forty (years old) and Bounty Killer ah 50 (years old). Weh you a go with that,” the artist added.

Beenie Man went on to name some of the greatest dancehall hits coming from both artists as he broke out into Vegas’ “Heads High.’

“Weh yuh do?” Beenie Man asked Mr. Vegas.

Beenie Man said he isn’t blameless because he keeps up “foolishness,” but it’s always for a purpose.

The dancehall veteran also shared that when Vybz Kartel and Mavado were beefing during the infamous Gully/Gaza feud, he had intervened and advised Kartel to meet with the “Caribbean Girls” artist to show unity so that the violence their fans were unleashing would stop.

Beenie Man also revealed that the artists met up in Tivoli, but Kartel later came on TV and took credit for the idea.

Beenie also cautioned Vegas, noting that Bounty Killer was not one to mess with.

“The people dem come out for Bounty cause yuh a spider,” he said as he trailed off singing one of Bounty’s famous clash songs.

He also shared that he had a role to play in urging Kartel to extend the olive branch and quash his feud with Mavado.

“When yuh go down a Tivoli try make sure say you make Mavado call you out. Yuh nave fi fall him out because ah you ah di man at this point. So just make them know say ‘yow eh bwoy’ cause you have 100 man weh bad and yuh bad too, so anuh like him can tell you say him nah call you out,” Beenie Man said.

In the meantime, Beenie Man also shared his opinion on what the artists nowadays call “clash,” noting that it was inferior to the true form of a ‘clash’ is in dancehall culture.

“Juggling mash up because the artist dem nah go pan the same riddim weh the next artist deh pon, that never mek sense. The man dem mash up dancehall…the man dem deh online wid war,” Beenie Man joked. “Yuh can’t go no stage go see dem war, yuh a eediat?”

Beenie Man also couldn’t hold himself back as he opinionated that you can’t keep Sting in the countryside, which is how the clash culture is characterized – being in Kingston, where the fans’ energy is more receptive to lyrical clashes.

“Soft crowd don’t know nothing about war…mi have hope fi Sting but a just the venue, the wrong venue,” Beenie Man said.

In the meantime, Beenie Man offered advice for Sting, noting that the event should be held for $1,000 at the Stadium parking lot to be open to people who have a genuine love for clash culture so they can ‘fawud’ and grow Sting’s profile.

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Christine Randle Appointed UWI Press Director

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Christine Randle as the new Director of the UWI Press. Randle’s appointment became effective in January.

Randle comes to the Press with a vast amount of industry experience in publishing, where she successfully ran a family business, putting it on sound financial footing and building on the name and reputation of the company in Jamaica, regionally and internationally. She launched the company on a path to further growth in a period of little development, and leveraged the use of innovative publishing models, partnerships, and collaborations. The UWI Press will benefit from her extensive experience and network as Managing Director and Publisher at the company for the past 15 years.

A qualified attorney-at-law, she earned her Bachelor of Laws in 1993 at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She was then admitted to the Bar of England and Wales at Gray’s Inn in 1994 and the Bar of Jamaica in 1995.

As the new Director of the UWI Press, Randle has oversight of its strategic and operational arm, and reports directly to Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles through the Press’ Advisory Board. She is responsible for operationalising the vision of the Board, which is to ensure that the Press becomes an independently financially viable and sustainable arm of The UWI, while maintaining its high-quality standards of cutting-edge academic publishing.

Commenting on Randle’s appointment, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the UWI Press, Professor Densil A. Williams expressed, “Ms. Randle’s extensive experience and her tenacious management will bring the transformational leadership that the Press needs at this point in time.” Professor Williams added, “I am especially pleased that she is the first Caribbean national to hold the post of Director of the Press in its 30th anniversary year. I know she will leverage her experience and comprehensive knowledge in her new role in service to The UWI.”

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CPA Canada applauds successful Caribbean CFE writers

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) congratulates the 40 Caribbean students who successfully passed the Common Final Examination (CFE) from 2019-2022. This is an important milestone on their journey to become chartered professional accountants.

The CFE is a three-day evaluation designed to assess candidates’ knowledge, judgement and professional skills. It is a critical component of the Canadian CPA certification program that requires individuals to demonstrate a range of skills and competencies gained through education, examinations and work experience.

Two convocation ceremonies were hosted by CPA Canada. The first took place at the Sweetfield Manor Boutique Hotel on February 8, to recognize 30 individuals from Barbados, one graduate from Jamaica, one from St. Lucia and one graduate from Dominica. This was followed by an event at the LaVue Hotel and Beach Club on February 9, celebrating six individuals from St. Vincent and one graduate from St. Lucia.

These celebrations were the first in-person CPA Canada events held in the Caribbean since 2019, making them memorable occasions with family members, employers, mentors, CPA members and Fellows of the profession.

“Wherever your interests lie, you have the opportunity to lead meaningful and purpose-driven work” explained Pamela Steer, President and CEO of CPA Canada, who was honoured to speak at both events. “As strategic and trusted advisors, CPAs can help shape today’s data-driven marketplace, drive new forms of value creation, and be strong leaders in building a more inclusive and competitive economy.”

Esteemed guest in attendance included Miriam van Nie from the High Commission of Canada in Barbados.

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CARICOM Heads scheduled for diplomatic engagements during Summit in The Bahamas

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government are set to have talks with several bilateral and multilateral partners as the Community deepens relations regionally and within the global community.

During the 44th Regular Summit of the Conference of Heads of Government scheduled for 15-17 February in Nassau, The Bahamas, Heads will engage with several special guests including the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau; Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the President and Chairman of the African Export-Import Bank, Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah; and the Executive President of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), Sergio D?az-Granados.

Assistant Secretary-General of the Directorate of Foreign and Community Relations within the CARICOM Secretariat, Ambassador Donna Forde said Canada is a “longstanding bilateral partner” and CARICOM is happy that another opportunity presented itself for an inaugural meeting between the Conference and Prime Minister Trudeau.

They were slated to meet in Barbados in February 2020 during the Thirty-First Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference, but the Foreign Minister of Canada, the Hon. Francois-Phillipe Champagne deputised and set out an agenda for strengthening ties between his country and CARICOM.

In May 2020, Prime Minister Trudeau worked closely with Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica, as well as the United Nations Secretary-General to advance solutions to the global economic crisis occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic in a global leaders’ forum.

Prime Minister Holness and Prime Minister Trudeau also collaborated in November 2020 for a High-Level Event on Financing for Development in the Era of Covid-19 and Beyond in which they called for assistance to countries that did not have the financial cushion to cope with the economic fall-out from the pandemic.

They jointly advocated for the international community to increase the resources available to the International Monetary Fund, including through a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights and a voluntary reallocation of existing Special Drawing Rights to help teetering economies.

In October 2022, the Chairman of CARICOM Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname, and Prime Minister Trudeau held discussions on Haiti. The two leaders had agreed to continue to work together to advance a Haitian-led solution and encourage inclusive political dialogue among Haitian stakeholders. When CARICOM Heads and the Canadian Prime Minister meet in Nassau on February 16, they will continue the discussion on the evolving situation in Haiti.

Concerning the discussion with the head of the WTO, Ambassador Forde said that Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has taken a special interest in Small Island Developing States (SIDs) and is aware of the vulnerabilities [economic, social, environmental] CARICOM countries face.

“She is aware of the need for us to build resilience to the challenges of Climate Change and all of the struggles that our economies continue to face, and which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ambassador Forde said, adding, “it would be interesting to hear the message she will bring to CARICOM.”

Africa and the African Union were identified as “important partners” ASG Forde said as she touched on the engagement the CARICOM leaders will have with Prof. Oramah. She recalled the September 2021 CARICOM-Africa Summit in which the leaders committed to strengthening collaboration in trade, investment, and people-to-people contact.

“There should have been a follow-up Summit last year, but due to the intervening challenges from the pandemic, it was difficult to schedule that. We are hoping that the engagement with the President and Chairman of the African Export-Import Bank would signal a further strengthening of our engagements with African Institutions,” Amb. Forde said.

Sergio D?az-Granados is meeting with CARICOM Heads of Government as the Development Bank of Latin America seeks to strengthen linkages in CARICOM with a focus on post-COVID reconstruction and building green economies within Latin America and the Caribbean.

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Grenada to deport 15 Haitians

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

The Government of Grenada announced Monday that they would deport 15 Haitian nationals who entered the island as a group of tourists on Sunday.

Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, who is also the Minister for National Security and immigration, told a news conference that the French-speaking nationals had arrived on a flight from neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago.

“So, the immigration officers in their normal routine checks were able to ascertain to make the determination that in fact, they will be a charge on the public purse if they were in fact permitted to enter the state,” said Prime Minister Mitchell, noting that the decision was based on the amount of cash in the possession of the Haitians when they arrived.

He said that because Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping, there are very specific and limited grounds that can be used to prevent a Caricom national from entering a member state.

“One of which is a charge on the public purse and the second will be in broad terms, national security risk, in this case, it was purely on the basis of a charge on the public purse,” Mitchell said, indicating that the Haitians were unable to stay in a hotel for at least one night.

“If you are not a citizen of Grenada and you come to Grenada, you can only be staying at a hotel for at least one night unless you have a friend or family, and in the absence of friends or family it means that you have to be able to afford a hotel at least for one night,” he said.

“If you don’t have cash or credit card that allows you to afford a hotel for one night, it means you don’t have a place to stay, and if you don’t have a place to stay and we let you into our community what is going to happen, it means we as a state will have to take care of you,” he concluded.

Grenada is hoping to send them back on Monday night.

Mitchell acknowledged that the political and economic situation in Haiti will be discussed at the three-day Caricom summit to be held in the Bahamas starting Wednesday.

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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk concludes his official visit to Haiti

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

 

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UAE’s COP28 leader: ‘Fight climate change, not each other’

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

The United Arab Emirates’ pick to lead the upcoming COP28 climate talks in Dubai called on the world Tuesday to “fight climate change, not each other,” directly addressing the anger activists have felt over his selection.

Sultan al-Jaber, the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., also described the upcoming United Nations negotiations as an “unprecedented opportunity to engage the energy industry in atechnological revolution.”

His speech at the World Government Summit in Dubai sought to present his nominated presidency as a bridge between oil companies and climate activists long suspicious of the industry’s influence on efforts to limit carbon emissions. Whether it will, however, remainsin question.

“We need a major course correction,” al-Jaber said.

However, he added: “The strategies we pursue must leave no one behind. The policies we adopt must be pro-growth and pro-climate at the same time.”

Al-Jaber, a 49-year-old longtime climate envoy, is a trusted confidant of UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He’s been behind billions in investments in renewable energy — and also leads an oil company that pumps some 4 million barrels of crude aday and hopes to expand to 5 million daily.

Activists have equated his nomination to asking “arms dealers to lead peace talks” when authorities announced his nomination in January. However, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and France’s finance minister both have backed his selection by the UAE, a key Mideastally.

“There are moments in history when humanity comes together to fight a common threat. Let’s prove to ourselves that we can do it once again,” al-Jaber said. “Let’s put our differences aside. Fight climate change, not each other.”

Al-Jaber’s speech, which included portions he previously delivered in January, also acknowledged that “capital is critical to make the loss-and-damage fund real and operational.” That fund, agreed to at the COP27 talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, did notinclude a means by which to fund them. Al-Jaber’s speech also didn’t offer a suggestion on how to raise the money.

Al-Jaber did, however, call on the world to triple its renewable energy capacity, as well as expand nuclear power, improve battery storage and provide carbon-capture technology. He also drew applause from the largely Emirati audience by defending the OPEC-membernation hosting the climate talks.

“We in the UAE are not shying away from the energy transition,” al-Jaber said. “We are running towards it.”

Each year, the country hosting the U.N. negotiations known as the Conference of the Parties — where COP gets its name — nominates a person to chair the talks. Hosts typically pick a veteran diplomat as the talks can be difficult to steer between competing nations and their interests.

The nominee’s position as “COP president” is confirmed by delegates at the start of the talks, usually without objections. However, activists for weeks have been criticizing his selection.

COP28 will be held at Dubai’s Expo City from Nov. 30 through Dec.

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Haiti gangs: Three churchgoers kidnapped after Mass

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

Home Caribbean News

Gang members in Haiti have kidnapped three worshippers as they left a church in the capital, Port-au-Prince, after attending Sunday Mass.

Local media say the kidnappers are demanding high sums of money as ransom.

Kidnappings for ransom have skyrocketed in Haiti in recent years and clergy and places of worship are increasingly being targeted.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has described the situation as “a living nightmare”.

Witnesses said a couple and one other person who regularly attends services at the First Baptist Church in the centre of Port-au-Prince were snatched by gang members on Sunday morning local time.

Their kidnapping came just five days after a priest was seized on his way to his missionary community, located 27km (17 miles) north of the capital.

The Claretian Missionaries, the religious congregation he belongs to, said it had been contacted by the gang with a ransom demand.

There were more than 1,200 reported kidnappings in Haiti in 2022, double that of those reported the previous year.

But kidnapping is not the only crime that has been on the rise in Haiti.

A new UN report released last week highlights how gang violence has sharply increased in Brooklyn, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

It describes how one gang uses snipers to kill anyone entering its territory and how women are gang raped in front of their families to spread terror in gang-controlled areas.

UN High Commissioners for Human Rights Volker T?rk described the findings as “horrifying”.

“It paints a picture of how people are being harassed and terrorised by criminal gangs for months without the state being able to stop it,” Mr T?rk said.

Haiti was plunged into lawlessness following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021.

The country has been led by Prime Minister Ariel Henry since then, but he has failed to rein in the gangs which now control an estimated 60% of the capital.

Mr Henry has repeatedly called for the deployment of an international force to help police in their fight against the criminal gangs.

So far no country has offered to lead such a force but Mr Henry says it is key to providing security so that long-postponed elections can be held.

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Chomsky and Prashad: Cuba Is Not a State Sponsor of Terrorism

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

By Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad

Cuba, a country of 11 million people, has been under an illegal embargo by the United States government for over six decades.

Despite this embargo, Cuba’s people have been able to transcend the indignities of hunger, ill health, and illiteracy, all three being social plagues that continue to trouble much of the world.

Due to its innovations in health care delivery, for instance, Cuba has been able to send its medical workers to other countries, including during the pandemic, to provide vital assistance. Cuba exports its medical workers, not terrorism.

In the last days of the Trump administration, the U.S. government returned Cuba to its state sponsors of terrorism list.

This was a vindictive act. Trump said it was because Cuba played host to guerrilla groups from Colombia, which was actually part of Cuba’s role as host of the peace talks.

Cuba played a key role in bringing peace in Colombia, a country that has been wracked by a terrible civil war since 1948 that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. For two years, the Biden administration has maintained Trump’s vindictive policy, one that punishes Cuba not for terrorism but for the promotion of peace.

Biden can remove Cuba from this list with a stroke of his pen. It’s as simple as that. When he was running for the presidency, Biden said he would even reverse the harsher of Trump’s sanctions. But he has not done so. He must do so now.

Source: Globetrotter

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Insect production for animal feed in the Caribbean a step closer to reality

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in Trinidad and Tobago, the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus, and Fera Science Ltd. held its first mission in Trinidad and Tobago from 30 January to 3 February 2023, and achieved a major milestone. The purpose of the mission was to initiate preparations to establish an insect bioreactor pilot plant facility at the UWI Field Station. It was the first major step of the FAO led insect production project which is being implemented in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Grenada, and Jamaica.

On 2 February 2023 a virtual meeting was held with stakeholders which was attended by 84 people from across the Caribbean, and focused on raising awareness of the production and use of the Black Soldier Fly (BSF), as an alternative source of high-quality protein for poultry and aquaculture feed. The Black Soldier Fly has been researched extensively for animal feed globally and has shown to be easily reared in the tropics. It is also extremely suitable for animal feed as it contains high concentrations of the most important proteins and amino acids needed by livestock or farm animals.

During the initial phase of the project, the Insect Bioreactor Pilot Plant will be used for demonstration and training on the establishment of small-scale BSF production and primary processing units, along with the production of the BSF for Barbados, Grenada, and Jamaica. It will also be used for additional testing and field trials.

Insect production, a growing global industry, has the potential to substitute 25 percent to 100 percent of the popular protein inputs for animal feed in the Caribbean, specifically in the poultry, pig, and aquaculture sectors; which could significantly reduce the regional import bill for animal feed. Apart from establishing pilots of this novel animal feed production system in each of the project countries, the project will develop business cases to facilitate entrepreneurs’ access to finance, train farmers and extension staff on the use of “frass” – a by-product of insect rearing which is an organic fertilizer and, establish a knowledge hub on insect rearing at UWI to ensure the long-lasting impact of the project.

Dr Renata Clarke, Sub-regional Coordinator, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), who spoke avidly about the project indicated that, “We cannot transform agriculture if the cost of critical inputs like animal feed and fertilizer remains incredibly high and largely imported. How can we begin to address the cost of a healthy diet if we do not seriously explore technologies that can improve production efficiency? We cannot expect youth to take agriculture seriously as a profession unless we facilitate modern solutions that are demonstrably economical and open the door for fulfilling careers in agriculture. We should move with greater urgency so as to avoid delays in investing in the circular economy – as the issues of the environment are way too pressing, particularly for us. This project responds to all these necessities and more. I expect this project to be transformative and impactful”.

Damian Malins, Venturing Projects Director, Mission Lead for Fera Science Ltd. and project partner stated, “Population growth, climate change and the dual challenges of ensuring food security and food safety, are impacting all areas of the agri-food chains across the Caribbean and worldwide. At Fera, we recognize that insect protein has enormous potential to respond to these challenges as a high quality, safe and sustainably sourced ingredient of animal feed which can displace soy and fishmeal when blended into animal diets. As a specialist and world leading expert scientific services laboratory, with over 100 years heritage of “protecting you, what you eat and the world in which we live”, we are bringing our expertise in insect farming, food safety and novel protein production to the Caribbean”.

Another key partner in the project is the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Dr Ronald Roopnarine, researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA), UWI has been leading the organization and logistics for the project activities overseen by the UWI. He emphasized, “Food security has been a long-standing concern in the region, the emergence of the COVID-19 virus and recent global conflicts have amplified these concerns and propelled Caribbean SIDS to reconsider the structure of their agriculture sectors towards more self-sufficiency and innovation”.

Meanwhile, Roshni Ramsingh, Project Focal Point, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, indicated, “Agriculture has to constantly evolve, just like the very first farmers who scattered grass seeds around their settlements instead of wandering in search of edible grasses, we too must continually re-tool ourselves. Adopting insects as a brand-new item in our tool kit as we search for new and innovative ways to feed our population will provide value beyond their substitution costs in the feed rations. The synergism of removing wastes by feeding them to insects that are then fed to livestock which form part of our food web will redound through the entire sector adding value and opening avenues we can barely glimpse”.

As the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States work diligently to reduce the region’s large food import bill, by 25 percent by 2025, special attention has been given to efforts to increase production of selected commodities including livestock to meet growing protein needs and substitute for imported products. Livestock feed often comprises up to 70 percentage of the production costs and continues to be a binding constraint for the expansion and sustainability of the livestock sector given that between 40 and 50 million USD in compound animal feed is being imported yearly. Insect production is therefore not only a feasible solution, but also provides tremendous opportunities for livelihoods, including among women, youth, and vulnerable groups.

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