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  • 60 years since Selassie’s visit: Some notable Jamaicans who crossed paths with the Emperor

    60 years since Selassie’s visit: Some notable Jamaicans who crossed paths with the Emperor

    April 21 marks six decades since one of the most culturally transformative visits to Jamaican soil: the state arrival of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. When the small-statured monarch touched down at Kingston’s then-Palisadoes Airport, tens of thousands of onlookers flooded the tarmac to catch a sight of him — among them throngs of passionate Rastafarians, who have long revered Selassie I as the divine incarnation of God.

    Selassie I’s four-day Jamaican tour in 1966 formed part of a broader Caribbean itinerary, which included stops in Trinidad and Tobago ahead of his Jamaica visit, followed by a trip to Haiti after departing Kingston. For Jamaica’s large Rastafarian community, the visit was far more than a routine diplomatic stopover: the movement’s beliefs center on Selassie I as the Supreme Being, tracing his ancestral lineage directly back to the biblical King Solomon.

    The groundwork for the Emperor’s visit was laid years earlier, rooted in growing cultural and political connection between Jamaica’s Rastafarian community and Ethiopia. In 1960, Rastafarian leaders partnered with three academics from the University of the West Indies (UWI) — M G Smith, Roy Augier, and Rex Nettleford — to conduct the first formal major study of the Rastafarian movement. The following year, the Jamaican government authorized a three-person Rastafarian delegation, including Mortimo Planno, Douglas Mack, and Philmore Alvaranga, to conduct a fact-finding mission to Africa, where the group met Selassie I in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. A second government-funded technical research delegation also traveled to the continent that same year, deepening the ties that would lead to Selassie I’s historic 1966 visit.

    For context, Haile Selassie I was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930, ruled the East African nation for more than four decades, and was ultimately overthrown by a communist military junta in September 1974. He died in state custody in August 1975 at the age of 83. To mark the 60th anniversary of the Jamaican visit, Jamaica’s Observer Online collected firsthand recollections from figures who either met or witnessed the Emperor during his 1966 tour. Below are their accounts, which preserve the enduring cultural impact of the visit:

    ### Mortimo Planno
    Born in Cuba, Planno was one of the founding pioneers of the Jamaican Rastafarian movement, best known for his revolutionary open-air “binghi” teaching gatherings in Kingston’s iconic Trench Town neighborhood. Many of his students went on to become global reggae legends, including Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer (born Bunny Livingston), the core members of The Wailers. Planno was part of the 1961 Jamaican government-sanctioned delegation that met Selassie I in Addis Ababa, and during the 1966 arrival, he was the figure who greeted the Emperor at the aircraft door to guide him down the stairs to Jamaican soil. Planno, widely known by his Rastafarian name Kumi, died in 2006 at the age of 76.

    ### Justice Ronald Small
    Born to parents who were followers of the pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey, Ronald Small made history as Jamaica’s first Black Supreme Court justice. On April 21, 1966, he was the first person scheduled to greet Selassie I at an official reception at King’s House, Jamaica’s official government residence. His youngest son, Robin “Jerry” Small, who was 18 and a practicing Rastafarian at the time of the visit, told Observer Online that Selassie I personally extended an invitation for his father to visit Ethiopia — an invitation Justice Small never acted on. Jerry Small recalled, “He told me that was the biggest mistake of his life. He said meeting Selassie was the proudest moment of his life.” Two of Justice Small’s other sons, Hugh and Richard, went on to become prominent Jamaican lawyers. He died in 2005 at 97 years old.

    ### Bruce Golding
    During Selassie I’s visit, Bruce Golding was a student and head boy at Jamaica College, one of the island’s most prestigious secondary schools, which hosted a brief stop by the Emperor on April 22, 1966. Golding would go on to become a Member of Parliament and serve as Jamaica’s Prime Minister from 2007 to 2011. Recalling the visit in a 2021 interview with the Jamaica Observer, Golding explained: “In my day, the head boy had significant authority as well as responsibility in terms of discipline. Not only was I informed of the visit, but I was involved and we greeted His Imperial Majesty as he stepped out of his vehicle. He didn’t spend a long time. As a matter of fact, he was on his way to the University of the West Indies. He inspected a guard of honour of the cadet corps and when he was leaving, I said, ‘Three cheers for the Emperor!’”

    ### Dr Peter Phillips
    Dr. Phillips was a sixth-form student at Jamaica College when Selassie I stopped at the campus, the alma mater of former Jamaican Prime Minister Norman Manley and other national luminaries. In a 2020 interview with the Jamaica Observer, he reflected on the immediate impact of seeing the Emperor: “We were just there mesmerised by the very powerful presence of this African monarch. One of the things that the visit did was to impel us to learn more, and part of that learning more was through contact with Rastafarians in Jamaica.” Shortly after graduating from Jamaica College, Phillips converted to Rastafarianism. He went on to become a UWI lecturer, a cabinet minister for the People’s National Party, and eventually led the opposition party until 2020.

    ### Copeland Forbes
    Forbes, a member of the Boy Scouts of Jamaica, was assigned the official role of opening the car door for Selassie I throughout the visit — a role he had previously filled for Britain’s Princess Margaret during Jamaica’s 1962 independence ceremony at the National Stadium. Recalling the chaotic, joyful scenes at Palisadoes Airport in an interview with American author David Katz, Forbes described the arrival as a nearly spiritual experience: “That experience is something I will never forget. I don’t know if you want to call it a miracle, but it was raining heavy, and when the plane popped over the clouds, the sun came out. When the plane touched down on the runway, the pilot pulled the window open and put out an Ethiopian flag, and the plane was surrounded by hundreds; I saw people leaning up by the plane wheel, smoking a chalice, and drum beating, so the official welcome party had to be abandoned.” After the visit, Forbes became a leading figure in the global reggae industry, managing iconic acts including Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Black Uhuru, Dennis Brown, and Luciano.

    ### Fred Locks
    At 16 years old, the aspiring reggae singer was living in East Kingston’s Harbour View neighborhood when he heard the radio announcement that Selassie I’s motorcade was approaching the local Harbour View roundabout. Overcome with excitement as the procession arrived, Locks recalled running into the street to get within five yards of the Emperor, who returned the moment with a warm salute. “I find myself running and reached out like five yards in front of him. And His Majesty was saluting, and I was hearing in my head, ‘Oh ye of so little faith’. I said, ‘wow! I was astonished, I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t want to go home,’” he remembered. Locks went on to build a successful decades-long career in reggae, and his 1975 anthem *Black Star Liner*, centered on the Rastafarian call for repatriation to Africa, remains one of the genre’s most iconic tracks.

  • ICT Authority marks first anniversary with launch of JDXP

    ICT Authority marks first anniversary with launch of JDXP

    On April 10, Jamaica’s ICT Authority celebrated one full year since its transition from eGov Jamaica Limited, hosting a special media launch to mark the institutional milestone and unveil a transformative new infrastructure for the island nation’s digital government strategy.

    The anniversary gathering was more than a retrospective celebration of progress: it served as a formal introduction to the Jamaica Data Exchange Platform (JDXP), a flagship initiative that stands as the most significant advancement in Jamaica’s public sector digital integration in recent years. Delivering the event’s keynote address, Minister of Efficiency, Innovation and Digital Transformation Audrey Marks reinforced the Jamaican government’s unwavering commitment to building a public sector that is more connected, operationally efficient, and centered on the needs of everyday citizens.

    Unlike the fragmented, disconnected digital systems that have long hampered public service delivery across Jamaican government agencies, the JDXP functions as a national interoperability backbone that enables frictionless information sharing and cross-agency communication. By breaking down long-standing data silos, the platform cuts down on redundant work, eliminates unnecessary administrative delays, and unifies disjointed agency systems – changes that directly translate to faster, more reliable public services for Jamaican residents.

    In her remarks, Minister Marks framed the platform as a fundamental paradigm shift for Jamaica’s public administration. “The JDXP represents a simple but powerful shift from data silos to data sharing, from fragmented systems to an integrated government, from slow manual processes to real-time seamless services,” she explained. “It will transform how ministries, departments, and agencies collaborate, ultimately improving the experience for every citizen.”

    Anika Shuttleworth, Chief Information Officer of the ICT Authority, emphasized that the launch of the JDXP is not an isolated project, but a core milestone in the authority’s broader institutional transformation agenda. She noted that in an increasingly unpredictable global landscape, digital upgrading is no longer a discretionary upgrade for national governments, but a critical foundation for public service resilience and effective delivery. “Platforms like the Jamaica Data Exchange Platform will allow government entities to communicate seamlessly, reducing duplication and improving the experience for every citizen,” Shuttleworth added.

    The event also included a ceremonial unveiling of a custom commemorative plaque for the ICT Authority, a symbolic marker of the organization’s evolution from its former iteration as eGov Jamaica Limited and its redefined mandate to lead digital change across Jamaica’s entire public sector. Over its first year of operation, the agency has prioritized three core priorities: strengthening digital governance frameworks, expanding and upgrading national digital infrastructure, and cultivating a culture of innovation within government operations. The launch of the JDXP stands as the pivotal achievement of this first year of work, bringing the authority one step closer to its end goal of a fully integrated, efficient national digital public ecosystem.

    As the ICT Authority enters its second year of operations, leadership has reaffirmed its commitment to developing technology-driven solutions that boost public sector efficiency, increase government transparency, and lift quality of life for all Jamaican people.

  • Seiveright urges college students to adapt in rapidly evolving world

    Seiveright urges college students to adapt in rapidly evolving world

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — At a youth-focused forum held last Thursday on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), organized by the Mona Campus Youth League in partnership with the UWI Guild of Students, Delano Seiveright, State Minister for Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, delivered a rousing call to action for the island’s emerging workforce. Seiveright challenged attending students to abandon rigid, outdated career planning and pivot toward agile, forward-thinking strategies, stressing that the accelerating pace of global transformation has rendered traditional, slow-moving approaches obsolete.

    Seiveright opened his address by emphasizing that the world is evolving faster than at any other moment in recorded human history. Where major paradigm shifts once took centuries or decades to reshape global society, he noted, meaningful change now unfolds over mere months, meaning missed moments of opportunity rarely come around again. Tracing the arc of technological progress from the 15th-century invention of the printing press through the breakthroughs of electricity, automobile manufacturing, broadcast radio and television, cellular communications, and the modern internet and social media era, Seiveright argued that today’s young people face a unique requirement for constant adaptation that previous generations never needed.

    “Static skills and a fixed 40-year career plan can no longer carry you to success,” Seiveright told the crowd of students. “The leaders and achievers of this era are those who act quickly, commit to lifelong learning, and adjust their paths at the first sign of shifting tides.”

    Beyond adaptability, Seiveright pressed students to expand their professional horizons far beyond Jamaica’s national borders. With Jamaica’s population sitting at roughly 2.8 million, he noted, the island is embedded in a far larger regional and global marketplace: the broader Caribbean counts 45 million consumers, North America adds more than 390 million, and Latin America contributes an additional 660 million. Voluntarily limiting one’s ambitions to the local market, he argued, is an unnecessary restriction on personal and professional potential.

    Crucially, Seiveright pointed out that digital innovation and the rise of remote work have removed historic barriers to international economic participation. Jamaican workers and creators no longer need to relocate abroad to access global markets and earn foreign currency, opening new pathways to prosperity that were unavailable to previous generations.

    A core highlight of the minister’s presentation centered on the under-tapped economic potential of Jamaica’s creative industries, a sector he identified as one of the country’s most promising untapped growth areas. From globally renowned music to large-scale entertainment events and digital content creation, Seiveright noted that the global creative economy generates massive revenue, pointing to Jamaica’s own world-famous events including Reggae Sumfest, Dream Weekend, Best Weekend Ever, Sandz and Zimi as proof of the sector’s local capacity.

    He held up three prominent Jamaican creative entrepreneurs — Andrew Bellamy, Romeich Major and Kamal Bankay — as models for young people to follow. Notably, both Bellamy and Bankay are UWI Mona graduates who built their successful companies from humble beginnings, proving that creative culture is far more than artistic expression: it is a viable, high-growth business. Seiveright also pushed back against the cultural default of relying solely on traditional 9-to-5 employment, noting that in an era of rising living costs, global competition, and rapid technological change, a single full-time job is often no longer enough to sustain financial security. Instead, he encouraged students to pursue multiple streams of income, building side projects and independent ventures alongside traditional careers.

    Seiveright also emphasized two underrated skills that drive long-term success: intentional professional networking and emotional intelligence, noting that the vast majority of valuable career opportunities emerge through informal professional connections rather than formal job application channels.

    Turning to one of the most transformative modern technologies, artificial intelligence, Seiveright framed the AI boom as one of the most significant economic shifts of the 21st century, not a passing fad. Global corporate and venture investment in AI is projected to hit $2.5 trillion by 2026 — a sum more than 100 times the size of Jamaica’s entire annual gross domestic product. “Those who learn to leverage these AI tools will expand their opportunities and reach exponentially,” he said. “Those who ignore them will be left behind.”

    Closing his address, Seiveright urged students to take decisive action immediately, rather than overplanning or waiting for the “perfect moment” to pursue new opportunities. Opportunities already exist across every core sector of Jamaica’s economy, from agriculture and culture to professional services and technology, he said. The only question is whether young people are prepared to seize them. “No one is going to build your future for you,” Seiveright concluded. “Start where you are, use what you have, think globally, and move.”

  • Caribbean urged to prepare for hotter, drier conditions as El Niño develops

    Caribbean urged to prepare for hotter, drier conditions as El Niño develops

    BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Regional climate scientists are sounding the alarm, calling on Caribbean governments, private sector actors, agricultural producers, and local communities to put proactive preparedness measures in place ahead of a developing El Niño event forecast to bring prolonged high heat and severe dry conditions across the Caribbean between 2026 and 2027.

    El Niño, the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate cycle, forms every two to seven years when surface ocean temperatures rise across the central and eastern tropical Pacific. This warming weakens the normally persistent easterly trade winds, allowing warm ocean water to shift eastward across the Pacific, a shift that ripples through global weather systems and triggers far-reaching environmental disruption.

    Dr. Cedric Van Meerbeeck, a climatologist at the Barbados-headquartered Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), explains that this upcoming event is projected to bring extended stretches of below-average rainfall combined with dangerously humid high temperatures. These conditions will strain regional water supplies, disrupt agricultural production, raise the risk of widespread heat stress, and exacerbate dry conditions across the region.

    Without comprehensive advance planning, CIMH warns that the cascading, overlapping hazards triggered by El Niño will cause severe socio-economic damage across the Caribbean. Historically, El Niño events have been tied to catastrophic regional droughts, including the major dry spells of 2009–2010 and 2014–2016. The climate pattern also amplifies risks of extreme heat events, out-of-control wildfires, and marine heatwaves that drive mass coral bleaching.

    These overlapping, destructive impacts were already seen during the record-breaking hot years of 2010, 2023, and 2024. Regions already facing ongoing drought, particularly across the Eastern Caribbean, could see extremely slow recovery of groundwater and surface water reserves during the upcoming wet season, which is set to begin as early as May 2026.

    While El Niño is historically associated with reduced Atlantic hurricane activity, Dr. Van Meerbeeck stressed that hurricane and storm risk cannot be dismissed: even a single powerful storm or intense rainfall event can cause catastrophic damage, as seen when Hurricane Andrew battered the Bahamas in 1992 and Tropical Storm Erika devastated Dominica in 2015.

    Professor Michael Taylor, co-director of the University of the West Indies Climate Studies Group Mona (UWI CSGM), noted that current forecasts point to the emergence of a new multi-hazard climate regime, where extreme heat, drought, and marine environmental damage occur simultaneously and amplify one another.

    “Our research has long identified these compound extreme events as a major threat to lives and livelihoods across the Caribbean,” Taylor said. “With advance warning of this looming overlapping threat, preparedness is not optional—it requires coordinated, cross-sector action and a unified regional approach.”

    Both CIMH and UWI CSGM confirm that this emerging climate pattern reflects a broader shift toward more complex, interconnected climate risks that threaten the Caribbean’s most critical sectors, including agriculture, water management, energy, and public health.

    Reduced rainfall paired with elevated temperatures will likely drive widespread agricultural losses, undermining regional food security and threatening the livelihoods of rural communities. Public health risks will also rise, with impacts on drinking water quality, increased transmission of vector-borne diseases, and a spike in heat-related illnesses. Water and energy infrastructure will come under growing strain, as demand for cooling rises—particularly in nations that depend on hydroelectric power or energy production cooled by freshwater.

    Broader economic disruptions will also hit key regional industries, including tourism, fisheries, and maritime shipping. Because the Caribbean relies heavily on imported goods, global supply chain disruptions linked to El Niño will impact trade, logistics, and access to essential goods and services. Governments have been urged to proactively assess risks to supply chains, transportation networks, and critical trade routes.

    For example, recent drought events have already disrupted operations at the Panama Canal, a key transit hub for goods bound for the Caribbean and U.S. East Coast ports. These disruptions directly harm regional food security and drive up the cost of living across Caribbean nations.

    El Niño forecast accuracy typically improves significantly starting in May, so Dr. Van Meerbeeck is urging all stakeholders to monitor evolving forecasts and impacts closely, adding that regional climate teams will continue tracking conditions and releasing timely public updates. He encourages decision-makers and the general public to watch for outcomes from the next Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF), hosted by CIMH and scheduled for the week of May 24.

    At the forum, regional climate experts and staff from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services will collaborate with national, regional, and international stakeholders from climate-sensitive sectors to deliver targeted guidance ahead of the upcoming wet season and Atlantic hurricane season.

    CIMH Principal Dr. David Farrell emphasized that early awareness and proactive preparedness are critical, noting that timely, actionable climate information is foundational to effective decision-making across the region.

    “Proactive measures are essential to reduce the impact of extreme weather on climate-sensitive sectors, vulnerable communities, and national economies,” Farrell said, reinforcing CIMH’s long-term commitment to strengthening regional climate resilience. He added that the institute has strategically expanded its services to place greater focus on water resources, marine ecosystems, earth observation, and climate forecasting, to support the development of more effective early warning systems across the Caribbean.

    In recent years, CIMH has dedicated substantial resources to studying how climate hazards like El Niño generate cascading, cross-sector impacts that lead to widespread socio-economic harm across the region. This research informs the design of risk-informed climate adaptation programs, which are core to building Caribbean resilience to long-term climate change and growing climate variability.

    Farrell concluded that strengthening early warning systems and expanding public access to clear, actionable climate information remains the top priority for boosting regional preparedness, and thanked regional governments and international development partners for their ongoing support of CIMH’s work to improve early warning infrastructure across the Caribbean.

  • US official says gas prices have peaked despite Iran war

    US official says gas prices have peaked despite Iran war

    Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump publicly called out his top energy official for a more muted assessment of volatile fuel costs, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has offered a sunnier outlook, telling a Senate committee Tuesday that national gasoline prices appear to have already hit their highest point following a jump tied to escalating tensions around the Iran conflict.

    Speaking before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Wright acknowledged that long-term forecasts for energy markets remain uncertain, but pointed to early market indicators that suggest the recent upward price spike has already run its course. “I don’t know the future of energy prices — often I will speculate or look at those things. I would say, gasoline prices, it looks like they peaked about a week or so ago,” Wright told the panel during the oversight hearing.

    Wright also drew a direct comparison between current price levels and the record peaks recorded under the prior administration of Joe Biden, noting that this year’s highest per-gallon price remains one full dollar lower than the all-time record set during Biden’s tenure. He framed the current price trajectory as a notable win for the administration even amid ongoing geopolitical upheaval in one of the world’s most critical energy-producing regions. “Yet we’re in the midst of ending a 47-year conflict in the Middle East, a major energy-producing region,” he added, positioning the administration’s handling of energy markets as a strong point amid widespread public concern over household fuel costs.

  • A moment of rare distinction: Collector acquires Appleton Estate 51-year-old cask rum

    A moment of rare distinction: Collector acquires Appleton Estate 51-year-old cask rum

    On April 20, a passionate rum enthusiast added one of the world’s most elusive spirits to their private collection: the ultra-exclusive Appleton Estate 51-year-old cask rum, a limited release with only 25 bottles circulating globally. The rare bottle was successfully delivered to its new owner shortly after the purchase, marking a milestone moment in the decades-long legacy of Jamaican rum craftsmanship. The occasion was made even more memorable when the collector got the chance to meet with legendary Appleton Estate Master Blender Dr. Joy Spence, who walked them through the labor-intensive, generations-old process of creating this one-of-a-kind spirit and shared the layered cultural and historical symbolism embedded in every design and production choice.

    First distilled in traditional copper pot stills and barreled on July 31, 1973, this rum has aged undisturbed exclusively in Jamaica’s warm tropical climate for more than 50 years, earning it the distinction of being the oldest tropically matured rum ever released to the market. To cap off the meeting, Dr. Spence added her personal signature to the bottle, a mark that further confirms its authentic provenance and one-of-a-kind rarity.

    Every detail of the bottle’s presentation is intentionally crafted to honor Appleton Estate’s roots and Jamaican heritage: its luminous aquamarine coloring pays homage to the estate’s pristine iconic water source, polished copper accents nod to the distillery’s historic pot stills, and an engraving of Jamaica’s national bird, the Doctor Bird, anchors the design to the island’s national identity. Even the intricately carved backboard that frames the bottle carries meaning, created to celebrate the central role sugar cane plays in the rum-making process. Taken together, these thoughtful touches turn a premium spirit into a tangible work of art rooted in generations of craft.

    The flavor profile of the 51-year-old rum is just as extraordinary as its backstory. A single sip unfolds into a carefully balanced medley of complementary notes: bright smoky orange leads the experience, layered over rich dried fig, sweet honey-kissed raisins, warm spiced fruit, aromatic cinnamon, smooth maple, and creamy vanilla, before fading into a long, elegant, lingering finish of mature oak. This unparalleled tasting experience lives up to the rum’s iconic legacy, delivering complexity and depth that few aged spirits can match.

    More than just a high-value addition to a private collection, this 51-year-old expression stands as a definitive testament to Jamaican craftsmanship and the unwavering skill of Appleton Estate’s team of blenders and distillers. It is a timeless treasure, an enduring symbol of the passion, cultural heritage, and relentless commitment to perfection that has defined Appleton Estate rum for generations.

  • Florida man faces execution after 35 years on Death Row

    Florida man faces execution after 35 years on Death Row

    RAIFORD, Fla. – A Florida man who has spent more than three decades awaiting execution for the 1990 murder of his neighbor is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at the state’s Raiford prison on Tuesday, marking one of a growing number of executions carried out across the United States in recent years.

    Chadwick Willacy, 58, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 for the killing of 56-year-old Marlys Sather during a home burglary at Sather’s property. His 35-year stint on Death Row places him among the longest-serving inmates awaiting capital punishment in the state.

    Willacy’s upcoming execution will be the seventh carried out across the U.S. in 2026 to date. Of those seven, four have taken place in Florida alone, with two more in Texas and one in Oklahoma, according to data collected on national capital punishment usage.

    Last year, the U.S. recorded 47 executions nationwide, the highest annual number recorded since 2009, when 52 inmates were put to death. Florida led all states in 2025 with 19 executions, far outpacing the next highest: Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each carried out five executions over the same 12-month period.

    Lethal injection remains the most common method of execution nationwide, accounting for 39 of last year’s 47 executions. Three inmates were executed by firing squad, while five were killed via nitrogen hypoxia, a relatively new method that pumps pure nitrogen gas into a sealed face mask to cause suffocation.

    Nitrogen hypoxia has faced widespread international condemnation, with United Nations human rights experts labeling the practice cruel, inhumane, and a violation of basic human rights standards. Despite this criticism, a growing number of U.S. death penalty states have adopted the method as an alternative when lethal injection drugs are difficult to source.

    Capital punishment remains a deeply divided policy issue across the U.S. To date, 23 of the country’s 50 states have abolished the death penalty entirely, and three additional states – California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania – maintain formal moratoriums halting all executions. However, capital punishment retains strong support among conservative political circles: former President and current 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump has repeatedly positioned himself as a vocal backer of the death penalty, and has publicly called for expanding its use to target what he describes as “the vilest crimes.”

    The upcoming execution of Willacy comes as conservative-led state legislatures in a number of death penalty states have pushed to speed up execution timelines and expand the list of crimes eligible for capital punishment, reversing decades of gradual decline in the use of the practice nationwide.

  • Venus Williams exits in first round of Madrid Open

    Venus Williams exits in first round of Madrid Open

    MADRID, Spain — The opening day of main draw action at the 2025 Madrid Open delivered a slew of unexpected results on Tuesday, headlined by an upset of tennis legend Venus Williams at the hands of local wildcard hopeful Kaitlin Quevedo. The 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion, who was competing in her first clay-court event in five years, could not find her rhythm against the 20-year-old, falling in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.

    Currently ranked 479th in the WTA global rankings, Williams’ first-round exit extends a disappointing 2025 season to date, marking her seventh consecutive loss in competitive matches this year. Play on the iconic Estadio Manolo Santana was hampered by gusty cross-court wind, which contributed to a string of unforced errors from both competitors. Quevedo, ranked 140th in the world and competing in her first ever WTA 1000 main draw, proved far more consistent through the choppy conditions, taking the first set comfortably.

    Williams appeared to turn the tide early in the second set, jumping out to a commanding 3-0 lead, but a sudden rain shower forced a stoppage as crews closed the centre court roof. When play resumed, Quevedo shifted into high gear, winning five straight games to close out the match and book her spot in the tournament’s second round.

    Williams was not the only high-profile name to exit early on Spanish clay. Former world number two Paula Badosa, a native of Spain competing in her hometown tournament, was eliminated in a three-set battle against Julia Grabher. Badosa dropped the opening set in a tiebreak 7-3, bounced back to take the second set 6-4, but collapsed in the final set, surrendering six consecutive games to lose 0-6, bowing out in the first round.

    Another former Grand Slam semifinalist also suffered a shocking early exit: 2023 Roland Garros semifinalist Beatriz Haddad Maia was dominated 6-1, 6-1 by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, never finding traction in the lopsided defeat. In another opening round clash, 2024 French Open breakout star Lois Boisson struggled mightily in her first match back from a long injury layoff, falling 6-1, 6-3 to American Peyton Stearns in just 63 minutes on court. Boisson, who stunned the tennis world by reaching the Roland Garros semifinals last year as the world number 361, had not competed since September and only managed to win four games total against Stearns.

    With the victory, Stearns advances to a highly anticipated second round matchup against top-ranked defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who has claimed the Madrid Open title three times in her career.

  • Harvey Weinstein rape retrial hears opening arguments

    Harvey Weinstein rape retrial hears opening arguments

    More than six years after explosive sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein ignited the global #MeToo movement, a Manhattan state supreme court jury has begun hearing the disgraced Hollywood film mogul’s retrial on a third-degree rape charge brought by actress Jessica Mann.

    The 74-year-old former producer, who uses a wheelchair due to chronic poor health, already remains behind bars serving a 16-year sentence for a separate 2022 rape conviction in California stemming from an assault on a European actress more than a decade ago. He is currently appealing that conviction, as well as a lower-court conviction from his first 2023 New York trial. Regardless of the outcome of this retrial, Weinstein will not be released from custody.

    This retrial marks a second attempt to prosecute the Mann case, after a mistrial was declared last June. The initial proceeding collapsed when the jury foreperson withdrew amid internal conflict within the jury room and refused to continue deliberations. In that first trial, the jury did convict Weinstein of sexual assault against former film producer Miriam Haley, while acquitting him on the same charge brought by Polish-born actress Kaja Sokola.

    For this new proceeding, Weinstein has assembled an entirely new defense team led by prominent high-profile attorney Marc Agnifilo, who currently represents rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in his own ongoing legal battles.

    Weinstein, who is being held at New York’s Rikers Island jail complex, has previously claimed he faces constant threats and harassment from other incarcerated people at the facility, forcing officials to hold him in almost permanent solitary confinement. In an interview with *The Hollywood Reporter* earlier this year, he stated, “I’m constantly threatened and derided. I wouldn’t last long out there.”

    Long before the 2017 reckoning, Weinstein’s reputation as a powerful, temperamental industry kingmaker was paired with open industry rumors that he abused his position to sexually harass and assault young women seeking careers in Hollywood. Those rumors became public in October 2017, when *The New York Times* and *The New Yorker* published blockbuster investigative reports detailing decades of alleged abuse from more than a dozen accusers. The publication of those reports triggered a wave of additional allegations from more than 80 women total, and sparked the #MeToo movement that reshaped global conversations about sexual harassment and gender-based power abuse across all industries.

  • Paulwell demands answers on Petrojam price cap

    Paulwell demands answers on Petrojam price cap

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a pointed address during the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in Jamaica’s House of Representatives on Tuesday, opposition energy spokesperson Phillip Paulwell has publicly challenged the ruling government to deliver clear, time-bound details about the fuel price cap imposed on state-owned oil refinery Petrojam, a policy Paulwell argues has accelerated the facility’s financial decline and fostered unaccountable government interference.

    Paulwell, drawing attention to the refinery’s once-solid track record of consistent annual profits, noted that Petrojam is now staring down its third straight year of steep financial contraction, a downturn that has coincided with the implementation of the controversial price cap. Energy Minister Daryl Vaz first confirmed the policy’s existence in an April 14 post-Cabinet media briefing, where he disclosed that a $4.50 per unit cap has been placed on fuel sold by Petrojam. The measure was introduced to shield Jamaican consumers from the full brunt of global oil price spikes triggered by heightened Middle East conflict that broke out on February 28, preventing the entire cost increase from being passed on to everyday motorists and households.

    However, Vaz has already acknowledged that the cap is financially unsustainable. He warned that if the policy remains in place through the end of June, Petrojam will accumulate a staggering $11.8 billion in losses. For Paulwell, the sudden disclosure of the cap after years of declining profits raises urgent unanswered questions: When exactly was the price cap formally implemented? How does the policy align with the previously transparent weekly petroleum pricing framework that once governed the sector?

    The opposition spokesperson argued that arbitrary tampering with Petrojam’s pricing mechanism has deepened public distrust over disproportionate government meddling in the state-owned refinery’s core operations. Rather than forcing the facility to absorb unplanned cost hikes to protect consumers, Paulwell said the government should instead adjust its tax rates on fuel — a policy change that would relieve consumer pressure without putting Petrojam’s long-term solvency at risk.

    Paulwell also pushed for full parliamentary disclosure of Petrojam’s current operational standing, demanding Minister Vaz present a detailed, credible, costed strategy to return the 40-year-old refinery to sustained profitability. The facility, which has already lost billions of dollars over the past three financial years, relies on outdated technology that drags down operational efficiency and pushes up running costs. Paulwell emphasized that the previous administration had already mapped out a clear path forward, including a targeted expansion and modernization program that has since been sidelined. He rejected calls for new consultant-led assessments of alternative operating models, arguing that solutions have already been identified.

    Without full transparency and a clear recovery plan, Paulwell warned, Jamaican taxpayers will continue to be on the hook for mounting losses at a failing enterprise with no clear path to recovery. He compared the current approach of forcing Petrojam to operate under the unsustainable price cap to “carrying water in a basket” — a futile exercise that will only deliver years of continued red ink and public financial burden.