Janet Jackson reveals that Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman and Samuel L. Jackson are related to her
(CNN) — Janet Jackson has quite the family tree.
In an interview with Scott Mills on BBC Sounds, Jackson was asked if it was true that she is related to another legendary singer, Stevie Wonder.
“He’s our cousin,” Jackson said as Mills expressed shock. “Not a lot of people know that. He’s our cousin on my mother’s side.”
But that wasn’t all.
Jackson added, “So is Tracy Chapman. So is Samuel L. Jackson.”
Mills was all of us as his mind was blown. He got Jackson to further confirm that Wonder, Chapman and Jackson are indeed all cousins.
She even joked that Samuel L. Jackson, famed for his roles in films in “Pulp Fiction,” “Captain Marvel” and “Snakes on a Plane,” is not one of her brothers despite their shared last name.
Janet Jackson is currently on a tour which celebrates her decades of hits. And she’s not the only Jackson family member who is riding the wave of success.
Chapman, who is well known for being intensely private, has been enjoying a bit of a career revival, thanks to country artist Luke Combs covering her hit 1988 single “Fast Car.”
That cover reaching No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart last year made Chapman the first Black woman to top the chart since the chart came into existence in 1990.
She and Combs earned a standing ovation for their performance in February at the Grammys.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Wonder, Chapman and Samuel L. Jackson for comment.
Japan PM Kishida to step down as scandals prove too much
TOKYO, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will step down in September, ending a three-year term marred by political scandals and paving the way for a new premier to address the impact of rising prices.
"Politics cannot function without public trust," Kishida said in a press conference on Wednesday to announce his decision not to seek re-election as the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader.
"I will now focus on supporting the newly elected LDP leader as a rank-and-file member of the party," he said.
His decision to quit triggers a contest to replace him as president of the party, and by extension as the leader of the world's fourth-biggest economy.
Kishida's public support has been sliding amid revelations about the LDP's ties to the controversial Unification Church and political donations made at party fundraising events that went unrecorded.
But he also faced public discontent over the failure of wages to keep track with the rising cost of living as the country finally shook off years of deflationary pressure.
"An LDP incumbent prime minister cannot run in the presidential race unless he's assured of a victory. It's like the grand champion yokozunas of sumo. You don't just win, but you need to win with grace," said Koichi Nakano, political science professor at Sophia University.
Who ever succeeds Kishida as the head of the LDP will have to unite a fractious ruling group and tackle the rising cost of living, escalating geopolitical tensions with China, and the potential return of Donald Trump as U.S. president next year.
COVID TO INFLATION
As the country's eighth-longest serving post-war leader, Kishida led Japan out of the COVID pandemic with massive stimulus spending. He also appointed Kazuo Ueda as head of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), an academic tasked with ending his predecessor's radical monetary stimulus.
The BOJ in July unexpectedly raised interest rates as inflation took hold, contributing to stock market instability and sending the yen sharply lower.
Kishida's departure could mean tighter fiscal and monetary conditions depending on the candidate, according to Shoki Omori, chief Japan desk strategist at Mizuho Securities in Tokyo.
"In short, risk-assets, particularly equities, will likely be hit the most," he said.
In another break from the past, Kishida also eschewed corporate profit-driven trickle-down economics in favour of policies aimed at boosting household incomes, including wage hikes and promoting share ownership.
DEFENCE SPENDING
Despite that departure on the economy, he stuck with the hawkish security policies of predecessor Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022.
He unveiled Japan's biggest military buildup since World War Two with a commitment to double defence spending aimed at deterring neighbouring China from pursuing its territorial ambitions in East Asia through military force.
With prodding from Washington, Kishida also mended Japan's strained relations with South Korea, enabling the two countries and their mutual ally, the U.S., to pursue deeper security cooperation to counter the threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs.
"Under Prime Minister Kishida’s steadfast leadership, Japan and the United States have ushered in a new era of relations for the Alliance," U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rojé Stona breaks Games record to become Jamaica’s first-ever Olympic discus champion
Rojé Stona’s Olympic début will be unforgettable, and the most historic for Jamaica in an Olympics where the field has taken centre stage.
Stona claimed Jamaica’s first major global men’s discus title, in an Olympic record performance of 70.00m to win Jamaica’s first gold medal at the Games.
Mykolas Alekna of Lithuanian was second in 69.97 while Australia’s Matthew Denny took bronze in 69.31. History was already made before the final, with Stona’s teammates Ralford Mullings (65.61) and Traves Smikle (64.97), who finished ninth and 10th, respectively. Never before have three Jamaicans made an Olympic final in the event, much less as the only country to have three representatives in a final.
A throwing corps which represents the strongest the event has been in Jamaica was displayed in front of the world with Stona as champion. His fourth throw drew celebrations from both Smikle and Mullings on the field, as well as his coach, Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser. For Stona, it was a moment that he savoured, especially as his first two throws had him outside the podium.
“This is what I have been praying for. To come out there and actually do it, it is one of the best feelings of my life. It is the best day. To get it here, I knew it would take a lot. The situation that I was in going from seventh place, it doesn’t get more difficult than that. So I had nothing to lose,” Stona said.
As Stona stands as the competition’s first non-European champion, he took time to acknowledge the one who paved the way for Jamaica’s finest throwing hour and sounded the call to back the field events.
“The country should be proud. But we have to give thanks to who was there before. You have the likes of Fedrick (Dacres), you had the likes of Smikle who was also in the competition. You had a bunch more discus throwers that passed through. To be here at this time, we should all celebrate and we should put more support into the field events,” Stona said.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness congratulated Stona on his accomplishment.
“Rojé has done his family proud and he has brought tremendous joy to our country,” Holness said. “Indeed, he has reminded the world that Jamaicans are resilient people, we are talented people and we are capable of not only doing well on the track but also shining in field events.”
In his own message of congratulations, Opposition Leader Mark Golding said: “It is wonderful to see the broadening out of Jamaica’s prowess across so many different categories of athletic events.
“This success has been years in the making, with three dedicated coaches taking this on as a labour of love. Their hard work has produced at the junior level and now, for the first time, a medal at the senior level - a phenomenal achievement.”
Stona’s success increases Jamaica’s medal tally to five, with four of them in the field.
The field continued to take centre stage at these Games as Romaine Beckford qualified for the men’s high jump final after finishing eighth in qualifying. Beckford’s leap of 2.24 was enough to make him the first Olympic finalist in the event in 68 years.
It will be a Jamaica vs USA showdown in today’s men’s 110m hurdles final, as all three Jamaicans advanced from their semi-finals yesterday. Commonwealth Games champion Rasheed Broadbell and Orlando Bennett won their semi-finals, while reigning Olympic champion Hansle Parchment advanced as a non-automatic qualifier. Reigning World Champion Grant Holloway, as well as Freddie Crittenden and Daniel Roberts, all progressed to the final as Jamaica’s bid for a third straight Olympic title.
However, it was a disappointing out for the women in the 400m, as all three Jamaicans did not advance to the semi-final. The most shocking result was world leader and national champion Nickisha Pryce finishing fourth in 50.77 seconds, her time not fast enough to progress. Junelle Bromfield and Stacey Ann Williams finished eighth and seventh, respectively.
Reigning world 100m hurdles champion Danielle Williams, national champion Ackera Nugent, and Janeek Brown all secured places in tomorrow’s semi-finals of the 100m hurdles, after successful qualifying performances in their first-round heats. Williams won her heat in 12.59 while Nugent won her heat in 12.65. Brown was third in her heat in 12.84 to advance.
National record holder Adelle Tracey did not advance to the semi-finals of the women’s 1500m after finishing 11th in 4:14.52 in her heat. Navasky Anderson had returned this morning in the repechage round of the men’s 800m after finishing fifth in his 800m first-round heat in 1:46.83.
- Jamaica Gleaner
Noah Lyles wins a historically close Olympic 100-meter sprint by five-thousandths of a second
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Noah Lyles paced on the far end of the track, hands folded over the top of his head, wistfully looking up at a scoreboard that would, sooner or later, flash an answer he’s been seeking over three sweat-soaked years.
Was all that toil since the last Olympics — all the work on the practice track and in the weight room in the name of finding a centimeter here or a millisecond there — really going to be worth all the trouble?
Ten seconds passed, then 20. Then, nearly 30. And then, the answer popped up.
Yes, Lyles is the 100-meter champion at the Paris Olympics. The World’s Fastest Man.
Just not by very much.
The American showman edged out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson on Sunday by five-thousandths of a second — that’s .005 of one tick of the clock — in a race for the ages.
The final tally in this one: Lyles 9.784 seconds, Thompson 9.789.
The new champion said that before he left for Paris, one of his physio guys ensured him this race would be a squeaker.
“He said, ‘This is how close first and second are going to be,’” Lyles said as he pinched his thumb and his forefinger together so they were almost touching. “I can’t believe how right he was.”
For perspective, the blink of an eye takes, on average, .1 second. That was 20 times longer than the gap between first and second.
It was so close, that when the sprinters crossed the line and the word “Photo” popped up next to the names of Lyles, Thompson and five others in the eight-man field, Lyles walked over to the Jamaican and said “I think you got the Olympics dog.”
Thompson, who raced three lanes to the left of Lyles and had no clue where he was on the track, wasn’t convinced.
“I was, ‘Wow, I’m not even sure, because it was that close,’” the Jamaican said.
Time would tell. It always does. When Lyles’ name came up first, he snatched his name tag off the front of his bib and held it to the sky. Moments later, he shouted at the TV camera: “America, I told you I got this!”
The first four racers were separated by less than .03. The top seven all finished within .09 of each other.
America’s Fred Kerley came in third at 9.81. “That’s probably one of the most beautiful races I’ve been in,” he said.
In the photo finish, Kerley’s orange shoe crossed the line before anyone, or anything. But it’s the chest breaking the barrier that counts. Lyles’ chest crossed first.
This was the closest 1-2 finish in the 100 since at least Moscow in 1980 — or maybe even ever.
Back then, Britain’s Allan Wells narrowly beat Silvio Leonard in an era when the electronic timers didn’t go into the thousandths of a second. The same was true in 1932, when Eddie Tolan won the Olympics’ first ever photo finish.
Lyles conceded that during the excruciating wait, he was pretty sure he had dipped his chest just a tad too soon. Dipping, it turns out, is one of the few things he doesn’t work on over and over again at his training track in Florida.
“But I would say I have a decent history with dipping,” he said, recalling races he won in high school and as a junior.
The 9.784 marked a new personal best for Lyles and made him the first American champion in the marquee race at the Olympics since Justin Gatlin in 2004.
Lyles is hoping to go even bigger than that, and maybe take this sport back to a day when it was Carl Lewis and Edwin Moses lighting up the track — a must-see affair, the likes of which Lyles headlined in front of around 80,000 on a warm night at the Stade de France.
The mission started after Lyles settled for a bronze medal in Tokyo in his favorite — and then, only — sprint, the 200. Those COVID-impacted Games were a terrible experience for Lyles. He rededicated himself to bettering his mental health, but also looked for a new mission — the 100 meters and, with it, a chance at track immortality.
The practice was tough for a sprinter never known as a great starter, but he stuck with it. When he won the world championships last year, then backed it up by winning the 200, his goal for Paris was very much in sight.
But when he came into the Olympic final having finished second in both his qualifying races and staring across at one sprinter who had run faster than him this year — Thompson — and another who had beaten him twice this year — Jamaica’s Oblique Seville — he knew this would be no coronation.
Thompson added another roadblock when, during the introduction, he let out a primal scream, the likes of which Lyles has been unleashing in some of his biggest races.
“I thought ‘Man, that’s my thing, that’s crazy,’” Lyles said.
Lyles galloped and leapt about 20 yards down the track before returning to the starting line, where the runners waited some three minutes for the gun to finally sound.
It was worth the wait.
Now, the question that could be debated for years is: What was the difference in this one?
Could it have been Lyles’ closing speed and that lean into the line that he thought was mistimed?
Was it his ability to stay in reach of everyone among this straight line of sprinters over the first 60 meters — a skill he’s been working on in tedious practice after practice since he took on the shorter sprint?
The answer: all that and more.
“Everyone in the field came out knowing they could win this race,” Lyles said.
It took 9.784 seconds, then about 30 seconds more, for the scoreboard to flash the name of the man who actually did.
“Seeing that name, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, there it is!’” Lyles said.
Thea LaFond wins women’s triple jump gold and Dominica’s first ever Olympic medal
Thea LaFond won gold in the women’s triple jump on Saturday, claiming Dominica’s first ever Olympic medal.
The 30-year-old won with her second jump of the evening with her jump of 15.02m which was also a national record.
Like other athletic competitors on Saturday evening, the triple jumpers had to deal with the rainy conditions in Paris.
The majority of the athletes’ high scores came in their opening attempts before the wet conditions descended and the distances decreased.
Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts finished second with 14.87m while USA’s Jasmine Moore came third with 14.67m – both scores were set with their second attempts.
- CNN
Julien Alfred wins women’s 100m gold in emphatic fashion, holding off Sha'Carri Richardson
Julien Alfred won the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter sprint on Saturday.
The Saint Lucian runner finished with a time of 10.72, ahead of American Sha’Carri Richardson, who won silver, and Melissa Jefferson winning bronze.
Alfred never looked troubled, producing a remarkably quick start to get ahead of the pack. And she didn’t give her opponents an opportunity to produce a comeback, racing away from the rest of the pack to finish 0.15 seconds ahead of Richardson.
Alfred won her nation’s first Olympic medal in any sport — and made it a gold. She also set the St. Lucian national record with her time in the world’s fastest race.
For Richardson, the silver still marks an impressive comeback following her controversial suspension from the Tokyo Games over a positive drug test for marijuana.
Two-time Olympic 100m gold medal winner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce pulls out of semifinal
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was a surprise withdrawal from her 100-meter semifinal on Saturday.
The two-time Olympic 100m gold medal winner had been scheduled to run in the second semifinal, but just minutes before was listed as a non-starter.
The Jamaican was one of the favorites to contend for the title, so it’s a big blow for her not to be competing.
For the Jamaican fans in attendance, it was a disappointment that they wouldn’t be able to see Fraser-Pryce race.
Michelle Vassell, who came to Paris just to see Fraser-Price said: “I’m heartbroken, crying inside, but you know what she made it this far at her age. She’s still my hero. I’m trying not to cry.”
Vassell said her spirits were lifted somewhat as she cheered on Tia Clayton, the winner of the third heat.
- CNN
Biles wins all-around title for sixth Olympic gold
Simone Biles won the all-around gymnastics title for her second Olympic gold in Paris and sixth overall to cement her place back at the top of her sport with yet another sparkling slice of history.
The American, who won the title at Rio 2016 and had been favourite at Tokyo 2020 before she pulled out, became the oldest winner of her sport's blue-riband event for 72 years in front of another celebrity-studded crowd.
Brazil's Rebeca Andrade claimed silver at the Bercy Arena, with defending champion Sunisa Lee taking bronze.
The world's most decorated gymnast, Biles put on a sparkly goat necklace while celebrating - as if there was any doubt about her status as the GOAT (greatest of all time).
"It's a little ode... a lot of people love it. They always call me the GOAT, so I thought it would be really special if I got one made," she said.
"The haters hate it, but I like that even more. It's just a special part of me that I have here.
"In the [athletes'] village I have a stuffed goat. Just to get a reminder, like 'You can go out there, you can do it. You've done it before. So let's go'."
At the age of 27, Biles is the first gymnast to win non-consecutive all-around Olympic titles - a demonstration of her longevity in a gruelling sport traditionally dominated by teenagers.
The past 12 Olympic all-around women's champions were teenagers, and even the last non-teen, Ludmilla Tourischeva, had turned 20 only a few weeks before she won in 1972.
- BBC
Tears, hugs and a salute: Joyous scenes as tearful families reunite with freed Americans
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva have landed in the United States, following the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
The returnees were greeted with tears and embraces from their joyous families at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were also on the tarmac to welcome them after their plane touched down about 20 minutes before midnight on Thursday.
The relief and joy on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews were palpable.
Whelan, who was first to exit the plane, gave a salute before shaking hands with the US leaders, followed by Gershkovich, who embraced both Harris and Biden before hugging his ecstatic parents. Kurmasheva rushed into the arms of her husband and daughters after greeting Harris and Biden.
Gershkovich quickly addressed the media gathered at the tarmac, telling his Wall Street Journal colleagues the words they had been waiting more than a year to hear: “I’m home.”
Kurmasheva ran towards her two daughters and husband in a much-awaited, emotional family reunion.
Biden observed the emotional family reunions, then removed his pin and placed it on Whelan’s lapel as Harris looked on.
“It feels wonderful. Long time in coming. I was absolutely convinced we could get it done. I meant it when I said – alliances make a difference. They stepped up and took a chance for us and it mattered a lot,” Biden told reporters, referring to the extensive diplomatic effort that resulted in the swap.
The return marks the conclusion of what Biden called a “brutal ordeal” for the three Americans and their families following their detentions in Russia, where prisoners are often kept in harrowing conditions.
Whelan, 54, had spent almost six years in Russian prisons after his arrest in Moscow in December 2018, while Gershkovich, 32, had been detained for more than a year. Both were sentenced on espionage charges and declared wrongfully detained by the US State Department.
Kurmasheva, a 47-year-old journalist for the US-backed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained in October 2023 and found guilty of spreading false information about the Russian army – charges her family and employer deny.
Their release – and that of Washington Post contributor and permanent US resident Vladimir Kara-Murza, 42 – was orchestrated as part of a complex prisoner swap between Russia, the US and other Western nations involving 24 detainees in total.
Sixteen people were released from Russian custody on Thursday, including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country. Moscow in return got former high-ranking FSB colonel Vadim Krasikov, as well as several individuals accused of spying or cybercrime.
In a statement earlier Thursday, Biden hailed the agreement as a “feat of diplomacy,” in collaboration with US allies, including Germany, Poland, Norway, and Slovenia.
“Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over,” said Biden, who hosted the families of Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva and Kara-Murza at the White House.
Whelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva flew roughly 10 hours from Ankara, Turkey, on top of a three hour and 45 minute flight from Moscow to Ankara.
They were accompanied on their return plane by multiple medics, a psychologist and US government officials including representatives from the National Security Council and State Department, a US official told CNN.
All three and their family members are expected to continue on to San Antonio where they will be taken to Brooke Army Medical Center to undergo medical evaluation and receive whatever care they need for as long as they need, the US official said.
This is typical protocol for wrongfully detained Americans who return home. WNBA player Brittney Griner also went to the center right after she was released from Russian detention in December 2022.
The returnees will also have the option to participate in a Defense Department program called PISA (Post Isolation Support Activities), which is meant to help them readjust to being back in the United States. Many recently freed US wrongful detainees have undergone this program to help them acclimate back to normal life.
- CNN
Cardi B reveals she's pregnant 1 day after filing for divorce from Offset: 'I can have it all!'
Cardi B is pregnant with her third child.
She announced the news on Thursday, just one day after she filed for divorce from her husband, fellow rapper Offset, after six years of marriage.
"With every ending comes a new beginning!" Cardi B wrote on Instagram. "I am so grateful to have shared this season with you. You have brought me more love, more life, and most of all renewed my power! Reminded me that I can have it all! You've reminded me that I never have to choose between life, love, and my passion!"
The "I Like It" rapper, 31, continued, "I love you so much and cannot wait for you to witness what you helped me accomplish, what you pushed me to do! It's so much easier taking life's twists, turns, and test laying down, but you, your brother, and your sister have shown me why it's worth it to push through!"
Cardi B filed for divorce from Offset, 32, on Wednesday, Entertainment Weekly confirmed.
Her representative confirmed to PEOPLE that "it's not based on cheating rumors, but rather has been a long time coming."
Cardi B is seeking primary custody of her and Offset's children — 2-year-old son Wave Set and 6-year-old daughter Kulture Kiari. Offset also has sons from previous relationships — Jordan, 14, and Kody, 8 — and a daughter, Kalea Marie, 9.
Cardi B and Offset wed in 2017 and had been in an on-again, off-again relationship. Cardi previously filed for divorce from Offset in September 2020, citing irreconcilable differences, but she called it off a few months later.
The "Bodak Yellow" rapper revealed in December 2023 that she was no longer with the Migos artist in an Instagram Live stream, stating that she's been "single for a minute now." She seemed to be addressing allegations that Offset had been unfaithful to her, which he has denied.
"When it comes to today's events, I don't think it's true," Cardi B said during the livestream. "I don't care to find out because I've been single for a minute now. I just don't know how to tell the world, but I feel like today has been a sign... The last time I got on Live I kind of wanted to tell you guys, but I didn't know how to tell you, so I changed my mind. But it has been like this for a minute now."
- Entertainment Weekly
‘Emancipation’ Day for Vybz Kartel
At 5:29 p.m. (Wednesday July 31), the right foot of dancehall star Adidja ‘Vybz Kartel’ Palmer connected with Tower Street in downtown Kingston. It was his first step into freedom from prison and into the welcoming embrace of a crowd of supporters chanting his name.
The smartphones were up, and many persons went live from the scene, bridging the gap for those around the world who craved real-time updates.
After his release, Kartel had very few words and kept it simple, leaving a message for the youths.
“One thing me want tell the youths dem, stay out a f$&%#@*,” Kartel said.
Children, many of whom were seeing Kartel in the flesh for the first time, and their parents were outside in the sun, where they waited for almost three hours for the man of the moment to present himself.
While the two white stretch Hummer limousines took up position outside the prison walls at the Tower Street Correctional Facility, it heightened anticipation as the large crowd kept growing.
So as the gathering grew, the military and the police, with heavy -duty armoured vehicles at their aid, started rolling in, taking up position for public safety.
“Free Worl’ Boss! … Free Worl Boss!” The chants got louder as the defence attorneys made their way in and out of the prison.
The process after the court order entails a B-20 form being signed by the court and delivered to the Department of Corrections to begin the process of release.
Isat Buchanan, John Clarke, Iqbal Cheverria, and Alessandra LaBeach interacted with the crowd and gave impromptu updates at the request of fans and media.
“We are just finalising everything to ensure that they can be released today because tomorrow is a public holiday [Emancipation Day]. So if it’s not facilitated for today, then we trying to make sure it doesn’t go past today and end up like Friday or so,” LaBeach said about 5 p.m. yesterday, appeasing those who thought the process was being drawn out.
The excitement at Tower Street began at 2:22 p.m., following the Jamaican Court of Appeal’s ruling that Kartel and his co-appellants should be released.
Some residents walked to the front of the prison while others drove and honked horns, jubilant that the music legend had now been declared a free man.
The pandemonium from inside the prison was evident and permeated the air around Tower Street Adult Facility, more popularly known as GP.
Even the warders who were watching the court proceedings from their quarters were in a frenzy, rushing to the prison when the ruling was handed down.
They lined the streets afterwards, not on duty, but watching as the men they had guarded for the last 13 years walked free to waiting limousines.
Peter Perry, CEO of Perry’s Funeral Home, told The Gleaner that he had been contracted at the last minute to provide transportation services for Palmer and his guests.
The excitement proved too much for one man outside the prison who fainted and had to be be assisted..
The long-anticipated decision was made by a three-judge panel comprising Justices Marva McDonald-Bishop, Paulette Williams, and David Fraser.
Before the ruling, an abbreviated summary was provided for the sole purpose of assisting members of the public with understanding the matter.
Kartel, Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John were convicted of the September 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.
Lawyers representing the quartet made an appeal to the local Court of Appeal in 2020, but their convictions were upheld.
Their appeal was then taken to the United Kingdom-based Privy Council, and on March 14, 2024, their murder convictions were overturned on the grounds of juror misconduct.
The Privy Council also remitted the case back to the Jamaican Court of Appeal to decide whether there should be a retrial.
The appeal hearing was held on June 10, and the judgment was handed down yesterday, on the final day of the court term.
- Jamaica Gleaner