News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, FRIDAY, AUG. 2, 2019: Here are the top news making headlines from the Caribbean and its Diaspora for this Friday morning August 2, 2019:

Toronto’s annual Caribbean Carnival is about to get a whole lot more risqué this weekend with topless festival dancers for the first time in the event’s 52-year history.

Indian fugitive Mehul Choksi, who is now in Antigua and Barbuda, has now been booked on a new charge of duping Mumbai builder of over USD 4 million.

Bermudian researcher LeYoni Junos says her work on slave Mary Prince, has discovered her mother’s real name was Sue and she was born in 1785 not 1788 on Bermuda.

US Senator Patrick Leahy is set to introduce the “Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act of 2019” this coming week in a challenge to the Trump Cuba Travel Ban.

The US Department of State continues to paint a dim picture of rape and sexual assault in Jamaica and the country’s response procedures for victims.

Barbados is the only the Caribbean country in the Top 20 Of The World Freedom Rankings.

The Governor of Puerto Rico is scheduled to step down today, August 2nd, after he was forced out of office following ‘Chat Gate.’

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has it first female Governor-General. GG Susan Dougan was sworn in on Emancipation Day.

And popular St Ann, Jamaica recording artiste, Chippstar, and a record producer, were shot dead by gunmen in the Pineapple area of Ocho Rios, St Ann on Thursday morning.