Music:
The Sattalites Bring Lovers Rock Tribute to Lee’s Palace – March 14
On Saturday, March 14, 2026, legendary Toronto reggae band The Sattalites will take the stage at Lee’s Palace for a special one-night tribute celebrating the golden era of Lovers Rock, reggae’s most soulful and romantic movement.
The evening will feature acclaimed guest vocalists Tony Anthony and Jason Wilson, with DJ Jay NuFunk and MC SunRay Grennan rounding out the lineup for a night dedicated to the timeless sounds of classic reggae.
Audiences can expect powerful vocal harmonies, a full horn section, and steady grooves as the band revisits beloved selections made famous by iconic artists such as Alton Ellis, Phyllis Dillon, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, and Freddie McGregor. The performance will honour the emotional storytelling and intimate sound that defined the Lovers Rock movement of the 1970s.
Emerging from the UK’s Caribbean community, Lovers Rock blended classic Jamaican rhythms with soul-inspired vocals and romantic themes, creating one of reggae’s most heartfelt and enduring styles. The March 14 concert will celebrate that legacy while showcasing the high-energy musicianship and authenticity that have made The Sattalites a cornerstone of Canadian reggae for more than four decades.
Founded in Toronto in 1981 by Jo Jo Bennett, Fergus Hambleton, and Joe Isaacs, The Sattalites began as a music school in the city’s Little Jamaica neighbourhood before evolving into one of Canada’s most influential reggae bands. Their 1985 self-titled debut album featured the hit single “Wild,” launching extensive touring across Canada, the United States, and Jamaica. The group has won two JUNO Awards (1990 and 1993) and continues to serve as a vital ambassador for reggae music in Canada. The current lineup features acclaimed vocalist Hermina George and accomplished drummer Daniel Barnes. Joining the band is award-winning Jamaican Canadian vocalist, songwriter, and producer Tony Anthony, known for his soulful blend of lovers rock and socially conscious reggae. Since moving to Canada in 1991, Anthony has built a strong international following with songs including “Friend Zone,” “Blessed Love,” and “Today I’m Gonna Try and Change the World.” His 2010 album “Million Chance” topped international reggae charts and earned multiple awards in Canada and Jamaica, along with a JUNO Award nomination for Best Reggae Recording in 2011.
Confederation of African Football hand down fines, bans over last Afcon championship in Morocco
African football’s governing body has issued fines worth more than $1m and banned Senegal’s coach and Senegalese and Moroccan players over a shambolic African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final that involved a walk-off protest by one of the teams, fans trying to storm the field and fights among journalists. The sanctions announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) include fines totalling $615,000 for the Senegalese Football Federation and $315,000 for the Royal Moroccan Football Federation for unsporting and improper conduct by their players, coaching staff and supporters, among other offences. At the January 18 AFCON finale, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch, led by coach Pape Thiaw, in protest against a penalty awarded late in regulation time to the hosts, Morocco. Thiaw, who last week defended his side’s actions, was banned for five African games and given a fine of $100,000 for bringing the game into disrepute, the African confederation said. The game restarted after a delay of about 15 minutes. Morocco missed the penalty, and Senegal won the African title 1-0 after extra time. The heated final in Rabat also saw supporters trying to storm the field, Morocco’s and Senegal’s players scuffling on the sidelines, reporters from the two countries fighting in media areas and a bizarre sequence in which Moroccan ball boys tried to seize a towel being used by Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy – in an apparent bid to distract him and help their team win the continental title. That behaviour by the home team’s ball boys led to a $200,000 fine for Morocco’s federation, which will be a cohost of the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal and has come under scrutiny for the chaotic African final. That behaviour by the home team’s ball boys led to a $200,000 fine for Morocco’s federation, which will be a co-host of the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal and has come under scrutiny for the chaotic African final. Morocco was hoping to host the 2030 World Cup final in Casablanca at the Hassan II Stadium, set to be the largest football arena in the world with a capacity of 115,000 people after its planned completion in 2028. But this month’s African final reflected badly on it.
EDITORIAL:
Trump tariff negotiations with Canada shifts again, this time over Palestinian statehood
How long can Canada go on with the Trump show is anybody's guess. The shifting sand method of the US president is something no one has ever witnessed or seen before, and even before this write-up is finished we might have to rewrite it four times for a total end.
This is because Trump is capable of darting off on a whimsical foray, especially based on how his churlish feelings are affrected by someone or something, as though he is constantly in a rapture of some sort of medical fever. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent pronouncement that Canada will endorse Palestinian statehood was never part of the equation with Trump on current trade talks on tariffs, but it became an issue as soon as The Canadian PM expressed the proposed move. Meanwhile, Mr Trump is not applying the same kind of pressure on France or England and others whose heads of government have endorsed the same idea of a tw state solution to the Palestinian debacle. So, why pick on Canada, the US's most important trading partner and closest neighbour and friend?
DR Congo in major promotion deal with FC Barcelona
Barcelona players will have "DR Congo - Heart of Africa" emblazoned on the back of their training shirts from the start of next season, after the top Spanish football team agreed on a four-year deal with the central African country.
The partnership will reportedly cost the Democratic Republic of Congo 44m euros ($50m; £38m), although the club has not disclosed the figure it will receive.
A rebel group has seized large parts of eastern DR Congo this year, although a ceasefire has recently been agreed.
The arrangement has faced criticism from some Congolese who have questioned their government's priorities, especially as its own football league has been plagued by chronic underfunding for years.
But the authorities have defended the agreement, saying that it will help raise the profile of the country.
As part of the deal, Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium will host what the club called an "immersive exhibition... to showcase the cultural diversity and sporting tradition" of DR Congo.
The country's Sports Minister, Didier Budimbu, told BBC Focus on Africa that the agreement includes a training camp for 50 young Congolese players and 10 coaches.
Barcelona says it will also run camps for children across a range of sports, including basketball, handball and roller hockey.
DR Congo has signed similar deals with Italian side AC Milan and French team AS Monaco. Last month, Budimbu described them as part of a strategy to "reposition" DR Congo as a leader in tourism and investment opportunities.
But some think the money should rather be spent in the country.
"When you talk about tourism, it should be about things to see when people come here... for me, rather than investing that money [abroad], they should invest that money to build the country first," Muzinga Lemfu, resident of the capital, Kinshasa, told the BBC.
But another resident, Freddy Kabengele, saw the advantages of the deal and said he was happy "to show DR Congo off to the world and also to bring tourists to the country".
Since 2018, DR Congo's regional rival Rwanda has had a sponsorship deal with English side Arsenal promoting tourism in the country with the slogan "Visit Rwanda" on the sleeves of the players' shirts. French team Paris St-Germain and German side Bayern Munich have similar deals.
These have also come under fire, especially recently as Rwanda has been accused of backing rebels in DR Congo in a devastating conflict in the east, which it denies.
In February, DR Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner wrote to the clubs questioning the "morality" of the arrangement.
The Rwandan government dismissed the accusations of sports-washing as a "distraction".
Some critics of the Congolese government have expressed concern that the European deals could overshadow the fighting in the east and the authorities' troubling human rights record.
In June, Rwanda and the DR Congo signed a peace deal aimed at ending decades of fighting.
In 2023, a deal that South Africa's tourism board pursued with Tottenham Hotspur did not come to fruition after complaints from the public.
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