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Attorney-at-law John S. Bassie was recently elected as president of the Jamaican Bar Association. He replaces Alexander Williams who served as president for one term.

Bassie was nominated and elected unopposed at the annual general meeting of the Jamaican Bar Association, on June 24 at the Norman Manley Law School Lecture Theatre in Mona, St Andrew. His vice-president is attorney-at-law Kevin Powell.

The president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) appealed to Caribbean tourism leaders to craft their own fate in the vital travel and tourism sector and not be driven by the agendas of interests outside the region.

Nicola Madden-Greig noted that although overall tourism activity in the Caribbean is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, with some destinations growing by “leaps and bounds”, others are lingering in recovery mode, largely because of an imbalance in the dispersal of flights and insufficient marketing resources.

There are an estimated 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide. Their contributions benefit us all. In the United States, July is Disability Pride Month. It marks the 1990 enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark U.S. rights law that extended civil rights protections to persons with disabilities and assured that all Americans would benefit from their talents.

COP28 President-Designate, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, today addressed the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Trinidad and Tobago, where he said Caribbean nations will play a critical role at COP28 in aligning support for climate action, and that old models must be challenged to ensure that climate diplomacy delivers results for Caribbean nations.

The Government of St. Eustatius has announced that its financial performance for 2022 exceeded expectations, with a budget surplus of US$1.4 million.

This represents a US$2.1 million turnaround from the US$700,000 deficit recorded by the tiny Dutch Caribbean island in 2021. This improvement owes much to a better-than-projected US$7 million increase in revenue.

Festo James left South Sudan in 2016 and walked to Uganda. Today he and his family live in the Bidi Bidi refugee camp, where he owns a business.

He operates a silver fish business with two partners while leading a group of fellow entrepreneurs. James is participating in DREAMS (Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems), a U.S.-financed program that helps refugees in Africa start their own businesses.

Jamaica has been elected to serve on the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Executive Council for 2023-2027 alongside Colombia. The decision was made during the 68th UNWTO Commission for the Americas Meeting (CAM) currently underway in Quito, Ecuador.

In celebrating the achievement, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett said: “Jamaica has been among the top-performing countries in the Americas leading a robust recovery in travel and tourism.

The state of Nayarit is in the mood to celebrate. Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR) held a press conference in Mexico City where Nayarit State’s Minister of Tourism, Juan Enrique Suárez del Real Tostado, was presented five new Pueblos Magicos, or ‘Magical Towns,’ designations for the Pacific Coast destination, including the towns of San Blas, Ahuacatlán, Amatlán de Cañas,Ixtlán del Río and Puerto Balleto.

The Middle East’s largest and first full immersion wellness destination, Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som, is providing an unmissable opportunity for families and groups of friends to enjoy a wellbeing escape like no other,  by offering an additional complimentary room for two children under 16, with any two adults booking until 31 August 2023 in its family Zulal Discovery resort.

On the eve of the historic 175th anniversary of Emancipation in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), set for today (Monday, July 3), Chair of the Commemoration Committee, Carol Burke, is urging Virgin Islanders to recognise the historical significance of this milestone and to “capture a better-defined future for ourselves.”

Burke, a community leader and former Virgin Islands senator, expressed her enthusiasm for the overwhelming momentum and widespread interest generated in the planning and preparation for today's landmark holiday. She noted that the significance of the Emancipation Commemoration has resonated not only locally but also regionally and nationally, demonstrating the profound impact and historical importance of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Freshippo, Alibaba Group's digital intelligence-powered new retail company, announced the same-day opening of 12 new stores in 8 cities across Mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

The seven newly opened Freshippo stores are adopting the latest store image, which will offer a wider variety of products, a broader delivery area, a spacious shopping environment, and an enhanced service experience to better meet customer needs. All new stores will have diverse sales channels and product categories to more effectively cater to each customer's needs regardless of whether they are in commercial or residential areas.

The parish of St. Thomas is set to experience a rapid transformation of its tourism product with the surge of new developments on the way. Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett reinforced this while addressing residents in Hillside during the recently concluded island-wide Destination Assurance tour.

He stressed that once key pieces of infrastructure like the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) and the new Morant Bay Urban Centre are in place, investments will begin to flow into the eastern parish.

Stockholm Wood City, the world’s largest urban construction project in wood, has been announced in Sweden. Set to commence in 2025, the first buildings are scheduled to be completed by 2027. Encompassing an impressive area of over 60 acres, Stockholm Wood City will offer 7,000 office spaces and 2,000 homes in Sickla, located in the southern parts of the capital city of Stockholm.

Hookie Weekend, the premier Caribbean summer spectacular in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia area (DMV) brought together music, culture, and unforgettable experiences at the recently concluded weekend of festivities. The events brought together a diverse community of music enthusiasts, artistes, creatives, and industry leaders who descended upon the Washington DC Metro Area for a weekend filled with celebration, connection, and pure bliss.

A court in India has expanded the rights of women homemakers over their husband's property, which has been hailed as a positive sign by women's rights advocates, after the Madras high court passed a verdict in a domestic dispute case that allowed a housewife equal share in her husband's property.

It is said to be the first time an Indian court has formally recognised the contribution of a housewife to the husband's income. They, however, point out that the verdict is not binding on other states unless the country's Supreme Court rules along similar lines in future.

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