World News

Jamaica Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has joined government ministers, finance executives, and administrators.

The meeting consists of travel and tourism leaders from South Africa, Botswana, Spain, and Sierra Leone on a Ministerial Roundtable titled: ‘Developing a Sustainable Tourism Industry in Africa by Integrating Cultural, Environment, Good Governance and Social Concerns.’ The roundtable is one of the highlights of the African Tourism Investment Summit on now, in Cape Town, South Africa, under the theme: ‘Revitalizing Investment in Sustainable Tourism on the African Continent’.

Comviva, the global leader in customer experience and data monetization solutions, today announced the appointment of key executives for accelerating growth. The new leaders will specifically aim to support Comviva's strategic vision based on new market expansion and deeper client relationships in an accelerating digital economy.

Paul Barowsky has assumed the newly created role of Chief Growth Officer with the primary responsibility for driving expansion in North America and European markets.

Vogue Philippines has put 106-year-old Apo Whang-Od on the cover of its April issue, making the revered tattoo artist the oldest person to ever appear on the front page of Vogue – still the world’s pre-eminent fashion magazine.

The cover has Whang-Od – also known as Maria Oggay – staring straight into the camera, her lips slightly parted, as if she is about to smile but then had second thoughts about it. Her left arm crosses the width of her tiny body, revealing the geometric, tribal tattoos that have made her so iconic.

Several parts of India are forecast to witness hotter-than-usual weather through June, raising the risk of more strain on the power network as people turn to air conditioners to find reprieve from heat waves.

Most areas of central, eastern and north-western states of the nation are likely to experience heat waves during the three-month summer season, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department, said in New Delhi on Saturday. 

Last month, the Discover Dominica Authority participated in the Salon du Voyage et des Vacances held at the Palais des Congrès de Madiana, in Schoelcher, Martinique.

The Salon du Voyage et des Vacances is one of the largest consumer travel shows in the French West Indies. For the organizers of the event; the show returned after three years due to the pandemic and was a resounding success.

As NATO marks its 74th anniversary on April 4, the alliance can claim a record of remarkable achievements since its founding in 1949.

Retired U.S. Admiral James Stavridis, a former supreme allied commander for Europe (2009–2013), cites NATO’s “unblemished record of deterring attack against its members” as among the alliance’s greatest accomplishments.

An Aboriginal Australian Football League (AFL) player has performed a powerful protest against racism, recreating an iconic sporting moment after abuse from spectators. After kicking a goal on Thursday night, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan lifted his shirt and pointed to his skin.

The United States and international partners are continuing to support survivors of the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. On March 20, the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced an additional $50 million in humanitarian assistance for the earthquake response in the region, bringing total U.S. support for the response to more than $235 million.

A major environmental project is under way in St. Eustatius – affectionately known as Statia – and Saba to reduce erosion and safeguard endangered reefs around the two islands in the Caribbean Netherlands. The project, dubbed “Healthy and Resilient Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Through Reforestation of St Eustatius and Saba”, will include the reforestation of areas stripped bare of vegetation due to land erosion caused by heavy rainfall.

The United States Representatives Eric Swalwell (D-California) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) are introducing a bill in the House of Representatives, calling for a new federal no-fly list for ‘abusive’ and ‘unruly’ passengers, that would ban people convicted of certain criminal offenses from getting on commercial flights. The same bill was also introduced in the Senate by Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island).

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (“First Quantum” or “the Company”) (TSX: FM) have announced that it has entered into an agreement with Rio Tinto to progress the next phase of the La Granja copper project (the “Project”) in Peru.

The Project is located in the district of Querocoto in the northern region of Cajamarca, Peru, approximately 90 kilometres northeast of Chiclayo, the capital of Lambayeque region, at an altitude of between 2,000 and 2,800 meters.

SKAL International Cuzco, Peru took an important responsibility in developing youth and talent. SKAL knows the future of the travel and tourism industry is in the hand of young people.

The youth will also be the future leaders of SKAL International. Recently the Cuzco club of SKAL signed an agreement with Vida y Vocación Perú, an NGO providing scholarships in that institution for young people.

Ziggy and Cedella Marley have joined the fight with the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement to keep Bob Marley beach - named after their late, great father - open to the public. The eight times Grammy-award winner shared a poster for the petition on social media which calls for the protection of unconditional access to Jamaica's beaches.

As part of the international Quran and adhan competition presented by the Otr Elkalam show, one of the initiatives of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, the third episode of the show witnessed the rivalry between European Moroccans in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with humbling recitations of the Holy Quran that reflect meanings and rely on extreme accuracy. In the recitation track, Ahmed Al-Hasnawi from France competed with Mohammed Al-Habti, who lives in Spain, where he leads the prayers in a mosque and teaches children the Holy Quran.

Jamaica's vibrant cultural capital, Kingston, beat out 152 entrants from 28 nations to be selected Best Creative Destination for 2023 by the jury of the 9th Creative Tourism Awards.

The award was recently presented to the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, by Caroline Couret, Director of the Creative Tourism Network®, on behalf of the International Committee, on the margins of ITB Berlin, the world's leading travel trade show, in Germany.

At least 12 people were injured and 30 houses damaged after a tornado hit the Bakenwala village in this Punjab district, officials said on Saturday. The tornado also damaged standing crops in the fields and kinnow orchards, they said.

Bakenwala resident Gurmukh Singh said: "Villagers saw the tornado around 4 pm on Friday." It caused damage in a 2-2.5-km area, he said. Deputy Commissioner Senu Duggal, who visited the affected village, said the administration shifted those villagers whose houses were damaged to the local government school.