World News

The leaders of New Zealand and Finland have dismissed a journalist's suggestion that they arranged a meeting because they are similar in age. At a press conference in Auckland, Finland's Sanna Marin and New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern said they met because they are prime ministers, not because they are both young, female leaders.

Fanna Maïna, a researcher with a Feed the Future lab, works with youth in Niger’s farming communities and trains students as lab technicians. Addressing the global food crisis requires sharing the harvest — and knowledge.

Scientists in Africa are doing just that. Through Feed the Future, a U.S. program to combat global poverty and hunger, scientists harness local solutions to expand local crop yields and feed more people.

Running throughout the month, Barbados marks its Independence today (November 30) as it continues its celebrations, which include sports competitions, fairs, community events and religious services.

With the Caribbean Island state splitting from its colonial rule in 1966, and further, since, braking its association with the UK-ruled Commonwealth - a year after becoming a republic -there are numerous events and activities held throughout Barbados and the diaspora, to mark the occasion, with the most notable set to be the National Independence Day Parade, in the capital, Bridgetown, featuring a large number of floats, marching bands and dancers.

Eppley Limited and Jamaica Producers Group Limited (JP Group) have formed a Barbadian joint venture called Capital Infrastructure Group Limited (CIG), which will invest in infrastructure projects across the Caribbean.

The publicly listed companies will control and manage CIG as equal partners, which will be funded by capital commitments by both firms along with anchor investor NCB Capital Markets Limited (NCBCM).

Police in India have blamed rats for destroying nearly 200kg (440lb) of cannabis seized from dealers and kept in police stations.

A court in Uttar Pradesh state said: "Rats are tiny animals and they have no fear of the police. It's difficult to protect the drug from them."

A leading advertising agency specializing in the hospitality sector is giving hotels, resorts and other companies looking for a strong start to the new year a deal that’s hard to beat. Miami-based Figment Design has announced hot Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials, including a brand refresh, website review and refresh, as well as a holistic strategic marketing plan.

H2-Industries, a global hydrogen generation, and energy storage solutions company, has signed an MoU with the Swiss-based developer of integrated renewable energy projects, Terra Sola Group AG. The agreement supports Terra Sola’s development of tailor-made, large-scale integrated solar energy programs for selected countries across Africa using H2-Industries liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) technology providing technological solutions for the storage and release of electrical power for export, use as a local industrial feedstock, or for grid stabilization and/or off-grid power availability.

China has revealed a prototype for a new high-speed Maglev train that is capable of reaching speeds of 620 kilometres (385 miles) per hour. The train runs on high-temperature superconducting (HTS) power that makes it look as if the train is floating along the magnetized tracks.

The sleek 21-meter-long (69 feet) prototype was unveiled to media in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on January 13.

The WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that one in three women have experienced or will experience gender-based violence (GBV) during their lifetimes.

Since the pandemic started, 38% of women have personally experienced online violence and 85% of women know someone who has been targeted for online violence, a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit found.

Members of the Rastafarian community have expressed disappointment with the recent removal of custodial sentences for possession of small amounts of marijuana. 

They are calling for full legalisation of marijuana use. During a recent demonstration outside the office of President Irfaan Ali, the rastafarians said it is time for the President and his government to begin consulting them as part of 'One Guyana'.

Rescuers in Indonesia are working through a second night to try to find survivors trapped following an earthquake in West Java. Officials put the death toll at 268, many of them children, with 151 still missing and more than 1,000 injured.

Damaged roads and the vast size of the affected area are making it difficult to locate and help victims.

Energy bills have been rising for households across Europe as prices have been driven up by worries about gas and oil supplies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Individual countries, and the European Union (EU), have announced support schemes for consumers.

In 2021, the EU imported 40% of its gas from Russia - so many of its member states are exposed to high energy prices. In response, the EU is introducing:

A delegation of 17 companies from Trinidad and Tobago made their way for a four-day visit Jamaica on a trade mission to take in construction, food and beverage, logistics, packaging and printing, chemicals as well as other sectors, is part of an effort to expand and promote bilateral export trade between the countries.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a statue of Kempegowda, the 16th-Century local leader who founded Bengaluru (Bangalore). The 33m (108ft)-tall bronze statue weighs 220 tonnes and is located at the international airport in the capital city of the southern Karnataka state.

The United States is home to a thriving African diaspora that has made important cultural, scientific and civic contributions. In anticipation of the upcoming ‘US-Africa Leaders Summit’, here are six members of the African diaspora to look out for:

Kehinde Wiley, whose father is from Nigeria, is a New York City–based portrait painter who references 17th- and 18th-century portraiture to render African American subjects in contemporary settings.

Monica Medina, the first U.S. special envoy for biodiversity and water resources, thinks there has never been a more important time for diplomats to champion protecting and restoring nature.

“I am really honoured to have this role and this title,” she said. “We’re in a world where the loss of nature is overwhelming and a real potential threat to the health of the planet and the health of people.”