World News

The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in St Vincent and the Grenadines today, marking the final destination in the Baton’s journey through the Caribbean.

In recent weeks the Baton has visited Caribbean nations and territories, including Montserrat, Dominica, British Virgin Islands, St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Everley Brown is making a bid for a seat in the New York State Assembly as he is set to run in Assembly District 29 - encompassing the neighbourhoods of Laurelton, Rosedale, St Albans, Addisleigh Park, Hollis, Springfield Gardens and Jamaica.

The sitting assembly person representing the district is Alicia Hyndham, who also has Caribbean roots.

A Met Office study has found that climate change is making record-breaking heatwaves in northwest India and Pakistan 100 times more likely. The region should now expect a heatwave that exceeds the record temperatures seen in 2010 once every three years.

Without climate change, such extreme temperatures would occur only once every 312 years, the Met Office says. Forecasters say temperatures in north-west India could reach new highs in the coming days.

Millions of Indians are struggling to afford cooking gas cylinders - which use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) - after a series of price hikes over the past year and a half. The most recent hike last week - of 50 rupees (0.65; £0.53) - led to the price of a 14.2 kilogram cylinder crossing 1,000 rupees in some parts of the country.

Martinique-born Karine Jean-Pierre has been promoted to be Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary. Jean-Pierre will step into the Press Secretary role replacing Jen Psaki, who will depart from the White House on May 13.

Jamaica and Saudi Arabia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the development of sustainable and resilient tourism between the two nations.

The agreement was made between the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Tourism Minister, Jamaica and HE Ahmed Khateeb, Tourism Minister, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Plans to build a village to house some athletes competing at Birmingham's Commonwealth Games have been given final approval. The University of Warwick's central campus and Cryfield Village are set to host 1,900 of the competitors.

Plans for extra tents and cabins at the site have been given final planning permission by Coventry City Council. Previous plans to build a bespoke athletes' village in Perry Barr, Birmingham were abandoned in 2020.

The U.S. Department of Defense, working with the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded a $79.9 million contract to Premix, Inc. to establish a plastic compound manufacturing plant in North Carolina.

The facility will primarily produce plastic materials for diagnostic testing.

Dr Allan Cunningham, the elected representative to the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council for the Southern Region USA, recently announced the names of 60 Jamaicans in the region who were honoured for their work in the community.

The honours commemorate Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence and includes professionals, media people, community leaders, doctors, lawyers, educators, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to the Prime Minister of Jamaica to discuss our shared priorities on trade, security and sustainable development. The UK PM spoke to Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, to discuss our shared priorities on trade, security and sustainable development.

The Caribbean had a strong presence at Seatrade Cruise Global as regional tourism leaders, many of whom are newly appointed, connected with cruise line executives to discuss mutually beneficial strategies for the sustainable development of the cruise industry.

A new survey finds the number of companies that allow domestic travel rose by double digits as international travel jumps.

The number of companies that allow domestic business travel rose in March, international travel is returning and travel bookings are on the increase.

As excitement builds for the 35th annual ‘Atlanta Caribbean Carnival’ the event has received even more mainstream attention with the news that Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney, Fani Willis will join Vincentian Soca Star Skinny Fabulous as a co-Grand Marshall of the beloved Memorial Day Weekend affair.

Millions of Indians are experiencing a brutal heatwave that is throwing lives and livelihoods out of gear - and there is no relief in sight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told state chief ministers: "Temperatures are rising rapidly in the country, and rising much earlier than usual." The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a gradual rise in maximum temperatures by 2-4C over most parts of north-western and central India this week, with "no large change thereafter".

Preferred Hotel Group – the family-owned company that manages and operates global travel and hospitality brands including Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Beyond Green, Historic Hotels of America, Historic Hotels Worldwide, PHG Consulting, and Beyond Green Travel – is pleased to announce a new leadership appointment within its Latin America team.

Macron’s presidential victory in France will lead to a strengthening of the Franco-German axis, although the French are likely to see further internal divisions across the country post-election, according to political economists at Birmingham City University.

Dr Steve McCabe said: “Macron’s victory in being the first French president to achieve a second term in office in 20 years feels hollow. For sure, gaining 58.55% of the vote against Le Pen’s 41.45% is sufficiently large. However, that four in ten voted for Le Pen is worrying.