World News

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is saluting the late Jean Holder for his pioneering work in establishing tourism as the major economic driver for the region. Nicola Madden-Greig, President of CHTA, said Holder was a skilled diplomat who quickly recognized the importance of tourism to the fledgling economies of small island developing states in the region.

Sculptor Dan Medina took a statue of Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna to the site of their helicopter crash on the two-year anniversary of the tragedy. The 73kg bronze statue is temporary but Medina hopes a permanent version is sited in a prominent Los Angeles spot.

The Queen’s Baton Relay has been exploring the Commonwealth for 100 days and in that time, the Baton has visited 26 nations and territories and spanned three continents. Let’s take a look back at the highlights from the first 100 days.

Batonbearers took the plunge into the Mediterranean Sea to visit the Museum of Underwater Sculptures. It contains 93 pieces of art, all made from a special steel and concrete combination that helps promote underwater life.

The artillery shell fired during the historic unveiling of Wolverhampton’s Saragarhi Monument has been presented to the Gurdwara that commissioned the statue during a special commemoration evening. Members of the British Army paid an official visit to Wednesfield’s Guru Nanak Gurdwara to meet members of the local community and speak about the importance of the statue.

The Saragarhi Monument, which stands in Well Lane close to the Gurdwara, is the first UK memorial of its kind commemorating the bravery of 19^th century Sikh soldiers.

Major international aid organisations in the UK have teamed up for the first time to front a new campaign showcasing the positive impact UK aid has within lower income countries and the vital role the UK plays. Forming the Aid Alliance, the consortium, including organisations such as Care and ActionAid, will help to reignite belief in the power of ‘helping’ each other and the progress happening every day thanks to aid and the work we do with communities around the world.

The volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered a tsunami was hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima during World War Two, Nasa says.

The eruption obliterated an island north of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa, the agency said. Tonga says more than four-fifths of the population has been affected by the tsunami and falling ash.

Birmingham’s annual civic commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day was hosted at Millennium Point, where the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Muhammad Afzal, led this year’s theme of One Day.

One Day is the theme for this year’s event, in the hope there may be one day in the future with no genocide. It is also an opportunity to learn more about the past, empathise with others today and take action for a better future.

His Royal Highness Prince William will visit the UAE in February, with a programme that coincides with the country’s 50th anniversary and the UK National Day being held at Expo 2020 Dubai on 10 February. The visit is at the request of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and will be part of His Royal Highness’ first official visit to the UAE.

The National Day at Expo will see the UK showcase the extraordinary talent from across the country.

Six people were reported to have been killed with dozens hurt in a crush outside a stadium hosting an AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) match in Cameroon. Another report said that a number of children had lost consciousness.

Video footage showed football fans struggling to get access to the Paul Biya stadium in a neighbourhood of the capital Yaounde.

Birmingham has been chosen by the Carter Centre as 1 of 12 international cities to participate in its Inform Women, Transform Lives campaign, which aims to ensure women can access information. Birmingham is the only UK city to be included in this global campaign, led by the US-based organisation, which aims to educate and enable women to play an active part in the public sphere as well as in their local communities.

The eyes of the world will be on Kaunas, Lithuania, as it marks the start of its year as the European Capital of Culture 2022 with a celebratory grand opening weekend The grand opening weekend of Kaunas 2022 begins on January 22nd and will feature an intense schedule of over 100 artistic and cultural events including concerts, dance performances and the opening of exhibitions from world famous artists such as Yoko Ono.

Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin says Pakistan has stood in the top three in the Economist normalcy index for the third consecutive time. The global normalcy index of the Economist has ranked Pakistan second in the world that measured recovery and opening up of society and economy post-COVID-19.                                                             

After inaugurating 17 new routes during 2021, Colombian carrier Avianca has announced seven new routes and the reactivation of two more beginning in March. In this way, its passengers will be able to travel non-stop from Colombia and Costa Rica to destinations in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Ecuador.

Members of the Armed Forces who were deployed in August 2021 to support the evacuation from Afghanistan will receive medallic recognition for their contribution. This was the largest humanitarian aid operation in over 70 years.

Personnel from across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force will receive the Operational Service Medal (OSM) Afghanistan, with its own distinctive clasp, for their involvement in Operation Pitting – an evacuation effort to airlift thousands of Afghans and British nationals from Afghanistan as the Taliban seized control of the country.

The first foreign aid planes have arrived in Tonga, bearing much-needed supplies for the Pacific nation which was left devastated by the recent volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami. New Zealand said its military plane landed at Tonga's main airport after workers cleared ash from the runway.

Australia also confirmed the first of its relief planes had arrived. Aid efforts had initially been hampered by ash from the volcano.

Travellers to Cuba must now be vaccinated to enter, under new entry requirements now in effect.

In addition, all travellers 13 and older traveling to Cuba by air must present proof of a negative RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival. Previously, the island did not require tests for vaccinated travellers.