World News

Outspoken professional basketball player Enes Kanter has legally changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom to celebrate becoming a US citizen.

Swiss-born, Turkish-raised Kanter, 29, tweeted a video of his citizenship ceremony. He recited the oath using his new name.

American-born French performer Joséphine Baker will be entered into Paris' Panthéon mausoleum, making her the first Black woman to receive the honour. The Panthéon is a burial place for celebrated French icons such as scientist Marie Curie and writer Victor Hugo. Baker will be just the sixth woman to join some 80 national heroes.

Marking its 55th Independence Barbados celebrated as it also marked the island’s transition from a Commonwealth realm to a parliamentary Republic. And Prince Charles, the future head of the Commonwealth, was in the country to witness the changing of the guard.

Received by Dame Sandra Mason in the last hours of her role as viceroy of Queen Elizabeth, he was also welcomed by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Foreign Minister Dr Jerome Walcott, Minister of Maritime Affairs Kirk Humphrey and other senior Government officials.

Xavier Murphy, media consultant and founder of the premier online media platform jamaicans.com, was honoured by Oliver Mair, the Consul General of Jamaica, as one of the 12 individuals in the southern United States chosen by the Consulate General of Jamaica to receive Diaspora Honours in 2021.

Murphy was presented with the Luminous Award in the Cultural Arts category on November 7, 2021, at a virtual ceremony held on the Facebook page of the Consulate General of Jamaica Miami.

The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2021) auditorium was absolutely packed with hundreds of adoring fans, who waited hours in the air-conditioned Sharjah Expo centre to see him.

The introductory music before Noah’s entrance was reminiscent of a sold-out hip hop concert with numerous fans stretching their arms out trying to raise their phones higher than their neighbour’s in order to get a better shot of the historic moment when Trevor Noah walked through the SIBF 2021 doors.

As an educator, through his messages of determination, righteousness and unity, Dr Lt. Stichie is one of the most respected artistes on the reggae-gospel scene who recently was honoured with a Doctor of Law degree in International Humanitarian Studies from the Dayspring Christian University, Association for Biblical Accountability in Education and Friends for Life Outreach Department of Training and Education for his involvement in outreach work, and other areas, as well as education.

“It is okay to fail but not okay to quit,” said Chris Gardner to a packed audience at the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), while he laid out the blueprint for actioning a dream into reality.

Discussing his new book, Permission to Dream, with Sally Mousa, the international best-selling author, entrepreneur and award-winning film producer, said: “Failure can be your best friend. You are going to learn things from failure that you cannot from success. The key lies in not making the same mistake twice.”

India is set to go ahead with its plan to ban most cryptocurrencies in the country under a long-awaited bill.

Expectations had grown in recent months that the government may soften its view on digital currencies.

Well over a month before sleigh bells are to be heard around the world, a slightly different delivery was made to White Marl Primary and Infant School in St Catherine, Jamaica.
On November 5th, the school received a donation of seven new Hewlett Packard laptops, with the aim to aid the school in fulfilling its mission to empower every child to be a GEM (Gifted, Excellent, Masterpiece).

Nigeria's diaspora community in the UK is planning to use its 2021 end-of-year party 17 as a major launching pad for a series of bold initiatives aimed at radically revitalising things.

The Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (Canuk) will be holding a gala dinner tagged ‘Reuniting the Community After the Lockdown’.  Kicking off with a red-carpet reception at 6pm, the event will involve a three-course dinner, music, live entertainment raffle draw and plenty of dancing.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Malaysian government body to co-operate in the area of transport innovation and smart cities development for the next three years.

The MoU with Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) will be an opportunity for the West Midlands to share knowledge, ideas, and lessons learned from within the urban and transport planning realms, as well as promote mutual recognition of international design standards for inclusive transport.

When Indian PM Narendra Modi announced the repeal of three controversial farm laws after a year of protests, it followed after thousands of farmers had camped at Delhi's borders, since last November, and dozens dying from heat, cold and Covid.

They said that the laws will allow the entry of private players in farming and that will hurt their income. The announcement marks a major U-turn as the government had not taken any initiative to talk to farmers in recent months.

The World Health Organization is "very worried" about the spread of Covid-19 in Europe as the continent battles a fresh wave of infections.

Regional director Dr Hans Kluge warned that 500,000 more deaths could be recorded by March unless urgent action is taken, saying that an increase in mask wearing could immediately help.

Building on the success of the virtual version of Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM) held earlier this year, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), organizers of the Caribbean’s largest marketing event, have announced that the 40th edition of Marketplace will return to an in-person format in Spring 2022.

Next year will mark 40 years of Marketplace, the Caribbean’s leading event that brings together buyers and sellers of the region’s tourism products, goods and services.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris will become the first woman to briefly be given presidential powers as Joe Biden undergoes his regular health check.

President Biden will transfer power to Ms Harris for the period in which he is placed under anaesthesia for a routine colonoscopy. The medical examination will be Mr Biden's first as president and comes on the eve of his 79th birthday - Ms Harris will temporarily take control of the US military and nuclear weapons.

Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market has been listed in the top 10 most picturesque Christmas markets, a new study has revealed. 

Out of over 600 markets that take place across the UK and mainland Europe Birmingham came in at No. 10 with 12,662 posts on instagram using the market's hashtag. The research, which was carried out by PaulCamper, provides some festive inspiration for the winter, with a jolly road trip in a campervan, or a city get-away to soak up traditional Christmas traditions across Europe.