Colors: Blue Color

A tropical storm watch remains in effect for Jamaica Tropical Storm Ian continues to strengthen over the central Caribbean Sea. The Meteorological Service of Jamaica says Tropical Storm Ian could produce 100-200 millimetres of rainfall, mainly over eastern and southern parishes as it passes close to the island.

Since the U.S. Congress passed historic climate legislation in August, both the American government and the private sector have built on that progress with further commitments and actions toward clean energy.

“Nobody can any longer doubt that the climate crisis is real, and we’re beginning to respond to it,” President Biden said September 13. “This law will create good-paying union jobs, increase energy security.”

Residents began boarding up properties as Bermuda braced for the arrival of Hurricane Fiona, a large and powerful storm that reports say has killed at least six people during its rampage across the northern Caribbean.

The hurricane was expected to reach the island by Friday. The closest point of approach to the island is expected to be around 100 miles to the west-northwest at 5:00 am, but forecasters say the island can also expect 12 to 18 hours of tropical-storm conditions as Fiona passes before heading towards Nova Scotia.

Pakistan remains desperately in need of help after its worst floods in years, and it needs it fast.

The country’s ambassador to the UN and the UK, Maleeha Lodhi, said: "This climate calamity couldn't have come at a worse time, when Pakistan's economy was already struggling with a balance of payments crisis, rising debt, and soaring inflation."

“The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) voices our solidarity with the resilient people of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as they recover from the effects of Hurricane Fiona, which initially made landfall in Puerto Rico’s south-western region, causing flooding in remote and rural areas of the island, before affecting the eastern part of the Dominican Republic.

American Muslims are advancing in U.S. society and are more likely than other members of the population to open a business or work full time, according to a new survey.

Of all the groups surveyed by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), American Muslims are also the most likely to hold an optimistic view of the direction of the United States. Many Muslims volunteer to serve in the U.S. military, with a rate of military service that is slightly higher than the general public.

“This poll presents an updated demographic profile of American Muslims, diving into markers previously presented and new ones, including military service and jobs created, to further flesh out a profile of a growing and changing community,” ISPU, which tracks trends affecting American Muslims, says in the American Muslim Poll 2022: A Politics and Pandemic Status Report.

The report, issued in August, is ISPU’s sixth surveying Muslims, as well as other religious groups and people not affiliated with a religion. It highlights Muslims’ contributions to the U.S. economy and academia.

IPSU says Muslims in the United States are more likely to have earned a college degree than others in the American public age 25 or older, with 46% of Muslims graduating college compared to 38% of people overall. The survey also finds that 8% of American Muslims are self-employed or own their own business.

Muslim business owners each hire an average of eight workers, supporting an estimated 1.37 million U.S. jobs, ISPU says. Small businesses (those with fewer than 500 employees) are vital to the U.S. economy. America’s 32.5 million small businesses make up the majority of U.S. companies.

Michael Verchot, director of the Consulting and Business Development Centre at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, recently said that Muslim small-business ownership is increasing as America’s Muslim population approaches 4 million. He cites New York City’s 96,000 Muslim-owned businesses and the state of Michigan’s 36,000 as barometers of U.S.  

Muslims’ growing entrepreneurship that serves both the domestic population and the world. “It’s exciting to see the emergence of American Muslim-owned small businesses that are meeting the needs of customers and clients around the globe,” Verchot said.

Marco Pizarro, a 19-year-old computer science major at Stanford University, is spreading his passion for coding to his peers in the agricultural community where he grew up. Pizarro hopes to build on the Harvest Hacks hackathon he held before the pandemic, in which 300 middle- and secondary-school students from California’s Salinas Valley spent the day coding and learning about opportunities in the high-tech industry.

Some things just stick, like an iconic ad jingle or the taste of the butter you've grown up eating.

It's what makes consumers fall in love with a brand and stay loyal to it. India has a host of home-grown brands that have found their way into the homes and hearts of millions over the decades.

Almost a year after her rip-roaring speech to the international community at COP26 in Glasgow on the need for more climate-financing to protect vulnerable states like those in the Caribbean, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley was in the global spotlight once again, this time calling out what she believes are onerous financial rules being imposed by the U.S. and other industrialized nations that make Caribbean markets uncompetitive.

Some things just stick, like an iconic ad jingle or the taste of the butter you've grown up eating.

It's what makes consumers fall in love with a brand and stay loyal to it. India has a host of home-grown brands that have found their way into the homes and hearts of millions over the decades.

Known as “the most influential artist in Mexico,” Gilda Garza is an internationally recognized painter constantly pushing the boundaries between emotion and art.

As America approaches September’s Hispanic Heritage Month, this award-winning Mexico native prepares to make history with a moving collaborative collection by sculptural artist Mario Furlan in a live exhibition at New Murano, Atelier Muranese.

During the Economic Forum in Karpacz, Żabka Polska presented a new kind of shop – Eko Smart, combining sustainable solutions with new technological developments. The first such shop will be opened in Poznań, with 3 more to follow.

Żabka Eko Smart continues and combines the projects that the company has been implementing since 2020, when the first shop powered by 100% green energy was launched in Warsaw. 

Caribbean leaders shared their reflections following the passing of Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II, with Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, leading the remarks, saying: “As we reflect on the life and service of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we can all agree that she was a portrait of dignity in how she conducted the affairs of State and remains an exemplar in leadership. Her grace, elegance and humility will be remembered throughout (the) ages.”