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Inspiring The Next Generation 
This past Memorial Day Weekend all eyes were on the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival. The metropolitan city centre of Georgia’s state capital was filled with the rhythms of Caribbean music, the scents of island cuisine and the undeniable energy of an enthusiastic audience who came out after a two year cultural withdrawal.
Denmark, one of the world's greatest cycling countries, will host the world's greatest cycling race, the Tour de France, at the start of July 2022. In honour of today’s event, and International Bike Day (June 3), discover some of the most unexpected and curious things that Danes get up to on their bikes, including for this year only, the option to get married at the Tour de France.
1. Babies can be born on a bike
Danes cycle everywhere – even to the labour ward to give birth. It's partly because Danish cycling infrastructure is so safe and well developed that it's often quicker to cycle to your destination than it is to drive. It's not unusual to see a weeks-old baby being cycled around the city in a cargo bike – why not start your life the way it's going to continue?
2. Children love to play in the traffic…
The traffic playground, that is. Denmark is so bike-orientated that it has several bike playgrounds where children can play on empty streets, set up with traffic lights and street furniture so children can learn how to navigate bike paths along city streets in a fun environment. The Traffic Playground in Fælledparken, Copenhagen, is one of the best known examples.
3. Die-hard cyclists can get married at a cycling race
This summer it is possible to celebrate your love of cycling and your love of your partner at the same time by getting married in Copenhagen during the iconic Tour de France race. The open-air ceremony is available at Fælledparken during the bicycle festival FestiVélo. Whether you wear white or opt for lycra and a yellow jersey is up to you…
4. Danes can borrow a bike from a specialist bike library
These specialist libraries are where cyclists can try out different bikes and see what they like best before they buy. In the cyclists' library in Odense, citizens can try cargo bikes and electric bikes to see what suits them best, while in Aarhus, a smart mobility project offers folding commuter bikes, lightweight bikes and electric bikes for a week's free trial so locals can see how they fit into their daily routines.
5. Age is no barrier to having wind in your hair
The Danish project 'Cycling without age' aims to connect older people with the joy of cycling by taking elderly people from their nursing homes out into the fresh air in comfortable red-canopied cargo bikes. The project helps over 30,000 people every year and this year aims to tackle parts of the Tour de France route with its elderly passengers, including a ride over the Storebælt bridge.
6. Meals on wheels means something different here
Who says cooks should stay in the kitchen? Cykelkokken, a cycling chef, roams Copenhagen with a bike that doubles as a restaurant. The 'Bike Cook' experience pairs a cycling tour of the city with regular rest stops when chef Morten Kruger Wulff opens up his cargo bike and unveils a food preparation surface and cooking area, cooking delicious Danish food with views of the harbourfront.
7. One last bike ride
In Denmark, it's possible to take one last ride at the end of your life. In Copenhagen, there is a specialist undertaker that transports coffins by custom-made cargo bike. Sille Kongstad is a female undertaker known for taking her passengers on their final journey to a church, crematorium or burial site, laden down with flowers. The funeral party typically walks or cycles alongside.
8. Danes put their sofas on a bike
It's not unusual on the first or fifteenth of the month to see young Danes moving house by bike. If you spot a strange item of furniture balanced on a cargo bike during a stay – that's what is going on! In a similar way, around Christmas, you might see fir trees being transported around the city in cargo bikes or under the arms of strong cyclists. It's a creative and sometimes necessary way to tackle car-free living.
9. Bike architecture is a thing
Bike architecture refers to urban design that puts cyclists first. In Denmark's case, that includes angled dustbins by the side of cycle paths that suit passing cyclists, specialist bridges just for bikes that take them out of busy roads and offer faster routes, traffic lights timed to let cyclists go first, and of course, separate bike paths from the main roads. In many cities, cycle counters are set up to show how many cyclists pass down each road for the day.
10. There's even a cycling embassy in Denmark
If you want to know more about cycling in Denmark, the Cycling Embassy of Denmark is the place to start. The embassy exists to encourage cycling all over the world by sharing its many decades of knowledge and expertise on the subject. It's used by city planners and policy makers all over the world wanting to learn more about and promote cycling as a mode of transport.
Facts about cycling in Denmark
Residents of Chambers Pen in Hanover, in Jamaica, are to benefit significantly from the pilot implementation of the Government’s Rural Development Programme, at a cost of approximately $223 million. The initiative, which is designed to transform communities in various parts of the island, was announced during the last fiscal year by Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie.
As part of the commitment to make the first ever FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 hosted in the Middle East and Arab world an all-inclusive gala event, Qatar Airways has tied up with flydubai, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air and Saudia to connect match ticket holders to Doha via Match Day Shuttle flights for 24-hour experiences, during the tournament period.
Geetanjali Shree has become the first Indian writer to win the International Booker Prize.
Her novel Tomb of Sand, a family saga set in the shadow of the partition of India, follows an 80-year-old woman after the death of her husband. It was the first Hindi-language book to be shortlisted for the £50,000 prize.
Bahamian-owned and operated commercial airline, Western Air, took a long runway into the international friendly skies when it made its first flight between Nassau and Fort Lauderdale, Florida as another airline alternative for travellers. The 50-seater Embraer ERJ145 Jet took off from Lynden Pindling International Airport at 11 a.m. en route to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport, a first in the airline's almost 21-year existence.
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.
