World News

More than a dozen federal agencies and departments are mobilised to assist state, county, nonprofit and private sector partners to help the people of Hawaii with recent devastating wildfires.

Personnel from FEMA, federal agencies and voluntary organizations are arriving daily to Hawaii to support active response and initial recovery efforts. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is in Hawaii today with U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell and Administrator Isabella Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration to meet with Gov. Josh Green and other officials to assess the damage.

The government of The Bahamas is delighted to announce a major partnership with HUB350 and the Kanata North Business Association (KNBA). This collaboration forms part of a broader vision to leverage technology and innovation to transform The Bahamas into a leading hub in tourism and climate change resilience. 

The pivotal role in brokering this transformative partnership was played by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Aviation, and Investments, Chester Cooper, Minister of State, Ginger Moxey, and the Bahamas High Commission, under the leadership of High Commissioner V. Alfred Gray and First Secretary Nahaja Black. Their combined effort and strategic negotiation have resulted in an alliance that aims to enhance The Bahamas’ technological capacity and promote sustainable development. 

The Embassy of Nepal dispatched 40 wooden items that were provided by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to Nepal. Qatar Airways transported the artifacts. The Embassy plans to deliver them to the Department of Archaeology in Kathmandu, Nepal, on August 12, 2023.

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confiscated these unlawfully taken Nepalese artifacts in Hawaii during August 2010. In 2011, the Nepalese government formally made a request to the United States government for the repatriation of these items.

Eighty people were confirmed to have been killed by wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials say. There are fears the numbers will rise further, as hundreds are still uncontactable.

Firefighters have been trying to contain fires in several areas, including the historic town of Lahaina which has been utterly devastated. Hawaii's attorney general has announced a "comprehensive review" into how the authorities responded to the wildfires.

Amari Kuala Lumpur is delighted to announce that it has been named the winner of the Luxury Lifestyle Award for Best Luxury City Hotel in Malaysia for 2023. Operated by ONYX Hospitality Group, a reputable force in Southeast Asia's hospitality industry with over five decades of management experience, Amari Kuala Lumpur is a shining example of the company's commitment to excellence.

The Luxury Lifestyle Awards is a global awards programme that recognises excellence across the whole range of industry sectors. The awards are held annually and are judged by an independent panel of experts.

A weather pattern known as El Niño is expected to strengthen in the coming weeks and months, potentially worsening extreme weather and the global food crisis. Driven by above-average water temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean, an El Niño pattern can cause varying effects on global weather.

While some countries may receive above-average rainfall and flooding, others could suffer crop failures and drought. U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security Cary Fowler said that an El Niño pattern has already formed this year.

Firefighters in Portugal battled to contain wildfires engulfing thousands of hectares amid soaring temperatures.

Around 800 personnel attended a fire near the southern town of Odemira overnight, with more than 1,400 people having to evacuate and at least nine firefighters being injured. Temperatures in excess of 40C (104F) are expected to hit much of the Iberian peninsula this week.

Three major fires that scorched hundreds of hectares in Spain over the weekend have been brought under control, but weather alerts remain in place across much of the country. Temperatures of 46.4C (116F), the hottest of the year so far, were recorded in Santarém.

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), with support from the Investing in Forest and Protected Area for Climate Smart Development (IFPA-CD) project graduated 80 youths in practical skills to improve their livelihoods. In a statement issued by Hangi Bashir, Head of Communication, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the graduation ceremony was held at Seyeya Courts Hotel in Kagadi town.

The Caribbean’s longest running workboat regatta, the Carriacou Regatta Festival, under the theme ‘Timeless Culture on the Sea.’ The regatta, which got its start in 1965 by the late J. Linton Rigg, brings the story of Carriacou’s rich boat building history to life.

Each year in August, the Carriacou Regatta Festival features races for multiple classes of workboats, including the highly anticipated deck sloop around the island race. Along with the action on the sea, there are onshore activities for all to enjoy, such as donkey racing and walking the greasy pole – both traditional activities to the festival. Evening entertainment and delicious cuisine complete the Carriacou Regatta experience.

According to a Turkish official, the recent excavation of the ancient city of Aizanoi’s agora in western Turkey is set to bring fresh insights into the city’s trade life. Kutahya Governor Ali Celik mentioned that the excavation work in the area has gained significant momentum lately.

Governor Celik revealed that they will uncover a significant number of shops in the ancient bazaar, called Agora, this year. The excavation work has already commenced, and efforts in this area have been intensified. Specifically, they expect to fully excavate and study five shops in the agora by the end of this year.

Marking their 61st anniversary, from Kingston to Canada, the USA to the UK and many other countries worldwide, the black, gold and green flags were flying high and proud in acknowledgement, Jamaican Independence Day saw natives and others, throughout the diaspora, celebrating and honouring the occasion in many ways.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, identifies Argentina as a crucial part of Jamaica‘s strategic objectives in the Latin American market. Argentina, with a population of 45 million and home to Lionel Messi, represents Jamaica’s largest market in the region.

The goal is to increase arrivals from Argentina as part of their overall strategy to reengage with Latin America after the pandemic. The Minister made the announcement at a special luncheon that hosted over 120 of Jamaica’s travel, trade, and media partners at the Four Seasons Hotel in Argentina.

Jamaican authorities say they plan to introduce a biometric system for passenger checks at the Sangster International Airport (SIA) in the coming winter. In Singapore, a similar system is already in place, and performing well enough that legislators are considering eliminating passport checks.

The Montego Bay Jamaica (MBJ) Airports Limited Chief Executive Officer Shane Munroe was said to have made the announcement recently, saying the novelty is intended to facilitate boarding and bag-drop processes for passengers travelling through the SIA as well as enhance checkpoint security. With the system, passengers will be able to check in from their mobile devices before proceeding to biometric kiosks installed at different counters in the airport for identity verification.

U.S. President Joe Biden on July 25 — what should have been Emmett Till’s 82nd birthday — signed a proclamation creating the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.

Till, a Black Chicago native, was 14 years old in 1955 when at least two white men lynched him in segregated Mississippi after a white woman accused him of flirting with her. Nobody was held legally accountable for Till’s murder, a tragedy that helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement.

When the Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965, a new era began in the United States. With a stroke of his pen, Johnson struck down discriminatory voting practices that had been adopted — primarily in Southern states — to disenfranchise African Americans.

Those practices, many dating back to the end of the U.S. Civil War in 1865, included the imposition of literacy tests and poll taxes that often-blocked Black citizens from exercising their right to vote, as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Following on the heels of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex or national origin, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 helped to solidify the gains of the U.S. civil rights movement.

In the summer of 2022, Jamaica’s Opposition Leader Mark Golding was a trustee or director of at least five non-profits – one in the U.K., where his father was born, and four in Jamaica. But while the U.K.-based organisation has been in good standing with the charity authority there, all four in Jamaica were outstanding on their filings at the Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) for multiple years.