World News

Members of the Rastafarian community have expressed disappointment with the recent removal of custodial sentences for possession of small amounts of marijuana. 

They are calling for full legalisation of marijuana use. During a recent demonstration outside the office of President Irfaan Ali, the rastafarians said it is time for the President and his government to begin consulting them as part of 'One Guyana'.

Rescuers in Indonesia are working through a second night to try to find survivors trapped following an earthquake in West Java. Officials put the death toll at 268, many of them children, with 151 still missing and more than 1,000 injured.

Damaged roads and the vast size of the affected area are making it difficult to locate and help victims.

Energy bills have been rising for households across Europe as prices have been driven up by worries about gas and oil supplies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Individual countries, and the European Union (EU), have announced support schemes for consumers.

In 2021, the EU imported 40% of its gas from Russia - so many of its member states are exposed to high energy prices. In response, the EU is introducing:

A delegation of 17 companies from Trinidad and Tobago made their way for a four-day visit Jamaica on a trade mission to take in construction, food and beverage, logistics, packaging and printing, chemicals as well as other sectors, is part of an effort to expand and promote bilateral export trade between the countries.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a statue of Kempegowda, the 16th-Century local leader who founded Bengaluru (Bangalore). The 33m (108ft)-tall bronze statue weighs 220 tonnes and is located at the international airport in the capital city of the southern Karnataka state.

The United States is home to a thriving African diaspora that has made important cultural, scientific and civic contributions. In anticipation of the upcoming ‘US-Africa Leaders Summit’, here are six members of the African diaspora to look out for:

Kehinde Wiley, whose father is from Nigeria, is a New York City–based portrait painter who references 17th- and 18th-century portraiture to render African American subjects in contemporary settings.

Monica Medina, the first U.S. special envoy for biodiversity and water resources, thinks there has never been a more important time for diplomats to champion protecting and restoring nature.

“I am really honoured to have this role and this title,” she said. “We’re in a world where the loss of nature is overwhelming and a real potential threat to the health of the planet and the health of people.”

Mozambique has started exporting liquefied natural gas for the first time, in a move the country’s President Filipe Nyusi has described as historic. The gas has been produced at an off-shore plant run by Italian energy firm Eni, but British oil giant BP has the purchasing rights over it.

The gas left in a British cargo ship for Europe, but its final destination is unclear. The shipment comes at a time when Europe is looking for alternative sources of gas, as it tries to reduce its reliance on Russia.

While Park Hyatt St. Kitts’ new General Manager Richard Elliott routinely manages budgets and monitors revenue reports, oversees hotel operations and activities, and ensures that the five-star property consistently meets or exceeds the brand’s highest standards, he views building positive relationships with his team and being a culture bearer as two of his most important responsibilities.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley received a thundering ovation after delivering the 20th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Durban, South Africa.

Her address pursued the theme “Social Bonding and Decolonization in the Context of the Climate Crisis: Perspectives from the Global South”.

At COP27 a UN Expert Group demanded that business should be charged with obligations to address climate change.

That seems controversial but is a profoundly pro-business proposal. Indeed, if the world does not define the climate obligations of enterprises, and if climate change causes damage, companies’ risk being sued out of existence.

At just 26, Olamide Olowe, founder of the Topicals skincare brand, has become the youngest Black woman ever to raise more than $2m (£1.7m) in a financing round, according to business magazine Forbes. She smashed her own previous record and raised $10m.

Ms Olowe posted on her Instagram account that she was "excited" by the announcement and would continue expanding the company and supporting non-profits that provide mental health support.

After an invasive plant species destroyed his grandfather’s rice farm in India, Nathan Elias wanted to help. Elias, who lives in Texas, developed a system to help farmers detect and identify invasive species using their smartphones.

Through a smartphone camera and mobile app, Elias’ tool sends farmers’ images to experts who can quickly identify invasive species: non-native plants, insects or other organisms that can harm crops.

In the lead up to COP27, the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Egypt in November, over 700 youth from twenty-one African countries have signed a joint open letter calling on the leadership of the African Union (AU) to prioritize systemic change in the face of the worsening climate crisis.

The U-turn by Greater Accra Regional Minister Hon. Henry Quartey in giving an assurance that not a single building on the Sakumono Ramsar site will be demolished is disappointing.

This comes barely a month after assuring the nation that structures on the Ramsar site would be demolished. The first phase took place last month with the demolition of mainly fence walls.

It has been announced that Shyam Saran Negi, the man dubbed "India's first voter" has died.

Thought to have been the first person to cast a ballot when India held its first general election after gaining independence from British rule, Mr Negi has voted in every election since then.