World News

Resilience is everybody’s business. All policymakers in the Caribbean must be concerned about the resilience of their national sectors amid a wide range of constantly evolving threats facing the region.  The concern is however especially urgent for policymakers in the tourism sector which is simultaneously one of the most resilient yet volatile segments of the economies of small island states. the risks facing tourism are indeed dynamic.

They are traditional as well as non-traditional.   They range from natural disasters to made-made disasters such as climate change to epidemics and pandemics to terrorism to the emerging threat of cybercrimes.

Despite the presence of these threats, The IDB Action Plan for Latin America and Caribbean has noted that with a few notable exceptions, the region has not pursued policies that reflect an understanding of its vulnerabilities and that identify actions to redress them.  It noted a lack of comprehensive capacity building for disaster and emergency preparedness and response.

As we move forward indifference to the potentially existential threats facing the region’s tourism sector can no longer be the order of the day.  Mitigation and resilience will require Caribbean destinations to engage in proactive planning against anticipated disaster risks rather than repeatedly being caught reacting to events as they occur. This would demand greater levels of coordination, collaboration and integration between tourism agencies and local disaster management agencies to address disaster vulnerability and risk.  The region’s tourism policy makers must take seriously the recommendations of the World Travel and Tourism Council that the important matters of climate change, disaster degradation and resilience be prioritized over the next several years.

Resilience strategies to protect the future of tourism in the Caribbean are especially urgent given the unquantifiable importance of a healthy and secure tourism industry to the economic sustenance of the region.  As I have stated many times before the Caribbean is the most tourism-dependent region in the world with tourism being the largest generator of foreign exchange and jobs in 16 out of 28 countries in the region and the sector receiving the most FDI. A major disruption to tourism will likely devastate the economic livelihoods of millions and stymy the sustainable development of the region.

Coming out of the 2017 UNWTO Global Tourism Conference held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre  to mark the commemoration of 2017 as the year of sustainable tourism, the Montego Bay Declaration was adopted  affirming  the commitment of governments, the UN system, global and regional financial institutions and the private sector  to cooperating to promote safe, secure and seamless travel and build resilience for tourism by advancing crisis preparedness and management capabilities as well as the full integration of tourism in emergency structures .

The 2017 Global Tourism Conference closed with a call for Government, private sector, donors and the international and regional organizations to support the establishment of a Global Tourism Resilience Centre in the Caribbean, including a Sustainable Tourism Observatory, to assist destinations’ preparedness, management and recovery of crises which impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods. On February 30, a little over a year later, this call was answered with the launch of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre to be housed at The University of the West Indies (Mona Campus). The Centre is tasked with the responsibility of producing and generating toolkits,

communication strategies, guidelines and capacity building programmes to enhance assist destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and crises that impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods in the region.  The establishment of this Centre will constitute an important enabling mechanism for achieving our institutional goals of increasing the quality of the output of the global tourism product by providing outstanding support through research, action, and advocacy.

The Centre will be engaged in a wide range of activities geared towards promoting mitigation and resilience including the development of indicators to measure resilience; risk assessment mapping and planning; promoting innovation systems for climate adaptation and resilience; cross-border intelligence sharing; widespread training and education to build capacity and promote behaviour modification;, developing a regional funding model to coordinate regional responses; fostering deepened  knowledge of cyberspace policy; promoting counter-terrorism studies;  developing urban resilience and building meaningful partnerships.

The Centre will act as both a practical solution facing destinations globally and an intellectual space for academics and practitioners to share information on contemporary issues in and strategies for global resilience management with the establishment of an International Journal of Tourism Resilience Management and an academic Chair in Resilience Management at UWI to develop and enhance scholarship in the area of Resilience Management for universities around the world. The Centre will also provide research fellowship opportunities for individuals seeking to either expand their knowledge or, gain experience in tourism resilience and crisis management, through postdoctoral research, and (2) internships for undergraduate and graduate students in fields of study related to tourism resilience and crisis management. Given the globally recognized importance of tourism management, the centre will certainly position Jamaica as a global thought leadership in tourism resilience and crisis management and is thus a critical development enabler for countries around the world.

Reggae legend, Bob Marley, is set to have an English Heritage blue plaque installed at his former home in England, with the property, on Oakley Street - just off Chelsea’s King’s Road - on a list of places to receive the honour - with novelist Angela Carter, writer and traveller Gertrude Bell and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn among a cluster of names announced as figures to be celebrated in 2019 by the London heritage scheme.

Historian David Olusoga, a trustee of English Heritage and blue plaques panel member, said he was particularly excited by the Marley plaque.

“He was one of the first superstars to come from Jamaica,” Olusoga said. “He is one of the most famous faces in the world, one of the most recognisable faces in the world, and he blazed a trail for other artists from developing countries.”

Around 12 blue plaques are given out each year and English Heritage is conscious of needing to have more women and people of colour commemorated.

Chairman Sir Tim Laurence said: “We went through a long phase where unless you were white and male you had less chance of getting a blue plaque. We are trying to make the selection much more balanced and more diverse.”

It was while living there that Marley and the Wailers finished recording his ‘Exodus’ album – described as one of his best.

Bob died from cancer in 1981 – age 36.

Dr Willard Wigan MBE, the world’s leading micro-sculptor, is to bring new UNBELIEVABLE work to Sutton Coldfield Town Hall this April in his first exhibition in the Royal Town.

His pieces of art, some smaller than a full stop in a newspaper, cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are presented in the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin and displayed under specially constructed microscopes.

‘Willard Wigan Through The Looking Glass’ will run from April 1-26 (not 7th) at the charity trust venue and is a joint project between the Town Hall and the Birmingham based artist. The micro-sculptor, who recently broke his own world record for the world's smallest sculpture  - a baby set inside a human hair - has just completed a new Alice in Wonderland sculpture for his Sutton Coldfield visit.

A pop up cafe will be available featuring art from the Sutton Coldfield Society of Artists, with activities available for school and youth groups.

There will be a launch evening on Monday April 1, featuring a meet and greet with the artist, canapés and welcome drink, plus tours of the Town Hall.

‘An Evening with Willard Wigan’, featuring a talk by the artist, Q&A and entry to the exhibition will take place on Thursday April 11.

Town Hall exhibition organiser Julie Rennison said “Willard has a huge affinity with Birmingham, having held his first exhibition in the city that has become his home, and having had such huge crowds at venues such as the Library of Birmingham.

Having visited the Town Hall, he was immediately captivated by its beauty and potential and was keen to work with us. We’re excited to be bringing new visitors, not just to the venue, but to Sutton Coldfield as an Easter holidays destination.

Our proximity to the train station and the park, plus all the dining opportunities between us and the cinema, means that Sutton can be a perfect Easter day out for all ages.”

Willard, who has a permanent exhibition at The Broadway Museum in the Cotswolds, will follow his Sutton Coldfield show with a tour of the USA around the Trinity Galleries chain.

While President Muhammadu Buhari said he was "deeply disappointed" and leading opponent Atiku Abubakar accused his rival of "anti-democratic acts," Nigeria’s much anticipated election, which was moved to delay, left many people’s disappointed, frustrated and angry after "logistical reasons" were cited in presidential and parliamentary polls - with two main groups, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP), both condemning the move and accused each other of trying to manipulate the vote.

As APC party leader, President Buhari, called for "refrain from civil disorder and for voters to remain peaceful, patriotic and united to ensure that no force or conspiracy derail our democratic development," Abubakar called for calm over the next seven days saying saying: "I'm appealing to Nigerians to please come out and vote and I'm asking them to be patient about it."

Independent National Electoral Commission chair Mahmood Yakubu, said the decision to delay had "nothing to do with political influence."

The presidential and parliamentary votes have been rescheduled for Saturday, February 23, whilst the Governorship, state assembly and federal area council elections have been rescheduled until Saturday March 9.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) hosted the launch of a charity appeal which aims to raise £500,000 for a commemorative monument for Caribbean Armed Forces personnel at the National Memorial Arboretum.

The National Caribbean Monument Charity (TNCMC) has already commissioned Martin Jennings to produce a design for a tribute to Caribbean personnel who served in many conflicts – but needs to raise money to get the monument built and maintained.

Sculptor Jennings, who also designed the Mary Seacole statue in London, has created a monument including figures representing Caribbean military personnel, the Armed Forces crest, and an inscription which reads: “This memorial pays tribute to Caribbean personnel of all ethnicity who serve and have served the British military and its Merchant Navy.”

TNCMC wants the statue to be placed at the National Memorial Arboretum as there is currently no national monument or statue dedicated to the service of Caribbean personnel.

Donald Campbell from TNCMC, who himself served in the RAF for 36 years, said: “This monument will celebrate the 18 British Caribbean Islands from where thousands of Caribbean men and women joined up to help the Mother Country and still remain a backbone in today’s British military - yet we do not have a national monument to recognise their contribution.

“This monument will provide an inter-generational link that has so often been forgotten.”

The WMCA helped TNCMC by hosting the launch event with potential donors at the combined authority’s offices in Birmingham on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “Sixteen-thousand Caribbean service personnel willingly signed up to fight for Britain, and thousands lost their lives fighting for our freedom.

This monument will help to provide a lasting reminder of their dedication and sacrifice in serving Queen and country at a time when Britain needed them most.

We’re very happy to help support TNCMC as it tries to raise funds for a monument which will go some way to recognising the contribution our Caribbean communities have made to the armed forces over many years.”  

The National Memorial Arboretum, in Alrewas, hosts a number of commemorative monuments and statues for armed personnel. And in November 2018, a bronze 10ft statue of a Sikh solider, named The Lions of the Great War, was unveiled in Smethwick to commemorate the service of people from the Indian subcontinent who fought for Britain in World War I.

Eleanor Smith, Labour MP for Wolverhampton South West and patron of the National Caribbean Monument Charity, said: “It is marvellous that we are launching this charity and are on the journey to building a monument which honours the sacrifices and contributions made over centuries by Caribbean military personnel.

This monument is important because it links the past to the present. It will enable people to remember and respect those from all the Caribbean Islands who served in the British Armed Forces. It will be an important source of information for future generations in understanding the contribution made by past generations to our safety and way of life.

There is a strong fundraising plan in motion and I confidently look forward to attending the monument’s unveiling at National Memorial Arboretum in the near future.”

A JustGiving page has been set up to manage donations to The National Caribbean Monument Charity.

For more information, or to donate, visit:https://www.justgiving.com/nationalcaribbeanmonument

After months of pledges ahead of today's election, President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to take Nigeria to the "next level," promises his All Progressives Congress (APC) party, whilst leading opponent, former vice-president Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), has promised to "bring power to the people."

"We are seeing increased investment across the entire value chain from agricultural inputs to farming and ultimately, food processing," Buhari said.

"Indeed, we are on course to achieve food security in major staple foods in the not too distant future."

This will be Nigeria's first presidential election with a generation of voters who have only known democracy.

But, does Nigeria's 'generation democracy' really want to vote?

20 year-old student, Favour Ifadah, says; "I actually wanted to vote at first and went to register. But at the registration centre we had to spend hours waiting, waiting, waiting, and then we heard that the person responsible had not turned up.

We were told to come another day and I got annoyed as I have a lot of things to do. I ended up abandoning efforts to get a voter's card."

Laundry worker, Adijat Balogun, 19, added; "All I want is for the country to be better. I don't really know about politics, and I don’t think I'm just not ready yet."

With campaigning for the general election coming to a close, embattled leader and ‘born-again democrat,’ Buhari, for one, will be seen if he can make that promised ‘clean break from the past’ if he, for one, really wants to move his country forward – for everyone concerned.

His Holiness Pope Francis, the Head of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican City, has delivered an historic Papal Mass to 180,000 Catholics in the United Arab Emirates that was televised around the world.

The scale of the event, which took place at Zayed Sports Stadium in Abu Dhabi, is unprecedented for an event of this kind in the Arabian Peninsula and saw tens of thousands come from every corner of the UAE and overseas to participate.

The event saw 1500 paramedics, police and security staff on duty to ensure the safety and security of the Catholics attending the Mass.

There were 100 Emiratis on duty managing gate security for the thousands who flocked to the event – the majority of whom traveled on the 2000 buses organised by the UAE Government in association with the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (AVOSA), the territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church covering the UAE, Oman and Yemen.

It captured world media attention with 250 international journalists among the 600 media who covered the Papal Mass and broadcast the event live around the world.

His Holiness arrived on his Popemobile to greet the excited crowds both inside and outside the Zayed Stadium where he conducted the 90-minute Mass, with guests including the UAE Minister of Tolerance H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister for Culture and Knowledge Development among other senior Government officials.

During his homily on a specially constructed stage, Pope Francis thanked the UAE’s leadership and people saying; “I would like to thank the children of Zayed in the land of Zayed” which received a rapturous welcome from the diverse multinational audience.

Reflecting what was one of the most diverse gathering of nationalities for a Papal Mass outside of Rome – elements of the 90-minute service were conducted in Italian, English, Arabic, Tagalog, Hindi and Korean.

The Mass was attended by nearly 20 per cent of the estimated one million Catholics living and working in the UAE.

Coming just days after the final of the Asian Cup, organisers worked day and night to transform the stadium and surroundings into the largest outdoor place of Christian worship ever seen in the Arabian Peninsula.

Article by Delroy Constantine-Simms

As Tuesday may have been the official start of the ‘Year of the Pig,’ up to 40,000 people were expected in Birmingham for its Chinese New Year festivities as a series of parades and performances were planned, with celebrations ending in the city's Chinatown district yesterday, as flying dragons and dancing lions paraded through the city’s Chinese Quarter, with performers taking part in what organisers claim as one of the biggest celebration outside China.

The Chinese Festival Committee Birmingham presented Birmingham’s Chinese New Year celebrations, co-produced by Birmingham Hippodrome – which was sponsored by Birmingham Airport and in association with Birmingham City Football Club as part of three days of festivities across the city.

The streets in Chinatown and around the theatre came to life with show-stopping lion dances, traditional Chinese music and dance performances, market stalls and a fun fair while with free performances in and around the Arcadian Centre as well as in the Patrick Studio, in the Hippodrome, and a free family craft workshop in the foyers.

Prior to that, a special concert was held at St Philip's Cathedral with performances by Birmingham Conservatoire and Dans Dance Company, with James Wong, chair of Birmingham's Chinese Festival Committee, saying; "This year's programme was hugely exciting and diverse, and  us saw us working with all our partners to bring Chinese New Year to places and spaces across the city.

We are very proud of our heritage in bringing this unique and unforgettable spectacle to life."

The pig is one of 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac and is believed to be a symbol of optimism, enthusiasm and hard work.

Resilience is everybody’s business. All policymakers in the Caribbean must be concerned about the resilience of their national sectors amid a wide range of constantly evolving threats facing the region.  The concern is however especially urgent for policymakers in the tourism sector which is simultaneously one of the most resilient yet volatile segments of the economies of small island states. the risks facing tourism are indeed dynamic.

They are traditional as well as non-traditional.   They range from natural disasters to made-made disasters such as climate change to epidemics and pandemics to terrorism to the emerging threat of cybercrimes.

Despite the presence of these threats, The IDB Action Plan for Latin America and Caribbean has noted that with a few notable exceptions, the region has not pursued policies that reflect an understanding of its vulnerabilities and that identify actions to redress them.  It noted a lack of comprehensive capacity building for disaster and emergency preparedness and response.

As we move forward indifference to the potentially existential threats facing the region’s tourism sector can no longer be the order of the day.  Mitigation and resilience will require Caribbean destinations to engage in proactive planning against anticipated disaster risks rather than repeatedly being caught reacting to events as they occur. This would demand greater levels of coordination, collaboration and integration between tourism agencies and local disaster management agencies to address disaster vulnerability and risk.  The region’s tourism policy makers must take seriously the recommendations of the World Travel and Tourism Council that the important matters of climate change, disaster degradation and resilience be prioritized over the next several years.

Resilience strategies to protect the future of tourism in the Caribbean are especially urgent given the unquantifiable importance of a healthy and secure tourism industry to the economic sustenance of the region.  As I have stated many times before the Caribbean is the most tourism-dependent region in the world with tourism being the largest generator of foreign exchange and jobs in 16 out of 28 countries in the region and the sector receiving the most FDI. A major disruption to tourism will likely devastate the economic livelihoods of millions and stymy the sustainable development of the region.

Coming out of the 2017 UNWTO Global Tourism Conference held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre  to mark the commemoration of 2017 as the year of sustainable tourism, the Montego Bay Declaration was adopted  affirming  the commitment of governments, the UN system, global and regional financial institutions and the private sector  to cooperating to promote safe, secure and seamless travel and build resilience for tourism by advancing crisis preparedness and management capabilities as well as the full integration of tourism in emergency structures .

The 2017 Global Tourism Conference closed with a call for Government, private sector, donors and the international and regional organizations to support the establishment of a Global Tourism Resilience Centre in the Caribbean, including a Sustainable Tourism Observatory, to assist destinations’ preparedness, management and recovery of crises which impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods. On February 30, a little over a year later, this call was answered with the launch of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre to be housed at The University of the West Indies (Mona Campus). The Centre is tasked with the responsibility of producing and generating toolkits, communication strategies, guidelines and capacity building programmes to enhance assist destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and crises that impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods in the region.  The establishment of this Centre will constitute an important enabling mechanism for achieving our institutional goals of increasing the quality of the output of the global tourism product by providing outstanding support through research, action, and advocacy.

The Centre will be engaged in a wide range of activities geared towards promoting mitigation and resilience including the development of indicators to measure resilience; risk assessment mapping and planning; promoting innovation systems for climate adaptation and resilience; cross-border intelligence sharing; widespread training and education to build capacity and promote behaviour modification;, developing a regional funding model to coordinate regional responses; fostering deepened  knowledge of cyberspace policy; promoting counter-terrorism studies;  developing urban resilience and building meaningful partnerships.

The Centre will act as both a practical solution facing destinations globally and an intellectual space for academics and practitioners to share information on contemporary issues in and strategies for global resilience management with the establishment of an International Journal of Tourism Resilience Management and an academic Chair in Resilience Management at UWI to develop and enhance scholarship in the area of Resilience Management for universities around the world. The Centre will also provide research fellowship opportunities for individuals seeking to either expand their knowledge or, gain experience in tourism resilience and crisis management, through postdoctoral research, and (2) internships for undergraduate and graduate students in fields of study related to tourism resilience and crisis management. Given the globally recognized importance of tourism management, the centre will certainly position Jamaica as a global thought leadership in tourism resilience and crisis management and is thus a critical development enabler for countries around the world

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the most romantic restaurants in the U.S. for 2019 were announced today. Travel experts complied this first-ever list based on millions of reviews and opinions from diners. Rankings derived from the quality amd quantity of reviews combined with the degree to which the property is romantic.

The 10 Most Romantic Restaurants in the U.S.

1. Charleston Grill – Charleston, South Carolina

Popular dishes: Crab cake, foie gras, rack of lamb

2. Café Monarch – Scottsdale, Arizona

Popular dishes: Filet mignon, sea bass, duck

3. Bohanan’s Prime Steaks and Seafood – San Antonio, Texas

Popular dishes: Ribeye, jumbo lump crab cake, French-grilled oysters

4. Le Vallauris – Palm Springs, California

Popular dishes: Crispy veal sweetbread, duck, soufflé

5. Charleston Restaurant – Baltimore, Maryland

Popular dishes: Lobster soup, foie gras, oysters

6. Chandlers Steakhouse – Boise, Idaho

Popular dishes: Scallops, prime rib, chocolate soufflé

7. The Forge – Miami Beach, Florida

Popular dishes: Filet mignon, sea bass, soufflé

8. August – New Orleans, Louisiana

Popular dishes: Gnocchi, flounder Pontchartrain, pork loin

9. Summer House Steak & Seafood – Siesta Key, Florida

Popular dishes: Lobster bisque, filet mignon, scallops

10. Daniel – New York, New York

Popular dishes: Foie gras, lobster, sea bass

Almost 2,000 Nigerian football fans who arrived in Russia for the FIFA 2018 World Cup are still in the country, making up the largest number of the more than 5,000 supporters who have remained illegally.

It was reported last week that more than 12,000 World Cup fans had still been in Russia as of December 31 – the date on which the FAN ID system formally ended.

The system allowed fans with World Cup match tickets to enter Russia during the tournament without a visa, as long as they held a FAN ID document.

The scheme was deemed a success and extended so that FAN ID holders could continue to enter the country without a visa until the end of the year.

The Russian Interior Ministry reported last week that the number of fans remaining in Russia illegally beyond the deadline had been reduced during January, but still stood at 5,500.

The Interior Ministry press service provided a breakdown of those numbers.

Nigerians make up the largest group still in Russia, with 1,863 citizens yet to have left. That’s followed by people from Vietnam (911) and Bangladesh (456) – neither of whom were playing at the 32-team tournament.

Senegal, who were playing in Russia but like Nigeria were knocked out at the group stage, have an estimated 253 citizens still in the country.

The Interior Ministry has said that work to expel those in the country illegally will continue, and is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Around 650,000 foreign fans visited Russia during the tournament, according to the ministry.

“In the main, they were all law-abiding and left the country in their own time,” migration department head Andrei Kayushin said.

Some fans may well have been looking to continue the World Cup party, although others may have hoped to enter Russia before moving on elsewhere – including to the EU. Others are said to have planned to file for asylum in Russia

The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, featuring some of the most electrifying athletes on the planet, will be bringing their spectacular show to the UK, as part of their world tour with their one-of-a-kind show that is unrivalled in the world of family entertainment.

Every game will showcase incredible ball handling wizardry, rim-rattling dunks, trick shots, hilarious comedy and unequalled fan interaction – plus unique 30 Minute pre-show event with Harlem Globetrotters members - shoot, pass and dribble on court, autograph and photo opportunity

Represent nine decades of breaking down barriers, acts of goodwill show features even more amazing basketball skills and wizardry and a commitment to fans that goes beyond the game the Harlem Globetrotters are a worldwide icon, synonymous with family entertainment and great basketball skills.

Former player Mannie Jackson purchased the team in 1993, becoming the first African-American to own a major international sports and entertainment organization. He tripled the team’s revenue in three years and quadrupled its size in five. The team was also active in philanthropic efforts, with charitable contributions totaling over $11 million under Jackson’s guidance.

Globetrotter Michael ‘Wild Thing’ Wilson set a world record in 2000 by dunking on a 12-foot hoop at Final Four Weekend… a record that stands to this day and one of 12 world records currently held by Globetrotters players.

In 2005, a documentary, ‘The Team That Changed the World,’ aired, while the first verifiable account of the Globetrotters’ history was told in the book; ‘Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters.’

In September that year, Shamrock Capital Growth Fund purchased 80 percent of the team from Mannie Jackson – who eventually stepped back from day-to-day functions - and the Globetrotters announced the appointment of Kurt Schneider as Chief Executive Officer in May 2007.

The team confirmed their standing as one of the world’s most influential basketball teams in 2002, receiving the sport's highest honour with induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wang Shuang has a special reason to look forward to the forthcoming FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019.

The Chinese midfielder, who completed a high-profile move to Paris Saint-Germain and who has since delivered a series of eye-catching displays, in both the French league and the UEFA Women's Champions League, has fully acclimatized to her new life in Europe, the 23-year-old, who recently won the 2018 AFC Player of the Year award for her standout performances with both club and country, believes she will feel right at home this summer.

She said; "My experiences in France will be an advantage to me during the Women's World Cup here.

Paris is the home venue for PSG, so there wouldn't be many strangers that we may be up against.

Everyone says we (China) are in an extremely difficult group - two-time winners Germany, a fast-progressing Spain and South Africa.

It won’t be easy for us, but we don't choose our opponents."

With France 2019 kicking off in six months’ time, the current Chinese squad under new coach Jia Xiuquan has made notable progress – enough for others to take note come this summer.

She conclued; “There are no weak teams in the World Cup. We respect our rivals, but how much do they know about us?”

Targeting to attract people of the African origin to visit their continent of origin, Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo has designated the year 2019 as the “Year of Return” to commemorate the resilience of Africans forced into slavery and to encourage their descendants to come home.

“We know of the extraordinary achievements and contributions Africans in the Diaspora made to the lives of the Americans, and it is important that this symbolic year, 400 years later, we commemorate their existence and their sacrifices,” President Nana said earlier in September last year.

His timing was based on the first recorded landing of a ship carrying Africans in Virginia, US, in August 1619 according to historians.

The Ghanaian president proclaimed 2019 as the “Year of Return” for all Diaspora descendants of Africans who were captured and transported into the Americas as slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Titled, “Year of Return, Ghana 2019”, the proclamation was read in September last year at a ceremony held at the United States National Press Club in Washington DC to formally launch a program of activities marking the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to English North America in 1619.

The Year of Return seeks to make Ghana the focus for millions of African descendants reacting to their marginalization by tracing their ancestry and identity. By this, Ghana becomes the beacon for African people living on the continent and the Diaspora.

The Proclamation recognizes Ghana’s unique position as the location for 75 percent of the slave dungeons built on the west coast of Africa and the current President’s policy making it a national priority to extend a hand of welcome back home to Africans in the Diaspora.

The 2019 ‘Gateway to the World’ ultra-premium all-inclusive gave Carnival enthusiasts an extra dose of festival flair en route to the Greatest Show on Earth.

Now in its third year, this annual event has truly elevated the standard for premium events in east Trinidad and provided its patrons with an opportunity to celebrate the splendor of the Soca Kingdom in fine style.

The old Piarco International Airport served as venue for this premium extravaganza and gave the fete’s loyal attendees the right mix of class, cuisine and first-rate Caribbean party vibes.

The event’s organizers, FODAT LTD gained high marks by patrons for the superb execution, decorative ambiance and strategic positioning of bars and food stations that gave Gateway to the World a generally easy going yet festive atmosphere.

Gateway’s crowd consisted of both local event goers and even some foreign-based fetters that flew in for the weekend to experience first-hand the buzz generated from the event’s previous editions.

In keeping with the theme of ‘Welcome Home’, the diverse audience, mixed, mingled and enjoyed a wide array of local fine food offerings which included Roast Chicken with Cassava Fries, Coo Coo, Dumplings, Calalloo, Hopkins Rice & Stewed Chicken with Salad, Roasted Pork, Roti with assorted curried meats, Bake & Shark, Corn Soup, Doubles and Pholouri.

These delicacies were served alongside a top-notch selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages as well as a variety of sumptuous desserts.

The event served up a stellar cast of DJs as well as pulsating performances from the season’s top local and regional Soca stars such as Kes The Band, Patrice Roberts, Teddyson John, Ravi B & Karma, Nadia Batson, Ricardo Drue, 5 Star Akil, Farmer Nappy, Shal Marshal and the A Team Band alongside the energy-inspiring sounds of a popular riddim section.

One female guest who hopped a flight from Tobago just to attend Gateway shared, “This is my first time attending this fete and I am very impressed. It was recommended to me by my best friend who came last year. The food, the entertainment, the comfort and attention to detail are really impressive…Real value for my fete money!”

The fete’s eager attendees remained into the wee hours of the morning enjoying all of the action and amenities of this ultra-premium all-inclusive which is geared to be a mainstay in the annual Carnival calendar for many years to come.

Millions of people across the world came together to celebrate the most important date in the Chinese calendar, with festivities kicking off yesterday ­– the day of the second new moon of the winter solstice – signalling the start of 15 days of parades, parties and food.

2019 marks the ‘Year of the Pig,’ the twelfth of the zodiac animals. The Chinese zodiac, or shengxiao, is a repeating cycle of 12 years, each with an animal associated with certain characteristics.

ChineseNewYear.net said; “Those born under the sign of the Pig are said to avoid ‘wasteful’ spending but will still “let themselves enjoy life,” ChineseNewYear.net says.

They are energetic and are always enthusiastic, even for boring jobs. If given the chance, they will take positions of power and status.”

There’s ample opportunity to ring in the changes and take part in some time-honoured customs, from family orientated festive feasts promising dishes of delicious dumplings and tempting taro cakes to colourful street celebrations that will see cities across the UK lit up in vibrant red and gold. Here are some of the best places to visit to mark the occasion in style.

The 17th annual Chinese New Year celebrations, staged in Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter, is set to attract around 30,000 people looking to soak up all the action. 

This year’s celebrations, in and around the Arcadian Centre, will take place this Sunday - from 11.30am - and will feature authentic lion dancing, a fire act, acrobatics, street food, traditional lantern making and funfair rides. The celebrations will also take place on Colmore Row and at St Phillips Cathedral.