CARIBBEAN

MOUNTAIN VIEW, United States (AFP) — Search engine Google on Tuesday showed off its plan to turn its famous search bar into an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that can book restaurants, track news and contact businesses -- just by asking a question.Three years after struggling to keep up with ChatGPT, Google has been racing to roll out AI tools that build on its grip over online search.The company's Gemini AI app now has 900 million monthly users, twice as many as last year. Its […]

Emerging reggae artiste King Inkosi is looking to spark meaningful conversation with the release of his new single, Cannabis, a hard-hitting cultural anthem highlighting what he describes as the continued unfair treatment of Jamaica’s lower-class herb farmers despite the country’s marijuana decriminalisation laws.Raised in Manchester, the conscious reggae artiste says the inspiration behind the track came from witnessing firsthand the struggles many ordinary Jamaicans connected to the herb […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — More than 90 high school students gathered at The University of the West Indies recently to participate in the Reggae Jammin Mathematics Marathon, as part of preparations to sit their exams.The full-day initiative offered guided tutoring sessions, interactive problem-solving activities and direct, practical support in an environment where students felt encouraged rather than overwhelmed.“At Reggae Jammin, we believe in supporting young people both inside and outside of […]

For his first releases in 2026, Krueshef shows his versatility on My Sound and Blaze dem Up, which came out in January and on May 15, respectively. These songs are an homage to the Jamaican music he listened to as a youth in St Croix.My Sound, which features Lawgiver, is co-produced by Krueshef, Steely and Clevie, Jtwist, Lawgiver and Kimani. Blaze Dem Up is co-produced by Austin Joseph and Lloyd Laing.“My Sound is a song to uplift and strengthen one’s self-esteem and have confidence in […]

Dancehall icon Bounty Killer has shown support for rising act Keywee by reposting his single 9 to 5 on Instagram.The post has over 4,000 likes and more than 2000 reposts."Big respect to Bounty Killer, since he reposted the song, the views on the YouTube jump up, the streams on Spotify have also increased, and even selectors ah link me for the dub. Bounty Killer, ah the real general," Keywee said.Keywee's song highlights the struggles of traditional jobs, and Bounty Killer—often championing […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Miss Universe Jamaica 2025 Dr Gabrielle Henry has made her first public appearance after suffering a fall from the stage during the Miss Universe pageant in Thailand in November last year.According to a report by People, Henry attended the Integrity Children's Fund's Dinner en Rouge Gala in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 16. Integrity Children's Fund is an organisation founded in 2002 and headquartered in Georgia, to provide a direct response to the illiteracy rate among […]

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP)—Thailand is drastically cutting the length of visa-free stays for tourists from more than 90 countries in an effort to curb crime involving foreign nationals, officials said on Tuesday.Tourism is vital to the Southeast Asian nation's economy, but foreign arrivals are yet to return to their pre-COVID highs.A recent series of high-profile arrests of foreigners has included cases linked to drug offences, sex trafficking and foreigners operating businesses such as hotels […]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)—United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the World Health Organization, the UN body from which President Donald Trump pulled out, was late in identifying a deadly outbreak of Ebola.Asked by reporters how the United States would respond to the virus outbreak, Rubio said: "The lead is obviously going to be CDC (the Centers for Disease Control) and the World Health Organization, which was a little late to identify this thing […]

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — The United Nations (UN) Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), Vanessa Frazier, says children living in Haiti are under “constant fear” amid displacement, intimidation and trauma caused by gang violence.UN officials have warned that the recruitment and use of children by gangs nearly tripled in 2025 compared to the previous year, with children now estimated to make up between 30 and 50 per cent of gang members.They say children in […]

BRASILIA, Brazil (CMC) — The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Tuesday said that record-breaking heat, persistent drought, extreme rainfall and devastating tropical cyclones had impacted communities and economies throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in 2025.In its “State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2025” report, the WMO said that melting glaciers led to an upsurge in short-term hazards like floods and long-term water security risk.The WMO […]

PARIS, France (AFP) — Countries must work together to combat the financing of terrorism, the president of the international terrorist financing and money-laundering watchdog FATF, told AFP on Tuesday."The terrorists respect no border. They have no limit. So countries cannot have the luxury of not working together. We need to cooperate," said Elisa de Anda Madrazo ahead of a gathering on combatting terrorism financing on the sidelines of the G7 finance ministers' meeting in Paris.The […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) conducted a major clean-up operation on Heywood Street on Sunday clearing drains and removing debris from the roadway, a move that has been welcomed by vendors in the area.According to Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby, this latest clean up activity is part of the Cleaner Kingston initiative to rid downtown Kingston of garbage."Under the Cleaner Kingston initiative, we would have given a month notice to the vendors on […]

CLARENDON, Jamaica — Residents of Sunbury district near Spalding, Clarendon, have mounted a roadblock for a second consecutive day in protest over deplorable road conditions.On Monday, police were called in to remove debris, including derelict vehicles and downed trees, to restore access to the northwestern Clarendon community.On Tuesday, the police were deployed to the area for a second consecutive day to clear another roadblock as residents remain adamant in getting the attention of their […]

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The 15-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping Monday expressed “serious concern” at the continued hostilities in the Middle East, marked by military action in the Strait of Hormuz.“Caricom is alarmed by the severe loss of life, threats to civil infrastructure and the instability in global markets that have resulted from the ongoing conflict,” the grouping said in a statement.United States (US) President Donald Trump has warned Iran the "clock is […]

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP)—Iran's army warned on Tuesday it would "open new fronts" against the United States if it resumes attacks, after United States (US) President Donald Trump said he had held off launching a new offensive in hopes of striking a deal.The warning came amid a shaky ceasefire in place since April 8, with Washington and Tehran exchanging proposals in an effort to end the Middle East war, which began on February 28.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Gulf leaders had […]

Dancehall artiste Flippa Moggela appeared briefly before a federal magistrate judge in Camden, New Jersey, last week as proceedings continue in a sprawling narcotics conspiracy case in the United States (US).The entertainer, whose real name is Andrew K Davis and who is also known as the “Flossing King” and Flippa Mafia, attended the detention hearing before US Magistrate Judge Ann Marie Donio, where discussions centred primarily on legal representation and procedural matters rather than the […]

Dancehall king Vybz Kartel has earned his second entry on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart thanks to his collaboration with R&B singer Chris Brown, titled ** and Party.The song, which is among the tracks from Brown's self-titled album BROWN, debuts at #39 on the chart. It is Kartel's first time on this particular Billboard chart, since Kartel and Spice's Ramping Shop topped out at #76 in 2009.The collaboration also debuted at #22 on Billboard's R&B Songs chart.In the […]

ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) — Cuba’s Ambassador to Dominica, Miguel Manuel Fraga Gonzalez, has brushed aside a United States offer of a US$100 million humanitarian aid package, reiterating Havana’s decades-old call for Washington to lift the trade and economic embargo on the Caribbean island.Earlier this month, the Donald Trump administration offered an aid package to help the Cuban people amid an energy and fuel crisis, stipulating that the funds would be distributed through the Catholic […]

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP)—The World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday it was examining whether any candidate vaccines or treatments could be used to rein in what it warned could be a lengthy Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.The WHO has declared the surge of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever, suspected to have killed 131 people and infected more than 500, an international health emergency."At the international level, (we are) looking at what candidate vaccines or […]

KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP)—The World Health Organization chief voiced concern on Tuesday about the "scale and speed" of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has killed an estimated 131 people.The WHO has declared the surge of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever an international health emergency and called an emergency meeting on the crisis on Tuesday.No vaccine or therapeutic treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the latest outbreak of […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Confirming receipt of five reports from the Integrity Commission, Parliament said they are being addressed in accordance with its internal processes and under the guidance of the presiding officers, emphasising that the Integrity Commission Act does not specify a specific timeline for the tabling of reports.A statement from The Houses of Parliament on Monday confirmed that the reports have not yet been tabled in either the House of Representatives or the Senate.“Having […]

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — It's the middle of the night in Havana, but Alejandro Benitez is just getting down to work.The power is back on for the first time in 15 hours and Benitez, a fourth-year architecture student, needs to get his assignment in fast before the electricity cuts out again.Desperate times call for desperate measures in crisis-hit Cuba, where a United States US fuel blockade -- part of a pressure campaign which Havana fears will culminate in a military intervention -- has […]

ST JAMES, Jamaica — Project STAR has trained more than 140 residents in Salt Spring, St James, through its skills training and job readiness programmes aimed at boosting residents’ employability across various industries, including hospitality and customer-facing roles, according to Kelly Griffith, the project’s training and job placement team lead.According to a release from Project STAR, Griffith said 110 people have gone through job-readiness sessions covering résumé writing, […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Satellite internet provider Starlink has increased the monthly price of its residential internet service in Jamaica to $7,450 from $7,000, marking a 6.4 per cent increase that will take effect from June 18.In an email sent to customers, the company said the higher rate would apply “beginning with your next billing cycle on or after June 18”.Starlink said the increase comes as it continues expanding network capacity, coverage and reliability to meet growing demand for […]

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) -- Brazil superstar Neymar was handed a dramatic recall to the country's World Cup squad on Monday, returning to the national team after a near three-year absence.The inclusion of Neymar, Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances, was the biggest surprise in the 26-man squad named by coach Carlo Ancelotti.Ancelotti announced Neymar's selection at a gala ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, with loud cheers ringing out as the veteran attacker's […]