CARIBBEAN

PARAMARIBO, Suriname (CMC) - President of Suriname Jennifer Greelings-Simons has sought to clarify reports that the Suriname government has been holding talks with the Chinese multinational Chinalco, insisting that her administration is not holding discussions with Chinalco.President Greelings-Simons, who returned here over the last weekend from Brazil, told reporters that she is aware of discussions between Vice President Gregory Rusland and a delegation from the Chinese company last week […]

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) - A Swedish child rights organisation said Monday it had filed a police report against Amazon and two other e-commerce platforms over the sale of sex dolls with a childlike appearance.Controversy has swirled over the sale of childlike sex dolls, with Chinese digital platform Shein recently banning them from sale after France threatened to ban the retailer from the country over them.The Swedish organisation ChildX said it had filed a police report against Amazon, […]

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – Guyana's education ministry has announced plans to introduce moral and civic education as part of the national school curriculum, along with a website for reporting bullying.Education Minister, Sonia Parag, speaking at a national anti-bullying consultation, said the  initiative forms part of a comprehensive national effort to eradicate bullying from schools and promote positive values among students.Parag said that moral and civic education will help nurture […]

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British Broadcasting Commission (BBC) was expected Monday to apologise for editing a speech that suggested Donald Trump had directly instigated an attack on the United States (US) Capitol, prompting the dramatic resignations of the broadcaster's top brass.Director general Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness stepped down Sunday after growing furore that BBC edits to Trump's speech in one of its flagship documentary programmes were deliberately […]

FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond Mckenzie summed up the state of Falmouth’s infrastructure following an almost five-hour tour of the historic capital on Saturday, as “frightening”.This tour follows the passage of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane — the strongest ever to strike Jamaica — that left behind a trail of ruin in the historic seaside town, which McKenzie compared with the devastated capital of St Elizabeth, Black […]

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) - The Guyana government says it has injected more than GUY$7.2 billion (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) in the rice industry so far this year to cushion farmers against a decline in global prices, improve yields, and reduce production costs.Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, speaking with rice farmers in Region Three over the last weekend, said the country is set to produce an estimated nine million bags of paddy for the second crop of 2025.Mustapha told farmers […]

PARIS, France (AFP) — There is no clear link between pregnant women taking the common painkiller paracetamol and autism in their children, despite repeated claims otherwise by Donald Trump, according to the most comprehensive review of the existing evidence published Monday.In September, the United States (US)  president sparked outrage among the medical community by claiming that paracetamol -- also known as acetaminophen -- was associated with higher rates of autism.Trump urged pregnant […]

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) -- NBA great Lenny Wilkens, a Hall of Famer as both a player and a coach, has died at the age of 88, his family said Sunday.A graceful point guard in his 15-year playing career, Wilkens was a nine-time NBA All-Star and twice led the league in assists.He served as a player-coach for four seasons, three with the Seattle SuperSonics and one with the Portland Trail Blazers, before launching a full-time coaching career that would prove legendary."Lenny Wilkens […]

KINSGTON, Jamaica — The resumption of tolling on Highway 2000 will resume on Monday at 12:00 am, according to the Ministry of Energy, Telecommunications and Transport.Tolling across all legs of the highway, which goes East to West and North to South, had been suspended to allow ease of access prior to the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall on October 28.Toll operators had complained that they were absorbing 100 per cent of the cost during the suspension of tolling on the […]

Hip-hop icons Salt-N-Pepa and Outkast were among this year's inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, adding their names to the pantheon of music's most esteemed and beloved acts.Groundbreaking New York hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa – which includes Jamaican-born Sandra “Pepa” Denton – was honored with a Musical Influence Award for their hit songs "Let's Talk About Sex," "Push It" and "Shoop," which celebrate women's independence with playful sexuality in a male-dominated […]

TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie has ordered an immediate clean-up of debris in the historic town of Falmouth following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which left piles of garbage and blocked drains across sections of Trelawny.McKenzie said he has instructed the mayor of Falmouth to intensify efforts to restore normalcy, including the hiring of additional trucks to speed up the removal of waste and debris.“I have given […]

Manchester City are at the top of the Women's Super League tables following a win over Everton that put them on Sunday. A report from BBC Sport credited Jamaica-born Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw for the win, which pushed City over Chelsea who drew with Arsenal on SaturdayVivianne Miedema started City with a goal in the 21st minute, but Kelly Gago equalised for the home team.It was Shaw who again put City up in the 55th minute with a header to push Manchester City to their seventh win in a row and […]

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The director general of the BBC announced his resignation Sunday following a row over the editing of a documentary about United States (US) President Donald Trump.Tim Davie and the broadcaster's head of news, Deborah Turness, resigned after accusations that a documentary by its flagship Panorama programme had edited a speech by Trump in a misleading way."Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and […]

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Air travel in the United States (US)  could soon "slow to a trickle," authorities warned Sunday as thousands more flights were cancelled or delayed and passengers faced chaos triggered by the federal government shutdown.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the number of flights being snarled or cut would multiply if the funding impasse between Democrats and Republicans continues while Americans gear up to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday later this […]

ST JAMES, Jamaica — Business leaders across Montego Bay, St James are being encouraged to restart operations on a phased basis. A phased reopening, allows businesses to reassemble supply chains, rehire staff, and rebuild customer confidence, without overextending resources.President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and proprietor of the renowned Pier One Restaurant family business, Jason Russell, said “it doesn’t have to be a perfect situation, but try to get those […]

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) —Manchester City celebrated Pep Guardiola's 1,000th game in management with a statement 3-0 win over Liverpool to close to within four points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.Erling Haaland shrugged off missing an early penalty to head in his 99th Premier League goal before Nico Gonzalez's deflected effort and a wonder strike from Jeremy Doku confirmed City's status as Arsenal's major title rivals.Liverpool have now lost five of their last six league games […]

It is often said that politics and corruption go hand in hand. Singer Cathy Matete, concerned at the high level of perceived injustice in her native Kenya, takes politicians to task in We Won’t be Silenced, her latest song.Produced by Jamaican Garfield Cowan for Natures Way Entertainment, the song is scheduled for release in November. Matete says We Won’t be Silenced reflects the lack of trust among Kenyans for elected officials.“I am frustrated and I believe many Kenyans are frustrated […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) says claims circulating on social media that persons are required to present identification (ID) or Taxpayer Registration Numbers (TRNs) to collect hurricane relief packages are completely false.“There appears to be an attempt to conflate two separate activities. No documentation is required to access any food or hygiene packages distributed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. However, documentation is normally […]

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — "Predator: Badlands," the latest installment in the sci-fi horror franchise that started nearly 40 years ago, devoured the competition at the North American box office, debuting at $40 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.The 20th Century Studios film stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as an outcast Predator who is the hero this time, teaming up with an android (Elle Fanning) on an epic journey to prove himself.It is the ninth entry in the popular […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican students continued their excellent academic performances in the June 2025 Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations, ranking among the best in Units 1 and 2 of various subjects in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).According to the CAPE Merit List released by CXC on Thursday, Jamaican students placed first in the region in Unit 1 subject areas of Accounting, Geography, Computer Science, Law, Management of Business, Food and Nutrition, […]

TRELAWNY, Jamaica — Minister with responsibility for Works, Robert Morgan, says the National Works Agency (NWA) is working to create access, so that emergency services can reach residents in South Trelawny affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.“The NWA is creating access for emergency services and for persons to start going about their business. Yes, there is no electricity, but persons can still travel. In some areas, we are asking persons to be cautious as the road is now not as […]

BELMOPAN, Belize  (CMC) – The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) will lead regional representation at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to be held in Belém, Brazil, later this year.The CCCCC will host the Caricom Pavilion, a dedicated space for Caribbean nations to engage global stakeholders and advocate for climate justice and sustainable development. The Pavilion will also host a variety of side events led by Caribbean governments and partners, providing a platform […]

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Fear has gripped Bangladesh's tiny Christian minority after three crude bomb attacks on churches and a Catholic school, which police on Sunday said caused no injuries but were "certainly" designed to sow terror.No group has claimed responsibility for the incidents or explained why the Christian community, which numbers around 500,000 people of the South Asian nation's 170 million citizens, was targeted."We are trying to determine whether the incidents are connected […]

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A United Kingdom (UK)  government minister on Sunday described as "incredibly serious" allegations over the way the BBC edited clips of US President Donald Trump in a flagship documentary programme.The comments by Culture, Media and Sport Minister Lisa Nandy came as the broadcaster said its chair Samir Shah would provide an explanation to a parliamentary committee on Monday.Media outlets, including the BBC, reported Sunday that the response was expected to […]

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain's King Charles III on Sunday led commemorations for the nation 's war dead, along with other senior members of the royal family including his son and daughter in law William and Catherine.The 76-year-old monarch, who is still undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer, laid the first wreath at a sombre ceremony at the Cenotaph memorial in central London after the traditional two-minute silence at 11:00 am (1100 GMT).Queen Camilla and Catherine, now […]