World News

Delivering a captivating presentation at the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) in Miami this week, Nicola Madden-Greig, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), called on investors and tourism decision-makers to reap the benefits of partnership and collaboration by joining hospitality trade associations, which are key to the success of the tourism industry.

Almost the entire island of Guam is without power as Typhoon Mawar makes a destructive path even without making landfall. The Guam Power Authority reported that of its 52,000 customers, as of Wednesday afternoon, 51,000 of them has lost power.

As Typhoon Mawar approached Guam, it jogged to the north which caused it to slow a bit before it continued to head west.

The Galápagos Islands are home to 3,000 marine species, including sea turtles, dolphins and tropical fish.

This archipelago off the coast of Ecuador is already one of the largest and most biologically diverse marine protected areas in the world, but it faces threats from climate change as well as illegal fishing. Now, thanks to a recent agreement between the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Ecuador’s government and other partners, funds to protect the Galápagos Islands will last for years to come.

Africa will not accept that it "should just continue to be a source of raw materials" for the rest of the world, the African Union's Trade Commissioner has said.

Albert Muchanga says instead his continent wants a future of "genuine and mutually beneficial relationships" with its trade partners. It comes as the AU's chair has been invited to the G7 summit in Japan amid intensifying competition with China for Africa's natural resources.

Italy Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè issued a positive message after the Chamber and Senate approved the Tourism Strategic Plan.

“The green light from the Production Activities Commissions of the Chamber and Senate of Italy for the 2023-2027 Tourism Strategic Plan is an important signal that gives me great satisfaction,” stated Minister Santanche. I thank the members and the Presidents of the Commissions for the excellent work done, and the trade associations and confederates who have provided constant and participatory ideas.

Nigar Nazar’s polka-dot–clad comic creation, Gogi, has delighted and challenged readers with her humorous take on the life of young women in Pakistan for more than 50 years.

Pakistan’s first woman cartoonist, Nazar introduced Gogi in 1970. Through a mix of word play and social critique, Gogi keeps topics ranging from extremism and corruption to interfaith harmony and the rights of women and girls in the public conversation.

Leading Korean gaming company Wemade has joined the UN Global Compact, affirming its commitment to good environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices and policies. Founded in 2000, the UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative with more than 15,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 162 countries, and 69 Local Networks. UN Global Compact participants are encouraged to internalize the 10 Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption into their operations and management strategies.

Artist Rebecca Moses paints the portraits of nurses at a New York City hospital to honour and commemorate their hard work fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

What began as a “Stay Home Sisters” series — which centred around the worldwide “powerful stories of how women have coped and continue to cope in such extraordinary times,” the artist says — turned into a way to honour heroic and selfless women in Moses’s backyard.

The UN chief expressed his solidarity with Jamaica and all other Small Island Developing States, outlining what he termed the “moral, power and practical problems” that are preventing the current dysfunctional international financial system from supporting fair and sustainable development.

At a joint press conference, with the Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, Secretary-General António Guterres said: “We are determined to do our best to correct it and this is the reason of my visit.” Mr. Guterres also said that they had discussed what he described as “the tragic situation” in Haiti, that was one of the biggest political challenges facing the whole Caribbean region, praising Jamaica’s involvement in seeking urgent solutions to the crisis there, along with the regional intergovernmental bloc of 15 Member States, CARICOM.

Police officers in the Indian state of Assam are being asked to lose weight in a few months or leave the force.

A top state police official said that the body mass index (BMI) of all officers will be "professionally recorded" starting mid-August.

United Nations-Secretary General António Guterres is headed to Jamaica Sunday to meet with Prime Minister Andrew Holness where the two will discuss a wide-range of issues affecting the Caribbean region.

The two men will meet on Monday and the topics to discuss include the impact of the climate crisis in the Caribbean region and the global framework for disaster risk reduction. Also development financing will be a major discussion item.

Mother’s Day is a celebration honouring the mothers, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It was celebrated in the US and many parts of the world yesterday.

So, it was a ‘Happy Mother’s Day’, Massachusetts and friends. In light of it being the ultimate “thanks” to mom, it was all about celebrating with flowers across the state!

After touching Myanmar, Cyclone Mocha is expected to land in Bangladesh midday on Sunday with 170 km/h winds (106 mph). The storm is heading towards Cox’s Bazar, a significant travel and tourism centre in Bangladesh, but also the home of 9 million people that reside in makeshift homes in the largest refugee camp in the world. Red warning flags have been raised.

Thailand based hospitality group Dusit has been expanding to the African continent in opening the Dusit Princess Hotel in Nairobi.

Dusit International opened the Dusit Princess Hotel Residences Nairobi, a unique hybrid property featuring 100 spacious deluxe hotel rooms and apartments in the Kenyan capital’s cosmopolitan Westlands neighbourhood.

Hakluyt, the global strategic advisory firm for businesses and investors, has opened a new office in Toronto.

The office will be the new base for the firm's growing Canadian business. Chris Alexander recently joined as Hakluyt's first local hire, after a distinguished career as a diplomat and politician.

He was Canada's first resident ambassador in Kabul, as well as deputy head of the UN mission in Afghanistan. As an MP in Canada, he held roles including parliamentary secretary for national defence, and minister of citizenship and immigration.

After earning degrees in communications and logistics, Anapidédé Kibandou Betema, of Togo, still struggled to find a job. But having been raised on her father’s farm, she knew how to grow vegetables and keep chickens.

So, in 2020, Betema opened a farming cooperative where she and other women grow organic vegetables to feed their families and earn income. The Société Coopérative Simplifée Best Choice, or SCOOPS-BC, now located on three hectares of land six kilometers outside Togo’s capital, Lomé, sells fresh produce to city residents.