Bulat Utemuratov Foundation marks another successful year with prestigious philanthropy award

The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation has completed another successful year with Bulat Utemuratov, the organisation's founder, recently named Philanthropist of the Year 2023 by the Kazakhstan Growth Forum.

BVB players memorialise children killed in the Holocaust during San Diego event

 The World Jewish Congress, as part of its work with Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund to fight antisemitism and promote Jewish life, praised the team for participating Friday in a project at the San Diego Jewish Academy that memorializes children killed in the Holocaust. The German soccer club, commonly known as BVB, had trained for much of last week on the grounds of the San Diego Jewish Academy, as part of its U.S. tour. 

Cabinet reshuffle could signal increase in Australian meat imports - Scottish and Welsh farmers will be most affected

A cabinet reshuffle this week may signal a post-Brexit increase in Australian meat imports to the UK, as advocated for by Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Minister of State Lord Frost. However farming communities in Scotland and Wales stand to be affected most by such a decision, a leading academic has said.

Birmingham City University political economist Professor Alex de Ruyter commented on the UK’s ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) discussions with Australia, raising questions about the removal or lowering of tariffs around, and quality of, food imported from Australia.

“Politically it is clear that there is a huge cabinet split between different Brexiteer groups. On one side, Michael Gove and George Eustice both favour limiting imports of Australian meat whilst on the other Liz Truss and Lord Frost favour more complete trade liberalisation. Now that Mr Johnson has come down on the side of an FTA with Australia it looks like Truss and Frost have won the arguments over their Cabinet opponents.

“Truss in particular wants an outline agreement ready in time for the G7 meeting next month. Many would argue that this aggressive timeline puts unnecessary pressure on the UK to compromise. However, there is no real need to move so quickly. Details (especially over standards) are important. The gains from liberalised trade with Australia are likely to be very small overall.

“Many would favour lower food prices for consumers. However, there are a few complicating factors. Australian food standards are different to British ones. Practices that are unacceptable here are quite widespread e.g. the use of growth hormones in cattle. There are environmental questions over the sustainability of present levels of meat consumption (especially red meat) in general and of Australian agriculture in particular.

“The farming communities that would be affected are overwhelmingly concentrated in Scotland and Wales. Liberalisation (even if both countries would gain in aggregate) would provide another stick with which Mr Johnson’s Nationalist opponents could beat an “out of touch Westminster”.

“If (and it remains a large if) any trade deal allowed food with different sanitary and phytosanitary standards from our current ones to enter the UK then that could dramatically complicate longer-term efforts to reduce frictions in the border in the Irish Sea.

“The impending cabinet reshuffle will give a further indication as to Johnson’s medium-term plans in this regard amid rumours that Eustice might be moved.”

Caesars next Las Vegas cyberattack victim

It was reported within the past 24 hours that Caesar Entertainment joined the ranks of MGM Resorts International as the next cyberattack target in Las Vegas.

Unlike MGM, the casino and online operations were not affected, but their Loyalty members were affected by the cyberattack. Caesars told the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) that it could not guarantee that personal information from its tens of millions of Loyalty members was secure.

The Las Vegas data breach which happened on September 7 but was not made known to the public until now, revealed member US Social Security number as well as driver’s license numbers. It was reported that Caesars paid a US$15 million ransom to the cybercrime group that infiltrated its database system and made the demand.

The demand was for US$30 million. This is called a “pinky promise” although there is no way to tell if the hackers actually do delete the stolen information once they receive the ransom payment.

The highest ransom ever paid by a company for a cyberattack is believed to be US$40 million. It was dished out by CNA financial, an insurance company in 2021.

Calls made to African Union leadership for systemic change to stem worsening climate crisis

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.

Cambridge University bronze cockerel to return to Africa

A bronze cockerel kept at Cambridge University that had been looted in a British raid on what is now Nigeria will be handed back this month. The Benin bronze, known as an ‘okukor’, was given to Jesus College in 1905.

In 2016 it was removed from display and the Legacy of Slavery Working Party (LSWP) recommended it be returned.

Cameroon football legend Roger Milla visits Expo 2020 Dubai

Labelled the best African footballer of the 20^th century, Cameroon star striker Roger Milla rose to worldwide fame when he scored four goals at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy and captured the hearts of millions with his celebratory corner-flag dancing.

After scoring the goals, which led Cameroon to the Quarter Finals stages - a first for an African nation at that time - he was also the oldest player and goal scorer at a World Cup, before the record was beaten four years later - by Mila himself!

Campari, MTV Base and 2Baba join forces for Africa’s new wave of culture creators with Passion Project

Africa is a cultural mega-force inspiring global trends with its unique flavours of music, fashion, film, art, and design. It’s also one of the biggest and most important growth markets in the world for Campari, an iconic global brand born from passion and the pursuit of celebrating and inspiring creativity, and with a long history of championing the arts.

To continue to grow a loyal following for their unique red spirit with a new generation across Africa, Campari is dedicating itself to playing a meaningful role in investing in, supporting and promoting a new wave of African creative talent.

Canada PM Trudeau in Jamaica for post-Christmas vacation

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is heading to Jamaica for a family vacation over the holiday break.

Canada-based Jamaican author, Kimberly Morgan, inspires with latest book release

Jamaican-born author Kimberly Morgan is hopeful that her book will continue to inspire readers.

Canadian army to train nearly 330 men of the Caribbean Joint Task Force

On Friday March 29, 2024, approximately 70 Canadian Armed Forces members deployed to Jamaica.

Canadian police begin arrests at Ottawa anti-vaccine protest

Police have clashed with demonstrators in Canada's capital, Ottawa, as they move to end a three-week anti-vaccine mandate protest, with 100 arrests made. The operation started with some officers on horseback, after the government invoked the Emergencies Act to crack down on the protest.

Some protesters who resisted were thrown to the ground and had their hands zip-tied behind their backs. Police have also accused protesters of using children as a shield.

Canaries Volcano Keeps Spewing Lava Up in the Air

The Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma shot lava into the air in loud bursts on Thursday morning while toxic ash blanketed the surrounding area.

For a fifth day, lava flowing down the slopes of the volcano engulfed houses, schools and banana plantations, although more slowly than in previous days.

Canuk to use end-of-year party to boost its membership and relaunch itself

Nigeria's diaspora community in the UK is planning to use its 2021 end-of-year party 17 as a major launching pad for a series of bold initiatives aimed at radically revitalising things.

The Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (Canuk) will be holding a gala dinner tagged ‘Reuniting the Community After the Lockdown’.  Kicking off with a red-carpet reception at 6pm, the event will involve a three-course dinner, music, live entertainment raffle draw and plenty of dancing.

Cape Air announces direct service between St. Thomas and Anguilla

The Hon. Minister of Tourism for Anguilla, Mr. Haydn Hughes and Cape Air President and CEO, Ms. Linda Markham are pleased to announce the reinstatement of direct air service between St. Thomas and Anguilla.

Cape Town the setting for anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu state funeral

The funeral mass for South African anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu has taken place at the Anglican cathedral in Cape Town. Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who helped end the racist regime in South Africa, died last Sunday aged 90.

In his eulogy, President Cyril Ramaphosa described Tutu as "the spiritual father of our new nation". Tutu had insisted there should be no "lavish spending" on the funeral. He wanted "the cheapest available coffin".

Car rally for Indian farmers attract thousands to Consulate in Birmingham

Thousands of people drove to the Indian Consulate in Birmingham to show support for farmers in India protesting about agricultural reforms. Despite the city being under tier three rules, people from across England have been taking part a week after a similar gathering in London.

The National Sikh Police Association UK advised people not to attend.

Arjan Singh, from Manchester, said people wanted to show the Indian government the reforms were unfair. Protests in India have seen more than 250 million workers go on strike.

"Everyone has come together as these reforms are very detrimental to farmers and only serve corporate interests which will leave the farmers with nothing," Mr Singh, 37, a company director from Bramall, said. "I feel very proud to be here... it's happened in London, Canada and America and it's a domino effect from India and we're trying to make the government see what's happening and that something's got to change."

The Kisaan Car Rally started at Guru Har Rai Gurdwara in West Bromwich, in the West Midlands, with participators driving to the consulate.

The National Sikh Police Association UK advised people not to attend because of the tier three restrictions and warned people if they did, to stay in their cars or potentially face enforcement action. Some smoke devices were let off in Sandwell as part of the rally, West Midlands Police said as they advised motorists to avoid the the whole of West Bromwich, Birmingham city centre and the Jewellery Quarter because of severe traffic disruption.

Jas Singh, a business consultant from Derby said he could see people in the slow-moving convoy en route to the city were adhering to social distancing if they got out of their vehicles.

"It's taken me one-and-half hours to get from Soho Road to the city centre because of the convoys," he said. "There's thousands of people here, from all ages and from around the country and they're wearing masks and very little mixing is going on - everyone is very conscious of that."

When the vehicles reached Birmingham, some people did leave their cars to gather outside the embassy in the Jewellery Quarter prompting police to say they would take "appropriate action".

"Deliberately not following the regulations and measures put in place to limit the spread of the virus is unacceptable and our officers will take the appropriate action where necessary," the force tweeted.

Carib-Export Launches First Virtual Expo Event

Carib-Export (the Caribbean Export Development Agency) has launched its first virtual expo event named ‘Absolutely Caribbean, unlocking the profit potential of the Caribbean’.  The event is bringing together around 50 producers from across the region to showcase some of the best products that the Caribbean has to offer.   

Dr. Damie Sinanan, Manager of Competitiveness and Export Promotion, Carib-Export, said: “We’re really excited to be organising our first virtual expo. We have seen a growing trend for Caribbean food, beverages and natural products across Europe in the last few years which presents a real opportunity for us.  In the UK alone, Caribbean food is now estimated to be worth £97m¹ with the number of Caribbean restaurants in the last year having grown by 144%”. 

Attendees will have the chance to book slots to meet with producers from a variety of categories including natural food products, sauces and condiments; rum & spirits, neutraceuticals and plant-based cosmetics. There will also be a presentation by consumer goods and retail experts to discuss the latest insights on these fast-moving consumer goods within the UK.

Carib-Export - the only regional trade and investment promotion agency in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group: established in 1996 by an Inter-Governmental Agreement as the regional trade and investment promotion agency, it serves the 15 states of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM), namely: Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago - has partnered with Shaun and Craig McAnuff of Original Flava for the event who have found great success with their Caribbean food and lifestyle platform and recently released their first cookbook of authentic Jamaican recipes.  With an increase in demand for Caribbean sauces and condiments across Europe, the duo will host a live session to show how versatile these products are, including a cooking demonstration. 

The event is also supported by the West Indies Rum & Spirit Producer’s Association (WIRSPA), who represent distillers’ associations from across the ACP Caribbean³ and will be hosting a session on premium alcoholic drinks from the Caribbean in collaboration with the Rum and Spirits Academy of Europe.  

The online event is a joint venture between Carib-Export, the European Commission and the German International Development Agency (GIZ), and has been launched off the back of a successful three-day trade show and conference which took place in Germany last year. 

The agency carries out numerous programme based activities designed to enhance the competitiveness of regional small and medium sized enterprises, promote trade and development amongst CARIFORUM states, promote stronger trade and investment between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Dominican Republic, CARIFORUM states and the French Caribbean Outermost Regions (FCORs) and the EU Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) in the Caribbean. 

For further information, visit: https://www.carib-export.com

Caribbean Airlines hosts Customer Appreciation Day at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad

Caribbean Airlines, the leading brand in the Caribbean aviation industry, hosted a special Customer Appreciation Day at its main base in Piarco International Airport, yesterday, in Trinidad.

Caribbean and Latin America women still lagging behind in public sector leadership - study shows

A study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has found that women in the Caribbean and Latin America still hold a limited share of senior decision-making positions in national governments and most of the leadership posts they do hold are in just a few specific areas like health and education.