International News

Reggae Icon Bunny Wailer, Last Wailers Member, Dies At Age 73
KINGSTON — Bunny Wailer, the legendary Jamaican reggae singer who founded the Wailers with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and was the last surviving founding member, has died at a hospital after suffering a stroke. He was 73. “This is a great loss for Jamaica and for Reggae,” said Jamaican

Royal Caribbean Starting ‘Fully-Vaccinated’ Cruises From Israel This Summer
TEL AVIV — Royal Caribbean International is preparing to offer cruises from Israel for the first time. Cruises will begin June 2 and continue through to the Jewish holidays at the end of September. The cruises will adopt Israel’s green passport documentation and guests and crew will only be allowed

9-Year-Old Girl Dies After Being Caned During ‘Exorcism’ In Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Police in Sri Lanka said today they have arrested two people in connection with the death of a 9-year-old girl who was repeatedly beaten during a ritual they believed would drive away an evil spirit. The two suspects — the woman performing the exorcism and the

Rooster Kills Indian Man During Banned Cockfight
HYDERABAD, India — A man was killed by a rooster with a blade tied to its leg during an illegal cockfight in southern India, police said, bringing focus on a practice that continues in some Indian states despite a decades-old ban. The rooster, with a 3-inch knife tied to its

As Pandemic Eases Elsewhere, Some Caribbean States Face Worst Outbreaks Yet
KINGSTON (Reuters) — In Jamaica, which won praise for containing its coronavirus outbreak last year, patients now overflow into corridors on chairs and stretchers in some hospitals, prompting the Caribbean nation to open three emergency field hospitals While global new infections start to decline, a handful of countries across the

EU Ambassador Has Some ‘Splaining’ To Do After Signing Off On Cuba Letter Critical Of Joe Biden
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has summoned its ambassador to Cuba to return to Brussels to explain himself after he reportedly signed an appeal asking U.S. President Joe Biden to lift sanctions against Cuba and begin normalizing ties with the country. A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep

Congress Asks Canada For Compromise On Cruise Ship Ban In Bipartisan Letter
OTTAWA — Canada’s ban of cruise ships for an entire year has compelled the United States Congress to work together in trying to find a better answer. Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sent a bipartisan letter to the Canadian Ambassador to the United States Wednesday, concerning the one year extension

Moet Hennessy Buys 50% Stake In Jay-Z’s Champagne Brand
PARIS — Moet Hennessy is acquiring a 50 percent stake in rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z’s Champagne brand in an effort to up its cool factor and expand distribution. Terms of the deal, which was announced Monday, weren’t released. Armand de Brignac, known familiarly as Ace of Spades because of its

Caribbean Leaders Grateful That COVID-19 Vaccine Has Trickled Down To Them, Thanks Largely To India
ROSEAU — As the leader of a small Caribbean island still struggling to rebuild nearly four years after a devastating hurricane, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit never thought he would get a hold of COVID-19 vaccines swiftly. Then a call to India changed everything. Last week, an airplane carrying two consignments of

Jamaica Should Repeal Gay Sex Ban, Says America’s Top LGBT+ Rights Body
KINGSTON — Jamaica should repeal its colonial-era gay sex ban, the top rights body of the Americas said this week, in a symbolic landmark ruling on LGBT+ rights in the Caribbean. Two Jamaicans who initiated the case in 2011 — after they were attacked by homophobic gangs and sought asylum