Author: Steve Brown

July 5, 2024 QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — Ecuadorian police have freed 49 people who were being held hostage by a drug cartel at a mine, authorities said Friday. The victims rescued on Wednesday included one minor and three women who had been held by a gang known as Los Lobos, one of Ecuador’s main drug trafficking organizations, the office of President Daniel Novoa told X-News. The miners were found with their hands and feet tied and police sources said they had been held captive for two days. Noboa’s office said the raid took…

Brazilian flag July 5, 2024 RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian authorities apologized on Friday after police officers were filmed armedly confronting the children of the ambassadors of Canada, Gabon and Burkina Faso. Surveillance footage of the incident, which happened in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday night, showed a police officer getting out of his car and charging towards a group of four young people with his gun drawn. Two of the teenagers were then propped up against a wall and searched before being released by police, who left the scene a…

Noranda has also committed to planting 200,000 trees over the next three years as part of the government’s national tree planting programme. July 5, 2024 Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (AFP) — Six African leaders on Friday called on the United Nations to prioritise a decade of reforestation to tackle climate change, according to a declaration issued at the end of a summit in Republic of Congo. The declaration said the leaders called for “the adoption of a resolution formally endorsing” the plan “at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly” ahead…

The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) is again inviting applications for organising teams for the various summer and winter regional and international competitions to be held between 2025 and 2029. “Sports is a professional enterprise and a key component is policy choices that seek out the best people who want the opportunity to contribute to their country and manage not only their talent but also their aspirations for excellence. This is the fruit of corporate governance in sports,” JOA chairman Christopher Samuda said in a statement on Friday. According to the announcement, prominent personalities who serve as CEOs or shareholders of…

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Businessman Romeich Major and his Romeich Entertainment team will be distributing relief supplies to residents of St. Elizabeth affected by Hurricane Beryl. A post currently circulating on social media shows Major stuffing food into bags with members of his team, including dancehall sensation Shenseea. In addition to the bags of food, the team were also seen loading plywood and taupolyne onto lorries, and Rev Major said they would also distribute these items during their visit to parishes on Friday. “The team is packing up to head to St. Elizabeth tomorrow to help out however we can. Instead…

France forward No. 11 Ousmane Dembele (third from left) and France forward No. 10 Kylian Mbappe (second from left) celebrate with teammates after the victory during the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-final match between Portugal and France at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on July 5, 2024. (Photo: AFP) HAMBURG, Germany (AFP) — Kylian Mbappe’s France beat Portugal 5-3 on penalties on Friday after 120 minutes without a goal, thanks to Theo Hernandez’s winner, in a match that will be remembered as Cristiano Ronaldo’s final game in the tournament. France converted all of their penalties to reach the quarter-finals against Spain, with…

Germany midfielder No. 8 Toni Kroos (right) is embraced by Spain defender No. 2 Dani Carvajal after the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-final match between Spain and Germany at the Stuttgart Arena in Stuttgart on July 5, 2024. (Photo: AFP) STUTTGART (Germany) (AFP) — Mikel Merino’s goal two minutes into extra time gave Spain a dramatic 2-1 win over Germany on Wednesday, sealing a place in the Euro 2024 semi-finals and realising their dream of a record-breaking fourth European Championship title. After a hard-fought but goalless first half, Spain’s Dani Olmo latched on to a perfect pass from 16-year-old Lamine Yamal…

Although Bermuda is often mistaken for a Caribbean country, it shares many similarities with the region, including its warm climate and island culture. Singer Troy Anthony felt a connection to the West Indies through his biggest musical hero, who was from Jamaica. One of Britain’s veteran reggae artists, Anthony’s latest song is “Start Anew,” one of 12 tracks on the compilation album “UK Bubblers Riddim,” distributed by British company ZigeDub. “Bermuda may not be in the Caribbean but it has a strong Caribbean flavour when it comes to music. Growing up I listened to artists like Sanchez, Trevor Sparks, Dennis…

This man works on repairing the roof of this building in Alligator Pond, Manchester, on Thursday after Hurricane Beryl passed through. National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCBJ) announced on Friday that it would establish a $300 million disaster relief fund through its charitable arm, the NCB Foundation, to assist victims of Category 4 Hurricane Beryl, which struck several parts of the island on Wednesday. The NCB Foundation will work with other licensed charities to provide assistance to individuals and communities affected by the hurricane, primarily to help restore homes and farm crops in the hardest-hit parishes, including St. Elizabeth, Hanover…

Residents look at a damaged drain in Shooters Hill, Jamaica, on July 4, 2024, after Hurricane Beryl struck Jamaica’s southern coast in the early hours of July 4 before moving towards Mexico and the Cayman Islands, bringing strong winds and a storm surge. Beryl weakened to a Category 3 storm overnight, maintaining winds of 125 mph (200 kph), but is forecast to remain “at or near major hurricane strength” as it passes the Cayman Islands, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). (Photo by Ricardo Makin/AFP) GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The Red Cross described a devastating situation on Friday…