JAMAICA
PM wins third term
Prime Minister Andrew Holness won a rare third term as voters rewarded his administration for bringing down debt, unemployment and crime over the past decade. The governing Jamaica Liberation Party won 34 seats in parliament versus the 29 of the People’s National Party (PNP), according to preliminary government results transmitted by Television Jamaica. Holness, 53, has been in power since 2016. Only one other prime minister has served three consecutive terms since the nation won its independence in 1962. Holness said he would use his new term to cut taxes and raise the minimum wage, even as he consolidates the nation’s economic gains — including record low unemployment and slashing the national debt. Opposition leader Mark Golding of the PNP conceded the race early yesterday and congratulated his rival. “Jamaica’s democracy is important and we must cherish it,” Golding told supporters. “Sometimes it brings bitter disappointment.”
Photo: EPA
RUSSIA
Pipeline route agreed
Moscow and Beijing have agreed on a route and supply volumes for the planned Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, state-run RIA news agency reported yesterday, citing Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev. According to the signed memorandum, the pipeline would run via Mongolia and is expected to deliver about 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually. Russia and China gave their blessing to the vast pipeline project with a binding memorandum signed during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China, but little is known about the key details of the pipeline and Gazprom said that pricing was yet to be agreed. “Now we need to work out the financing scheme,” Tsivilev said. “We’ve been given permission, we have freedom of action, so we’ll move quickly.” Financing arrangements are likely to be finalized next year, he said.
NIGERIA
Capsized boat kills 60
At least 60 people have died and dozens were rescued after a boat carrying more than 100 passengers capsized in Niger State, local officials said on Wednesday. The vessel departed from Tungan Sule in Malale District on Tuesday morning, heading to Dugga for a condolence visit, when it struck a submerged tree stump near Gausawa community in Borgu Local Government Area at about 11am. Abdullahi Baba Ara, chair of Borgu Local Government Area, said that the casualty figure was rising. “The death toll of the boat incident has risen to 60,” Baba Ara told reporters. “Ten people have been found in serious condition and many are still being sought.”
ARGENTINA
Rally marred by fights
Fist fights and hurled projectiles marked the end of a campaign rally attended by President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires ahead of midterm elections. Tensions are high ahead of legislative elections that are slated for Sunday and at the end of Wednesday’s event, reporters witnessed skirmishes breaking out among rally attendees. The vote marks the first major test of Milei’s leadership since he took office in December 2023 on the promise of reviving the ailing economy by slashing public spending. Before the event, Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof warned in a social media post about using the location for the rally. Milei left the scene without incident.
Australia has announced an agreement with the tiny Pacific nation Nauru enabling it to send hundreds of immigrants to the barren island. The deal affects more than 220 immigrants in Australia, including some convicted of serious crimes. Australian Minister of Home Affairs Tony Burke signed the memorandum of understanding on a visit to Nauru, the government said in a statement on Friday. “It contains undertakings for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in Australia, to be received in Nauru,” it said. “Australia will provide funding to underpin this arrangement and support Nauru’s long-term economic
‘NEO-NAZIS’: A minister described the rally as ‘spreading hate’ and ‘dividing our communities,’ adding that it had been organized and promoted by far-right groups Thousands of Australians joined anti-immigration rallies across the country yesterday that the center-left government condemned, saying they sought to spread hate and were linked to neo-Nazis. “March for Australia” rallies against immigration were held in Sydney, and other state capitals and regional centers, according to the group’s Web site. “Mass migration has torn at the bonds that held our communities together,” the Web site said. The group posted on X on Saturday that the rallies aimed to do “what the mainstream politicians never have the courage to do: demand an end to mass immigration.” The group also said it was concerned about culture,
ANGER: Unrest worsened after a taxi driver was killed by a police vehicle on Thursday, as protesters set alight government buildings across the nation Protests worsened overnight across major cities of Indonesia, far beyond the capital, Jakarta, as demonstrators defied Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s call for calm. The most serious unrest was seen in the eastern city of Makassar, while protests also unfolded in Bandung, Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta. By yesterday morning, crowds had dispersed in Jakarta. Troops patrolled the streets with tactical vehicles and helped civilians clear trash, although smoke was still rising in various protest sites. Three people died and five were injured in Makassar when protesters set fire to the regional parliament building during a plenary session on Friday evening, according to
CRACKDOWN: The Indonesian president vowed to clamp down on ‘treason and terrorism,’ while acceding to some protest demands to revoke lawmaker benefits Protests in Indonesia over rising living costs and inequality intensified overnight, prompting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to cancel a planned trip to China, while demonstrators reportedly targeted the homes of the finance minister and several lawmakers. Rioters entered Indonesian Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati’s residence near Jakarta early yesterday, but were repelled by armed forces personnel, Kompas reported. Items were taken from the homes of lawmaker Ahmad Sahroni and two others, according to Detik.com. The reports of looting could not be independently verified, and the finance ministry has not responded to requests for comment. The protests were sparked by outrage over
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