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.
SPEAKING OUT: After Siranudh Scott’s allegations surfaced, celebrities and public figures took to social media to share their own experiences of sexual misconduct and abuse A high-profile alleged sexual abuse case within a wealthy Thai beer brewing family has prompted a wave of painful accounts from survivors of unconnected abuse in the conservative nation. Siranudh Scott, a member of the billionaire Thai family that founded the ubiquitous Singha beer brand, posted an emotional video this month accusing his elder brother Sunit of repeatedly abusing him when he was a teenager. Sunit, who is in his 30s, later denied the allegations in a video posted online, but Singha parent Boonrawd dismissed him from his executive role with the company on Tuesday last week. “I felt I needed to speak
SEEKING ORDER: Rodrigo Paz said that ‘anyone who wants to destroy the nation will have to deal with this president and the full force of the constitution’ Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Wednesday said that the nation was at a “breaking point” after nearly a month of protests that have caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Paz, who took office six months ago amid the worst economic crisis there in four decades, is battling a groundswell of fury over his policies. The political capital, La Paz, has been besieged by low-income workers and members of the indigenous majority calling for his resignation. “The country needs order and is reaching breaking point,” the 58-year-old said at a public event in La Paz, renewing his appeal for dialogue. On Tuesday, the Bolivian
‘CROSSING THE LINE’: China’s embassy in Seoul criticized US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson, asking if his ‘hostile’ remarks were authorized by Washington South Korea and the US are in talks over recent public remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea, Seoul’s presidential office said yesterday, after the comments drew sharp criticism from China. In a recent podcast interview, US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson described South Korea as “the dagger in the heart of Asia” from China’s east coast, prompting the Chinese embassy in Seoul to say that he had “truly crossed the line.” The interview came amid growing speculation that Washington might seek to expand the role of US Forces Korea in countering the growing regional influence of China, a key
Forecasters in Europe yesterday warned of exceptional heat as record temperatures driven by a “heat dome” push temperatures well above seasonal norms across the continent. The surge follows a record-breaking Monday, with France logging its hottest day in the month of May on record, its weather agency said, and the UK also posting unprecedented highs. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Restrictions on outdoor work were imposed in parts of Italy, beaches in southwest France filled earlier than usual and
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