This workshop assessed recent developments in human rights and accountability across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in the context of the 4th EU–CELAC summit (Santa Marta, 9 November 2025). Bringing together EU policymakers, regional human rights representatives, academics and civil society actors, the discussion examined the structural challenges affecting democratic governance and the institutional mechanisms available to address them. Participants highlighted the coexistence of democratic backsliding, organised criminal violence, institutional fragility and shrinking civic space with enduring commitments to international human rights law and multilateral cooperation. Particular attention was given to the region’s complex “accountability mosaic”, comprising international and regional judicial bodies, national human rights institutions, transitional justice mechanisms and protection frameworks for human rights defenders. While these mechanisms have produced meaningful advances, their effectiveness remains uneven and vulnerable to political, economic and security pressures. The workshop also explored the human rights implications of transnational organised crime, climate-related vulnerabilities and trade-based cooperation frameworks, emphasising the need for policy coherence, sustained multilateral engagement and capacity-building. Overall, the discussion underscored that EU–LAC relations are grounded in shared normative principles but require more systematic operationalisation through political dialogue, cooperative instruments and support for regional and domestic accountability structures. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The University Hospital of the West Indies’ (UHWI) so-called procurement scandal takes centre stage today as Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is expected to drill down to unveil additional details into the multimillion-dollar breaches that were uncovered in an audit of the health facility by the auditor general earlier this year.

Edwin Allen High School turned Frankfield blue yesterday, celebrating their 11th ISSA/raceKennedy Girls’ Athletics Championships title with a high-energy campus rally and street parade. Students and supporters packed the school grounds before marching through the Clarendon town, filling the air with music, whistles, and vuvuzelas in a celebration that stretched over three hours. Principal Jermaine Harris set the tone. Dressed in school colours and waving a blue flag, he was introduced to roaring cheers with Vybz Kartel’s We Nuh Fraid A Nobody.

Jamaica College (JC) Principal Wayne Robinson said the school’s latest ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ Championships triumph is more than a title; it is another marker of a school firing on all fronts. The Old Hope Road, St Andrew-based institution secured its 23rd hold on the Mortimer Geddes Trophy with a commanding 345 points last Saturday, finishing ahead of Kingston College (282) and Calabar High (169.3). It marks their second title in six years and the first under head coach Duane Johnson. But for Robinson, Champs is only part of the story.

A 21-year-old police constable is at the centre of a murder-for-hire investigation that has rocked the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), after he was slapped with charges for three homicides committed within a 48-hour period across two parishes.

It shall be now or never for the Reggae Boyz, when they take their final kick at qualifying for this summer’s FIFA Men’s World Cup against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today. Match time is 4 p.m. Mexico’s Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Guadalajara, will host the winner-takes-all Intercontinental final, which ultimately rewards a spot in the 48-nation global championship to be hosted jointly by Concacaf nations the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

China-headquartered oil and chemical company Sinopec caught up on the diesel surge, raising its posted price for diesel by 21 cents on Tuesday (March 31) morning.Its move follows that of Shell's 20-cent diesel hike over the weekend, and that of Caltex, Esso and SPC on Monday. As with the other major fuel companies in Singapore, Sinopec kept its petrol prices unchanged.Diesel prices here first started to surpass the price of 95-octane petrol on March 12 with Caltex and Shell raising their respective posted price for diesel to $3.38.On that day, the price of 95-octane petrol was recorded at $3.35 at both fuel companies.Following the latest round of diesel hike by Sinopec, the price of diesel now ranges from $3.92 at SPC to $4.13 at Caltex, Esso and Shell.

Ride-hailing operator Grab will implement a temporary adjustment, adding 40 cents to its existing 50-cent fuel surcharge, to help its drivers cope with the ongoing fuel price volatility.This was announced on Tuesday (March 31) as Grab introduced a $1.1 million driver-partner support package to help drivers cope with increased daily operating costs.Grab said its existing 50-cent «driver fee», introduced during earlier periods of elevated fuel prices, will be renamed as a single «fuel surcharge» line item.This means that its passengers will now see a 90-cent line item named «fuel surcharge» in their post-trip receipt.The move, which will entirely go to Grab's driver-partners, does not apply to standard and metered taxi rides.A Grab spokesperson said: "We know that every dollar in the daily budget is being stretched right now, and we don't take the impact of even a small adjustment lightly. 

The US struck an Iranian school with a missile that was untested in combat, the New York Times has reported Read Full Article at RT.com

The US struck an Iranian school with a missile that was untested in combat, the New York Times reported Read Full Article at RT.com

A woman was reportedly charged $1,500 for using 222GB of local mobile data, but says there is no way she could have exceeded her plan's monthly data bundle by twice.M1 customer Anna Huang (transliteration) told Shin Min Daily News that she pays $25.42 monthly for her phone plan, which includes 100 gigabytes (GB) of local data.On Feb 16, the woman reportedly received a text message from M1 informing her about additional charges of $795.91.When she called the customer service hotline, a representative confirmed the charges but purportedly declined to share details of the data usage as the bill had not been generated.Huang said she switched off data roaming on her phone after the call.When she checked her February phone bill in early March, the woman was stunned to see the receipt state that she had exceeded her local data usage limit by 122GB.Including the price of her monthly plan and GST, her total bill came up to $1516.13, according to Shin Min.

Singaporeans should brace for a period of «higher and more volatile energy costs» as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to severely strain global fuel supply chains. In a statement on Tuesday (March 31), the Energy Market Authority (EMA) warned that while regulated tariffs for electricity and town gas in the second quarter of 2026 have only been partially impacted, subsequent quarters are likely to see sharper increases in price. As a small city-state, Singapore heavily relies on energy imports, with approximately 95 per cent of electricity produced from imported natural gas. This same fuel serves as the primary feedstock for town gas production, meaning any global price surge directly translates to higher utility bills for every consumer across the island. The current regulatory framework determines tariffs based on average fuel costs in the first 2.5 months of the preceding quarter. This means calculations for the April to June period were based on prices from January to mid-March.As natural gas prices only began to climb after Feb 28, the full weight of the crisis has not yet been felt by households.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay faces a case for alleged election conduct violations. A complaint cited the use of 30 loudspeakers and a gathering of over 5,000 people causing public inconvenience and obstructing a pathway, reportedly blocking an ambulance. Police have registered a case against Vijay and party workers.

The president and his son Eric shared images of a towering skyscraper that would be located in downtown Miami.

An elderly man was apprehended after locking himself inside his Clementi HDB flat on Monday (March 30) afternoon.Photos of the incident shared on Threads showed police cordoning off an HDB block, while SCDF officers deployed a yellow airbag. Several SCDF and police vehicles were also present at the scene.Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police said they received a call for assistance at Block 358 Clementi Avenue 2 at about 11.20am.Upon arrival, it was established that a 79-year-old man had locked himself inside a residential unit.Based on the police's assessment that the man might pose a danger to himself, officers from the Special Operations Command, the Crisis Negotiation Unit, and the SCDF were deployed to the scene.Police officers subsequently managed to gain entry into the man's unit at 1.50pm. 

A man accused of making prank calls to the police and throwing eggs at responding police officers was brought back to the scene of his alleged crime just after 10am on Tuesday (March 31) morning.Davin Lian Ke Xiang, 28, is also accused of making at least 18 prank calls reporting criminal activities, which turned out to be false.On three separate occasions — March 15, March 21, and March 22 — he allegedly threw eggs at responding officers after they got out of their police vehicles at Block 296 Punggol Central.The calls were made through a mobile phone line fraudulently obtained using a lost identity card.Lian was wearing a white collared T-shirt, black shorts and a mask covering his entire face as he was brought to the crime scene. He was also taken up to the fifth floor at one point, and he later spent about 10 minutes answering questions from investigators.Throughout the morning, Lian was seen avoiding eye contact by hanging his head low.He will return to court on Wednesday (April 1), where he will be charged with vandalism.

The allegations against Mills, 53, are thought to date back a decade to his time on Radio 1, with reports suggesting they involve a 'historic relationship'.

Club Chemistry in Canterbury has announced it will reopen its doors on Thursday, 18 days after it closed.

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on Truth Social on Monday showing renderings of the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library and Museum in Miami.

The bullet used to kill conservative commentator Charlie Kirk did not match the rifle suspected killer Tyler Robinson allegedly used in the assassination, his attorneys argue.

Jackie Kennedy always intrigued me. When I was young, the First Lady's every appearance and utterance guaranteed acres of coverage in newspapers and magazines.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he expects 80% of Syrian migrants currently residing in Germany to return home over the next three years Read Full Article at RT.com

During the joint exercise, the triservices executed coordinated amphibious assaults, maritime dominance operations and complex beach landing drills. “In seamless synergy, IndianArmy, IndianNavy and IndianAirForce executed coordinated amphibious assaults, maritime dominance operations and complex beach landing drills employing Next-Generation Equipment and drones, reaffirming precision, jointness and mission-ready interoperability,” the Army posted on X. It also shared some photos of the military drill.

The American authorities believe that restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz will mean a six-week operation against Iran, the newspaper said

Iran has fired almost 1,200 ballistic missiles and 4,000 Shahed drones at the Gulf states since the start of the war

The Federal Air Transport Agency said adjustments to the flight schedule are possible

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation

Choe Son Hui also expressed confidence that TASS's information activities would make «the most significant contribution to the strengthening of military brotherhood between the peoples of Russia and the DPRK»

A 23-year-old man was arrested on Sunday (March 29) for allegedly stealing a motorcycle parked at a carpark in the Marina Bay area.The incident happened at about 8.10am at a carpark along Bayfront Avenue. Checks by AsiaOne indicate that the alleged crime is likely to have happened at the Marina Bay open carpark. At least three areas have been allocated for motorcycle parking in the said carpark. Map showing the Marina Bay open carpark along Bayfront Avenue. INFOGRAPHIC: AsiaOne (Images and Map from Google Maps) Officers from Central Police Division established the identity of the man within 15 hours of the report. This was done through ground enquiries and with the aid of police cameras and closed circuit television (CCTV).

A fire broke out at a shophouse restaurant in Little India on Monday (March 30) night.The incident happened at about 8.10pm at 10 Roberts Lane. Map showing the location of the fire incident at 10 Roberts Lane. INFOGRAPHIC: AsiaOne/Shafiq Apandi Checks by AsiaOne indicate that the said location is the registered address of Bar B Q Tonight, a Pakistani cuisine restaurant.When AsiaOne reached the scene at about 9pm, there were at least three fire engines, two police fast response cars and an ambulance present.A police cordon in place around the affected shophouse unit stretched across three units. 

Yeo Hiap Seng, also known as Yeo's, has laid off 25 employees at its Senoko facility in Singapore, the company announced on Tuesday (March 31).Yeo's stressed that it is «fully committed» to aiding the 25 employees with job placement assistance, career guidance and counselling support. «Wherever possible, opportunities for open roles within Yeo's Malaysia will be offered,» the company said, adding that the retrenched workers will receive benefits commensurate with each of their salaries and years of service.Yeo's has also worked closely with the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union to ensure that the retrenchment package and support provided reflect appreciation for the contributions of the affected staff, the company stated.It explained that these retrenchments are part of a streamlining of operations to consolidate can manufacturing in Malaysia, which enables the Group's Johor and Selangor facilities to optimise utilisation of resources and improve manufacturing efficiency.

The Australian Border Force launched a crackdown on illegal fishing in the state's north last month, with 19 boats intercepted since the beginning of the year.