Onion farmers in Bernard Lodge, St Catherine are facing millions of dollars in losses as a glut in local production collides with continued imports, leaving acres of mature crops at risk of spoilage. More than 15 farmers in the area are now under pressure to slash prices in a bid to recover costs, even as they call for stronger protection for local agriculture.

Angella Allen was filled with excitement when she learnt during a ceremony in February that she was one of several persons selected for a $500,000 grant under a special Government-funded initiative, the Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS) programme. The initiative, which falls under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), is a $10-billion programme to repair homes that were damaged by Melissa, the powerful Category 5 hurricane that made landfall in Jamaica last October.

After several failed attempts to unearth who was at the centre of a myriad procurement breaches, missing contract documents and the misuse of the University Hospital of the West Indies’ (UHWI) tax-exempt status, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has summoned the institution’s former principals. At a meeting of the PAC yesterday in Gordon House, a request from Chairman Julian Robinson was approved for the substantive CEO Fitzgerald Mitchell, former CEO Kevin Allen, and ex-board chairman Wayne Chai Chong to be summoned to the next meeting of the committee later this month.

Economist Keenan Falconer says the more than $40 billion in tax, interest, penalties and surcharges for which the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) is liable represents approximately 15 per cent of the total stock of arrears due to Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ). At the same time, Damion Gordon, lecturer in the Department of Government at The University of the West Indies (UWI), says the tax liability issue at the UHWI points to broader concerns about oversight and accountability at the level of hospital administration, also the parent ministry.

The financial standing of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) is now under scrutiny following revelations yesterday that the teaching institution has a ballooning tax debt amounting to tens of billions of dollars. Acting chief executive officer of the UHWI, Eric Hosin, told members of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday that the hospital owed Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) more than $40 billion in taxes. He said $18 billion of this amount is the principal sum owed and the balance represents interest and penalties.

[allAfrica]

[allAfrica] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Roelf Meyer to be the country's next ambassador to the United States.

India has proposed a law to increase the strength of the lower house by 57% to 850 seats Read Full Article at RT.com

A little kindness goes a long way.A video showing road users and passers-by coming together to help a fallen motorcyclist in Woodlands has warmed the hearts of netizens.A video of the incident, which took place on April 13 at about 4pm, was shared on the Facebook page of SG Road Vigilante subsequently.In the video, a motorist can be seen falling from his motorcycle after hitting a car ahead of him while going over a road hump.Soon after the incident, two male passers-by from the left side of the road went to the motorist's aid, and three others joined them shortly after.Together, they helped to push the motorcycle back to its upright position.

Two persons, aged 34 and 37, were arrested at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) on April 10 for their alleged involvement in a case of cheating. A video posted by TikTok user Daniel shows a long-haired woman dressed in a white shirt, her hands cuffed behind her back, being led to a waiting police car. Daniel said in his post that the incident happened at around 3.45am. He did not capture the moment when the second person, a 37-year-old man, was arrested.In response to AsiaOne's queries, police said they arrested the duo for their alleged cheating while following up on an earlier report. Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported that the woman seen in the video and the 37-year-old man are believed to lovers. They had allegedly cheated a male victim into making multiple bank transfers into a designated account. The duo were arrested following the man's report.Police investigations are ongoing.[[nid:733679]]editor@asiaone.com No part of this story can be reproduced without the permission of AsiaOne. 

[allAfrica]

International affairs analyst Naim Joseph Salem told RT that US-mediated Israeli-Lebanese talks are unlikely to bring peace Read Full Article at RT.com

The US military said it has completely cut off Iranian trade through the Strait of Hormuz Read Full Article at RT.com

« Prévenir aujourd'hui pour protéger demain », tel est le message fort qui a marqué la fin de semaine dernière dans le département du Haut-Ntem, à l'occasion d'une importante caravane de sensibilisation consacrée à la lutte contre la consommation de drogues en milieu scolaire. Organisée par l'association Dynamique ESSAP, cette initiative a mobilisé élèves, encadreurs, autorités administratives, forces de sécurité ainsi que des experts des domaines judiciaire, sanitaire et psychosocial (...) - EDUCATION / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

À l'occasion de l'élection Miss Mister Gabon France 2026 prévue le 30 mai en région parisienne, Madame Jesse Guillot revient sur un parcours marqué par l'engagement associatif et culturel au sein de la diaspora gabonaise. À travers cet événement qu'elle porte avec ambition, la présidente de l'association Lelive entend offrir bien plus qu'un concours : une véritable plateforme de valorisation de la jeunesse, alliant expression culturelle, engagement social et développement personnel, dans (...) - ARTS & CULTURE

A hotel in Papua New Guinea is attempting to sue the Australian government over accommodation costs for refugees previously detained on Manus Island.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam president Vijay's rally in Tiruppur was cancelled after at least 15 supporters collapsed due to severe heat and overcrowding. The decision was made following police advice to prevent a repeat of the Karur stampede, with Vijay departing for Coimbatore.

The cruise industry in South-east Asia yielded US$10 billion (S$12.7 billion) in 2024, making up 5 per cent of the global cruise industry’s output.Spend per passenger in the region was 2.4 times the global average, at US$2,564 per visit, said the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on April 15, citing figures from the inaugural Economic Impact Assessment of Cruise Tourism for Southeast Asian countries.Singapore captured 48 per cent of the region’s 3.9 million passenger visitors.The study, produced by travel and tourism industry consulting firm Tourism Economics for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), in partnership with STB, showed that overall, South-east Asia’s cruise tourism contributed US$4.5 billion to the region’s gross domestic product (GDP).The region accounted for 2 per cent of 186 million global cruise passengers in 2024, capturing 5 per cent of global cruise-related GDP.STB said the data showed that cruise tourism introduces visitors to the region’s diverse attractions and helps generate sustained tourism demand beyond the initial cruise visit.

Singapore has the experience to explore more underground spaces and grow its fuel reserves, said Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology Tan See Leng.In a Facebook post on Tuesday (April 14), Dr Tan spoke about his visit to JTC's Jurong Rock Caverns on Monday, and how Singapore is working to safeguard Singapore's energy resilience.The caverns are Southeast Asia's first commercial underground oil storage facility, and can store crude oil or compatible products to increase storage capacity for local refineries.Located 150 metres below Jurong Island, the facility comprises five caverns and a storage capacity equivalent to around nine million barrels.«You could fit a nine-storey building here,» Dr Tan said, labelling the facility as an «engineering feat». 

A family with financial difficulties was able to send off their loved one after local funeral provider Funeral Guru handled the service for free.Following the funeral, the bereaved daughter gave the team red packets containing «carefully saved old notes» to express her thanks.Funeral Guru shared in a Facebook post last Saturday (April 11) that the daughter had presented them with the red packets despite «difficult circumstances» — her mother is currently undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.The funeral service provider explained that they usually donate such contributions to charity on behalf of the deceased and keep a record of the amount in the process.«Our hearts sank when we opened the red packets,» they wrote, noting that the cash was savings, which had been «set aside over time».Photographs shared alongside their post showed an old dollar note and Brunei currency in one of the red packets.«Every note carried the weight of love, gratitude, and a family's quiet resilience in the face of hardship. What may seem modest to some holds immense meaning when it comes from those who have so little to give,» they said.

The drafting began last year and gained momentum after US President Donald Trump’s Greenland annexation threats and criticism of allies for not helping in the Iran war

Xi Jinping and Sergey Lavrov are meeting as part of the Russian foreign minister’s visit to China

Military expert Andrey Marochko said that it will be extremely difficult for the Ukrainian command to dislodge Russian servicemen from their positions

Sergei Lavrov noted that thanks to the interaction between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, bilateral ties show resilience to economic and geopolitical shocks that are increasingly acquiring a military dimension

Dans le cadre des actions de prévention en santé publique, les sages-femmes du Centre de Protection Maternelle (CPM) de Taravao, en collaboration avec l’équipe des formations sanitaires de Tahiti-Iti, organisent une campagne de vaccination temporaire contre le papillomavirus humain (HPV) dans la commune de Tautira.