Clarendon has emerged as a national leader in local development planning, becoming the first parish in Jamaica to formally integrate migration into its long-term growth framework—a move officials say signals a fundamental shift in how communities plan for the future. The milestone was marked last Thursday, during a handover ceremony for the Migration Chapter of the Clarendon Local Sustainable Development Plan (CLSDP) at the Clarendon Municipal Corporation (CMC).

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) carried out a mini dump removal exercise in Kitson Town, St Catherine, last Thursday, as part of a broader push to eliminate illegal dumping across the parish. It follows complaints from residents and local representatives about the spread of makeshift dumping areas. Andrew Gooden, the NSWMA’s parish manager for St Catherine, said the agency had struggled with illegal dumping in recent weeks.

Airbnb stakeholders in Jamaica are urging the Government to be cautious in its imposition of a general consumption tax (GCT) on the industry, insisting that the move should reflect the reality of the sector, which they say is largely made up of small, independent Jamaican homeowners. “Many hosts are small, independent operators, and sudden cost increases could place real strain on their ability to remain active and compliant,” Airbnb Community Leader for Jamaica Sherie-Ann Anderson told The Gleaner.

A symbolic unveiling of a renovated monument at Old Harbour Bay, St Catherine, on Sunday marked 180 years since the arrival of the first East Indians to Jamaica, reinforcing a shared history rooted in resilience, adaptation and cultural exchange. The ceremony, led by Jamaica’s Indian High Commission, revisited the historic site where the first group of East Indian indentured labourers arrived aboard the SS Blundell in 1845.

Amid historic levels of fatal shootings by the security forces Jamaica’s police chief has exhorted cops to exercise self-discipline, describing it as “more important” than the checks and balances that come with oversight. At the same time, Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake has again urged Jamaicans to join the appeal to “violent and hardened criminals” that they should not confront cops with deadly force.

Marc Rieben, 43, is said to have used a jigsaw tool, a knife and garden shears on Kristina Joksimovic's body before 'pureeing' her remains in a blender.

Keerthana S of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam won the election. Ashokan G of Indian National Congress came second. Sivakasi saw a political shift in 2021. For 2026, Ashokan, Rajenthrabhalaji, Diana, and Keerthana are candidates. Ashokan won in 2021. Rajenthrabhalaji won in 2016 and 2011. AIADMK historically dominated the constituency.

BJP workers celebrated their lead in West Bengal Assembly elections with traditional Bengali meals and sweets like fish curry, rosogolla, and jhalmuri. Similar food-based celebrations, including litti chokha and jalebi, were observed in past elections in Bihar and Haryana, highlighting food's role in political victories.

Exit polls for five assembly elections proved indicative, not definitive, as results day revealed surprising outcomes. While some projections accurately predicted trends in Kerala and Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu witnessed dramatic shifts, with unexpected victories and significant political realignments challenging pre-election forecasts.

The 2026 Kerala Assembly election has seen the United Democratic Front (UDF) secure a decisive majority, ending the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) decade-long rule. This historic mandate, driven by anti-incumbency and a call for administrative change, leaves India without a single Left-led state government for the first time in over five decades.

Free tuberculosis (TB) screening for tenants, workers and frequent visitors to Bedok Central will be extended by one more day to Friday (May 8), said the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA).The extension will allow an additional 500 individuals to be screened.In a statement on Monday evening, the authority said a total of 708 people have undergone screening as at 6pm.Of them, 541 were screened at Heartbeat@Bedok and 167 had visited the SATA CommHealth Bedok Clinic.It is mandatory for all working at Heartbeat@Bedok, Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market and Singapore Pools Bedok Betting Centre to be screened, and 280 of them have done so.The remaining 428 opted to be screened on a voluntary basis.

Halla Tómasdóttir, President of Iceland, is on a working visit to Italy, and today she will hold a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.

The number of dairy farmers in Iceland, now 444, has decreased by 155 over the past decade. This is part of a longer-term trend in which the core development is that the farms that remain become larger and more efficient units. The main dairy production areas today are Skagafjörður, Eyjafjörður, and the inland districts of Árnessýsla, near Flúðir in Hrunamannahreppur. Several large farms are located in these areas.

Executives of the Icelandic video game company CCP have reached an agreement to purchase the company.

Slovakia won’t participate in any EU loans for Ukraine, including the €90 billion package approved last month, PM Robert Fico has insisted Read Full Article at RT.com

At least three travelers aboard an Atlantic Ocean cruise ship have been killed in a suspected hantavirus outbreak Read Full Article at RT.com

South Africa has secured a deal with Brazil to help eradicate foot-and-mouth disease by 2028 Read Full Article at RT.com

Poland is preparing for a “smuggling boom” of weapons trafficked from Ukraine to the EU after the end of the conflict with Russia Read Full Article at RT.com

White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett has hailed a looming “extreme calamity in the Islamic Republic Read Full Article at RT.com

The roof of a bus stop outside Bukit Panjang Plaza was knocked askew on Sunday (May 3) evening after a double-decker bus allegedly hit it while turning out from the bus bay.An image of the incident shared by a reader of Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao shows glass shards on the ground, while the roof is misaligned at an angle. A photo of the damaged bus stop shared with Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao by its reader. PHOTO: Lianhe Zaobao reader When AsiaOne visited the scene on Monday evening, the damaged bus stop had been removed. In its place, a gazebo was installed as a temporary shelter for commuters.

Car sharing service Flexar, the BlueSG team's new brand, has officially launched in Singapore with a fleet of over 200 electric and internal combustion engine vehicles.This comes after a public beta testing phase which received nearly 10,000 registrations in just two weeks, the firm said on Monday (May 4).The «redesigned» point-to-point car sharing service draws on «insights from the strategic pause of BlueSG», with an intelligent fleet system and parking optimisation to improve vehicle availability, the firm said.Over 200 Flexar vehicles, including the Hyundai Avante, Honda Fit, Toyota Sienta, and Opel Corsa-e models, are available across 100 stations in the central, north, north-east and east regions, including towns such as Punggol, Sengkang, Hougang, Tampines, Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh.It aims to expand monthly across regions and can «support thousands of vehicles across an extensive islandwide station network» at full scale.

A 56-year-old man has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a series of mischief and theft cases involving several cars in Bukit Batok and Tengah.Police said in a news release on Monday (May 4) night that they received several reports of side windows of cars being shattered on Sunday.They did not specify the number of cars allegedly damaged by the man as investigations are ongoing.According to the police, he allegedly stole items including cash amounting to $100 and paper receipts from one of the cars.He was identified and arrested by officers from Jurong Police Division within 13 hours of the first report being made, through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras. He will be charged in court on Tuesday with the offence of theft — an offence which carries a penalty of three years' jail, a fine, or both.[[nid:735020]]editor@asiaone.com

Users are spending an increasing amount of time on online platforms. In its preliminary findings published on 6 February 2026, the European Commission found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) for its addictive design. It is the first time enforcement action has not focused on illegal content, data protection or competition, but on the harmful architecture of the platform itself, especially for minors and vulnerable adults. In March 2026, both Meta and YouTube were also found liable by a US jury for addictive design on their platforms. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

On 16 July 2025, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework and other horizontal rules for the Union programmes and activities ('performance regulation'), as part of a wide-ranging package on the next EU long-term budget – the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF). The proposal aims to simplify and harmonise how EU spending is tracked and its performance measured, moving towards a single system with standardised indicators. It defines horizontal spending principles with a view to streamlining their application across the EU budget: climate and biodiversity, 'do no significant harm' to the environment, social policies, and gender equality. Although competitiveness and preparedness play a major role in the next long-term budget, and the European Parliament had requested to include them as horizontal spending principles, the Commission did not include them. Ahead of the proposal, Parliament had called for further improvements in performance reporting under the EU budget, while underlining that the 'implementation of horizontal principles should not lead to an excessive administrative burden on beneficiaries'. A stronger performance framework can improve Parliament's decision-making on EU spending through more transparency. However, increased transparency from a proposed single portal to access EU budgetary data will depend on what information is made available. A briefing requested by Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control underlined that improved access to information – such as exchanges between the Commission and Member States, or to information about suspended milestones – was essential for public accountability. According to the European Court of Auditors, the proposal can improve processes for performance reporting and integration of EU horizontal policy priorities, but has design weaknesses to be addressed, including vague indicators, lack of clear results-based linkages, and risks of measuring implementation rather than achievements. The Court estimates that the proposal may achieve simplification between the Commission and the Member States, but that the administrative burden at national, regional and beneficiary levels may remain unchanged or even worsen. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Ukrainian troops shelled Miratorg’s territory using Grad systems and wounded seven employees

Vladimir Zelensky said that it is an important contribution

Alexander Stepanov emphasized that Cuba has the capability to respond to US military aggression

«Building on Ukraine’s drone expertise, the group also discussed opportunities to accelerate defense industrial cooperation to provide new technologies to enhance long-term security in Europe,» the statement reads

Emergency service specialists are working at the debris fall site

[New Times] The government has established a national centre to support women-owned and women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (WMSMEs), in a move aimed at improving financial advisory services and expanding access to funding, the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) has said.

[New Times] Rwanda's sugar imports declined in 2025, dropping by 36.5 per cent in volume and 39.1 per cent in value, reflecting increased domestic production and shifting consumption patterns, according to figures from the Ministry of Trade and Industry.