Latest News

A dancer adjusts his costume before taking part in a procession honouring St Thomas, the patron saint of Chichicastenango, Guatemala.
January 19, 2026 by Aaron Coy Moulton

Before Venezuela’s oil, there were Guatemala’s bananas

In the aftermath of the US military strike that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, the Trump administration has emphasised its desire for unfettered access to Venezuela’s oil…
Indigenous activists participate in a climate protest during the COP30 UN Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil.
January 19, 2026

Leonardo Stanley | COP30: Promises, lies, and hopes

One of the most controversial points of the meetings that bring together the international community at the recently concluded climate conference — the Conference of the Parties (COP) — centres on the…
A view of the 24 Somali Mall in Minneapolis.
January 19, 2026

Somali businesses struggle during Minneapolis ICE crackdown

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Rows of businesses stood shuttered inside a sprawling complex of Somali businesses on a recent afternoon. Karmel Mall in south Minneapolis contains more than a hundred small…
A Taiwan national flag flutters near the Taipei 101 building at the National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.
January 19, 2026

Journalist detained for allegedly bribing military officers to provide information to China

TAIPEI (AP): A journalist in Taiwan was detained on allegations of bribing army officers to provide military information to people from mainland China, as the self-ruled island cracks down on…
Syrian government soldiers pose for a photo taken by another soldier at the entrance to Raqqa.
January 19, 2026

Government forces seize strategic town in Raqqa from Kurdish forces

TABQA (AP) Government forces seized a strategic town Sunday in eastern Syria, part of an ongoing push against Kurdish-led forces east of the Euphrates River. This came after tensions between Damascus…
A boy holds a crossed-out map of Greenland topped by a hairpiece symbolising US President Donald Trump, during a protest against Trump’s policy towards Greenland in front of the US Consulate in Nuuk, Greenland
January 19, 2026

Countries reeling as Trump imposes tariffs over Greenland dispute

BERLIN (AP) Europeans were reeling Sunday from US President Donald Trump’s announcement that eight countries will face 10 per cent tariffs for opposing American control of Greenland. The responses to…
In this September 2025 photo, members of parliament are seen at a sitting in Gordon House.
January 19, 2026

Lloyd Barnett | Performance criteria and accountability/responsibility of parliamentarians

There is a clear need for the establishment of a clear definition of the duties of parliamentarians. We must go beyond generalities and platitudes such as exist in the Handbook for Parliamentarians…
In this November 2025 photo, Grade Three students of McCauley Primary School in Spanish Town, St Catherine are seen participating an integrated quiz session.
January 19, 2026

Ronald Thwaites| Productivity and literacy

I appreciate Prime Minister Holness’ exhortation at the Wisynco function last week for the nation to craft a surge or productivity higher than the rate of inflation. For, if we don’t, the fate of the…
Letters
January 19, 2026

Paperwork locking out students

THE EDITOR, Madam: A troubling practice is quietly taking root in schools – children are being excluded because they do not yet have a psychoeducational assessment. What was designed as a tool to…