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  • WHO worried about ‘scale and speed’ of deadly Ebola outbreak

    WHO worried about ‘scale and speed’ of deadly Ebola outbreak

    KINSHASA, DR Congo – A fast-expanding Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has triggered global alarm, with the World Health Organization (WHO) upgrading the crisis to an international public health emergency amid rising fatalities, limited treatment options, and persistent conflict blocking response efforts. As of Tuesday, Congolese health officials report approximately 131 deaths and 513 total suspected cases, marking a sharp jump from last week’s count of 91 deaths and 350 suspected cases.

    The outbreak, centered in the conflict-battered gold-mining region of northeastern Ituri province bordering Uganda and South Sudan, is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola – a variant for which no approved vaccines or targeted therapies currently exist. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, which has been responsible for the DRC’s deadliest past outbreaks and has authorized vaccines, the Bundibugyo strain previously caused smaller outbreaks in Uganda (2007) and the DRC (2012), with a recorded mortality rate between 30% and 50%.

    Compound the crisis is the fact that the epicenter of the outbreak is a remote region roiled by decades of inter-militia clashes, making it extremely difficult for responders to reach affected communities. Only 30 cases have so far been confirmed through laboratory testing, with the vast majority of counts based on suspected symptomatic cases. The virus has already spread beyond Ituri, with suspected cases detected in North Kivu province’s commercial hub of Butembo – more than 120 miles from the outbreak’s origin – and one confirmed case in Goma, the province’s capital, which is currently controlled by Rwanda-backed M23 rebel forces. Cross-border spread has also been confirmed: Uganda has reported two confirmed cases in its capital Kampala linked to travel from the DRC, including one fatality.

    Local misinformation has also delayed response efforts. Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told national television that many residents initially mistook Ebola symptoms for a mystical illness, delaying care-seeking and allowing the virus to spread unchecked. “The deaths we are reporting are all the deaths we have identified in the community, without necessarily saying that they are all linked to Ebola,” Kamba clarified.

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the agency’s annual governing body meeting in Geneva on Tuesday that the decision to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) – the second-highest global alert level under international health regulations – was not made casually. “I’m deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” he said. The WHO is currently evaluating all candidate vaccines and treatments to identify options that could be deployed to curb the surge of the new strain.

    The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has already designated the outbreak a continental public health emergency, reflecting fears of wider spread across the African continent. Humanitarian groups warn that ongoing conflict between Congolese government forces and armed groups in the region remains one of the biggest barriers to an effective response. “Humanitarian access and coordination between the various stakeholders, particularly the parties to the conflict, could be one of the challenges for the response,” said Francois Moreillon, DR Congo representative for the International Committee of the Red Cross, earlier this week. Moreillon called on all warring parties to guarantee safe, unimpeded access for response teams and aid workers.

    Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has urged the public to remain calm while adhering to precautionary measures, and has ordered the national government to scale up its response to the crisis. This is the 17th Ebola outbreak the DRC has faced since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976. The Central African nation of more than 100 million people has a long history of Ebola outbreaks, with the deadliest between 2018 and 2020 claiming nearly 2,300 lives from 3,500 confirmed cases.

    The outbreak has already prompted precautionary measures around the globe. Germany announced Tuesday it is preparing to receive and treat a U.S. citizen who contracted the virus while working in the region. The American patient is a doctor with Christian aid organization Serge, which confirmed he was exposed through his work treating infected patients; two other doctors who assisted with care remain asymptomatic. The United States has already implemented entry screenings for air travelers arriving from Ebola-affected regions and temporarily suspended routine visa services in the DRC.

    Ebola, a highly contagious viral hemorrhagic fever first discovered in 1976 and thought to originate in bat populations, spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. The disease can progress rapidly to severe internal bleeding, organ failure, and death in a large share of cases.

  • Jamaicans register wins at NJCAA Champs

    Jamaicans register wins at NJCAA Champs

    The National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships wrapped up an action-packed three-day competition last weekend at New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, New Mexico, and emerging as the standout performers of the tournament were a cohort of talented Jamaican athletes, who claimed top honors across a wide range of events.

    One of the most impressive displays of Jamaican dominance came in the men’s 400m hurdles, where athletes from the island nation claimed all three podium spots. Shadane Smith of Hinds Community College led the historic sweep, crossing the finish line in a new personal best time of 50.19 seconds. He outpaced Central Arizona’s defending champion Richard Hall, who finished second with a time of 50.42 seconds, while Barrain Smith of Odessa College secured third place in 51.23 seconds.

    In the men’s 110m hurdles, Shaquane Gordon, a former gold medalist at both the ISSA Champs and Carifta Games, lived up to his pre-tournament reputation. He clocked a wind-aided 13.04 seconds, with a tailwind of 4.1m/s exceeding the allowable threshold for record purposes, to take home the gold medal. Shevon Depass of Western Texas added another Jamaican top-three finish in the event, claiming bronze in 13.56 seconds.

    Hinds Community College’s Jayval Wright turned in a stellar all-around performance in the short sprints. He won the men’s 200m with a wind-aided time of 19.91 seconds, boosted by a 4.8m/s tailwind, and followed that up with a silver medal in the 100m, finishing in 9.96 seconds. Two other Jamaican athletes placed in the top 10 of the 100m: Hector Benjamin of Indian Hills took sixth in 10.09 seconds, and Raheem Pinnock of Hinds crossed the line seventh in 10.16 seconds.

    On the host campus, New Mexico Junior College’s Aaron McKenzie claimed the men’s high jump title, clearing 2.12m to beat out Barton County’s Chavez Penn, who recorded a best jump of 2.07m to finish second. Raheim Scott, also of New Mexico Junior College, added a bronze medal for Jamaican athletes in the men’s 400m, finishing in 46.47 seconds.

    In women’s competition, Alexia Walker of Barton County College claimed gold in the heptathlon, amassing a total of 5,200 points across the seven events. Asharria Ulett, also of Barton County, won the women’s 100m hurdles in a wind-aided 12.89 seconds with a 6.8m/s tailwind, beating compatriot Daynea Colstock of Western Texas, who took silver in 13.10 seconds. Colstock later added a fourth-place finish in the women’s 400m hurdles with a time of 1:00.80.

    Deijanae Bruce of Odessa College won the women’s triple jump with a wind-aided mark of 13.13m, while Celine Riddle of Barton County took third in the same event with 12.92m. Riddle, the 2023 long jump champion, finished second in this year’s long jump competition with a new personal best of 6.29m, just behind compatriot Ishna James of Odessa, who won gold with a jump of 6.32m.

    Multiple other Jamaican athletes secured top-six finishes across the tournament. Cindy Rose of Indian Hills took silver in the women’s 800m in 2:13.93, just ahead of Terrica Clarke of Butler CC who finished fourth in 2:15.43. Kahdijah Bailey of Iowa Western claimed silver in the women’s high jump with a clearance of 1.64m, the same height as Bruce, who finished third, while Rasheda Samuels of Iowa Western took fourth and Jahmeka Brown of Barton County placed sixth. Twin sisters Shamoyea and Shamoye Morris of Barton County took second and fourth respectively in the women’s discus throw, with marks of 49.82m and 45.46m, while Carla Kay Brown of Coffeyville finished fifth and Natassia Burrell of Cloud County placed sixth. Burrell also claimed a bronze medal in the women’s javelin throw with a mark of 45.78m. In the women’s 100m, Caneilia Hope of Hinds CC finished fourth in a wind-aided 11.27 seconds, with Mickayla Gardner of Central Arizona fifth and Alliah Baker of Western Texas sixth. Rounding out the Jamaican results, Osmond Holt of Iowa Central finished fourth in the men’s decathlon with 6,263 points.

  • WHO evaluates vaccines, treatments for Ebola outbreak

    WHO evaluates vaccines, treatments for Ebola outbreak

    GENEVA, Switzerland – The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Tuesday it is actively evaluating all available experimental vaccines and treatment candidates to counter a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which officials warn could stretch on for months or longer. The UN health agency has already formally designated the surge of the highly contagious viral haemorrhagic fever as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, after the virus was linked to 131 suspected deaths and more than 500 confirmed and suspected infections across the affected region.

    Anne Ancia, WHO’s representative to the DRC, told reporters in a briefing connecting from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, that the global body is working urgently to map out all available candidate medical countermeasures and determine their suitability for deployment in the ongoing response. “At the international level, we are looking at what candidate vaccines or treatment are available and if any could be of use in this outbreak,” Ancia stated.

    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reinforced the severity of the situation Tuesday, saying he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic” and confirming that he would convene a high-level emergency meeting of the agency’s independent crisis committee later the same day to coordinate the global response.

    A key complication facing response teams is that the current outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a viral variant for which no pre-approved, widely deployable vaccine or targeted therapeutic treatment currently exists. Over the past 50 years, Ebola outbreaks across Africa have claimed more than 15,000 lives total. The only licensed Ebola vaccines available to date are formulated to target the Zaire strain, which was first identified in 1976. Currently, international public health experts agree that these prequalified Zaire strain vaccines are not approved for use against the current Bundibugyo outbreak, though Ancia noted that further research is ongoing to explore all potential options.

    The WHO’s technical advisory group for outbreak response met Tuesday to outline priority guidelines for evaluating candidate vaccines, to determine which experimental candidates should move forward for accelerated testing and deployment. Among the candidates under review is Ervebo, one of the most advanced existing Ebola vaccine candidates that is being assessed for its ability to deliver additional preventive protection for at-risk communities in the DRC. Even if Ervebo is cleared for use, however, Ancia warned that it would take a minimum of two months to deliver the vaccine to affected areas. This timeline still aligns with the expected trajectory of the outbreak, she noted: “I don’t think that in two months we will be done with this outbreak,” she said, referencing a previous large-scale Ebola outbreak in the region that took two full years to fully contain.

    The current outbreak, formally declared last Friday, marks the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak ever to hit the DRC. Public health officials have repeatedly warned that the outbreak carries a high risk of regional spread, and the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in the DRC remains the deadliest in the country’s history, claiming nearly 2,300 lives. To ramp up the on-the-ground response, the WHO has already deployed more than 40 international experts to join Congolese national response teams working in affected areas. The agency has also shipped 12 tonnes of critical emergency supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline health workers, from the Congolese capital Kinshasa and Nairobi, Kenya. The WHO is also partnering with global medical and humanitarian organizations, including the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, to construct dedicated Ebola treatment centres and expand local laboratory testing capacity to speed up case detection and isolation.

  • US to let DR Congo team in for World Cup despite Ebola restrictions

    US to let DR Congo team in for World Cup despite Ebola restrictions

    In a targeted policy adjustment announced this week, a senior United States government official confirmed Tuesday that Washington will carve out a special entry exemption for the Democratic Republic of Congo men’s national soccer team, allowing the squad to bypass a longstanding Ebola-related travel restriction ahead of their World Cup appearance.

    Speaking on condition of anonymity, the senior State Department official told reporters that US authorities fully expect the Congolese side to fulfill their fixture commitments at the global tournament without entry barriers. The original travel ban, implemented in response to a deadly Ebola outbreak that spread across central Africa, bars entry to most non-US citizens who have traveled within the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan in the 21 days prior to their attempted entry to the US.

    Notably, the DRC is the only nation among the three Ebola-affected countries to qualify for men’s soccer’s most prestigious international competition. The official noted that the team has been conducting pre-tournament training camps across Europe in recent weeks, meaning most squad members would likely not have met the 21-day exposure threshold that triggers the ban in the first place.

    Even for players or staff who have traveled to the DRC within the three-week window, the official confirmed that a full entry prohibition will not be enforced. Instead, the contingent will follow the same strict public health protocols already mandated for returning US citizens and permanent residents, including mandatory testing and targeted isolation when necessary. This aligned approach ensures public health protections remain in place while clearing the way for the team to compete.

    The official made clear that the exemption is limited exclusively to the official national team delegation, and will not extend to ordinary Congolese fans hoping to travel to the US to support their side during the tournament.

  • Clarendon NW residents protest over bad roads

    Clarendon NW residents protest over bad roads

    CLARENDON, Jamaica — For two straight days, residents of Sunbury district in the Spalding area of Clarendon have shut down key thoroughfares through their community, escalating a grassroots protest against the crumbling, unsafe road conditions that have long upended daily life for local people.

    The demonstration first unfolded on Monday, when local law enforcement was dispatched to the neighborhood to clear a makeshift barricade constructed from discarded derelict vehicles and fallen tree debris. Crews were able to reopen the route to northwestern Clarendon that day, but the respite was temporary: frustrated by a lack of commitment to repairs from elected officials, residents assembled a new roadblock on Tuesday, forcing police to return for a second consecutive day of clearance work.

    Photographs from the scene show a passenger bus, used by local residents to block a critical stretch of the roadway, as the centerpiece of the protest. The bus highlights how everyday residents are willing to disrupt ordinary movement to demand action from leaders who they say have ignored their community’s infrastructure needs for far too long.

    When reached for comment Tuesday, Richard Azan, the Member of Parliament for Clarendon North Western and opposition spokesperson on road infrastructure, acknowledged that the conditions described by residents are accurate and deeply problematic.

    “We just wrapped up parliamentary budget deliberations, and the only commitment the government has offered is a general patching program across the island,” Azan explained. “To date, I have not received any confirmation that funding has been allocated for repairs to this specific stretch of road in Sunbury.”

    Azan went on to note that Sunbury’s crisis is far from an isolated case, warning that the entire island is grappling with a widespread decline in road quality. “Northwestern Clarendon alone has dozens of roads in catastrophic condition, and this issue is not limited to our constituency,” he said. “Members of Parliament from both the ruling party and the opposition across every region of Jamaica are fielding constant complaints from constituents about failing, unsafe roads.”

    As of Tuesday evening, residents remain firm in their commitment to continuing protest action until they receive a concrete timeline and funding commitment for full road repairs, signaling that the standoff between the community and political leaders is far from over.

  • Decade in prison for 56-y-o Vincentian who caused death of friend in ‘rum disagreement’

    Decade in prison for 56-y-o Vincentian who caused death of friend in ‘rum disagreement’

    KINGSTOWN, St Vincent – A 56-year-old local fisherman has been handed a 10-year custodial sentence by a High Court judge in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) following his conviction for the unlawful killing of his friend, 42-year-old security guard Cameron Alexander. The fatal assault, carried out with a rum bottle, took place amid a casual gathering in late August 2023.

    Justice Rickie Burnett, presiding over the case, handed down the penalty to Joel Ashton, a local resident also known by the nickname ‘Goat’. The court ordered that the time Ashton has already spent in pretrial remand be subtracted from his total sentence, a standard provision in the SVG judicial system.

    Court documents outline that the fatal incident unfolded between August 26 and September 1, 2023, in Lowmans Bay, a quiet coastal community on the leeward coast of St Vincent. Prosecutors confirmed Ashton caused Alexander’s death through an unlawful violent act.

    What began as a friendly social outing between the long-time acquaintances and other companions turned violent after a minor dispute. Alexander and another man had combined their money to buy a pint of rum, and tensions flared when Alexander allegedly took a small bottle of rum from Ashton’s pocket. In a sudden burst of anger, Ashton struck Alexander on the left side of the head with a full glass rum bottle, shattering the container on impact.

    A witness who was present at the gathering testified that Alexander did not retaliate immediately after the blow. Instead, the victim simply asked Ashton, “Just so?” before holding his head at an angle and revealing blood flowing from his ear. Alexander was seen walking to the nearby shoreline to rinse the wound before returning to the local shop where the group had gathered, where he noticed additional blood on his neck.

    Over the next 48 hours, Alexander’s condition worsened rapidly. On August 28, one of his two children found him unresponsive at his home, foaming at the mouth with active bleeding. He was rushed to the main Milton Cato Memorial Hospital and placed in the Intensive Care Unit for emergency treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries two days later on August 30, 2023.

    A post-mortem examination conducted by lead pathologist Dr Ronald Child confirmed the official cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head, directly resulting from the bottle attack.

    Ashton did not surrender to law enforcement until nearly four weeks after the incident, turning himself in to police on September 24, 2023. He was held in remand throughout the duration of his trial.

    During the sentencing hearing, Giovanni Stapleton, one of Alexander’s two children, delivered a victim impact statement telling the court his father had been his entire world, and that he continues to grieve the loss of his father every day.

  • WATCH: KSAMC conducts clean up activities on Heywood Street

    WATCH: KSAMC conducts clean up activities on Heywood Street

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — Local authorities in Jamaica’s capital have wrapped up a targeted sanitation drive on one of downtown Kingston’s busiest commercial corridors, marking the latest phase of a city-wide effort to improve public health and urban livability. On Sunday, teams from the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) carried out a comprehensive clean-up operation along Heywood Street, where crews unclogged blocked drainage systems, hauled away accumulated roadside debris, and power-washed the public roadway. The intervention has earned broad approval from local vendors who rely on the area’s public spaces to earn their daily incomes.

    Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby explained that Sunday’s work is an integral component of the Cleaner Kingston initiative, a long-term project dedicated to eliminating persistent waste buildup across the downtown district. Ahead of the operation, KSAMC issued a 30-day advance notification to all Heywood Street vendors to ensure they could prepare for the work, a collaborative step that municipal leaders prioritized to minimize disruption to local commerce. In addition to clearing the roadway, crews also removed discarded materials from the adjacent Queens Market, prioritizing drain clearing to address longstanding blockages that posed public health and flooding risks.

    “Sanitation is a top priority for KSAMC, and protecting the health of both vendors and the everyday patrons who shop in this area is our core goal,” Swaby noted in an interview following the operation.

    The Heywood Street clean-up follows a similar intervention completed on nearby Beckford Street in recent weeks. That earlier project included participation from representatives of two major local utilities — the National Water Commission (NWC) and Jamaica Public Service (JPS) — who joined to assess unaddressed sewage and streetlight infrastructure issues that have plagued the neighborhood. KSAMC has confirmed plans to move forward with repairs for those systems in the coming months.

    Moving forward, Swaby confirmed that the incremental street-by-street clean-up push will continue across downtown Kingston, with municipal teams focusing on one corridor at a time to deliver thorough, long-lasting improvements. The mayor emphasized that local vendors have reacted positively not just to the results of the clean-up, but to the transparent, consultative approach KSAMC has taken throughout the initiative.

    Toleen Edwards, a food vendor who has operated on Heywood Street for years, called the regular cleanings long overdue. “Before this, there were rats and cockroaches all along the road, and I sell food here — I don’t want pests running through my stall,” Edwards explained. “This should be done regularly, either every week or every month.”

    Beyond sanitation, Mayor Swaby also addressed a second persistent problem plaguing Heywood Street: unregulated taxi parking that creates chronic traffic congestion. The mayor announced he will soon convene a roundtable discussion with local police, independent taxi operators, and leadership of the national taxi association to collaborate on solutions. The talks will center on identifying actionable changes to ease traffic delays and create smoother, more reliable traffic flow for all road users and pedestrians in the area.

  • Guardiola swerves Man City exit talk as title hopes end

    Guardiola swerves Man City exit talk as title hopes end

    BOURNEMOUTH, United Kingdom – In a result that closed the book on one of the most tense Premier League title races in recent memory, Manchester City’s 1-1 away draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium has dashed the defending champions’ hopes of retaining their crown, and left the future of legendary manager Pep Guardiola hanging in the balance.

    The stalemate, which left City four points adrift of league leaders Arsenal with just one fixture remaining in the 2023-24 season, officially confirms Arsenal as the new Premier League champions – ending a 20-year drought for the North London club.

    Speculation has swept English football in recent days that Guardiola, one of the most decorated managers in the history of the sport, will step down from his role following City’s final league match of the campaign against Aston Villa this coming Sunday. The club has so far declined to issue any public comment addressing the swirling rumors.

    Speaking to reporters after the Bournemouth draw, the 55-year-old Catalan manager said he will first hold discussions with Manchester City’s senior leadership before making any announcement about his plans. “Allow me to talk with my chairman,” Guardiola told the BBC. “I have one more year left on my contract. Every season when we reach the final stages, we sit down to discuss what comes next. I don’t discuss these matters with anyone outside the club first – the conversation starts with my chairman and my bosses.”

    He went on to explain his reasoning for delaying a public statement, noting that premature confirmation of an exit would undermine his ability to lead the squad. “From my experience, when a manager already expects he is leaving, the players stop following you. You have to be able to lead with full authority. Right now, the right step is to have that conversation with the club’s leadership privately first.”

    Pressed for immediate clarity during his post-match press conference, Guardiola instead shifted focus to congratulating Arsenal and their manager Mikel Arteta – who cut his coaching teeth as an assistant to Guardiola during his early years at Manchester City.

    Guardiola also acknowledged that fatigue played a major role in his side’s failure to secure the three points they needed to keep their title hopes alive going into the final matchweek. The draw came just three days after City beat Chelsea to win the FA Cup final, securing a domestic cup double for the campaign.

    “I would have loved to have kept pushing to the very last moment, but today the tiredness was obvious across the team,” he added.

    If Guardiola does depart, his exit will bring an end to the most successful managerial stint in Manchester City’s history, and one of the most dominant runs any club has seen in English football. Since his appointment in 2016, Guardiola has led City to 20 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club’s first and only Champions League title to date.

    Per widespread insider reports, former Guardiola assistant Enzo Maresca is the leading candidate to take over the managerial role should Guardiola step down. Maresca has been out of work since leaving his position as Chelsea manager earlier this year.

  • Nations must cooperate to fight terror financing — FATF chief

    Nations must cooperate to fight terror financing — FATF chief

    PARIS, France – Amid widening geopolitical rifts that have strained cross-border multilateral cooperation, the head of the global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing watchdog FATF has issued an urgent call for unified international action to block funding channels for terrorist groups, speaking exclusively to AFP on Tuesday.

    Elisa de Anda Madrazo, president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), made her remarks ahead of a high-level counter-terrorism financing gathering convened on the sidelines of the G7 finance ministers’ meeting being held in the French capital. She stressed that transnational terrorist networks operate without regard for national boundaries or ethical limits, leaving countries no alternative but to coordinate their enforcement efforts.

    Headquartered in Paris, FATF is a leading international body tasked with evaluating anti-financial crime frameworks across more than 200 countries and jurisdictions globally. The organization maintains a widely cited “grey list” of jurisdictions flagged for enhanced global monitoring of their financial systems to curb illicit activity.

    De Anda Madrazo’s appeal comes at a moment when global multilateral collaboration has faced significant headwinds, driven by increasingly hardline geopolitical postures among major world powers including the United States, Russia and China. Despite these divisions, she argued that information sharing remains non-negotiable for effective counter-terrorism, pointing to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as a concrete example of how coordinated financial intelligence delivers results.

    “Multiple planned terrorist attacks were disrupted and neutralized because of shared financial intelligence,” she noted. “This approach works, it deters attacks, and there is no room to walk back from cooperation. We must deepen our collaboration and work more closely than ever before.”

    The fifth iteration of the “No money for terror” conference, which is hosting dozens of national delegations in Paris, aims to advance collective progress: participants will focus on updating strategies to keep pace with rapid changes in the global financial system, adapting regulatory and enforcement tools, and sharing proven best practices, according to the French conference presidency.

    Intelligence communities across the globe have documented a sharp shift in the structure of terrorist threats in recent years. While core jihadist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have weakened structurally, their regional offshoots have gained greater autonomy, and domestic threats from lone-actor extremists have grown in frequency and severity. This fragmentation has been matched by evolution in how terrorist groups raise, move, and store funds, alongside widespread adoption of new financial technologies.

    De Anda Madrazo emphasized that the current threat landscape bears little resemblance to the context when the “No money for terror” conference series launched in 2018. “Back then, terrorist financing networks were far more centralized,” she explained. “Today, we have unregulated virtual assets, widespread digitalization of finance, and a global economy with an entirely different architecture. The combination of long-standing illicit funding mechanisms and emerging digital technologies creates a complex new risk that global regulators must tackle together.”

  • Beenie Man rejects assault claims, threatens legal action

    Beenie Man rejects assault claims, threatens legal action

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — One of Jamaica’s most high-profile recording artists, Beenie Man — legally known as Moses Davis — has issued a forceful public rejection of recent unsubstantiated claims that he physically assaulted a fellow entertainer, slamming the accusations as completely untrue, harmful, and legally actionable defamation.

    In an official statement released to the press this Tuesday, Davis confirmed he has already retained a team of legal representatives and is currently assembling a formal body of evidence to disprove the damaging allegations circulating online and in public discourse.

    The statement laid out clear demands for the accusers and any outlets that have spread the claims: “We hereby demand the immediate removal of all posts, videos, stories, and other publications asserting or repeating these claims, together with a full public retraction and apology.”

    Davis’s legal team warned that failure to meet these demands in a timely manner will open the door to full legal recourse. According to the statement, if compliance is not forthcoming promptly, Davis will pursue “proceedings for defamation, damages, injunctive relief, and any other relief available at law” to clear his name and hold responsible parties accountable for the harm caused by the false claims.