Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is sworn in as Namibia’s first female leader
WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in as Namibia’s first female president on Friday, reaching the highest office in her land nearly 60 years after she joined the liberation movement fighting for independence from apartheid South Africa.
The 72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah won an election in November to become one of just a handful of female leaders in Africa after the likes of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Joyce Banda of Malawi and Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania.
Sirleaf and Banda, now former leaders of their countries, and current Tanzania President Hassan all attended Nandi-Ndaitwah’s inauguration.
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s swearing-in coincided with the 35th anniversary of Namibia’s independence, but the ceremony was switched from a soccer stadium where thousands were due to attend to the official presidential office because of heavy rain.
The new president made her pledge to defend, uphold and support the constitution in front of other visiting leaders from South Africa, Zambia, Congo, Botswana, Angola and Kenya.
Nandi-Ndaitwah succeeds Nangolo Mbumba, who had stood in as Namibia’s president since February 2024 following the death in office of President Hage Geingob. Nandi-Ndaitwah was promoted to vice president following Geingob’s death.
Nandi-Ndaitwah is just the fifth president of Namibia, a sparsely populated nation in southwestern Africa which was a German colony until the end of World War I and then won independence from South Africa in 1990 after decades of struggle and a guerilla war against South African forces that lasted more than 20 years.
“The task facing me as the fifth president of the Republic of Namibia is to preserve the gains of our independence on all fronts and to ensure that the unfinished agenda of economic and social advancement of our people is carried forward with vigor and determination to bring about shared, balanced prosperity for all,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah is a veteran of the South West Africa People’s Organization, or SWAPO, which led Namibia’s fight for independence and has been its ruling party ever since.
She was the ninth of 13 children, her father was an Anglican clergyman, and she attended a mission school that she also later taught in. She joined SWAPO as a teenager in the 1960s and spent time in exile in Zambia, Tanzania, the former Soviet Union and the United Kingdom in the 1970s and 1980s.
She had been a lawmaker in Namibia since 1990 and was the foreign minister before being appointed vice president.
She said she would insist on good governance and high ethical standards in public institutions and would promote closer regional cooperation. She pledged to continue calling for the rights of Palestinians and the people of Western Sahara to self-determination and demanded the lifting of sanctions against Cuba, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
She also said Namibia would continue to contribute to efforts to fight climate change, a persistent threat for an arid country of just three million people that regularly experiences droughts.
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s husband is a retired general who once commanded Namibia’s armed forces and was formally given the title “first gentleman.” Nandi-Ndaitwah’s inauguration came a day after Namibia’s Parliament elected its first female speaker.
Canada’s new prime minister is triggering an election campaign this weekend. Here’s what to know
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to trigger the process for an early parliamentary election this weekend for an expected vote on April 28.
The election will take place against the backdrop of a trade war and sovereignty threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared a trade war. Trump has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state and he acknowledged Friday that he has totally upended Canadian politics.
What Trump hasn’t said is that the almost daily attacks on Canada’s sovereignty have infuriated Canadians, who are canceling trips south of the border and avoiding buying American goods when they can. The surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered Liberal poll numbers.
The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged. But after decades of bilateral stability, the vote is now expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with the United States.
What happens next?
Carney will visit Governor-General Mary Simon on Sunday and request to dissolve Parliament, a government official who wasn’t authorized to publicly give details so spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday.
Requests by the prime minister to the governor-general are rubber-stamped. Simon’s office holds a constitutional and ceremonial role as the representative of Canada’s head of state, U.K. King Charles III. Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.
An election campaign lasting about five weeks will then officially begin.
What happens next?
Carney will visit Governor-General Mary Simon on Sunday and request to dissolve Parliament, a government official who wasn’t authorized to publicly give details so spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday.
Requests by the prime minister to the governor-general are rubber-stamped. Simon’s office holds a constitutional and ceremonial role as the representative of Canada’s head of state, U.K. King Charles III. Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.
An election campaign lasting about five weeks will then officially begin.
Who is running?
Carney, 60, is among the two main candidates. He navigated crises when he was the head of the Bank of Canada and when in 2013 he became the first noncitizen to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694.
His appointment won bipartisan praise in the U.K. after Canada recovered from the 2008 financial crisis faster than many other countries.
A highly educated economist with Wall Street experience, Carney worked for 13 years for Goldman Sachs in London, Tokyo, New York and Toronto, before being appointed deputy governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. He has both financial industry and public service credentials.
Carney still hasn’t had a phone call with Trump yet. He has said that he’s ready to meet with Trump, if he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservatives, is Carney’s main challenger. The party and Poilievre were heading for a huge victory in Canada’s federal election this year until Trump’s near-daily trade and annexation threats derailed them.
Poilievre, 45, for years the party’s go-to attack dog, is a career politician and firebrand populist who says he will put “Canada first.” He attacks the mainstream media and vows to defund Canada’s public broadcaster. His party announced that it won’t allow media onboard his campaign buses and planes.
“President Trump’s tariffs and his rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state have clearly helped the Liberals in the polls while putting the Conservatives in an odd position, as their rhetoric exhibits some similarities with Trump’s and a significant minority of their supporters like the President’s populist style and ideas,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
Poilievre has said he will stand up to Trump
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George Foreman, the fearsome heavyweight who became a beloved champion, dies at 76
George Foreman became the heavyweight champion of the world in his 20s, only to lose his belt to Muhammad Ali in perhaps the most memorable fight in boxing history.
A full 20 years later in 1994, the 45-year-old Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship, throwing one perfect combination to steal Michael Moorer’s title in an epic upset.
Few fighters ever had more big moments than Big George Foreman — and even after he finally left the ring, he was only getting started.
The fearsome heavyweight, who lost the “Rumble in the Jungle” to Ali before his inspiring second act as a surprising champion and a successful businessman, died Friday night. Foreman was 76.
Foreman’s family announced his death on social media, not saying how or where he died.
“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father and a proud grand- and great-grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility and purpose,” his family wrote. “A humanitarian, an Olympian and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, he was deeply respected. A force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name— for his family.”
A native Texan, Foreman began his boxing career as an Olympic gold medalist who inspired fear and awe as he climbed to the peak of the heavyweight division by stopping Joe Frazier in 1973. His formidable aura evaporated only a year later when Ali pulled off one of the most audacious victories in boxing history in Zaire, baiting and taunting Foreman into losing his belt.
Foreman left the sport a few years later, but returned after a 10-year absence and a self-described religious awakening.
The middle-aged fighter then pulled off one of the most spectacular knockouts in boxing history, flooring Moorer — 19 years his junior — with a surgical right hand and claiming Moorer’s two heavyweight belts. Foreman’s 20 years is easily the longest gap between heavyweight title reigns.
Foreman’s transformation into an inspirational figure was complete, and he fought only four more times — finishing 76-5 with 68 knockouts — before moving onto his next career as a genial businessman, pitchman and occasional actor.
Outside the ring, he was best known as the face of the George Foreman Grill, which launched in the same year as his victory over Moorer. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and made him much wealthier than his sport ever did.
“George was a great friend to not only myself, but to my entire family,” Top Rank president Bob Arum said. “We’ve lost a family member and are absolutely devastated.”
In the first chapter of his boxing career, Foreman was nothing like the smiling grandfather who hawked his grills on television to great success.
Foreman dabbled in petty crime while growing up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, but changed his life through boxing. He made the U.S. Olympic team in 1968 and won gold in Mexico City as a teenager, stopping a 29-year-old opponent in a star-making performance.
Foreman rose to the pinnacle of the pro game over the next five years, but was also perceived as an aloof, unfriendly athlete, both through his demeanor and through the skewed racial lenses of the time.
Jim Lampley, the veteran boxing broadcaster who worked alongside Foreman for many years at HBO, told The Associated Press on Friday night that Foreman’s initial demeanor was an attempt by his camp to emulate Sonny Liston, the glowering heavyweight champ of the 1960s.
“At some point somewhere along the way, he realized that wasn’t him,” Lampley said.
Foreman stopped Frazier in an upset in Jamaica in January 1973 to win the belt, with his knockout inspiring Howard Cosell’s iconic call: “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”
Foreman defended his belt against Ken Norton before accepting the fight with Ali in the now-immortal bout staged in Africa by promoter Don King. Ali put on a tactical masterclass against Foreman, showing off the “rope-a-dope” strategy that frustrated and infuriated the champion. Foreman was eventually knocked down for the first time in his career, and the fight was stopped in the eighth round.
Foreman told the BBC in 2014 that he took the fight almost out of charity to Ali, who he suspected to be broke.
“I said I was going to go out there and kill him, and people said, ‘Please, don’t say you’re going to kill Muhammad,’” Foreman said. “So I said, ‘OK, I’ll just beat him down to the ground.’ That’s how easy I thought the fight would be.”
Exhausted and disillusioned, Foreman stopped fighting in 1977 and largely spent the next decade preaching and working with kids in Houston after his religious awakening. He returned to boxing in 1987 in his late 30s with a plan to defy time through frequent ring appearances, and he racked up a lengthy series of victories before losing to Evander Holyfield in a surprisingly competitive title fight in 1991.
Three years later, Foreman got in the ring with Moorer in Las Vegas, more for his celebrity than for his perceived ability to beat Moorer. The champion appeared to win the first nine rounds rather comfortably, with Foreman unable to land his slower punches. But Foreman came alive in the 10th, hurting Moorer before slipping in the short right hand that sent Moorer to the canvas in earth-shaking fashion.
Lampley, who was calling the fight, named his upcoming autobiography — which includes a prologue about Foreman — after his famous call of that moment: “It Happened!”
Foreman quit the ring for good in 1997, although he occasionally discussed a comeback. He settled into a life as a boxing analyst for HBO and as a pitchman for the grills that grew his fame and fortune. Much of the world soon knew Foreman as both a lovable friend and a ferocious fighter.
“He started performing as this pitchman, this product pitchman with the big, ever-present giant grin on his face,” Lampley recalled. “When I was working with him, people would say, ‘George is a big clown.’ And I would say, ‘Well, you can call him a clown, but he’s actually a genius. He may be the greatest genius I’ve ever met.’ And people would say, ‘Well, genius, what do you mean?’ I’d say, ‘Well, check the bank account. If that isn’t proof enough, I don’t know what is.’ So, he was a genius. He was a human genius.”
Foreman briefly starred in a sitcom called “George” in the 1990s, and he even appeared on the reality singing competition “The Masked Singer” in 2022. A biographical movie based on his life was released in 2023.
Foreman had 12 children, including five sons who are all famously named George Edward Foreman.
“Legendary boxing champion, life-changing preacher, husband, father, grand- and great-grandfather and the best friend you could have,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman wrote on social media. “His memory is now eternal, may Big George rest in peace.”
- AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.
Veteran reggae singer Cocoa Tea has died
Reggae legend Colvin 'Cocoa Tea' Scott has died.
His wife, Malvia Scott, confirmed to The Gleaner that the veteran singer passed away at 4:46 this morning at a hospital in Broward, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, following a cardiac arrest. He was 65.
"I got a call early this morning to say that he had been transferred from the facility to the hospital ... which is like five minutes away ... because he was vomiting. He was initially diagnosed with lymphoma in 2019, but for the last six months he was also struggling with pneumonia," Malvia told The Gleaner.
Following the diagnosis six years ago, the Nah Give Up singer kept a positive outlook, even to the very end.
"He was definitely very brave," shared Malvia, who is the mother of three of Cocoa Tea's children. "He was positive throughout it all. About three weeks ago when he was admitted in the hospital he asked if I was worried and I said 'I am always worried'. He told me not to worry because everything was going to be all right. He was always very hopeful."
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, told The Gleaner that she was "very saddened by the passing of Sweet Sweet Coco Tea".
"He has been a staple in the industry for so long. He is one of the greatest reggae singers who has ever lived and his work will stand the test of time. We salute him at this time ... condolences to his family. It has been a pleasure working with him over these years and we are glad that we had the opportunity to give him some of flowers while he was here with us. May his soul rest in peace," Minister Grange stated.
Known for his sweet, melodic voice, as well as his powerful chanting, Cocoa Tea's last performance was three years ago on the Welcome to Jamrock Cruise. In 2019 the I am the Toughest singer performed at Buju Banton's historic Long Walk to Freedom concert at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Born in Rocky Point, in Clarendon on September 3, 1959, Cocoa Tea stared making his name in Jamaica from 1985 with hits such I Lost my Sonia, and Sweet Sweet Cocoa Tea.
He become successful worldwide since the 1990s and expanded his fan base, thrilling with songs such as Israel's King, Weh Dem A Go Do...Can't Stop Cocoa Tea, Holy Mount Zion, Rocking Dolly. His Wikipedia bio states that one of his most famous songs, Rikers Island, was later turned into a dancehall version by Nardo Ranks titled Me No Like Rikers Island (featured on the 1991 Columbia/SME Records compilation Dancehall Reggaespañol).
In 2003, Coco Tea started the annual New Year's Eve event Dancehall Jam Jam. It ran until 2009, with plans to resurrect it in 2015.
After recording for many of the top reggae labels including VP Records, Greensleeves Records and Ras Records, he started his own Roaring Lion label around 2000.
In March 2008, the name Cocoa Tea was on the lips of many persons after he released a song titled Barack Obama, in support of the then US presidential candidate, who subsequently won the elections.
Coco Tea is survived by his wife, Malvia and eight children.
- Source: The Gleaner
Colombian hospital successfully treats a child from Turks and Caicos with a rare esophageal disorder affecting his ability to eat
Bucaramanga, Colombia, February 2025. Tivon Wright, a 10-year-old boy from Turks and Caicos, traveled to Colombia seeking treatment for a rare pediatric condition: type 1 achalasia. This esophageal motility disorder prevents food from passing normally into the
stomach due to dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter and a lack of coordinated esophageal contractions. While its exact cause remains unknown, it is believed to be associated with an autoimmune response or a viral infection.
Tivon’s family endured a period of great uncertainty before obtaining a clear diagnosis. The problem became evident when he began experiencing discomfort while eating: every time he tried to swallow food, he felt pain in his throat and chest and ended up vomiting.
“We took him to the medical center in North Caicos, where we live, and from there, he was referred to the main hospital in Providenciales for further evaluation,” his father recalls.
After undergoing medical tests, doctors identified an obstruction in his esophagus. However, the lack of a pediatric team capable of handling complex cases on the island limited treatment options. “The doctor recommended that we seek care elsewhere,” his father explains.
Concerned about his weight loss and the urgency of obtaining specialized care, his family decided to take him to the Hospital Internacional de Colombia (HIC), where he would receive treatment from a multidisciplinary team experienced in managing such conditions.
Under the leadership of Dr. Juan Javier Acevedo, a specialist in Gastrointestinal Surgery and Digestive Endoscopy, and Dr. Carlos Augusto Cuadros, a specialist in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, the medical team conducted a high-resolution esophageal manometry, a test that evaluates pressure and coordination of esophageal movements. The results confirmed the diagnosis of type 1 achalasia, allowing them to determine the most appropriate treatment approach.
To correct this condition, the specialists performed a peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), a minimally invasive procedure. “Using an endoscope, we made a controlled incision in the lower esophageal sphincter to reduce pressure and allow food to pass normally,” explains Dr. Acevedo. “This is the first POEM case in an international pediatric patient at HIC.”
The speed of diagnosis and treatment was crucial to Tivon’s recovery. According to his father, within a short period, the child was evaluated by multiple experts, from pediatricians to specialists in gastroenterology and pediatric surgery. Thanks to the intervention of an integrated medical team, they were able to accurately identify the issue and provide the care he needed.
Rapid recovery and a new beginning: Tivon can eat without pain again
Tivon’s recovery was swift. “One of the main advantages of this surgery is that improvement is almost immediate. In the postoperative period, while the patient is still in the recovery room, swallowing tests are conducted, and within just an hour after the procedure, they can eat normally,” says Dr. Acevedo.
For the first time in a long while, Tivon was able to enjoy his meals without pain. "Before the surgery, I couldn’t eat without discomfort and would vomit almost everything I ingested. Now I can eat without any issues," he says happily. He is also excited to return home and enjoy his favorite foods. Additionally, he admits that at first, he was afraid to be in a country where a different language was spoken, but over time, he grew more comfortable and felt safe.
His father emphasizes the quality of medical care received at HIC and expresses deep gratitude for the medical team that treated his son. "First of all, I want to thank God because, without His intervention and the knowledge He has given to the doctors, nurses, and the entire team here in Colombia, this wouldn’t have been possible. I just want to say thank you—to every specialist, every doctor, and every nurse who worked with him. This gives peace of mind to me, my family, and everyone waiting for him back home. Even the medical team in Turks and Caicos will be happy to know that Tivon is recovering well," he says emotionally.
Tivon’s case highlights the importance of timely access to specialized treatments. "I encourage other parents not to hesitate to seek help if they notice feeding issues in their children. We took a while to realize how serious the situation was, but fortunately, we found the solution we needed at HIC," he adds.
HIC continues to establish itself as a leading center for international patients, offering cutting-edge treatments with state-of-the-art technology and a highly specialized multidisciplinary team. With cases like Tivon’s, the hospital reaffirms its commitment to providing innovative medical solutions that change lives.
Microsoft shutting down Skype in May
Microsoft is closing down Skype, the video-calling service it bought for $8.5 billion in 2011, which had helped spark a transformation in how people communicate online.
The tech giant said Friday it will retire Skype in May and shift some of its services to Microsoft Teams, its flagship videoconferencing and team applications platform. Skype users will be able to use their existing accounts to log into Teams.
Microsoft has for years prioritized Teams over Skype and the decision to fold the brand reflects the tech giant’s desire to streamline its main communications app as it faces a host of competitors.
Founded in 2003 by a group of engineers in Tallinn, Estonia, Skype was a pioneer in making telephone calls using the internet instead of landlines. It relied on VOIP, voice over internet protocol, technology that converts audio into a digital signal transmitted online. Skype added video calls after online retailer eBay bought the service in 2005.
“You no longer had to be a senior manager in a Fortune 500 company to have a good quality video call with someone else,” said Barbara Larson, a management professor at Northeastern University who studies the history of virtual and remote work. “It brought a lot of people around the world closer.”
The ability to bypass expensive international phone calls to connect with far-flung coworkers was a boon for startups, but also people outside of the business world.
“You could suddenly have long calls, frequent calls, that were either free or very inexpensive,” Larson said. As with other new platforms, scammers also made use of it.
By 2011, when Microsoft bought it from eBay, Skype had about 170 million users worldwide, then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in an event announcing the planned merger.
“The Skype brand has become a verb, nearly synonymous with video and voice communications,” Ballmer said at the time.
Skype was still considered high-tech in 2017 when recently inaugurated President Donald Trump’s administration used it to field questions from journalists far from the White House press briefing room. It was a month later when Microsoft launched Teams, an attempt to catch up to the growing demand for workplace chatting services sparked by upstart rival Slack Technologies.
Slack and Teams, along with newer video platforms such as Zoom, saw explosive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic as companies scrambled to shift to remote work, and even families and friends looked for new tools for virtual gatherings. Skype, by then, was already on the wane but had paved the way for strengthening the connections people can build remotely.
“Higher-quality media can really deepen relationships and make people able to work through complex problems much better,” Larson said. “Suddenly, this was available to anyone with a decent internet connection. And that was the real sort of revolutionary role that Skype had.”
- MATT O’BRIEN (AP)
China February manufacturing hits 3-month high, but US tariff war clouds outlook
BEIJING, March 1 (Reuters) - China's manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in three months in February as new orders and higher purchase volumes led to a solid rise in production, an official factory survey showed on Saturday.
The reading should reassure officials that fresh stimulus measures launched late last year are helping shore up a patchy recovery in the world's second-largest economy, ahead of China holding its annual parliamentary meeting starting on March 5.
Whether the upturn can be sustained remains to be seen amid a trade war that was kicked off by U.S. President Donald Trump's first salvo of punitive tariffs.
The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 50.2 in February from 49.1 a month prior, the highest since November and beating analysts' forecasts in a Reuters poll of 49.9.
The non-manufacturing PMI, which includes services and construction, rose to 50.4 from 50.2 in January.
Chinese policymakers are expected to announce economic targets and fresh policy support next week at the high-profile gathering in Beijing, which investors will also watch for signs of further support for the struggling property sector and indebted local developers.
China's $18 trillion economy hit the government's growth target of "around 5%" in 2024, though in an uneven manner, with exports and industrial output far outpacing retail sales while unemployment remained stubbornly high.
Beijing is expected to maintain the same growth target this year, but analysts are uncertain over how quickly policymakers can revive sluggish demand, especially given the intensifying trade tensions with the U.S.
"Since the PMI data is measured on a month-on-month basis, it may be affected by seasonal factors related to the Spring Festival in January and February," said Zhang Zhiwei, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management.
"The manufacturing data is relatively stable," he added, with the caveat that a more accurate assessment would only be possible after the release of further data. China will release trade data for January-February on March 7.
New export orders, factory gate prices, employment all remained in negative territory last month, the National Bureau of Statistics data showed, but contracted more slowly.
Employment still hit a 22-month high.
TACKLING EXTERNAL SHOCKS
To sustain growth and counter rising external pressures, policymakers have pledged higher fiscal spending, increased debt issuance and further monetary easing.
Top Chinese Communist Party officials met on Friday and vowed to take steps to prevent and resolve any external shocks to China's economy, state media reported.
The Politburo meeting came a day after Trump said he would slap an extra 10% duty on Chinese goods on March 4, on top of the 10% tariff that he levied on February 4 over the fentanyl opioid crisis, to push Beijing to do more to stop the trafficking of the deadly drug.
That would result in a cumulative 20% tariff, which is still lower than the 60% he threatened on the campaign trail.
China's commerce ministry said on Friday it hoped to return to negotiations with the United States as soon as possible, warning that failure to do so could trigger retaliation.
Analysts polled by Reuters estimated the private sector Caixin PMI rose 50.3, from 50.1 in January. The data will be released on March 3.
Guyana says Venezuelan vessel entered oil block in Guyanese waters
March 1 (Reuters) - Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said on Saturday that a Venezuelan coast guard patrol entered Guyanese waters earlier in the day, approaching an output vessel in an offshore oil block managed by Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), opens new tab .
The South American neighbors are involved in a long-running dispute about which country owns the 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) Esequibo area, which is the subject of an ongoing case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The northwest portion of the block, close to Venezuela, has remained in force majeure as the Exxon group has been unable to complete exploration there.
"During this incursion, the Venezuelan vessel approached various assets in our exclusive waters, including FPSO Prosperity," Ali said in a statement.
The Venezuelan government denied Ali's allegations and claimed that the waters they entered were not part of Guyanese territory since it is a maritime zone pending delimitation in accordance with international law.
"Irfaan Ali is blatantly lying when he states that units of the Venezuelan navy are violating Guyana's territory," the Venezuelan government said in a statement shared on Telegram.
Guyana summoned the Venezuelan ambassador to meet with its foreign minister and discuss Guyana's strong objections, and its embassy in Caracas has been advised to lodge a formal complaint with Venezuela, Ali added.
Guyana will also formally report this incident to the ICJ and engage with international partners like the intergovernmental organization CARICOM, the statement added.
The Guyanese government has also deployed unspecified air assets, Ali added.
Venezuela requested Guyana to stop sidestepping the Geneva agreement, referring to a 1966 treaty to resolve the border dispute, and asked the country to "comply with its commitments to seek a solution."
The Organization of American States (OAS) condemned the Venezuelan incursion in "Guyana's internationally recognized maritime territory".
The incident was a violation of Guyana's territory, the United States Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on X. "Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime," it added.
Jamaican government urged to 'fully decolonise' with bill to ditch King Charles
KINGSTON/LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - Many Jamaicans want their country to ditch King Charles as head of state but a bill presented by the government to do just that has frustrated some critics of the monarchy who believe the change should go further to slash colonial ties.
Jamaica gained independence in 1962 but - like 13 other former British colonies - it still retains the British monarch as its head of state.
Public opinion on the Caribbean island of nearly 3 million people has been shifting for years, and in December the government of Prime Minister Andrew Holness presented a bill to remove King Charles.
Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were shipped to Jamaica during transatlantic slavery, and many scholars and advocates say the legacy of slavery and colonialism has resulted in or played a role in enduring inequities. Growing calls by African and Caribbean nations for reparations to address past wrongs have added to a shift in sentiment across the region.
Britain has so far rejected calls for reparations. On the issue of removing the monarchy as head of state, Buckingham Palace usually says such matters are for the local people and politicians to decide. On a visit to the Bahamas in 2022, Prince William - who is now heir to the throne - said he supports and respects any decision Caribbean nations make about their future.
The Jamaican bill - which could be debated in parliament as early as this month or next - would have to be ratified in a referendum if passed.
Before that, some critics - including the opposition People's National Party (PNP) - are raising objections to how a future president would be selected, what his or her role would be, and which court should be Jamaica's final court of appeal.
Steven Golding, head of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, founded more than a century ago by Jamaican civil rights leader Marcus Garvey, said the group and others had long advocated for the removal of "the last vestiges of the colonial umbilical cord".
But he added: "We must make sure that it's not a cosmetic surgery being done... we don't want to swap having a British monarch... to having a titular president. I would like to see an executive president, directly elected by the people."
Longstanding calls by some Jamaicans to abolish the monarchy picked up steam after Barbados, another former colony in the Caribbean, removed the late Queen Elizabeth as head of state in 2021. Holness told Prince William during a visit by the royal in 2022 that his country wanted to be "independent".
A survey by pollster Don Anderson in 2022 showed 56% of people in Jamaica wanted the monarch removed, up from 40% a decade earlier.
A PRESIDENT AS HEAD OF STATE
According to the government's bill, Charles' representative in Jamaica - the governor general - would be replaced by a president nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the opposition leader.
If the two could not agree on a candidate, the opposition leader could recommend a name, and if that were not accepted, the prime minister could choose a nominee who would then be elected with a simple parliamentary majority.
Donna Scott-Mottley, a spokesperson on justice for the PNP, said removing Charles would be the "final birth of a true nation" but the way the president would be chosen under the bill "compromised everything".
"If you (PM) wanted your right-hand man to become president, you simply do the nomination," Scott-Mottley told Reuters.
Former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson has also voiced opposition, saying the president would be a "puppet of the prime minister".
The government did not reply to a request for comment on the criticism.
'FULL DECOLONISATION'
The bill is likely to pass the lower house of parliament as the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) currently has the two-thirds majority required, but it will need at least one opposition vote when it moves to the upper house.
Even if rejected by the upper house, the bill can still be put to a national referendum, which the government hopes to hold by next year. To pass, the referendum would need two-thirds of the vote, rather than just a simple majority.
A general election due this year may delay the process.
Another point of contention is the London-based Privy Council, the final court of appeal for UK overseas territories and some Commonwealth nations. Critics say this should be replaced by the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
Accessing the Privy Council can be expensive and cumbersome as those who wish to argue their cases there need a visa to travel to Britain. Caribbean nations such as Barbados, Belize and Guyana have replaced the Privy Council with the CCJ.
The Jamaican government has said matters related to the court would feature later in the "phased reform", and that Jamaicans would be able to weigh in on the matter.
Christopher Charles, professor of political and social psychology at the University of the West Indies, said keeping the Privy Council was like wanting to get divorced while keeping "a room in the matrimonial home".
Scott-Mottley said it would be "anachronistic" to drop Charles as monarch but still use his court.
Constitutional change advocate Haile Mika'el Cujo said keeping the Privy Council could put people off from voting in the referendum: "People are not going to sign off on that."
Disagreements over the Privy Council have led the PNP to pause its participation in the committee working on the bill.
"We believe that time has come for full decolonisation... not piecemeal or partial or phased," said PNP's leader Mark Golding.
Palace's Mateta suffers serious head injury, chairman slams 'reckless challenge'
LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - Crystal Palace suffered a big blow as forward Jean-Philippe Mateta was taken to hospital with a head injury after a rash challenge by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts during their FA Cup fifth-round clash at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Premier League Palace won 3-1 to secure a quarter-final spot but their progress was marred by Mateta's injury.
Palace chairman Steve Parish described Roberts's challenge on the 27-year-old Frenchman as the most reckless he had ever seen and said Mateta's ear was badly gashed.
Mateta was chasing a long pass towards Millwall's goal in the seventh minute when Roberts came rushing out and attempted to clear the bouncing ball but was high and wild and clattered the Palace player, kicking him on the side of the head.
After a VAR check, Roberts was shown a red card while Mateta received several minutes of attention on the pitch and was given oxygen before being taken to an ambulance and on to hospital, suffering from concussion.
Mateta has been in superb form for Palace, with 15 goals from 33 appearances in all competitions this season.
After the game Palace manager Oliver Glasner offered an update on Mateta's condition.
"He's at hospital now and has a serious ear injury," he said. "I think he will definitely miss the Ipswich game (on March 8), but I still hope that he's available for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the end of March, so four weeks' time.
"If you go for the ball like this with the intensity in the head, you just can't do it because it's so dangerous. I don't want to blame (the keeper), but it's a terrible foul.
"He's at the hospital and I heard he's conscious ..." Glasner said.
Mateta later posted on X, that he was "doing well" and hoped to be "back very soon and stronger than ever."
At halftime, Parish told the BBC: "He's at the hospital, so we hope for the best. I mean there's a lot of emotion in football but we need to talk about that challenge. In all the time I've watched football, I've never seen a challenge like it.
"It is the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I've ever seen.
"(Roberts) needs to have a long, hard look at himself because he's endangering a fellow professional with a challenge like that. If you're kicking him in the head at full force, who knows what kind of damage could be done."
Later, Parish was in a more forgiving mood.
"You've got to assume the kid doesn't mean it. I think he's het up. There's a lot of pressure and he hasn't played for them that much. I'm sure he'll want to apologise and I heard he's very upset himself," he said.