TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, May 23, CMC – Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley is currently in the United Kingdom for a series of high-level meetings with British officials focused on constitutional reform and economic cooperation between the Virgin Islands and the UK. Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley with Speaker of the UK Parliament’s House of Commons, Sir […]
Category Archives: headline
Caribbean Airlines cutting regional routes, reducing flights to some destinations
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, May 24, CMC – Regional carrier, Caribbean Airlines has announced plans to discontinue several regional routes and reduce service on others as part of efforts to maintain a more sustainable and commercially viable network. In a statement , the airline said effective June 1, it will end service on routes connecting Dominica, […]
Antiguan businessman, philanthropist , Sir Aziz Hadeed dies
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, May 24, CMC – Sir Aziz Hadeed, one of Antigua and Barbuda’s best-known businessmen, philanthropists and public figures, has died. Sir Aziz died on Saturday after a lifetime that spanned business, politics, education, aviation, energy and charitable work across Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Caribbean. Widely regarded as one of the chief […]
Antigua: Campbell backs fresh start ahead of Sri Lanka showdown
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, May 24, CMC- Opening batter John Campbell struck an optimistic tone on the second day of the West Indies’ high-performance training camp here, declaring that a clear tactical blueprint and total team buy-in have put the side on the right path ahead of their ODI series against Sri Lanka. Opening batter John Campbell […]
Legal warning to small businesses after spate of AI Anthony Albanese memes
Businesses that have used AI-generated images of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to slam changes to capital gains tax (CGT) have been warned they could face legal action.
The government announced sweeping reforms in the budget that removed a discount on the CGT, meaning those running small businesses could pay up to 47 per cent in taxes to the government if they sell their business.
It has been met with condemnation, with owners around the country criticising the changes, jokingly calling the prime minister a 'shareholder' of the business and using AI images of him "working" for the company.
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While the stunt went viral on social media, legal experts warn that business owners could risk legal action.
"Using an AI-generated image of a politician or celebrity is not automatically illegal in Australia, because there is no broad standalone 'image right' that gives a person complete control over every commercial use of their likeness," lawyer Charlotte Hale from LegalVision said.
"The legal risk starts when a post creates the impression that the person endorsed, approved, sponsored or attended the business."
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Hale warns businesses could still be at risk, even if their intent wasn't to mislead customers.
"Images, social media posts and testimonials can all be misleading if they create a false overall impression, regardless of whether the business intended to mislead," Hale said.
"The safer side is obvious parody, political commentary or clearly labelled AI-generated content that does not imply endorsement or promote a commercial product."
She said businesses can distance themselves from legal problems if they leave a clear disclaimer that the post is parody or that the images of Albanese have been generated by AI.
WATCH: Video shows paraglider's heart-stopping fall after plane collision
However, it may not be enough, referencing how some small businesses may have breached Australian consumer law by creating fake images of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'visiting' their stores during their visit to Australia last month.
"A disclaimer helps, but it is not a cure if the overall impression is still misleading," she said.
"Even if intended as a joke, some viewers may believe the visit happened."
"The line is crossed more quickly when the image is commercial, realistic, undisclosed, or tied to a false claim."
Video shows paraglider’s heart-stopping fall after plane collision
A heart-stopping video has captured the mid-air collision of a small plane and paraglider, sending the latter tumbling toward the earth.
The video, posted to Instagram buy user @sab-thi or "Sabrina" shows her soaring through the air in clear skies over northern Austria.
A buzzing sound is heard before a small plane, which Sabrina identified as a Cessna 172, swoops into frame and tears through her paragliding canopy.
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The canopy shredded, Sabrina starts falling toward the faraway ground.
Over muffled exclamations, she manages to deploy her emergency reserve parachute and free her tangled legs from the harness to land safely – even narrowly avoiding hitting a tree.
"I actually still can't believe that I'm sitting here typing this and apart from a few nasty bruises and bruises all around nothing really happened," she wrote in a translated caption.
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The collision took place on May 23, on what apparently was Sabrina's birthday.
Both Sabrina and the plane pilot, a 28-year-old man, escaped serious injury, police said.
"The propeller of the motor plane severely damaged the paraglider, prompting the experienced paraglider to deploy her reserve parachute," police said in a statement.
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Russia blasts Ukraine with nuclear-capable hypersonic missile
Russia has used the powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile during a mass drone and missile attack on Kyiv that killed at least two people, marking the third time the weapon has been used in the four-year war.
The intense aerial assault damaged buildings across the Ukrainian capital, including near government offices, residential buildings, schools, a market and schools, Ukrainian authorities said. At least 83 people were wounded in the attack.
The Oreshnik, which is capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads, struck the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. The target was not immediately clear.
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Russia's Defence Ministry on Sunday confirmed it used the Oreshnik, as well as other missile types, to strike Ukrainian "military command and control facilities", air bases and military industrial enterprises.
It did not specify where the targets were. The ministry added the attack was retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on "civilian facilities on Russian territory," without giving detail.
In a separate social media statement hours later, it said no civilian sites were targeted in the overnight strike on Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday denounced a drone strike on a college dormitory in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, which Moscow blames on Kyiv, and ordered the Russian military to submit its proposals for retaliation. He said there were no military or law enforcement facilities near the college.
The death toll from the strike in Starobilsk had risen to 21 as search-and-rescue operations closed, the press service of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said late on Saturday. It said 42 other people had been wounded in the attack the previous night. The Kremlin-installed authorities of the Luhansk region announced two days of mourning on Sunday and Monday to honour the victims.
At a UN Security Council emergency meeting on the strike, held at the request of Russia, Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Melnyk denied his Russian counterpart's accusations of war crimes, calling them a "pure propaganda show" and asserting that the May 22 operations "exclusively targeted the Russian war machine".
Ukraine and its allies have accused Russia of routinely targeting civilians and key civilian infrastructure since the early days of the war. The Kremlin denies this.
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Russia says the Oreshnik is immune to any missile defence system
Russia first used the multiple-warhead Oreshnik on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. It was used a second time in January in the western Lviv region.
The latest combined attack included 600 strike drones and 90 air, sea and ground-launched missiles, according to Ukraine's Air Force. Ukrainian air defences destroyed and jammed 549 drones and 55 missiles. Around 19 missiles failed to reach targets, the Air Force said.
Earlier, Zelenskyy warned that Russia was planning to use the Oreshnik, citing intelligence from the US and Western partners.
Kyiv's European allies, including France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz, condemned the Russian strikes and use of the Oreshnik in online statements published on Sunday.
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"Russia hit a dead-end on the battlefield, so it terrorises Ukraine with deliberate strikes on city centres. These are abhorrent acts of terror meant to kill as many civilians as possible," Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, posted on X.
She added that top diplomats from EU states will meet within days to "discuss how to dial up the international pressure on Russia".
President Vladimir Putin earlier said the Oreshnik, which means "hazelnut tree" in Russian, streaks at 10 times the speed of sound, or Mach 10, and is capable of destroying underground bunkers "three, four or more floors down".
The weapon travels "like a meteorite" and is immune to any missile defence system, Putin said, adding that several such missiles, even fitted with conventional warheads, could be as devastating as a nuclear strike.
Air raid sirens blared through the night as smoke billowed across the city from strikes. Associated Press reporters heard powerful explosions near the city centre and close to government buildings.
Kyiv residents who have stayed until now consider relocating
Damage was recorded in 50 locations across several districts of the capital, including residential buildings, shopping centres and schools, Ukraine's emergency service said in a Telegram post. Police department buildings were also damaged, it said.
Fires continued to rage into the morning, complicating rescue efforts as buildings collapsed from the blasts.
"It was a terrible night, and there had never been anything like it in the entire war," said Kyiv resident Svitlana Onofryichuk, 55, who had worked in the market that was damaged for 22 years.
"I am very sorry that I have to say goodbye to Kyiv now, I am not staying there anymore, there is no possibility," she added.
"My job is gone, everything is gone, everything has burned down."
Yevhen Zosin, 74, a Kyiv resident who witnessed the attack, said the moment he heard the explosion he rushed to grab his dog.
"Then there was another explosion and she and I were thrown back like a pin by the shock wave. We both survived, she and I. My apartment was blown to pieces," he said.
Attack highlights Ukraine's air defence missile shortage
Zelenskyy said not all the ballistic missiles were intercepted and that most of the strikes hit Kyiv, which was the primary target of the attack.
The attack and the apparent interception failures underscored Ukraine's chronic shortage of air defence missile systems capable of downing ballistics. Kyiv relies heavily on US Patriot air defence systems to intercept such weapons, but interceptor missiles remain in critically short supply and are among Ukraine's most urgent requests to its Western partners.
Developing a domestically produced alternative has become a top priority for Ukraine's Defence Ministry, though doing so will require significant time and funding.
By saturating Kyiv with large numbers of ballistic missiles on Sunday, Russia may also be seeking to deplete Ukraine's limited stocks ahead of what could be an even more intense wave of attacks this summer.
In Kyiv's Shevchenko district, a five-storey residential building was hit, which caused a fire, and one person was killed, Ukraine's state emergency service reported.
A school building was damaged by an attack while people sheltered inside, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Local authorities reported supermarkets and warehouses across the city also were damaged.
Multiple communities recorded damage throughout the Kyiv region, according to Mykola Kalashnyk, the regional governor.
Elsewhere, a Ukrainian drone killed a civilian in the Russian town of Grayvoron, in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, local authorities reported on Sunday morning.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces shot down or jammed 33 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday, including over the Moscow region, western and southwestern Russia, and Russian-occupied Crimea.
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More than a dozen killed as bomb explodes near train
A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a train carrying passengers passed through the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70 others, officials say.
The force of the explosion on Sunday caused two of the train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to footage shared online.
The attack happened in an area where security forces are usually stationed, badly damaging several nearby buildings and smashing more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road, according to witnesses and images circulating on social media.
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Doctors at local hospitals said they had received the wounded, with 20 in a critical condition.
Three security officials told The Associated Press at least 16 bodies were transported to hospitals following the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to speak to the media.
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, which demands independence from Pakistan's central government, has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to reporters. The militant group said it targeted a train carrying security personnel.
Quetta is the capital of insurgency-hit Balochistan province. The oil- and mineral-rich region has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency.
The insurgents have frequently targeted security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country.
"We strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no leniency," said Shahid Rind, Balochistan provincial government spokesman.
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He said following the explosion, a medical emergency was declared at hospitals in Quetta, and an investigation has been launched.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling it a "cowardly act of terrorism" in a post on X and offering condolences to the families of the victims.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the attack in Quetta, saying the militants targeted "innocent civilians, including women and children", vowing in a post on X to "hunt (them down)".
Bugti and the federal government in Islamabad often use the phrase "Fitna al-Hindustan" to refer to the BLA, which they allege is backed by India. New Delhi denies the allegation.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari denounced the bombing, saying militants and their backers sought to undermine Pakistan's role in regional and international peace efforts.
The attack came a day after Pakistan said the United States and Iran were close to reaching a memorandum of understanding to end the war in the Middle East that began on February 28 after the US and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic, upending global travel and spiking oil prices.
US President Donald Trump had said a deal related to the conflict had been "largely negotiated" following calls with regional allies, including Pakistan.
Zardari promised in a statement that his country "will defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and those providing them safe havens".
Pakistan and India have long had strained relations and have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which is claimed by both in its entirety.
Although Pakistani authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence in Baluchistan has persisted.
At least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in 2024 when a suicide bomber attacked a train station in Balochistan.
If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).
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Man charged after allegedly stabbing diners in attempted armed robbery
A man has been charged after allegedly stabbing a man in the neck and injuring another as they dined at a Chinese restaurant on the NSW Central Coast.
The pair attempted to stop a man who was allegedly trying to rob the Long Jetty Chinese Restaurant in Long Jetty last night.
The 30 year-old man wore a balaclava and held a knife as he allegedly threatened a 13-year-old girl working behind the counter about 6.30pm yesterday.
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Two diners who eat at the restaurant every Saturday night, both aged 55, fought back and stopped the attempted robbery in its tracks.
They received help from chef Lian Hwong-Pa, who hit the man over the head and helped hold him down until police arrived.
"The man is so powerful, so strong, so I grabbed the empty bottle there, so I hit his head," he said.
He recalled seeing the girl being very scared when she was approached by the man.
"The young girl, so scary!" he said.
"Saw the knife, the guy said, 'give me your money!'"
One of the diners was stabbed in the neck and the other one suffered lacerations to his hand.
UPDATE: Man allegedly wearing tactical gear, carrying rifle shot dead by police
The man with stab wounds to the neck was airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney in a stable condition, while the other man was taken to Gosford Hospital for treatment.
Superintendent Chad Gillies was scathing when discussing the man who allegedly targeted the restaurant.
"It's absolutely cowardly," he said.
"When you're [allegedly] threatening a 13-year-old shop attendant, it's completely unacceptable."
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The 30-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to Wyong police Station, where he was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with intent to rob, as well as wounding and grievous bodily harm charges.
He faced court today, where bail was refused.
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Police shoot dead man they said was wearing tactical gear, carrying rifle
A man shot dead by police on Brisbane's outskirts during a domestic violence incident was wearing camouflage tactical gear and carrying a long-arm rifle, according to the police union.
The 48-year-old man allegedly confronted police who arrived at a house on Cavill Place in Narangba about 12.30am after reports of a domestic disturbance.
It was reported the man had been making threats, and Queensland Police Union's general president Shane Prior said the situation escalated rapidly.
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"When police arrived, they saw a man known to police come to the front door … dressed in camouflage, armed with what appeared to be a rifle," he told media.
"That man directly threatened police with that rifle. They chose to use lethal force, both using their service-issued firearm, each firing a number of rounds."
Prior added the man was wearing a tactical vest and had "some sort of army background".
Neighbours said they heard shouting and police urging the man to drop his weapon multiple times, before hearing gunshots.
"They asked him about five times to drop the gun," one neighbour said.
"We heard four gunshots and a pause, and then another gunshot," another said.
Officers provided first aid and CPR, and paramedics arrived soon after, but the man died at the scene.
There was a woman, an 18-year-old and a teenager in the home at the time, all of whom were related to the man.
They were taken to hospital for emotional distress.
Prior said initial investigations suggested there may have been mental health issues at play.
"Tragically, suicide by cop is a very real thing that needs to be investigated here," he said.
Prior added the union was fully supporting the police officers involved, both of whom were impacted by the shooting.
"Both officers are very shaken up by today's incidents, one more than the other," he said.
"This is a very traumatic event."
Acting Superintendent Kerry Johnson confirmed there were other people in the house at the time of the shooting, and that the man who died was subject to some form of order, though he refused to confirm if it was a specific domestic violence order.
"When police arrived, he was originally inside. [They] were making their inquiries at the front door, this other interaction with a family member, and that's when he's confronted police," Johnson said.
"It's happened very quickly, and unfortunately these are the things that happen in policing, it can escalate and de-escalate."
Nobody else was injured and police say there is no ongoing risk to the community.
As the shooting is classed as a death in custody, it is now a coronial matter. Ethical standards command is also investigating the shooting.
Johnson said he could not make a full judgment on the validity of the police officers' actions this early in the investigation, but he believes at this early stage, there is no cause for concern.
"It's up to the officers at the time to determine what they're going to do… unfortunately, the 48-year-old with his confrontation and behaviour, unfortunately [forced] them to escalate and the action was taken," he said.
"It's alarming to do what we have done, but there's nothing at this stage to cause concern about the police actions."
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