Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Caribbean nations to seek $33 trillion in reparations over slave trade

Caribbean nations to seek $33 trillion in reparations over slave trade

A BLOC of 15 Caribbean nations is set to demand $33 trillion in reparations from European countries over the historic slave trade.

The figure was arrived at by an American consulting firm that took into account legal damages for the enslavement of 19 million people over four centuries, The Times reported.

According to the firm’s calculations, the UK owes $19.6 trillion, Spain $6.3 trillion and France $6.5 trillion to the Caribbean nations.

The bloc seeks to hold negotiations with the governments of Britain, France, Spain and Denmark, seeking formal apologies from them and funding for health and education and the cancellation of debt and direct payments to the Caribbean governments.

Caricom Reparations Commission vice chair Verene Shepherd said the figures provided a starting point for negotiations.

Caricom or Caribbean Community is a political and economic union of 15 states of the region set up to coordinate their development planning.

“We need a figure to begin with, a negotiating figure... The crime is huge. The responsibility for what happened is huge,” Shepherd said.

Caricom leaders prefer negotiations to legal routes for securing reparations from the countries the bloc is targetting.

Caricom had previously approached the former colonial powers but “we didn’t get a positive response,” Shepherd.

There has been resistance to pay reparations and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak in April this year said it was “not something that we will focus our energies on”.

Formal apologies for slavery have rarely come from European countries - save the King of the Netherlands.

The reparations commission last month said, “People of African Descent continue to endure structures of inequality, racism and underdevelopment, born out of a history of slavery, apartheid, Jim Crow, historical and contemporary colonialism, that continue to retard their advancement and deny the full enjoyment of their human rights.”

More For You

Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions
Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions

THE Sri Lanka government on Wednesday (2) formed a committee to recommend measures regarding the UK's decision to impose sanctions on three former military commanders who led the campaign that crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

Health minister Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters that foreign minister Vijitha Herath, justice minister Harshana Nanayakkara and deputy minister of defence Aruna Jayasekara would comprise the committee that would consult experts for the purpose.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gujarat-blast-ANI

The blast caused the factory’s concrete roof to collapse, scattering debris and body parts across the area, officials confirmed. (Photo: ANI)

ANI

Death toll rises to 21 in Gujarat firework factory explosion

AN EXPLOSION at an illegal firecracker factory in Gujarat's Deesa town killed 21 people and injured several others on Tuesday, officials said.

The blast caused the factory’s concrete roof to collapse, scattering debris and body parts across the area, officials confirmed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Child benefit payments set to rise for UK families

Child benefit, normally paid every four weeks directly into bank accounts, has undergone significant changes in recent months (Photo: Getty Images)

Child benefit payments set to rise for UK families

MILLIONS of British families are set to receive a financial boost as child benefit payments increase from April 7, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

From next week, parents will receive £26.05 per week for the eldest or only child, amounting to £1,354.60 annually - up from the current rate of £25.60. For each additional child, payments will rise to £17.25 weekly, totalling £897 per year - an increase from the present £16.95 rate. This represents a 1.7 per cent increase across all payment categories.

Keep ReadingShow less
Anant Ambani Walks 140 Km in Spiritual Tribute on 30th Birthday

Anant’s padyatra is a reflection of the larger cultural fabric of India

Getty

Anant Ambani embarks on a 140-kilometer spiritual journey on foot to celebrate 30th birthday

Anant Ambani, a director of Reliance Industries Limited and a prominent figure in Indian industry, has chosen a unique and spiritual way to mark his 30th birthday. As part of his celebrations, he is currently undertaking a padyatra—a traditional pilgrimage on foot—from Jamnagar to Dwarka, covering a distance of approximately 140 kilometres. The journey reflects his devotion to Lord Dwarkadhish, the presiding deity of the Dwarkadhish Temple in the city of Dwarka.

Anant began his journey from his family’s residence in Moti Khavdi, Jamnagar, and has been progressing steadily for the past five days. Walking an estimated 10-12 kilometres each night, he travels under the protection of Z+ security and local police, ensuring his safety during this significant journey. The padyatra is expected to take between seven to nine days in total, with plans to conclude at the Dwarkadhish Temple in time for his birthday on April 10.

Keep ReadingShow less
New TB action plan proposed as cases surge

Government urged experts to come forward to help draw up a new five-year TB action plan. (Photo: Getty Images)

New TB action plan proposed as cases surge

BRITAIN on Wednesday (2) urged health experts and sufferers of tuberculosis (TB) to come forward to help draw up a new five-year action plan as it deals with record rises in the disease.

In 2023, England recorded its largest annual increase (11 per cent) in cases since enhanced surveillance began in 2000.

Keep ReadingShow less