Briefly

BARBADOS

Republic move may spur rethink on queen

Barbados' declaration of a republic on Tuesday may fuel fervor in other Commonwealth countries to follow suit, but experts say removing the British queen as head of state requires overcoming political hurdles that have for decades stymied republican initiatives. Barbados inaugurated President Sandra Mason as its head of state on Tuesday to replace Queen Elizabeth in a ceremony attended by Prince Charles, marking a cordial severing of ties to the monarchy. In nearby Jamaica, which is among the 15 nations that still recognize Queen Elizabeth as sovereign, polls show that voters would support a republic. On the streets of the capital Kingston, some people said the time was ripe to follow Barbados.

LATIN AMERICA

13.8 million more going hungry, report finds

The number of people suffering from hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean rose by 13.8 million to reach 59.7 million in 2020, according to a United Nations study released on Tuesday in Santiago, Chile. The report, Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2021: Statistics and Trends, shows regional hunger is at its highest level since 2000, following a 30 percent jump from 2019 in the number of those going hungry.

UNITED STATES

Accuser says Maxwell took part in sex abuse

The first alleged victim to testify in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell said in court on Tuesday that she was 14 when the late US financier Jeffrey Epstein started sexually abusing her, and that the British socialite was sometimes present and even participated. The woman, identified by the pseudonym "Jane", explained how the 59-year-old heiress on trial worked with Epstein to befriend her before pressuring her into sex acts, which she recounted in grim detail. Jane is the first of four alleged victims expected to testify in the trial of Maxwell.

Agencies - Xinhua