WASHINGTON, Jun. 14, 2010 - Ten years ago, the U.S. State Department issued its first annual review of governments’ efforts to combat human trafficking. Monday, for the first time, the report included the U.S. on its list of suspect nations. Comment.

National: WASHINGTON, Jun. 17, 2010 - While U.S. President Barack Obama has largely retained huge popularity among most of the world’s publics, disillusionment with his leadership appears to have set in throughout much of the Islamic world, according to the latest annual survey of global public opinion by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre released here Thursday. Comment.

New York: I am happy to say after difficult negotiations we have made sure that our students who depend on the MTA’s Student MetroCard program will not be short changed. Comment.

Viewpoints: We have oftentimes said here that politically, President George H.W. Bush’s nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court in 1991 was a master stroke. Thurgood Marshall’s seat was to be filled, and eliminating from the court its solitary Black face wouldn’t be too politically correct, would it? So along comes Thomas, appeasing the more easily impressionable among us, hoodwinked into believing that a “brother” continues to sit in this high place. Brilliant! Comment.

Sports: BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Sunday was the South Africans’ turn to suffer from sunburn and toil in the field. The West Indies had their best day in international cricket for some months when they lost just three wickets and scored 338 runs on the third day of the Second Digicel Test after starting on 86 for 1. Comment.

Sports: “Running is a good way of teaching children teamwork as well as being an individual. It is an individual effort that keeps you in the limelight but it’s also the camaraderie that you have with your team that gives you the impetus to run. Running is a way to develop their leadership skills and provides all around development for the kids.” Comment.

Sports: Arielle Griffin is only a sophomore at Cardozo High School and has shown a great deal of potential to someday make it ‘big’ among the top tennis players in the nation, if she isn’t already for her age. Comment.

Caribbean: Migration placed Rosetta Jamieson-Thomas’ dream of getting published on hold. More than 20 years passed before her daughter re-read her 500-page manuscript and encouraged her to publish the story. Now, with five published books between them, the mother-daughter pair is sharing their experience to empower other Caribbean writers to pursue their dream of becoming published authors in the American marketplace. Comment.

I have received numerous calls and mailings to get a loan modification. How can I tell which are real? Comment.

It becomes evident that the selectors of the West Indies team are going about their duties to just have a team in place and not necessary the best team. Comment.

Music & Fashion: All roads will lead to the capital city on Saturday July 10, where Guyana’s Ambassador to Washington DC, Bayney Karran, and Karib Nation – One People, One Color - will welcome an estimated massive crowd of Guyanese and Caribbean nationals alike, to celebrate the first ever “Guyana Cultural Festival.” Comment.

New York: Queens Hospital Center (QHC) recently welcomed the birth of triplets at its facility. Comment.

Music & Fashion: With a 4-octave range, the multi-talented Arlee Leonard sings jazz and blues with heart and soul. Comment.

Caribbean: CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Monday June 21 – Eastern Caribbean leaders have signed the treaty that establishes their countries as a single economic and financial space. Comment.

New York: Describing himself as “a once-global nomad” who made Queens his permanent home because he has “no trouble finding the world in it,” Paolo S. Javier has been named the fifth Poet Laureate of Queens. Comment.

Caribbean: NUEVA GERONA, Cuba, Jun. 16, 2010 -- The residents of Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth), the second largest of the Cuban archipelago, know a lot about hurricanes, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the destructive power of Hurricane Gustav two years ago. Comment.

New York: Collecting data on a cold New York City rooftop is a far cry from enjoying the warm beaches on the island of Jamaica. But Frederic Jones would not have it any other way. The Jamaica native’s curiosity about the atmosphere took hold on that island. Comment.

Health: A Barbadian-born breast cancer survivor in Brooklyn is urging all women to ensure that they get annual mammograms to check for early signs of the disease. Comment.

Caribbean: The World Bank has endorsed the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States’ (OECS) Regional Partnership Strategy for the next four years with financial assistance to the tune of US$193 million. Comment.

Health: Warm weather has many people looking to lighter fare full of seasonal flavor. Salads and fruit plates have their place, but, with the right ingredients, it’s possible to indulge in a satisfying sandwich that is big on taste but not on calories. Comment.

Caribbean: Canada has invited Jamaica and Haiti for talks on development and security on the periphery of this month’s G8 meeting in Huntsville, north of Toronto. Comment.

With more than 2,000 published album cover ‘sleeves’ to date, self taught Nigerian illustrator, fine arts, and graphic artist, Ghariokwu Lemi, 54, has created for some of the world’s most renowned musicians, including the late, Honorable Bob Marley. Comment.

Caribbean: Sailing ship line Star Clippers says it plans to return to Antigua and Barbuda in November, claiming that it has received assurance of improved security for passengers. Comment.