Barbados declares Rihanna a national hero

Rihanna is donating $5 million to help the global coronavirus relief efforts.

In a speech before the Parliament of Barbados, Governor-General Sandra Mason calls for a Barbadian head of state and for the Caribbean island to become a republic by November next year. "The time has come to leave our colonial past behind," says Mason.

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India's government lashes out at foreign celebrities for weighing in on the ongoing farmers' protests. They don't mention Rihanna by name, but the comments come after a tweet by the singer went viral, prompting The Times of India to praise her for bringing Indian farmers "under her umbrella". We also look at reactions to the Golden Globe nominations, a historic ruling holding the French government responsible for climate change and a story about pubic hair illustrated with grated carrots!

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American-born entertainer-turned-resistance fighter and civil rights activist Josephine Baker is the latest to get the ultimate recognition from the French state: entombment in the Pantheon. That begs the questions: what does it take to be a national hero in France?

Barbados declared hit singer Rihanna a national hero at its republican celebrations in her hometown of Bridgetown. Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that the 33-year-old would be conferred with the honor of National Hero of Barbados to cheers. Rihanna was called up before the crowds to be congratulated by Mottley.

Weeks after removing Queen Elizabeth as head of state, Barbados is set for a general election. The country's ruling party currently has an overwhelming majority in parliament.

Rihanna donates $15 million to climate justice through her Clara Lionel Foundation

Pop star Rihanna showed off what appears to be a baby bump in pictures published online on Monday. The 33-year-old Barbados-born singer, whose birth name is Robyn Fenty, posed alongside her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky for a series of photos taken in New York, according to the Mail Online.

On November 30, 2021, Barbados became the world's youngest republic, cutting historic ties with the British monarchy. In the 17th century, the Caribbean island state became a British colony dedicated to sugar production. Some 90 percent of its population are descended from slaves. Since independence in 1966, Barbados had long been ambivalent about its colonial heritage. But today, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is taking the country into a new era. Our team reports.