At least 94 people have died in flooding in Brazil, after heavy rains caused mudslides that buried homes and washed away cars. In the hill above Rio de Janeiro, the residents of the historic town of Petropolis struggled in the aftermath of the flood: more than 300 people have had to leave their homes, and authorities expect the death toll to rise.
Hong Kong battles a surge of Covid cases, the government has said it plans to make up to 10,000 hotel rooms available for patients, and will also make testing compulsory from March for the 7.5 million people who live in the city. Daily infections have surged by more than 40 times since the start of February.
Activists participate in a demonstration against abortion rights on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., January 22, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger/File Photo
U.S.
As a growing number of U.S. states have begun to ease Covid restrictions as cases decline, U.S. health officials say they are preparing for the next phase of the pandemic, including shoring up testing capacity and updating mask-wearing guidance. Still, officials cautioned that while mask-wearing guidance may change, people will still have to wear masks in certain situations, such as when experiencing Covid symptoms.
In Florida, the House of Representatives passed a bill to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, significantly reducing access to late-term abortions for women across the U.S. Southeast, many of whom travel to end pregnancies in Florida because of stricter abortion laws in surrounding states.
President Joe Biden is expected to ask Congress for a U.S. defense budget exceeding $770 billion for the next fiscal year as the Pentagon seeks to modernize the military, including ship building and developing capabilities in space. Biden’s request eclipses the record budget requests by former President Donald Trump.
Airbus, the world’s largest jetmaker, has ended a two-year dividend drought after swinging to a record net profit of $4.8 billion, boosted by the halting of production of its A380 superjumbo and a reversal of some COVID-19 charges.
The PAHO does not recommend self-testing.” That’s the word from Dr Ciro Ugarte, Director of Health Emergencies at the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), as Antigua and Barbuda takes further steps to emphasise the importance of personal responsibility in managing Covid-19.
While admitting that it could be very beneficial to increase the availability of testing in the country, Dr Ugarte said self-testing could end up having a negative impact, by disrupting the monitoring and reporting system.
“It is encouraged to decentralise testing and use new testing strategies based on national conditions. On the other hand, depending on the surveillance strategies implemented, reporting every [Covid] case is required to closely follow the dynamic of the epidemic,” he said.
“That may not be easy if a self-testing strategy is implemented, particularly because it is associated with a condition that the persons who tested positive are stigmatised [and therefore, may choose not to report their results].”
The A&B government announced at the start of this month that it was relaxing the rules on the importation of Covid-19 testing kits, to allow residents to purchase their own rapid self-testing kits for personal use.
Previously, the rules only permitted medical professionals and institutions to import rapid antigen testing kits.
The rationale behind the rule change, according to the government, was to alleviate the financial burden on residents who may wish to be tested multiple times, fearing infection.
Countries including Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago have already approved the general use of Covid-19 self-testing kits, whether permanently or temporarily, and some have even gone as far as procuring the testing kits for use in the hospitality sector and other industries that have been hit hard by the virus.
Dr Ugarte admitted that while PAHO does not recommend the use of the self-testing kits, they could prove useful to some countries, based on their specific situations.
He also reminded that laboratory testing remains a key tool in managing the impact of the ongoing pandemic.
“This is a dynamic situation and the strategies might be adapted, depending on the behaviour of the virus and the epidemiological conditions [in some countries].
“In any case, self-care and individual responsibility continue to be the main public health measures…[but] at the same time, good laboratory practices that produce accurate Covid-19 results are key to ensure that laboratory testing benefits the public health response,” he added.
With the announcement, the government also declared that no duties or taxes are to be imposed on the self-testing kits, making testing even more affordable for residents.
OTTAWA, Feb 16 (Reuters) – Police in the Canadian capital Ottawa on Wednesday warned truck drivers blockading the downtown core to depart or face arrest in crackdown seeking to end a three-week-old protest over COVID restrictions.
Interim Police Chief Steve Bell vowed “to take back the entirety of the downtown core and every occupied space” in “coming days.”
Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino accused extremist groups of helping organize protests in Ottawa and at U.S. border crossings and repeated suggestions that some actors wanted to overthrow the Liberal government.
Police handed leaflets to truckers that said, “You must leave the area now. Anyone blocking streets … may be arrested.” Police also ticketed some of the hundreds of vehicles blocking Ottawa’s downtown core.
At least one large rig left while some demonstrators put the leaflets into a toilet placed in front of a truck. Some truckers blew their horns in violation of a court order forbidding such behavior.
Wendell Thorndyke, who has parked in front of parliament for 21 days, insisted he had no intention of leaving. “We think it’s cute. They turned all the cops into meter maids,” he said as he filled his engine with oil.
In a video posted by CTV reporter Mackenzie Gray on Twitter, Tamara Lich, a prominent fundraiser for and organizer of the Ottawa protest, demanded an end to all state-of-emergency declarations, vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday invoked the little-used Emergencies Act, giving the Liberal government more powers to end the protest. read more
Sources told Reuters that frustration with the failure of police to lift blockades at the border and in the capital ultimately drove Trudeau to seek emergency powers. read more
Mendicino said there were links between protesters in the capital and members of a far-right organization who were charged in an Alberta border blockade earlier in the week.
Police officers patrol downtown streets as truckers and supporters continue to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 16, 2022. REUTERS/Blair Gable
Police arrested 13 people in the blockade at the town of Coutts, Alberta and seized weapons. Four members of the group have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
“What we’re beginning to see emerge now are the hallmarks of a sophisticated and capable organization of a small number of individuals …. driven by an extreme ideology that would seek … to overthrow the existing government,” he said.
Mendicino spokesperson Alex Cohen said the minister was referring to the group Diagolon, which the Canadian Anti-Hate Network describes as a far-right network espousing conspiracy theories. A body armor vest seized by police in Coutts had a patch with Diagolon’s emblem, a black background with a white diagonal stripe.
“I hope he (Mendicino) was not referring to me or any of my friends because that would be extremely dangerous language,” Jeremy MacKenzie, the group’s de facto leader, told Reuters.
“I think they are looking for a bogie-man to detract from the (protest) movement and what the convoy people are trying to achieve.”
Police in Windsor, Ontario said they intercepted a small convoy of trucks on Tuesday that they suspected wanted to reinstate a blockade on the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit, which is crucial to trade with the United States.
Protesters blocked the bridge for six days before being removed on Sunday. The incident prompted U.S. President Joe Biden to express his concerns to Trudeau.
Canadian border guards on Wednesday turned back My Pillow founder Mike Lindell and a truck carrying 10,000 pillows for the protesters because he was unvaccinated and had not taken a pre-arrival COVID-19 test, a government source said.
In a telephone interview, Lindell, a vocal supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, denied he had been at the border. But he said his truck had obtained a permit and would try crossing again on Thursday.
“Tomorrow morning, we’re coming across the border,” said Lindell. “And we’ll be in Ottawa, we hope, by the afternoon delivering the pillows.”
Reporting by David Ljunggren and Julie Gordon; Additional reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa, Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru and Nia Williams in Calgary; Editing by Grant McCool, Lisa Shumaker, Diane Craft and Cynthia Osterman
GUATEMALA CITY, Feb 16 (Reuters) – The Guatemalan Prosecutor’s Office confirmed on Wednesday the arrest of two assistant prosecutors from the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI), the latest in a string of detentions of anti-corruption officials.
The early morning arrests occurred in the midst of a brewing political scandal that has shaken the Central American nation and drawn criticism from the United States.
Earlier this week, the Salvadoran investigative media outlet El Faro reported that President Alejandro Giammattei had received illicit money for his 2019 presidential campaign, sparking widespread outrage.
Giammattei’s press secretary has denied the allegations.
Luis Pantaleon, spokesman for the Public Ministry, told Reuters the two assistant prosecutors were facing charges of abuse of authority for allegedly coercing a person into giving testimony.
“By means of threats, violence or an intimidating process, they tried to force the complainant to sign an effective collaboration agreement,” the Public Ministry said in a statement.
Both assistant prosecutors were involved in uncovering a corruption plot between lawyers, politicians and businessmen to elect judges. Guatemalan authorities say arrest warrants are pending against two other assistant prosecutors involved in that case.
It was the second time within a week that people working on high-level anti-corruption cases have been arrested.
“The United States is deeply concerned by the Guatemalan Public Ministry’s unacceptable mistreatment and persistent abuse of current and former independent prosecutors,” said Ned Price, U.S. State Department spokesman, in a statement.
Last Thursday, authorities arrested Leyly Santizo, a lawyer who worked with the now-defunct International Commission against Impunity (CICIG), the U.N.-backed entity that was expelled from Guatemala in 2018, after probes by the commission led to the imprisonment of former presidents, and high-level businessmen involved in corruption.
Days later, authorities also detained Eva Sosa, a former FECI prosecutor.
Human rights organizations and the international community condemned the arrests of anti-corruption officials.
The Public Ministry carried out searches and arrests based on sealed indictments and selectively leaked case information under the leadership of Attorney General Consuelo Porras, said Price.
The U.S. spokesman added that Guatemalan authorities involved had the apparent intention of punishing citizens who are combating impunity and promoting transparency.
On Tuesday night, the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry published a statement to “demand” that diplomatic agents accredited in the country “refrain from intervening in internal affairs.”
Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City Writing by Laura Gottesdiener Editing by Matthew Lewis and Leslie Adler
CARACAS, Feb 16 (Reuters) – Venezuela is a key ally for Russia in Latin America, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said while visiting the South American country on Wednesday, adding that the two countries will look to deepen bilateral ties.
Borisov’s visit to Venezuela’s capital Caracas follows visits by senior Latin American leaders – including Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro – to Moscow, where they met Russian President Vladimir Putin, leading analysts to suggest Russia is courting the region amid tensions in Ukraine.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said he met Borisov and two discussed the powerful” military cooperation between the two countries.
“We are going to increase all training and cooperation plans,” Maduro said in a broadcast on state television, adding that Venezuela supported Moscow in dispelling threats from NATO.
Following a meeting with Venezuelan Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami earlier on Wednesday, the senior Russian leader described Venezuela as a major partner in the region.
“Venezuela is a strategic partner for Russia in Latin America. We highly value the character of allies in our coordination in the international arena and the dialogue of trust at the political level,” Borisov said.
Borisov will travel to Nicaragua and Cuba after leaving Caracas, according to Venezuela’s state television.
Russian military support of Venezuela has sparked concern in neighbor and key U.S. ally Colombia.
Earlier this month, Colombia’s Defense Minister Diego Molano warned that Russia and Iran were providing Venezuela – which Colombia accuses of harboring FARC dissidents and National Liberation Army guerrillas – with military assistance.
Following a meeting with Russia’s ambassador to Colombia, Nikolay Tavdumadze, last week, Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez said Russia had promised such assistance would never be used to attack Colombia.
Reporting by Vivian Sequera Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
Almost 100 people have died in landslides and flash flooding in the Brazilian city of Petrópolis, officials say.
The city, which is located in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro, was hit by torrential rainfall.
Houses in hillside neighbourhoods were destroyed and cars swept away as floodwaters raced through the city’s streets.
Search and rescue teams are combing the mud for survivors.
Brazil’s National Civil Defence said on Twitter 24 people had been rescued alive so far, with 94 confirmed deaths. Videos shared on social media showed extensive damage and vehicles floating in the streets.
“The situation is almost like war… Cars hanging from poles, cars overturned, lots of mud and water still,” Rio de Janeiro Governor Claudio Castro told journalists.
With 35 people reported missing, he said that the search and rescue efforts would continue non-stop.
Petrópolis is a popular tourist destination in the hills above Rio de Janeiro which used to be the summer getaway for Brazil’s monarchs in the 19th Century.
But after a month’s worth of rain fell on the city in just three hours, much of its regal charm lay in ruins, with homes and shops destroyed by the flooding.
In one of the worst-hit neighbourhoods, up to 80 houses were hit by landslides.
“The water came very fast and with great force. My loss was 100%. Our life was already tough with the pandemic… and this tragedy still comes,” shopkeeper Henrique Pereira told Reuters news agency.
Around 300 people are being housed in schools and shelters, and charities are calling for donations of mattresses, food, clothing and face masks.
“I found a girl who was buried alive,” Wendel Pio Lourenco, a 24-year-old resident, told the AFP news agency while heading to a local church in search of shelter.
“Everyone is saying it looks like a war zone.”
The city’s mayor has declared a state of emergency and President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on an official trip to Russia, has said he will organise immediate help for the victims.
It is the latest in a series of heavy rains to hit Brazil in the past three months, which scientists say are being made worse by climate change.
Petrópolis and the surrounding region were previously hit by severe storms in January 2011, when more than 900 people died in flooding and landslides.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Cars and entire homes were swept away by the floodwaters
Hong Kong to make up to 10,000 hotel rooms available for Covid cases
Guardian
The Hong Kong government plans to make up to 10,000 hotel rooms available for Covid patients as the city battles a surge in cases and local media reported the government will make testing compulsory from March.The chief executive, Carrie Lam, renewed an appeal for support from the global financial hub’s 7.5 million people, many of whom are fatigued by some of the world’s most stringent restrictions even as most other major cities adjust to living with the virus.
Daily infections have surged by more than 40 times since the start of February and authorities have shut schools, gyms cinemas and most public venues. Many office employees have reverted to working from home.
Lam’s comments, in a statement released late on Wednesday, came after the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, told Hong Kong’s leaders their “overriding mission” was to stabilise and control coronavirus in the global financial hub.
Medical staff work among patients lying in beds at a makeshift treatment area outside a hospital in Hong Kong. Photograph: Lam Yik/Reuters
“With the utmost concern and staunch support of President Xi Jinping … all in society must now join hands in riding out the fifth wave of the epidemic, displaying the Hong Kong spirit in full,” she said.
“I am optimistic that, through the joint efforts by the government and hotel sector, at least 10,000 hotel rooms could be made available.”
In a move to free up beds for isolation, Lam said she had spoken with local hotel owners and the security chief, Chris Tang, would oversee the operation of participating hotels.
Hong Kong was expected to report around 5,000 new cases on Thursday, Now TV reported, up from the previous day’s record high of 4,285 confirmed infections and an additional 7,000 preliminary positive cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to update a range of guidance in the coming weeks, including on masks, to focus on hospitalizations rather than just infection numbers alone, agency director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday.
“We recognize the importance of not just cases … but critically, medically severe disease that leads to hospitalizations. We must consider hospital capacity as an additional important barometer,” Walensky said during a White House briefing.
Key message: The focus on hospitalizations is a signal the administration is shifting its messaging about the spread of the virus, and looking to give the public some positive news. The move would make it easier to justify lifting COVID-19 mitigation measures like mask and vaccine mandates.
“We want to give people a break from things like mask-wearing when these metrics are better, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen,” Walensky said.
According to the current CDC metric, which is based on case counts, 97 percent of counties in the country are experiencing high transmission.
But mayors and governors across the country, especially in blue states like California and New York, have begun rolling back mask and vaccine requirements for businesses and schools.
Walensky didn’t commit to a timeline during the briefing, but the moves by states are putting pressure on the Biden administration.
The desire to move on from the current emergency was best illustrated by White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients: “We’re moving toward a time when covid isn’t a crisis but is something we can protect against and treat,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered the travel advisory for cruise ships, indicating the agency thinks conditions have slightly improved from late last year.
The agency on Tuesday lowered its official travel health advisory from “very high” to “high,” recommending that people should be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines. That means having both a primary shot and a booster, if eligible.
The agency since Dec. 30 had recommended people avoid cruises completely.
If you are not up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines, avoid cruise ship travel, CDC said. Even if you are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, if you are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, the agency still recommends not cruising.
CDC does not require cruise passengers to wear masks, and some cruise lines, like Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, have begun rolling back their own mask rules.
BIONTECH PLANNING MODULAR FACTORIES TO BOOST VACCINE PRODUCTION IN AFRICA
BioNTech announced on Wednesday that it plans to create manufacturing facilities in Africa in order to bolster the company’s ability to provide more essential medicines, including the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Today’s milestone brings us one step closer to our goal of improving healthcare by making our innovations accessible worldwide,” BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said in the company’s statement on Wednesday.
Pending approval from local regulators, BioNTech will aim to begin producing up to 50 million doses of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine that it made with Pfizer within the year in Africa.
The first shipment of materials necessary to make the company’s vaccine will be sent to either Senegal or Rwanda. The company produced 1.2 billion doses in Marburg, Germany, last year, according to The Associated Press.
But the company has garnered criticism, especially from advocates of vaccine equity in poorer countries, for refusing to suspend vaccine patents and allow more competitors to manufacture the vaccine, the AP reported.
The company has cited the difficulty of making mRNA vaccines, saying that local partnerships are BioNTech’s preferred way to maintain the consistency and quality of their vaccines globally, according to the wire service.
Five- to 11-year-old children in England to be offered Covid vaccine
Pfizer/BioNTech jab to be offered to younger children as experts decide benefits outweigh risk
The vaccine doses will be primarily be given through school vaccination services. Photograph: Richard Newton/Alamy
All children aged five to 11 in England will be offered a Covid vaccine, ministers have said in a long-awaited announcement, while emphasising that parents would be expected to make their own decision.
The rollout, described by the health secretary, Sajid Javid, as “non-urgent”, is set to begin in April in pharmacies, GP surgeries and vaccination centres, using Pfizer/BioNTech doses.
The announcement followed a recommendation by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that the vaccine programme should be extended to younger children, after months of deliberation over the benefits and risks.
The move for England was brought forward by several days after similar announcements from Wales and Scotland. Stormont’s health minister, Robin Swann, confirmed Northern Ireland will mirror the policy.
Emphasising that the decision would be left to parents, Javid said: “The NHS will prepare to extend this non-urgent offer to all children during April so parents can, if they want, take up the offer to increase protection against potential future waves of Covid-19 as we learn to live with this virus.”
A government source said vaccination for this age group “would not be pushed in the same way” as the offer for adults and older children, with parents told it is available if wanted but no campaign or attempts at persuasion.
The main purpose of offering the vaccine to younger children, the JCVI said, was to protect against rare cases of severe illness in advance of a potential future coronavirus wave. However, the experts emphasised that the move should not be prioritised over other childhood vaccination programmes such as MMR and HPV, which have fallen behind during the pandemic.
In England, children are expected to be offered the jab through pharmacies, GPs and vaccine centres rather than through schools, and it is not clear whether parents will be contacted directly or need to come forward to request a jab.
The announcement for England was expected to be made next week alongside the government’s “living with Covid” strategy, but it appeared to be brought forward after Wales announced on Tuesday that it was pressing ahead with its own offer to five- to 11-year-olds following the JCVI advice.
The Welsh health minister, Eluned Morgan, accused the UK government of delaying the publication of the JCVI advice in order to have a “significant announcement” to include in the long-term plan for living with Covid.
“That’s not a good enough reason for us to postpone,” she said. “We didn’t want to dance to the timetable being set by what worked for the UK government. Our job is public protection, it’s not to march in step with whatever the UK government decides is their political priorities.”
As with the vulnerable cohort, the wider group of all five- to 11-year-olds will be offered 10-microgram doses of the Covid jabs – a third of the amount used for adults.
The pace of the rollout among children has been slow. In the last week of January, more than one in eight primary schoolchildren in England were infected with Covid – the highest prevalence for any age group at any stage of the pandemic.
The decision to extend Covid jabs to younger children has involved lengthy discussions.
While some scientists have argued they are necessary – citing concerns over high infection rates in schools, rising Covid-related hospitalisations in children and long Covid – others have stressed that the risk-benefit equation becomes finely balanced in younger age groups because Covid is generally a mild disease in childhood, long Covid is rarer, milder and less long-lasting than in adults, and Covid jabs are unable to prevent all transmission in any case.
The JCVI said it had also considered the impact of school absences, but that ultimately this did not tip the balance in favour of vaccinating because mild side-effects from the vaccine could also lead to some absences.
The main motivation was “future-proofing” younger age groups against possible future waves of infection, including the potential for a wave that might cause more severe illness.
Prof Azeem Majeed, the head of primary care and public health at Imperial College London, said: “The benefits of vaccination are much greater for older people than young children because of the higher risks from Covid-19 in the elderly. Nonetheless, the evidence does suggest a benefit in children also and it’s good to see the UK finally approve vaccines in five- to 11-year-olds, even if it has lagged behind many other countries in making this decision.”
Prof Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the latest evidence showed that vaccination in younger age groups is safe, but that the benefits were unlikely to be great. “The risk of severe disease and long Covid in this age group was always much lower than older age groups, and given the high rate of prior infections, these risks are probably even lower now,” he said.
Barbados has recently ended the 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew as public health officials green light the easing of more Covid curbs.
There will now be no restriction of beach activity and parks, and Barbadians and visitors will again be allowed to enjoy these facilities.
Hiking will also be allowed in groups of 30 ipeople.
Pleasure craft and private boats, chartered for private cruises will move from 50 to 100 per cent of their authorised number of passengers. Proof of vaccination or testing will be required before boarding.
The six-feet rule for distancing will no longer apply, except where persons exercise together outdoors, without wearing a mask.
In all other cases, the physical distance of at least three feet will apply.
In addition to relaxed restrictions, visitors to the island can also attend several sporting and entertainment activities as Barbados reopens.
Some of the major upcoming events already announced for 2022 include the England vs. West Indies cricket tour in March; the World Surfing League QS3000 in April; the Annual Barbados Jazz Excursion and Golf Weekend in October; and a motorsports calendar of activities taking place at Bushy Park.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Sen. Lisa Cummins said “We are looking ahead with great optimism as we welcome the return of so many well-loved activities to our shores.”
“Our tourism, entertainment, culture and sports sectors, among others, continue to drive demand for destination Barbados.”
CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS — Deputy Governor General for Nevis, Her Honour Hyleeta Liburd, MH, OBE, and Mr Elmo Liburd, on Tuesday February 15 led scores of family members and friends in celebrating the life of Mrs Beatrice Adina Williams who passed away on January 21, 2022, a few days shy of her 85th birthday.
The Late Mrs Williams was the mother of, among others, Nevis-based Woman Sergeant Marva Chiverton of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, and Ms Julet Chiverton who is the Administration, Member Services and Human Resource Manager at the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited (NCCU).
The service to celebrate her life, which was held at the United Pentecostal Church in Marion Heights, Nevis, was also attended by Premier of Nevis the Hon Mark Brantley, former Premier of Nevis, Ambassador Vance Amory, Commissioner of Police Mr Hilroy Brandy, Magistrate Her Honour Jasmine Clarke, and General Manager of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited, Mr Sydney Newton.
Also present at the service were Assistant Commissioner of Police Mr Andre Mitchell, Forces Chaplain Rev Ericson Cumberbatch, and Chairperson of Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited’s Credit Committee, Ms Catherine Forbes.=
Officiating at the service were Pastor Cecil Bartlette, Rev Bernard Browne, Rev Mrs Marcia Tomlinson, and Rev Basil Dobson.
In welcoming those present at the service, Rev Mrs Marcia Tomlinson said: “Welcome to all well-wishers, and welcome particularly to the family and pray that in the weeks and the months to come that indeed you will find strength, comfort and the solace in the Almighty God and my call to you is to take one day at a time, and He will see you through.”
Tributes were paid in song by among others, the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited staff led by General Manager, Mr Sydney Newton, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force led by Commissioner of Police Mr Hilroy Brandy, the Charlestown, and Brown Hill Wesleyan Holiness Churches, and the family.
“On behalf of the Credit Union Family in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to our colleague Julet, as well as Marva,” said General Manager of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited, Mr Sydney Newton.
Other Credit Union movements mentioned by Mr Newton were the St. Kitts and Nevis National Co-operative League Limited and its affiliate members, the St. Kitts Co-operative Credit Union, and the Police Credit Union based in St. Kitts, and the First Federal Co-operative Credit Union Limited that has offices in Nevis and in St. Kitts.
The Late Mrs Beatrice Adina Williams is survived by her husband Mr Hubert ‘Brownie’ Williams. Her other children are Mr Junior Chiverton in Virgin Gorda, and Ms Eudora Chiverton, Ms Evett Chiverton, and Ms Denise Chiverton, all in the USA.
Funeral arrangements were by Oualie Funeral Home and Crematory, and interment was at the Bath Cemetery.
NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 16, 2022) — Following an announcement by the Nevis Tourism Authority (NTA) of its four tourism influencers for 2022, Mr. Devon Liburd, the authority’s interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) says he is hopeful they will bring greater awareness to the destination
The NTA official made the comment when he spoke to the Department of Information on February 15, 2022, following the social media launch.
“The ambassador programme lasts for 12 months and we are hoping that by the end of this 12 months based on their influence, based on their amplifying what Nevis is all about to their audience we would indeed, through social media, have a greater following to Nevis and certainly have more persons visiting the destination,” he said
Mr. Liburd also gave some insight into how the tourism ambassadors are expected to generate interest which would steer visitors to experience Nevis
“What these ambassadors will do, they, over the next 12-month period, visit us here on Nevis. We have invited them to come, chill, relax, enjoy a vacation on the island of Nevis, and based on their experiences we are hoping that they will create stories; they will make posts; they will write blogs about the destination, and indeed their followers would certainly know a lot more about the destination,” he said
The Nevis Tourism Ambassador Programme was conceptualised by the NTA two years ago. At that time the COVID-19 pandemic had created a slowdown in the travel industry, and as a tourism authority it was forced to come up with creative ideas to promote the destination, while whetting the appetite of potential visitors.
According to Mr. Liburd, the programme has been successful so far
“We would have had a slate of ambassadors last year. I think there were about six ambassadors and the programme was very successful
“During that time, they weren’t able to travel so we were sharing the information with them and through their own media, through their own platforms have amplified what we had shared with them
“What they will be doing this year, because they were not able to visit Nevis during the time of the pandemic, they will be coming as part of the agreement that we have with them, to come and enjoy the destination and it is hoped that when they do come during this time, now we are opened and they can fully enjoy the destination, that they too will share positive information about the destination of Nevis,” he said
Mr. Liburd registered the NTA’s satisfaction with the programme, citing that so far, the objectives are being met.
“We are happy that our ambassador programme has met the objectives that we’ve set, and we feel that given the slate of ambassadors for 2022 that the impact, the objectives would be much greater met because of the influence of these persons.
“Last year we had a few travel agents and one or two travel writers. This year we have gone a bit larger in terms of including actors, those persons with a bit more influence,” he said.
The 2022 Nevis Tourism Ambassadors are Melanie “Mel B” Brown MBE, a singer, songwriter, author and television personality; Nikeva Stapleton, a dancer, actress and model; Ava Roxanne Stritt, a luxury travel journalist; and Brian Major, a travel journalist.
They were chosen by the NTA based on their status in the tourism market place, their popularity and high following, and their ability to easily influence persons.
Looking ahead, the interim CEO said the NTA wishes the 2022 programme well as looks forward to 2023.
CNW- The Bay County Police in Florida has arrested a Jamaican man for allegedly scamming a 92-year-old woman out of US$54,000 (approximately J$8.5 million).
According to a Facebook post from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), Jamaica-born Richard Morgan, a 35-year-old illegal immigrant, was charged with grand theft and exploitation of the elderly last Friday.
The Sheriff’s office said on February 3 that the BCSO Financial Crimes Unit received a report about suspicious activity by Richard Morgan. Morgan had opened an account and tried to deposit a $24,000 check written by someone else to his new account. When bank employees tried to get further details about the check, Morgan gave vague excuses to the teller and fled when law enforcement arrived.
“Investigators contacted the owner of the check and learned she was a 92-year-old woman, and she had no memory of writing the check. Speaking with the victim’s family, investigators learned that an unknown man contacted her and directed her to pay a large amount of cash to increase her chance of winning one million dollars from the Publisher’s Clearing House,” BCSO stated.
Further investigations revealed that Morgan was hiding at an address in Callaway to avoid apprehension.
On February 9, the Jamaican was located, taken into custody without incident, booked into the Bay County Jail, and charged.
The investigation revealed that Morgan previously obtained $30,000 from the victim and sent funds to another individual in Jamaica. Investigators say Morgan has been using the proceeds of this criminal enterprise to fund his stay in the United States.
This is the second time for the month that a Jamaican has been arrested for scamming in the state. On February 4, Shelian Allen, a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), was arrested in Fort Lauderdale for allegedly leading a lottery scamming organization that fleeced millions from unsuspecting victims.
Police charged her with alleged wire fraud, mail fraud, and drug trafficking.
In Jamaica, the Anti-Lottery Scam Task Force of the JCF has intensified its raids to clamp down lottery scamming operations.
Men look for bodies at a mudslide at Morro da Oficina after pouring rains in Petropolis, Brazil February 16, 2022. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
