Tag Archives: caribbean

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CIA Finds Most Havana Syndrome Cases Unlikely Caused by Foreign Power

Jan 20 (Reuters) – Most cases of so-called Havana Syndrome can be explained by environmental causes, undiagnosed medical conditions or stress, rather than actions by a foreign power, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials.

A majority of 1,000 cases reviewed by U.S. investigators are explainable, and show the mysterious ailment is unlikely to have been caused by Russia or another foreign adversary, CIA officials told the newspaper, describing interim findings of a study.

The agency is continuing investigations into two dozen unexplained cases that may offer clues as to whether a foreign power is behind the condition that has affected U.S. diplomats, officials and family members overseas, including in Vienna, Paris, Geneva and Havana, the newspaper said, citing CIA officials.

In addition to those two dozen cases, a significant number of others remain unexplained, the Times cited a CIA official as saying. The CIA did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment on Thursday.

The condition first came to public attention in 2016 after dozens of diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, complained of sickness. read more

Symptoms included migraines, nausea, memory lapses and dizziness.

CIA Director William Burns said in a statement to the Times that the agency was pursuing a complex issue with “analytic rigor, sound tradecraft and compassion,” and emphasized that agency officers had experienced real symptoms.

“While we have reached some significant interim findings, we are not done,” Burns said in the statement. “We will continue the mission to investigate these incidents and provide access to world-class care for those who need it,” he added.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview the United States still did not know what Havana Syndrome was or who was responsible for it.

Reporting by Shivam Patel in Bengaluru Editing by Mark Potter

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Lula Says Reducing Poverty is Brazil’s Priority

SAO PAULO, Jan 19 (Reuters) – Former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is leading opinion polls ahead of an October election, said on Wednesday that reducing poverty and inequality must be Brazil’s priority over fiscal discipline.

Lula said at a news conference that budget resources must be increased on social programs even if that means sacrificing a constitutionally-mandated spending ceiling.

“We have to make inequality a priority and not the spending cap,” he told reporters of independent websites.

“Brazil has to put the poor back in the budget and tax the rich,” he said, referring to his Workers Party support for taxing corporate profit and dividends.

Lula, 76, governed Brazil from 2003-2010 and his government’s social programs pulled millions of Brazilians from poverty. He spent time in jail on corruption charges that were later annulled, allowing him to run for office again.

He is expected to face far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in the presidential race this year, though neither man has formally declared his candidacy.

Lula’s clear lead in early opinion polls has some investors worried that his return would deepen Brazil’s budget deficit.

But despite his tough talk on cutting poverty, Lula drew praise from some investors as he again suggested he could name moderate Geraldo Alckmin as his running mate.

Some analysts said the comments helped boost the real to its strongest level against the dollar since November.

“I would have no problem if I had to share a ticket with Alckmin to win the election and to govern this country,” Lula said.

Chief economist at Necton Investimentos, Andre Perfeito, said the comments were regarded as “a signal of fiscal responsibility on the part of an eventual Workers Party administration.”

Lula criticized Bolsonaro for ignoring the pressing issues facing Brazil and dealing only with his personal interests and political self-preservation.

“I cannot want to be president to solve the financial system’s problem … for those who became richer in the pandemic,” he said. “There is only one reason for me to be a candidate: to prove that Brazilian people can be happy again.”

Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Eduardo Simoes Editing by Marguerita Choy and Grant McCool

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Coronavirus Spreading Faster Than Ever in Americas

BRASILIA, Jan 19 (Reuters) – COVID-19 infections are reaching new peaks in the Americas with 7.2 million new cases and more than 15,000 COVID-related deaths in the last week, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.

“The virus is spreading more actively than ever before,” PAHO Director Carissa Etienne told a briefing.

The Caribbean has had the steepest increase in infections since the start of the two-year-old pandemic, the regional agency said. In North America, the United States and Canada are experiencing a surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Given a shortage of testing, PAHO recommended that countries prioritize rapid antigen tests for people with COVID-19 symptoms and who are at risk of spreading the virus.

Even though more than 60% of people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Omicron is spreading rapidly in all regions, said PAHO Incident Manager Sylvain Aldighieri.

The variant’s advance in coming weeks and months will depend on public health measures to contain it, including use of masks and social distancing and above all vaccinations, to reduce the severity of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, he said.

Brazil reported a record 137,103 cases of the coronavirus in 24 hours as Omicron spread in Latin America’s largest country, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday, as new infections soared above the previous daily record of 115,228 in June last year.

Brazil has the world’s third highest death toll from COVID-19 after the United States and Russia, according to a Reuters tally. read more

Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Howard Goller

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US Extradites Second Suspect in Assassination of Haiti’s President

By Matt Rivers, CNN

(CNN) The United States has extradited a second suspect in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, who was killed in his bedroom last July. He was arrested in the Dominican Republic.

Rodolphe Jaar is in federal custody and will be presented with the charges on Thursday during his initial court appearance in Miami, a spokesperson for the Southern District of Florida told CNN.

Jaar, who is from Haiti, is one of several suspects that has been at large for months since Moise’s assassination.

Jaar’s extradition to the US follows that of Colombian suspect Mario Palacios, who was extradited earlier this month.

Palacios managed to flee Haiti after Moise’s assassination, eventually ending up in Jamaica, where he was captured by authorities for entering the country illegally. How he escaped Haiti remains unknown.

Palacios has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States “and providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap,” according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ.)

If convicted of the charges, Palacios faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, according to the DOJ.

Authorities have said that dozens of people were involved in Moise’s death, including 26 Colombians and two Haitian-Americans.

Exactly what happened inside the President’s home and who masterminded the attack remain at the heart of multiple investigations involving senior agents from the US and Colombia, in addition to local authorities.

 

CNN’s Jamie Crawford, Florencia Trucco and Mitchell McCluskey contributed reporting.

 

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Peru: Tonga Tsunami Spurs Pacific Oil Spill Disaster

An oil spill off the Peruvian coast has caused an “ecological disaster”, authorities have said.

The La Pampilla refinery has leaked over 6,000 barrels of oil after a tanker was hit by waves linked to Tonga’s volcanic eruption on Saturday.

Authorities have sealed off three beaches damaged by the spill and say they have discovered scores of dead animals covered in oil.

Foreign ministry officials have urged operator Repsol to pay compensation.

“This is the worst ecological disaster that has occurred around Lima in recent times and has seriously damaged hundreds of fishermen’s families,” the ministry said in a statement posted to Twitter.

“Repsol must immediately compensate for the damage,” it demanded.

The company’s communications director, Tine Van Den Wall Bake, denied responsibility for the leak during an interview on Wednesday, saying the spill was “limited”.

“We did not cause this ecological disaster and we cannot say who is responsible,” she said on national radio on Wednesday.

But Prime Minister Mirtha Vásquez later told reporters that the company “apparently” did not have a contingency plan to deal with a large oil spill.

Cleaning crews work to remove oil from a Peruvian beach
A government led clear-up of around three kilometres of beaches is underway
 
Peruvian authorities fear major damage has been done to protected animal and plant life zones

Prosecutors announced that they have opened an investigation into Repsol’s role in the incident, amid warnings from the environment ministry that the Spanish energy giant could face fines totalling more than $34.5m (£25.3m).

Peru’s energy regulator, Osinergmin, meanwhile said in a statement it had ordered one of the refinery’s four terminals to be shut down until the causes of the spill are determined.

Officials say the say the leak has harmed some 18,000 square kilometres (6,950 square miles) of protected zones containing a variety of rare plant and animal life.

A government led clear-up of around three kilometres of beaches is also underway.

La Pampilla is built just off the town of Ventanilla in the Lima region and is Peru’s largest refinery. It provides for more than half of the local fuel market.

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Key Aspects About NY Atty. General’s Probe of Trump Family Business

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) made waves detailing preliminary evidence from her office’s investigation into former President Trump‘s family business and accusing the company of repeatedly misrepresenting its assets over the years. 

The revelations came in court filings asking a judge to order Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and his daughter Ivanka Trump to comply with the attorney general’s subpoenas for their testimony in the probe. 

Here are five things to know about the development and the attorney general’s ongoing investigation:

James’s revelation of the investigation’s focus is highly unusual 

It’s highly unusual for law enforcement to publicly reveal preliminary evidence from an ongoing investigation. In civil and criminal probes, investigators typically stay tight-lipped about anything they have uncovered or are seeking, in part because they worry about damaging a potential court case. 

The attorney general’s office said in its court filings Tuesday that it has taken the extraordinary step of opening the lid on its investigation in order to push back on Donald Trump’s attacks in court and in public that the investigation is politically motivated and being carried out in bad faith. 

“Other than appearing in New York Supreme Court beginning in August 2020 in this proceeding to compel production of necessary documents, and to seek the Court’s intervention regarding the Trump Organization’s documentary subpoena-compliance failures, OAG has largely maintained its investigation out of the public eye,” the filing reads, using an acronym for Office of the Attorney General.  

“However, because the Respondents have questioned whether OAG is pursuing in good faith a civil inquiry that may lead to civil remedial action within OAG’s statutory power, OAG now presents to the Court a showing that reflects the progress of that inquiry.” 

Lawyers with the attorney general’s office added in their brief that they don’t believe the disclosure will hamper the investigation. They also said that they are investigating other issues that were not disclosed in the court papers.

AG’s investigation found the Trump Organization “misrepresented” assets  

“Thus far in our investigation, we have uncovered significant evidence that suggests Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization falsely and fraudulently valued multiple assets and misrepresented those values to financial institutions for economic benefit,” James said in a statement Tuesday night. 

Her office’s court filings detail findings that indicate Trump’s family business fraudulently manipulated valuations of six properties as well as the Trump brand. Those valuations were included on regular statements of financial condition that were prepared by Trump and company officials and provided to investors, tax collectors and financial institutions in order to obtain financial gain. 

According to the attorney general’s office, the Trump Organization sought to inflate the value of its 212-acre Seven Springs property in Westchester County, N.Y. After assessing the estate to be worth $200 million in 2007 and $291 million in 2012, new appraisals in 2016 estimated the value to be $56 million. The court papers filed Tuesday say that the Trump Organization responded to the new assessments by recategorizing the property in its statement of financial condition in order to disguise the fact that Seven Springs was worth a fraction of what it had been appraised four years prior. 

James’s office detailed similar practices related to five other properties and the Trump brand and said that the efforts helped the company win tax breaks, loans and investors. 

“Virtually all of the benefits from the misleading valuations accrued to Donald J. Trump,” the court papers allege. 

What investigators want to know from Trump 

One outstanding question that investigators are seeking to answer by deposing Trump and his two eldest children is their level of responsibility in the alleged scheme.

The answer will likely determine who will be targeted in any civil enforcement action that the attorney general’s office might choose to bring. 

“Here, OAG seeks the testimony of the Respondents to determine, among other things, the nature and extent of their participation in, and knowledge of, the creation of the statements of financial condition, including the procurement of property valuations and to what extent the statements were used to gain favorable loan terms and insurance coverage,” the filings read.  

“Their testimony is directly related to the focus of the investigation and is appropriate for OAG to obtain in order to achieve the public purpose of identifying and deterring acts of fraud and illegality and to determine relevant individuals’ levels of responsibility for misconduct identified in the investigation.”

The AG’s probe is running parallel with a criminal investigation by the Manhattan DA

The attorney general’s investigation is focusing on civil matters, and it is precluded from bringing criminal charges during the course of the probe. But the state’s top law enforcement office is cooperating with the Manhattan district attorney on a parallel criminal investigation that is among the most prominent looming legal headaches for Trump. 

Last year, the district attorney’s office charged the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, with various counts of fraud, alleging a long-running scheme to hide unreported income from the IRS. 

It’s not entirely clear what else the criminal investigation is scrutinizing. The district attorney’s office, which is now led by Alvin Bragg (D), who was sworn in earlier this month, has said in its own court filings that it is looking into “extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.” 

Under Cy Vance Jr. (D), who retired last year after a decade as Manhattan’s district attorney, the office obtained Trump’s personal tax returns following a long-running legal battle with the former president that twice reached the Supreme Court. 

Trump is fighting the investigation in court and seeking to discredit it in public 

Trump and his family have responded to James’s investigation with counterattacks in court and in the public sphere. 

In December, Trump sued James in federal court, seeking an injunction that would halt the probe. His lawyers argue that the state attorney general is carrying out a politically motivated witch hunt that is depriving the former president of his constitutional rights.

“The investigations commenced by James are in no way connected to legitimate law enforcement goals, but rather, are merely a thinly-veiled effort to publicly malign Trump and his associates,” Trump said in the lawsuit. “Her mission is guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen who she views as a political opponent.” 

James, who recently abandoned a campaign for the New York governor’s office, has denied any impropriety in the investigation and has accused Trump and his inner circle of trying to evade accountability. 

Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a video attacking James on Wednesday in response to her court filings.  

“America’s most corrupt AG won’t even directly respond to our motions about her political targeting of my family because she knows her actions are indefensible,” he wrote. “This is nothing more than political retribution from her on behalf of the entire Dem Party. She should be disbarred!” 

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Montserrat Covid Surge, 400m Free N95 Masks for Americans, England Ends Virus Restrictions, More

Omicron & delta cause COVID-19 cases to surge on Montserrat

Dillon De Shong’

Loop

 

Montserrat’s Ministry of Health and Social Services received confirmation that the highly infectious omicron and delta variants of coronavirus (COVID-19) are circulating in the community.

The island is currently experiencing a surge of infections and that forced authorities to send samples to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) lab in Trinidad for genomic sequencing.

The samples were made up of both imported and locally contracted infections.

Ministry officials are unable to say which variant is the dominant strain. According to the Pan American Health Organisation, omicron has been found in at least 42 countries and territories in the region.

“In light of this latest update, the Ministry of Health is repeating the need for continued caution. All residents should wear face coverings in public spaces, preferable high filtration masks such as surgical masks or kn95. Additionally, persons should continue to social distance and practice frequent hand sanitization. It is also imperative that persons exhibiting flu-like symptoms, self-isolate and seek medical attention by calling 496-7437 or 493-4755,” the ministry said in a statement.

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400 million N95 masks to be available

© Associated Press/Rogelio V. Solis, file

The White House announced Wednesday that it is making 400 million N95 masks available for free, part of a string of actions aimed at fighting the surging omicron variant.

The masks will be available for pickup at “tens of thousands of local pharmacies” as well as thousands of community health centers, the White House said. The masks will begin shipping later this week and will start to become available late next week, before being “fully up and running” in early February.

Making high-quality masks more available has been one of the areas where President Biden has been under pressure to step up the response to the virus.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and more than 50 Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill last week, for example, to send three N95 masks to every person in the U.S.

Caveat: Similar to action on testing, experts say the Biden administration should have acted months ago to make high quality masks more available, but the new steps are still progress.

The masks are being deployed from the Strategic National Stockpile, which currently has more than 750 million N95 masks, triple the number in January 2021, the White House said.

Why they’re needed: Experts have been stepping up calls for people to use higher quality masks like N95s, which offer much better protection than simple cloth masks, especially in the face of the highly transmissible omicron variant.

CDC: Prior infection more protective for delta

coronavirus CDC U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 community spread united kingdom uk level 4 travel advisory warning delta variant spike new cases
© Getty Images

Vaccinated Americans with prior COVID-19 infections had the highest protection against hospitalization and reinfection from the delta variant, according to a new study the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Wednesday.

The study found protection against reinfection and hospitalization grew significantly among both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals who had previously recovered from COVID-19, in the time period before the delta variant emerged to after it became the dominant strain in the U.S.

Prior infection provided better protection than vaccination alone, the study found.

The study is likely to further fuel the people who insist natural immunity is just as protective and  who won’t get vaccinated because they’ve been infected with COVID-19 at some point.

Major caveats: While the study period ranged from the time before delta took over to when it was the dominant variant, data ends in November, before omicron took over. The CDC also noted that the analysis did not include information on the severity of initial infection, and does not reflect the risk of severe disease or death from a COVID-19 infection.

CDC conclusion: “We know that vaccination remains the safest strategy for protecting against Covid-19,” said Benjamin Silk, a CDC epidemiologist and one of the authors.

STARBUCKS ENDS VACCINE REQUIREMENT

Starbucks is scrapping its COVID-19 vaccine requirement for U.S. workers after the Supreme Court blocked the Biden’s administration’s vaccine-or-test mandate for large employers last week.

“We respect the court’s ruling and will comply,” Starbucks Chief Operating Officer John Culver wrote in a memo sent to employees on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.

Culver said in the memo that the Seattle company will continue to strongly encourage its employees to get their vaccines and booster shots, according to the AP.

This reversal comes after Starbucks announced earlier this month that it would enforce a vaccine-or-test mandate for the company’s 220,000 U.S. employees. The original order required workers to be vaccinated by Feb. 9 or undergo weekly testing.

Culver said at the time that the “vaccine is the best option we have, by far, when it comes to staying safe and slowing the spread of COVID-19.”

The Supreme Court last week ruled 6-3 against the Biden administration’s vaccine-or-test mandate for large employers, blocking it from taking effect while other legal challenges play out.

Covid: Masks off in England’s schools, but is it right to end Plan B?

Coronavirus pandemic

Masks no longer required in England’s classrooms

The government no longer requires secondary school pupils and staff in England to wear masks in classrooms, after a change in the rules was announced on Wednesday. Offices should also be busier, after working from home guidance ended yesterday. Other measures in “Plan B” will end from next Thursday – masks will no longer be mandatory in most indoor settings, and Covid passes for large events won’t be needed. It doesn’t mean the end of masks though – Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has already said they will still be needed on public transport in the capital, and other places can choose to require them.

Is it right to end Plan B in England?

There are plenty of reasons for ministers and their advisers to say the data supports the case for a relaxation, writes our health correspondent Nick Triggle. And the restriction that reduces spread of the virus most – the requirement to isolate – remains. The outgoing Plan B measures, by comparison, all have a more marginal impact, if any. Of these, working from home was the measure scientists always argued had the most effect – but the jury was out over the exact effectiveness of the others.

Death per case chart
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Was anti-African racism why Omicron data was ignored?

South African scientists – praised internationally for first detecting the Omicron variant – have accused Western nations of ignoring early evidence that the new Covid variant was “dramatically” milder than previous versions. Two of South Africa’s most prominent coronavirus experts told the BBC that Western scepticism about their work could be construed as “racist” – or at least a refusal “to believe the science because it came from Africa”.

 

Short presentational grey line

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POLICE INVESTIGATING NON-FATAL SHOOTING INCIDENT IN NEWTON GROUND

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 19, 2022 (RSCNPF): The Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding an incident in which a woman was shot in the face in Newton Ground.

Close to 8 p.m. on January 18, 2022, the Police responded to a report of a non-fatal shooting incident. Preliminary inquiries have revealed that 41-year-old Devon Powell shot 23-year-old Tamique Decosta with his licensed firearm at his home in Newton Ground. 

Powell subsequently transported Decosta to the Pogson Medical Centre. She was later transferred to the JNF General Hospital where she is warded in a stable condition. Powell is in Police custody assisting with investigations.

Personnel from the Forensic Department processed the scene and collected items of evidential value.

Persons with information regarding this matter are urged to contact the Violent Crime Unit by dialling 467-1887, 467-1888, 662-3468, their nearest Police Station or the Crime Hotline at 707 where information can be given anonymously. Investigations into the matter are ongoing.

 

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AUTOPSY PERFORMED ON THE BODY OF VICTOR MOSES

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 19, 2022 (RSCNPF): An autopsy was performed on the body of 57-year-old Victor Moses of Belle Vue Mountain, St. Kitts, on January 19, 2022, by Resident Pathologist, Dr. Adrian Nuñez.

 Dr. Nuñez concluded that death was as a result of severe head injury due to gunshot wounds to the head.

 Investigations into the matter are ongoing.

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US Navy Seizes $22M of Cocaine in Caribbean

Loop- The US Navy’s USS Milwaukee together with US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) seized an estimated $22 million in suspected cocaine on January 7 while operating in the Caribbean Sea.

While on patrol, a maritime patrol aircraft spotted a suspected drug smuggling go-fast vessel. Packages were also observed being thrown into the water.

After receiving permission to conduct a boarding, the authorities recovered the packages and five suspected drug traffickers were detained.

An estimated 315 kilograms of suspected cocaine worth an approximated street value of over $22 million was recovered.

“We are very pleased with the effectiveness of everyone’s response and the integration of all parties involved,” said Lt Jordan Lachowsky, the LEDET’s officer in charge.

“We’re looking forward to more opportunities and more successes in the near future.”

USS Milwaukee was deployed on December 14 to the US 4th Fleet area of operations to support Joint Interagency Task Force South’s mission, which includes counter-illicit drug trafficking missions in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

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