Tag Archives: caribbean

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Group of Haitian Migrants Sue Biden Administration Over Poor Treatment

 

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN

(CNN) A group of Haitian migrants is suing the Biden administration over its treatment of migrants, recounting in detail squalid conditions at a makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas, this year and confrontations with officers on horseback, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.

In September, an influx of migrants — primarily Haitian — caught the Biden administration flatfooted, resulting in thousands amassing under the Del Rio International Bridge waiting to claim asylum. During that time, images of Border Patrol agents on horseback aggressively confronting migrants drew swift condemnation from advocates, lawmakers, and senior administration officials who pledged to investigate the incident.

Monday’s lawsuit provides first-hand accounts from migrants who had been in the encampment and had been confronted by Border Patrol, with one plaintiff saying she was “terrorized by officers on horseback.”

Mirard Joseph, a plaintiff in the case, said he watched his family suffer from hunger and dehydration while waiting at the makeshift camp under the Del Rio International Bridge in September. He decided to cross into Mexico to buy food and water, but upon returning, he encountered a mounted officer.

“After Mirard stepped out of the river, holding two bags of food for Madeleine and his daughter, he encountered a mounted officer. As other officers looked on—some on foot, others on horseback or in official vehicles—the mounted officer shouted at Mirard, lashed at him with split reins, grabbed his neck, and held his collar,” the lawsuit states.

“For several minutes, the officer attempted to drag Mirard back to the river, destroying Mirard’s shirt and causing his shoes to fall off in the process. The officer released Mirard only when the horse was about to trample him,” it continues.

Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating the horse patrol incident caught in photos and videos. The office has reviewed videos and photographs and interviewed witnesses, employees and CBP leadership.

Monday’s lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. It includes accounts from 11 Haitian asylum seekers, all of whom say they fled dangerous conditions in Haiti and in South America where some of those in the complaint had been living prior to coming to the United States.

They are being represented by immigrant advocate organizations, including Innovation Law Lab, the Haitian Bridge Alliance and Justice Action Center.

Esther, another of the plaintiffs, said she was “terrorized by officers on horseback” when she tried to cross the river to find food for her baby, according to the complaint. Migrants staying at the camp had been going back and forth between the US and Mexico for resources amid a lack of adequate food and water.

Joseph and his family were ultimately expelled to Haiti under a Trump-era public health order, known as Title 42, that allows for the swift removal of migrants. The Biden administration has leaned on the order to expel tens of thousands of migrants including many of those who had been under the Del Rio International Bridge.

Monday’s lawsuit states that the Title 42 process “has been brutally deployed against Haitians.” It also claims that the Department of Homeland Security violated the rights of thousands of Haitian migrants in Del Rio, alleging that the administration knew there would be an increase of Haitians seeking asylum.

“Despite these warnings, the White House and DHS Defendants decided to take no action to plan for the arrival of these asylum seekers,” the complaint says.

CNN has reached out to DHS for comment.

For months, the Biden administration has wrestled with an unprecedented number of migrants crossing into the US, many of whom are fleeing deteriorating conditions in their home countries that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

CBP made 173,620 arrests in November, a 5% jump from the previous month and the first increase since the summer, when apprehensions began to drop, according to agency data.

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Cuba Soars to Top of COVID Vaccination Charts

By and

HAVANA, Dec 20 (Reuters) – Cuba has vaccinated more of its citizens against COVID-19 than most of the world’s largest and richest nations, a milestone that will make the poor, communist-run country a test case as the highly contagious Omicron variant begins to circle the globe.

The Caribbean island has vaccinated over 90% of its population with at least one dose, and 83% of the population is now fully inoculated, placing it second globally behind only the United Arab Emirates among countries of at least 1 million people, according to official statistics compiled by ‘Our World in Data.’

What is Cuba’s secret? While many of its neighbors in Latin America, as well as emerging economies globally, have competed for vaccines produced by wealthier nations, health officials say Cuba vaulted ahead by developing its own.

Infections and deaths from COVID-19 have plunged on the island in recent weeks, falling to less than 1% of their peak on Aug. 22, when fewer than half its citizens were vaccinated.

Nearly all of Cuba’s children aged 2 to 18 have now been vaccinated with home-grown vaccines.

Schools have reopened and foreign tourists are once again welcome. Hospitals and morgues, overflowing in August, appear to be operating at pre-pandemic levels, according to Reuters witnesses.

“It is a truly remarkable accomplishment, given the size of Cuba, and also the U.S. embargo, that restricts their ability to import,” said William Moss, director of the Johns Hopkins International Vaccine Access Center, a U.S.-based university group that works to ensure equitable access for low-income countries.

Cuba has said its homegrown, protein-based Abdala, Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus shots give upwards of 90% protection against symptomatic COVID-19 when offered in three-dose schemes.

However, Cuba has not yet published results of its large-scale clinical trials in peer-reviewed journals, nor has it submitted the documents required by the World Health Organization for approval of its vaccines, according to the WHO’s online tally.

As a result, some public health experts in other countries remain leery of recommending them until the results are vetted.

The vaccines, which can be produced affordably and do not require deep-freezing, are seen by international health officials as a potential source for much needed doses in low-income countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

“They have been slow to publish results,” said Moss. “If (the vaccines) got WHO qualification… that could be really important globally.”

Cuba’s progress is being tracked by COVAX, a global scheme designed to ensure fair access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Cuba is also studying whether the Omicron variant, which was first reported on the island on Dec. 8, will impact protection.

In the last week, new research has shown that some of the most widely-used global vaccines are likely to be less protective against infection from Omicron. The shots are expected to remain effective against severe illness and death.

FINE PRINT

The documents and data necessary for vetting the Soberana vaccines, developed by Cuba’s Finlay Vaccine Institute, will be delivered to the WHO in the first quarter of 2022, Vicente Verez, Finlay’s head, told Reuters.

Verez said WHO standards, which assess not only the vaccine but also manufacturing facilities, had slowed Cuba down.

“It’s a first-world standard,” Verez said, noting the expense involved to bring facilities to that level. “We need to advance on our manufacturing process to ensure that when we apply, we get WHO pre-qualification.”

Cuba’s biotech industry began to grow in the 1980s, backed by late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who saw the sector as vital to the communist nation’s self-sufficiency in the face of the U.S. embargo. But some of its facilities are aging.

Verez said Cuba is negotiating with both Canada and Italy to produce its vaccines in those countries for export to regions in need, including Africa.

Brazil-based virologist Amilcar Perez Riverol said Cuba will meanwhile face a new test with Omicron.

The lofty vaccination rates, a large group that gained immunity from prior infection, plus Cuba’s early move to fully inoculate its children “put the country in a really positive position in the face of the future evolution of the pandemic,” Perez Riverol said.

But he said Cuba’s comparatively large elderly population, lack of medical supplies, and a teetering healthcare system nonetheless leave it vulnerable.

“In no way is it time to be proclaiming victory yet,” he said.

Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Anett Rios, additional reporting by Marc Frank and Mario Fuentes, editing by Michele Gershberg, Daniel Flynn and Rosalba O’Brien

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CARICOM Secretary General Looks Back at 2021

CMC

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett sd that the Christmas season is once again tempered by the continuing onslaught of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has killed and infected thousands of people in the 15-member regional integration grouping.

She said that throughout the year, CARICOM’s immediate concern has been how best to secure lives and livelihoods in the member states “as the virus’ lingering presence slows the recovery of the economic and social well-being of the people of our Community.

“The primary focus has been on acquiring sufficient vaccines to save lives and allow for the revival of economic activity,” she said, noting that with “a significant supply of vaccines has been made available mainly through the assistance of friendly governments including India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.

In addition, CARICOM has also benefited from its provisions under the COVAX Facility and the highly appreciated accommodation of the African Union through the African Medical Supplies Platform.

Barnett said that regional leaders, along with the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the CARICOM Secretariat are working tirelessly to maintain an adequate supply of doses.

But she said the grouping has also been looking at life beyond COVID-19 and that the CARICOM Commission on the Economy, comprising a group of eminent regional and international experts, provided advice on approaches to building resilience and on the return of CARICOM economies to a path of sustainable growth and development, including a 12-Point Action Plan in its Report entitled “Caribbean 9:58.”

“Priority was also accorded to agriculture and tourism, given the adverse impact of the pandemic on those sectors. A Special Ministerial Task Force on Food Production and Food Security is working closely with the private sector on an Action Plan arising from a strategy put forward by the President of Guyana as Lead Head of Government with responsibility for Agriculture,” she said, adding that an Interim Tourism Working Group (ITWG) has prepared a Draft Joint Tourism Policy for CARICOM titled “COVID-19 Emergency Plan for the period October 2021 to December 2022”.

Barnett, who replaced the Dominican Irwin LaRocque in August, said progress was also made towards the Single ICT Space, with the initial engagement of the two principal telecommunications providers in the Region on the issue of the elimination of roaming charges in the region.

She said a negotiating team has been set up to continue the discussions.

On the relations with other countries, Barnett said that CARICOM foreign ministers “have been very active” in pursuing the region’s interest and have engaged with their counterparts in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Our Community was also deeply involved in COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. The outcome fell short of our expectations and much work needs to be done as we continue to advocate for action to reduce global emissions, so as to ensure that global temperature rise does not exceed 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.”

On the issue of Haiti, the CARICOM Secretary-General said that there is also a need to work with the French-speaking member state, grappling with political, economic and social uncertainties.

“This has been made more challenging after the tragic assassination of His Excellency President Jovenel Moise.  The Community has been engaged with Haiti at the highest level and has offered to assist in crafting a Haitian-led solution.”

She said during the year, member states experienced time and again the benefit of working together to assist each other in responding to natural disasters, such as the volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the resultant heavy ashfall in Barbados, and the earthquake in Haiti.

“We also worked together to procure and share vaccines, to present a common front at climate change negotiations and to advocate strongly for our interests in discussions with foreign governments.

“As we enjoy the festivities of the season, let us not forget those who lost their lives to the pandemic and those still in its throes, and let us hold up and honour those frontline workers who continue to serve at great sacrifice,” Barnett added.

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UK Supreme Court Denies Maduro Claim to Venezuelan Gold

BBC- The UK Supreme Court has prevented Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from accessing $1.95bn (£1.4bn) of gold stored in the Bank of England (BoE).

Mr Maduro says the cash will be used to fight Covid-19 in the country.

The Supreme Court overturned a prior Court of Appeal ruling, meaning only opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who the UK considers as the legitimate leader, can decide what happens to the gold.

Despite this, in practice the UK deals with the Maduro administration.

Mr Guaidó and Mr Maduro have separately appointed two different sets of governors to Venezuela’s central bank.

Mr Guaidó, who is recognised by more than 50 countries as the legitimate president, wants the gold to stay in the BoE’s vaults.

But Mr Maduro, who remains in the presidential palace and in control of the government, military and police, has sued BoE to have the funds released.

Mr Maduro was re-elected to a second six-year term in May 2018 in highly controversial polls, which most opposition parties boycott.

He claims the money will be transferred to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to buy medical supplies to fight the pandemic.

His critics have blamed him for mismanaging Venezuela’s economy, causing a severe crisis where millions of people need aid due to collapsing public services, soaring unemployment and a devalued local currency.

They claim Mr Maduro will use the funds to pay off foreign allies that support his regime.

Venezuela has been sanctioned by a group of nations including the US, UK, European Union, Canada, Switzerland, Panama and Mexico since 2014 over corruption, human rights violations and the suppression of democracy.

Further consideration needed

The Court of Appeal ruling had overturned an earlier UK High Court judgement in July 2020, which ruled that the UK government’s recognition of Mr Guaidó as Venezuela’s acting president was “clear and unequivocal”.

On Monday, the Supreme Court said that the Court of Appeal ruling was “misplaced”, because all British courts needed to accept that Mr Maduro was not recognised as president “for any purpose”.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido says the Transition Statute enables him to appoint central bank officials

However, it has now asked the Commercial Court to consider another issue – whether Mr Guaidó has been recognised by the UK government as merely being Venezuela’s head of state, or if he has been recognised as its head of government as well.

Citing the Transition Statute – articles in the constitution which in such cases call for the leader of the National Assembly to step in – Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president in January 2019.

He has since used these laws to appoint central bank officials, which Mr Maduro continues to contend is not permitted under Venezuelan law.

Mr Guaidó welcomed the ruling on Monday, saying he and his appointees would “continue to be dedicated to the constitutional duty to protect the assets of the Republic for future generations”.

Sarosh Zaiwalla, a London-based lawyer representing Venezuela’s central bank, said: “Our client looks forward to continuing this case, with a view to showing that the Board of the El Banco Central de Venezuela (BCV) in Caracas is the only validly appointed authority to deal with Venezuela’s foreign assets in the interests of the Venezuelan population.”

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Abducted Haiti Missionaries Describe Daring Escape from Gang

BBC- Twelve missionaries who were abducted in Haiti managed to get away on their own, their organisation has said.

The group escaped their captors at night and used the stars for navigation to trek through the dense bush for hours, a spokesman said.

Christian Aid Ministries announced the group was finally free last week, after being held captive since October.

The gang that seized them had demanded a ransom of $1m (£740,000) per hostage. It is not clear if any money was paid.

In total, 17 missionaries and their families were abducted, after they had visited an orphanage in the town of Ganthier, east of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Five others had already been released.

Their ordeal brought international attention to Haiti’s growing problem of gang abductions.

“When they sensed the timing was right, they found a way to open the door that was closed and blocked, filed silently to the path they [had] chosen to follow and left the place that they were held,” spokesman Weston Showalter said at a news conference in Ohio.

Evading “numerous guards”, the group travelled in the direction of a mountain that they had seen days earlier, using constellations to guide them. It was not immediately clear how they managed to escape the guards.

The group included a married couple, a 10-month old baby, and children aged three, 14 and 15. There were also four adult men and two women. They travelled through “woods and thickets, working through thorns and briars,” Mr Showalter said.

He explained how the group, including all of the children, remained silent during the ordeal and that the infant was wrapped in clothing to protect her from the prickly briars. “Two hours were through fierce brambles. We were in gang territory the whole hike,” he said, quoting one of the escapees.

Around dawn they found a person with a phone who helped them call authorities.

The group was later flown back to Florida on a US Coast Guard flight, Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) said. Most have now returned to their families.

At the time of their release, police spokesman Gary Desrosiers told AFP news agency there had been weeks of negotiations between the gang, known as 400 Mazowo, and authorities.

Two group members were freed in November, and another three in early December, but their identities have not been revealed.

Speaking at the news conference, David Troyer, director of CAM, said “people who sought to help us provided funds to pay a ransom and allow the negotiation process to continue”, although he did not explain whether any payment had been made.

CAM, based in the US, describes itself as a channel for Amish, Mennonite, and other Anabaptist groups to minister to physical and spiritual needs around the world.

The gang provided food and clean drinking water to the missionaries, the church said, and baby formula for the infant. However the water for cleaning was contaminated, leading some of the escapees to get skin sores around their mosquito bites.

Mr Showalter denied initial reports that the group’s driver was a Haitian local. He said the driver was a Canadian, and that he is now also free.

“The hostages spoke to the gang leader on several occasions, boldly reminding him of God and warning him of God’s eventual judgment if him and the gang members continue in their gangs,” Mr Showalter said, adding that the group maintained a 24-hour prayer vigil while in captivity.

There has been no independent confirmation of Mr Showalter’s account by either US or Haitian officials.

CAM, which supplies Haitian children with shelter, food and clothing and says it has worked in the country for over 30 years, is one of many non-profit organisations providing aid in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world.

Haiti’s powerful crime gang

Kidnapping is one of the main activities that the 400 Mazowo criminal gang uses to finance itself.

In April, its members abducted a group of Catholic clergy who were later released, and it is unclear if a ransom was paid.

Haiti has one of the highest rates of kidnapping in the world, as powerful gangs exploit the lawless situation to profit from ransom payments.

This year has been particularly bad, with nearly 800 kidnappings reported before the end of October.

The rise has come in the wake of President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination in July, as rival factions fight to gain control of the country in the face of a struggling police force.

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W.H.O. Holiday Warning, Most US Cases Now Omicron, Variant Rages in Europe, T&T Vaccine Rebellion

WHO urges cancelling some holiday events over Omicron fears

The World Health Organization has urged people to cancel some of their holiday plans to protect public health, as the Omicron variant spreads globally.

“An event cancelled is better than a life cancelled,” said WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that “difficult decisions” must be made.

A number of countries have acted to try to halt the spread of the variant, including imposing travel curbs.

In the US, Omicron is now dominant, accounting for 73% of new infections.

President Joe Biden is expected to address the nation on Tuesday but the White House said he was not planning on “locking the country down”.

The country’s top infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, earlier warned that Christmas travel would increase the spread of Omicron even among the fully vaccinated.

Americans are now advised against travel to more than 80 nations that appear on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Very High list for Covid-19, including almost all of Europe.

France and Germany are among the nations imposing travel curbs to tackle Omicron, while the Netherlands has introduced a strict lockdown over the Christmas period.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that the government needed to “reserve the possibility” of bringing in new rules in England as Omicron cases surged, but did not announce further restrictions.

New Year’s Eve celebrations in London’s Trafalgar Square have been cancelled “in the interests of public safety”, Mayor Sadiq Khan said.

And on Tuesday, New Zealand postponed its phased reopening to international travel until the end of February at least.

Omicron – first detected in South Africa in November – has been classed as a “variant of concern” by the WHO.

Speaking at a briefing on Monday, Dr Tedros said there was now evidence that the variant was “spreading significantly faster” than the previous dominant version, Delta.

The WHO has also said it would be “unwise” to conclude from early evidence that Omicron was a milder variant.

Dr Tedros said that “all of us are sick of this pandemic. All of us want to spend time with friends and family. All of us want to get back to normal”.

But he said that everyone, “leaders and individuals”, had to make difficult decisions to protect people, including by cancelling or delaying events.

“It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later,” Dr Tedros said.

He also said that the pandemic could be ended in 2022 – if 70% of the population of every country of the world was vaccinated by the middle of next year.

He also said that China, where the outbreak is believed to have started in 2019, must provide more data on the origins, to help with future policy on tackling pandemics.

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CDC: Omicron now a majority of US COVID-19 cases — 73 percent

By Peter Sullivan –

The omicron variant now makes up a majority of COVID-19 cases in the United States, at 73.2 percent, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated figures released on Monday.

The statistics are for the week ending Dec. 18 and show the rapid spread of the variant in the U.S. That spike is a significant increase from just 12.6 percent of cases one week earlier.

The omicron variant is highly transmissible, and officials are bracing for a large wave of infections in the coming weeks. However, people who are vaccinated, and especially those with booster shots, are well protected against severe disease from the variant, experts say, meaning the greatest risk is for the unvaccinated.

President Biden will give a speech on Tuesday to update the nation on his plans for fighting the variant.

The White House has emphasized that given the widespread availability of vaccines and booster shots there is no need to have business closures and lockdowns like there were last year.

“This is not a speech about locking the country down,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. “This is a speech outlining and being direct and clear with the American people about the benefit of being vaccinated, the steps we’re going to take to increase access and to increase testing and the risks posed to unvaccinated individuals.”

Reports of long lines for testing and pharmacies sold out of rapid tests have surfaced ahead of the holidays and as the variant spreads.

The White House took some criticism from experts in recent weeks for a plan to allow people to be reimbursed for rapid tests through their private health insurance, given that people would still have to pay an upfront cost, and the tests can still be hard to find.

It is unclear exactly what Biden will announce on testing on Tuesday.

The omicron variant has some ability to evade the protection of vaccines, particularly in causing infection in people who have not been boosted. That means breakthrough infections are becoming more common. But the vaccines are still expected to protect against severe disease, and boosters can restore protection even against infection, meaning that vaccinated people are much better protected against the most harmful outcomes than unvaccinated people are.

Experts are urging all adults to get their booster shots.

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Europe gives US gloomy portrait of what’s to come with omicron

By Justine Coleman 

As the omicron variant batters Europe with exponentially skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, public health experts warn that the U.S. could be barreling down the same path and face record waves of infections in the coming days and weeks.

Due to the strain’s high transmissibility, top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci predicted omicron will be the dominant variant in the U.S. in “a few weeks” with the potential to overwhelm hospital systems already strained by delta cases.

With a lot still unknown about the new variant of concern, including how severe its disease is, scientists are awaiting more data on the strain and international surges to better anticipate how hard omicron will hit the U.S.

But several experts said data is signaling the country is heading for a rough next few weeks coinciding with the holiday season, with Michael Osterholm, the director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He called it “a perfect storm in all regards.”

“We’re going to end up in a viral blizzard here in this country in the next three to eight weeks,” the former Biden adviser told The Hill.

“I can’t remember anything in my 46-year career that is reminiscent of what I’m certain is gonna happen here,” he added.

South Africa originally alerted the world to the strain in late November before enduring a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases surpassing a seven-day average of 25,000 new cases this week — the highest throughout the pandemic.

Since its discovery, at least 39 states and 75 countries have detected the highly transmissible strain, indicating a looming global surge.

European countries, in particular, have been pummeled with infections, with nations such as the United Kingdom and Denmark seeing sudden hikes in cases. Both countries also broke records for their seven-day daily case averages this week, according to Our World in Data.

“If things go in the United States the way they’ve gone in other countries — and there’s no reason to believe that that won’t be the case — it will soon become dominant here,” Fauci said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation event.

“Besides the toll of suffering and death — which will inevitably go up if in fact we have that convergence in the winter months of flu and omicron and delta — we could get our hospital systems overwhelmed,” he added.

Scientists are struck in particular by the rapid transmissibility of the omicron variant in other countries, as the strain’s rate is estimated to be two to three times faster than that of the delta variant.

Already, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the omicron strain makes up 3 percent of cases across the country. That number rises to about 13 percent in states such as New Jersey and New York.

Christopher Murray, the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, said once omicron makes up 1 percent of cases in a country, it is expected to overtake delta in about two weeks.

Based on his team’s modeling, he expects omicron to become dominant in some states before the end of the year, with the rest of states following in January.

“It’s going to be very transmissible, so therefore indoor gatherings at the holidays are certainly gonna fuel that transmission,” he said.

The biggest unknown among experts is whether the omicron strain causes milder disease than the delta strain, as first suggested by early data from South Africa.

“The reduction in severity is going to be a critical question in terms of impact in the U.S.,” Murray said. “Are hospitals gonna be overwhelmed, or are we gonna see a big surge in death?”

Even if the disease ends up milder, experts have warned high transmissibility alone could overwhelm hospitals with the amount of people needing care.

While scientists don’t know exactly what will happen in the U.S., Matthew Ferrari, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Penn State University, said there’s a “meaningfully good chance” cases will climb “very rapidly” in the next four to eight weeks.

“We should be preparing in advance of that happening to mitigate that outcome rather than wait,” he said. “Because if we wait to find out that it really will happen, then with a doubling time that fast, it’s just too late to implement reactive strategies, or the reactive strategies that we’re gonna have to implement are gonna be so draconian. And they’re gonna look like spring of 2020.”

Ferrari, who’s also a professor of biology, said there’s enough evidence already to take action, including beefing up hospital staffing and resources, ahead of any possible omicron wave.

“We’ll get more clarity over the next two, three weeks or so, but I think we have enough information now really to make a strong case for investing in preparing for this wave,” he said.

Focusing on getting more people vaccinated and boosted is key to preventing the worst of the omicron surge, experts said.

Still, Edwin Michael, a professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida, cautioned there’s still a lot of uncertainty, including on exactly when it arrived in the U.S. and how waning immunity in general could play a role in the wave.

“We need to wait on the data for the next three weeks or so to tell us which paths are the more probable,” he said.

Data from other countries also won’t definitively predict what will happen in the U.S., as the numbers are ultimately “unique” to the populations there, he said, noting South Africa’s younger population and the U.K.’s more vaccinated population.

In a sign of how uncertain everything is, Michael said his team’s model says the omicron variant won’t overtake delta until the spring, with delta fueling an immediate uptick, but he also acknowledged it could be “completely wrong.”

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T&T: Joint Protective Services Associations reject vaccine mandate

CMC

Members of the Joint Protective Services Associations in Trinidad and Tobago, have hit back against plans of mandating government workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

In an emergency meeting on Sunday, the heads of the Protective Services Associations comprising the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Social & Welfare Association, the Prison Officers’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Second Division, and the Fire Service Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Second Division, sought to address the announcement made by Prime Minister Dr Keith  Rowley, for the mandatory vaccination of all Government Workers starting in January.

The members of the association said that the “varying of Terms and Conditions of Employment without consultation is illegal and goes against all established Industrial Relations Practices/Laws, as articulated by the President of the Industrial Court, Mrs Deborah Thomas-Felix.”

The association added that everyone has the constitutional right to the enjoyment of the property and for workers that is their salaries. “The announcement threatens to violate those rights, which we utterly reject. We have deemed the action to impose a “quasi safe zone” work environment as being Discriminatory against the Protective Services given our daily functions with the general public and prisoners, who are not conditioned to such mandates.”

The statement also said that the  Government must make an official pronouncement on workers concerns over claims of Liabilities for adverse reactions associated with the vaccination.

“The Protective Services and by extension the Essential Services have been steadfast in their duties during the pandemic, while other public officers enjoy the luxury of being at home. Immediate steps should be taken to appropriately compensate these workers.”

“Collectively, as the bargaining bodies for members of the Protective Services, we will continue to defend the interest of our members and have always sought consultation with the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Security and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Nevertheless, we will not allow our members constitutional rights to be trampled upon.

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Park at Pinney’s, Named in Honour of the Late Hon. Malcolm Guishard,Officially Opens

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS  — The legacy of Hon. Malcolm Earl Guishard affectionally known as “Guish” was memorialised, when a multi-million-dollar park at Pinney’s was officially opened and renamed in his honour, at a ceremony on December 19, 2021.

Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis in his remarks, noted that the idea of the park was conceptualised by Mr. Guishard more than 20 years ago in the NIA where he served as the first Minister of Tourism. He was also held the position of Deputy Premier and other several other ministries.

“I say to you today that while it fell to me and my cabinet to design, fund and execute this magnificent project, the vision for a park at Pinney’s was not mine, no. That idea was born long before the start of my leadership of Nevis.

“That idea came from the vision of none other than Earl Malcolm Guishard or ‘Guish’, as he was affectionally called. He challenged us to create a brighter and better Nevis. He expended himself known to all, and while I don’t know it to be a fact, I am persuaded that even now ‘Guish’ is looking down on today’s event and smiling that broad smile that was his unique trademark,” he said.

Premier Brantley made clear Mr. Guishard’s role in laying the groundwork for the park at Pinney’s, in the cabinet led by Hon. Vance Amory, then Premier of Nevis.

“When the Pinney’s Estate was being sold, it was Malcolm Guishard who sought to keep this plot of land for all Nevisians to enjoy.  It was he who envisioned and stipulated that this site should be used as part of our tourism product. 

“When he was urged by some to keep just a small portion of the land, history will record that he adamantly resisted and insisted that all of it should be in the hands of Nevisians.  Such was brother Malcolm; such was the measure of the man.

“I say to you today that without the vision and foresight of Malcolm Guishard, this magnificent park would never have been possible. His unmatched vision has brought us all here today for this historic occasion,” he said.

According to Mr. Brantley, when his cabinet decided to memorialise Mr. Guishard’s efforts in giving life to the idea of a park for the people of Nevis; when they considered that his DNA is found in every facet of the development of Nevis; when they reflected on what could be done to honour him and keep his name and legacy secure in the hearts of all of our people, they agreed to name the park in Mr. Guishard’s honour, as a lasting reminder of the one who made it all possible.

Mrs. Yvonne Guishard, Mr. Guishard’s widow who unveiled the welcome sign and her family; his siblings Mrs. Mignon Wade and Mr. Hilary “Doc” Guishard and their families were also present at the ceremony.  The premier asked them to accept the gesture with satisfaction.

“May this small gesture forever fill you and your children with pride, and may this park be an everlasting reminder of the monumental efforts of brother Malcolm on behalf of us all.

“May it inspire every boy and girl alive today and those who shall be born tomorrow, to lend their time and talents to the service of our beloved Nevis and the wider federation. May this park bring us joy. May this park bring us peace of mind. May this park inspire us. May this park forever honour the Honourable Malcolm Guishard of blessed memory. May we cherish and care for it. May it stand as a lasting testament to the power of ideas of hope, of service, of international friendship, and of national pride,” the Premier said.

The Nevis Pinney’s Beach Park Project was a collaborative effort between the NIA and the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan). On July 19, 2019, during an historic visit to Nevis, President Tsai Ing-wen turned the sod at Pinney’s for construction of the park.

Hon. Michael Perkins, the NIA’s Project Manager for the Nevis Pinney’s Beach Park Project gave an overview of the project; and Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Kitts and Nevis His Excellency Michael Lin delivered remarks. The Invocation was done by Mr. Eric Maynard, Pastor Emeritus of the Shiloh Baptiste Church.

Among those present at the ceremony were His Excellency Sir Tapley Seaton, Governor General of St. Kitts and Nevis; Her Honour Mrs. Hyleeta Liburd, Deputy Governor General on Nevis; Hon. Vance Amory, Former Premier of Nevis; Hon Alexis Jeffers, Deputy Premier; Hon. Eric Evelyn; Hon. Spencer Brand; Hon. Troy Liburd; Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams; and Mr. Vincent Lai, International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) Project Manager of the Nevis Pinney’s Beach Park Project.  

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Team Ethanol Brings Christmas Cheer to 5 Children Who Lost Mothers

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS- Team Ethanol, a community-based organisation that was formed a year ago, has in its first outreach activity brought Christmas cheer to five children from the Market Street area in Central Basseterre who lost their mother last year.

At a colourful ceremony held on Friday December 17 at the Cenotaph, the War Memorial in Fortlands, Basseterre, Team Ethanol leader, Mrs La Toya Lake-Marshall and some members of the team made a presentation of five Fire Tablets – one each to the five ecstatic children

“My first project which I did, is to give to five beautiful children who are under the age of 16, and who are the kids of a beautiful young lady by the name of Tessa Woodley,” said Mrs Lake-Marshall. “She died in childbirth and I felt so passionate about those children, knowing that they do not have a mum to support them anymore.”

According to the Team Ethanol leader, Ms Tessa Woodley died in October last year, and her new born son died a day later. Children left behind are, Miss Toressa Woodley, Miss Ty’ahna Woodley, Master Zaza Woodley, Miss Charlotte Cabourne, and Miss Toressa Celindia Woodley.

“Yes, they have the dads but nothing beats when you have that mother figure,” observed Mrs Lake-Marshall. “I lost my mother a year and a half ago and my mum and I were very close, so I know how it feels. So, I decided to do something to add some Christmas cheer for them.”

Team Ethanol has been making lunches and saving whatever money they would raise from the sales. The five Fire Tablets were bought from those funds, and the donation to the children was their first outreach activity. The tablets will assist the children with their studies, do their homework, and other educational programmes.

“The kids were really excited and it brought warmth and joy to me to see that I could put a smile on their face and bring something positive from the negative part of losing their mum,” observed the Team Ethanol leader.

Mrs La Toya Lake-Marshall is the Director of Forensics with the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and is based at the Tabernacle Police Station where the forensics labs are housed. She explained that Team Ethanol is her brainchild with her husband, as she wanted to form something that is forensically inclined.

Ethanol, she pointed out, is an astringent with alcohol that everybody knows of, but in a good way. She explained that alcohol is basically an astringent that people use as it helps to disinfect, and as scientists and experts they rely on alcohol a lot to clean. She further noted that even in Covid-19 situations alcohol is the main ingredient in the hand sanitisers that are now in every day common use.

“So, I thought of ethanol in a sense of purging and cleaning the community in a positive way,” she said. “From the morbidness, in a sense of when you hear ‘forensics’ you think of death, you think of morbid things, you think of crime, you think of hurt. I decided to use ethanol as a name to clear and do something positive in the community. So, I decided to meet with other professionals such as myself from different walks of life and different industries.”

Members of Team Ethanol are Mrs La Toya Lake-Marshall, Mr Alex Marshall, Mrs Tara Daniel-Palmer, Ms Nadia St. Catherine, Ms Nicola St. Catherine, Mrs Shamara Huggins-Joseph, and Mr Damien Challenger.

They do not have an office, but can be reached individually. However, Mrs Lake-Marshall’s kitchen is Team Ethanol’s unofficial nerve centre where all the food is cooked. Dishes sell for not more than $30 and can even be delivered. All profits are saved for the organisation’s intended philanthropic programmes.

“I am very passionate about my love (forensics), I am very passionate about victims, I am very passionate about even persons who get caught up in crime and have to face the law, because these persons that I would have to put away – but there is always rehabilitation,” said Mrs Lake-Marshall. “So, I wanted to do something to give back to the people of St. Kitts, as they have been very warm to me. I have had some major experiences, I have cried with them, I have laughed with them.”

Mrs Lake-Marshall, who is originally from Antigua, informed that she loves to cook, having been trained by her mother. On Saturdays when she is free, she would cook a Caribbean dish and noted that there are business people in the community who love her cooking and her incentive. They are the ones who support the ministry of assisting others.

 

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I’m Back” Says Lula, Vowing a Broad Alliance Ahead of Brazil Election

By and

SAO PAULO, Dec 20 (Reuters) – Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is currently leading in the polls ahead of next year’s election, said if reelected he would seek to build a broad range of alliances in a bid to unite a deeply polarized country.

In an interview on Friday, the 76-year-old former union leader promised to more fairly distribute wealth under a Workers Party government, and stressed the need to get rich Brazilians to pay more tax.

He also vowed to regain Brazil’s international credibility, damaged by President Jair Bolsonaro. A South American trade deal with the European Union would be a priority, he said, as would strengthening ties with the United States and China.

“I don’t want to fight: I want to join forces so we can build,” he said at the Workers Party offices in downtown Sao Paulo.

It marks quite the reversal.

Just over two years ago he was in prison convicted of corruption, and until eight months ago he was banned from running for Brazil’s top job.

With those convictions annulled by the Supreme Court, the former leftist leader is back in the running. While there is a long way to go until the October presidential elections – and Lula has yet to officially declare his candidacy – current polls show him notching 48%. Bolsonaro, widely criticized for his handling of the pandemic, is a distant second with 21%.

“A resurrection,” Lula called it.

Lula governed Brazil from 2003 until 2010 and oversaw a period of dramatic economic growth – driven by a commodity boom – that helped lift millions out of poverty.

Under his government, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest fell and Brazil emerged as a global force. He left office with approval ratings of around 80%.

Polls suggest the memory of those years is selling well.

But today’s reality, despite some parallels, is markedly different. Brazil’s political spectrum is far more polarized, the pandemic has killed over 600,000 people and thrown many more into poverty.

As the world reopens, inflationary pressures have become a global problem, not just a Brazilian one – and harder to fix as a result. Environmentally, South America’s largest country has become a pariah.

Lula said he would reestablish Brazil as a regional and global player.

“Together with the European Union, we (South America) could form an economic bloc, a bloc with similar political positions, with similar environmental views, to face up to the two giants… the United States and China,” he said.

On the economy, he called for a council of 100 people, taken from all sections of society, to help form economic and social policy.

He said he would like to see the inheritance tax, which is around 4% in Brazil, brought closer to European levels of about 50%.

But, for Lula, more money in the hands of the poor helps to grow the consumer base, creating a bigger market for companies to sell their goods. He dismissed investor concerns of a future Lula government. “I will offer you a market,” he said.

Although many Brazilians remember Lula’s presidency fondly, the years that followed soured the Workers Party legacy.

Under his successor, Dilma Rousseff, the economy first slowed, then fell off a cliff. As the party’s political star fell, Rousseff lost support in Congress and was impeached. Prosecutors uncovered a massive corruption scheme.

“If there was (graft in my government), we created the whole apparatus that investigated corruption,” he said, referencing investment in police intelligence, the passing of transparency laws and the autonomy of public prosecutors.

Analysts had expected a resurgent Lula to stoke support for Bolsonaro. But that has not yet materialized.

Instead the pandemic, rising poverty and inflation have dented the president’s popularity.

Lula has been careful not to help his rival too, presenting himself as peacemaker with little of the fiery rhetoric for which he became known as a union boss.

“The polarization is not between Lula and Bolsonaro: the polarization is between Bolsonaro and everyone else,” he said.

As part of that strategy, sources close to Lula say he is considering ex-rival Geraldo Alckmin as a centrist running mate.

A four-term former governor of business powerhouse Sao Paulo, Alckmin is an unlikely partner but one brimming with market credibility.

Lula said no decision had been taken but was full of praise for the man who ran against him for the presidency in 2006. “Alckmin is a very important political figure,” he said.

About his own future, Lula was more forthright. “I’m back in the game. I want to play, and I want to win.”

Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Stephen Eisenhammer; editing by Diane Craft

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Jamaican Diaspora Members Receive National Awards at Washington Embassy

Several members of the Jamaican diaspora who had been conferred with national honors earlier this year officially received their awards on Friday, December 17, during a ceremony at the Jamaican embassy in Washington D.C.

The awards, which were conferred as a part of Jamaica’s Annual National Honours and Awards held in October, were presented by Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Audrey Marks on behalf of the Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen.

Among the honorees was Jamaican Economist Professor  Donald J. Harris, the father of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who was this year’s only recipient of Jamaica’s third-highest national honor, the Order of Merit. He was conferred with the Order of Merit for his contribution to National Development.

Professor Harris joined five other Jamaicans living in the United States who received national awards and two persons who received the Governor General’s Jamaica Diaspora Achievement Award.

One of Jamaica’s finest athletes Jacqueline Fedalis Pusey was conferred with the Order of Distinction, Commander Class for her contribution to sports and in particular, the Jamaica Athletic Programme.

Jamaica’s Honorary Consul to Chicago, Mr. Lloyd Hyde was conferred with the Order of Distinction, Officer Class, for his contribution to the Jamaican Diaspora in Illinois and adjoining mid-western states of the United States.

Well-known film producer Michael London was conferred with the Order of Distinction, Officer Class for his work in the creative industries, advertising, film and music video production.

Security Attaché at the Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, Superintendent Gloria Davis-Simpson was conferred with the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service for her contribution to the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

Mrs Debora Pixley-Clarke was conferred with the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service for her contribution to the Jamaica Defence Force.

The Governor General’s Jamaica Diaspora Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Trudy Hall of Maryland for her contribution to medicine and Ms Cassandra Campbell for her contribution to small business development.

In conferring the awards, Ambassador Marks congratulated all the recipients and noted  that they all were “representative of the greatness that lies in the Jamaican Diaspora.”

The Ambassador pointed out that “It is indeed an indisputable fact that Jamaicans in the United States have been doing exceptionally well. As Ambassador of Jamaica to the United States of America, I am proud of your accomplishments and honored to be representing this “dot” on the map whose contributions to the world continue to outweigh our tiny size.

Let me take this opportunity to offer my heartiest congratulations and appreciation to the honourees for their sterling service to Jamaica and unbroken commitment to their various fields of expertise.”

In responding on behalf of the awardees, Professor Harris thanked the Government of Jamaica and expressed “our deep appreciation and gratitude for the honor you have conferred upon us in recognition of our contribution to the land of our birth and the land we love.

Donald Harris 1
Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States Her Excellency Audrey Marks conferred on Professor Donald J. Harris Jamaica’s third highest honour, the Order of Merit for his contribution to National Development, at a ceremony held at the Embassy of Jamaica in Washington DC on Friday the 17th of December 2021.( Photo Derrick Scott)

“It is indeed a great honor, and we feel duly honored and blessed for it. We shall wear this badge/insignia with the pride and dignity that it deserves. I can say for all of us awardees that the work we did was done out of a sense of love for the country and a strong sense of duty to give back to the country that brought us up.”

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