A memorial service for Colin Powell will be held on Nov. 5 at the Washington National Cathedral, according to a spokesman for the former secretary of State.
The service, set for noon, will have “very limited seating and it will be by invitation only,” Powell spokeswoman Peggy Cifrino told multiple outlets in a written statement.
A nation’s loss: Powell, the first Black secretary of State, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman and National Security Advisor, died on Monday due to complications from COVID-19. He was 84.
He had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus but had a history of multiple myeloma, a common blood cancer that weakens the immune system.
Powell’s decorated military career that included two tours in Vietnam led to key military and diplomatic positions throughout Washington, serving under both Democratic and Republican presidents.
He was President Reagan’s National Security Adviser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton, and secretary of State during under President George W. Bush.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel recommended the agency allow Moderna and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine booster doses to be administered, the latest step toward expanding access to extra doses nationwide.
The committee backed widening booster accessibility for people who initially received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson after the CDC previously approved the Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots for specific populations.
The panel, in a 15-0 vote, endorsed a third shot for certain populations at least six months after their second dose of an mRNA vaccine, either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech. It also unanimously suggested allowing a second dose for all adults who initially received Johnson & Johnson at least two months after their first shot.
What the votes mean: The vote brings recommendations for Moderna recipients in line with those who got the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and opens up opportunities for Johnson & Johnson recipients to get another shot.
The panel did not take a position on whether any vaccine booster was better, and did not recommend giving people the flexibility to mix and match, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended its emergency use authorization to permit mix-and-match booster doses. The panel was not able to express a preference for people using a different brand for a booster, but they asked CDC to give more details in clinical guidance. So mixing and matching will be allowed, but there wasn’t an official recommendation.
What’s next: CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will next consider the committee’s suggestions before ruling on these boosters.
If she approves the other two booster populations, about 99 million Americans in total will be considered eligible to get a booster. The director generally goes along with the recommendations, but she overruled aspects of the committee’s decision in a rare departure on the Pfizer booster.
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India: A Billion COVID 19 Shots Given
India has reached a milestone in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign: 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered. Now, half of the country’s nearly 1.4 billion people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and many of those shots have come in the past few months, following a slow initial roll out. Still, millions of Indians are yet to receive a single dose of the jab.
Russia is another Matter
Meanwhile in Russia, Moscow announced a new set of restrictions that will shut down restaurants, cinemas and non-food stores, as the country hit a new record in the daily numbers of new coronavirus infections and deaths since the start of the pandemic. About 45 million Russians are fully vaccinated in a country with a population of 146 million.
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What you need to know about the coronavirus right now
Staff members in protective suits check proof of negative test results for travellers at an entrance to the Harbin West Railway Station following new local cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China September 22, 2021. cnsphoto via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CHINA OUT.
World’s most locked-down city eases pandemic restrictions
Melbourne residents flocked to the city’s pubs, restaurants and hair salons in the early hours of Friday after the world’s most locked-down city emerged from its latest spate of restrictions designed to combat the spread of COVID-19.
People were seen cheering and clapping from their balconies, while cars honked horns continuously at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday when lockdown restrictions in place since early August ended. Many venues, including food outlets and even haircutters, opened at the unusual hour for the occasion. read more
Hong Kong halts cruise to nowhere as COVID-19 suspected in crew member
Hong Kong authorities stopped “Spectrum of the Seas”, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, from departing its terminal late on Thursday on a “cruise to nowhere”, as a crew member was suspected to have COVID-19 after routine testing, the government and the cruise operator said.
About 1,000 passengers out of a total of 1,200 had already boarded the ship before the four-night trip was cancelled. All have to undergo compulsory testing but were allowed to leave the ship as they did not have direct contact with the crew member. read more
U.S. CDC signs off on vaccine boosters, mix-and-match shots
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday recommended the COVID-19 vaccine boosters for recipients of the Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson shots, and said Americans can choose a different shot from their original inoculation as a booster.
The panel struggled with trying to make the language of its recommendations as clear as possible, and also offer flexibility for patients to get a vaccine of their choice.
“A really important aspect of all of this is being clear and not dancing on the head of a pin, so that we don’t further confuse the American people,” said Dr. Beth Bell, a panel member and clinical professor in the department of global health at the University of Washington in Seattle. read more
Thailand to allow quarantine-free travel from 46 countries
Thailand will let vaccinated visitors from 46 countries forgo COVID-19 quarantine from next month, up from 10 previously announced, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Thursday.
The 46 countries include Britain, the United States, China, Singapore, Germany and Australia, according to the ministry of foreign affairs.
Prayuth said the visitors could skip mandatory quarantine as long as they arrive via air, have been fully vaccinated and have a document to show they are virus-free. read more
New Zealand sets 90% vaccine target for ending lockdown
New Zealand will end its strict lockdown measures and restore more freedoms only when 90% of its eligible population is fully vaccinated, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday. Some 68% of eligible New Zealanders are fully vaccinated and 86% have had one dose.
When the vaccine target is reached, the country will move into a new traffic-light system to manage outbreaks in regions.
Vaccine certificates will be central to the new system, which will also use three settings – green, orange and red – to manage fresh outbreaks and cases, Ardern said. The new system would also mean an end to nationwide lockdowns. read more
Compiled by Karishma Singh; Editing by Himani Sarkar
Loop- Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris has encouraged the people of the Federation to consider large or small scale farming in the face of the global supply chain bottleneck.
Addressing the nation, the Prime Minister said the government appreciates the importance of agriculture in the delivery of a better quality of life to the people of the federation, as food is a basic human need. He said globally, the challenge to have food in adequate quantities and simultaneously at affordable prices is great.
The bottleneck is due to an increase in demand for products as online shopping has significantly increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In many instances, however, manufacturers are unable to meet the rise in demand due to staff shortages and reduced operating hours restrictions and curfews continue to be put in place to limit the spread of the virus. Labour shortages are also impacting ports where the goods land, which in turn slows the offloading and inspection process thereby creating a bottleneck. Experts are predicting that this issue will get worse before it gets better.
Prime Minister Harris pointed to the supply chains around the world that continue to be disrupted by COVID-19 as backlogs increase. He also warned that there will be an adverse movement in the price of food items as an increase in transportation costs and fuel prices are realized. Costs of goods are likely to increase as a consequence of the supply chain disruptions and shortages due to climate change.
This is where, he said, locally grown foods play a critical role. “In the medium and long term, our challenge is to produce more of what we need to feed ourselves. We need to produce, store and distribute food at affordable prices. From a health perspective, a conscious effort has to be made by all of us to include more fresh fruits and vegetables in our diet. Fresh food is to be preferred over-processed foods. Foods that are low in salt and sugar are better for our health and wellness. A determined effort is required by our farmers and backyard gardeners to produce more of what we need.”
At a recent National Emergency Operations Center briefing, the Chairman of the COVID-19 Taskforce Abdias Samuel brought attention to the supply chain bottleneck which has not yet affected the federation. He however encouraged citizens and residents to manage resources and supplies that are currently available until a global solution is found. He said there was no need for panic, but necessary preventative measures must be put in place to be resilient against these types of global challenges.
In 2020 the St Kitts Nevis government responded to the food security challenge with additional budgetary support of $10 million. Support was offered to farmers in land preparation, fencing wire, reduced cost of bayticol, etc. Fisherfolk have been supported with fishing wire, fishing ropes and other necessities of their trade. In 2021, the budget support to the sector was increased while maintaining the support of duty-free concessions on farm vehicles, and removal of VAT from agricultural inputs including seeds and other implements.
Harris said the growth in the agriculture sector is highlighted by more lands being made available for farmers. There are over 1200 registered farmers and over 1200 registered fisherfolk, highlighting the growth in our agriculture sector. The Basseterre Public Market has been renovated and new farmers vending areas have been created as part of the government’s mission to build ‘stronger, healthier and more economically advanced communities.’
As more persons take advantage of the opportunities provided to them to earn through farming, new farms have been coming on stream in areas across the country.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the government of St. Kitts and Nevis to offer stimulus packages to offer assistance to those persons most affected by the devastating global phenomenon.
Prime Minister Harris in his address also gave an update on elements of the government’s second stimulus package.
The Prime Minister informed that the third round of payments under the income support programme totalling $2.6 million was made on Monday. He said to date, 2,973 persons (98.8% of the approved applications) have benefitted from the programme which has recorded a total payout of $7.7 million since its launch.
In giving an update on the fuel Subsidy Programme, he pointed out that 118 individuals have submitted applications to the Ministry as of 15 October 2021. The total payout to date is $129,800.
For the Disability Support Programme, The Treasury has made the third round of payments to 155 applicants. The total payout to date is $248,000 ($233,000 to individual applicants plus $15,000 to Ade’s Place).
Food Truck Vendors Support Programme has assisted the four persons who have applied for assistance. The applications were received and approved by the Ministry and these vendors have all received payment.
The government’s second stimulus package also includes the waiver of commercial rent for small businesses which lease space from select government ministries, the waiver of stall fees for vendors using the public market and the reduction in travel tax in an effort to boost visitor arrival to the Federation.
The concessions associated with the government’s second stimulus package end in December 2021.
The appointment of Kenneth Merten as chargé d’affaires signals a commitment to continued meddling in the Haitian government—despite warnings from the last envoy.
Hardly anyone in the United States has heard of the senior American diplomat Kenneth Merten, but in Haiti, he was already a widely disliked household name even before the State Department reassigned him to Port-au-Prince on October 12. Haitians view his appointment as a provocative sign that the Biden administration will continue interfering in their country’s affairs.
Meanwhile, the mainstream U.S. media is giving front-page coverage to the October 16 kidnapping of 17 American missionaries—and to what TheNew York Times calls “a country reduced to near lawlessness by natural disaster, corruption and political assassination.” Left out of the sensationalist American reports, however, is the firm conviction of many Haitians that the disastrous U.S. policies of the past decade have contributed to the present instability and chaos, and that the appointment of Merten is a dangerous indication that the State Department is doubling down on failure.
U.S. policy makers have apparently learned nothing from the former diplomat Daniel Foote, who resigned his senior post last month with a blistering indictment of America’s role in Haiti. On October 7, Foote appeared before a House foreign affairs subcommittee to elaborate on his critique. Veteran Haiti watchers were astonished by his candor. He blamed the U.S. for manipulating Haiti’s politics, for imposing the current “de facto” prime minister, Ariel Henry, and for propping up the ruling party, the PHTK, which he said is “blamed by Haitians for putting Haiti where it is today.”
Haitians who know Merten, Foote’s replacement, tell me he is pleasant, and fluent in Kreyol, the national language. But they have bad memories of his previous role there. In 2016, for instance, as special coordinator for Haiti, he vigorously pushed for Haitians to swallow the results of the October 2015 presidential election, which was widely regarded as rigged.
Haitians resisted but held a questionable re-vote later that year in which the ruling party won again. One well-placed Haitian source told me the episode was “an electoral coup d’etat.” In recent days, old photos circulated on social media showing Merten beaming alongside the corrupt previous president, Michel Martelly; in one, the U.S. diplomat is even pictured wearing a pink wristband, the PHTK’s color.
But there is hope for Haiti. Foote told the House subcommittee that a broad-based coalition of civil society organizations and a range of political groups have already tentatively agreed on a comprehensive two-year transitional process that would restore order and eventually lead to new elections.
The coalition pointedly calls itself the Commission for a Haitian Solution to the Crisis. (It is known as the Montana Accord, after the hotel where it was signed.) The group is also successfully negotiating with other political forces. “There’s been a good dialogue process, the best I’ve ever seen,” Foote said. “They’ve reached agreements in Haiti that I didn’t think they would ever come up with.”
The State Department is not heeding the advice of either the Haitian coalition or Foote, but it continues to prop up the discredited de facto regime. As Foote told the subcommittee, “Haitians are close to an agreement if it doesn’t have to include the Ariel Henry government, which is . . . perceived as completely corrupt, with impunity, with ties to the gangs. The U.S. should stop imposing Ariel Henry on the Haitian people.”
The Haitian people are not sitting by waiting to be rescued. On October 18, they carried out a successful nationwide road blockade and work stoppage, which closed the country down, to protest the wave of violence and to demand that Henry resign. The latest protest is nothing new. Earlier this year, tens of thousands of Haitians regularly filled the streets in pro-democracy marches, and back in late 2019 a general strike against corruption brought the country to a standstill for two months.
TheNew York Times did recognize the resistance with a brief report on Monday’s protest, after mostly ignoring the mass movement for democracy. But the Gray Lady and the rest of the mainstream press continue to say nothing about the Haitian indictment of U.S. policy, even though reporters could stop just about anyone in the streets of Port-au-Prince and get some sharp comments.
Over the years, apologists for the U.S.-Haiti policy argue, usually discreetly and sometimes with embarrassment, that the State Department supports undemocratic governments there because it craves stability, which it believes will prevent Haitians from fleeing to the United States—its number one concern. Daniel Foote demolished that view in his resignation letter: “I do not believe that Haiti can enjoy stability until her citizens have the dignity of truly choosing their own leaders fairly and acceptably.”
The Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Services says air quality is forecast to fall to moderate levels from tonight due to a surge in Saharan dust particles and emissions from the volcano in La Palma, Canary Islands.
In an Air Quality Bulletin issued today, the met office states that the air quality is forecast to fall to moderate levels as a result of particulate matters 2.5 and 10, associated primarily with a surge in Saharan Dust.
It went on to say there is also high confidence that emissions from the volcano in La Palma, Canary Islands are also reaching the area.
The Meteorological Agency has cautioned that the threat of health problems will become elevated for mainly unusually sensitive people, such as asthmatics and could potentially cause them limited impacts.
St. Kitts & Nevis now welcomes fully vaccinated international air travelers from India and South Africa.
The removal of the travel restrictions at this time for India and South Africa is consistent with the lifting of the restrictions on travelers from the UK on September 1, 2021.
St. Kitts & Nevis travel restriction remains in place for international travelers from Brazil.
St. Kitts & Nevis welcomes fully vaccinated international air travelers from India and South Africa with the October 18, 2021, removal of the restriction on travelers from these two destinations.
The removal of the travel restrictions at this time for India and South Africa is consistent with the lifting of the restrictions on travelers from the UK on September 1, 2021, and aligns with the continued upward momentum of the vaccination rate in the Federation. The travel restriction remains in place for international travelers from Brazil.
Among the adult population of St. Kitts & Nevis, 77.4% have received one dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, with 70.3% of the adult population fully vaccinated; among children and teenagers between the ages of 12 – 17, 10.9% of have received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine with 6.8% having received two doses. (Statistics as of October 19, 2021).
Effective October 7, 2021, “Vacation in Place” was reduced to 24 hours, with the required RT PCR arrivals test taken onsite at “Travel Approved” hotels and accommodations.
Test results will be made available during the 24-hour “Vacation in Place.” Those travelers with a negative test result may fully integrate into the Federation after the 24-hour period has elapsed and enjoy the myriad experiences St. Kitts & Nevis offers including, dining in restaurants, experiencing the vibe at one of the local beach bars on “The Strip,” visiting our unique and one-of-kind attractions, sailing the clear waters, hiking the volcano, shopping our local craft markets or just chilling at one of our beaches.
As announced on May 29, 2021 only fully vaccinated travelers will be allowed entry to the Federation.
Exemptions are in place for Citizens and Residents of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and children under the age of 18 accompanying their fully vaccinated parents or guardians.
All Travel Protocols and Requirements remaining in place for the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis, including the submission of negative test results from an RT PCR test 72 hours prior to arrival.
A traveler is considered fully vaccinated when two weeks have passed since receiving their second dose of a two dose vaccine series (Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Oxford, Sinopharm or Sinovac), or two weeks after they have received a single dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson). Mixing of approved vaccines for St. Kitts and Nevis is accepted.
SAO PAULO, Oct 20 (Reuters) – Brazil’s Justice Ministry has dispatched security forces to an indigenous reservation in the south of the country where two people have been killed in a dispute over renting land to soy farmers.
Federal police said they are investigating the fatal shooting of two members of the Kaingang tribe on Saturday during a wave of violence fueled by dissent in the community over distributing the farming income.
Iuri de Oliveira, the officer leading the investigation, told Reuters that Rosenildo Batista and Lucas Caetano were killed after being expelled from the reservation over a disagreement with the tribal leader. He said police have identified suspects in the killings but have not made any arrests yet.
Human rights groups and members of the Kaingang community say the murders are related to an arrangement to grow cash crops on the Serrinha reservation, a 12,000-hectare area in Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul.
With scarce global soy supplies and Brazil selling large volumes to China, the pressure is immense to expand grain areas, and far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has encouraged commercial farming on indigenous lands.
In an order published in the government’s official gazette on Tuesday, Justice Minister Anderson Torres authorized national security forces to support police on the Serrinha reservation.
Funai, the government’s indigenous affairs agency, said it is monitoring the situation.
Although challenged as unconstitutional, a 2019 settlement between Funai, federal prosecutors and Cotriserra, a cooperative of Serrinha residents, has allowed the residents to keep leasing reservation land for farming.
In a statement, the Roman Catholic Church’s Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) said the leasing of Serrinha land had spurred divisions over the distribution of income, calling on authorities to end land rentals to stop the violence.
In a public letter last month, a group of Kaingang elders accused the tribe’s chief, Marciano Inacio Claudino, of hoarding proceeds from the three 60kg bags of soybeans per hectare that commercial farmers are paying for leased land.
Claudino told Reuters by telephone he had done nothing wrong and that he has the support of 90% of the Serrinha community members.
Reporting by Ana Mano Additional reporting by Anthony Boadle Editing by Brad Haynes and Karishma Singh
PANAMA CITY, Oct 20 (Reuters) – The presidents of Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday asked for U.S. assistance in stemming the flow of thousands of migrants crossing the dangerous jungles that divide Panama and Colombia as they make their way to the United States.
Panama’s President Laurentino Cortizo hosted a meeting with Costa Rica’s Carlos Alvarado Quesada and Dominican Republic’s Luis Abinader in Panama City on Wednesday, where they discussed the burgeoning migrant crisis.
Cortizo said that so far this year a record number of more than 100,000 undocumented migrants have trekked north from Colombia through the Darien Gap, a lawless jungle teeming with everything from deadly snakes to anti-government guerrillas.
The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said earlier this month that some 19,000 migrant children have crossed the Darien Gap so far in 2021, almost three times higher than the total for the previous five years. read more
Cortizo said the situation demands concrete solutions and that Washington should play an active role in assisting.
The Latin American leaders agreed “that our foreign ministers urgently articulate with the U.S. authorities and other countries to … look for concrete measures,” he added.
The presidents discussed the possibility of establishing a strategy of investments and job creation in Haiti, home to many of the migrants.
Cortizo said that he is seeking a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden during the United Nations’ COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
In early 2021, Panamanian authorities had warned of a possible crisis after opening the borders that had for months been closed because of the pandemic.
By September, the immigration authorities of the Central American nation reported a record number of 91,305 migrants who entered from neighboring Colombia. Of these, 56,676 were Haitians and 12,870 Cubans.
Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Anthony Esposito Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore
BRASILIA, Oct 20 (Reuters) – Brazilian senators investigating the handling of the country’s COVID-19 outbreak have dropped a recommendation from their draft report that President Jair Bolsonaro be charged with genocide and homicide, instead accusing him of “crimes against humanity.”
Senators leading the congressional probe met late on Tuesday to discuss a report prepared by opposition Senator Renan Calheiros, and agree to remove the homicide and genocide accusations due to what one senator called technical reasons.
The draft report still needs to be voted on by the Senate commission and could be vetoed and altered.
“The decisions were technical, not political,” opposition Senator Humberto Costa told Reuters. “We can’t run the risk of the report being thrown out by a judge because the characterization of the crimes was not precise.”
In practice, the senators’ decision changes little for Bolsonaro, who has dismissed the probe as politically motivated. It is highly unlikely that the far-right politician will face trial on any such charges, which would have to be brought by Brazil’s prosecutor general, whom Bolsonaro appointed.
The findings of the congressional probe, however, underline the growing political isolation of Bolsonaro a year before the next presidential election. His popularity has suffered from a weak economy, rising inflation and his handling of the outbreak.
More than 600,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Brazil, which has the second-highest death toll after the United States.
The nearly 1,200-page report, which was made public on Tuesday, had recommended 13 charges for Bolsonaro, including genocide against indigenous communities for actions that allegedly left them vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Costa said the senators that deliberated on Tuesday evening determined there was not sufficient evidence for a charge of genocide, as defined by the International Criminal Court. He added that a homicide charge would be difficult to substantiate as it requires a single, individual victim.
Calheiros, who was responsible for the original draft, told CNN Brasil he had conceded to colleagues’ technical arguments against the formal accusations of homicide and genocide.
Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia Additional reporting by Ricardo Brito in Brasilia and Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo Writing by Gram Slattery Editing by Brad Haynes, Nick Zieminski and Paul Simao
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