Tag Archives: caribbean

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Aukus: UK, US and Australia Launch Pact to Counter China

The UK, US and Australia have announced a historic security pact in the Asia-Pacific, in what’s seen as an effort to counter China.

It will let Australia build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, using technology provided by the US.

The pact, to be known as Aukus, will also cover artificial intelligence, cyber and quantum technologies.

It is the biggest defence partnership among the countries in decades, analysts say.

China’s embassy in Washington reacted by accusing the countries of a “Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice”.

In recent years, the Western democracies have all expressed concerns about China’s growing military assertiveness.

The new partnership aimed to “promote security and prosperity” in the region, said US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison in a joint virtual press briefing.

But in one awkward moment, Mr Biden appeared to forget Mr Morrison’s name, referring to him as “that fellow down under”.

The pact means Australia has torn up a A$50bn (€31bn; £27bn) deal it signed with France in 2016, to build 12 submarines.

What is Aukus?

It is probably the most significant security arrangement between the three nations since World War Two, analysts say.

The pact will focus on military capability, separating it from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance which also includes New Zealand and Canada.

While Australia’s submarines is the big-ticket item, Aukus will also involve sharing of cyber capabilities, AI, quantum and other undersea technologies.

“This is an historic opportunity for the three nations, with like-minded allies and partners, to protect shared values and promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” the joint statement read.

The leaders did not refer to China directly, but said regional security challenges had “grown significantly”

“This really shows that all three nations are drawing a line in the sand to start and counter [China’s] aggressive moves in the Indo-Pacific,” said Guy Boekenstein from the Asia Society Australia.

What’s the background?

China’s military build-up and increasing aggression has worried rival powers in recent years.

Beijing has been accused of raising tensions in disputed territories such as the South China Sea.

It has also invested heavily in its military capacity, including its Coast Guard which some analysts argue has become a de facto military fleet.

Western nations have been wary of China’s infrastructure investment on Pacific islands and also criticised China’s trade sanctions against countries like Australia.

Australia had in the past maintained good relations with China, its biggest trading partner.

But the relationship has broken down in recent years amid political tensions.

Why nuclear-powered submarines?

These submarines are much faster and harder to detect than conventionally powered fleets. They can stay submerged for months, shoot missiles longer distances and also carry more.

Having them stationed in Australia is critical to US influence in the region, analysts say.

The US is sharing its submarine technology for the first time in 50 years. It had previously only shared technology with the UK.

Australia will become just the seventh nation in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines, after the US, UK, France, China, India and Russia.

Its contract with France had been hit by delays due to Canberra’s requirement that several components be locally sourced.

Australia has reaffirmed it has no intention of obtaining nuclear weapons.

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What’s been the reaction?

China’s embassy spokesman in Washington said nations “should not build exclusionary blocs targeting… the interests of third parties”.

French officials said Australia’s reneged deal showed “a lack of coherence that France can only note and regret.”

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Meanwhile New Zealand said it would ban Australia’s submarines from its waters, in line with an existing policy on the presence of nuclear-powered submarines.

New Zealand, although a Five Eyes member, has been more cautious in aligning with either the US or China in the Pacific.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her nation had not been approached to join the pact.

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Driver Charged In Fatal Accident

Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 15, 2021 (RSCNPF): On Tuesday, September 14, 2021, 35-year-old Kellian Hazel of St. Paul’s was arrested and charged for the offence of Causing Death by Dangerous Driving. Hazel was granted bail that same day in the sum of $50,000 with two sureties. His bail condition is that he is to report to the Dieppe Bay Police Station every Thursday between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

 The fatal accident occurred on August 27, 2021, and resulted in the death of 21-year-old Keniqua David of Saddlers Village.

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Ninth COVID death recorded in St. Kitts and Nevis

The ninth COVID-19 death has been recorded in St. Kitts and Nevis Minister of Health Akilah Byron-Nisbett has announced.

She announced in an address to the nation Wednesday afternoon reiterating the importance of vaccinations.

The minister said of the nine COVID deaths in St. Kitts and Nevis eight were not fully vaccinated.

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Zoned STEP community enhancement groups maintain Heroes’ Park to a higher level

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, September 15, 2021 (S.T.E.P.) — The National Heroes’ Park in Conaree will be the centre of attention on Thursday September 16 as the country celebrates its National Heroes, by hosting the Head of State, Head of Government, members of Cabinet, family members of the National Heroes, and the general public in the solemn but hugely significant ceremony.

The Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP), through its Community Enhancement Groups has ensured that the park is in its best shape as it hosts the National Heroes’ Day activities. According to the STEP Field Operations Manager, Mr William Phillip, the community enhancement groups, which were recently put into four zones, have done a tremendous job in a very short time.

“When our people come to the National Heroes’ Park they will see for themselves the work that has been done by our community enhancement groups in Zone One,” said Mr Phillip.

He explained that Zone One, which is led by STEP Zonal Field Officer Mr Cleavon Huggins, covers the areas from West Farm to Bird Rock, including St. Peter’s. While there were eleven community enhancement groups scattered in the area mentioned, with the zoning they have now been compressed into three larger teams.

Honouring the Heroes: From right are Mr William Phillip, Mr Cleavon Huggins, Zone One, Team One Assistant Supervisor Ms Sophia Charles, and Zone One, Team One Supervisor Mr Earle Dexter O’Garro.

According to Mr Huggins, Team One which did the work at Heroes’ Park is now going under the name New Keys Team. It was formerly comprised of community enhancement groups covering Conaree, Keys, Needsmust, Bird Rock, Newtown, and Heroes Park.

Team One is the largest of the three teams in Zone One, and its Supervisor Mr Earle Dexter O’Garro praised the efforts that have been put in by the combined groups noting that they now have more tools at their disposal, and a result they do more work in less time. Assistant Supervisor is Ms Sophia Charles.

The other team in Zone One, according to STEP Zonal Field Officer Mr Cleavon Huggins, is the West Basseterre Team which covers community enhancement groups formerly in Buckley’s, Village, and Dorset Park. The third one is the St. Peter’s Team that includes community enhancement groups formerly in Shadwell and St. Peter’s.

“Recently, the STEP has had reasons to zone all the community enhancement groups to maximise productivity,” said STEP Field Operations Manager, Mr William Phillip. “What used to happen in the past is that in every community/village there was a community enhancement group of STEP interns.”

It was however found out that persons on the community groups would be from the community itself and were not willing to move out of their community to work elsewhere. This disadvantaged the STEP, as when persons completed their task in the village, they would have nothing else to do and would just hang around for the rest of the day.

West Basseterre Team of STEP’s Zone One seen at work in LaGuerite Village. Supervisor Mr Shawn David is on the left and next to him is Mr William Phillip, while Mr Cleavon Huggins is on the right.
Leaving nothing to chance: STEP Community Enhancement Group workers in New Keys Team of Zone One seen working at the Heroes’ Park.
STEP Community Enhancement Group workers in New Keys Team of Zone One seen working at the Heroes’ Park as they prepared the grounds for National Heroes’ Day activities to be held on Thursday September 16.

St. Kitts was as a result divided into four zones, and having recently visited Zone Two which covers the areas Boyd’s, Challengers, Old Road, Sandy Point, going down to Newton Ground and into St. Paul’s, Mr Phillip was appreciative of the great improvement in productivity and quality of work by the combined community enhancement groups.

“As the same results we have got from Zone Two, more productivity because they are grouped together, we now have more availability of the equipment and such like so we can do much more, which results in greater efficiency,” said Mr Phillip. “Based on what we have seen at the Heroes’ Park, Zone One is performing well and as a result of that, we can say that STEP is serving the nation well.”

Mr Phillip, accompanied by Mr Huggins visited the West Basseterre Team, which is under the supervision of Mr Shawn David, as they worked and cleared bushes along the discarded former sugar train tracks in LaGuerite Village.

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Corona Effect: Volunteer Carers Sought for Hard Hit Grenada Seniors Homes

The Diocese of St George’s in Grenada, which is responsible for three senior citizens’ homes,  has been affected by COVID-19 so badly volunteer care workers are being recruited.

It is so dire that an appeal has been made for persons who are available to provide care to come forward to bolster the staff shortages being faced.

The RC Bishop says with the significant reduction in the staff levels at the three homes, maintaining staff to resident ratios has now become a major challenge.

They are appealing to anyone who is a registered nurse, caregiver or retired health professional and is willing and able to assist staff in this crisis to contact the Bishop’s Office – 443-5299 or 440-2542 or their parish priest.

In a statement Roman Catholic Bishop Clyde Harvey provided a breakdown of the COVID-19 status at these three homes:

Hilarion Home —the hardest hit

  • As of September 14, there have been eight confirmed COVID-related deaths and two additional deaths, the cause of which cannot be confirmed at this time.

  • Of the remaining 21 residents, 16 are confirmed positive for the virus.

  • Six of the residents have been fully vaccinated.

  • The complement of 16 staff has been reduced to six at the moment with 10 in isolation at home.

  • Eight of the regular staff have tested positive.

Hillview Home 

  • Two deaths have been confirmed as COVID related.

  • Eight residents confirmed positive active cases of which two are vaccinated.

  • Six of the 25 residents have been fully vaccinated.

  • Of a staff of 26, ten are fully vaccinated with another three having one dose.

  • Of the seven positive cases, five are fully vaccinated.

St Martin’s Home 

  • No COVID related deaths were recorded at the Home.

  • There are seven positive cases.

  • Of the total population of 27 residents, only five have not been vaccinated.

Bishop Harvey says in his view, now is not the time for blaming, shaming or recrimination.

He says the only thing that matters now is to get the situation under control for the benefit of residents and staff.

Bishop Harvey’s statement comes following today’s Post Cabinet media briefing where the issues facing private homes for the elderly was discussed.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Shawn Charles said the Ministry of Health approached private homes and asked them to have residents and staff vaccinated, which turned out to be unsuccessful.

“It’s nothing short of tragic given that we had scientifically proven ways of avoiding this situation.”

He hopes other facilities are observing.

Minister of Health Nickolas Steele said he personally appealed to managers of these homes to have their staff and residents vaccinated.

“Grenada will not implement draconian measures. But the vulnerable persons for those homes, 10 of whom have paid a price, was unnecessary.”

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Haiti’s Political Factions Agree on Temp. Transition Government

Haiti’s main political parties have reached an agreement establishing a transition government until the holding of presidential elections and a constitutional referendum next year.

The agreement, reached over the weekend, establishes a Council of Ministers under the leadership of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Henry is also a person of interest in the investigation of President Moise’s assassination.

“I have the assurance that this agreement will make it possible to conduct the affairs of the State during the interim period as short as possible, in order to achieve our main common objective which is a return to the normal functioning of our democratic institutions on new bases, in a secure and stable environment,” Henry said.

The “agreement for peaceful and effective good governance” was signed between Henry, who has been leading the country since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July“Rest assured that no distraction, no summons or invitation, no maneuver, no threat, no rear guard combat, will distract me from my mission.

“I want to say to those who have not yet understood it, that the diversionary maneuvers to sow confusion and prevent justice from doing its job serenely, will not pass. The real culprits, the intellectual authors and the sponsors of the heinous assassination of President Jovenel Moïse will be identified, brought to justice and punished for their crime,” Henry said.

His statement is in reference to an invitation by the Government Commissioner of Port-au-Prince for him to come forward and explain to the Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding two phone calls he allegedly made to Felix Badio on the day of the assassination of President Moïse.

Badio is one of the main suspects in the assassination of Moïse and has been on the police have been searching for him.

The spokesman for the opposition grouping known as “Democratic and Popular Sector” (SDP), André Michel as well as the representatives of political groups such as Edmonde Supplice de la Fusion, Saurel Yacinthe from INITE, signed this agreement.

“It was not an easy decision… But we understood that the time has come to build this country on a consensual basis of dialogue permanent. If this agreement did not contain the demands of the population, the democratic and popular sector would not sign,” said Michel.

According to the Commission for the Search for a Solution to the Haitian Crisis (CRSHC),  the course is now set on the creation of a monitoring office composed of 21 members including 13 from the CRSHC, three representatives of civil society, three representatives of political parties and two members of the popular sector.

The 25-member National Transitional Council will comprise 52 members including 27 members of the social sectors and 25 members of parties, groups and political poles which will be responsible, among other things, to choose a President and a Prime Minister who will have to lead the transition for a period of 24 months.

CRSHC said it was inviting all Haitians to read the agreement of August 30, 2021, and signed on September 11 and to append their signature online if they wish, to support this agreement.

“It was not an easy decision… But we understood that the time has come to build this country on a consensual basis of dialogue permanent. If this agreement did not contain the demands of the population, the democratic and popular sector would not sign,” said Michel.

The agreement established the holding of presidential elections by the end of 2022. It also included a national constituent assembly made of 33 members appointed by institutions and civil society organizations.

The assembly will have three months to prepare a new Constitution to be voted in a referendum by Haitians.

CMC

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CARICOM Restates Its Support for Guyana in Territorial Dispute with Venezuela

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders have reiterated their “firm and unwavering support” for Guyana in its border dispute with Venezuela in light of a recent move by Caracas to strengthen national support for its claim to the ownership of a significant portion of the CARICOM country.

“CARICOM has taken note of the round of negotiations in Mexico and mediated by Norway between representatives of the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the opposition, seeking to bring an end to the protracted multidimensional crisis afflicting that country,” the regional leaders said in a statement on Tuesday, following their emergency meeting held virtually on Monday.

They said they have also taken note of the “two initial agreements that have been reached on the Social Protection of the Venezuela People, and on the Ratification and Defence of Venezuelan Sovereignty over the Guyana Essequibo”.

Last week, the government said it “firmly rejects” an agreement signed between the Venezuelan government and an opposition party in the South American country formally agreeing to unite on the question of the longstanding claim to the ownership of a large swath of Guyana.

Georgetown said that the agreement between the Nicolas Maduro government and the Unity Platform of Venezuela was signed in Mexico City on Monday.

“That agreement is an overt threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement.

“Guyana cannot be used as an altar of sacrifice for settlement of Venezuela’s internal political differences. While the Government of Guyana welcomes domestic accord within Venezuela, an agreement defying international law and process is not a basis for mediating harmony,” the statement added.

In its statement, the CARICOM leaders said they wanted to reiterate their “firm and unwavering support for the maintenance and preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana” They said that they were also reaffirming their “support for the ongoing judicial process of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that is intended to bring a peaceful and definitive end to the long-standing controversy between the two countries and urges Venezuela to participate in the process”.

On Sunday, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali said he would seek CARICOM support on the border dispute following the developments in Mexico.

The ICJ ruled last December that it has jurisdiction to decide Guyana’s claim against Venezuela that the boundary between the two States was fixed in an 1899 Arbitral Award. Venezuela is opposed to the ICJ and its ruling.

Venezuela is maintaining its claim to an estimated 70 per cent of the Essequibo region including Guyana’s offshore oil reserves, with Caracas arguing that the 1899 agreement, which determined the boundaries between the two countries is null and void.

But Guyana has approached the ICJ to seek a final, binding judgement on the 1899 Arbitral Award that determines that boundary between the two countries. In December 2020, the ICJ ruled that it has the authority to rule on this case.

With the court ruling that it has the jurisdiction to hear the case filed by Guyana, the country has been given until March 8, 2022, to file written pleadings in its case against Venezuela. Meanwhile, Venezuela has until March 8, 2022, to file counterarguments.

Guyana is however seeking to obtain a final and binding judgement that will clearly state that the Essequibo region is indisputably part of this country.

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World View: Calif. Governor in Easy Win, 2 Koreas Test Missiles, Haiti Assasssination Probe,More

Sep 15, 2021

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The Associated Press

The Rundown

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday emphatically defeated a recall aimed at kicking him out of office early, a contest the Democrat framed as part of a national battle for his party’s values in the face of the…Read More

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STORRS, Conn. (AP) — At most of the largest U.S. public universities, students are under no obligation to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Some schools do require vaccines, but with leniency for those who opt out. …Read More

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The rival Koreas test-launched ballistic missiles hours apart from each other on Wednesday in a display of military assets that came amid a faltering diplomatic push to strip North Korea of its nuclear program….Read More

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A new chief prosecutor was sworn in Tuesday just hours after his predecessor asked a judge to charge Prime Minister Ariel Henry in the slaying of the president and to bar him from leaving Haiti, a move that cou…Read More

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MOSCOW (AP) — Alyona Popova’s campaign rhetoric is blunt: Unless she is elected to parliament, there won’t be much hope for a law against domestic violence in Russia. One of the country’s most ardent feminists, Popova has fought for years …Read More

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PARIS (AP) — Health care workers in France face suspension from their jobs starting Wednesday if they haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19. With about 300,000 workers …Read More

CULIACAN, Mexico (AP) — The house former drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán fled in 2014 when Mexican marines had him surrounded underwent some changes recently as the…Read More

Nearly every nation is coming up short — most of them far short — in their efforts to fight climate change, and the world is unlikely to hold warming to the internationall…Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three former U.S. intelligence and military officials have admitted providing sophisticated computer hacking technology to the United Arab Emirates and a…Read More

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Carnival Corp. CEO Banking on Cruise Lovers for Industry Resurrection

AP- Carnival Corp, once a US$21-billion company, saw revenue plunge to zero overnight last year when the pandemic shut down the cruise industry.

It’s CEO Arnold Donald’s job to navigate uncharted waters for the cruise giant, which operates nine brands that span the globe. The company hopes to have the entire fleet of nearly 90 ships back sailing by next spring, but regulations aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 on board have meant slow going so far.

Donald is counting on experienced cruisers being eager to sail again. He acknowledges, however, that the industry faces a challenge to attract new followers.

Donald has been CEO since 2013, when he replaced founder Micky Arison, who remains chairman. The change came after a fatal accident involving a ship off the coast of Italy and an ill-fated voyage that came to be called the ‘poop cruise’ when toilets didn’t flush as the powerless ship floated in the Caribbean for days.

Under the leadership of the New Orleans native, Carnival prospered for several years, posting a US$3-billion profit in 2019. Then came the pandemic, and the company lost US$10 billion.

Donald talked recently to The Associated Press about his company, the cruise industry, and the intersection of business and politics. Answers have been edited for length.

Q. Can you start by describing what the pandemic has done to Carnival?

A. It’s certainly been devastating to the travel and tourism sector overall, and maybe even more so to the cruise industry in particular. Even though we had no revenue, we had to continue to man the ships with minimal manning, so we had a significant burn rate with no revenue coming in.

Q. How will your company and the cruising industry recover?

A. It’s very simple. The demand for travel experience in the global population has not gone away — that demand is still there. In a very short period of time, the world has kind of made itself knowledgeable and developed solutions to address (COVID-19). It’s not perfect. It’s not foolproof, but it’s allowing us to return to the things we love in a better way. We have successfully been sailing during the pandemic, even before vaccines over in Europe.

Q. What impact has the Delta variant of COVID-19 had on bookings and cancellations?

A. I can’t talk between quarters, but, just generally, I would tell you that as we look ahead, we don’t see major barriers out in the future to cruise.

Q. Do you worry that last year’s news coverage of virus outbreaks on cruise ships will scare away passengers for a long time?

A. For people who haven’t cruised and don’t understand it and don’t know what it is, sure, those images make it a harder hill for us to climb. For those who have cruised — and there are plenty of them — we do not have an issue, because they know that when you go on a cruise there’s a medical centre on board, and there’s a doctor and nurses and hand-sanitising stations. We’ve got a lot of protocols already in place, and now we have enhanced those for the specificity of the challenge that is COVID-19. People who cruise understand that. They know the ships are not airplanes, where people are sitting right next to each other all the time.

Q. Unlike the airlines, which got a US$54-billion bailout for the pandemic, Carnival and other cruise companies didn’t get any federal aid. Is that because you’re incorporated in Panama?

A. We’re not technically a US corporation, so of course that could influence a decision like that. I don’t know why the government did what it did, but that’s a rational thought. It would have been nice to have had some assistance. We have a lot of US employees.

Q. Analysts (in a FactSet survey) expect Carnival’s revenue in 2023 will top 2019. That seems optimistic to me. Can you do that?

A. We will probably have a little bit more capacity … . There is probably going to be a potential environment for stronger pricing. That combination will lead to more revenues. So it’s certainly a possibility. We aren’t giving a forecast yet.

Q. As CEO, you replaced the founder, Micky Arison. You came in shortly after the Costa Concordia capsized off Italy and the Carnival Triumph drifted around the Caribbean with no power and no toilets after a fire knocked out power. What was that like?

A. Micky hadn’t been booted out as CEO, which some people were trying to say in the media. He was a big part of the decision to divide the chairman role and the CEO role, knowing that we had to focus attention on some of these areas that with the publicity and all of that, and other areas in the business that needed additional focus. That was all constructive, it was collaborative.

Q. You’re among the relatively few black CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. When some in the business community mobilised against a Georgia law that they said would hurt minority voters, you didn’t seem to take a visible role. Is that a fair characterisation?

A. I do try to stay away from politics when you get to parties and that kind of thing because we have Democratic guests and we have Republican guests, and they’re both entitled to their points of view. But I do believe in standing up for things that are fundamentally right, and in that particular case I did sign on to that (a petition protesting the Georgia election law) with other leaders in the business community. One of the most basic rights in a democracy is the right to vote. We need to do things to encourage people to vote.

Q. You’re 66, you’ll be 67 in a few months. How long are you going to stay in the job?

A. As long as the board and the shareholders want to have me continue to do it — certainly as we navigate through the rest of this pandemic and get this corporation back on the straight road of financial success, with great returns to shareholders.

____

AP

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SoftBank Tops-Up Latin America Tech Investment Fund with $3B

SAO PAULO, Sept 14 (Reuters) – SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) on Tuesday launched a $3 billion fund to invest in technology companies in Latin America in a bid to build on the success of its initial fund for the region, which has spent most of its capital.

In a statement, the Japanese conglomerate said it plans to invest in listed and private tech companies, adding the fund may raise additional capital in the future.

SoftBank’s renewed bet on Latin America comes as venture capital is booming in countries such as Brazil and Mexico, and follows a decision to pause new investments in China after a regulatory crackdown on tech companies. read more

“There is so much innovation and disruption taking place in Latin America, and I believe the business opportunities there have never been stronger,” SoftBank Group’s chairman Masayoshi Son said in the statement. “Latin America is a critical part of our strategy.”

SoftBank’s first $5 billion Latin American fund was launched in 2019 by executive vice-president and Chief Operations Officer Marcelo Claure at a time when no deep-pocketed investor had signed big checks for startups in the region.

It has invested $3.5 billion in 48 companies from sectors ranging from education to finance and logistics, which are now valued at $6.9 billion.

Most of its portfolio companies remain private.

Still, companies such as Banco Inter SA , which SoftBank bought into when it was already listed, and e-commerce software platform VTEX (VTEX.N), which went public in July, helped the fund post gains in the last quarter.

COO Claure, who will oversee the new fund, said returns from the initial fund have exceeded SoftBank’s expectations.

Reporting by Carolina Mandl; editing by Richard Pullin

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