Tag Archives: caribbean

Tropical Storm Henri Forms South of Bermuda.

At 5 pm AST, the centre of Tropical Storm Henri was located over the Atlantic Ocean about 145 miles (230 km) southeast of Bermuda.

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said Henri is moving toward the south-southwest near seven mph (11 km/h). A slow clockwise turn toward the southwest and then toward the west is expected during the next day or two.

On the forecast track, the centre of Henri should pass south of Bermuda tomorrow night.

Photo: NOAA

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Bermuda.

Henri has maximum sustained winds that are near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts.

Tropical-storm-force winds only extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the centre. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1010 mb (29.83 inches).

Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days.

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Guyana Welcomes New Cuban Health Brigade

Guyana has welcomed 56 Cuban health professionals, praised Cuba for its support to the country especially during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Our heartfelt thanks for taking up the challenge, for being here, to come to serve Guyana presently at this time of crisis, a pandemic. We have laboratory technologists, pharmacists, we have an entire medical team, a complete brigade and you will be serving us, the Guyanese people, across the country,” said the Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Vishwa Mahadeo.

“I take his opportunity on behalf of our President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and on behalf of our Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony to welcome all of you and to tell you that we will try our best to make your life comfortable,” he told the Cubans at the ceremony held at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

The Brigade includes 20 intensivists who will lend support primarily to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, medical specialists in general surgery, anesthesiology, internal medicine, gynecology, obstetrics and pediatrics.  The group also includes nurses, pharmacists and laboratory technicians.

“So, with this Brigade, we will be able to send more specialists in other regions, than the traditional regions to start training in pharmacy assistants, laboratory technicians and so on. So, this batch here, we should be able to make some strides that we had not made before with the composition,” Dr. Mahadeo said.

He said that Cuban Medical Brigades have been coming to Guyana for nearly 44 years and the government continues to be grateful to Havana for its support.

Last Friday, health officials bade farewell to the last Cuban Brigade which served Guyana for approximately four years.

CMC

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EU Offers $3.5M to Aid Haiti’s Earthquake Recovery

In light of the devastating effects of the massive earthquake that struck Haiti on August 14, the European Union is allocating €3 million in humanitarian funding to address the most urgent needs of the affected communities.

Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management said: “Urgent humanitarian needs are following the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti. The EU is quickly mobilising support to this already extremely fragile country, where hurricanes and heavy rainfalls aggravate the dire situation even more. The earthquake strikes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic and the escalating insecurity already posed a threat to the country. We stand ready to provide further assistance.”

In order to ensure the fastest possible intervention, EU funds will be implemented by humanitarian partners already active in the emergency response and will support and strengthen their capacity to swiftly provide humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable Haitians. The funding will address the most immediate needs such as the provision of medical assistance to local overwhelmed hospitals, water, sanitation and hygiene services, shelter and protection services for the most affected and disadvantaged communities.

Background

On 14 August, a 7.2-magnitude and 10-kilometres deep earthquake hit the southwestern part of Haiti, killing more than 1,300 people and injuring almost 6,000. Strong shakes have destroyed buildings and homes, severely damaged hospitals and schools and disrupted water networks, roads and bridges.

The earthquake strikes an already extremely fragile country, vulnerable to natural hazards and manmade disasters, and chronically unprepared to deal with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic. Food shortages and malnutrition, disease epidemics and the humanitarian needs generated by the ongoing migration crisis already required sustained humanitarian assistance. Moreover, the COVID-19 crisis is contributing to worsen the ongoing food insecurity crisis in Haiti with 4.4 million people, 40% of the population.

The EU’s emergency Copernicus satellite service has been activated in the aftermath of the earthquake and is currently providing maps of the area. The EU’s 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre is constantly assessing the situation to monitor developments and coordinate eventual further EU assistance.

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CDEMA Springs Into Action Over Haiti Quake Disaster

By Carlena Knight

 

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is already making plans with officials on the ground in Haiti to assist following Saturday’s devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

Executive Director Elizabeth Riley explained that discussions have been ongoing for two days and the body has committed to deploying fully vaccinated CDEMA officials to the disaster-hit country.

Concern is however being raised as Haiti is expected to be negatively impacted by Tropical Storm Grace. It is feared heavy rain brought by TS Grace could trigger landslides.

“We have been in discussions with them for the past two days as the information has come forward getting a better understanding of what has actually transpired where the regional system could best provide support.

“Haiti has made a formal request now to the CDEMA to provide support on the coordination side in their national emergency operations centre in Port-au-Prince, and we initiated those arrangements yesterday evening and, due to the pending threat of Grace, the timing for arrival is being scheduled just after the passing of Grace,” Riley said.

According to Riley, Haitian officials are still able to acquire certain supplies so the need would be to provide cash donations instead. Details, she said, will be given at a later date as discussions are still ongoing.

She admitted that this has been a challenging period for the regional body in balancing the Covid-19 pandemic along with the frequent disasters across the Caribbean.

“The reality is that we have had a number of events taking place back-to-back and, in fact, a number of them even happen in parallel.

“So, it has been quite a bit of making sure that we retain a higher-level view of all that is happening. We are trying to make the best decisions that we can based on information available on how to deploy the resources that we have in the region and, of course, those resources are limited and even more constrained as a result of what’s happening across the region with Covid-19. It has been a challenging time – that is just the reality,” she added.

According to Riley, the Covid spikes in the various countries sometimes limit the amount of support that can be given.

“In essence, it may limit our ability to be able to draw human resources from that country to support another. So, it’s been a very dynamic time for us,” she said.

She explains that the pandemic has also forced them to strategise how relief supplies are deployed but boasted that since that new protocol has been put in place, none of their CDEMA workers have tested positive for the coronavirus.

She revealed that the pandemic has, however, positively pushed the group to upgrade some of their programmes, like the Integrated Regional Logistics Hub in Barbados which helped in disseminating PPE gear and other Covid protective supplies to the 20 member states of CDEMA.

Nevertheless, the top CDEMA official is continuing to remind Caribbean residents “to remain vigilant and be prepared”.

The regional body joins a growing list of governments, agencies and celebrities who have pledged to assist the Caribbean country following last weekend’s natural disaster where at least 1,297 people are known to have died and an unknown number are still missing.

In fact, search and rescue teams have been arriving from the United States and Chile, with more on the way from Mexico. Cuban medical teams are already in Haiti where they are treating the injured citizens.

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka, whose father is from Haiti, said she would donate her earnings from next week’s Western & Southern Open to help finance relief efforts.

The earthquake compounds problems facing the impoverished nation, which is already reeling from a political crisis following the assassination of its president last month.

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World View: Taliban Takeover, Women Offered Places in Govt., What Happened to Afghan Army? More

Aug 17, 2021

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The Associated Press

The Rundown

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A defiant President Joe Biden rejected blame for chaotic scenes of Afghans clinging to U.S. military planes in Kabul in a desperate bid to flee their home country after the Taliban’s easy victory over an Afghan military that…Read More

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LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) — Tropical Depression Grace swept over Haiti with drenching rains just two days after a powerful earthquake battered the impoverished Caribbean nation, adding to the misery of thousands who lost loved ones, suffered inju…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as t…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment turned out to …Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials on Monday are expected to declare the first-ever water shortage from a river that serves 40 million people in the West, triggering cuts to…Read More

The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. The insurgents stormed acros…Read More

QUINCY, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters are keeping an eye on a lone, emaciated bear cub that may have lost its mother to the country’s largest wildfire now burning in Northern…Read More

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah reptile center employee is recovering after an alligator yanked her into its enclosure during a presentation, thrashing her around before a fa…Read More

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Grace Strengthens Back Into Tropical Storm…Could Become Hurricane

Aug 17 (Reuters) – Tropical depression Grace,which has been drenching earthquake-ravaged Haiti, has strengthened into a storm again, causing floods across portions of the island of Hispaniola, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday.

Grace, which is expected to gain hurricane strength within a couple of days, is located about 230 miles (370 km) east of Montego Bay Jamaica, packing maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), the Miami-based weather forecaster said.

Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernand

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U.S. Appeals Judge’s Order Revives Trump ‘Remain in Mexico’ Program

WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) – The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday appealed a federal judge’s order to reinstate a controversial immigration program that forced tens of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their U.S. asylum cases.

The Biden administration appealed the decision to the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a Texas-based judge on Friday vacated the administration’s decision to end the program, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

The MPP program was launched under former President Donald Trump in 2019, triggering objections from immigrant rights groups and Democrats who said it forced migrants to wait in dangerous conditions in Mexico and undermined the ability to seek asylum in the United States. The Biden administration halted the program in February and has since allowed about 13,000 migrants enrolled in it to enter the United States to pursue their cases.

Biden’s decision to terminate the program – informally known as “remain in Mexico” – was an early and significant political victory, energizing his supporters and underscoring his stated commitment to a more humane immigration system. Republicans criticized the move, saying ending MPP and other restrictive Trump policies would encourage more illegal immigration.

In the months that followed, the number of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border soared to 20-year highs, a development that was immediately seized upon by Republicans. read more

The states of Texas and Missouri filed a legal challenge in April over Biden’s decision to wind down the MPP program, saying it was “unexplained and inexplicable.”

U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk said on Friday that the Biden administration had failed to follow proper regulatory procedure when it ended the program and ordered it restarted. read more

However, Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, stayed his decision for a week to allow the Biden administration to appeal.

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Haiti Earthquake: Death Toll Climbs as Tropical Depression Grace Hits, Hope Dims for Survivors

BBC- Rescue workers are rushing to locate survivors of the deadly earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday as a tropical storm hit the Caribbean nation.

At least 1,419 people are known to have died in the 7.2-magnitude quake. More than 6,900 were injured, and an unknown number are still missing.

Tropical Depression Grace is expected to dump up to 25cm (10 inches) of rainfall over the worst affected area.

It is feared the deluge could trigger landslides.

Social media footage showed heavy rain pouring over the island’s east, with the quake-hit west next in its path.

Roads already made impassable by the quake could be further damaged by the rains, so aid teams are racing to get essential provisions to the quake-hit region.

On Twitter, Haiti’s civil protection agency urged “good neighbours whose space has not been affected” to help shelter displaced people.

Graphic showing Grace's predicted path
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Search and rescue teams have been arriving from the United States and Chile, with more on the way from Mexico. Cuban medical teams are already in Haiti and helping people.

Humanitarian organisations say survivors need drinking water and shelter. More than 30,000 families have reportedly been left homeless.

Homes, churches and schools were among buildings flattened in the quake. Some hospitals were left overwhelmed and in need of supplies as they struggled to treat the injured.

The earthquake compounds problems facing the impoverished nation, which is already reeling from a political crisis following the assassination of its president last month.

The south-west of Haiti appears to have suffered the worst of the damage, especially around the city of Les Cayes.

Footage on social media showed residents desperately trying to pull victims from ruined buildings.

“The streets are filled with screaming,” Archdeacon Abiade Lozama, head of an Anglican church in Les Cayes, told the New York Times. “People are searching, for loved ones or resources, medical help, water.”

The epicentre of Saturday’s quake was about 12km (7.5 miles) from the town of Saint-Louis du Sud, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

But the tremor could be felt in the densely-populated capital of Port-au-Prince, some 125km away, and in neighbouring countries.

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Hospitals under fear of collapse

By James Clayton, BBC News, Les Cayes

It’s hard enough to treat survivors of any natural disaster but when the hospitals themselves are under fear of collapse it makes it all the more difficult.

Les Cayes Ofatma hospital is deemed too unsafe so they’ve brought everyone outside. People swat away flies on hospital beds placed under makeshift tents and trees. You can hear people screaming in pain.

One woman, Elsy, had only just woken up when the earthquake happened. Her son has a serious fracture to his leg.

There simply aren’t the facilities needed to treat people in this remote part of the country. One doctor comes to us, angry, asking why he has no medicine.

One woman we spoke to – who has a very bad broken leg and is also pregnant – has had no pain relief for two days.

The people here need help, but at the moment not enough help is coming – and with a tropical storm close by it could become even more difficult.

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Map of Haiti
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Prime Minister Ariel Henry declared a month-long state of emergency and urged the population to “show solidarity”.

The Pope offered prayers for the victims during a Sunday address and expressed hope that aid would arrive soon.

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka, whose father is from Haiti, said she would donate her earnings from next week’s Western & Southern Open to help finance relief efforts.

Aftershocks were felt after the initial tremor on Saturday, with the USGS initially warning the earthquake could result in thousands of fatalities and injuries.

A 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed more than 200,000 people and caused extensive damage to the country’s infrastructure and economy.

People walk in a market as they go about their lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 24, 2021

Reuters

Haiti: Key facts

  • 11 millioninhabitants
  • 59%percentage who live below the poverty line
  • 2004-2017years in which a UN peacekeeping force was present
  • 200,000number of people killed in the 2010 earthquake

Source: BBC Monitoring

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Hopes for quake survivors dwindle as storm lashes Haiti

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Haitian firefighters search for survivors, under the rubble of a destroyed hotel, after Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude quake, in Les Cayes, Haiti August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

LES CAYES, Haiti, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Heavy rains lashed Haiti on Tuesday night, complicating rescue efforts and drenching thousands left homeless by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 1,419 people, as hopes dimmed for survivors.

Tropical Depression Grace churned over the regions of southwest Haiti worst-hit by Saturday’s quake of magnitude 7.2, whipping devastated towns with high winds and torrential rains, causing flooding in at least one area.

The earthquake brought down tens of thousands of buildings in the poorest country in the Americas, which is still recovering from a major quake 11 years ago that killed more than 200,000 people.

The latest disaster comes just over a month after Haiti was plunged into political turmoil by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7.

Several major hospitals were severely damaged, hampering humanitarian efforts, as were the focal points of many shattered communities, such as churches and schools.

Haitian authorities said on Monday that 1,419 deaths had been confirmed, with some 6,900 people injured.

As hopes began to dim of finding significant numbers of survivors among the wreckage, the storm impeded rescuers in the seaside city of Les Cayes, about 150 km (90 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince, which bore the brunt of the quake.

The storm is expected to dump up to 15 inches (38 cm) of water on parts of Haiti, creating a risk of flash floods, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Centre.

Rescue workers from across Haiti were digging alongside residents through the rubble on Monday evening in a bid to reach bodies, though few voiced hope of finding anyone alive. A smell of dust and decomposing bodies permeated the air.

“We came from all over to help: from the north, from Port-au Prince, from everywhere,” said Maria Fleurant, a firefighter from northern Haiti.

As heavy rain began to fall, emergency workers pulled a blood-stained pillow from under the rubble, followed by the corpse of a three-year-old boy who appeared to have died in his sleep during the earthquake.

Shortly after, as the rain intensified, the workers left.

TOLL EXPECTED TO RISE

With about 37,312 houses destroyed by the quake, according to Haitian authorities, and many of those still unexcavated, the death toll is expected to rise.

Vital Jaenkendy, who watched as a bulldozer shifted rubble from his collapsed apartment building, said eight residents had died and four were missing.

Jaenkendy and others have been sleeping under a tarpaulin on a dirt road nearby, and were hunkering down for the rains.

“When the storm comes, we’ll take shelter in car ports of the houses nearby, just until it passes, and then we’ll return to our place in the road,” he said.

Doctors in battled makeshift tents outside hospitals to save the lives of hundreds of injured, including young children and the elderly.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was sworn in less then a month ago after Moise’s assassination, vowed to disburse humanitarian aid better than in the wake of the 2010 quake.

Though billions of dollars in aid money poured into Haiti after that quake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, many Haitians say they saw scant benefits from the uncoordinated efforts: government bodies remained weak, amid persistent shortages of food and basic goods.

“The earthquake is a great misfortune that happens to us in the middle of the hurricane season,” Henry told reporters, adding that the government would not repeat “the same things” done in 2010.

Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener and Ricardo Arduengo in Les Cayes, Haiti; Additional reporting by Herbert Villarraga and Robenson Sanon in Les Cayes; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Clarence Fernandez
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Biden Defends US Pullout from Afghanistan

BBC- Joe Biden has said he stands “squarely” behind the US exit from Afghanistan as he faces withering criticism over the Taliban’s lightning conquest of the war-torn country.

“How many more American lives is it worth?” asked the Democratic president.

He said that despite the “messy” pullout, “there was never a good time to withdraw US forces”.

On Sunday, the Taliban declared victory after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled and his government collapsed.

The militants’ return to rule brings an end to almost 20 years of a US-led coalition’s presence in the country.

Kabul was the last major city in Afghanistan to fall to a Taliban offensive that began months ago but accelerated in recent days as they gained control of territories, shocking many observers.

Mr Biden’s address followed a dramatic day at Kabul’s international airport, where hundreds of civilians desperate to flee the country forced their way inside on Monday.

Many thronged the runway, running alongside a moving military transporter aircraft as it prepared for take-off.

Some clung to the side of plane, and at least two of them are reported to have perished when they fell from the aircraft after it had left the ground.

American troops killed two armed Afghans who were part of the crowd that breached the airport perimeter. Seven people reportedly died in total.

The US suspended its evacuation from Kabul but it has now resumed.

A remarkable picture from Sunday appears to show 640 Afghans packed onboard a US military cargo plane leaving Kabul for Qatar.

The image, not verified by the BBC, was obtained by the US defence analysis website, Defense One.

Panicked civilians had scrambled up the loading ramp, the website quoted US officials as saying, but the crew decided it was best to take off rather than force the Afghans off. The number onboard could be a record for that type of plane – a C-17 Globemaster.

Picture provided Defense One appears to show hundreds of Afghans fleeing Kabul onboard an American C-17 cargo plane, 15 August 2021image sourceDefense One
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In a separate development, the Taliban have announced what they are calling a general amnesty for government officials, and have urged them to return to work.

A statement said officials should “continue their duties without any fear”.

‘The right decision’

Mr Biden returned on Monday to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat to make his first public remarks on Afghanistan in nearly a week.

“If anything, the developments of the past week reinforce that ending US military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision,” said Mr Biden.

“American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.”

Mr Biden is facing an intense political backlash over the turmoil in Kabul following his April decision to order all American troops out of Afghanistan by 11 September – the 20 year anniversary of the terror attacks that triggered the US invasion.

Mitch McConnell, Republican Senate Minority Leader, tweeted: “What we are seeing in Afghanistan is an unmitigated disaster. The Biden Administration’s retreat will leave a stain on the reputation of the United States.”

Former US President George W Bush, who authorised the military intervention in 2001, said he was “watching the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan with deep sadness”.

“The Afghans now at greatest risk are the same ones who have been on the forefront of progress inside their nation,” Mr Bush said, stressing that the US had “the legal authority to cut the red tape for refugees during urgent humanitarian crises”.

In his speech, Mr Biden said the US mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been about nation-building.

He said that when he was vice-president he had opposed the 2009 deployment of thousands more troops into the country by former President Barack Obama.

Mr Biden also noted he had inherited a deal negotiated with the Taliban under former President Donald Trump for the US to withdraw from Afghanistan by May of this year.

He said he was now the fourth US president to preside over America’s longest war, and would not pass the responsibility on to a fifth.

“I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference.”

Mr Biden campaigned as a seasoned expert in foreign policy and declared after assuming office this year that “America is back”.

Last month he assured reporters it was “highly unlikely” the Taliban would overrun the entire country.

But he conceded on Monday that “this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated”.

Opinion polls suggest most Americans support the US exiting Afghanistan.

But Mr Biden is facing a barrage of criticism over the manner of the departure, after he withdrew US troops then sent thousands back in to help the evacuation.

Images emerged on Sunday showing US helicopters circling the US embassy in Kabul.

Map of Kabul
Map of Kabul

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INVESTIGATION INTO MICHAEL PREST LAUNCHED BY WHITE-COLLAR CRIME UNIT

Mr. Mark Kucher, a Canadian national, made a report to the White-Collar Crime Unit of The Royal
St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force against Mr. Michael Prest.

An investigation into the matter has revealed that sometime in 2018, Prest contacted Kucher with a proposal to acquire 40% shares in the Bank of Nevis International Limited, the other 60% being owned by Prest’s company Petrodel Investment Advisers Nevis Limited.

The investigation further revealed that an agreement was made between Petrodel Investment Advisers Nevis Ltd. and BNI Holdcorp Ltd. Kucher is part owner of BNI Holdcorp Ltd, while Prest is owner of Petrodel Investment Advisers Nevis Ltd.

As part of the agreement, which was entered into, Kucher would pay the sum of two million five
hundred and thirty thousand United States currency USD$2,530,000, which would be used to
purchase the remaining shares. In return Kucher would receive 49.9% shares in the bank and would
be made a Director and Chief Investment Officer at the bank.

Their agreement was formalized in
writing in April 2019. In December 2019, Kucher made good on his part of the agreement by
transferring the USD$2,530,000.

The USD$2,530,000 was paid to Petrodel Investment Advisers Nevis Ltd. in December, 2019.

Shortly thereafter, Kucher’s money was used to purchase the 40% shares in the Bank of Nevis
International. Since the transfer of the money and the purchase of the shares by Petrodel Limited,
and despite numerous requests by Kucher, no shares were transferred to him. Further, the
investigation shows that no application was made by Petrodel Ltd. or the Bank of Nevis
International to the Regulatory Body to transfer any shares to Kucher. Instead, Kucher was told by
Prest that the Regulatory Body declined to transfer shares to him.

The matter was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions who, after reviewing the file,
advised that Prest should be prosecuted for the offences of Fraudulent Conversion and Fraudulent
Conversion by Trustee.

Warrants for his arrest were sought and granted by the District “C” Magistrate. At present, Prest is outside the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, and the future progress of the matter is to be determined by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A warrant has been sent to Interpol for assistance with the arrest and extradition of Michael Prest.

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