Tag Archives: caribbean

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Mr. Brantley’s comments on CBI receipts are perplexing – Finance Ministry official

By Staff Reporter

“Mr. Brantley’s comments on CBI receipts are quite perplexing. Confusing may be the better expression. Let it not go unnoticed that so far under Team Unity, a record transfer of over 250 million dollars has been provided by the Federal Government to the Nevis Island Administration (NIA).”

This assertion was made by an official of the Ministry of Finance in St. Kitts, in response to Nevis Premier Mark Brantley’s repeated claim that Nevis is not satisfied with its fair share of Citizenship By Investment (CBI) proceeds.

“The curious thing about this situation is that the Premier and two others in Nevis’ cabinet are in the federal cabinet. They are at the table. What are they doing to address matters when there? Premier Brantley should say exactly how he has approached the issue with his federal cabinet colleagues,” the official said.

“Why doesn’t anyone in the media ask him whether he will apply the clause 110 formula in the constitution for revenue sharing? Can any formula for revenue sharing that goes against clause 110 stand?

“These are pertinent questions that need to be asked of the Premier and all those who continue to complain ad nauseam about Nevis not getting its fair share. This is not only grandstanding. It is counter-productive,” the official concluded.

When questioned by the media during his monthly press conference on October 6, Premier Brantley reiterated his claim that Nevis is dissatisfied with its CBI receipts.

“CBI programme…Is Nevis satisfied with its share? The answer is no…and the answer is going to be no, until we have a resolution of the issue between the Federal Government and the NIA about the issue of CBI receipts. That is the reality of the situation.

“I have said time and time again that there has to be a sit down – the two, Federal Government and NIA, have to sit and work out a formula for sharing what is a joint asset.”

Brantley claimed that CBI has funded a large number of opportunities on the sister island of St. Kitts, while Nevis has not been treated the same.

“CBI has been, by and large, the only game in town. Let’s be blunt about it. CBI has fuelled tremendous activity on the island of St. Kitts – Park Hyatt…you know, the big development that’s down in the St. Paul’s area, Kittitian Hill, there’s also the big development, Ramada, and you see a lot of developments that have been done there. There’s a huge development that Mr. Caines has done by the Airport.

“You see support for customers at SKELEC, you see support for the airlines coming in to RLB…all of that is coming from Citizenship By Investment. A lot of the stimulus that we were able to offer is coming from Citizenship By Investment. A lot of the surpluses that we talk about each year, Citizenship By Investment.”

“In Nevis, I am borrowing…to keep Nevis afloat. St. Kitts has surplus from Citizenship By Investment.

“I don’t say these things to create any animosity, these are the facts. And so there has to be a reckoning between the two islands as to how these resources are shared.”

Brantley admitted that Nevis gets a fixed monthly amount from the Federal government as part of the processing fees, but added that it would be interesting to have some perspective in relation to what St. Kitts receives. He also emphasized that it was time for the matter to be definitively dealt with.

“I’m saying that’s fine (receiving a fixed monthly amount) but let us look at the bigger picture. We have had, I believe, some misguided commentators who treat it as if Nevis is being given a gift, or help. I don’t see how when you get something that belongs to you its help.

“But there are some who have taken that particular line, which I think is unfortunate. And some…and the figure that I hear bandied about mostly is two hundred million…“Nevis get two hundred million”. Sounds like a lot of money. And a lot of people…that’s the headline, ‘Nevis gets two hundred million’. You know what headline I’ve never seen? ‘How much does St. Kitts get?’ That would be a very interesting headline to look at.”

“Nobody seems concerned about that question. But everybody is concerned about how much Nevis getting. How much does the island of St. Kitts get? And if that question could be answered, I believe that then we would have some perspective, as to why I say that the current arrangement in relation to CBI is still not satisfactory, and has to be worked out.

“I have said to the Honourable Prime Minister, whose department handles this programme, that Unity has been there now six years. It is time for this particular matter to be dealt with and put to rest. It is beyond time!” Brantley stated emphatically.

He pointed out that before the Unity government took power, Nevis received no monies from the CBI, only by way of loan.

He said that it is time for Nevisians to be treated as part of the country, and “as equal citizens who are entitled to the fruits of their citizenship”.

“I’ll end by saying that Nevis is doing much better; because if you move from zero to something you are doing much better. And we were at zero.

“So now we can say that we are getting something from the Citizenship By Investment Programme, but when you look at the overall analysis, we are not getting anywhere close to our fair share from that programme, and I want to make that very clear.”

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Guinness edge out former champion team Lodge in #7 Domino League Inbox

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, October 20, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — The new Lodge-Ottley’s Community Centre in Ottley’s Village was the sole venue as the seventh segment of play in the 26th edition of Constituency Number Seven Dr the Hon Timothy Harris Domino League played off on Tuesday evening October 19.

Excitement was in the air as the fourteen teams were supposed to have played under one roof, an aura that saw Guinness Domino Club which had started poorly when the league opened late last month edging out former champion team Lodge Domino Club 13-12.

Another close and hotly contested game saw Mansion Domino Club beat defending champion Tabernacle Domino Club in a dramatic fashion. The game was tight right from the word go and could have gone either way after the two teams tied up at 12-12.

Kevin Fahie of Guinness Domino Club makes a move in their game against former champion team Lodge Domino Club on their way to a 13-12 win.

 

In the decider, the pair of Cremoy Aggard and Clifford Richards of Mansion played the game of their life amassing 100 points before their opponents could score a single point, a feat that earned them a bonus point thus carrying the day with a 14-12 win.

Former champion team, Parsons Domino Club, beat Phillips Domino Club 13-9, while another former champion team and the current points standing leader Unity Domino Club picked up maximum points without having to move any dominos after their opponents Ottley’s Domino Club failed to turn up. It was ironic that Ottley’s Domino Club failed to turn up as the new venue is right in their home village.

In other games, Christ Church Domino Club beat Sylvers Domino Club 13-7, Saddlers Domino Club beat Small Corner Bar Domino Club 13-10, while Molineux Domino Club stopped Unstoppable Domino Club 13-9.

At the end of the seventh segment of play in the 26th edition of Constituency Number Seven Dr the Hon Timothy Harris Domino League, former champion team Unity widened its points standing lead and now leads with 35 points. Unity is followed by Christ Church 26 points; Saddlers 25 points; Parsons 24 points; and Sylvers 24 points.

Others, in order, are Lodge 21 points; Molineux 21 points; Tabernacle 19 points; Mansion 19 points; Phillips 18 points; Guinness 16 points; Small Corner Bar 12 points; Unstoppable 11 points; and Ottley’s 10 points.

Constituency Number Seven Dr the Hon Timothy Harris Domino League is sponsored by Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, and Area Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher Seven, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris.

Eighth segment of play in this only round of play in the 26th edition of Constituency Number Seven Dr the Hon Timothy Harris Domino League will play off on Thursday October 21 and all games will be at the new Lodge-Ottley’s Community Centre in Ottley’s, as was done on Tuesday, since the venue has the capacity to accommodate all the seven games under the strict Covid-19 protocols.

Order of play will see Parsons facing Molineux; Saddlers vs. Lodge; Mansion will come up against Sylvers; leader on the points standing table Unity will face Small Corner Bar; Guinness will challenge defending champion Tabernacle; Phillips vs. Christ Church; and Unstoppable vs. Ottley’s.

Clifford Richards of Mansion Domino takes no chance as his team went on to dramatically edge out defending champion team Tabernacle Domino Club 14-12.

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CARICOM Hashes Out Its Agenda for COP 26 Conference

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have discussed key issues that the 15-member grouping will highlight at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Scotland starting later this month.

A statement issued here on Tuesday noted that two weeks ahead of COP 26, which opens in Glasgow on October 31,  regional stakeholders participated in a three-hour virtual session “for presentations and to dialogue on the key issues that the region will spotlight” at the COPY 26 that ends on November 12.

CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett described the last several months of preparation as a period “to crystallise the region’s priorities and positions” and thanked the Belize-based Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) for its work in leading the region’s preparation.

Barnett stressed the importance of “collective action to support adaptation and mitigation at the national, regional and international levels.

“We have overwhelming scientific evidence, from various IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports of the threat that uncontrolled temperature rise will have on SIDS.

“We remain concerned about the level of ambition in submitted Nationally Determined Contributions. There is the urgent need to close the emissions gap to maintain global warming to well below 1.5 °C”.

Professor Michael Taylor of the University of the West Indies (UWI), in his ‘Countdown to Zero’ presentation said COP26 is a politically significant moment for accelerating ambition, noting that 1.5° does not represent a safe climate for the world or for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

He quoted the IPCC Report which states that “global warming of 1.5° C and two degrees Celsius will be exceeded during the 21st Century unless deep reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gases emissions occur in the coming decades”.

Professor Taylor cautioned that “heading to 2°C is too much for SIDS, noting that even at 1.5°C, “we are only guaranteed half a chance of a liveable future.”

The outcomes from the November 1-12 COP26 can have profound impacts on our earth as we know it, and many view it as “the last best chance for political leaders to avert a climate catastrophe, which would be unavoidable if global warming exceeds 1.5°C”. It means “there must be zero tolerance on the net-zero emissions if we want to realise the future we want”, Professor Taylor said.

Chairperson of the Alliance for the Small Island States (AOSIS), Aubrey Webson, said that “vulnerable countries like AOSIS Members gave up liability or compensation for the 1.5° target in Paris during COP 21 in 2015.”

The Antigua and Barbuda official said despite all efforts by small islands like those of the Caribbean to keep 1.5 as the rallying cry, global warming has continued.

“There should be no delay. We cannot do business as usual; we must move to net zero,” Webson said, noting that there is so much at stake for those who are bravely attending the Glasgow meeting in person.

“Addressing climate change has been a long journey, and this year we are at a critical point where COP 26 must deal with the tension between the time to close the Paris Rulebook and the point of implementation.”

The Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) takes place during what the region describes as a historic time with multiple crises and a rapidly closing window of opportunity for an effective global response, according to the statement.

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Cuba Evokes Patriotic Sentiment on National Culture Day

Havana, Oct 20 (Prensa Latina) Cuba on Wednesday is celebrating the National Culture Day in frank evocation of the patriotic feeling that emerges throughout the island and recalls the intonation for the first time of the Hymn of Bayamo in 1868.
The celebration pays tribute to the 60th anniversary of Words to Intellectuals, the 120th anniversary of the Jose Marti National Library of Cuba, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Francisco Vicente Aguilera, and the 100th anniversary of the birth of poet and essayist Cintio Vitier.

From eastern Cuba, the Cubanness Festival and its theoretical event Cuban Nationality Melting Pot celebrate the creation of the song of independence written by Pedro Figueredo through 100 on-site and online activities.

This year, the event takes place amid the gradual reopening of the most representative spaces for the defense of art in the country, which is fighting the media war and the siege of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US Government.

Without a cultural blackout, the nation managed to maintain the solid development of the policy outlined in that sphere by the Cuban Revolution, despite the Covid-19 health crisis, in which literary institutions, theatrical venues or recreational centers were temporarily closed and subsequently moved to digital scenarios.

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Florida Fines Leon County $3.5m for Mandating Vaccines

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida has issued its first fine to a county it says violated a new state law banning coronavirus vaccine mandates and for firing 14 workers who failed to get the shots.

The Florida Department of Health on Tuesday issued the $3.5 million fine for Leon County, home to the state capital, saying the municipality violated Florida’s “vaccine passport” law, which prohibits businesses and governments from requiring people to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

“These are people that, presumably, have been serving throughout this whole time and now all of a sudden they’re basically getting kicked to the curb,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference in St. Pete Beach.

Later, the governor tweeted, “No one should lose their jobs because of COVID shots.”The law took effect last month and can result in a $5,000 fine per violation. It is being challenged in court and conflicts with a Biden administration order that companies with more than 100 employees require their workers to be vaccinated or face weekly testing.

In a statement, Leon County Administrator Vincent Long said the county believes its vaccination requirement is legally justifiable and necessary to keep people safe.

“The governor’s position in this instance unfortunately appears to be less of a public health strategy and more about political strategy,” he said.

Democratic lawmakers from Tallahassee derided the decision to issue a fine, saying local governments should have the authority to protect their residents as they see fit.

“Unbelievable! We don’t need the state bullying our communities or private businesses who are simply trying to serve the people and get on the other side of this pandemic,” said Florida Sen. Loranne Ausley.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Monday barring any entity, including private business, from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on workers and called on state lawmakers to pass a similar ban into law.

At the White House on Tuesday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki compared the actions of the Florida and Texas governors.

“Governor Abbott’s executive order banning mandates and I would also note announcement by Governor DeSantis this morning, essentially, banning the implementation of mandates, fit a familiar pattern that we’ve seen of putting politics ahead of public health,” Psaki said during a briefing.

The decision to fine Leon County comes a day after the Orlando Sentinel reported the state of Florida is investigating dozens of local governments, performing arts centers, the Miami Marlins, a law enforcement counter-terrorism unit and a concert by singer Harry Styles for suspected violations of the law.

Around 120 cases are being reviewed for violations, according to a public records request from the Orlando Sentinel.

In central Florida, the list includes Orange County government; the Orange County Convention Center; AdventHealth, one of the state’s largest health care systems; several performing arts venues; and the Amway Center, which is home to the Orlando Magic and recently hosted a concert by Styles whose tour mandated that attendees either be vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test.

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WORLD VIEW: Trump’s Man with Contempt Charge, Paris Attack Survivors, Syria Bus Bomb, Venice Floods, More

Oct 20, 2021

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The Associated Press

The Rundown

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection voted unanimously to hold former White House aide Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress after the longtime ally of former President Donald Trump defied a subpoena for…Read More

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PARIS (AP) — They were animals, many of them say. Prey that had lost all sense of time. Targets who were no longer human to either their hunters or themselves. For more than two weeks, dozens of survivors from the Bataclan concert hall in Paris ha…Read More

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CHICAGO (AP) — Royal Smart remembers every detail: the feeling of the handcuffs on his wrists. The panic as he was led outside into the cold March darkness, arms raised, to face a wall of police officers pointing their guns. He was 8 years old….Read More

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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Two bombs attached to a bus carrying Syrian troops exploded in Damascus during the morning rush hour Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding others, a military official said….Read More

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LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch. But don’t call her an oldie. The 95-year-old queen has politely declined the honor of being named “Oldie of the Year” by a British magazine, saying she does …Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

VENICE, Italy (AP) — After Venice suffered the second-worst flood in its history in November 2019, it was inundated with four more exceptional tides within six weeks, shockin…Read More

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An emergency call made by a 4-year-old New Zealand boy asking for police to come over and check out his toys prompted a real-life callout and c…Read More

BEIRUT (AP) — He was only a year old when his panicked father picked him up and they fled with his mother from the gunfire rattling their neighborhood. It was the day Lebanon…Read More

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazilians will turn their focus on Wednesday to the Senate, where a report six months in the making will recommend President Jair Bolsonaro be indict…Read More

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Caribbean Legislators Pay Tribute to the Late Colin Powell

Caribbean legislators have been paying tribute to former United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, who died on Monday at the age of 84.

“On behalf of the people of the 9th District of New York, the Clarke Family and myself, I extend my deepest condolences to the Powell Family and his loved ones and friends,” said Caribbean American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants.

She said that Powell, an American politician, diplomat, statesman, and four-star general, was “a trailblazer in the US military establishment.

“He rose through the ranks to become a four-star general and the Joint Chief of Staff in the Bush administration, and he would go on to be appointed the first Black US Secretary of State,” said Clarke, chair of the US Congressional Black Caucus Taskforce on Immigration.

“Like me, he was born and raised in New York to Jamaican immigrant parents and was a proud Jamaican American. Though my tenure in Congress began after General Powell’s retirement, I was honored to have been sent alongside him by President (Barack) Obama to represent the United States to Jamaica for the celebration of their 50th Independence Anniversary

“While we both represent two different political parties, he was a principled statesman who loved his country. We are all beneficiaries of his decades of service, and his life and legacy are a testament to the greatness of this man.”

Powell’s family said that his immune system was compromised by multiple myeloma, a rare cancer that forms in the blood.  According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple myeloma forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell.

“Healthy plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs,” said the non-profit hospital.

The family said he was vaccinated against the COVID-19 and was being treated for multiple myeloma at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He was also being treated for the early stages of Parkinson’s disease.

“General Powell’s distinguished life was one that immigrants, children of immigrants and all Americans could look to and emulate,” Veteran New York State Assemblyman Jamaican-born N. Nick Perry told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

“His trailblazing efforts, including being the first Black US Secretary of State, changed the course of history for this nation,” added Perry, who represents the 58th Assembly District in Brooklyn, also a US Army veteran.

“General Powell’s accomplishments were celebrated not only by African-Americans but lauded and greatly appreciated by the Caribbean-American community, especially Jamaican-Americans, who took great pride in also claiming him as a son of Jamaica.

“On behalf of the people of the 58th Assembly District, I thank this great Caribbean-American son of New York City for his lifetime of service to America and the world, and pray that he rests in peace in a very special place in Heaven,” Perry said.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, said Powell’s passing of complications from COVID-19, after a long battle with cancer, is “a sobering reminder of the state of this pandemic and the strength of this virus.

“Colin Powell, a first-generation native New Yorker and CUNY (City University of New York) graduate of Caribbean heritage, is a prominent figure, with a complicated legacy,” said Williams.

“He had a record many throughout the political spectrum – including myself – would find fault in, particularly his role in supporting very harmful foreign policy. At the same time, he was a role model for many across that same spectrum, and the importance of seeing a Black man at the highest levels of our government in that time cannot be understated.

“He was committed to his country, community and public service – before, during and after his time in government. The symbol and story of Colin Powell, the impact of his career, are all a part of the legacy we remember and the person we memorialize today,” Williams added.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the Democratic Party nominee for Mayor of New York, said General Powell was “a true trailblazer.”

“In his four decades of distinguished public service, he consistently broke barriers — as the nation’s first Black national security adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state,” Adams said.

“Born to Jamaican immigrants in the South Bronx (New York), his life is a testament to the enduring power of the American dream,” added Adams, a retired New York Police Department (NYPD) captain.

“As a Black man who has spent my career fighting for a more just and equitable society, I am in awe of Mr. Powell’s considerable accomplishments and his ability to overcome the bigotry he faced in order to reach the highest levels of the military, and, later, our federal government”.

CMC

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A&B: PM Browne Promises to Arrest Scam Couple Who May By EnRoute to Antigua

Observer- A&B Prime Minister Gaston Browne has responded to reports that a Nigerian couple on the run for swindling thousands of investors to the tune of 22 billion Naira, had obtained citizenship from Antigua and Barbuda.

Having heard the news while in Parliament yesterday, Browne said that while he is yet to verify this, the alleged fraudsters – Bamise and Elizabeth Ajetunmobi — will be captured if they enter the country.

He said that he heard “that he and his wife obtained Antiguan and Barbudan passports, citizenship under the CIP programme and now that person is now wanted for defrauding a number of Nigerians.”

“I have already put systems in place to ensure that if he is not here as yet that they could capture him on his way here because Antigua and Barbuda is not gonna be a refuge for scamps,” he stated.

Browne reiterated that the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) is not meant to attract criminals saying “our CIP programme is designed to attract and to incentivise investments, not to be a safe haven for crooks.

“This government will continue to do all in its power to ensure that those who violate and they seek refuge here that eventually they are repatriated from whence they came. It’s just a matter of time. Some of them may get temporary refuge here but we have no doubt that ultimately, they will be repatriated.”

According to Nigerian news, passports of the couple and their minor children surfaced online some time Monday night, hours after reports emerged that they had fled Nigeria after their ponzi scheme Imagine Global Solutions Ltd collapsed, leaving thousands of investors stranded.

The passports also reportedly showed that the couple had planned their disappearance months in advance to avoid the suspicion of investors.

Data entries on their passports showed that the husband and one of their minor children procured their passports on the same day — April 29, 2021.

The wife procured her own passport a few days later on May 4, 2021.

The Ajetunmobis were only detected to have fled Nigeria over the past weekend.

They apparently operated a company called Imagine Global, a micro lending service to small and medium businesses, and offered 22 percent interest on loans and 10 percent returns to investors.

Several victims on social media are said to have detailed how they lost as much as 500 million Naira.

A WhatsApp group as well as a Nairaland forum had been created for those affected by the fraudulent scheme to pool resources towards recovering their investments.

Imagine Global, which was registered in 2017, stated on its website that it has a customer base of 90,000 Nigerians, but it was unclear how many of them were able to recoup their investments before the couple disappeared.

The Ajetunmobis reportedly fled to London, where a branch of Imagine Global was incorporated in August 2019.

Peoples Gazette had attempted to reach them but the company’s address in Lagos had been locked and telephone numbers for the couple failed to connect on Monday morning.

A spokesman for Zuriel Consulting Limited — Imagine Global’s legal adviser — said the law firm could not comment on investors’ funds and the disappearance of the couple, adding that it can neither deny nor confirm claims that the amount squandered was up to N22 billion.

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UWI: Plans for Five Islands Won’t Be Changed By Financial Restructuring,

By Orville Williams

According to Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (The UWI), plans to develop the Five Islands Campus will not be negatively impacted by efforts to restructure the university’s finances; instead, the campus will play a vital role in charting the path for the future.

Sir Hilary made that declaration over the weekend as he gathered with the UWI’s five Campus Principals and three Pro Vice-Chancellors at a retreat here in Antigua, to further discuss “the strategy to monetise [the UWI’s] global reputation into sustainable revenue”.

One major component of that strategy is a Global Online Campus initiative which will see the UWI broaden its scope by offering courses and programmes not only in a traditional, site-based context, but also digitally, to markets across the region and the world.

Even though the UWI Open Campus will support this initiative via its already-established online operating system, achieving the historical feat will require significant investment. This begged the question, how will the university’s other plans – including growing the Five Islands Campus – be affected?

Sir Hilary explained to Observer that, instead of being left out of the plans or forced to deal with budget cuts as a result, the Antigua-based campus will play a major role, having always been considered an important cog in the university’s future planning.

“We are now looking at this global campus and the Five Islands Campus is going to be at the center of this global vision for taking the university out to the world,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor spoke on the university’s beginnings in reinforcing his point, referencing the eagerness of the Jamaican government to “host and nurture” the first campus, Mona, back in 1948, as well as similar enthusiasm by the leaders of Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados to establish campuses in those countries.

The importance of the Five Islands Campus is undeniable, he affirmed, especially as it is coming to the fore during this current period of digital innovation.

“Because the Five Islands Campus was always at the center of our imagination, [in terms of] the kind of campus we were going to develop here [and] our relationship with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, this was seen as the beginning of a new system.

“We have Prime Minister [Gaston] Browne, who is filled with the same ideas, the energy and the projections and he says, ‘I want a campus here in Antigua and Barbuda…and we are going to build out a new dynamism around technology [and] science’.

“So, this is now another leg of that journey…we had the Jamaica moment, then we had the Trinidad moment, then we had the Barbados moment. Now, we have the Antigua moment and Antigua is now the center of our imagination. Antigua is the place where we are imagining new and creative things, because we have the ecosystem here that is charting the future.”

The UWI Five Islands Campus was established back in 2019 with approximately 200 students and three schools, with plans to essentially double the student complement and establish more schools as the campus develops.

Along with the traditional programme areas, the Five Islands Campus is foraying into new territory, in the form of robotics and other similar areas of study.

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US Sec. of State Seeks to Shore Up Democracy in S. America

BBC- Antony Blinken’s maiden trip to South America as secretary of state is to two of the continent’s strongest democracies, Ecuador and Colombia. Both at home and abroad, the high-level visit is being regarded as a show of support for allies in a turbulent region increasingly rent by ideological splits and facing challenges from organised crime and drug-trafficking.

On Tuesday, he met recently elected Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso and Foreign Minister Mauricio Montalvo. He has a sit-down scheduled on Wednesday with Colombian President Iván Duque and Vice-President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucía Ramírez.

The US agenda

The meetings in Ecuador and Colombia will give the American secretary of state a chance to address a number of pressing concerns in a region that is geographically close to the US, but not always at the top of its diplomatic agenda.

Venezuela: The Nicolas Maduro regime has been a thorn in the US side through three presidential administrations. Now President Joe Biden’s team will take its turn trying to rally regional support for democratic reforms in the socialist-run nation. The effort is off to a rocky start, however, with Maduro cancelling talks last weekend with the Venezuelan opposition coalition led by Juan Guaido following the extradition to the US of a Colombian businessman accused of money laundering for the Maduro regime.

During a press conference in Quito on Tuesday, Blinken said Maduro’s action was “deeply unfortunate” and was indicative of a leader putting his personal interests over those of the people he should serve.

The standoff is casting a shadow over next month’s regional elections, which the US has warned already appeared unlikely to produce a free and fair result

“Irregular” Migration: Venezuela’s political and economic crises have created an outflow of millions of refugees into Colombia, Ecuador and other nearby nations, threatening to destabilise the region. Of similar concern to the US, however, is the role South American countries have served as “transit nations” for migrants from elsewhere.

The recent unprecedented surge of Haitian migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border had its origin in countries like Chile and Brazil, where dwindling job opportunities and new immigration restrictions prompted recent arrivals and long-term residents alike to consider the arduous journey north in the hope that the US would be more welcoming.

Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, said in a pre-trip briefing that the Haitian situation will be a “substantial focus” of a regional ministerial meeting in Bogota on Thursday – and that every country in South America has a shared responsibility in stemming the migrant flow.

A Venezuelan migrant sells handbags in a Colombian refugee camp
A Venezuelan migrant sells handbags in a Colombian refugee camp

China: In Quito on Wednesday morning, Blinken is scheduled to give an address on “democracy and good governance”. Part of the purpose of this trip, according to Nichols, is to underline what the US sees as the “vibrant and inclusive” democracies of Colombia and Ecuador. Unstated is the contrast the US wants to draw with decidedly undemocratic China – as the strategic and economic rivalry between the two global powers plays out across South America.

On Tuesday, Blinken said that the US partnership with Ecuador was not defined by any third country and that no nation should have to choose between the US and China.

But he followed that with a warning – that in certain “narrowly defined areas”, working with China comes with risks; that Chinese companies, when push comes to shove, will do the bidding of the Chinese government.

Free and open democracies, the American thinking goes, will be more inclined to become “partners of choice” with the US than with authoritarian China. That marks a distinct contrast with the Trump administration, whose “America first” foreign policy was more transactional and less focused on a partner nation’s governance.

This change in US outlook fits neatly with Biden’s rhetorical emphasis on what he sees as an era-defining struggle between the world’s democracies and authoritarian governments.

“Ultimately we’re focused together on demonstrating that democracies can achieve tangible results for our people,” Blinken said. “That’s the test.”

But if South American nations do have to pick a side, the American hope is that they look north, not across the Pacific.

The view from South America

Reports in Colombian and Ecuador’s media highlighted US officials saying that Blinken’s presence in these countries was intended as a “clear sign” of support for “vibrant and inclusive democracies that respect the rights of their citizens”.

These reports also noted that Ecuador and Colombia and Latin America as a whole, as well as the United States, were grappling with the phenomenon of big surges of migrants on the move. The installation over the last year of left-wing governments in Bolivia and Peru had also reduced the numbers of Washington’s friends in the Andean region.

Haitian migrants crossing the Panama-Colombia border
Haitian migrants crossing the Panama-Colombia border

A 19 October editorial in leading Ecuadorean daily El Comercio noted that after a decade in which bilateral ties were distant during the 2007-17 rule of the country’s left-wing President Rafael Correa, Ecuador and the US had resumed a closer relationship after 2017 and Blinken’s visit would strengthen relations with the current government of President Guillermo Lasso.

El Comercio predicted that Lasso’s government would be looking for more generous US co-operation to help it fight corruption and confront threats from transnational drug cartels.

In a move that appeared to reflect these growing problems, President Lasso late on 18 October declared a 60-day state of emergency that mobilised the army and police to fight “insecurity”.

In Colombia, leading daily El Espectador published an opinion column on 19 October that said Blinken’s visit would seek to bolster the Colombian-US “special relationship” in the midst of a “difficult panorama”. The column was written by former foreign minister Rodrigo Pardo.

Pardo commented: “The most pessimistic analysts consider that democracy itself is in danger in the region”. Citing the cases of Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Nicaragua, he added: “That is why the visit by Blinken in these turbulent times… is as complex as it is crucial”.

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