CARACAS/LA PAZ, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Venezuela and Bolivia on Thursday rejected U.S. President Joe Biden’s claims the prior day that the countries had failed to meet counternarcotics obligations.

In a memo released by the White House, Biden said the two South American countries had not improved their efforts over the prior 12 months. U.S. officials have long accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other top authorities of involvement in drug trafficking, which they deny. read more

In a statement posted on Twitter, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia accused Washington of behaving like a “supranational police of sovereign and independent states.”

“Venezuela complies strictly with the requirements of international conventions on the control of psychotropic and narcotic substances,” read the statement.

Maduro, a socialist and staunch critic of the United States, has long maintained that Venezuela is a victim of the violence surrounding drug trafficking because of its lengthy, porous border with Colombia, one of the largest cocaine-producing countries in the world.

Bolivian Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo said leftist President Luis Arce’s government had managed to eradicate more than 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres)of coca plants, the main raw material to make cocaine, and had taken down criminal organizations.

“We reject this report because it has been prepared unilaterally,” del Castillo told reporters, adding that the United States had not conducted research inside the country as multilateral organizations focused on combating drug trafficking tend to do.

“We have a strategy, we have a plan, and we have the mission of a full fight against drug trafficking.”

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NASSAU, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis on Thursday conceded defeat in the general elections on the Atlantic island chain reeling from a surge in COVID-19 cases and slump in the tourism-dependent economy due to the pandemic.

Minnis called his challenger Philip Davis to congratulate him and his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) on winning the poll.

“I offered him my best wishes as his government now faces the continued fight against COVID-19, and the restoration of our economy,” Minnis, the leader of the Free National Movement (FNM) party, said in a statement.

Minnis had been hoping to become the first prime minister in 24 years to win a second five-year term.

But Davis’ PLP gained momentum with a campaign focused on what it termed the government’s mishandling of the COVID-19 outbreak and the economy, which has seen unemployment surge to an estimated 20% and the fiscal deficit balloon during the pandemic.

“In the morning we will rise as one nation and meet the challenges ahead,” Davis told the media after Minnis conceded. “Thank you for seeing the possibilities of what we can build together for our children and grandchildren.”

Some 119 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Wednesday, taking the active number to 1,679 in the nation of just 400,000 people, while the positivity rate has hovered around 25 percent for the past six weeks.

Julian Rolle, chairman of the Public Hospitals Authority, told Bahamian media it had become difficult to staff healthcare facilities properly given about 5-10 percent of staff was quarantined due to exposure to the virus.

Minnis had argued that the PLP cannot be trusted with reviving one of the most prosperous economies in the Atlantic-Caribbean region where tourism accounts for around 50 percent of output and 60 percent of employment.

Under his watch, the Bahamas received a record 1.8 million visitors in 2019 and outgoing Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said he was targeting 1 million air arrivals for 2021.

Davis’ PLP now faces some formidable challenges in office due to COVID-19 and its continuing health and economic impact.

The scattered archipelago stretching from just off eastern Florida to near Cuba is also still rebuilding after being pummeled in 2019 by Hurricane Dorian, one of the strongest Caribbean hurricanes on record, which killed at least 74 people and left many others missing.

National debt stood at $10.356 billion at end-June 2021, according to the Bahamian Ministry of Finance, which forecasts a $951 million fiscal deficit for 2021-2022.

Gowon Bowe, chief executive of Fidelity Bank (Bahamas), a publicly-traded bank, told Reuters: “The reality is that we don’t have much wiggle room left. There won’t be a honeymoon for a new administration. It’s going to be right about the business because there’s a lot we have to right.”

Reporting by Neil Hartnell in Nassau Editing by Sarah Marsh, Alistair Bell, Drazen Jorgic and Michael Perry

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CNN- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he has directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to shut down six points of entry along the US-Mexico border amid a surge in migrants.

The Republican called the crisis dire and said “agents are overwhelmed by the chaos” at the border.

“The sheer negligence of the Biden Administration to do their job and secure the border is appalling. I have directed the Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to surge personnel and vehicles to shut down six points of entry along the southern border to stop these caravans from overrunning our state,” Abbott said in a statement.

“The border crisis is so dire that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is requesting our help as their agents are overwhelmed by the chaos. Unlike President Biden, the State of Texas remains committed to securing our border and protecting Americans.”

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Marsha Espinosa told CNN on Thursday that it “is not seeking assistance from the State of Texas to shut down ports of entry,” adding that “it would be a violation of federal law for the Texas National Guard to unilaterally do so.

Earlier in the day, Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Victor Escalon said that all the points of entry to Del Rio, Texas, will be shut down due to the overwhelming number of migrants there.

“Six, seven days ago, Del Rio saw 400 migrants sitting, underneath the bridge, the (point of entry) in downtown Del Rio … there’s about 6,000 sitting there right now and more are coming,” said Escalon.

“Before I came here today, my last instructions are, we’re going to shut down all the POEs in Del Rio,” he said, following an update on Operation Lone Star.

CNN previously reported Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano said there were over 8,500 migrants under the Del Rio International Bridge waiting to get processed.

According to the US Customs and Border Protection website, the “Del Rio Sector is responsible for detecting and preventing the smuggling and unlawful entry of undocumented immigrants into the United States along 245 miles of the Rio Grande River and Lake Amistad that forms the border between the U.S. and Mexico. The area covers 55,063 square miles of Texas, and reaches 300 miles into Texas from the U.S.-Mexico border.”

The crisis at the southern border has been a key focus of the Biden administration, though President Joe Biden has had to contend with losses in court cases over some of the policy changes they have made

On Thursday, a federal judge blocked the administration from turning away migrant families with children under a public health order related to the coronavirus pandemic, marking a defeat for the administration which has relied on the order amid an influx of arrivals. The order takes effect in 14 days.

And last month, a federal judge in Texas ordered the administration to revive a Trump-era border policy that required migrants to stay in Mexico until their US immigration court date. Biden had ended the program earlier this year.

Meanwhile, border arrests remain at the highest level in decades, reaching one million before the end of the fiscal year and more than 208,000 in August alone. Some of those apprehended at the US-Mexico border are repeat crossers.

This story has been updated with additional details Thursday.

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez and Devan Cole contributed to this report.]

=========================================

Thousands of migrants converge under Texas bridge, posing new challenge for Biden

CIUDAD ACUÑA, Mexico, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Thousands of migrants have converged under the bridge that connects Del Rio, Texas and Mexico’s Ciudad Acuña, creating a makeshift camp with few basic services in intense heat in the latest border emergency facing U.S. President Joe Biden.

Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano said that as of early Thursday evening 10,503 migrants were under the Del Rio International Bridge, up from 8,200 in the morning.

Food and water has been scarce, around 20 migrants told Reuters, and temperatures have risen to around 99 Fahrenheit (37 Celsius). Reuters witnessed hundreds of migrants wading through the Rio Grande river and back into Mexico to stock up on essentials they say they are not receiving on the American side.

The migrants are mostly Haitians, with Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans also present.

The squalid conditions are reflective of the humanitarian challenge facing Biden as border arrests hover around 20-year highs. U.S. authorities arrested more than 195,000 migrants at the Mexican border in August, according to government data released on Wednesday.

Ernesto, a 31-year-old Haitian migrant, slipped back into Mexico on Thursday to buy water and food – for the fourth time, he said, since arriving in the United States on Monday morning. Ernesto, who declined to give his surname to protect his identity, said he and his 3-year-old daughter had not been fed at the camp, where migrants are jostling for shade.

Sometimes, he said, he runs to avoid Mexican migration officials but is usually not bothered by them. “But now money is running out,” he added.

Migrants showed Reuters tickets with numbers they had received from U.S. Border Patrol. Several said other migrants told them they could be stuck at the camp for up to five days.

Border Patrol said in a statement it was increasing staffing in Del Rio to facilitate a “safe, humane and orderly process.” Drinking water, towels and portable toilets have been provided, the statement added, while migrants wait to be transported to facilities.

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Biden, a Democrat who took office in January, has rolled back many of the hardline immigration measures of his Republican predecessor, former President Donald Trump.

But he has been caught between pro-migrant groups and some Democrats who have criticized him for not doing more to help migrants, and opponents who say his policies have encouraged illegal immigration.

Del Rio is in Val Verde County, which voted for Trump in 2020. Some residents in this sprawling, bilingual border town say they feel abandoned by the federal government on border security.

“Are they doing anything to stop them from coming?” one woman said while she looked down at the encampment while driving over the bridge.

‘WHEN ARE WE LEAVING?’

Carlos, a 27-year-old Venezuelan who said he left his home after graduating university in July, said he thought the camp had doubled in size since he arrived on Tuesday. Carlos, who declined to give his full name, said he had only $10 left, and that there were 400 families ahead of him in the queue for processing.

Both migrants and Mexican officials said many more people are expected in coming days. Some told Reuters they had chosen to cross here because the river is shallow and they felt there was comparatively less cartel activity.

Jeff Jeune, a 27-year-old Haitian who was reselling water bottles for a 3 peso (15 cent) profit, said he and his young family were exhausted, hungry and sleeping on the ground. He fretted about his kids falling ill in the makeshift camp.

“My ten-year-old asks: ‘When are we leaving?’ He’s always asking that.”

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Why So Many COVID Cases When Most UK People are Vaccinated?

By Philippa Roxby
Health reporter

BBC- More than four out of five UK adults have now had two jabs, but reported daily Covid cases remain high.

Meanwhile, it’s been confirmed that millions of people will get booster vaccines – while children aged 12-15 will be offered single doses.

Why are infections still high when so many are vaccinated?

The vaccines are designed to protect people against becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19.

They’re less effective at stopping people becoming infected by the virus, developing mild symptoms or passing it on.

Although the vaccine does still reduce the likelihood of these things happening, it might only stop half of infected people from transmitting the virus.

Even if 100% of people in the UK were double vaccinated, the virus would still spread – but the key difference is that far fewer people would become seriously ill.

Do vaccines prevent hospitalisation and death?

They strongly prevent vaccinated people from getting Covid symptoms – and are even better at stopping people from ending up in hospital.

But effectiveness also depends on how well each vaccine works against individual variants. The most common variant in the UK today is Delta.

Public Health England (PHE) studies suggest having two vaccine doses protect 80% of people against getting symptoms from the Delta variant. That’s lower than the Alpha variant (89%), because Delta is more infectious. The PHE also found:

• Vaccines are 96% effective at preventing hospitalisation
• Covid deaths in the double-jabbed are four times lower than in the unvaccinated

But there will always be some deaths, particularly in the oldest and most vulnerable, because vaccines aren’t perfect.

Having two doses remains the best way to protect yourself. After four or five months, a large study suggests you have the same amount of protection whether you had AstraZeneca or Pfizer. Researchers don’t yet have enough data to compare the Moderna jab, but believe it is “almost certainly at least as good as the others”.

Some 44 million people in the UK, about 81% of people aged 16 and over, have now had their second jab.

• Covid deaths rare among fully vaccinated – ONS

Who will be offered third jabs?

Across the UK, single booster jabs will be offered to:

• Over-50s
• Frontline health and social care workers
• Older adults in residential care homes
• People aged 16-49 years old with underlying health conditions which put them at greater risk of severe Covid
• Adults who share a household with vulnerable people

The doses will be offered at least six months after a second vaccination, and are likely to be either Pfizer or Moderna.

England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, says people should also take a flu jab if it is offered alongside the booster.

• How can I get a flu jab?

Which children will now be offered the vaccine?

All four UK governments have also confirmed healthy over-12s will be offered a single Covid jab.

The UK’s chief medical officers argue vaccinating this group will help limit school disruption if Covid spreads during the winter.

There is no vaccine currently approved for use in the under-12s in the UK.

Already, young people aged 16 and 17 are being offered one dose, with the intention of a second at a later date.

The vaccine is also available for over-12s with underlying health conditions, or those living with others at high risk.

• Will children’s Covid jabs be compulsory?
• What difference will jabbing young teens make?
• Vaccinating children – how the UK compares

How do I get a vaccine?

In England, adults and those within three months of turning 18 can book a jab online or by calling 119. You can also visit a walk-in clinic without an appointment. All 16 and 17-year-olds are asked to make an appointment through their GP.

In Scotland, over-16s can register to get the vaccine on the NHS inform website or by calling 0800 030 8013. Most health boards also have drop-in vaccination clinics. Over-12s can go to drop-in clinics from Monday 20 September.

In Wales, adults should contact their local health board if they’ve not been offered their jab.

In Northern Ireland, you can book online or call 0300 200 7813. Walk-in centres are open to older teenagers.

How soon should I get my second jab?

In England, the recommended gap between first and second jabs is between 8-12 weeks.

In Wales, the government says you should be called in for your second dose “within 12 weeks” of the first.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland the recommended gap is eight weeks.

image source, Getty Images

Which vaccine will I get?

People who are under 40 or pregnant are being offered Pfizer or Moderna rather than Oxford-AstraZeneca, because of concerns about a possible connection with extremely rare cases of blood clots.

Under-18s are currently being offered Pfizer, although the Moderna vaccine has also been authorised for use in children in the UK.

Is vaccination compulsory?

It’s not compulsory, although the health secretary has said it is “highly likely” that both Covid and flu jabs will be compulsory for all frontline NHS and care workers in England.

Being fully vaccinated will also be a condition of entry for nightclubs and some other events in Scotland from 1 October.

It also means you don’t have to self-isolate after visiting amber list countries or if a contact tests positive for Covid (as long as you test negative).

England’s chief midwife has also urged pregnant women to get the vaccine.

• The vaccine fertility myths that just won’t go away

image source, Getty Images

What about side effects?

The most common ones include a sore arm, headache, chills, fatigue and nausea.

They are part of the body’s normal immune response to vaccines and tend to resolve within a day or two.

There are extremely rare but occasionally fatal cases of people developing blood clots after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Separately, a very small number of people have experienced a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.

You should discuss any existing serious allergies with your healthcare professional before being vaccinated.

• Covid vaccines and rare clots – what do we know?

Changes to the rules on international travel are expected to be announced by the UK government later.

image source, Getty Images

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In a statement this morning, Golding says for a Minister of Government, who ought to be setting an example for the population as a whole, to be flouting the no-movement day restrictions and partying with friends, is an arrogant insult to the people of Jamaica.

He described Green’s action as an inexcusable, disgraceful dereliction of duty.

“Ordinary Jamaicans would be locked up and charged with offences under the DRMA [Disaster Risk Management Act] for doing this. Yet a Government Minister and his cronies were there yesterday flossing and braffing away as if the COVID restrictions mean nothing, showing utter contempt for the rules that his Government has imposed on the people,” the statement read.

Jamaicans are restricted from moving on lockdown days – Sunday to Tuesday, with exemptions given to certain individuals to move in relation to their specific work.

Among the selected groups who are exempted on no-movement days are essential service workers and persons visiting vaccination sites to get vaccinated.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness asked Green to hand in his resignation.

Green apologized for his actions, saying it demonstrated a lack of sensitivity. He said the lapse in judgment will never happen again.

“Today, I have disappointed so many. My family including my son, my Prime Minister and most importantly, the people of Jamaica who I have sworn to serve. I accept that this was an error in judgment and that it sends the wrong signal especially in light of the Government’s drive to reduce the spread of COVID-19. For this, I am really and truly very sorry,” a statement from Green read.

He will remain as the Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth South West.

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