Tag Archives: caribbean

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Improvements planned to improve function of the Federal Office in Nevis

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts -– The Team Unity administration will continue to make the necessary investments that will build on the already strong relationship that now exists between the Federal Government and the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), according to Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.

One such measure will be improving the functioning of the Federal Office in Nevis to better serve the people living on the sister island.

“We have advanced the bond between the Federal Government and the Nevis Island Administration, and more importantly the people to people contact between Kittitians and Nevisians is at the highest and best level in history,” said Prime Minister Harris in his 2021 New Year’s Day Address.

“A Federal Office that is courteous, efficient, and effective, will allow more to be done,” said Hon. Harris. “It will allow and enhance access to my office by our citizens and residents on both sides of the channel and relieve Nevisians of the inconvenience of having to travel to Basseterre to consult with their Prime Minister.”

The honourable prime minister pointed to the historic and unprecedented support of the federal government to the NIA, evidenced by the substantial direct budgetary allocation of more than $220 million since 2015.

“Funding for projects on Nevis is now commonplace,” said Prime Minister Harris. “We have given support for law enforcement: a brand new police station and fire hall at Newcastle, and installation of CCTV. We have also provided assistance in the following critical areas: the fight against COVID-19, the construction of technical and vocational spaces at high schools in Nevis, the payment of economic costs for students from Nevis, joint procurement of pharmaceuticals, and for the operation of STEP in Nevis.”

The Federal Government’s support to Nevis over the last five years also includes the construction of the new diagnostic wing at the Alexandra Hospital, the Mundo Track and the new Nevis Treasury Building.

Prime Minister Harris said his Government will continue to do all it can for all citizens and residents, adding that, “From time to time we must remind ourselves that this is one state, one Federal government to serve all the people of the State.”

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Cuba, Iran Working Together on COVID Vaccine

TEHRAN – The Pasteur Institute of Iran in collaboration with a Cuban company is working on producing a potential vaccine for COVID-19.

The first batch of coronavirus vaccine which will reach Iran will be probably purchased directly from a foreign country, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on Friday.

“Following that, Iran will receive its share of the COVAX vaccines and then the Pasteur Institute of Iran will co-produce a vaccine with a Cuban company, and finally, the domestically-made vaccine will be produced,” he explained, IRNA reported.

He went on to say that the human trial phase of the vaccine has been carried out successfully in Cuba. “The second phase of the human trial is being conducted under the supervision of the Pasteur Institute of Iran in Cuba. Provide that the second phase is successful, the third phase will be implemented in Iran.”

On December 29, 2020, the first coronavirus vaccine made by Iranian researchers, was unveiled and injected into three volunteers.

The production line of the Iranian coronavirus vaccine with a capacity of 1.5 million doses per month will be launched within the next 40 days. By the next six months, vaccine production will reach up to 12 million doses per month.

Hossein Vatanpour, an official with the Ministry of Health, has said 16 Iranian knowledge-based companies are working on all types of vaccine platforms. One company is active in producing DNA-based vaccines, and about three others are working to make mRNA-based vaccines, he added.

Christoph Hamelmann, WHO Representative in Iran, said on December 28, 2020, that sanctions imposed by the United States will have no effect on importing coronavirus vaccines by Iran from the COVAX, a global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

“We support and assist Iran in obtaining essential items from the global market, and we did so since the beginning of the pandemic, as we anticipated the provision of medicine to be affected by sanctions,” he added, ILNA reported.

COVAX member states, including Iran, will jointly decide on which brand of vaccine each country to purchase, and the final decision will be announced by the officials, he noted.

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Once a Model, California Struggles to Tame COVID-19

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ambulances waited hours for openings to offload coronavirus patients. Overflow patients were moved to hospital hallways and gift shops, even a cafeteria. Refrigerated trucks were on standby, ready to store the dead.

For months, California did many of the right things to avoid a catastrophic surge from the pandemic. But by the time Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Dec. 15 that 5,000 body bags were being distributed, it was clear that the nation’s most populous state had entered a new phase of the COVID-19 crisis.

Now infections have been racing out of control for weeks, and California has routinely set new records for infections and deaths. It remains at or near the top of the list of states with the most new cases per capita.

Experts say a variety of factors combined to wipe out the past efforts, which for much of the year held the virus to manageable levels. Cramped housing, travel and Thanksgiving gatherings contributed to the spread, along with the public’s fatigue amid regulations that closed many schools and businesses and encouraged — or required — an isolated lifestyle.

Another factor could be a more contagious variant of the virus detected in Southern California, although it’s not clear yet how widespread that may be.

California’s woes have helped fuel the year-end U.S. infection spike and added urgency to the attempts to beat back the scourge that has killed more than 340,000 Americans. Even with vaccines becoming available, cases are almost certain to continue growing, and yet another surge is expected in the weeks after Christmas and New Year’s.

The southern half of the state has seen the worst effects, from the agricultural San Joaquin Valley to the Mexico border. Hospitals are swamped with patients, and intensive care units have no more beds for COVID-19 patients. Makeshift wards are being set up in tents, arenas, classrooms and conference rooms.

Hospitalizations statewide have gone up more than eightfold in two months and nearly tenfold in Los Angeles County. On Thursday, the total number of California deaths surpassed 25,000, joining only New York and Texas at that milestone.

“Most heartbreaking is that if we had done a better job of reducing transmission of the virus, many of these deaths would not have happened,” said Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director, who has pleaded with people not to get together and worsen the spread.

Crowded houses and apartments are often cited as a source of spread, particularly in Los Angeles, which has some of the densest neighborhoods in the U.S. Households in and around LA often have several generations — or multiple families — living under one roof. Those tend to be lower-income areas where residents work essential jobs that can expose them to the virus at work or while commuting.

The socioeconomic situation in LA County is “like the kindling,” said Paula Cannon, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Southern California. “And now we got to the stage where there was enough COVID out in the community that it lit the fire.”

Home to a quarter of the state’s 40 million residents, LA County has had 40% of the state’s deaths and a third of its 2.2 million cases. The virus has hit Latino and Black communities harder.

Cannon said there’s a moral imperative for people who can follow stay-home orders to help prevent spread that is harder to contain in other areas.

“What you can’t do is say to people, ‘Can you stop living in a house with eight other people, five of whom are working essential worker jobs?’” she said. “This is the structure that we can’t change in LA. This is, I think, contributing to why our levels have suddenly got scarily high and looks like they’re going to keep going up and keep staying that way.”

In March, during the early days of the pandemic, Newsom was hailed for issuing the nation’s first state stay-home order.

The Democrat eased business restrictions in May, and when a broader restart led to another surge, imposed more rules. In early December, with cases out of control, he issued a looser stay-home order. He also closed businesses such as barbershops and salons, halted restaurant dining and limited capacity in retail stores. The latest restrictions apply everywhere except in rural Northern California.

But Dr. Lee Riley, an infectious diseases professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said that while the state managed to flatten the curve of rising cases, it never effectively bent the curve downward to the point infections would die out.

When cases rose in June and July, California was never able to do enough contact tracing to isolate infected people and those they may have exposed before they spread the disease — often unwittingly — to others, he said. And public health directives were never adequately enforced.

“What California did was to maybe delay the peak,” Riley said. Infections “really just never got low enough. And we started lifting the restrictions, and that just allowed the transmissions to just continue to increase. We never really saw a real decline.”

California’s health secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, said if state and local leaders had not made difficult decisions early on that saved lives, the current surge might not be the worst the state has seen.

He acknowledged the exhaustion many people feel after enduring months of disruptions to their lives. Public health officials, he said, need to find a way to reach people who have given up or not followed rules on social distancing and masks.

Across California, local officials have reminded people that the fate of the virus lies in their behavior and asked for one more round of shared sacrifice. They reminded people that activities that were safe earlier this year are now risky as the virus becomes more widespread.

“You can practice safety and low-risk behavior from March to October. But all that is erased. Nothing matters except what you are doing to fight the virus right now,” said Corinne McDaniels-Davidson, director of the Institute for Public Health at San Diego State University. “This pandemic is an ultra-marathon. In our culture, we are used to sprints.”

___

Associated Press Writer Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

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Federation extends duty-free concessions to January 31, 2021

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Understanding the challenges being faced by international shipping agencies as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and its subsequent impact on the timely importation of goods into the Federation, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has taken the decision to extend its duty free concession on goods to January 31, 2021.

“My Government has been attentive to the concerns from various local couriers, shipping agents and their customers, as it relates to the delivery of goods by suppliers in the United States to their facilities in Miami” said Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris in his 2021 New Year’s Day Address to the nation. “The said goods should have arrived in the Federation in December, 2020. However, due to backlogs in Miami, these goods did not arrive by the December 31, 2020 deadline. Accordingly, our citizens and residents could not benefit from the usual US$200.00 concessionary allowance on their imports. In light of this, it is agreed that to facilitate non-commercial entities importing goods, the allowances will be extended to January 31, 2021.”

This means that gift packages of foodstuff up to 400 pounds in weight are allowed free of duty and taxes, and non-commercial imports are granted duty-free allowance of EC$540 or US$200 off the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of goods.

Mindful of the economic impact of the pandemic locally, the Team Unity Government has also introduced new measures designed to ease the burden on business entities.

“We will extend the due date for the payment of Businesses and Occupation Licenses for all Businesses from January 31, 2021, until March 31, 2021,” said Dr. Harris. “The Inland Revenue Department will work with affected businesses to help them stay current with their existing tax liabilities by allowing them to enter low-interest payment plans to ease their cash flow situations. Taxi and tour operators unable to pay their Businesses and Occupation Licenses for 2020 and 2021 will be allowed to license their vehicles provided that they enter into a payment plan for the settlement of any outstanding Businesses and Occupation Licenses.”

In his 2021 Budget Address, Dr. Harris announced the extension of nine of the measures in the Government’s $120-million stimulus package.

Some of the stimulus measures that were extended to June 2021 are: The removal of VAT and Import Duty on hygiene items; the removal of Import Duty and Customs Service Charges on vegetables, fruits, fruit juices, cough and cold preparations and vitamins; waiver of payments for the consumption of water for individuals who have been laid off or have experienced a reduction in earnings as a consequence of COVID-19; 24 percent reduction of the Corporate Income Tax rate from 33 percent to 25 percent for businesses that retain at least 75 percent of their employees and the reduction of the unincorporated business tax rate by 50 percent.

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New Year’s Day Address by Dr. the Hon Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis

“My fellow citizens and residents, a New Year has dawned.

“We look to 2021 with much hope, much optimism and much excitement despite the challenges we faced in 2020,” said Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, during his New Year’s Day address to the Federation.

“While the shadow of COVID-19 still hangs over us, there are many bright signs of a happy New Year ahead,” he said.

“Here in St. Kitts and Nevis, the future which we promise to deliver is a stronger and safer future for our young people, better jobs and wealth generation for our working population, expanding opportunities for our entrepreneurs, and support for each of our citizens and residents to realize their full potential.

“The future we will enjoy in 2021 and beyond depends solely on our ingenuity, ambition and industry today.

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues its impact on our Federation and the rest of the world. Nevertheless, this year we will rebuild our economy. We will rebuild our workforce and redouble our efforts to keep the Federation healthy and safe. All of us must come together to restore our economy and our standard of living to its pre-COVID-19 levels and above.

“Part of our plan will see a significant improvement in the delivery ethos of our people. Our employees in the public and private sectors must not only render loyal, but efficient, effective and courteous service.

“In 2021, we will begin to build out our pay-for-performance programme while we revisit the Regulations and Laws governing the public service. High performance must become the norm, and sterling performance must be identified and rewarded so others can be motivated to follow.

“Our future will be stronger and safer as we enhance the quality of our technology infrastructure and provide greater access to the benefits so derived.

“Our ICT build out will ensure wider use in every domain and facet of society. That is why in my 2021 Budget Address I lauded the projects to be unfolded by The Cable this year. They include:
• Provision of free Wi Fi hotspots in all Community Centres in St Kitts;
• Offering of up to 200 specially developed High Speed Internet Packages to approved entrepreneurs by the new Ministry of Entertainment, Entrepreneurship and Talent Development; and
• The deployment of a multi-million dollar fibre to the home network upgrade which would result in High-Speed Internet to all households in St Kitts.

“Our E-Government reforms will continue with our build out of E-payment platforms across key revenue collecting agencies, such as the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise Departments. Our Land Registry, Departments of Health and Labour will enhance their information systems, all in a thrust to make government more modern, efficient, elegant, viable and responsive to the demands of an E-society.

“We are serious about people’s empowerment and development, hence our investments in our citizens will continue. Our tremendous investments will be employed to enhance the level of skills and general human resources of our people. We have budgeted $10 million to defray economic and other costs of our students’ participation in tertiary level training, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), Monroe, and others.

“Tertiary level education makes the greatest contribution to our country’s growth and development. This will be complemented with our Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme. New and improved learning spaces will be provided at our secondary schools in St Kitts and Nevis and at our Advanced Vocational Education Centre (AVEC) in St. Kitts. We shall commence construction of the Basseterre High School (BHS). It will be the most modern and cutting-edge secondary school in the region.

“Our health sector investments will enhance our primary health care delivery, step up our fight against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and a state-of-the-art Cardiac Unit at the JNF Hospital will be another significant deliverable. National Health Insurance (NHI) will advance closer to implementation in 2021. Of course, our major challenge will continue to be containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The availability of a range of vaccines is good news. Better news will be for vaccines that are safe and efficacious to become universally available. Your government has taken the proactive step to pay in advance to secure our access to vaccines. These are expected to be available by the first half of 2021.

“My government will work with all parties and entities to consolidate the early recovery of our economy. Our $192 million capital budget will see implementation of 113 projects including the BHS, road networks, health centres and JNF Hospital Phase III. Our solar energy project will commence. All these will result in more jobs and better incomes.

“Our hotel sector will continue to bring more rooms into operation for staycations i.e. vacation in place and quarantine purposes. Some 13 residential facilities namely: Royal St. Kitts Hotel, OTI, Oualie Beach Resort, Bird Rock Apartments Complex, Golden Rock Hotel, KOI Resort, Ocean’s Edge, Paradise Beach Resort, Park Hyatt, Potworks Estate Apartments, St Kitts Marriott Hotel and Marriott Vacation Club, have all been approved by the Task Force as sites for vacation in place or quarantine. We are open for doing business in a safe way.

“The opening of our borders fully in the last quarter of 2020 has resulted in a steady but very modest flow of arrivals providing a fresh lease on the livelihoods of our taxi operators, hotel employees and growth in businesses especially those which provide security services. Since the opening, and up to Sunday 27th December 2020, our airports: R. L. Bradshaw and Vance W. Amory International had a throughput of 862 flights and a passenger throughput of 2,323 passengers.

“My Government made a promise to create more jobs. And we shall deliver on that promise. We want to get our people back to work. For those unable to regain jobs we shall ensure that any severance payment due is paid. In 2020 we advanced $15.6 million to the Severance Fund.

“My government has budgeted a further $7 million for severance payment in 2021. These payments will be made as soon as practicable. Every effort will be made to improve the efficiency of processing claims in the future.

“In this regard, we expect a report to Cabinet shortly regarding the feasibility of setting up an E-platform for the Labour Department and Social Security to interface with each other on severance payments and related matters while observing and conforming with data privacy and data protection issues. This is in keeping with the new ethos of efficient and responsive government. Further, we shall move to implement actuarial recommendations on the Severance Fund, Long Service Gratuity and Unemployment Benefits. We are committed to these initiatives, and this evidences our advocacy for critical historical labour values that seem to have been diminished over the years. Moreover, this demonstrates our love and concern for workers. We will continue to protect our workers and ensure that their future is safe and secure. These are important Labour values, which further demonstrate our commitment that our workers are protected at all times.

“Your Team Unity government truly represents working class values. We deliver on them, and to increase worker empowerment my government will extend duty free concessions accorded to first time home builders to the Teachers’ Union, the Labour Union, and any of our Credit Unions and Banks which will undertake to build new offices or to make significant renovation of existing offices, and engage in approved residential developments within the next 12 months. This should spur further construction activity in our country and enhance the quality of our built environment. Applications will be processed within three weeks of receipt of same by the Ministry of Finance.

“Similarly, the FIRST mortgage programme offering duty free concession to first time homeowners remains open to applicants for the next 12 months. Applications will continue to be processed by the Ministry of Finance. This is the best time for our people to become part of an inclusive property-owning society. This will give meaning to our concept of people’s empowerment.

New Initiatives

“My Government has been attentive to the concerns from various local couriers, shipping agents and their customers, as it relates to the delivery of goods by suppliers in the United States of America to their facilities in Miami. The said goods should have arrived in the Federation in December, 2020. However, due to backlogs in Miami, these goods did not arrive by the December 31, 2020 deadline. Accordingly, our citizens and residents could not benefit from the usual US$200.00 concessionary allowance on their imports.

“In light of this, it is agreed that to facilitate non-commercial entities importing goods, the allowances will be extended to January 31, 2021.

“We understand that this crisis has affected different persons and segments of the economy in different ways. Therefore we will:

1. Extend the due date for the payment of Businesses and Occupation Licenses for all Businesses from January 31, 2021, until March 31, 2021.

2. Ensure that the Inland Revenue Department works with affected businesses to help them stay current with their existing tax liabilities by allowing them to enter low-interest payment plans to ease their cash flow situations.

3. Taxi and Tour Operators unable to pay their Businesses and Occupation Licenses for 2020 and 2021 would be allowed to license their vehicles provided that they enter into a payment plan for the settlement of any outstanding Businesses and Occupation Licenses.

Nevis

“We have ushered in the best working relationship between St. Kitts and Nevis. The historic and unprecedented support of the federal government and the new spirit of cooperation and unity advanced by my Team Unity Administration, have brought much to our citizens and residents on Nevis. Not least among them is substantial direct budget allocations totalling well over $220 million since 2015. Funding for projects on Nevis is now commonplace. We have given support for law enforcement: a brand new Police Station and Fire Hall at Newcastle, and installation of CCTV.

“We have also provided assistance in the following critical areas: the fight against COVID-19, the construction of Technical and Vocational spaces at High Schools in Nevis, the payment of economic costs for students from Nevis, joint procurement of pharmaceuticals, and for the operation of STEP in Nevis.

“You would recall the SIDF’s support for such important projects in Nevis as the new diagnostic wing at the Alexandra Hospital, the Mundo Track, and the new Nevis Treasury Building. For 20 years prior to your Team Unity Government there was no Federal Government structured program of support to the people of Nevis. Team Unity has been making a real positive difference. Team Unity is working for you.

“In order to further strengthen the bond of friendship, love, mutual respect and cooperation between our citizens and residents of Nevis and of St. Kitts, I shall this year, reorganize the functioning of the Federal Office in Nevis. The goal is to better serve our people in Nevis. We have advanced the bond between the Federal Government and the Nevis Island Administration and more importantly the people to people contact between Kittitians and Nevisians is at the highest and best level in history. A Federal Office that is courteous, efficient, and effective, will allow more to be done. It will allow and enhance access to my office by our citizens and residents on both sides of the channel, and relieve Nevisians of the inconvenience of having to travel to Basseterre to consult with their Prime Minister.

“My government will continue to do all it can for all of our citizens and residents. We do so out of love and consideration for all. This has been the reality for the last five years. From time to time we must remind ourselves that this is one State, one Federal government to serve all the people of the State. I am humbled that it is my government which has thus far in our Nation’s history, presided over the best personification of St. Kitts and Nevis as (in the immortal words of our National anthem) “a nation bound together with a common destiny.

“As we embark together on this new year of limitless promise, let us remain rooted that we are One People, whose destiny is inextricably linked not just by constitutional arrangements, but through history, geography, ties of family and friendship.

“Our two islands must always work together if we are to reach our fullest potential. We have seen how that cooperation over the last five years made us a leader in the region and the hemisphere, on so many developmental and performance indices, including the United Nations Quality of Life Index, the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index and debt to GDP ratio. We will rise or fall together, but rise we must. It will take all of us working together, pooling and engaging our talents and resources, to continue to make our beloved Federation the best example of a progressive, well managed small island state.

“As a true son of our beloved Federation, I know that our shared prosperity must extend and manifest equally for all our people, from my father’s hometown of Cotton Ground, Nevis, to my mother’s in Tabernacle, St. Kitts.

“It is my pledge as Prime Minister to do all that I can always, to foster this endeavour. As Prime Minister with unbreakable familial ties to both islands, I will do all I can at such a time as this to make my beloved Federation the best example of a progressive and united small island state. I enlist the fullest support of all our citizens and residents to make it a reality.

“May we, this year and beyond, have the faith to believe with all our hearts that our people and our collective purpose will build a greater Nation. May we always do as much as we can, engaging our industry, ingenuity, creativity and innovation, in order to leave a Nation more beautiful and prosperous than we inherited. May we this year and beyond work to build and maintain our communities together. We must share the burdens and the problems of our brothers and our sisters and more importantly solve them together. We will continue to strive for and maintain unity of family, community and Nation on this path of self-determination and prosperity for all.

“We should never backtrack from the All-of-Society approach which has worked so very well this last year. I am trusting in Almighty God, and in our resilience and spirit of shared responsibility, as we work to make St. Kitts and Nevis the Garden of Eden which Marcus Garvey envisioned it to be.

“May God’s blessings be upon us all, this New Year and may He continue to bless the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis. I thank you for the honour and privilege to serve you and my beloved Country,” concluded Dr. Harris. “Happy New Year to All! May God continue to favour us in St Kitts and Nevis and may He keep us safe.”

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Volcano Eruptions Force Caribbean Evacuations

Residents on several eastern Caribbean islands have been advised to evacuate their homes after volcanoes that have remained quiet for decades rumbled into life.

Officials issued alerts on the island chain of St Vincent and the Grenadines, home to more than 100,000 people, as scientists rushed to study the renewed activity.

The government raised the alert level to orange for the volcano La Soufriere indicating it could erupt within 24 hours, and recommended people living nearby should leave their homes immediately.

La Soufriere began spewing ash along with gas and steam, in addition to the formation of a new volcanic dome caused by lava reaching the Earth’s surface, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency said

An eruption by La Soufriere in 1902 killed more than 1,000 people.

Authorities on the Caribbean island of Martinique, an overseas French territory, are also watching the Mount Pelee volcano after tremors became more frequent last month.

In December, authorities issued a yellow alert due to seismic activity under the mountain, the first alert of its kind issued since the volcano last erupted in 1932, Fabrice Fontaine, from Martinique’s Volcanological and Seismological Observatory, told the Associated Press.

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News Briefs

Israel’s virus surveillance tool tests its democratic norms

By TIA GOLDENBERGtoday

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — In the early days of the pandemic, a panicked Israel began using a mass surveillance tool on its civilians, tracking people’s cellphones in hopes of stopping the spread of…

New Year’s revelries muted by virus as curtain draws on 2020

By FRANK JORDANS and DEREK GATOPOULOStoday

This New Year’s Eve is being celebrated like no other in most of the world, with many bidding farewell to a year they’d prefer to forget.

From the South Pacific to New York City, pandemic…

EU avoided chaos, explored new paths in turbulent 2020 year

By SAMUEL PETREQUINtoday

BRUSSELS (AP) — Between the specter of Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic and a new leadership team facing a budget battle, the European Union looked set to remember 2020 as an “annus.”

Race to vaccinate millions in US off to slow, messy start

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and MICHAEL KUNZELMANyesterday

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Terry Beth Hadler was so eager to get a lifesaving COVID-19 vaccination that the 69-year-old piano teacher stood in line overnight in a parking lot with hundreds of other…

California passes 25,000 deaths, finds 3 more variant cases

By BRIAN MELLEY and STEFANIE DAZIOtoday

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California surpassed 25,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic and officials disclosed Thursday that three more cases involving a mutant variant of the virus…

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To Spite Biden, Trump to Label Cuba Terrorist State

(CNN) The Trump administration will soon take steps toward designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism as an 11th hour effort to create hurdles for the incoming Biden administration, which is likely to pursue warmer ties with Havana.

A senior administration official told CNN that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to make the designation in the coming days. A second official confirmed that discussions are taking place, although the timing is uncertain. ]

The Cuban government has already denounced the move, which is one of a series of bold initiatives the Trump administration is taking as it attempts to leave a lasting imprint on US foreign policy with just three weeks left before President Donald Trump leaves office.

Currently, only three other nations bear the US terrorism designation: Iran, North Korea and Syria. Sudan was recently removed from the list as part of its agreement to normalize ties with Israel.

Such a designation would impose restrictions on US foreign assistance, a ban on defense exports and sales, certain controls over exports and various financial restrictions.

It would also result in penalization against any persons and countries engaging in certain trade activities with Cuba.

The New York Times was first to report that Pompeo was considering the designation. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on Tuesday, saying “we do not discuss deliberations or potential deliberations regarding designations.” The White House declined to comment on the record when reached by CNN.

Momentum to get the designation through had waned in recent months when one of the original advocates for the plan, Mauricio Claver-Carone — a hawkish Cuban-American attorney — left the National Security Council to become president of the Inter-American Development Bank.

However, others within the administration, including Elliott Abrams, Trump’s special representative for Venezuela, and senior Western Hemisphere official Michael Kozak, as well as Florida Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, all supported following through with the idea — despite a lack of support from most of the State Department’s Cuba desk, according to a former administration official.

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Assoc. Press: Past Week in Regional Photos

Abortion-rights activists watch live video streaming of lawmakers in session, outside Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. Congress approved a bill that legalize abortion in Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

DECEMBER 25 – 31, 2020

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press Photographers in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was curated by AP Photo Editor Tomas Stargardter in Mexico City.

Follow AP visual journalism:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews

AP Images on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Images

AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com

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Brazil Lags Behind in Race to Corona Vaccinate

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil, a nation proud of its role as a regional leader in science, technology and medicine, finds itself falling behind its neighbors in the global race for immunization against a pandemic that has already killed nearly 200,000 of its people.

Latin America’s largest nation, long heralded for its domestic vaccine development programs, appears to be at least three or four weeks away from launching any formal immunization campaign against COVID-19. In contrast, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica and other countries in the region have already begun giving shots to their populations.

The Brazilian government has not approved a single vaccine and has stumbled in attempts to acquire even syringes and needles for an immunization effort that, as of the new year, still had no definite rollout date.

Meanwhile, the number of new coronavirus infections in the country reached a new high in December — peaking with more than 70,000 cases on Dec. 16.

The lightning rod in Brazil’s vaccine debate is President Jair Bolsonaro, who has cast skepticism on all of the vaccines being developed even as his government negotiates to obtain them. He has said he doesn’t plan to get a shot himself and joked at one point that side effects might turn people into crocodiles or bearded ladies.

Such talk has left Brazil’s image abroad “very damaged,” Margareth Dalcolmo, a professor in respiratory medicine at the state-funded Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, also known as Fiocruz, told The Associated Press.

“No one is saying that Bolsonaro really believes this, but he is discrediting the vaccine,” said Walter Cintra, a professor in health management at the Getulio Vargas Foundation university in Sao Paulo. “When the government behaves like this, it loses credibility. And these are million-dollar contracts.”

One of the earliest vaccines on the horizon appears to be one developed by China’s Sinovac company, which has contracted with the government of Brazil’s largest state, Sao Paulo, for distribution and production.

Sao Paulo Gov. João Doria announced plans to start distributing shots on Jan. 25 if federal health authorities approve the vaccine. Doria is a vocal critic and likely challenger in the 2022 presidential election, and his announcement added pressure on the Bolsonaro administration to come up with its own federal immunization plan.

The president initially sneered at the Chinese vaccine, saying its origins don’t inspire trust, but other states quickly showed interest in acquiring some

Another contender for early release nationwide is likely to be the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which could be available by early February once regulators approve it, according to Brazil’s state laboratory Fiocruz, which is producing it in Brazil.

Fiocruz is one of Brazil’s largest public laboratories for vaccine production, including measles, polio and yellow fever. Relying on advanced technology and Fiocruz’ ability to produce at a low price, Brazil is the world’s biggest manufacturer of yellow fever vaccines, exporting millions of doses to dozens of countries worldwide, according to Fiocruz information.

Fiocruz said it expects to have 100 million of domestically produced COVID-19 doses by the end of July. Two doses are needed.

The government also expects an additional 42 million doses from the global vaccine partnership known as COVAX, with no set date, and has signed a memorandum with Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, for 38 million doses of its single-shot vaccine when it becomes available.

The government has struggled to reach a deal for the first vaccine approved globally, the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. Pfizer complained in late December of Brazil’s regulatory hurdles, while Bolsonaro expressed surprise that pharmaceutical companies did not show more eagerness to sell to a nation of roughly 210 million people.

Tensions seemed to wane in a meeting between regulators and Pfizer on Dec. 30, during which officials said they would simplify protocols and Pfizer said it would consider applying for emergency use approval. The Brazilian government and Pfizer earlier signed a memorandum of understanding for 70 million doses, according to information from the health ministry.

For Cintra, the professor in health management, the confusion over the COVID-19 vaccine approval is symptomatic of this administration’s chaotic handling of the pandemic, during which Bolsonaro has repeatedly denounced local officials’ efforts to impose social distancing rules and described the virus as a “small flu”.

“This is not about Anvisa (the regulator), or excessive regulation. It’s about the federal government systematically sabotaging the fight against the pandemic, or completely destroying the Brazilian health system,” he said.

Cintra noted that a public tender to acquire over 330 million syringes and needles for the government’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign resulted this week in bids for only 8 million units within the acceptable price range — less than 3% of what was required.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement that it would keep the tender open.

“There is a real risk of having a vaccine but not enough needles and syringes,” warned Carlos Eduardo Lula, president of a council of state health secretaries.

The head of Brazil’s bar association, Felipe Santa Cruz, told the newspaper Valor that further delays in the vaccination program could lead the association to draft an impeachment request against Bolsonaro.

For physics teacher Francisco Ferreira, 55, hope for a vaccine any time soon is fading.

“Brazil is getting a mix of bad faith and incompetence on the vaccine issue,” Ferreira said as he walked through the Sao Paulo international airport. “There are serious administrations around the world giving out the shots, but this isn’t our case.”

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Savarese reported from Sao Paulo. AP videoreporter Tatiana Pollastri contributed to this report

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