Tag Archives: caribbean

headline

US Under Pressure to Share Vaccines with World

President Biden is under increasing pressure to share the U.S. vaccine stockpile with the rest of the world.

The federal government has been amassing doses, growing its supply into what will likely become a surplus, as the rest of the world struggles with shortages. The U.S. has purchased enough vaccines to immunize every adult in the country three times over.

The supply is likely to grow.This week, Biden announced he had directed the administration to purchase an additional 100 million doses from Johnson & Johnson.

The White House said the extra doses could be a backstop for possible manufacturing issues, help vaccinate children, or serve as booster doses if they become necessary to fight against variants of the virus.

If finalized, the deal would not be fulfilled until the second half of the year, but would give the U.S. a total of 200 million shots from Johnson & Johnson, enough for 200 million people.

When asked at the White House event about the widening gap between the U.S. and the rest of the world, Biden acknowledged the global nature of the pandemic but said his goal is to bring COVID-19 under control in America first.

“This is not something that can be stopped by a fence, no matter how high you build a fence or a wall,” Biden said. “So we’re not going to be ultimately safe until the world is safe. We’re going to start off making sure Americans are taken care of first, but we’re then going to try to help the rest of the world.”

“If we have a surplus, we’re going to share it with the rest of the world,” Biden added, noting that the U.S. has already committed $4 billion to COVAX, the World Health Organization-led program for distributing the vaccine across the world.

On Friday, Biden committed to working with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan to expand vaccine manufacturing and delivery in Asia. The new commitment is aimed at addressing shortages in vaccines in Southeast Asia.

Yet administration officials reiterated that the United States will not donate any vaccines until the full American population is inoculated, and did not say what threshold the country would set before considering exporting vaccines.

Experts and global health advocates think the U.S. has the ability to donate vaccines to other countries without significantly impacting their availability to Americans, but has been unwilling to make such a plan.

“The world is currently facing a vaccine access crisis and the Biden administration has not yet established a clear framework or timeline for distributing excess vaccine doses while simultaneously vaccinating the U.S.’ domestic population,” said Sarah Swinehart, a spokeswoman for The ONE Campaign.

The global aid organization UNICEF, which is working with COVAX to deliver vaccines, has said countries that have vaccinated their own health workers and highest risk populations should share vaccine doses with other countries.

In the U.S., demand still outpaces supply, but that is beginning to change. States are opening up eligibility, and President Biden said he expects there will be enough supply for every American who wants a vaccine by the end of May.

During a speech Thursday evening, Biden said every adult will be able to sign up for a vaccine no later than May 1.

But pressure and frustration among allied countries is only growing after the administration said it has been keeping tens of millions of doses of a vaccine made by AstraZeneca in storage.

The Trump administration ordered 300 million doses of the vaccine, but issues with clinical trials have held up its authorization and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still waiting on additional data.

The vaccine has been authorized for emergency approval in the European Union, and is the primary vaccine being used by COVAX in poor countries. But even though it has not been authorized in the U.S., Biden administration officials said they are holding on to the supply.

White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters the U.S. has a “small inventory” of the AstraZeneca vaccine on hand so it can be ready to distribute quickly if the company receives FDA clearance in the coming weeks.

“We’re following the exact same process that we did with the other three now-approved vaccines; Moderna, Pfizer and J&J,” Zients said

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. has rejected all requests from other countries to share doses of its vaccines.

“There have been requests around the world from a number of countries who have requested doses from the United States, but we have not provided doses from the U.S. government to anyone,” Psaki said.

Psaki said the administration is trying to cover all contingencies and ensure Americans are getting put first.

“We want to make sure we have maximal flexibility, that we are oversupplied and over prepared and that we have the ability to provide vaccines — whatever the most effective ones are — to the American public,” Psaki said. “There are still 1,400 people who are dying in our country every single day and we need to focus on addressing that.”

 

The post US Under Pressure to Share Vaccines with World appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Beyonce, Taylor Swift Win Big at Grammys

Beyoncé has set a new record at the Grammy Awards with her 28th win. The star is now the most-awarded woman in Grammys history, overtaking bluegrass singer Alison Krauss.

“I am so honored, I’m so excited,” she said while accepting her record-breaking trophy, for best R&B performance.

Taylor Swift also made history at Sunday’s ceremony, by becoming the first female artist ever to win album of the year three times.

The star was rewarded for her lockdown album Folklore – after previously winning with Fearless in 2010 and the pop opus 1989 in 2016.

Only three other artists have ever won the album of the year prize three times: Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder.

The post Beyonce, Taylor Swift Win Big at Grammys appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

US Disaster Agency to Assist with Child Migrant Surge

A US agency that normally deals with major emergencies and natural disasters has been brought in to help care for the rising numbers of migrant children arriving at the US southern border.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) would “help receive, shelter and transport the children” for the next 90 days, it was announced.

President Joe Biden has been reversing some of his predecessor’s policies.

But the recent surge of arrivals is putting pressure on processing systems.

There were a record number of children – 3,200 – being held in US immigration facilities on the US-Mexican border as of 8 March.

Hundreds continue to arrive each day, and many are being held beyond the legal three-day limit for being processed and transferred.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said last week that the situation on the border was “overwhelming” but not yet a crisis.

Announcing Fema’s involvement, Mr Mayorkas said the agency would work with the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) to “look at every available option to quickly expand physical capacity for appropriate lodging”.

“Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to HHS as quickly as possible, consistent with legal requirements and in the best interest of the children,” he added.

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden promised to reverse many of Donald Trump’s restrictive migrant policies.

Since taking office in January, he has ordered the reunification of migrant children with their families, ended construction of the border wall and called for reviews of legal immigration programmes terminated by his predecessor.

But in the same month Mr Biden became president, 5,871 unaccompanied children crossed the border – up from 4,995 in December – according to data from the US Customs and Border Protection (CPB).

As of 8 March, the number of children held in US immigration facilities had tripled in just two weeks – to 3,250. Of that number, nearly half had been in detention longer than the three-day limit and were in CBP-managed facilities that were designed for adults

The HHS is required to link children up with their parents, guardians, US relatives or find a sponsor to take them in while their immigration case is being considered.

Although Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted on HHS-managed shelters to expand capacity for unaccompanied children, the New York Times reports that they are just days away from reaching maximum capacity.

Most of the unaccompanied children detained are boys between the ages of 15-17.

Some reports suggest desperate families, who have been turned away at the US border, have been sending their children on alone to improve their chances of entering the US

The post US Disaster Agency to Assist with Child Migrant Surge appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Toots and the Maytals Win 2021 Grammy Award

Legendary Reggae band Toots and the Maytals won Best Reggae Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards, a tribute to the late Toots Hibbert.

The 63rd Grammy Awards show took place on Sunday, March 14 in a hybrid fashion.

The Got to Be Tough album was released just days before the death of Toots Hibbert, the band’s frontman, who passed away on September 11, 2020.

This marks the second Grammy win for the band after they won Best Reggae Album in 2005. The group has been nominated for a reggae Grammy five times.

The other nominees this year were  ‘Higher Place’ by Skip Marley, ‘One World’ by The Wailers, ‘Upside Down 2020’ by Buju Banton, and ‘It All Comes Back to Love’ by Maxi Priest.

Toots & the Maytals played a pioneering role in the birth of reggae in the 1960s. Toot’s 1968 song, ‘Do The Reggay’, is said to have given the genre its name.

Toots Hibbert was laid to rest at the National Heroes Park in Kingston, Jamaica on November 15, 2020. Among the other cultural icons interred at the National Heroes’ Park are reggae singer Dennis Brown, Olympian Herb McKinley, artist Edna Manley, folklorist Louise Bennett Coverley (Miss Lou) and actor Ranny Williams.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the reggae icon would posthumously receive the Keys to the City of Kingston. 

The post Toots and the Maytals Win 2021 Grammy Award appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Barbados Planning to Ditch Queen as Head of State

Barbados is planning to remove Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, according to BBC.

“The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind,” said Barbados government in a statement.

According to the report, the process of Queen Elizabeth’s removal would be complete in November 21 when the nation marks the 55th anniversary of independence from Britain.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Barbadians wanted a Barbadian head of state.

“This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving,” he said in a speech.

Reacting to the announcement, Buckingham Palace said that it was a matter for the government and people of Barbados.

Quoting a palace source BBC reported that the idea “was not out of the blue” and “has been mooted and publicly talked about many times.”

The post Barbados Planning to Ditch Queen as Head of State appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

A&B PM Wants Compensation from UK for Variant Stigma

by Gemma Handy

ge*********@*************er.com

Claims that a new variant of the Covid-19 virus has links to Antigua and Barbuda is the controversy that shows little sign of abating.

At the weekend, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the UK should stump up 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in exchange for the “damage” wreaked on the twin island nation’s already battered tourism industry.

Sparks flew last Thursday when Public Health England (PHE) announced that a new coronavirus variant had been identified in the UK in two people who had recently travelled to Antigua. While the body conceded that the variant was not deemed concerning, the news was enough to trigger an onslaught of headlines across the world.

It was quickly dubbed the ‘Antigua variant’ by the British press, even in the absence of information about precisely where it had originated from.

Local social media users will also have noticed a minor meme fest poking fun at the notion of Antigua and Barbuda having its own variant of the virus.

While viruses mutate constantly, some Covid variants found in other parts of the world have shown faster transmissibility and lower levels of response to certain vaccines. Fears abounded that the news would deter international travellers from visiting the country.

“Maybe [the UK] can correct the damage by giving us some AstraZeneca vaccines,” the PM said. “I mean, some damage was done. So on the issue of compensation, let’s talk compensation in vaccine terms – 100,000 vaccines will do it.”

When questioned by Observer yesterday, a PHE spokesman said the original announcement about the variant had since been reworded on the agency’s website.

But the authority refused to comment on claims that the original text had had a negative impact on Antigua and Barbuda’s economic mainstay.

“The text on the PHE website was amended in order to clarify that, despite the travel link to Antigua, there is so far no conclusive evidence to indicate where the variant VUI-202103/01 may have first emerged,” the spokesman said.

A statement released by the British High Commission in St John’s on Saturday was rather more contrite, saying it regretted any misunderstanding.

It said the Commission was “concerned about inaccurate media reporting” about the variant.

“The British High Commission should like to confirm there is no scientific evidence to determine where this variant first emerged.

“Giving variants a country’s name is inaccurate, unhelpful, and can generate prejudices and misunderstanding. All viruses mutate over time and, since the start of the pandemic, many thousands of variants have been identified in the UK and across the world,” it continued.

The Commission pointed out that most variants become extinct as they stop being passed on, a process assisted by testing, contact tracing and isolation.

“We regret any misunderstanding that may have arisen over this matter. The UK government will continue to work closely with Antigua and Barbuda health officials in our common goal to overcome the ongoing threat to lives and livelihoods posed by this virus,” the statement said.

It ended with an offer on behalf of PHE to support the government of Antigua and Barbuda by sequencing any samples transferred to the UK to help curtail the virus’ spread.

PHE’s website says while the variant in question contains spike mutations usually associated with variants of concern, it does not have specific features that would lead to it being designated as such.

“Contact tracing teams have completed thorough investigations to identify and follow up any close contacts and no additional cases have been found to date,” it adds.

The post A&B PM Wants Compensation from UK for Variant Stigma appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Haiti: 3 Days of Mourning for Murdered Police Officers

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI -Following the tragedy of the police officers killed by terrorists in the Village de Dieu, the country will observe three days of mourning which will begin from this Monday March 15 to Wednesday March 17.

Haitian authorities said that four police agents were killed and several wounded Friday during a botched anti-gang operation in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The ill-fated operation drew harsh criticism on social media after a video emerged of assailants dragging and beating the bodies of two members of a special police unit.

Eight other officers were wounded, three of whom remained hospitalized Saturday in stable condition, said national police director Leon Charles.

In a brief statement Charles expressed sympathy to the victims’ families as well as to “those who support the police and are sickened by the publicity around the bodies of dead officers.”

The police have yet to recover the bodies of those killed in the crime-ridden Village de Dieu neighborhood, where the sound of automatic gunfire filled the air Friday.

Charles did not say if any arrests had been made.

Images posted on social media showed several damaged police vehicles, including an armored truck, abandoned on a street in the waterfront district.

Charles admitted that some equipment “remained in the theater of operations,” without providing details.

The criminal gang reportedly also recovered some high-caliber automatic weaponry and other police equipment.

A statement Saturday from the United Nations office in Haiti said it was imperative that the circumstances surrounding the raid be clarified and that those responsible for the violence be brought to justice.

Gang influence in Haiti has grown steadily in recent years.

Criminal networks exercise total control over several poor, densely populated neighborhoods of the capital, creating no-go zones where they hold kidnap victims.

Haiti has seen a surge in kidnappings for ransom in recent months, targeting both the wealthy and those of far more modest means.

According to a government statement: All of our fellow citizens must be able to join in this well-deserved tribute to the police officers Georges Renois Vivendern Désilus Wislet, Eugène Stanley and Ariel Poulard, killed in the Village de Dieu.

The post Haiti: 3 Days of Mourning for Murdered Police Officers appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Bolivia’s Former Temp President Arrested

(CNN) Former Bolivian interim President Jeanine Áñez was arrested on Saturday after the country’s Attorney General’s Office issued arrest warrants the previous day against Áñez and five ministers from her former cabinet.

Government Minister Carlos Eduardo del Castillo del Carpio confirmed Áñez’s arrest. At least two of the former ministers have also been detained, according to state channel Bolivia TV.

CNN has not been able to access the basis for the charges through the prosecutor’s office, but Áñez published on her Twitter account images of what she says are the six pages of the arrest warrant, which lists charges of “terrorism,” “conspiracy” and “sedition.”

In a series of tweets, Áñez said, “In an act of abuse and political persecution the MAS [Movement Towards Socialism] government has ordered my arrest.” She added: “It is accusing me of having participated in a coup that never happened. My prayers for Bolivia and for all Bolivians.”

Political tensions in Bolivia have been high ever since the contested 2019 election, in which former President Evo Morales was declared winner but international watchdogs alleged the results were fraudulent and the election was annulled. Morales, who led the country for almost 14 years as the first indigenous president, claims he was ousted in a coup.

Áñez was interim president for less than a year and vowed to hold a new presidential election, which took place in October 2020 after several postponements. Luis Arce, the MAS candidate supported by Morales, won a landslide victory. Following Arce’s victory, Morales returned to Bolivia in November after spending almost a year in exile in Argentina.

“The authors and accomplices of the dictatorship that looted the economy and attacked life and democracy in Bolivia must be investigated and punished,” Morales wrote on his official Twitter account on Saturday.

José Miguel Vivanco, director of Human Rights Watch Americas Division, said Saturday, “The arrest warrants against Añez and her ministers do not contain any evidence that they have committed the crime of ‘terrorism’,” adding “for this reason, they generate well-founded doubts that it is a process based on political motives.”

“We urge our friends and neighbors in Bolivia to uphold all civil rights and due process guarantees of the American Convention on Human Rights and the principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter,” Julie Chung, Acting Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere, said on her official Twitter account on Saturday.

In addition to the political tensions, Bolivia is also fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The country, one of the worst-affected in the region, has so far registered over 250,000 cases and nearly 12,000 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

The post Bolivia’s Former Temp President Arrested appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Associated Press World View: Martial Law in Myanmar, Poverty in Syria, Chinese Single Mothers Rights, More

March 15, 2021

Alternate text

AP Morning Wire

Good morning from Nicosia, Cyprus. A crackdown on the opposition by Myanmar’s junta is turning more lethal, while on the pandemic front, some coronavirus patients are seeing symptoms linger for months. The U.S. president and vice-president are on a promotional tour for the $1.9 trillion plan to fight COVID-19, and a decade after the start of their uprising that developed into a devastating civil war, Syrians are driven deeper into poverty and hunger. Single mothers in China are fighting for their rights while the pandemic has set back Italian women’s fight for jobs.

Also this morning:

  • Concern about China’s growing influence tops agenda of two U.S. ministers’ first Japan visit
  • The Grammys shows us that even amid a pandemic, it’s all about the music

Menelaos Hadjicostis

The Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus

The Rundown

I'm an image

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar’s ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the country’s largest city as security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly lethal crackdown on……Read More

I'm an image

There was no reason to celebrate on Rachel Van Lear’s anniversary. The same day a global pandemic was declared, she developed symptoms of COVID-19. A year later, she’s still waiting for them to…Read More

I'm an image

WASHINGTON (AP) — Let the sales push begin. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour this week to highlight the… …Read More

I'm an image

BEIRUT (AP) — The lines stretch for miles outside gas stations in Syrian cities, with an average wait of five hours to fill up a tank. At bakeries, people push and shove during long, chaotic wa…Read More

I'm an image

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Sarah Gao had a busy job. As the head of a 500 million yuan ($76.8 million) investment fund, she was constantly flying across China on business trips. Then she found out s…Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

TOKYO (AP) — Concerns about China’s growing influence in the region is expected to be a main focus when two ministers of President Joe Biden’s administration visits Japan…Read More

ROME (AP) — One of hundreds of thousands of women in Italy who lost jobs in the pandemic, Laura Taddeo has a masters degree in tourism, speaks fluent English and Spanish …Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — The Grammys are drunk in love with Beyoncé and Taylor Swift: the singers both made history at the 2021 show. Swift, 31, became first woman to win album of…Read More

Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish made history at the Grammy Awards. Just as joyously, dozens of creators largely sidelined for a year due to the pandemic got to ma…Read More

The post Associated Press World View: Martial Law in Myanmar, Poverty in Syria, Chinese Single Mothers Rights, More appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Floyd Death: Family Gets Record $27M from Minneapolis

The city of Minneapolis has settled a civil suit with the family of George Floyd for a record $27 million.

The settlement was unanimously approved by the Minneapolis City Council on Friday. It’s the largest pre-trial settlement in a civil rights wrongful death case in American history.

“When George Floyd was horrifically killed on May 25, 2020, it was a watershed moment for America,” Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the Floyd family, said at a press conference with city Mayor Jacob Frey (D) and members of Floyd’s family on Friday afternoon. “It was one of the most egregious and shocking documentations of an American citizen being tortured to death by a police officer … having his knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.”

Crump filed the civil complaint last July against Minneapolis and the four police officers who were involved with Floyd’s death, arguing that the police department had “frequently” failed “to terminate or discipline officers who demonstrate patterns of misconduct.”

As captured by graphic cellphone footage, Floyd, 46, died on May 25 after former officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, even after Floyd was unconscious. Floyd pleaded with Chauvin multiple times, saying that he couldn’t breathe before becoming unresponsive; he was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.

At least $500,000 of the payment will go to revitalizing the 38th St. & Chicago Ave. community where Floyd was fatally restrained.

The killing sparked the revitalization of the Black Lives Matter movement, with nationwide protests calling for police reform and the end to systemic racism dominating last summer.

During his remarks, Crump said history will judge the “power of our actions,” noting he and Floyd’s family are “grateful” for the reforms that Minneapolis has already taken.

Since Floyd’s death, Minneapolis has implemented multiple policing changes, including the prohibition of chokeholds, an overhaul of its use of force policy and no longer allowing officers to turn off their body cams while responding to a call

The city council in December also decided to cut $8 million from the police department’s budget, opting to use the funds for violence prevention and other social services.

Since Floyd’s death, Minneapolis has implemented multiple policing changes, including the prohibition of chokeholds, an overhaul of its use of force policy and no longer allow officers to turn off their body cams while responding to a call.

The city council in December also decided to cut $8 million from the police department’s budget, opting instead to use the funds for violence prevention and other social services.

The settlement comes as the criminal case for Chauvin, who is standing trial for Floyd’s murder, began jury selection this week.

He faces counts of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Six jurors have been selected so far for the high-profile case.

The other former officers who were on the scene — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — all face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Their joint trial is slated to start in August.

Last week, the House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which was first introduced in June following Floyd’s death.

If signed into law, the legislation would overhaul national policing standards on several levels.

Racial profiling at every level of law enforcement would be prohibited; chokeholds, carotid holds and no-knock warrants would be banned at the federal level; qualified immunity for officers would be overhauled and a national police misconduct registry would be created so officers who were fired for such discretions could not be hired by another police department.

Although the bill would not technically ban certain reforms such as chokeholds at a state and local level, it would tie in the new federal standards as thresholds for police departments to meet if they wanted to continue receiving federal aid.

While police reform is not a partisan issue, the bill received no Republican support in the House and is expected to face stiff opposition in the evenly split Senate

The post Floyd Death: Family Gets Record $27M from Minneapolis appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.