DECR Takes a Bold Leap Forward in Protecting TCI's Coral Reefs
The Department of Environment and Costal Resources (DECR) has taken a major step towards protecting the TCIs coral reefs by banning the capture
of the beautiful Parrotfish under new Fisheries Protection Ordinance and Regulations, approved by HE Governor Ric Todd on November 4th 2011 and brought into effect December 1st, 2011.
With the new Protection Ordinance the Department hopes that Parrotfish numbers can be maintained to ensure sustained biodiversity and to preserve coral reef health and the TCI's fishing industry.
Parrotfish belong to a colourful group of fish known as Scaridae. They are found locally on many coral reefs and on sea-grass beds across the Caribbean, and play a vital role in creating beach quality sand through their feeding habits.
The new regulations now make it illegal for individuals to catch or have parrotfish for sale.
Director of DECR, Mr. Wesley Clerveaux noted that: To date, the TCI is one of the few Caribbean countries known to have taken this bold initiative in an effort to protect this vital resource and prevent widespread coral reef destruction as seen in other islands, due primarily to overfishing of parrotfish.
It is a widely known fact that globally, coral reefs are facing many threats which affect the ecological balance of these delicate ecosystems, and in turn the livelihood of those who depend on them for food and income. The threats include land-based pollution, climate change, improper fishing practices and overfishing.
Despite having some of the most pristine coral reefs remaining in the Caribbean, the TCI are not exempt from these threats with one of the primary one being overfishing and overgrowth of algae resulting from land-based sources of nutrient/pollution.
As such, the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) has taken steps to initiate mitigation measures to address this issue through
the revision of the Fisheries Protection Ordinance and Regulations to incorporate the management of this key species in our beautiful islands; the parrotfish.
Castro comes calling as U.S. tries to pull the plug
Even the rains seemed to have joined forces against Cuban President Raul Castro.
As his Cubana jet landed at the Piarco International Airport at the start of his official visit coinciding with the fourth Cuban-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit, the heavens burst open, forcing Castro and local dignitaries, including President George Maxwell Richards and Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, to seek shelter.
But Castro, the 78-year-old general, took it in stride, insisting on inspecting the guard of honour mounted by the local army. As he made his way to the capital, however, his mind may have been on the latest attempt by his old foe in the north to prevent him from meeting with regional leaders for their summit held every three years.
The Hilton Trinidad hotel had been named as the venue, but that became impossible after the hotel’s general manager Ali Khan read a statement from Hilton Worldwide, indicating that it is subject to U.S. law, which restricts certain activities as a result of the trade embargo with Cuba.
“The U.S./Cuban assets control regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the U.S. Department of the Treasury generally prohibits U.S.-based companies from providing any services that benefit the Cuban government unless specifically licensed. Violations are subject to significant civil and criminal penalties.
“While we have worked with the appropriate governmental agencies in the U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago to secure a licence, we have been informed that one will not be granted,” the statement read.
Acting public affairs officer Alexander McLaren at the U.S. embassy told the local media that to his understanding, the licence is pending and the only reason the Hilton did not get it is because they applied late.
He said the application was dated Nov. 23 and the Office of Foreign Assets Control – a department of the U.S. Treasury – received the application on Nov. 28 and as a result hosting the Cubans at the hotel “will likely take time to resolve”.
Foreign Affairs Minister Suruj Rambachan said, “The U.S., I suppose, are within their rights to carry out what they have done in terms of the Helms-Burton law, having their tentacles stretching out here in Trinidad and Tobago as well as the Caribbean.”
The union representing workers at the hotel was even more critical, pointing out that the “hotel is owned 100 percent by nationals of Trinidad and Tobago”
General Secretary of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) John Julian told reporters that the facility had recently undergone a multi-million-dollar rehabilitation and “Hilton International did not put any money in it.
“For it to come now and say that you need to get permission we find that to be insultive to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and CARICOM,” he said.
The Trinidad Express newspaper in an editorial Thursday said it regarded the U.S. move as a “slap in the face” for the host country.
“That the Hilton Trinidad, owned by the State, was effectively prohibited by dictate under U.S. law from holding a conference to be attended by Cuban President Raul Castro feels like a slap in the face of Trinidad and Tobago and a contemptuous overriding of national sovereignty,” it said.
But as the summit got underway here on Thursday, Castro must have been heartened by the renewed call from the CARICOM leaders for Washington to end its decades-old trade and economic embargo against the only Communist state in the Caribbean.
CARICOM Chairman and St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas said that the regional grouping was using the occasion to reiterate its call for “the United States to heed the overwhelming call of the members of the United Nations to lift with immediate effect the unjust economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed against the Republic of Cuba”.
CARICOM Secretary General Irwin La Rocque said that CARICOM has maintained its unwavering support for Cuba in various international fora, adding “to us in CARICOM, this action demonstrates our belief in the concept one of Caribbean indivisible”.
Washington imposed the embargo on Havana Cuba in October 1960 after Cuba nationalised the properties of United States citizens and corporations soon after Fidel Castro came to power.
Castro told the ceremony that Havana would also “never forget” the support of the Caribbean in seeking to end the embargo “imposed against our noble people by the United States government more than five decades ago.
He said it is an embargo that “remains essentially unchanged” and that the measures outlined by the Barack Obama administration “have not gone beyond a partial relaxation of the restrictions limiting remittances and travel to the island of Cuban citizens living in the United States.
“The expectations of the so-called 2009 Summit of the Americas held in this city have failed to rise above the rhetoric, even less now when we are in a year where elections will be held.”
But he said that Latin America and the Caribbean were moving ahead towards “new, better forms of integration convinced that our unity in the defence of the rights of peoples in this region that this is inherent to the process agenda of the forefathers of our independence.”
He said the establishment of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which was launched in Venezuela last weekend, “shows that we are advancing on the right track”.
Persad Bissessar said that the establishment of CELAC to augment the other organisations promoting integration within Latin America offers “tremendous opportunities for renewed cooperation among developing countries of the hemisphere, especially at a time when traditional markets and sources of investment in the north are experiencing severe challenges.
“We owe it to ourselves and succeeding generations to harness the abundance of human and natural resources, coupled with the technological advances being achieved by countries like Brazil to ensure that these resources are used in a sustainable manner to achieve the economic development of our countries and meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” she added.
Castro left on Friday. (IPS)
Carribbean 360 News
PNP General Secretary requests removal of Dwight Nelson from Cabinet
GENERAL Secretary of the People’s National Party (PNP) Peter Bunting is demanding the removal of National Security Minister Dwight Nelson from the Holness Cabinet.
The Opposition’s call came on the heels of a press conference on Thursday during which Prime Minister Andrew Holness admitted that a US surveillance aircraft provided assistance to local security forces in the May 24 operation in West Kingston.
The disclosure by the Government came after strident denials by other members of the administration.
At a press conference held at the PNP’s Old Hope Road headquarters in Kingston yesterday, Bunting challenged the prime minister and his national security Minister Dwight Nelson to ‘come clean’ with respect to Nelson’s knowledge of the type of assistance which was provided by the United States Government. The Opposition said there was too much discord between Nelson’s account of the US involvement and the disclosure made by the prime minister on Thursday.
“With respect to his suitability, and the fact that he holds a position of trust, it is clear that he is not trustworthy or not competent, so we are calling on the prime minister to replace him, or for him to resign,” said Bunting, who also argued that there remains several unanswered questions regarding the issue.
The call is in response to claims by both Nelson and the prime minister that the National Security Minister did not have specific details on the type of surveillance that the US Government provided on May 24 last year.
Bunting, who was flanked by other high-ranking members of the party, suggested that it was inconceivable for the country to be told that the national security minister was not aware of the details relating to the use of the aircraft.
According to the PNP general secretary, there was a meeting of the country’s Defence Board on May 23 and Nelson, in his capacity as minister of national security would have to be in attendance.
“Our information is that a meeting was held and that either or both minister Dwight Nelson and his permanent Secretary attended that meeting,” said Bunting who said the meeting was the forum used to grant permission for the United States to provide assistance.
He was supported by his Opposition colleague, K D Knight, who explained that the security minister, prime minister, Chief of Defence Staff and the permanent secretary in the Ministry of National Security are members of the Defence Board.
The PNP spokesman said the party had no issue with the assistance provided by the United States Government but remains curious about the reason why the Government of Jamaica chose to withhold the information.
Bunting’s theory is that the Government’s reluctance to come clean on the matter was due to the fact that the assistance from the United States had similarities to a controversial Memorandum of Understanding which the Patterson administration had signed with the United States.
The JLP administration has consistently poured scorn on the agreement which was spearheaded by then National Security Minister, Dr Peter Phillips, on the basis that it violated the constitutional rights of Jamaicans.
Man loses $.3m in scam
Fraud Squad officers are investigating the report of a San Fernando businessman who in August paid more than $300,000 to a woman representing a company selling safety equipment.
It turned out the woman and the company do not exist.
The man, who operates an industrial sales business, told police this week a woman who gave her name as Mahalia Jackson purported to be an employee of a company based in Tunapuna.
She negotiated the sale of safety boots and was paid $304,462. The woman and money disappeared.
Four-hour gun fight sparks panic…Gunmen attack police, traumatise students
TERROR returned to Spanish Town yesterday after gunmen, suspected to be members of the feared Klansman gang, attacked a police patrol, sparking a four-hour gun battle which, at one point, was fought close to St Jago High School where classes were in session.
The incident traumatised students who were eventually escorted safely off the premises by the police.
Last night, as the security forces maintained a strong presence in the affected areas, the police reported that they found an AK 47 rifle in the aftermath of the firefight, which started about 12:30 pm and sent persons in the normally bustling town running for cover.
“It was like a scene from a movie,” said a member of the police team that eventually repelled the attacks of the heavily armed gunmen.
The Observer was told that the police were patrolling an area known to be controlled by the Klansman gang when they came under fire. The police responded, but were subjected to further attacks from gunmen in Rivoli, Ravensworth and areas near the Rio Cobre.
During the fighting, the gunmen attempted to run onto the premises of St Jago High but were prevented from doing so.
At Monk Street, in the vicinity of the school, parents whose children were late in returning from classes panicked. One woman wept as she anxiously waited with her hands on her head.
“I want to see my son. Where is my son?,” she asked no one in particular. “School has ended and I do not know what is happening.”
As shots continued to be fired, police and soldiers took up strategic positions in the area as they scoured the community in search of the attackers. But their action infuriated some residents who accused the security forces of abuse. Others hurled accusations of political victimisation against them.
“There was no shootout in the community,” one man claimed. “The police dem just trying to make the area look bad because is an area that supports the People’s National Party.”
Yesterday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who is also the education minister, issued a strong condemnation of the shooting, noting that it could have spilled onto the school compound.
He said he was quite disturbed to learn that an educational institution could be placed in such grave danger by virtue of marauding criminals using the school compound to evade the police.
Holness said that the education ministry’s counselling team will be at the school this morning at 7:00 to provide general and individual support for the teachers and students who were traumatised by the ordeal.
He also said that the police commissioner has been instructed to provide additional security within the area to ensure that the school will return to normalcy and that no more school days will be lost for the term.
Yesterday, as well, the Opposition spokesman on national security Peter Bunting expressed concern about the violence.
Bunting encouraged residents and business operators in the area to remain calm as the security forces carry out their duties to bring the situation under control. He expressed concern on behalf of the People’s National Party that incidents of gun violence continue to traumatise young children and disrupt schools as well as the normal flow of business.
Jamaica Observer
LIAT resuming normal operations
Stranded LIAT passengers got some relief yesterday when previously grounded aircraft took to the skies; and management expects normal activity to resume in two days.
A sick-out by pilots, which started Tuesday, remained in limited effect, but pilots reported for work and flights were able to operate.
Passengers were advised that because the action was continuing, there might be further cancellations or rescheduling of flights throughout the day however.
LIAT’s chief executive officer Brain Challenger said stranded passengers were given priority when flights resumed. (YB)
Nation News
Kris Humphries Tells ‘GMA’ He’s ‘Moving Forward’
Kris Humphries and his mama appeared on “Good Morning America” today in his first interview since wife of 72 days Kim Kardashian filed for divorce on Oct. 31.
“For me, it’s just certain things happen in life and you’ve got to move forward,” the 26-year-old said. “Through everything, I’m just focused on family and preparing for basketball.”
Humphries, and mom Debra Humphries, didn’t address his recent filing for an annulment or whether or not he still loves his wife.
He did, however, touch on his seemingly negative portrayal on the current season of E! Network reality series “Kourtney and Kim Take New York.” Production of the show took place during the couple’s brief marriage and the final product focuses on their many disagreements.
“I can’t say for sure or not for sure,” Humphries said, when asked if the cameras sabotaged his marriage. “It’s the only time I’ve been married. I’ve been in the NBA since I was 19 years old, but it’s a different level.”
As for his career in the NBA, Humphries remains a free agent and couldn’t say whether or not he’d be on a team when the lockout-sidelined season resumes later in December. But one thing’s for certain, he says he’s not spending his free time watching “Kourtney and Kim Take New York.”
“The only things I only watch on TV of myself is playing basketball,” he said. “I’ve never really been one to watch the show on TV. For me my focus is just basketball, my foundation, my family and moving through life.”
Paul shows for Hornets training camp
One day after Chris Paul learned his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers wasn't going to happen, he showed up nonetheless for the opening of Hornets training camp in suburban New Orleans.
The 26-year-old Paul was seen walking in the training facility yesterday wearing a black Hornets practice jersey, and he appeared to be in good spirits.
On Thursday night, NBA rejected a proposed trade of the All-Star guard to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Hornets had established the framework of a three-team deal that would have sent Lamar Odom to New Orleans and Pau Gasol to Houston. The deal also would have sent Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic from the Rockets to New Orleans, along with a 2012 first-round draft choice.
Hornets disappointed
The Hornets were disappointed the deal was not approved.
"Of course, Dell (Demps) and Monty (Williams) were very upset when everything fell through," said a person familiar with the work the general manager and coach had put into negotiations that led to the proposed trade. "They had spent a lot of time on it, and they thought it was a great deal for the team."
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Paul is a four-time All-Star who has the ability to walk in free agency after this season. He has so far resisted signing an extension in New Orleans, which has motivated Hornets general manager Dell Demps to try to revamp his roster by trading the star guard.
When the lockout ended, the Hornets had only five players under contract, including Paul. The others were centre Emeka Okafor, forward Trevor Ariza, forward Quincy Pondexter and point guard Jarrett Jack. They all reported to camp on time.
Windwards name newcomer in T20 squad
Tade Carmichael is the only complete newcomer in the Windward Islands squad for next month's Caribbean Twenty20 Championship. Carmichael was one of the outstanding players in the Windwards' Twenty20 competition and also played in the Under-19s for the subregional side.
Fast bowler Delorn Johnson is the only other uncapped T20 player in the squad, but he is no stranger to the senior regional scene, after playing the first-class championship for the Windwards and the Regional Super50 tournament for the West Indies Under-19s last year and the West Indies High Performance Centre this season.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy will lead the side which has a number of regular faces, including Johnson Charles and Miles Bascombe, the opening pair that West Indies tried in a two-match series against England last September in London.
Shillingford's return
The tournament will also mark the official return to regional tournaments for Shane Shillingford.
The off-spinner was cleared earlier this year to resume bowling after questions about his action. He underwent scientific analysis of his action and worked with West Indies head coach Ottis Gibson and others to remodel his action.
Shillingford gained selection to the West Indies squad for their recent trips to Bangladesh and India, but he failed to gain the nod ahead of leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.
Windwards Islands have been drawn in Group-A with reigning champions Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Leeward Islands and Canada.
Squad: Darren Sammy (captain), Miles Bascombe, Tade Carmichael, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Lindon James, Delorn Johnson, Keddy Lesporis, Gary Mathurin, Nelon Pascal, Kenroy Peters, Liam Sebastien, Shane Shillingford, Devon Smith.
Plot to remove Ganga, Gayle, Sarwan, WIPA
There is a plot among some regional administrators to remove Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), says president of WIPA Dinanath Ramnarine. The former Test leg-spinner made this remark during a press conference yesterday at WIPA’s offices on Edward Street, Port-of-Spain. Ganga was removed as T&T captain recently and also dropped from the T&T team for the upcoming regional T20 cricket series. Chris Gayle has been penalised for making comments about the WICB and CEO Ernest Hilliare and has not been selected on the regional team. Sarwan has been dropped by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and is now seeking an explanation to his axing.
Ramnarine said yesterday that there seems to be a master plan to get rid of these players because they are strong thinkers and because they are aligned with the West Indies Players Association. “I am seeing a movement to get rid of these strong thinkers. Ganga’s resignation as captain of the T&T team is unfortunate and there is more to it that is being said. I will speak about this more at a later date.” Ramnarine said he was not only blaming the T&T Cricket Board for this but also the WICB. “I think the decisions are coming from a higher authority. They have a plan to get rid of these guys by a certain time, so it will be easy sailing for them, with no one questioning them.”
Meanwhile, Ramnarine also revealed that the High Court in T&T has granted an extension to injunction filed by WIPA, to prevent the WICB from terminating the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The WICB had stated that if current negotiations between WIPA and WICB did not conclude by November 30, they would terminate the current MOU and CBA and according to Ramnarine this would leave the players at the board’s mercy. WIPA was forced to seek emergency judicial intervention from the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago against the WICB. On November 30, the High Court heard WIPA’s application for injunctive relief to prevent the WICB from terminating the agreements and ordered that the agreements and all the terms of the agreements shall be treated as if in full force and effect and binding until determination of the application.
Justice Ricky Rahim ordered the status be maintained and the matter was set for December 8, for WICB to present its case. After hearing arguments from attorneys of WICB and WIPA, Justice Rahim ordered that the injunction continue and requested further submissions in writing in January. This means that the terms the current agreement remains in force until 10. The matter is set for January 19, when the judge will decide whether to discharge the injunction or to grant a permanent injunction. If the judge discharge the injunction, according to Ramnarine: “It would be a sad day for the sport of cricket in the Caribbean. Cricket will end up in court on a regular basis and this would not be good for the people of the region.”