Suriname calls for strategic partnership with United States
Foreign Affairs Minister Albert Ramdin says that after 46 years of diplomatic relations between Suriname and the United States, it is time for a strategic partnership between both countries.
Speaking during a recent bilateral dialogue with a delegation from the United States, Ramdin said the talks were “useful” and were held at a time when global and regional developments are taking place.
In referring to the situation in Eastern Europe, which shows that Europe is heavily dependent on energy from Russia, he said the partnership is needed to reduce the risks of energy supply.
“Energy is critical in our future relationship with the US,” minister Ramdin argued.
Also attending the meeting were US Ambassador Karen Williams and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Barbara Feinstein.
In her comments, Feinstein said the relationship between the US and Suriname “are closer than ever,” She also said that Washington is looking forward to deepening cooperation in the context of Suriname’s chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in a few weeks.
For her part, Williams called the bilateral dialogue an extraordinary opportunity to evaluate the cooperative relationship. The diplomat told reporters that representatives discussed the progress made in bilateral cooperation, including humanitarian aid, trade relations, exchange programs, security and judicial cooperation, as well as diplomatic engagement.
According to Williams, good progress has been made in implementing the work plan drawn up during last year’s bilateral dialogue. She mentioned the support that Washington has given Suriname in getting funds for its economic restructuring plan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as vaccine donations from the US to Suriname.
“As for the next step, we are looking at deepening the bilateral dialogue process so that we will hold coordination meetings at technical level over the next year, so that what we have planned so far can even expand. We also look forward to President Santokhi attending the Summit of the Americas in a few weeks, which will give you more opportunity to talk about expanding the relationship,” said Ambassador Williams. The fact that Washington has sent two top officials to Suriname for the consultations emphasizes the importance that the American government attaches to the relationship with Suriname.
With regard to energy cooperation, the diplomat states that the US also wants to support Suriname.
“We are committed to our climate change objectives, and I know that Suriname is as well. So, I think in the context of -at least what the US government is concerned- in the context of the offshore oil and so forth US interest is in supporting Suriname in that mean that the endeavor is fruitful and productive for Suriname but at the same time respects the climate change challenges. There are other renewable energy opportunities out there as well and there are companies potentially in doing that and we will help them try to make connections with the private businesses, the Surinamese.
According to Ramdin – “We have a very good relationship with the US. It is not just a political relationship; it is an equal relationship in which we certainly benefit from the cooperation in different areas.” The minister mentions sectors such as education, health care and business. “We see many more American companies taking an interest in Suriname and there are so many other areas in which we can collaborate and work together.”
He said an overview of the areas of cooperation will be presented shortly, according to the minister and the ambassador.
Source-CMC
Governments should subsidise food and energy, says IMF boss
Governments need to subsidise the cost of food and energy for the poorest members of society, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told the BBC.
People around the world are struggling with the rising cost of living.
Kristalina Georgieva said support needs to be provided "in a very targeted manner, preferably by providing subsidies directly to people".
Many governments are providing some help but critics argue it's not enough.
When it comes to the cost of living crisis, Ms Georgieva said: "There are two priorities, one the very poor people, segments of society that are now struggling with high food and energy prices".
The second, she added, is to support those businesses that have been "most damaged" by the war in Ukraine.
The IMF's role is to work with governments to stabilise the global economy and enhance prosperity.
However, that's proving challenging because food prices have hit record highs this year, whilst oil and gas prices have also risen sharply.
This is largely because of the twin shocks of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Between them Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of crops and hydrocarbons.
The importance of these commodities to the global economy has led the annualised inflation rate to reach its highest point in decades in many countries: 9% in the UK, 8.3% in the US and 7.4% in the Eurozone.
Central banks are lifting interest rates to try and slow the increase in prices, which has led some influential figures such as Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein to warn of the risk of recession.
Ms Georgieva is concerned about the impact those higher borrowing costs will have on governments who have to repay huge debts they took on to get through the pandemic.
She said governments needed to be "very careful" about how much money they spent and what they spent it on.
The problems of falling living standards was at the top of the agenda at this week's meeting of G7 finance ministers in Germany.
The meeting of seven wealthy countries ended with a pledge to "continue to work together to minimise the impact of the war globally as well as on our own economies and population by providing well-targeted support, where necessary".
Over the last few months governments have made a range of interventions to try and lower the cost of living.
In the US President Biden has released oil from reserves to try and bring prices down, Spain and Portugal have capped gas bills and it's a leading issue in Australia's election.
In the UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has made some tax changes and is considering a windfall tax on the soaring profits of energy companies.
Ms Georgieva is concerned that without the correct government support the protests seen in Sri Lanka could be repeated in other countries.
Sri Lanka's economic crisis, exacerbated by rising prices, has led to deadly riots, a new prime minister and a first ever default on its debts.
The IMF boss said such similar unrest before the pandemic, from France to Chile, was caused by "a sense of inequality growing" and decisions being made without the support of the people.
"If we are to learn any lessons from 2019 if is to be much more humble about policy decisions, and engage in multiple ways with people, because policies must be for people, not the paper we write them on," she said.
A group of international development bodies including the IMF and World Bank this week launched a major plan to try and tackle food insecurity around the world.
Source-BBC
Kyiv rules out ceding land to Russia
The apparent hardening of Ukraine's position comes a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky said the war could only be resolved through diplomacy.
Presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said concessions would lead to an even larger and bloodier Russian offensive.
His comments come as Russia continues attempts to encircle Ukrainian forces defending Severodonetsk in the east.
In another development, Polish President Andrzej Duda has become the first foreign leader to address the parliament in Kyiv in person.
He received a standing ovation as he declared that only Ukrainians themselves could decide their future.
He added that Poland would do everything it could to help Ukraine join the EU.
However, France's Europe Minister, Clément Beaune, said in a radio interview on Sunday that it would probably take "15 or 20 years" for Ukraine to be accepted as an EU member.
As fighting continued, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its daily update that Russian forces were trying to break through Ukrainian defences to reach the administrative borders of the country's easternmost Luhansk region.
Luhansk regional governor, Serhiy Haidai, said Russia had attempted to break into Severodonetsk from four separate directions.
Writing on the Telegram messaging app, he said the attempts had been unsuccessful, but shelling of residential areas was continuing.
He added that a bridge connecting the city to nearby Lysychansk had been destroyed.
It was not possible for the BBC to verify the claims independently.
There have been calls in some Western nations for a ceasefire that could involve Russian forces remaining in some of the territory they have occupied in the south and east of Ukraine since Moscow invaded the country on 24 February.
Most recently, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told his country's Senate on Thursday that a ceasefire "must be achieved as soon as possible".
Source-BBC
Ford recalling thousands of pickup trucks, SUVs
Ford Motor Company on Thursday announced the recall of some 310,000 F250 S, 350S, 450S and 550 pickup trucks.
The reason is a malfunctioning driver's side air bag that Ford says can fail to deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the cause is dust that may accumulate in the steering wheel, causing an electrical disconnection to the air bag. Owners are advised to schedule a free repair with a dealer.
Ford on Thursday also recalled certain 2021 Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators while it investigates the cause of reported under-hood fires. The vehicles in question, a total of 39,013, were built over a four-month period between December 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021. Ford says there have been 16 reported under-hood fires, including while the vehicles are parked and turned off.
The automaker is advising owners of affected vehicles to park them outdoors and away from structures while the recall and investigation are underway.
Source-ABC
Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming Willis says caring for the ailing Die Hard star is "taking a toll"
As any caregiver can tell you, it's not an easy job to tend to an ailing loved one. That's what Emma Heming Willis, the wife of Die Hard star Bruce Willis, has found in the wake of his aphasia diagnosis.
"[The] amount of care for everyone else within my household had taken a toll on my mental health and overall health," the model says in an interview with the motherhood-focused website The Bump. "And it served no one in my family."
She adds, "I put my family's needs above my own, which I found does not make me any kind of hero."
Emma is mom to Willis' youngest daughters Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, 8, and stepmom to Willis' daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore: Rumer, 33, Scout, 30, and 28-year-old Tallulah.
She explained her "struggle" with maintaining her self-care routine in the interview, considering her younger daughters and her caring for her husband.
"Someone told me not long ago that when you over-care for someone, you end up under-caring for yourself. That stopped me in my tracks and really resonated with me," she said.
Instead, the 43-year-old now focuses on her "baseline" needs, calling exercise "a must" for her.
"It's a time I can disconnect and can do something that I know makes me feel good overall. I think it's important to find that one thing that makes you feel good and build from there."
Emma co-signed an Instagram post with Moore and Willis' daughters in March that revealed 67-year-old Bruce was stepping away from acting as he deals with the degenerative neurological condition.
Source-ABC
Ex-boyfriend Chris Brown joins Rihanna’s well wishers
When reports circulated Thursday that Rihanna had finally given birth to her baby boy, the internet went crazy.
There was speculation about the baby's name, which has yet to be revealed; assumptions about the newborn's financial status as a billionaire; and even ideas about the infant's fashion sense. While the superstar singer and her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky, have yet to post about or confirm the exciting news, many people sent congratulatory messages their way, including a greeting from none other than Chris Brown.
Brown didn't mention, tag or tweet his former girlfriend, but the Instagram Stories message he posted, later shared by The Shade Room, certainly seemed to be addressed to the new mom.
"CONGRATULATIONS," Brown wrote along with the praying hands, red heart and pregnant-person emojis. The note came as a shock to many fans who voiced their displeasure with the celebratory message, with one citing Brown and Rihanna's "toxic" relationship in the early 2000s.
Besides the backlash toward Brown, the many sweet messages continued to pour in throughout Thursday evening.
One fan tweeted, "#Rihanna had a baby boy!! She will be a supreme Mom, and I am so happy for her! Such wonderful news."
Others noted the singer's stylish fashion sense over the course of her pregnancy. "Rihanna's pregnancy era was one for the books," one user said. "I love that Rihanna is influencing the girls to step out during their pregnancy," said another.
One fan summed up their thoughts on Rih's preggo experience by saying, "Rihanna is the greatest trendsetter of our generation."
Source-ABC
Manchester City boss says champions are 'legends'
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said his side were "legends" after they secured their fourth Premier League title in five seasons.
City won the league by a point over challengers Liverpool with a stunning 3-2 comeback win against Aston Villa on the final day at Etihad Stadium.
It is Guardiola's 11th trophy in six years since coming to England.
"We are legends. We will be remembered. This group of players are absolutely eternal in this club," said Guardiola.
"What we achieved, it is so difficult to do it. Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United has done it years ago - two or three times - now I realise again the magnitude of doing this. Now we are part of this."
City were 2-0 down to Villa with 15 minutes left before substitute Ilkay Gundogan scored twice, either side of midfielder Rodri's goal, in a sensational five-minute comeback.
Had they not won, Liverpool would have been champions.
"The last game is always special - a lot of emotion," Guardiola said. "Aston Villa gave everything but the first goal changed everything. We had to handle it.
"When you win the Premier League in this country four times in five seasons, it is because these guys are so, so special.
"Winning at home in front of our people is the best. The moment we equalised, we had the feeling we had the chance to score the third.
"It was the best atmosphere I have ever lived since I am here. Hopefully tomorrow we can celebrate together in Manchester's streets with our cigars and beers. I will bring my cigars, don't worry."
Liverpool won 3-1 at home to Wolves but could do nothing to stop Manchester City defending their title.
The top two sides lost just five games between them in the league all season.
"The magnitude of the achievement is related to the magnitude of our rival and I have never seen a team like Liverpool in my life," Guardiola added.
"Congratulations to Liverpool - they have made us better and better each week."
Source-BBC
7 SRI LANKANS AWARDED USD$532,500 FOR FALSE IMPRISONMENT AT TCI IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTRE
Seven Sri Lankans who came to Turks and Caicos Islands on an illegal sloop from Haiti in 2019 and are now seeking political asylum here, have been granted a total of USD$532,500 by the Supreme Court for false imprisonment. This story was first reported by The TCI SUN newspaper.
The Immigration Department and Attorney General's Chambers admitted that the seven Sri Lankan men were illegally detained at the Immigration Detention Centre for around 320 days.
The Sri Lankans had asked to be compensated for the damages that they sustained during their time at a daily rate of $350 per day, while the government asked for a daily rate of $200 per day. The court settled for $200 for each day of illegal detention.
Court documents obtained by The SUN revealed that four of the Sri Lankans were awarded $76,500 each and the other three were awarded $75,700 each.
The seven Sri Lankans were among a group of 29 from that country who were nabbed on the sloop along with several Haitians and a man from India on October 19, 2019. They were held at the Immigration Centre in Five Cays from then until August 24th, 2020, when the Supreme Court ruled that they must be released from that facility because, among other things, they had applied for political asylum.
Through their lawyers, Tim Prudhoe and Yuri Saunders, who are representing the men for free, they sued the then Director of Immigration, Derek Been, the Minister of Border Control and the Attorney General, and sought damages for false imprisonment, breaches to their constitutional rights and exemplary damages.
It was confirmed that several Sri Lankans have already left Turks and Caicos Islands and returned to their native countries and did not file a claim for illegal detention, otherwise the payout would have been higher.
The Sri Lankans had arrived in Turks and Caicos Islands as part of an international human smuggling operation that included The Bahamas, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Canada, and USA.
On May 17th, 2021, the mastermind of the smuggling operation, a Canadian national, Sri Kajamukam Chelliah, who extradited from Turks and Caicos Islands, was sentenced in America to 32 months in prison for conspiracy to bring undocumented immigrants to the United States for private financial gain in connection with his role in a scheme to smuggle undocumented immigrants from Sri Lanka through the Caribbean and into the United States.
Chelliah admitted to conspiring with others to facilitate the travel of undocumented immigrants from Sri Lanka through Haiti, Turks and Caicos Islands, and The Bahamas to the United States from on or about July 1, 2019, through on or about Oct. 10, 2019.
TCI ONE OF SAFEST COUNTRIES FOR TRAVEL, SAYS TOURISM MINISTRY
Following the recent news of the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands relaxing travel restrictions and public health measures, the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board released an uplifting message on Thursday, 19th May.
The TCI Tourist Board encourages travelers to bear in mind that more than 85 percent of the adult population within the TCI are fully vaccinated, making the Turks and Caicos Islands one of the most inoculated countries in the world.
The Board stated that due to the ‘Beautiful by Nature’ British Caribbean islands’ commitment to the health and safety of its citizens, residents, and visitors, the country has received an Alert Level 2 from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Josephine Connolly said that “travelers can take heart and be confident in their vacation plans, as they make the Turks and Caicos Islands their destination of choice to visit.” She added that “the Turks and Caicos Islands is one of the safest countries for travelers”.
The Ministry of Health and Human Services announced a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in April which is currently being administered to adults throughout the country, prioritizing those aged 60 and older or who are immunocompromised.
The Minister of Health, Hon. Jamell Robinson, said that “the COVID-19 pandemic was first and foremost a humanitarian crisis affecting people’s lives and livelihoods, but it also impacted our Islands further as tourism is an important part of our economy.”
The Honourable Minister mentioned that the government’s health team moved quickly to introduce measures aimed at containing the spread, while minimizing as much as possible the impact on the tourism sector.
In this regard, the great work of TCI’s health professionals and personnel is being celebrated this week with the launch of EMS Week 2022 – Rising to the Challenge last Sunday.
Hon. Robinson stated that his health team has “worked hard to restore traveler confidence and stimulate demand with new safe and clean labels for the health sector through information apps and continuous promotion campaigns.”
Hon. Connolly stated that when the country’s borders opened in July 2020, Turks and Caicos saw a steady increase in visitor arrivals. She went on to say that last year, the destination performed tremendously well, showing that the number of arrivals were returning to pre-Covid numbers.
She explained that as the tourism sector continues to rebound, the preliminary numbers have indicated that the Turks and Caicos is once again breaking visitor arrival records, with some 138,700 air arrivals and 173,100 cruise arrivals in the first quarter of 2022.
The Minister of Tourism continued to say that last month travel restrictions have relaxed significantly, so travelers are now being encouraged to embrace all that the Turks and Caicos Islands has to offer and create memories to last a lifetime.
Hon. Connolly reminded the public that while all travelers over the age of 18 must still show proof of full vaccination to visit the Islands, they are no longer required to provide a negative COVID-19 test or proof of travel insurance to gain entry as of 1st May 2022.
Also, she reminded persons that all visitors will no longer be required to upload their information to the TCI Assured Portal, as it was discontinued on Saturday, 30th April 2022. Moreover, face masks will no longer be required indoors and in enclosed spaces.
Sri Lanka defaults on debt for first time in its history
Sri Lanka has defaulted on its debt for the first time in its history as the country struggles with its worst financial crisis in more than 70 years.
A 30-day grace period to come up with $78m (£63m) of unpaid debt interest payments expired on Wednesday.
The governor of the South Asian nation's central bank said the country was now in a "pre-emptive default".
Later on Thursday, two of the world's biggest credit rating agencies also said Sri Lanka had defaulted.
Defaults happen when governments are unable to meet some or all of their debt payments to creditors.
It can damage a country's reputation with investors, making it harder for it to borrow the money it needs on international markets, which can further harm confidence in its currency and economy.
Asked on Thursday whether the country was now in default, central bank governor P Nandalal Weerasinghe said: "Our position is very clear, we said that until they come to the restructure [of our debts], we will not be able to pay. So that's what you call pre-emptive default.
"There can be technical definitions... from their side they can consider it a default. Our position is very clear, until there is a debt restructure, we cannot repay," he added.
Sri Lanka is seeking to restructure debts of more than $50bn it owes to foreign creditors, to make it more manageable to repay.
The country's economy has been hit hard by the pandemic and rising energy prices, but critics say the current crisis has been of the previous government's own making.
A chronic shortage of foreign currency and soaring inflation have led to a severe shortage of medicines, fuel and other essentials.
Professor Mick Moore from the University of Sussex and former consultant on Sri Lanka for the Asian Development Bank said even though it looked like Sri Lanka was struggling from the effects of global economic problems, it was "emphatically not that".
"This is the most man-made and voluntary economic crisis of which I know," he told the BBC's Today programme.
Source-BBC