West Indies Petroleum says it is committed to closing sale of USVI-based refinery
The Jamaica-based energy company, West Indies Petroleum Limited (WIPL) Friday said that it remains committed to successfully closing the sale and pursuing major strategic investment in the St. Croix-based Limetree Bay Refinery following its successful US$62 million bid last month.
“WIPL is also committed to being sensitive to environmental considerations in its operation of the facility which is widely regarded among stakeholders as a landmark and the largest of its kind in the western hemisphere,” the WIPL said in a statement.
WIPL said that the result of the auction was approved by Judge David Jones and that it has until January 21, this year to close the sale.“No doubt we are committed to and confident about successfully closing out the sale and moving towards maximizing the potential benefits that this refinery may have on improving not just local or regional but also global energy security,” said WIPL chief executive officer, Charles Chambers.
“Quite apart from the economic boost to St. Croix via the significant foreign direct investment and job creation which our investment will naturally bring, it’s important to note that given the distinct comparative advantage which its strategic location facilitates, our winning bid and attendant proposed major investment in the Limetree Bay refinery have significantly raised the prospects of WIPL leveraging its footprints by supporting in a major way the energy requirements of a raft of countries including Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and sections of the United States.” He added.
The facility, which is located on the south shore of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, has storage/operating capacity and WIPL said the capacity “is multiple times that of refineries across the region”.
It said that the Limetree Bay Refinery’s operating capacity is 220, 000 barrels per day and it intends to increase operating capacity to approximately 450-barrels per day.
WIPL said it expects that its investment in Limetree Bay refinery will eventually assist in reducing energy costs, in particular in St Croix where the refinery has been upgraded to use LPG as its source of power generation. The refinery’s capacity presents significant opportunities for St. Croix and the region.”
WIPL’s senior vice president, Danville Walker, has described winning bid and accompanying strategic investment plans as “potentially game changing, not only for St. Croix, Jamaica and the region but a host of countries across the globe”.
The former Commissioner of Customs and Director of Elections in Jamaica, said ultimately, if the support of policymakers is had, we at WIPL hope to use the refinery to over the medium to long term create an environment which augurs well for the reduction in electricity costs in several countries.
“To be very clear WIPL is fully aware of past environmental mishaps which occurred during the operation of the Limetree Bay refinery in its previous proprietary dispensation and our proposed operation of the mega-facility will not only see us seeking not to repeat errors made and but also being mindful of the prescriptions and mandate of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which is a United States federal government agency whose mission is to protect human and environmental health,” said Walker, a former chairman of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) in Jamaica.
Source - CMC
New Battery Tech Will Help Stop Electric Cars Bursting Into Flames
Graphene, an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms, has already been sampled by established car makers such as Ford who has used the innovative material on supercapacitors for the Mustang and F-150. Now, LA-based Nanotech Energy is now looking to expand on this innovative material by applying it to a new battery system.
As per its claims, the graphene-powered batteries will be immune to combustion which is something that the lithium-ion battery is not yet free of, as we've seen on more than one occasion, most recently with the Chevrolet Bolt fire sage. How is this possible? The firm explains that the compound is more stable when subjected to excessive heat, as it showcases in a video demonstration. Here we see a standard lithium-ion battery burst into flames when subjected to a nail penetration test while the Graphene Organclyte battery maintains composure.
Furthermore, graphene has also been described to be a more environmentally friendly option. Nanotech assures that the material boasts improved safety, cost-efficiency, and sustainability due to its more organic nature. With this, it promises that the technology will translate to real-world benefits.
Just as importantly, graphene has been regarded as a breakthrough material because of its strength and flexibility. It has been tested to be 200 times stronger than steel while possessing 97 percent transparency which makes it a million times thinner than a human hair. Thanks to this, the material can be applied to several fields, such as transport, medicine, and electronics. Nanotech says that the production of its innovative power source is expected to commence later this year.
Source - CarBuzz
John Legend makes deal to sell his music catalog
Add John Legend to the list of stars who are cashing in by selling the rights to their catalogs of songs and recordings.
Bloomberg reports that according to a public filing, back in September, John sold both his copyrights to and his royalties from music he wrote from late 2004 through early last year. The deal includes his signature hit, "All of Me."
BMG, who has worked with John since 2010, bought the rights, in partnership with the private equity firm KKR. How much money John is making from the sale wasn't disclosed.
John is younger than most of the veteran rock acts who've made hundreds of millions of dollars lately by selling their catalogs: That list includes Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, ZZ Top and Stevie Nicks. That's a good thing: As Bloomberg notes, the fact that he's still a very public figure and continues to record and release music and tour should "help drive streaming revenue for the songs purchased by KKR and BMG."
John's most recent album, Bigger Love, was released in 2020.
Source - ABC
Jamaica’s Entertainment Minister, Olivia Grange pays tribute to Sidney Poitier
Jamaica’s Minister of Entertainment and Culture, Olivia Grange, has hailed the life of the late Sir Sidney Poitier saying that he was “Hollywood’s first Black star” who “created history while portraying on-screen Black people as talented, strong and articulate.”
The actor, director and civil rights activist died on Friday at age 94.
Recalling his ability to change the portrayal of black people on screen, the Culture Minister said Poitier “sought to counter the prevailing, negative views on persons of African descent” and that his “dignified roles helped audiences of the 1950s and 1960s envision Black people not just as servants but as doctors, teachers and detectives.”
“He made a conscious decision to reject roles that were not consistent with his values or that reflected badly upon his race,” her statement continued. “Becoming Hollywood’s first Black movie star and the first Black man to win the Best Actor Oscar award, we remember with fondness and respect films such as To Sir With Love and A Raisin in the Sun.”
Also pointing to Poitier’s “commercial success”, Grange said it must never be forgotten that Poitier was the first Black director whose film grossed more than $US100 million.
“Sidney Poitier provided for us a living example of Black excellence. He was truly a trailblazer and an inspiration for Black people the world over. Most deservedly, he was awarded the United States highest civilian honour – the Medal of Freedom by President Obama and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.”
“We in Jamaica express condolences to the loved ones of Sir Sidney Poitier and to the people of The Bahamas and the United States. We join in honouring the memory of this great man and I have conveyed this to the Honorary Consul for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas in Jamaica, Alveta Knight,” her statement ended.
Source - CMC
Guyana Government urges adherence to COVID protocols, including vaccination
The Guyana government Wednesday urged the population to get vaccinated and adhere to the protocols put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) as the country recorded a significant increase in new cases and the union representing teachers calling for the immediate closure of schools across the country.
President Irfaan Ali, speaking at an emergency virtual news conference, called on nationals to get vaccinated, as well as adhere to a mandatory mask-wearing amid suspicions that the more transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 is in Guyana.
“It is still critical that while you are still making up your mind whether you will get vaccinated that you adhere to a self-imposition of mandatory mask wear to minimise the viral load or your exposure,” Ali said.
Ali, who was flanked by Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony and other officials, reiterated that vaccination remains the best option against contracting the virus or becoming severely ill.
“Vaccination with booster minimises the impact of the new variant. Some describe (the symptoms) as being mild, but those who are not vaccinated need to take additional precautions for themselves and families.”
Ali said that while there is a high positivity ratio, there has been no steep increase in hospitalisation, adding “we don’t have control over the variant and how it will operate but we have control over our own options”.
President Ali said his government was keen on keeping public services functional while managing health facilities and personnel who are critical to the fight against COVID-19.
The Health Minister confirmed that 788 new cases of the virus had been recorded within the last 24hours, representing the highest number of new cases to ever be recorded in a single day, pushing the number of active cases in the country to over 2,500.
Dr. Anthony said the increase in new cases was expected as the country comes out of a busy holiday season.
“We are operating on the advice that it [Omicron] is here and we are taking action on that advice,” he said, adding “we have anticipated this, these numbers are going to double and we are seeing this happening right now”.
The Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) has called for the immediate closure of schools, two days after students returned for the new academic year and for face-to-face learning.
In a statement, the GTU said based on its own assessment, 65 teachers and more than 40 students have tested positive for the virus and that while at least 15 schools have been forced to close their doors, many other schools have remained open although cases have been confirmed among staff and students.
The union said based on visits to schools, there are no social distancing guidelines being followed in many classrooms as students are seated close to each other and in many cases, two students are sharing one bench.
The union is demanding that schools be closed immediately to facilitate testing and sanitizing of the school environment. It said while it understands the challenges presented by online learning and that reopening schools for face-to-face is the preferred option,
“The rate at which persons are getting sick due to COVID 19 infections has to be addressed now. The only way to preserve the lives of our children, teachers, and their families is to suspend all face-to-face engagements in schools”, the union said.
During the news conference, President Ali said public schools will remain open.
Ali said of the estimated 200 health workers who are infected with the virus, 50 are doctors, 75 are nurses and 41 are technicians.
Medical Director of the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr Fawcett Jeffrey said that seven of the 32 doctors of the obstetrics and gynaecology department have been infected by the virus.
Source-CMC
Biden to blame Trump for Capitol riot
President Joe Biden will blame Donald Trump for the US Capitol riot as he marks the anniversary of the attack on the seat of American democracy.
Speaking at Congress, Mr Biden will say his predecessor holds "singular responsibility" for the "chaos and carnage", said spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Investigators have so far arrested 725 suspects in connection with the attack.
Trump supporters stormed the building as Congress was meeting to certify Mr Biden's presidential election victory.
Images of US lawmakers cowering from the mob in the gallery of the House of Representatives on that afternoon of 6 January 2021 shocked the world.
Mr Trump had urged protesters at a rally outside the White House shortly beforehand to "peacefully" march on Congress, but he also exhorted them to "fight" and stirred up the crowd with unsubstantiated claims of mass voter fraud in the election he had just lost.
The former president had planned to host a competing news conference on Thursday from his Mar-a-Lago resort home in Palm Beach, Florida. But he cancelled the event after aides reportedly warned of negative press coverage.
A spokesman for Mr Trump, Taylor Budowich, said it was "unsurprising" that Mr Biden would spend the day "trying to further divide our nation" in an attempt to distract voters from rising inflation and crime and coronavirus school closures.
President Biden - who rarely mentions his predecessor - will speak on Thursday morning in Statuary Hall, a section of the Capitol complex that was breached by rioters.
The White House press secretary said the president's speech "will lay out the significance of what happened at the Capitol, and the singular responsibility President Trump has for the chaos and carnage that we saw".
"He will forcibly push back on the lies spread by the former president - in an attempt to mislead the American people, and his own supporters, as well as distract from his role in what happened," she added.
"President Biden has been clear-eyed about the threat the former president represents to our democracy," Ms Psaki continued.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will preside over a moment of silence at noon on the chamber floor.
An inquiry into the riot is being conducted by a House committee, which is dominated by President Biden's Democrats.
Source-BBC
Drivers overcharged by £5m a day for petrol in UK.
The RAC has accused petrol retailers of ripping off motorists by refusing to pass on wholesale price cuts.
The motoring organisation said unleaded petrol fell by 2p a litre, but should have come down by 12p.
It estimated drivers were overcharged by £5m a day in December as retailers made an average of 16p a litre on petrol instead of the normal 6p.
The Petrol Retailers Association objected, saying drivers were likely to have benefited more than that.
"December was a rotten month for drivers as they were taken advantage of by retailers," said the RAC's fuel spokesman, Simon Williams.
In the past, he said, retailers had always reduced pump prices when wholesale prices dropped.
"This time they've stood strong, taking advantage of all the media talk about 'higher energy prices' and banked on the oil price rising again and catching up with their artificially inflated prices, which it has now done," Mr Williams said.
But Gordon Balmer, executive director of the Petrol Retailers Association, said: "December's pump price data is less reliable because it is taken from fuel card transactions, and there have been far fewer of these transactions because of the reduction in business activity between Christmas and New Year."
He said the retail fuel market remained "extremely competitive" and said supermarkets did not use artificially low fuel prices to lure shoppers into their stores at Christmas.
"The costs of running petrol stations rose all year, with electricity up 19%, vastly reduced margins from fuel cards, increased national insurance and wage inflation," he added.
The RAC said unleaded dropped from 147.47p a litre to 145.48p, when drivers should have seen prices nearer to 135p.
Diesel dropped by just under 2p a litre from 150.80p to 148.92p, when drivers should have been paying about 142p, it said.
The RAC's data suggested that the price of a litre of unleaded on the wholesale market, including delivery, averaged 106p across December.
It said that had a 6p margin been taken by retailers, drivers would have seen an average petrol pump price of around 135p after applying VAT at 20%.
The average wholesale cost of delivered diesel was 112p a litre which, with the usual 6p retailer margin, would have given a pump price of about 142p.
"This means it has cost petrol car drivers £6 more to fill up a typical 55-litre family car than it should have (£80 v £74) and for diesel nearly £4 more, with a tank costing £82 at the end of the month instead of £78," the RAC said.
Source-BBC
Australia cancels Novak Djokovic's visa
Tennis star Novak Djokovic has had his visa to enter Australia dramatically revoked on his arrival in Melbourne.
The world number one was held in the city's airport for several hours before border officials announced he had not met entry rules and would be deported.
Djokovic was then taken to a government detention hotel. His lawyers have launched an urgent appeal in court.
It follows a massive backlash over a vaccine exemption Djokovic said he got to play in the Australian Open.
The Serbian player has not spoken about his vaccination status, but last year he said he was "opposed to vaccination".
Tennis Australia said his medical exemption had been granted by two independent medical panels, but border officials said he had "failed to provide appropriate evidence" for entry after arriving on Wednesday from Dubai.
"Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia," the Australian Border Force (ABF) said in a statement.
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison denied Djokovic was being singled out and said no-one was above the country's rules. But he added that Djokovic's public stance on vaccination had drawn the ABF's attention.
"When you get people making public statements - of what they say they have, and what they are going to do, and what their claims are - well they draw significant attention to themselves," Mr Morrison told reporters.
Mr Morrison said the ABF had previously advised Tennis Australia on visa expectations. Though Djokovic's reason for an exemption has not been disclosed, Mr Morrison said contracting Covid in the past six months was not among accepted federal criteria.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported that two other people were now having their medical exemptions reviewed.
The Federal Circuit Court has adjourned Djokovic's legal challenge until 18:00 local time (07:00 GMT), after a brief administrative hearing.
He is being held at a hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton which is used for immigration detention. The facility has been the site of Covid-19 outbreaks and a recent fire.
His treatment has provoked outrage in Serbia. His father, Srdjan Djokovic, said his son had been held in a room guarded by police at the airport.
"This is not just a fight for Novak, but a fight for the whole world," he said in a statement released to the media.
President Aleksander Vucic said the star was a victim of "harassment" and said that "the whole of Serbia" supported him.
Mr Morrison denied the visa cancellation was because of "any particular position in relation to Serbia", describing the nation as "a good friend of Australia".
Australia is seeing tens of thousands of Covid-19 cases for the first time after enduring some of the world's strictest restrictions. More than 90% of Australia's over-16 population is fully vaccinated, but some people still cannot travel interstate or globally because of current measures.
Source-BBC
Murder in Grand Turk
On Monday, residents of the Turks & Caicos Islands, in particular those in Grand Turk, were shocked to be awoken to the news of another murder, the fifth in the last weeks but the first for 2022.
Police say that on Monday 3rd January, Officers responded to a home in the North Ridge area of Grand Turk, after reports to 911 were made around 1a.m. by a 60-year-old female that someone was trying to enter her home.
The officers who arrived at the home of the caller shortly thereafter met the body of the 60-year-old female with what appeared to be a wound to the head area.
While police have not officially confirmed this, sources tell RTC News that the police have identified persons of interest in connection with the crime and are actively pursuing these leads.
Home Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament for Grand Turk North, which includes the North Ridge, Honourable Otis Morris, yesterday released a statement condemning the murder, calling for justice and asking the nation to pray for God’s intervention.
However, investigation by RTC News has discovered an unsettling trend in relation to murders committed in the nation’s capital. In the last three years and four months the island has seen 10 murders go unsolved. Starting with Kyle Williams in October of 2018 and including this latest murder which is yet to be solved. This equates to roughly three unsolved murders a year.
For such a small community, this is extremely frightening and several persons have expressed their concern to RTC News on the matter, asking whether or not the same persons may be involved in multiple murders or why the public isn’t coming forward to help. With approximately 13 murders nation-wide for 2021, many see the trend as a disturbing one.
In yesterday’s education press conference, Premier Misick said that there would be a meeting today with the police, the Governor and other officials on the issue of crime and that a national press conference to update the public will follow soon after.
Police say that this most recent incident is being investigated by Officers of the Serious Crimes Unit and that they are appealing to those who may have information to please call 911 or confidentially call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 (TIPS).
This brings us to the end of this segment of the newscast but join us for the Nation’s Report at 6pm when we will tell you what’s happening with the Grand Turk city water situation. Up next is news from the region.
2022 Grammy Awards are officially postponed because of COVID-19
For a second year in a row, the Grammy Awards will not take place on January 31 as originally planned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ABC News confirms the Recording Academy has delayed this year's ceremony, which was to be hosted again by Trevor Noah.
"After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show," the organization announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The Recording Academy continued, "The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience, and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remains our top priority. Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31 simply contains too many risks."
At this time, the organization has not announced when the Grammys will be rescheduled, but promised the new date "will be announced soon."
Currently, federal data reports that more than 100,000 people are hospitalized in the U.S. for COVID-19. Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from the weekend shows that the U.S. is now averaging nearly half a million new cases a day -- averaging out to nearly six Americans testing positive every second.
Source-ABC