Cuba wants more Internet access
Cuba wants to boost public Internet access while keeping the Communist government's control over it, a senior US official close to talks with Havana on technology said Monday.
"They are looking for mechanisms by which, in the first instance, they can expand connectivity while at the same time retaining their mechanism for market management, which is obviously vastly different than ours," said the State Department source.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, questioned whether Cuba can meet United Nations goals of having 60 percent of the population of 11 million online, and having Internet service in 50 percent of homes by 2020 -- without allowing rival providers to enter the small market.
Private Internet connections in Cuba are strictly regulated by the Americas' lone one-party, Communist-ruled state. Only 3.4 percent of the population can connect from home, according to UN data.
Cuba "would not be the only market in the world with a single provider," the source noted.
Last week, a US delegation traveled to Cuba to follow up on re-establishing normal telecommunications links as part of the two countries' bid to normalize relations.
Source-AFP
IMF completes Jamaica’s seventh review, approves US$39-m disbursement
The Ministry of Finance and Planning announced in a statement today that Jamaica has successfully completed the seventh International Monetary Fund review, and is now eligible to receive a further US$39 million.
The review was completed today March 30, by the Executive Board of the IMF, who reviewed Jamaica’s economic performance under the programme supported by a four-year, SDR 615.38 million (about US$932 million at the time of approval) arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
The EFF arrangement was approved on May 1, 2013.
The Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, Mitsuhiro Furusawa, following the Board discussion of the review said, "The authorities’ commitment to the programme under the Extended Fund Facility remains strong. Programme performance is on track and all quantitative performance targets for end-December were met. Structural reforms have progressed broadly on schedule.”
“Macroeconomic performance continues to be good and economic confidence has reached a two-year peak. The decline in oil prices should help lower inflation expectations and boost demand. Still, stepping up the pace of reforms is essential to boost growth and employment. Bold efforts are needed to reform the energy sector, improve the business climate, and advance investment in critical infrastructure,” the acting chair continued.
“The budget for 2015/16 demonstrates Jamaica’s continued fiscal discipline and will help keep public debt on a sustainable path," he said. "Maintaining the momentum for fiscal consolidation over the medium term requires boosting revenue and improving public sector efficiency. This involves strengthening customs and tax administration and further broadening the tax base. It is also essential to improve public financial management, accelerate the reform of the public sector, and contain public sector wage costs.”
Furusawa added: “Buttressing the financial sector hinges on meeting the key milestones for reforming the retail repo sector. Completing the transition of the retail repo businesses to a trust-based framework requires careful management. Implementing the Banking Services Act will be a necessary step to improve financial sector stability further.”
Source-JamaicaObserver
Polish priest jailed for abusing boys in Dominican Republic
Wojciech Gil, a former priest convicted of abusing minors in the Dominican Republic and Poland, was sentenced to seven years in jail by a Polish court on Wednesday.
The court in Wolomin found Gil guilty of abusing six minors in the Dominican Republic between 2009 and 2013, as well as two in Poland in 2000 to 2001.
Possession of child pornography and illegal possession of a firearm were also included in the charges.
Gil, 37, could have faced up to 15 years behind bars if he was convicted following full court proceedings.
Instead, after initially pleading not guilty, the former priest sought a settlement and a seven-year prison term, which avoided a full trial. That was accepted by prosecutors, who represented the Dominican and the Polish victims.
Gil was also ordered to pay a total of 155,000 zlotys (about US$41,000) in atonement to the victims.
The former priest was defrocked last month at his own request.
Gil has been in custody since February last year, and the time he has spent in prison will be deducted from the sentence under Polish law.
His trial was conducted in Poland because that country has no extradition agreement with the Dominican Republic, making a trial there impossible.
It was not immediately clear how the verdict would be received in the Dominican Republic, where prosecutors revealed the case and requested a severe punishment.
Gil’s case is reportedly related to that of former Holy See ambassador to the Dominican Republic, former Polish archbishop Jozef Wesolowski.
The Vatican has defrocked Wesolowski – the harshest punishment under canon law – and is weighing whether to indict him on allegations that he paid Dominican boys to masturbate while he recorded them with his mobile phone.
A Polish investigation into his case is said to be stalled by a lack of evidence.
Wesolowski’s case attracted international attention, given that he was a papal nuncio, had been ordained both a priest and a bishop by St John Paul II, and was the highest-ranking Vatican official ever to have been accused of sex abuse.
Source- caribbean360
US Gives Iran Talks 50-50 Chance in Final Day
The U.S. State Department says key issues remain in dispute with just about a day to go until the deadline to reach agreement on the main points of an accord between the United Nations and Iran on the future of its nuclear program.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf gave the talks just a 50-50 chance of success, saying several issues remain in play as negotiators seek the right balance of terms. But in a phone call with reporters, she disputed a story in Monday’s New York Times that said Iran has backed away from a commitment to ship its stockpile of enriched uranium to Russia.
“This notion that in the last 24 hours that somehow there’s been a shift in this issue, sort of a hardening of positions, just isn’t true," said Harf.
The Times story was based on a statement by Iran’s deputy foreign minister. But Harf said Iran’s position has not changed, and that negotiators are working on ways to make the enriched uranium unavailable for bomb making, which experts say could include such steps as diluting it and having the supply inspected frequently.
“What’s important to us is that we can get agreement about the path for them to basically get rid of a large part of their stockpile, so that the remaining stockpile, when put together with the number of centrifuges, the type of centrifuges, all of the different parts of "Breakout time" is the amount of time it would take Iran to build a nuclear bomb. Currently, international experts put that at just two or three months. The six nations representing the United Nations Security Council want to extend that to at least a year.
Experts say if Iran is allowed to keep the enriched uranium in any form, it will stiffen opposition from some in the U.S. Congress and some U.S. allies in the Middle East.
But Ariane Tabatabai of Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program in Washington says any deal will face opposition.
“Could it be a good deal without the uranium being shipped out? Yes, it could be, depending on what other fixes we find to the other problems. But it would be extremely difficult to sell here in Washington. That said, any deal, for a number of people, would be a bad deal," said Tabatabai.
Even though the deadline loomed, Monday was a quieter day in the talks, with a lighter schedule of meetings with Iranian officials than in previous days, leaving observers to speculate on what was happening behind the scenes. Several European foreign ministers left the talks, but said they would return if a deal is at hand on Tuesday.
Tabatabai says it’s not surprising that this is the most difficult phase of the talks, with the toughest issues left to the end.
U.S. officials have said they expect the talks to go until the last minute Tuesday night, and many observers expect them to go at least a little bit beyond. But Marie Harf says the deadline won’t be extended.
“March 31st is the deadline. It has to mean something. And the decisions don’t get easier after March 31st," she said.
Source-VOA
Obama to Visit Kenya
The White House announced Monday that President Barack Obama is traveling to Kenya, his father's homeland, in July.
This will be Obama's fourth visit to sub-Saharan Africa as president and his first to Kenya since he was first elected in 2008. Serge Yondou is a former communications specialist for the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington. He says the trip to Kenya is significant.
“For Kenyans, I think the feeling right now is that he’s coming back home. For Africa, it really sends a strong message that Africa is still dear to the heart of President Obama," said Yondou.
Yondou says many Africans could not understand why President Obama did not visit Kenya much sooner.
“Now the time will make them understand that he wasn’t the African president of the U.S., but a U.S. president who happened to have an African father. And he came to power at such a challenging time when we had the financial and health crisis and two wars, so he had to fix that first," he said.
The news is exciting for people like Victoria Malowa, a Ph.D. graduate in international relations at the U.S. International University in Kenya. She says the impact of the first U.S. president with Kenyan roots visiting his ancestral homeland cannot be underestimated.
Malowa, however, says she is interested in how the visit will play out with the current Kenyan government, given how rocky bilateral relations have been.
“We are seeing that Obama is suddenly changing his tone in a very significant way. He suddenly wants to mend the relationship he’s had or his country had with Kenya. And that’s a very significant point there. He’s finally coming to shake hands with Uhuru Kenyatta. We all know how the American government has always voiced [concerns] over the issues of ICC, we know their stance," said Malowa.
The United States had a cool response to President Kenyatta's election in 2013 because he was indicted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. The ICC dropped the charges last year.
Malowa says she hopes that President Obama’s visit will lead to changes in some U.S. policies toward Kenya.
“I would really like this visit to come and iron out the issues we have with the travel advisories because these advisories are really affecting our tourism industy. I would really like the U.S. government to change their tone. And secondly, I'd like this visit to help with coming together, come up with ideas to solve some of the security issues we are facing right now because Kenya is not only dealing with internal security matters but also dealing with Somalia and other neighbors," she said.
President Obama is expected to participate in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit while in Kenya. The event brings together business leaders, international organizations and governments, and this is the first time it will be held in sub-Saharan Africa.
The White House said it was not known yet if he will meet with relatives living in Kenya, including his grandmother and uncle who recently visited the United States.
Saudi Airstrike Kills 45 in Yemeni Refugee Camp
A Saudi airstrike killed at least 45 people in a refugee camp in northern Yemen Monday.
Humanitarian workers say civilians are among the casualties.
Rebel-controlled state-run media say women and children were killed, but Saudi officials say they cannot confirm exactly what happened or who was hurt.
The airstrike was apparently targeting a nearby Houthi rebel military installation.
Saudi-led coalition ships have also imposed a blockade to try to stop the Houthis from seizing the main southern port of Aden.
Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab coalition with airstrikes to stop the advance of Shi'ite Houthi rebels in Yemen and assure President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi can return to power.
Since last Thursday, a Saudi-led coalition has conducted an aerial bombardment throughout the country against Yemen's Houthi Shi'ite rebels, but Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen blamed a Houthi artillery strike for the refugee camp casualties.
A spokesman for the International Organization for Migration said it was not immediately clear how many of those killed were civilians or armed personnel.
On Monday, largely Sunni Muslim Pakistan said it would send troops to Saudi Arabia, a regional ally, to join the coalition fighting Houthi rebels, according to a senior government official reported by Reuters.
Currently, 10 primarily Sunni-Arab states, including several Gulf states, Sudan, Egypt and Morocco, are taking part in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Source-VOA
COMPLAINTS COMMISSION EDUCATES CITIZENS ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS
Turks and Caicos Islanders have a new champion to support their complaints about public authorities in the Territory, said Complaints Commissioner, Cynthia Astwood, who introduced herself to the media today, Tuesday, 24 September 2014.
Astwood’s Office of the Complaints Commission will take on the cases of disgruntled Islanders only after exhausting the complaints processes within any government department or statutory body concerned.
“We aim to play our part in improving public services by providing citizens with form of recourse when good service standards are not met,” said Cynthia Astwood.
The Complaints Commission can investigate any action taken by a public body, including: grievances and conflicts in the workplace; performance issues, discrimination; harassment; corruption; maladministration, such as delays, bias, negligence, abuse of power, failing to give reason for a decision, not following through on a commitment.
“My office is working to ensure that every government ministry and statutory body in the country has a named individual responsible for investigating complaints,” Astwood continued. "We will work with each of these public bodies to constantly seek ways of improving their systems and service provided to the Turks and Caicos Islands public. Only if that complaint is not handled in a professional manner, where no satisfactory resolution has been reached, can a complaint be submitted to the Commission.
“In making this announcement today, we hope to begin to educate the wider population about their rights and duties in a democratic society.”
In carrying out investigations the Complaints Commissioner has the same powers as a Magistrate, and is able to enter and inspect any premises of any public office and, where necessary, retain or copy documents.
The Commission cannot investigate complaints about the Governor, Cabinet, House of Assembly, Justices, Magistrates, the Police or Chief Auditors, where separate complaints arrangements are in place.
Border Control and Labour advises public of amendments to the Immigration Regulations
The Ministry of Border Control and Labour is advising the general public of a number of amendments to the Immigration Regulations, among them the:-
1- Provision of the following forms that are to be used during the application and processing and issuance of PRC’s - Investor Category
(i) Application Forms for Permanent Residence – Investor Category
(ii) Application Form for Certificate of Undertaking – Investor Category
(iii) Certificate of Undertaking to Grant a Permanent Residence
2- Amendment to the Visa List of Countries indicating the countries and territories whose nationals do not require a visa for entry into the Turks and Caicos Islands
3- Amendment to Schedule 8 which relate to the fees payable.
The objective of the revision is to provide clarity, and in so doing, significantly reduce subjectivity when work permit applications are submitted for occupations/positions that are not listed in the current fee structure. In this regard Schedule 8 is amended to reflect;
(i) an adaptation of a list of occupations identified by the ILO’s Organisation’s International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISOC) and the appropriate fee that is to be charged with respect to each work permit
(ii) a revised fee scale detailing the various occupations in each scale, including a miscellaneous category for occupations that are not listed in the new fee scale
(iii) fees payable by statutory bodies, registered charitable organisations, non-profit, civic and sporting bodies
(iv) a non-refundable repatriation fee and deposit that is payable when a new (first time) work permit is approved
(v) a non-refundable repatriation fee and deposit
CIBC FirstCaribbean Supports Soroptimist International for Women’s Day
To mark International Women’s Day, CIBC FirstCaribbean Bahamas has contributed to one of the nation’s leading programmes for women – the Providenciales chapter of the all women volunteer movement Soroptimist International.
As a part of the bank’s corporate philanthropy and in recognition of International Women’s Day, CIBC FirstCaribbean locations across the region donated to select organisations benefitting women and girls as a way to honour women in the communities where their banks operate.
Country Head Larry Lawrence stated that the bank chose Soroptimist International as its awardee because of the organisation’s focus on young women and it’s established postive impact.
“This year’s theme is ‘Make it Happen,’ so we decided we would partner with an organisation that is on the ground, making it happen for TCI women,” explained Mr. Lawrence. “Soroptimist International brings together a corps of professional women whose main focus is to empower, uplift and assist women and girls in the community. We are impressed with the organisation’s determination to prepare young women to succeed in their personal and academic lives.
At CIBC FirstCaribbean we value this brand of strong, positive female leadership; currently, 58% of our regional managerial staff are women, so we appreciate and salute Soroptimist International’s mission.”
Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement with a network of 80,000 club members in 130 countries and territories.
The group in the Turks & Caicos plays a vital role in the lives of young women. They periodically visit the schools to provide hygienic supplies to those in need. They also donate food and goods to single families and each member is a mentor to a young girl in need of a stable environment. Additionally, the group makes an impact by seeking out needy women in society to help them by providing basic necessities and counselling.
Germanwings plane 4U 9525 crashes in French Alps - no survivors
A Germanwings plane carrying 150 people has crashed in the French Alps on its way from Barcelona to Duesseldorf.
The Airbus A320 - flight 4U 9525 - went down between Digne and Barcelonnette. There are no survivors, officials say.
The "black box" flight recorder has been found, France's interior minister says. The cause of the crash is not known and the plane sent no distress signal during an eight-minute descent.
Among the passengers were 16 German pupils returning from an exchange trip.
Germanwings, a low-cost airline owned by Germany's main carrier Lufthansa, has an excellent safety record. French, Spanish and German leaders have expressed shock.
"This is the hour in which we all feel deep sorrow," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters, adding that she was planning to travel to the crash site.
A recovery team reached the site, in a remote mountain ravine, earlier on Tuesday. Their work was called off in the evening and will resume at first light on Wednesday, the French interior ministry said.
Bruce Robin, a prosecutor from Marseille, told the Reuters news agency that he had seen the wreckage of the aircraft from a helicopter.
"The body of the plane is in a state of destruction, there is not one intact piece of wing or fuselage," he said.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was also flown over the crash site and described it as "a picture of horror", the Associated Press news agency says.
Officials believe 67 of those aboard the plane were German citizens. Forty-five of the passengers had Spanish names, Spain's deputy prime minister said. The passengers included a German school class on its way back from an exchange trip as well as two opera singers, Maria Radner and Oleg Bryjak.
Ms Radner was travelling with her husband and baby.
The plane began descending one minute after it reached its cruising height and continued to lose altitude for eight minutes, Germanwings managing director Thomas Winkelmann told reporters.
He said the aircraft lost contact with French air traffic controllers at 10:53 at an altitude of about 6,000 feet.
The plane did not send out a distress signal, officials said. Earlier reports of a distress call, quoting the French interior ministry, referred to a message from controllers on the ground.
The White House has said there is no evidence so far of a terror attack. A Lufthansa official said they were assuming for the time being that the crash had been caused by an accident.
The Airbus A320 is a single-aisle passenger jet popular for short- and medium-haul flights.
Source-BBC