St Kitts-Nevis nationals needs visa to land in Canada
The St Kitts-Nevis government yesterday sought to downplay the decision by Canada to impose visa restrictions on nationals from the twin-island federation wanting to visit the North American country, noting that since the September 2011 terrorist attacks on the United States countries have been reviewing their immigration policies periodically.
"Countries review and change their policies routinely in order to protect their interests and their people and so do we," Foreign Affairs Minister Patrice Nisbett said in a broadcast. "Canada is an important ally, an ally of long-standing. Your government values the strong relations which over the years Canada and St Kitts-Nevis have built.
"Canada has important security concerns, the government recognises this and the government of St Kitts-Nevis will do all in its power to respect and accommodate the concerns of such an important ally," Nisbett said.
But Opposition Leader Mark Brantley said that Canada's position may have been influenced by an Iranian national holding a diplomatic passport issued by the St Kitts-Nevis government.
Brantley reminded nationals that the Iranian national told Canadian border agents that he was entering Canada for meetings with the Canadian Prime Minister on behalf of the government and people of St Kitts Nevis, and that "the claims by the Iranian national of a meeting with the Canadian prime minister were categorically false.
"This occurrence in Canada led to immediate concerns there as to the safety and security of that country's borders. As a consequence, the media reports confirmed that the Canadian authorities made urgent representations to the Government of St Kitts and Nevis raising serious concerns about not just this but other incidents involving St Kitts-Nevis passport holders entering or seeking to enter Canada using the visa free status currently granted by that country to nationals of St Kitts and Nevis," Brantley added.
Brantley said that, in November last year, Nisbett was "compelled under increasing pressure to make a statement to the National Parliament addressing this issue".
He said that "Nisbett identified the Iranian gentleman and confirmed that this Iranian national had been granted diplomatic status by the Cabinet.
"Minister Nisbett also confirmed that the Iranian national was made a special envoy for St Kitts and Nevis to Turkey and Azerbaijan," he said.
In a statement over the weekend, Ottawa said that the visa restriction would go into effect from November 22 and that citizens from the twin-island Federation joined those from "the vast majority of Caribbean nations and citizens of some 147 countries" where visas are needed to enter the North American country.
Ottawa said that the St Kitts and Nevis nationals in good standing travelling to Canada between "now and November 24, 2014 will be granted a temporary resident permit upon arrival in Canada, free of charge".
There has been speculation that Canada had imposed the new visa restrictions based on that island's Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) under which investors are provided with St Kitts-Nevis passports in return for making substantial investments in the country.
Nisbett, who met with a "government diplomat" last Friday, said "Canada wanted to determine for itself exactly who does and who doesn't enter its territory".
The statement by Canada on its official website stated that the country would continue to "welcome genuine visitors from St Kitts-Nevis and has a number of programmes including a multiple entry visa to make it easy for such legitimate visitors to travel to Canada".
Nisbett said the CIP has funded projects from agriculture to energy to health 'all of which expanded opportunities for the people of St Kitts-Nevis" and that the government is "committed to ensuring that the programme continues to work and that it continues to work well".
He said in order to ensure this, the government has always sought to revise "as necessary" the legislation in order "to properly meet the needs of the people of St Kitts-Nevis and in order to protect the constructive relations we have so carefully built with nations across the globe.
"And the government will always seek ways to strengthen the security features of the St Kitts and Nevis passport. This type of vigilance is important today and it will be equally important 20 years from
now," he added, outlining some of the "more recent measures the government has put in place where our passport is concerned".
He said that the key changes to the passports include having the place of birth printed in the passport and "new St Kitts and Nevis passports are being issued to replace any passports in existence which may not indicate the place of birth".
Nisbett said that the strong relationship that exists between Basseterre and countries around the world is evident of the collaborative undertaking "that has moved our country so steadily forward".
In his address to the nation, Brantley said that the twin- island federation "is still unaware whether this Iranian continues to enjoy not just St Kitts and Nevis citizenship but our diplomatic status as well".
"This scandal involving an Iranian having diplomatic status of our nation showing up in Canada was quickly followed by an advisory from the United States Government issued on 20th May, 2014 wherein the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network warned the world that the St Kitts-Nevis citizenship by investment programme was being abused by foreign nationals who wished to engage in illicit financial activity," he added.
Brantley said that the warnings "therefore were clear".
Source-CMC
Japanese lessons for Caribbean in waste management
The Ariake Incineration Plant will probably have no major role to play in the construction of the Olympic Village for the 2020 Summer Olympics to be held in Japan.
Chances are, however, it will have to deal with the waste that will be generated by the athletes during the Games of the XXXII Olympiad from July 24 to August 9.
The Olympic Village will be constructed not far from the plant which has acknowledged that its role is to reduce waste generation, reuse waste and to promote recycling waste as resources.
"We are not likely to have a major role in the construction of the Olympic Village but you never know the future," said plant manager Hisakazu Nikaido.
He told Caribbean journalists during a visit to the plant that almost 40 per cent of the waste at the facility is biomass and that the facility accepts at least 100,000 tonnes of waste annually.
Waste is burnt in the incineration plant and becomes ash of the volume of about one twentieth, with officials saying this process contributes to prolonging the limit of disposal sites.
It is also utilising the heat energy produced by the incinerators for generating electricity power, supplying steam and hot water to the waterfront area and neighbouring public facilities.
Nikaido said that the plant, with a price tag of 41.7 billion yen (One Japanese Yen =US$0.008 cents) when it was constructed in 1995, receives at least one million US dollars annually in selling electricity.
"So in a sense we are earning our money," said Nikaido, adding "we don't have any complaint about gas or waste water from citizens".
Nikaido would not say whether or not his plant could be a model for Caribbean countries, given the peculiarities of the regional states, but following the first ever Japan-Caricom summit held in Trinidad and Tobago in July, Caribbean leaders said they hope to make use of Japanese technologies in fields such as renewable energy, energy saving and disaster risk reduction.
President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Dr Akihiko Tanaka, said that Tokyo's aid would be guided by the requests from developing countries.
"The major purpose of our facility is to contribute to the betterment of our partners and the tangible results that we would like to see are the betterment of the living standards and social and economic conditions of our partner countries," he said of JICA, which promotes itself as "the world's largest bilateral development organisation, operating in some 150 countries".
He added: "Our approach has long been emphasising the ownership and self-help of our partners and our basic approach is what we call request principle. This is a principle to all countries of the world that we will not come forward and tell our partners this is what we are going to do in your country.
"What we would like to do is to ask you what you would want us to do and that is what we call the request principle, so I think with the Caribbean we are now in the process of having the request from the partner countries in the Caribbean, but that does not mean we are simply waiting."
The communiqué issued at the end of the one-day meeting between Caribbean Community (Caricom) foreign mnisters and their Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida on November 15, noted that "bearing in mind that stable energy supply and clean energy, as well as information communication technologies are key to economic development in Caricom member states, they welcomed investment and interest by Japanese enterprises in such fields.
"They also recognised that it is important to improve the business environment including infrastructure, capacity building, and affiliated industries in order to enhance trade and investment," the communiqué noted.
"We can learn so much from Japan," said Jamaica's Foreign Affairs Minister AJ Nicholson.
"You take the issue of energy; we do not in Jamaica have any oil and the like, so it means that to keep down our energy bill one of the things we have to do is conserve and I don't think we have the discipline to do that," he said, adding "and we asked them to help us inculcate that also into a way of going forward".
Last month, JICA brought to Tokyo several Caribbean experts for a first-hand view of several projects dealing with energy and disaster management.
The Caribbean experts would no doubt have been made aware of the Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP), a social system demonstration project whose ultimate aim is the construction of Japanese-style smart grids and their spread in other countries.
"Yes, we are hoping to develop projects not only for Japan, but to the rest of the world, including the Caribbean," said Fumiki Natori of the Climate Change Policy Headquarters at the City of Yokohama.
Established in 2010, the YSCP's mission is the verification of technology, mechanisms and business models for smart cities in the overall "FutureCity" project.
Ryou Nakano, the assistant manager at the Climate Change, Policy Headquarters, said Japan also suffers from global warming and as a result "in various ways global warming has been affecting our lives".
He further warned that "if we do not take measures by 2030, we will see changes".
The YSCP has undertaken several projects that involve collaboration between the city and numerous private sector enterprises including Tokyo Gas, Toshiba, Nissan Motor, Panasonic and Accenture.
These YSCP projects include renewable and yet unused forms of energy; energy management in homes; office buildings and next generation transport systems.
Natori said the plan is to reduce carbon dioxide by five per cent and reduce the electricity bills for consumers by at least 30 million yen annually.
As part of the initiative under the YSCP, home energy management systems (HEMS) were installed in nearly 4,200 households in Yokohama over the past four years.
"We are trying to invite more households into the project," said Nakano, with officials indicating that the overall objective is to assure a stable supply of power and reduce the total amount of CO2 emissions.
Earlier this year, a test, the largest of its kind so far in Japan, was conducted using about 3,500 of the HEMS to assess the ability to save energy.
The City of Yokohama said that the results of the study will be used to determine how households could save energy without difficulty and to build an effective saving model for diverse urban lifestyles.
It will also contribute to the establishment of flexible power tariff schemes promoted by the Japanese government to "control power demands without lowering the levels of comfort in living and to assure a stable supply of power in the community".
Source-CMC
Violence Erupts in Ferguson Following Ruling
The Midwestern U.S. town of Ferguson saw its worst unrest in months, after a grand jury decided not to indict a white police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager.
Violent protests erupted late Monday after officials announced charges would not be filed against officer Darren Wilson for the August shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said at least a dozen buildings were set on fire, most of them destroyed. He said there were no reports of injuries. At least 29 people were arrested.
"Those are businesses that may never come back. So, frankly, I'm heartbroken about that," Belmar said.
"Now the good news is we have not fired a shot. As far as I know, we don't have any serious injuries to police officers, they got banged up a little bit with rocks, one lieutenant from the patrol got hit in the head with a glass bottle, but we don't have any serious injuries, and as far as I know we haven't caused any serious injuries tonight," he said.
Earlier in the night, police used smoke and tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom set police cars on fire and threw objects at police. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the neighborhood.
Demonstrations were also held in cities across America. At Times Square in New York City, protesters held signs decrying "police tyranny" and chanted the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" slogan that has become popular at rallies against police violence.
In Oakland and Chicago, protesters flooded freeways, blocking cars with their hands held in the air. A small crowd of protesters also gathered outside the White House.
The August 9 shooting inflamed tensions in the predominantly black St. Louis suburb, which is patrolled by an overwhelmingly white police force.
The deadly shooting sparked weeks of sometimes violent protests and looting. Adding to the tension was the often heavy-handed response by police which used armored vehicles and tear gas.
Demonstrations have continued in Ferguson and in Clayton, where the grand jury began meeting in late August.
Brown's family, who have called for restraint, issued a statement saying they were "profoundly disappointed" at the ruling.
Lawyers for Wilson said in a statement that the grand jury's decision shows the officer "followed his training and followed the law" during the confrontation with Brown.
Source-VOA
Hong Kong Authorities Clear More Protest Sites
Hong Kong authorities have cleared street barricades at a protest site where pro-democracy demonstrators have camped for nearly two months.
Bailiffs backed by dozens of police removed the obstructions early Tuesday from Argyle Street, in the Mong Kok district.
The protesters did not initially resist, and instead stood nearby yelling at police. But some later obstructed the police, who arrested several people.
One demonstrator, 78-year-old Ng Boon-duk, said he is not afraid to be arrested.
"If I were arrested and sent to prison, the sacrifice I make will be much bigger than protesting on the streets. I would like to make bigger sacrifices," said Ng.
It is the second time in as many weeks that authorities have acted on a court order to clear parts of the protests.
Local media said officials are planning to clear a larger section of the Mong Kok demonstration site, near Nathan Road, on Wednesday.
The protests have shrunk in recent weeks, and organizers are struggling to find ways to reenergize the so-called Occupy Movement.
The three co-founders of the movement say they plan to surrender next month to authorities, who have declared the protests illegal.
Several recent public opinion polls suggest the protests are beginning to lose public support.
Source-VOA
Explosions Rock Nigeria's Maiduguri
Two explosions have rocked a crowded market in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, causing dozens of casualties.
Initial reports from the scene say two female suicide bombers set off blasts at the market in the Borno state capital on Tuesday morning.
Witnesses say at least 30 people were killed or wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Militant group Boko Haram is active in Borno state and is blamed for scores of deadly bombings and other attacks over the past five years.
Gov’t undaunted by St Kitts/Nevis Visa regulations
Government’s Chief of Staff, Lionel “Max” Hurst, said Antigua & Barbuda is unlikely to go down the same road as St Kitts & Nevis with regards to a recently imposed Canadian Visa requirements.
As of noon on November 22, 2014, the Canadian government implemented a Visa requirement for citizens of St Kitts & Nevis, who are travelling to Canada.
According to a report in the Toronto Sun, Canadian authorities believe people with ties to terrorist organisations and organised crime are using St Kitts & Nevis passports obtained via that country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) to avoid immigration screening.
But, in an interview with OBSERVER media, Hurst said the due diligence clause included in Antigua & Barbuda’s CIP agreement, would filter out any unsavoury characters attempting to get an Antiguan and Barbudan passport.
“We believe that the due diligence undertaking by our agencies abroad is sufficiently well done that the likelihood that someone who is a criminal becoming a citizen of Antigua & Barbuda is negligible or zero,” he said.
The chief of staff said that, so far, the agencies commissioned to perform due diligence checks, which he said are stationed in nearly every country, have been extremely accurate, and government expects that trend to continue.
“Those people (who are) not Antiguan by birth who become Antiguan by one mean or the other, there’s every possibility that something could go wrong, but we have done our due diligence, and therefore, we believe that not much will go wrong, if anything at all,” he said.
Hurst suggested that those who gain Antiguan and Barbudan citizenship via the CIP are hardly any different from naturalised Caricom nationals.
Antigua’s CIP was first introduced in 2012 and was initially opposed by the then Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party opposition. The party has since made amendments to the arrangement, reportedly in order to strengthen it, since taking office in June.
Source-Observer
Jimmy Ruffin, Motown singer, dies aged 78
Jimmy Ruffin, the Motown performer who scored his biggest hit with 1966's What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, has died at the age of 78.
News of his death follows reports last month that he was seriously ill and in intensive care at a Las Vegas hospital.
Born in Mississippi, Ruffin moved to Detroit in the early 1960s and was signed to Motown's Miracle label.
He moved to the UK in the 1980s, where he recorded songs with Paul Weller and Heaven 17.
Ruffin's other hits included I've Passed This Way Before, Gonna Give Her All the Love I Got and Hold On To My Love, a top 10 hit in 1980.
His younger brother David, one of the early members of the Temptations, died in 1991 of a drug overdose, prompting his sibling to become an anti-drug campaigner.
A family statement said that Ruffin was "a rare type of man who left his mark on the music industry".
"We will treasure the many fond and wonderful memories we all have of him" the statement said.
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy said he was a "phenomenal singer".
Source-BBC
Serani Seeks Billboard Return with new single
IT has been six years since singer Serani scored big on the Billboard charts with the hit single No Games.
He is hoping to replicate that success with his latest single In My Arms.
Released this week on iTunes, the single was co-produced by Serani and Matthew 'Esco' Thompson.
"The song is straightforward, to the point, about me making an attempt to woo a lady into falling for me and believing that she belongs in my arms," the 32-year-old told the Jamaica Observer.
The singer -- who is currently on an American promotional tour -- said that while he is busy in the studios, an album is not yet on the cards.
"I'm not currently working on an album, but I have many unreleased songs that are fit for an album of this quality," he noted.
Serani, whose given name is Craig Marsh, said his Billboard foray opened several doors for him.
"I have been blessed with a song like No Games because it has allowed me to tour consistently since its release, so I can't complain. No Games has opened a considerable amount of doors internationally to the ears of many industry players. It's just up to me to continue releasing good quality music to blow their minds away," he said.
The single No Games, produced by Linton 'TJ' White, peaked at number 53 on Billboard's R&B Hip Hop Singles chart. The album of the same name reached number 74 on Billboard's R&B Hip Hop album chart and number three on the reggae album tally. It has sold more than 400,000 copies in the United States.
Serani established himself as a producer with the Daseca Unit before embarking on a solo music career. He made his debut as a guest vocalist on Mavado's single Dying, from the album Gangsta for Life: The Symphony of David Brooks.
He is known for songs including Mama Still Hungry, Doh (featuring Bugle), Romance, Stinking Rich, and Study People.
Contributor: Kevin Jackson of Jamaica Observer
Britain to help five Eastern Caribbean countries
Britain is providing assistance to five Eastern Caribbean countries “to help them return to economic growth while managing the risks from external shocks”.
The Department for International Development (DFID) Caribbean says it will work closely with Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica under the new programme that runs until 2020.
“The United Kingdom is committed to the long-term development of the Caribbean,” said DFID head, Caribbean, Hugh Walker, who signed a joint letter of intent with St Vincent and the Grenadines on behalf of Desmond Swayne, Britain’s Minister for International Development.
Walker said the DFID has “listened carefully” to what Eastern Caribbean countries have been saying are the key challenges for the region.
“Our projects will focus on supporting economic growth and job creation, increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy usage, and reducing the risks posed by climate change and natural disasters,” Walker said.
Britain has already committed to spend up to £75 million (One British pound =US$1.56 cents) in the Caribbean from 2011 to 2015 and DFID will now invest a similar amount in the Caribbean from 2016 to 2020 to achieve shared development objectives.
DFID will work closely with Eastern Caribbean countries to build programmes better tailored to their individual needs.
The DFID said that it is anticipated that the new programme will build on the successes of DFID’s current regional support.
“The strong personal, cultural and institutional links between the UK and the Caribbean will help deliver results for the people of the Caribbean”.
“DFID will continue to work regionally to support Caribbean integration and tackle regional issues which are essential to the Caribbean’s long-term development”.
“It will continue to play an important role through other institutions such as the EU and Caribbean Development Bank (to which the UK is a significant contributor),”the DFID said.
Source-CMC
IMF monitoring impact of PetroCaribe
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it is monitoring the potential impact any changes to PetroCaribe, Venezuela’s oil alliance with several Caribbean islands will have on regional economies.
Analysts say the initiative, which allows countries to pay for part of their oil import from Caracas over a 20-year period at low interest rates, will have to be modified or discontinued amidst a worsening economic situation in the South American country.
Several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries including Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Belize, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Guyana, and Suriname are members of PetroCaribe.
St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said that Caracas has invited PetroCaribe member countries to a meeting on Thursday about “reaffirmation” of the commitment to the initiative, the brainchild of the former Venezuelan President, the late Hugo Chavez.
Gonsalves said that the notification regarding Thursday’s meeting said the talks were about “reaffirming the commitment to PetroCaribe and to give that reaffirmation, and, secondly, to look at ways and means where we can deepen the integration process within the framework of PetroCaribe.”
IMF advisor, Western Hemisphere, Elie Canetti, told reporters that the IMF’s main concern “is that we know Venezuela is going through increasing financial stress, and oil prices have dropped from around US120 dollars a barrel to mid 70s a barrel and Venezuela is hugely dependent on selling oils.
“So, we are mindful and concerned about the feasibility of PetroCaribe continuing, certainly at the level it has been, and we are looking into what will be the impact on Caribbean countries,” Cantelli said.
He said the IMF has been monitoring the situation for quite some time, “but the urgency in trying to understand that is much higher now because of the financial situation in Venezuela does seem to be deteriorating much more quickly now with the drop in oil prices”.
Source-CMC