Kerry in China Seeking Help in Easing Nuclear Tensions with N. Korea
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Beijing for talks aimed at encouraging Chinese leaders to put more pressure on ally North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program.
Kerry arrived in the Chinese capital early Friday from South Korea, where he met Thursday with South Korea's president and foreign minister. The meeting followed the first-high-level talks earlier this week between North and South Korea in seven years.
In Seoul, Kerry told reporters China has a unique and critical role in persuading Pyongyang to resume talks on its nuclear program. He acknowledged Beijing's help in recent months, but said China can do more as the leading supplier of fuel and banking services to North Korea.
In the absence of the so-called six-party talks, which the North quit in 2009, Pyongyang has rebuilt some of its nuclear facilities and alarmed a host of regional and Western governments with several underground nuclear tests.
Washington has been critical of what it sees as China's attempts to gain control over contested parts of the East and South China Seas. Last week U.S. officials called on China to clarify or amend its vast maritime claims, suggesting they may be inconsistent with international law.
The Asia trip is Kerry's fifth visit to the region since becoming the top U.S. diplomat last year. In addition to South Korea and China, he visits Indonesia on Saturday.
In Indonesia, the last leg of Kerry's trip, he is set to deliver a major speech on climate change. Analysts say the archipelago nation is especially vulnerable to climate change.
From Jakarta, Kerry heads Monday to the United Arab Emirates to meet Gulf leaders on Iran nuclear talks, Syria's civil war and Middle East peace talks.
Some have accused the White House of focusing on the Middle East at the expense of its so-called economic and military "pivot" to Asia.
Source-VOA
Mali Arrests Ex-Defense Chief over Paratrooper Killings
Authorities in Mali have arrested the country's former defense minister, General Yamoussa Camara, in connection with the killings of 21 paratroopers loyal to ousted president Amadou Toumani Toure.
Details of the charges were not immediately clear Thursday. But Reuters news agency quotes a senior military official alleging that Camara tried to cover up the April 2012 killings.
Authorities arrested Mali's former junta leader General Amadou Sanogo last November and charged him with murder and assassination in connection with the deaths. Sanogo led the March 2012 coup that toppled former president Toure.
The bodies of the missing "Red Beret" soldiers were found late last year in a mass grave near the capital, Bamako. Authorities say they were killed during a counter-coup attempt one month after the rebellion was launched.
After seizing power, Sanogo named Camara defense minister, a post he held until Sanogo handed power last year to a transitional government. Under the transition agreement, Camara then served as a senior adviser to the interim presidency.
The 2012 coup caused instability in Mali and allowed al-Qaida-linked Islamists to seize the country's north. The militants were driven from major Malian cities during a French-led intervention in 2013.
Efforts are now under way to re-establish order under newly-elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Massive Winter Storm Hits US Atlantic Coast
Millions in the eastern United States are digging out while a million more in the South are in the dark after a huge winter storm moved across the eastern third of the country.
The storm hit the southeast Wednesday and moved up the Atlantic coast Thursday into New England.
More than 30 centimeters of snow fell on parts of the the mid-Atlantic, closing down the federal government and schools, and grounding thousands of flights.
In the normally mild south, ice is the problem, bringing down trees and power lines. About 1 million homes and businesses in Georgia and the Carolinas have no electricity.
The storm is blamed for at least 12 deaths.
This has been an unusually harsh winter in the United States, with deadly cold in the Midwest, rare ice storms in the South, and the most snow the East has seen in several years.
TCI COMMITS TO REDUCED CARBON EMMISSIONS & LOWER ELECTRICITY COSTS THROUGH ALTERNATIVE & RENEWABLE ENERGY
History was made yesterday during the fourth Meeting of the Cabinet when the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands, under the leadership of Premier, Dr. Rufus Ewing, further demonstrated its commitment to move the Turks and Caicos Islands towards alternative, renewable and cost-effective energy sources and away from that of the, now extremely costly, dependency on fossil fuel.
A Post-Cabinet Release on the Cabinet meeting, held in Providenciales yesterday, commented that Cabinet discussed and agreed to put forth the Draft Revised Energy Policy for wider consultation.
(Cabinet) Considered the Turks and Caicos Islands Draft Energy Policy including establishment of an Energy Council. The overarching objective of the policy is to reduce the cost of electricity and to improve energy security and environmental sustainability. Cabinet approved the policy for public consultation prior to final adoption. This follows the Turks and Caicos Islands expression of interest to join the ten island challenge, an initiative of the Carbon War Room, which supports the Government's plans to move towards renewable energy sources.
Excerpt from Governor’s Office Post-Cabinet Press Release
This comes on the heels of several Caribbean Governments recent signing, and agreement, to the implementation of alternative and renewable energy sources in their respective countries in the not-too-distant future, not least among them was the Turks and Caicos Islands.
At what has been deemed a total success, last week Ministers and other heads of Governments throughout the Caribbean gathered in Tortola, British Virgin Islands for a week-long meeting, organised by the Carbon War Room, a non for profit organization chaired by Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin Group. Our Governor, H. E. Peter Beckingham and Hon. George Lightbourne, Minister of Government Support Services were present to represent the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Among the many topics discussed was the astronomically high electricity costs faced by the residents and business owners of the Turks & Caicos Islands. While the outrageous costs came as a shock to most, Sir Richard Branson asserted that there is still hope for savings, “Islands in the Caribbean have extremely high electricity costs and the new renewable projects could help reduce those costs.
The highlight of the week was the signing of an agreement by four Caribbean Countries, namely St. Lucia, St. Kitts-Nevis, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands, demonstrating their commitment to the implementation and use of alternative and renewable sources of energy like solar, wind and the earth’s heat for the generation of electricity.
This comes amid on-going negotiations between the Turks and Caicos Islands Government and Fortis TCI, the country’s sole provider of electricity. In recent years, due to the soaring and often unpredictable costs of the world’s fuel energy, residents have been hit with a staggering account for the Fuel Factor, which often equates some ninety-eight percent of electricity watt usage and a whopping forty-eight percent of the total monthly bill.
The benefits to the production of a renewable energy source plant in the Turks and Caicos Islands are tremendous and through its implementation, the Government aims to reduce consumer costs and corporate expenditure, while also creating significant opportunities for the unemployed through the creation of “green jobs” thereby freeing up resources for the advancement of entrepreneurship and capital investment in other much-needed social programs by the public sector.
Several other Caribbean countries have already begun the work to reduce dependency on fossil fuel by introducing programs engineered and steered by the Carbon War Room. Among them is Aruba who committed to being fossil-free by 2020 and has already seen a reduction in annual energy costs by US$80M after only five years.
This year will see the commencement of efforts in the Turks and Caicos Islands, as we focus on the Island of West Caicos which has the potential for solar, wind, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) and other Green technologies. This is according to Jonathan O’Dea, Senior Representative for Kew Capital, developers of the 24 sq. kilometre site.
On returning to the country, Governor Beckingham commented that while the road ahead would be challenging, “we (Government) must work closely with utility Fortis to see how we and they can build on their initial plans for solar and wind power."
When asked for his thoughts on alternative energy for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Hon. Lightbourne stated, “I am determined that we should see the introduction of alternative energy generation and believe this initiative will have a positive impact across the entire social spectrum and reduce operational overhead for the public and private sector(s) alike.”
The exploration of renewable energy which began in earnest in 2011 with a draft policy being developed by Fortis TCI in collaboration with the Interim Government, was revived just last year after a return to elected Government. The Premier, Dr. Rufus Ewing, along with Minister of Finance, Hon. Washington Misick and Minister of Government Support Services (GSS) Hon. George Lightbourne, met with the Heads of Fortis TCI, to discuss the Turks and Caicos energy sector and in particular the high cost of electricity, and left with Fortis’s agreement to support Government’s initiatives to introduce alternative energy sources and Government’s commitment to develop a new Energy Policy including renewable energy strategies.
GOVERNOR CHAIRS NEW CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVISORY GROUP
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the first meeting of the new Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Criminal Justice Advisory Group at his official residence Waterloo, Grand Turk, on Tuesday, 11 February 2014.
The purpose of the group is to enhance and promote the safety and well-being of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ society through the effective and efficient administration and development of criminal justice.
Its specific aims are to advise the Governor on the implementation of his constitutional roles in relation to criminal justice, including:
• The crime reduction strategy for the TCI
• Sentencing and non-custodial options (e.g. restorative justice, community service, electronic tagging, community re-integration
• Rehabilitation initiatives (e.g. parole, probation, Rehabilitation of Offenders Act)
• Juvenile Justice Issues
• Interventions for the mentally ill
• Victim and Witness Support
• Training and Professional Development for officials
Governor Peter Beckingham said: “This new group will provide an opportunity to consider some of the most important strategic issues relating to the administration of criminal justice in this country. Our first meeting allowed me to gather a range of views relating to juvenile justice which I found stimulating and informative.”
The Group decided it should meet about every four months, and to consider particular topics of interest across the criminal justice system.
The current members of the Group consists of:
1. Governor Peter Beckingham
2. Representative of the Premier’s Office (to be finalised)
3. Attorney General (acting) Rhondalee Knowles
4. Director of Public Prosecutions JoAnn Meloche
5. Chief Justice Edwin Goldsbrough
6. Member of the Judiciary/Senior Court staff (to be finalised)
7. Commissioner of Police Colin Farqhuar
8. Superintendent of Prisons Ian Sargent
9. Director of Social Development (to be finalised)
10. National Youth Director Angela Musgrove
TCIG Begins Consultations on Draft National Emergency Plans
The Government of the Turks and Caicos is set to begin the development of national emergency plans in an effort to enhance the country’s capabilities toward preparedness and response to natural and man-made threats.
As part of the process, the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) has partnered with Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to address the existing gaps in disaster risk management planning by engaging a team of consultants to guide the development of draft emergency plans for designated priority areas. The project is being funded under CDEMA’s Comprehensive Disaster Management / Harmonised Implementation Programme (CDM/HIP) Country Directed Fund.
The development of these emergency plans is in keeping with the national focus on Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) in conjunction with the Turks and Caicos Islands Country Work Programme. The initiative is one of several to fine-tune TCI’s national disaster plans as well as to formulate a strategy for transitioning to the development of sectoral disaster risk management plans and related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that will hone preparedness and response interventions.
The DDME has identified the need for standardised procedures and guidelines for managing and coordinating response efforts. While TCIG has a comprehensive commitment to enhancing national capacity for disaster risk reduction, the areas listed below have been prioritised in this initial phase are:
1. National Disaster Risk Management Plan (to be reviewed and updated)
2. National Damage Assessment Plan
3. Maritime / Cruise Ship Accident Plan
4. Oil Spill Contingency Plan (to be reviewed and updated)
5. Port Contingency Plan
6. External Affairs Plan
The consultancies will also assist in the development of :
1. Procedures for cooperation with stakeholders both government –based and as well as the private sector and in some instances with international organisations and governments of other countries during a threatened hazard alert or in the event or aftermath of a disaster and or emergency.
2. Procedures clarifying the roles and responsibilities required to execute the emergency function prior to, during and after a hazard specific national crisis, emergency or disaster will form the core of the plan.
The consultants are Arturo Lopez Portillo Contreras, specialist in National Disaster and Damage Assessment Plans and Dr. Balfour Spence whose specialty includes among other things the development of National Oil Spill and Port Contingency Plan. Others include Mr. Jamell Robinson, the team leader; Ms. Heather Stager, specialist in community-based vulnerability assessments and Mr. Paul Saunders a specialist in Maritime / Cruise Ship Accident Plans.
Key stakeholders in TCI’s Disaster Management Organisation will also contribute to the development of more robust plans that aim to enhance capacities to manage impacts from the any of several hazards that threaten the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Man dies in hospital following crash in Richmond Hill
Traffic officers from the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) are investigating a fatal motor vehicle collision in Richmond Hill along the Leeward Highway last night.
About 6:55PM (Wednesday 12 February 2014), police and other emergency services were called to an area in Richmond Hill, along Leeward Highway, after reports of a collision.
On arrival officers found a blue Toyota corolla car and a white Cherokee jeep had collided.
Emergency services attended the scene and freed the driver, 43-year-old Werlly Jean Baptiste of Five Cays, who was trapped in the vehicle. He was rushed to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in a serious condition with multiple injuries. The sole passenger in that vehicle, a 44-year-old male was also transported to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre and admitted for non-life threatening injuries.
The driver of the white Cherokee jeep, a 20-year-old male was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released but has returned to the hospital where he remains at present seeking further medical treatment.
43-year-old Werlly Jean Baptiste died in hospital lastnight (Wednesday 12 February 2014).
Police are urging anyone with information about this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1-800-8477 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: www.crimestoppers.tc. Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
TCI Post Cabinet Statement for Feb 12, 2014
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the meeting of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ (TCI) Cabinet at the Hilly Ewing Building, Providenciales, on Wednesday, 12 February 2014.
All Ministers were present except for the Hon. George Lightbourne.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Noted the positive financial performance of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government for the period October to December 2013, as submitted in the Third Quarter Financial Report from the Accountant General, and approved the publication of the financial report as required by Section 46 of the Public Financial Management Ordinance, 2012;
· Approved recommendations from the Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture to extend the term of office for members of the following boards - Community College Board of Governors and the Scholarship/Education Advisory Committee to 31 March 2014;
· Advised the Governor to instruct the Acting Attorney General to draft legislation for the establishment of a Statute of Limitations Bill in line with the Limitations Act, 1980 of the United Kingdom and/or the Limitations Act, 2002 of the Canadian Province of Ontario for civil matters only, for consideration by Cabinet and the House of Assembly;
· Granted approval for TCIG to enter into a land swap in exchange for a portion of Parcel 10102/1, which consists of approximately 7.60 acres at North Creek, Grand Turk for a comparable acreage of Crown Land immediately adjacent to the said parcel 10102/1 in accordance with section 34 of the Crown Land Ordinance;
· Granted approval for TCIG to enter into a land swap in exchange for the granting of a 99 year lease for a comparable acreage of Crown Land (Parcels 10503/118 &121) in accordance with section 34 of the Crown Land Ordinance;
· Considered the Turks and Caicos Islands Draft Energy Policy including establishment of an Energy Council. The overarching objective of the policy is to reduce the cost of electricity and to improve energy security and environmental sustainability. Cabinet approved the policy for public consultation prior to final adoption. This follows the Turks and Caicos Islands expression of interest to join the ten island challenge, an initiative of the Carbon War Room, which supports the Government's plans to move towards renewable energy sources.
The following Minister will be absent from the Islands on official business for a period of one week in February: Hon. Premier, with Hon. Deputy Premier being Acting Premier.
Further information will be provided by Ministers in due course.
PM calls on students to read more
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, who is a former teacher, has called on Dominican students to read more and learn how to differentiate between news and gossip.
Mr Skerrit, in admonishing students gathered at the Public Library for the opening of Black History Week on Monday, February 10, lamented the lack of reading among citizens on the island.
“With the advent of talk shows and, of course, we are not a hugely reading population; too many of us do not read in Dominica”.
“So when you listen to the talk shows, for example, every caller calls to react to what the previous caller said, not to draw to our attention to something that he has read and he would like to educate the masses”.
He noted that most of the talk show hosts are not well read and introduce topics “not knowing anything about the topic and the little that they know, they are not in a position to share it with the listenership”.
“We are going down a very dangerous road where those who are supposed to educate people through the mass media are not reading,” Mr Skerrit warned.
“If you are not reading how are you going to educate us? How are you going to inform us on new things and how are you going to guide us on the way forward,” he posited.
He therefore urged students to read extensively so that they will be able to differentiate facts from fiction and news from gossip.
Mr Skerrit also noted that it is important that the education system pays particular attention to these things and “not necessarily be too perturbed about the CXC results and how many 1s we can get and how many 2s we can get”.
Rather, the education system should ensure that it produces “students who can stand the test of time and who can withstand all of the pressures out there in the world, Dominica included”.
Source-Dominica Vibes News
Kartel trial to end next week
Justice Lennox Campbell Tuesday afternoon indicated to the 11-member jury panel in the Vybz Kartel murder trial that the case will be handed over for their verdict next week.
"We are close to the end, perhaps it's safe to say that we are at the beginning of the end," Campbell told the jurors before dismissing them for the afternoon.
Tuesday morning attorneys Tamika Harris and Everton Dewar filed no case submissions before the court for Andre 'Mad Suss' St John and Shane Williams respectively.
Lead prosecutor Jeremy Taylor has been rebutting the no case submissions, at the end of his rebuttal Justice Campbell will review the arguments and hand over his ruling.
Kartel and four co-accused are currently being tried for the alleged murder of Clive 'Lizard' Willams.
Source-Jamaica Observer