Kidnapped Egyptians Released in Libya
Six Egyptians kidnapped in Libya Saturday have been freed.
Libyan officials said the five diplomats and an embassy staff member were released unharmed Sunday. They were kidnapped in retaliation for Egypt's arrest of a Libyan militia commander.
Shabaan Hadiya is the leader of the Revolutionaries' Operation Room, one of the militias that sprang up during the fight to topple Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
UN invites Iran to Syria peace talks
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has invited Iran to take part in preliminary Syrian peace talks this week in Switzerland, an offer Tehran has accepted.
Mr Ban said he had received assurances that Iran would play a positive role in securing a transitional government.
But Syria's main opposition group said it would withdraw from the talks unless Mr Ban retracted the offer to Iran.
And the US said the offer must be conditional on Iran's support for the 2012 deal on Syria's transition.
The Syria peace conference has been more than a year in the making and now it is in disarray before it's even started, reports the BBC's Kim Ghattas.
The UN move appeared to take American officials by surprise, she adds.
Preliminary talks are due to open in Montreux on Wednesday and then continue in Geneva two days later.
Syria's government earlier agreed to attend the meeting.
The three-year conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people.
An estimated two million people have fled the country and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced.
On Sunday, UN Secretary General Ban said that Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had pledged that Tehran would play "a positive and constructive" role in Montreux.
"As I have said repeatedly, I believe strongly that Iran needs to be part of the solution to the Syrian crisis," he added.
And Mr Ban stressed: "Let me be clear - Montreux is not a venue for negotiations. The Syrian parties themselves will begin that process in Geneva on 24 January."
Shortly afterwards, Iran said it accepted the invitation. Tehran had earlier insisted it wanted to take part but without preconditions.
There had been a dispute over whether Iran, a crucial ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, should be taking part in the talks.
The UN and Russia had advocated a role for Tehran, but the US had reservations because of its failure to endorse the 2012 Geneva communique, detailing Syria's political transition process.
Washington is also concerned about Iran's deployment of military personnel in Syria, and its support of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, which had sent fighters to bolster Mr Assad's forces.
Responding to Mr Ban's invitation, Syria's main political opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, threatened to withdraw from the Geneva talks.
In a tweet, SNC spokesman Louay Safi wrote: "The Syrian Coalition announces that they will withdraw their attendance in G2 unless Ban Ki-moon retracts Iran's invitation."
In a statement, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington viewed Mr Ban's invitation "as conditioned on Iran's explicit and public support for the full implementation of the Geneva communique including the establishment of a transitional governing body by mutual consent with full executive authorities.
"This is something Iran has never done publicly and something we have long made clear is required," Ms Psaki added.
"We also remain deeply concerned about Iran's contributions to the Assad regime's brutal campaign against its own people, which has contributed to the growth of extremism and instability in the region.
"If Iran does not fully and publicly accept the Geneva communiqué, the invitation must be rescinded."
Source-BBC
Suicide Bombing Kills 9 in Pakistan
Officials in northern Pakistan say a suicide bomber has struck a market near the country's military headquarters, killing at least nine people.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack Monday in Rawalpindi, not far from the capital, Islamabad. The blast, which wounded at least 14 people, went off in an area considered one of the most secure parts of the city.
On Sunday, the group said it was behind a deadly suicide bombing that targeted a military convoy in the town of Bannu. That blast killed at least 20 Pakistani soldiers, and afterward a Taliban spokesman warned that the group would "carry out more such attacks in the future."
The Taliban has conducted a bloody insurgency against the Pakistani state since 2007. The bombing Sunday was the biggest against Pakistani security forces in months.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned Sunday's bombing and canceled his trip to this week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Clashes Erupt at Kyiv Rally
A tense standoff between anti-government demonstrators and riot police continued overnight in Kyiv following clashes in the Ukrainian capital.
The violence on January 19 came after tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Independence Square in defiance of new anti-protest legislation.
Protesters attacked police with sticks as they tried to push their way towards the parliament building, which had been cordoned off by rows of police and buses.
Stun grenades were used and smoke was seen above the crowd.
One police bus was destroyed and set alight. The flames of the burning bus could be seen from far away.
As clashes continued reports emerged that boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko had met with President Viktor Yanukovych at his presidential residence outside Kyiv.
Klitschko later tweeted that Yanukovych had agreed to set up a committee to settle the political crisis.
On his website, Yanukovych said that he had tasked a working group -- headed by national security head Andriy Klyuev -- to meet with opposition representatives on January 20 to work out a solution to the crisis.
The White House urged an end to the violence, with National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden saying that Washington was deeply concerned and urging "all sides to immediately de-escalate the situation."
Hayden said Ukraine's government "has moved to weaken the foundations of Ukraine's democracy by criminalizing peaceful protest and stripping civil society and political opponents of key democratic protections under the law."
She called on Ukraine to repeal recent laws limiting protests, remove riot police from downtown Kyiv and start talking to the opposition.
"The U.S. will continue to consider additional steps -- including sanctions -- in response to the use of violence," Hayden said in a statement.
The new legislation -- signed into law by Yanukovych on January 16 -- bans any unauthorized installation of tents, stages, or amplifiers. It also prohibits protesters from covering their faces or from wearing construction hats.
Many demonstrators wore medical, ski, and carnival masks in defiance of the new regulations and others had kitchen pots and colanders on their heads. Many others wore construction hats.
The legislation allows for prison terms of up to 15 years for the "mass violation" of public order.
The new laws also require nongovernmental organizations to register as "foreign agents" if they are funded from abroad, mirroring a similar rule on the books in Russia.
The new legislation was passed by a show of hands in the parliament after the opposition blocked access to the podium and the electronic voting system.
Opposition lawmakers said the way the laws were passed was unconstitutional and declared the legislation null and void.
Also on January 16, opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk declared the start of opposition-sponsored referendums and elections for new government bodies and officials in Ukraine.
"We are starting popular voting on the lack of confidence [in the government] and over the dismissal of [Ukrainian President] Viktor Yanukovych," he said.
Yatsenyuk added that ballots would be held on a "declaration of support for and confirmation of the authority of the Ukrainian People's Council" as well as on "the creation of a new constitution for Ukraine."
He also said a popular vote would be held to elect an alternative Kyiv City Council and mayor of Kyiv.
Source-Voice Of America
Environmental Management Agency will utilise $20 million for La Brea in TNT
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) will utilise the $20 million which it fined Petrotrin to “rehabilitate” areas impacted by the oil spill along the country’s southwestern coastline. Several concerns have been raised about the size of the fine and whether that money would be deposited into the consolidated fund, making it harder to access.
But EMA officials confirmed to the Sunday Guardian that the multi-million dollar fine would be deposited into an environmental account which gives them access to it without the bureaucratic ministerial or Cabinet approval. The money, according to a consent agreement signed between Petrotrin and the EMA, would be used to “assess, rehabilitate and do remedial work” in the affected areas. The EMA said that contrary to earlier conservative reports, close to 10.5 miles of beach was affected by the spills.
This small victory for the EMA was hard won, as the agency is currently dealing with archaic legislations that make it hard to leverage or take action against offending companies. The EMA latched on to only one CEC granted to Petrotrin back in 2006 in order to impose the $20 million fine for the consequences of the environmental breach that led to over 7,000 barrels of oil being emptied into the Gulf of Paria on December 17, and another spill on December 26.
Petrotrin President Khalid Hassanali and the EMA’s Dr Allan Bachan signed off on the consent agreement on January 7 where Petrotrin accepted liability for the two spills which contributed to the oily mess washing up on miles of beach along the peninsula. The agreement states that Petrotrin was the “violator” of four clauses of the Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC).
The unprecedented spill forced the EMA to invoke Section 25 of its legislation for the first time. Enacting that law means that the $20 million would be placed in an environmental fund. “The fine is not for the breach, the fine is for the consequence of the breach,” one high-level member said. This means that Petrotrin, because of the short legislative arms of the EMA, may be able to side step any financial responsibility for the spills and pay for the clean-up operations alone.
“There is no way to fine them for negligence, because the law is not made up that way,” the source said. The Environmental Management Act legislation leaves companies in operation before 2001 without the now regulatory Certificate of Environmental Compliance (CEC), and also leaves the EMA without any leverage to enforce environmental compliance. “You know how hard we had to search for that one CEC to leverage on Petrotrin?” one EMA member revealed.
While residents, environmentalists and wild life enthusiasts continue to reel under the strain of almost one month of clean-up operations, the EMA has admitted that it cannot force the state company to adopt better maintenance practices or preventative maintenance. The Sunday Guardian met with senior staffers at the EMA and was told of frustration driven by archaic legislation, which left the body virtually powerless to prevent environmental mishaps and little room to leverage on companies violating environmental rules.
“The bottom line is we need to advocate to change the legislation,” one EMA member said. The bigger question though, is whether this sort of environmental disaster can happen again. “We cannot stop them, we cannot change how they do business. It could very well happen again,” one member said.
The environmental company, the Sunday Guardian learnt, has already met with a member of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for assistance on the next step in rehabbing the affected areas. One representative has accompanied EMA members for an on-site assessment of the damage.
Source-Guardian
St Lucia: Warwickshire man Roger Pratt murdered
A British man has been murdered on the Caribbean island of St Lucia as he tried to defend his wife from attackers.
Roger Pratt, 62, was killed on board the couple's yacht in the town of Vieux Fort on Friday night, police said.
His wife, Margaret, was treated for injuries sustained in the attack, which took place while the Warwickshire couple were on a round-the-world trip.
Police said three people were in custody, but no arrests had been made.
Mrs Pratt had been released from hospital and was helping detectives investigating the robbery, they said.
The UK Foreign Office said it was aware of the death of a British national on the island and was providing consular assistance to the family.
The cause of Mr Pratt's death has not been established, but police said there was no evidence he had been shot. A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Monday.
A police spokesman said: "Nobody has been arrested yet but there are some guys in custody.
The investigators are very busy looking at what happened."
Source-BBC
$.6b in drugs hidden in Trinidad Juices tins busted in Virginia
For the second time in two months a drink produced by local manufacturing company SM Jaleel and Company Ltd has been associated internationally with the illegal drug trade.
In the latest incident, Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officers seized 732 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of over $.6 billion, concealed in cans bearing the labels of Trinidad Orange and Grapefruit Juices at the Port of Norfolk in Virginia, United States, on December 20 last year.
The discovery was made during the inspection of a 20-foot container containing the fruit juices. The wholesale value of the cocaine is about US$12 million and has a street value of as much as US$100 million, according to Customs officials.
The seizure is the largest in the history of the Port of Norfolk. Port officials stated that the container originated from this country and was destined for New York.
The container carrying the drugs was said to be flagged as soon as it left this country. According to a news report on News Channel 3 in Virginia, Customs and Border Protection Area Port Director Mark Laria said all tools were used to effect the bust.
“We used every tool at our disposal. We have large scale X-ray equipment, we have small scale X-ray equipment, we have probes, we have various tools and technology that were brought to bear on this shipment and it took every bit of it plus the officers’ knowledge and intuition to locate the cocaine in this shipment,” said Laria, according to the report.
No arrests have been made. Earlier last month, another drink associated with SM Jaleel and Company Ltd laced with cocaine was named in the death of a Royal Navy veteran in the United Kingdom.
A liquid cocaine concoction in a Pear D soft drink bottle was blamed for the death of Joromie Lewis.
Lewis, 32, is said to have consumed the drink on December 5 and succumbed shortly after. This led to the voluntary recall of all Pear D drinks bearing the code “BB Jan 08 14”.
SM Jaleel and Company yesterday said it has launched an internal investigation into the latest multi-million cocaine bust involving its products.
The company said it is being targeted by cunning criminals.
“It is common knowledge that the criminals involved in the drug trade have been using mechanisms to transport cocaine such as fruit, car parts, lumber, hardware, etc. It now appears that someone may be trying to utilise our company’s product in this regard,” a release on the company’s website stated yesterday.
SM Jaleel and Company Ltd said it has not been contacted by investigators on the issue and only found out about the situation through the media.
“We too have only just been recently informed of the situation that occurred almost a month ago on December 20, 2013, regarding the use of our TJC orange and grapefruit-flavoured juice tins in the smuggling of cocaine into the United States and have, to date, not been contacted by the relevant US authorities in connection with this matter,” the release stated.
“At present, we have no knowledge or evidence of the details other than the press release from the United States. We have already commenced our own internal investigation; however, we are not yet in a position to provide any further details at this time,” it stated.
The company maintained that it has always promoted family values and complied with all laws both locally and internationally.
“SM Jaleel is a family-owned and operated business that began its operations in Trinidad approximately 90 years ago. We have consistently maintained our family values throughout the development of the business to include, in more recent times, the global expansion of our operations through the exportation of our trusted products to various countries and communities around the world,” the release stated.
“We have always taken pride in the high level of quality and standards that we have adhered to for our products and have and will always continue to comply with the various legislations, both locally and internationally, relating to the production and exportation of our products,” it added.
Source-Trinidad Express
OAS contributes to Dominica, St Vincent & St Lucia
The Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States, through the Inter-American Emergency Aid Fund (FONDEM), yesterday made a contribution to Dominica and two other Caribbean islands to help in rehabilitation works following Christmas Eve’s inclement weather.
Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza presented the contributions to Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia at a press conference in Washington, D.C on Friday, January 18, 2014.
Although he did not disclose the amount of the contribution made towards the islands, Insulza expressed his hope that it “will help alleviate as much as possible the situation”.
He also encouraged others, including “our friends in the Inter-American system”, to provide economic support for the affected countries.
“We hope that our symbolic contribution can help promote those efforts,” Insulza, who made the symbolic contribution together with the OAS’ assistant secretary general, Albert Ramdin said.
Permanent Representative of Dominica to the OAS, Hubert Charles, expressed his gratitude for the contribution, and added that “we are not surprised that the OAS is among the first to step up and provide financial assistance”.
Charles added that the commitment of the international community to provide financial and material assistance to small and vulnerable states in times of need is an important feature of our hemispheric civilization and called on all concerned to hold on to this tradition even at this time of budgetary stringency.
He noted that the Christmas Eve weather event was an unusual one, not only in terms of the date on which it occurred, but also in terms of the volume of rain experienced over a very short period of time.
Weather authorities at the Melville Hall Airport reported 44 millimeters of rain in a twenty-four hour period, which is about normal, but the southern part of the island which was affected most significantly, experienced 101 millimeters of rain in that same period.
“The initial clean-up work has been completed however extra-budgetary contributions are required to fund the program for repairing and reconstruction of damaged civil infrastructures, shoring up embankments and providing support to the families and small businesses impacted by the storm,” Charles said.
The disaster, he added, provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of support for the medium and long term development plans of the Caribbean region.
“In fact, we are convinced that our capacity to respond appropriately to such events will be enhanced by the achievement of our regional development agenda. Focus though, must now be on rehabilitation after the storm”.
He expressed gratitude to the OAS for the assistance and expressed sorrow at the loss of life in St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia.
“We pray that comfort will be brought to the bereaved families,” Charles stated.
Ambassador from St Lucia, Sonia Johnny, thanked the OAS for its “generous support” while the Representative of St Vincent and the Grenadines, La Celia Prince, said “we have been very fortunate to have the support of the OAS on this journey.”
Source-Dominica Vibes News
Ganja stakeholders to step up campaign in Jamaica
Cannabis stakeholders yesterday expressed the need for a more aggressive campaign to push Parliament to move further and faster towards legalising the growing, distribution and use of ganja (cannabis, marijuana) in Jamaica.
Ganja Law Reform Coalition (GLRC) chairman Paul Chang felt that a more robust campaign and show of support would encourage parliamentarians favourable to fundamental changes to legislation affecting the use of the drug, and suggested the need for a young parliamentarian to step up and take the lead, with strong public support, including street demonstrations from stakeholders, including the GLRC.
"We need a young MP to break the party ranks and put forward proposals for more meaningful legislations than the half steps that they are taking," Chang told the opening session of the Cannabis Stakeholders Conference, held in the multifunctional room of the main library of the University of the West Indies (UWI) at Mona.
Obviously shrugging off commitments by Minister of Justice, Senator Mark Golding that Cabinet has been considering amendments that could lead to automatic expungement of ganja sentences, as well as Government MP Raymond Pryce's successful resolution to decriminalise the possession of small portions of the drug, Chang said he is hoping that increased agitation would show a groundswell of support for more substantial changes, and lead to a conscience vote in Parliament. But he insisted that it required young MPs being more forceful inside Gordon House.
"Government only works when you make them work," commented Louis Moyston, lecturer and researcher, who was the main speaker at the opening session.
"I am saying to them (Government), we are going to inform you about what is taking place; we are going to inform you about the potential; and we would like you to work with us, so we can achieve a better future," he stated.
Dr K'adamawe K'nIfe, strategic planning and entrepreneurship specialist in the Department of Management Studies at the UWI, noted that Jamaica spends over $100 million each year fighting ganja use, while some 2,000 youth are being annually for smoking it.
He suggested a more formal approach to the programming of the use of ganja in the future, which would examine its role in the agriculture sector, its bio-diversity and the development of business models.
Moyston also examined the "Historical Background of Cannabis in Jamaica", noting that historical incidents, like the 1938 labour riots, were attributed to ganja smoking, and since then more severe penalties introduced, leading up to the 1970s when some were relaxed, including mandatory sentences, while in the 1980s Edward Seaga confronted the US on the issue and relaxed enforcement.
Yesterday's conference was the latest development in an attempt by advocates of the legalisation of ganja to force the government to take quick action, to follow nations like Uruguay and US states like Colorado, to legalise use of the drug for both medicinal and recreational purposes. It was organised by the GLRC, the Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Task Force, and the National Alliance for the Legalisation of Ganja.
The forum examined a range of issues touching on the legalisation of ganja and was to weigh in on the options, in light of global developments. Its decisions will be published in a communiqué and position paper. However, the media were only allowed into the opening session, which lasted approximately one hour, under the chairmanship of Professor Archibald McDonald, principal of the UWI, Mona.
A position paper, developed by a Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Task Force, led by Delano Seiveright, was also discussed. The paper outlined the products and business opportunities that could be developed from a cannabis industry, including food, personal care, wellness, beauty, clothing, travel and leisure, spirituality, construction-paper fibres, seed oils, essential oils, seed nut, leaf, whole-plant, charcoal, environmental-soil rehabilitation, spas, restaurants, coffee houses, shops, guest houses and clinics.
Among the guests were Wanda James of the Cannabis Global Initiative, a renowned advocate based in Colorado, and her husband, Scott Durrah, who is also a renowned leader in the US movement.
Source-Jamaica Observer
TCIG Energy & Utilties Department partners with Fortis
The TCIG Energy and Utilities Department has partnered with Fortis TCI to launch an energy efficiency and energy conservation jingle competition for schools.
The Competition seeks to create the buzz and enthusiasm amongst secondary school students to become involved in energy related issues and is one of the ways the Department is educating the public about the need to conserve energy.
The Department hopes to increase the level of awareness and education on the issues and benefits of efficient energy use and various methods of conservation.