NHIP & NIB merge collection forces
Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the way for the Minister of Health and Human Services Hon. Porsha Stubbs-Smith and the Minister of Finance Hon. C. Washington Missick to develop a process to merge the compliance and collection functions of NHIP and NIB into one entity.
This action is expected improve compliance and improve the efficiency of the collections process.
Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation awareness campaign now on
The Energy and Utilities Department of the Ministry of Government Support Services this week launched its Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation awareness campaign under the theme “Smart Choices Today for a Sustainable Energy Tomorrow-Be Energy Smart.
Coming at the end of CARICOM’s Energy Week celebrated November 10th to 16th, the campaign aims to sensitise and build awareness among residents, businesses and all stakeholders on the issues of sustainable energy, Utilities Commissioner Malike Cummings said.
The programme hopes to teach consumers simple, smart actions that will serve to reduce TCIs energy demand and eliminate waste.
Afghan President Delays Signing Deal with US
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ignored a recommendation by the country's grand assembly, or Loya Jirga, to immediately sign a new bilateral security agreement with the United States.
Mr. Karzai says Afghanistan needs more time to ensure the United States is committed to peace.
The Loya Jirga endorsed the bilateral security agreement with the United States Sunday and called for the president to sign it immediately.
Mr. Karzai repeated his previous position that he would wait until after the upcoming presidential election in April to sign the deal allowing a continued presence of some U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014.
But U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says it is critical that the security agreement is signed in short order so both countries can keep working together for a more secure and prosperous future for Afghanistan.
Kerry says he cannot imagine a more compelling affirmation of the Afghan people's commitment to a U.S. partnership than the Loya Jirga's endorsement.
U.S. officials have rejected a delay, saying they would not be able to form long-term plans on a troop presence without an agreement in place by the end of this year. U.S.-led international combat forces in Afghanistan are set to withdraw by the end of next year.
The draft agreement spells out terms under which international forces will remain in Afghanistan to assist the government in its war against Taliban insurgents.
The majority of Afghan tribal leaders supported the agreement, which would take effect January 1, 2015, and keep U.S. troops and civilian personnel in Afghanistan for at least another decade.
Iran Hails Deal with World Powers as Recognition of Nuclear 'Rights'
Iran's leaders have welcomed a landmark nuclear agreement with world powers, calling it a recognition of Iranian nuclear rights and the beginning of an end to international sanctions.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address Sunday that the interim deal reached in Geneva earlier in the day recognizes what Iran says is its "right" to enrich uranium.
Iran says its enrichment work is for peaceful purposes. But Israel and Western powers fear Iran could enrich its uranium to the high purity needed to develop nuclear weapons.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry denied Iran's interpretation of the deal reached with Washington and five other world powers. He told reporters in Geneva the document "does not say Iran has a right to enrichment."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the deal, calling it an "historic mistake" and saying it marks the first time the international community has "formally consented" to Iran continuing enrichment.
The White House says President Barack Obama telephoned Mr. Netanyahu Sunday, telling the Israeli prime minister he wants the United States and Israel to start consultations immediately on efforts to negotiate a comprehensive agreement with Iran.
Mr. Obama told Mr. Netanyahu the U.S. remains firmly committed to Israel, which he said has good reason to be skeptical about Iran's intentions.
Israeli leaders see a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to their nation's existence because of Iran's frequent calls for Israel's demise.
The six-month agreement calls for Iran to neutralize its stockpile of uranium enriched to 20 percent - a level that is a short step away from weapons-grade. But it it does not prohibit Iran from continuing enrichment below the five percent level.
It also calls for Iran not to make further advances in building a heavy water nuclear reactor in the city of Arak. Once operational, that facility could produce plutonium, another compound used to make nuclear weapons.
In return for limiting enrichment, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany agreed to temporarily lift some international sanctions that have weakened the Iranian economy.
The United States says Tehran will gain access to $4.2 billion in revenues from Iranian oil exports and $1.5 billion in proceeds from Iranian sales of precious metals, autos and petrochemicals.
Earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama said the Geneva agreement will place "substantial limitations" on Iran's enrichment and "cut off" what he called the nation's "most likely paths to a bomb." He said the deal is a "first step" toward negotiations aimed at fully addressing international concerns about the Iranian nuclear program.
Iranian leaders hailed the deal as the start of a process of ending years of sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council and Western powers in retaliation for Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment.
Iranian state media quoted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying the agreement is a "success" attributed to "the grace of God and the prayers of the Iranian nation."
A senior U.S. official told Western news agencies that the Geneva agreement followed several months of secret bilateral talks between the United States and Iran. In comments published Sunday, the U.S. official said the talks were aimed at developing ideas to complement official negotiations involving Iran and the world powers.
Thousands of Pro-, Anti-Government Demonstrators Rally in Thailand Print Share:
Tens of thousands of pro- and anti-government demonstrators gathered for rival rallies in the Thai capital in what are becoming some of the largest demonstrations since the deadly street protests of 2010.
Up to 100,000 opponents of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra gathered in sites across the city, calling for her resignation.
While across the city, between 40- and 50-thousand pro-government "red shirts" rallied in support of her administration.
Thailand has faced weeks of protests sparked by a blanket amnesty bill that would have allowed the prime minister's older brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives overseas, to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption.
The bill would have also pardoned former prime minister and Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has been indicted for murder for ordering a crackdown on protesters in 2010.
Former deputy prime minister and opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban has urged protesters to continue their demonstrations and called for civil servants to join in on them.
The opposition Democratic Party will also lead a a no-confidence debate in the lower house this week, despite being vastly outnumbered by Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party.
Thousands Rally in Ukraine for EU Integration
Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, to protest the government's decision not sign a landmark trade deal with the European Union.
Protesters waved Ukrainian and EU flags while chanting pro-Western slogans as they headed to the city's European Square.
Officially, between 20- and 50-thousand people are estimated to have turned out for the rally, which was organized by the country's opposition. Activists have put the number at above 100,000.
Thousands of riot police were deployed across the city with some clashes reported after demonstrators attempted to storm a government building.
Elsewhere in Kyiv, groups of pro-government demonstrators marched in support of the government's decision to halt the signing of the EU agreement.
Ukraine's Cabinet unexpectedly announced last week it was suspending preparations to sign a EU trade and cooperation agreement.
They announced instead that Ukraine would resume an "active dialogue" with Belarus and Kazakhstan, members of a Russian-led customs union, and other former Soviet republics with the goal of reviving trade and economic relations.
The country's parliament earlier refused to pass legislation that would free jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, which was a key EU condition for signing the EU deal.
Four Arrested for Witness Tampering in ICC Case
Four men have been arrested for alleged witness tampering in the war crimes trial of former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba.
The International Criminal Court announced the arrests Sunday, saying the suspects bribed witnesses to give false testimony and presented evidence to the court that they knew to be false or forged.
The four include two members of Bemba's legal team, lead counsel Aime Kilolo Musamba, arrested in Belgium; and case manager Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabonga, arrested in the Netherlands.
The other two are defense witness Narcisse Arido, arrested in France; and Fidele Babala Wandu, a leader of Bemba's party, who was arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Bemba faces charges of murder, rape and pillaging for actions his rebel group allegedly committed in the Central African Republic in 2002 and 2003.
He was arrested in Belgium in 2008, after fleeing the DRC because of clashes between his forces and those of President Joseph Kabila. His trial began in November 2010.
The ICC on Sunday thanked authorities in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Congo for helping to arrest the witness tampering suspects. It said these are the first arrests made in relation to such charges before the ICC.
It said Wandu is being transferred to ICC headquarters in The Hague and the other three will turned over at a later date.
CIA secretly collects data on money transfers to Caribbean
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been accused of secretly collecting bulk records of money transfers to the Caribbean and other places handled by companies like Western Union and MoneyGram.
Government officials said the transfers include transactions into and out of the United States under the same law that the US National Security Agency (NSA) uses for its huge database of Americans’ phone records.
The New York Times, quoting several current and former government officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter is classified, said the programme is authorised by provisions in the Patriot Act and overseen by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
“The intelligence community collects bulk data in a number of different ways under multiple authorities,” one intelligence official told the paper.
Dean Boyd, a spokesman for the CIA, declined to confirm whether such a programme exists, but said that the agency conducts lawful intelligence collection aimed at foreign “not domestic” activities and that it is subject to extensive oversight.
“The CIA protects the nation and upholds the privacy rights of Americans by ensuring that its intelligence collection activities are focused on acquiring foreign intelligence and counterintelligence in accordance with US laws,” he said.
Juan Zarate, a White House and US Department of Treasury official under former President George W Bush, said that, unlike telecommunications information, there has generally been less sensitivity about the collection of financial data, in part because the government already collects information on large transactions under the Bank Secrecy Act.
Luella Chavez D’Angelo, a spokeswoman for Western Union, which operates extensively in the Caribbean, declined to directly address questions about whether the company has been ordered to turn over records in bulk to the CIA or the surveillance court.
She, however, said the company complies with legal requirements to provide information.
“We collect consumer information to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act and other laws. In doing so, we also protect our consumers’ privacy and work to prevent consumer fraud.”
MoneyGram issued a similar statement, saying “we value our customers’ privacy and work hard to protect it, just as we work hard to protect customers and others from fraud and other crime.
“We comply with the laws of all the countries where we do business, including the laws that govern privacy, government investigations, and compliance with lawful subpoenas and court orders.
“We have reporting obligations related to suspicious transactions, money laundering and other financial crimes around the world. The laws to which we are subject generally prohibit us from discussing details,” the company said.
Intelligence officials here say the CIA programme is a result of terror finance-tracking programmes that were established in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.
Source-Caribbean Media Corporation
Lottery winnings to be taxed in Barbados
The Ministry of Finance in Barbados has advised Bajans of a 15 per cent tax on lottery winnings over a $100,000 which was announced in the 2013 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals will be implemented fully, albeit with some changes, following the passage of the appropriate legislation.
The Ministry notes that following the Budget presentation, some industry players wrote to ask the Ministry to re-look the proposal, highlighting some challenges which they believed might have been encountered given the changed structure of their industry.
The Ministry examined those concerns, found some to be valid, and formally indicated to at least one major player that it had decided not to pursue the measure in its original form.
The Ministry, however, also took the decision that it would make necessary adjustments to the original proposal, allowing it to achieve the objectives which it set, and re-submit it to Parliament on the occasion of passage of the appropriate governing legislation, following Cabinet approval.
In this regard, the Ministry is currently putting the finishing touches to the proposal, following which industry players will be duly informed. It is expected that this process will be completed in a few weeks.
The Ministry of Finance would also like to take this opportunity to inform the public that with respect to the Consolidation Tax, The Tax on Bank Assets, and the Municipal Solid Waste Tax, the governing pieces of legislation for these impositions have been completed or are in the final stages of completion and will be laid and debated in Parliament over the next three weeks.
When passed, together with the passage of the Lottery Winnings Tax, they would represent the full legal implementation of the tax component of Government’s fiscal measures from 2013.
Additionally, the administrative arrangements for the implementation of reduction of VAT on Direct Tourism Services (DTA) are now complete, have been communicated to the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, and the draft amendments to the VAT Act to support this are also expected to be moved in Parliament this month.
Finally, the Ministry also wishes to inform the public that in keeping with the commitment of the Minister to update the Parliament and the country on the implementation of aspects of the 19-month Fiscal Adjustment Programme, the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler, will deliver a Ministerial Statement in Parliament during the first week of December on the progress which has been made thus far on this important aspect of Government’s economic programme.
Particular focus will be paid to the implementation of the expenditure reduction aspects of the proposals announced.
PR
Trinidadian teacher charged with sex crime against schoolgirl
Senior Primary school teacher and guidance officer Swain David appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with committing an act of grievous sexual assault on a child.
David, 44, of Ste Madeleine, appeared before Magistrate Annette Mc Kenzie. It is charged that on May 24, he committed the act against a girl under the age of 14 at school.
The court was told that David, a teacher for the past 24 years, had certification at the University of the West Indies and was a volunteer at a south rotary club. David, the father of a nine-year-old boy, is married and his wife was in court for his appearance.
David was represented by attorney Jason Jackson who told the court that in June, the accused went to the San Fernando Police Station and gave a statement. He was arrested at a school on Tuesday.
Court prosecutor Cleydon Seedan made no objection to bail and David was granted bail of $60,000 with Clerk of the Peace approval, or a $30,000 cash alternative. The case was adjourned to December 12.
Source-Trinidad Express