Govt to “soon” respond to GECOM on proposed date for LGE – Dharamlall

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana

The Government will soon be responding to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which has written it identifying March 2023 as the soonest date the secretariat can carry out Local Government Elections (LGE).

GECOM Chairperson, Retired Justice Claudette Singh had written to Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall advising him that based on GECOM’s work plan, March 13, 2023 was the earliest date that LGE could be held.

Contacted on Wednesday, Dharamlall confirmed that he received the letter from GECOM. According to him, a response to the letter will be forthcoming “soon”.

According to the Local Authorities (Elections) Act, Chapter 28:03, elections are held according to the date set by the Minister. The workplan in question was arrived at by Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud, who was tasked by GECOM with coming up with a work plan for the holding of LGE.

At first, that work plan was supposed to be limited to this year end. However, that has since had to be extended amid successive weeks of what has been described by the Government-nominated GECOM Commissioners as delaying tactics at Commission meetings.

More than $750 million has been set aside in Budget 2022 for the preparations to be undertaken by GECOM for the hosting of LGE this year. This money is part of an overall $4.1 billion allocation to GECOM in Budget 2022, and was examined and approved by the National Assembly during its consideration of the 2022 Budget Estimates.

Included in the $783 million for LGE is a more-than-$300 million increase in “other goods and services purchased”, which jumped from $250.8 million in 2021 to $575.9 million in the 2022 Budget.

GECOM only recently concluded its Claims and Objections exercise, which captured more than 3000 new applicants who will be eligible to vote as of October 31, 2022, as well as a total of 18 objections to names on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE). Additionally, there were more than 1800 requests for transfers.

LGE, which are usually due every two years, were last held in 2018. At the last LGE in November 2018, the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Opposition had secured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs.

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), the main Opposition political party, meanwhile remains tight-lipped on its participation in the next LGE and its minority coalition partner, the Alliance For Change (AFC) is yet to communicate their joint contesting of the polls.At a press conference on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton was questioned about the APNU’s participation at the LGE, as GECOM continued its preparation for the hosting of the polls.

However, he maintained that the party would not divulge its participation or lack thereof, as he explained, “The question of elections has to do with strategy and tactic, and we think strategically we don’t need to say it at this time. We know what we need to say at our membership. We know we have to do – our preparation. We will do that. But we will decide at the right time what we say in terms of participation or non-participation.”

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Oil blocks set aside for bilateral partnerships – Pres. Ali

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana
President Dr Irfaan Ali

Work is ongoing on a National Gas Strategy that, according to President Dr Irfaan Ali, will help to open up new opportunities for trade and energy security between Guyana and its bilateral partners.

On Tuesday, the President, in a joint press conference with British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller, OBE, spoke about opportunities for trade. Noting the importance of energy security, the President said that the National Gas Strategy being worked on would open up new opportunities for trade.

“We have some natural gas fields. We have not completed the natural gas strategy. But in that strategy, more opportunities will be opened up. And I had specific discussions with [then] Prime Minister Boris [Johnson], on how we can integrate and to encourage the UK – Government and Private Sector – to be part of the energy transformation for Guyana,” he said.

Added to this are Guyana’s oil blocks, some of which will go on auction soon as the Government finalises fiscal terms for them. According to President Ali, blocks have been set aside for Government-to-Government partnership.

“And as you know, we have some blocks that we’re going to auction off. I think very soon we’re going to move to the auctioning of some blocks. And we have some blocks that are set aside for what is termed Government-to-Government partnership. We’re looking at all our strategic partners with these blocks,” the President added.

The gas-to-shore project, which is pegged at more than US$1 billion, will feature approximately 220 kilometres of a subsea pipeline offshore from the Liza Destiny and Liza UnityFloating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in the Stabroek Block to Wales, West Coast Demerara.

Upon landing on shore, the pipeline will continue for approximately 25 kilometres to the Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant to be constructed at Wales. The pipeline would be 12 inches in diameter and is expected to transport some 50 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of dry gas to the NGL Plant, but has the capacity to push as much 120 mmscfd.

The main feature of the gas-to-shore initiative is a power plant that will generate 250 to 300 megawatts of power using natural gas from offshore, which will significantly reduce the cost of electricity in Guyana. The aim is to deliver rich gas by the end of 2024 for the power plant while the NGL facility is slated to be online by 2025.

The gas-to-shore project, which has a 25-year lifespan, is expected to employ up to 800 workers during the peak construction stage, as well as some 40 full-time workers during the operations stage, and another 50 workers during the decommissioning stage.

Currently, Guyana, Suriname, and Brazil are in talks on the establishment of an energy corridor and unlocking the potential for a series of manufacturing and industrial developments. Other Caribbean nations, such as Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, are also looking to tap into this initiative.

Back in June at the Suriname Energy, Oil & Gas Summit & Exhibition, President Ali had disclosed that a regional energy strategy that would connect the oil and natural gas producers in the region was being crafted.

At the time, the Guyanese Leader had said that while Guyana, Suriname and Brazil had already started talks on combining their ability to create an energy corridor and unlock the potential for a series of manufacturing and industrial developments, Trinidad is also interested in working along with them in unlocking some of this potential.

There has been talk of an energy corridor for some time, with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) conducting both baseline and pre-feasibility studies. Guyana is, in fact, a party to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)on the Northern Arc (Arco Norte) Interconnection Project which seeks to evaluate the feasibility of possible collaboration on the energy transmission system for the electric interconnection of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and the northern cities of Brazil.

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WATCH: PM Pierre Dialogues With St. Jude Hospital Board Of Directors – St. Lucia Times News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

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Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre, on October 18, held an audience with members of the board of directors for the St. Jude Hospital. Board members and the Prime Minister engaged in fruitful dialogue and exchanged views on St. Jude Hospital operations.

The Prime Minister also apprised board members on his Administration’s plans to transfer St. Jude Hospital operations out of the George Odlum Stadium to more suitable facilities.

Hon. Pierre deployed more than XCD $1 million to undertake remedial works on the George Odlum Stadium to address some of the more urgent occupational issues affecting St. Jude Hospital workers and patients.

More from Rehani Isidore:

SOURCE: Office of the Prime Minister

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Descartes-Pelius Emphasises Teamwork In Crime-Fighting – St. Lucia Times News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

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Acting Police Commissioner Crusita Descartes-Pelius underscored the value of teamwork in crime-fighting during the first press conference since her appointment.

She spoke of the need for teamwork with her executive and support for the rank and file of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force while highlighting the need for collaboration with other agencies to make crime-fighting a success.

The Acting Police Commissioner declared that fighting crime is not the sole responsibility of the police.

In this regard, she looked forward to working with all agencies to make crime-fighting easier and transform Saint Lucia into a better place for all.

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“I have the full cooperation of my executive and I feel I have the cooperation of the rank and file of the organisation,” Descartes–Pelius stated.

However, she disclosed that resources might pose a challenge in fighting crime.

At the same time, Descartes-Pelius observed that gun violence is a serious issue.

“We have all our crime-fighting strategies to deal with this issue. We are hoping that with other stakeholders we can make this challenge easier. The force will get the relevant training required to empower our officers – the men and women of the organisation to effectively deal with this phenomenon,” the Acting Police Commissioner told Wednesday’s news conference.

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Taiwan Upgrading Its National Defense and Uniting Behind a Common Purpose, Says President Tsai Ing-wen

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation

Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 19, 2022 (SKNIS): In the face of threats by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to invade Taiwan (Republic of China) and take the country by force as its own, Taiwan’s President, H.E. Dr. Tsai Ing-wen says that Taiwan will defend itself.

In her National Day address on October 10 in front of the Presidential Palace in Taipei, President Tsai said: “Over the past few years, we have stepped up defense reform and increased our defense budget each year in order to strengthen our national defense capabilities and resilience. Through our actions, we are sending a message to the international community that Taiwan will take responsibility for our own self-defense, that we will not leave anything to fate, and that we will work with our allies to jointly maintain security and stability in the region.”

The first female leader of Taiwan said that the south-eastern Asian country had made significant strides and that “Our domestic efforts to build aircraft and ships have achieved significant results in recent years, with our indigenous submarine project also progressing as planned. Just two weeks ago, Taiwan’s first domestically developed and constructed 10, 000-ton landing platform dock Yushan was officially delivered.”

She also said that Taiwan is making concerted efforts to enhance its military capabilities and train its military personnel in advancing the country’s defense self-sufficiency.

“Forming a military force that can effectively respond to the demands of modern warfare and building an overall mobilization capability that integrates the military and the public are issues that demand our immediate attention. We must ensure that our preparations, supplies, and personnel can be resiliently, accurately, and promptly deployed to address any situation, whether in times of peace, disaster or war,” President Tsai said.

She added: “But most importantly, we must all rally around a common purpose and broaden public awareness of our self-defense needs. Protecting our territory and safeguarding our nation has never been the work of the military alone. Every citizen is a guardian of our nation. In recent times, we have seen Taiwanese of all ages and genders, including young parents, senior citizens, and students without military experience, take it upon themselves to participate in classes on community defense, first aid, and information awareness. This is the true meaning of collective participation in national defense.”

President Tsai emphasized that upholding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the joint responsibility of both sides. She said the Taiwanese people have no room for compromise on their national sovereignty and free and democratic way of life and that they will defend these values.

“The Beijing authorities should not make any misjudgement on account of Taiwan’s vigorous democratic system. They must not mistake that there is room for compromise in the Taiwanese people’s commitment to democracy and freedom and thus attempt to divide Taiwanese society by exploiting the fierce competition between our political parties. This way of thinking and acting is of no benefit to cross-strait relations and will only push our two sides further from each other,” she said.

“I want to make clear to the Beijing authorities that armed confrontation is absolutely not an option for our two sides. Only by respecting the commitment of the Taiwanese people to our sovereignty, democracy, and freedom can there be a foundation for resuming constructive interaction across the Taiwan Strait,” said President Tsai at the 111th National Day of the Republic of China and the 73rd National Day since the Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan.

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Ministry of Environment to Put in Place an Organizational Structure

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, 19th October, 2022 – The Ministry of Environment is in the first phase of putting an organizational structure in place.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment Sharon Rattan said the main objective of the consultations held on Friday, 7th October and 10th October, respectively, was to look at the Ministry’s structure ranging from the Minister to the Permanent Secretary right down to the departmental structure considering it is a new Ministry.

Derionne Edmeade, Environmental Education Officer in the Department of Environment emphasized that at the end of the day, the desired outcome is to be able to put the Department, and by extension, the Ministry of Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment in a better position to function, as the officers placed at the Ministerial level will be across sectors.

Edmeade said, “We are looking to see ways in which we can help to strengthen the Department by putting persons in positions that they will better serve the Department across the different sectors. We also looked at positioning the Department of Environment officers at the Ministerial level in certain positions that we think they will be more effective.”

There will be a follow-up meeting to finalize the positioning of employees in preparation for the Budget.

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St Kitts and Nevis Inducts Two New CARICOM Youth Ambassadors

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation

Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 19, 2022 (SKNIS): Jalen Monzac and Iana Franks were introduced as the new CARICOM Youth Ambassadors (CYAs) for St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, during an induction ceremony held at the Department of Youth Empowerment.

CARICOM Youth Ambassadors (CYAs) are a regional network of young Caribbean nationals mandated by CARICOM Heads of Governments to advocate for and educate young people about regional priorities such as AIDS and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.

Director of Youth Empowerment, Pierre Liburd, who served as a CYA in the early 2000s, said that the opportunities presented to the young people through this programme are extremely beneficial.

“Once you apply yourself and remain focused on the objectives which are to truly, honestly, represent young people – their dreams, aspirations, views and positions and you articulate that through the decision-making processes that you will be exposed to at the national, regional, and often international level you will do yourself, the young people and the nation proud,” Mr. Liburd said.

Junior Minister responsible for Youth Development, the Honourable Isalean Phillip, congratulated the duo on their appointment. She said that the staff at the Department of Youth Empowerment are extremely excited to work with the team and looks forward to hearing their ideas.

“I hope that you both have that fire and that spark and are ready to really take the ideas that you have as young leaders and be able to impact your communities,” the Junior Minister stated.

Honourable Phillip added that she previously served as a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador and established valuable networks that still exist today.

“I want to encourage you and look forward to your leading engagements because we are here to do work,” she said. “The future is bright, and I have every confidence in both of you based on my own interactions.”

The CYAs will serve for the next two years. They will be supported by a corps of ambassadors made up of 11 young persons.

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Hon. Mark Brantley appointed Leader of the Opposition in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation

CHARLESTOWN NEVIS, October 19, 2022 (NIA) – Premier of Nevis, Hon. Mark Brantley, Leader of the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM), has been appointed Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Hon. Brantley, elected representative for Nevis 9 in the August 05, 2022, federal elections, received his Instrument of Appointment from His Excellency Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton, Governor-General of St. Kitts and Nevis, on October 10, 2022.

“I can confirm that his Excellency has appointed me as Leader of the Opposition. As you know, pursuant to the Constitutional provisions, the Leader of the Opposition is the person who, in his opinion, commands the support of a majority of those who are not on the Government benches. There are currently five elected members on the Opposition benches- one from the PLP (Peoples Labour Party), one from PAM (Peoples Action Movement) and three from the CCM- and so certainly the CCM has a majority of seats on the Opposition benches, and it was the considered view that based on my own experience in the parliament and based on the time that I’ve spent there, that I could provide that support in that position, I could provide credible alternatives in terms of views and opinions expressed in the parliament and that I had the breadth of experience that was necessary,” he said in an interview with Freedom FM on October 19.

Premier Brantley began his parliamentary career at the National Assembly as Opposition Leader in August 2007, having won a by-election on Nevis in 2007. He served as Opposition Leader until 2015. He pledged that as Leader of the Opposition he would continue to engage in mature and meaningful debate in pursuit of the advancement of the country and people of St. Kitts and Nevis.  

“We are looking forward definitely to the first sitting of the House. I gather that will happen on October 25 and we look forward to getting down to the matters of governance. The truth is the elections are over and we are now in a different phase this now is a time for the country to get together, for our people to work together, and I think the Opposition has a critical role to play in ensuring that legislation and policies that are crafted through the parliament are for the benefit for all of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis…

“I intend to provide an alternative view where necessary but also to lend support where necessary because as I said the elections are over, we now need to focus on governance and we now need to see what are the best prescriptions to move our country and people forward.”

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Motorists urged to be on alert for object throwing criminals Loop Jamaica

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

Resurge of illegal practice on major thoroughfares

Loop News

1 hrs ago

Object throwing criminals on the prowl

NEWYou can now listen to Loop News articles!

Motorists traveling on the highways are being urged to be on alert following reports that criminals have come up with a way to target vehicle operators traversing major thoroughfares.

The trend, which police say they are aware of, involves criminals throwing stones and other objects in an effort to damage vehicles, the aim is to force operators to stop along the roadway to inspect their vehicles and that is when criminals attack.

Several local motorists have taken to social media to talk about the practice and have issued a call for the police to launch an investigation into the matter, especially on the toll roads.

A post from a motorist about the attacks carried out by the object throwing motorists

One motorist made a video showing the damage that was done to his vehicle while he was traveling one night on a section of the highway that runs through St Catherine.

The motorist said he heard when a stone struck the side of his vehicle but decided not to stop as he had already heard other motorists warning of the practice on social media.

The incident did not take place close to sections of the highway that runs close to any form of hilly terrain where there could have been damage by falling boulders.

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Zion and the Pelicans hammer Brooklyn, Banchero stars in Magic debut Loop Jamaica

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

The New Orleans Pelicans sent a statement to the rest of the league with a 130-108 pounding of the Brooklyn Nets in their opening game of the NBA season on Wednesday night.

Playing away from home, the Pelicans enjoyed a red-hot start, with eight points in the first quarter from Zion Williamson helping to build a 32-14 lead at the first break.

The Nets showed some fight in the second quarter, putting up 36 points in the frame to trim the margin to 58-50 as Kevin Durant had 21 in the first half, but the Pelicans came out of halftime and dropped 40 points in the third period to put the game to bed.

In his first game since May 2021, Williamson looked in tremendous shape, scoring 25 points on 11-of-22 shooting while adding nine rebounds, three assists and four steals.

He was supported in fine fashion by Brandon Ingram, who top-scored for the Pelicans with 28 points (10-of-17 shooting), seven rebounds and five assists, and C.J. McCollum chipped in 21 points and six assists as well.

For the Nets, Durant showed he is still arguably the best scorer in the league with 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting, and he also tallied four blocks in an impressive two-way performance despite his team’s shortcomings.

Box-office Banchero validates top draft selection

Paolo Banchero was not thought to be an option for the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick until the day of the NBA Draft, but he showed exactly why they took him with a spectacular debut in a 113-109 loss on the road to the Detroit Pistons.

Banchero shattered the Magic record for points by a debuting rookie – previously set at 13 – with 27 on 11-of-18 shooting, and he also grabbed nine rebounds and dished five assists in a complete performance, posting a plus/minus of plus two in his 35 minutes.

It was a great debut for rookie Jaden Ivey as well, who the Pistons selected with the fifth overall pick, as he put up 19 points on eight-of-15 shooting with four assists and three steals.

Ivey complemented last year’s top pick Cade Cunningham beautifully, with Cunningham running the show on his way to 18 points (six-of-16 shooting) and 10 assists, while newly acquired Bojan Bogdanovic top-scored for Detroit with 24 points on eight-of-16 shooting after hitting six of his first seven three-point attempts.

Morant lifts the Grizzlies in overtime

Ja Morant had his potential game-winner wiped off the board due to a contentious charging foul, but his Memphis Grizzlies got the job done at home in overtime to defeat the New York Knicks 115-112.

Morant was the game’s top-scorer with 34 points on 11-of-24 shooting, and his nine assists was equal with New York’s Jalen Brunson for the most in the contest.

Starting in place of the injured Jaren Jackson Jr, Santi Aldama gave a good performance with 18 points (seven-of-14 shooting) and 11 rebounds, while Julius Randle was the Knicks’ best player, scoring 24 points (nine-of-16 shooting) with 11 rebounds and six assists.

Mitchell shines in Cavaliers debut despite loss

The Cleveland Cavaliers were treated to a terrific debut from star offseason acquisition Donovan Mitchell, but it was not enough to overcome an early Darius Garland injury in a 108-105 road loss to the Toronto Raptors.

All-Star point guard Garland only played 13 minutes before his night ended with a rough poke to the eye in the second quarter. Taking over some of Garland’s point guard responsibilities, Mitchell dished off nine assists as well as leading the game in scoring with 31 on 12-of-21 shooting.

All five Raptors starters scored at least 15 points in classic Toronto fashion, with Pascal Siakam tallying 23 on nine-of-20 shooting with 11 rebounds and four steals, while reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes had 15 points (seven-of-14 shooting) with seven assists and a game-high plus/minus of plus 20 in his 32 minutes.

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