The Chinese billionaire who invested in WIOC jailed for 13 years

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Antigua News Room

Xiao Jianhua, a Chinese-Canadian billionaire at the centre of an alleged abduction scandal in Hong Kong in 2017, has been sentenced by a Shanghai court to 13 years in prison and his company fined a record 55.03bn yuan (£6.8bn).

Xiao, 50, and his Tomorrow Holdings conglomerate were charged with illegally absorbing public deposits, betraying the use of entrusted property, and the illegal use of funds and bribery, the Shanghai first intermediate court said.

Xiao was also fined 6.5m yuan for the crimes, the Shanghai court said, accusing him and Tomorrow of “severely violated financial management order” and “hurt state financial security”.

From 2001 to 2021, Xiao and Tomorrow gave shares, real estate, cash and other assets to government officials totalling more than 680m yuan, to evade financial supervision and seek illegitimate interests, the court said.

Born in China and educated in the country’s top institution, Peking University, Xiao was known to have links to the country’s Communist party elite. But he has not been seen in public since 2017 after he was investigated amid a state-led conglomerate crackdown.

A reclusive figure, Xiao’s massive business fortune was turned upside down in January 2017 when he was whisked out of Hong Kong’s Four Seasons hotel in a wheelchair allegedly by plainclothes Chinese security agents, who at the time were not permitted to operate in Hong Kong.

He was taken across the border into China, possibly by boat to avoid immigration checks, according to a report in the New York Times.

Hong Kong police said at the time that he had crossed the border into mainland China. Tomorrow also said he was on the mainland. Still, the episode rocked Hong Kong at a time of increased influence from Beijing. Two years earlier, five Hong Kong booksellers disappeared from various locations in Asia and resurfaced in mainland China.

In the years since his disappearance, Xiao’s business empire had been restructured. In July 2020, nine of the group’s related institutions were seized by Chinese regulators as part of a crackdown on risks posed by financial conglomerates. A few months later, state-owned investment firm China Chengtong Holdings Group said it would acquire a majority stake in a securities firm linked to Tomorrow Group.

But news of Xiao’s fate did not begin to emerge until this year. Last month he was finally put on trial, more than five years after his alleged abduction.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP

NewsAmericasNow.com

Tyrone Baptiste died from gunshot wounds

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Antigua News Room

TYRONE BAPTISTE DIED FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS

A post-mortem conducted on the body of Tyrone Baptiste of Golden Grove revealed that he died from gunshot.

The examination, which took place on Friday concluded that his death is consistent with the gunshot wounds he sustained.

Tyrone and his wife Pia Baptiste were found dead in their Golden Grove residence with multiple wounds about their bodies on 20th July.

The police are offering a reward of $15,000 to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator(s) believe to be involved in this gruesome murder.

The post-mortem for Pia Baptiste is likely to be conducted sometime next week.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP

Editor

NewsAmericasNow.com

3 deaths, 361 new covid19 cases

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Image courtesy CDC

There have been three additional covid19-related deaths, the Ministry of Health said in its daily update on Friday.

The total number of deaths has has now risen to 4,092.

Those who died were three elderly males, all with multiple comorbidities.

The ministry reported there were 361 new covid19 cases as of Friday afternoon. The cases were from samples taken between August 17 and 18.

There are now 7,120 active cases. This figure rose above 7,000 on Wednesday.

There are 237 patients in hospital, with 6,883 patients in home self-isolation and 20 in step-down or transition facilities.

As of Friday, there were 165,256 recovered covid19 patients, with 16 people being discharged from public health facilities and 273 recovered community cases.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Two men, woman to face Princes Town magistrate on Tuesday

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

File photo

Two men and a woman have been granted a total of $48,000 surety bail by a justice of the peace (JP) after police arrested them in the Princes Town municipality on Wednesday.

Cherry Ann Lochan of St Croix Road, Princes Town, was charged with disorderly behaviour, using obscene language and resisting arrest.

WPC Perry-Marash, of the Princes Town municipal police station laid the charges. The JP granted Lochan $15,000 bail at the station to cover the charges.

The police charged Michael Oliver of George Village, Tableland, with driving while disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence and driving with an invalid insurance certificate. WPC Hosein laid the charges. Oliver was granted $13,000 bail to cover the charges.

PC Rebeiro charged Shovon Dick of Realize Road, Princes Town, with failing to wear a seatbelt while his car was in motion and failing to produce an insurance certificate and a driver’s licence.

Rebeiro also charged him with driving while not being issued a licence, driving without a valid insurance certificate, and resisting arrest. The same JP granted Dick $20,000 bail.

The three accused are set to face a Princes Town magistrate on August 23.

Wednesday’s police exercise took place in Tableland, St Mary’s Village, Princes Town, Naparima Mayaro Road and Cipero Road.

ASP Guzman co-ordinated the exercise, which Sgt Haitool, acting Cpls Joseph and Ali and traffic warden Dickson supervised.

They issued 41 fixed-penalty notices for traffic-related offences and completed 56 stop-and-search exercises on drivers, passengers, and “suspicious-looking” people.

They searched several vehicles and found nothing illegal.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Afirman que es más conveniente esperar a que expire el contrato de LUMA Energy que culminarlo inmediatamente

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Radio Isla TV

El experto en la Ley Promesa, el licenciado Rolando Emanuelli, afirmó en RADIO ISLA que es mejor esperar que el contrato de LUMA Energy expire el 30 de noviembre , que culminarlo de forma inmediata.

“ El contrato suplementario vence , lo dice claramente la cláusula. Sin ningún tipo de decreto, no tiene que haber ninguna intervención de un arbitro ni de un tribunal. El contrato se acaba y entra en vigor entonces las cláusulas de salida de LUMA, porque el contrato contempla un proceso para que LUMA se vaya y eso es lo más rápido que puede lograrse para terminar el asunto con LUMA, porque si se cancela el contrato (de manera inmediata) hay que enviar un aviso con 120 días de antelación “, afirmó el experto.

“ Nos coge diciembre en el proceso y luego vendría la transición. En este caso que expire  el contrato, pues meramente entra en vigor por los términos y condiciones y no hay ninguna controversia, entonces LUMA tiene que iniciar el trámite para la transición de su salida”, culminó.

[embedded content]

NewsAmericasNow.com

$500 million in transactions using Lynk Loop Jamaica

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

Since its introduction to the electronic payment landscape in December 2021, Lynk, Jamaica’s first digital wallet, has recorded more than $500 million in transactions on the platform.

The Lynk App presently provides an opportunity for individuals, small and medium businesses to be able to pay and receive payments using a smartphone.

Chief Growth Officer at Lynk, Denise Williams, said Lynk allows you to take the money that is in your physical wallet and put it on your phone in an App, so that you can do business using your phone, instead of cash, debit and credit cards.

“It is an evolving App that is on a journey to becoming a super App that is relevant to the Jamaican context,” Williams argued.

Lynk is a payment platform that is used to exchange money, pay for goods and services. It can also be used to top up mobile phones and pay utility bills.

Meanwhile, Chief Product Officer, Lynk, John Matthew Sinclair, said the main objective of Lynk is to provide financial inclusion for all Jamaicans and to create easy access to the digital platform.

He described the registration process as easy. Interested individuals must have a smartphone. For registration, they will need a mobile number, an email address and a valid Jamaican ID (driver’s licence, passport, voters’ registration, Tax Registration Number).

Once your registration is validated you have access to more than 70 billers, you can send money and top up your mobile any time of the day.

Come October 2022, as Lynk continues to evolve and revolutionise, customers will have access to merchants online. The Merchant Platform will be launched, and this will allow small to large merchants to interact with their customers wherever they are online. By year end (December), Lynk will also launch a Remittance platform.

Lynx is regulated by the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ). Currently, National Commercial Bank offers JAM-DEX through LYNK(R), its digital wallet.

NewsAmericasNow.com

CCTV footage captures robbery at Hey Pizza on All Saints Road

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Antigua News Room

Hey Pizza on All Saints Road was robbed at 10:50 pm last night. If you can identify any one of the robbers please call 2687815689. CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP

NewsAmericasNow.com

National Bulk Waste Clean-up Schedule 2022

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Antigua News Room

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP

NewsAmericasNow.com

Minister halts building in Adam Smith Square

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Adam Smith Square, Woodbrook, – Photo by Roger Jacob

Housing and Urban Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis has halted work on a police post and toilets being built in Adam Smith Square, after a group of Woodbrook residents complained.

In a release, the minister said she had noted their concerns, “despite having already held five consultations with stakeholders on the Ariapita Avenue and Woodbrook revitalisation works…It is clear that we need to have further consultations as there still seems to be some misunderstandings, particularly in relation to the proposed works for Adam Smith Square.”

She said another meeting would be arranged between the residents and Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Randall Mitchell, Port of Spain South MP Keith Scotland, and Udecott to discuss and alleviate the concerns.

“I have therefore asked for these works to be halted pending this meeting.”But in the meantime, she said, “upgrade works” to the pavements, lighting and “general streetscape would continue.

Robinson-Regis said she had discussed the plans for the upgrade and Ariapita Avenue and some areas of Woodbrook with her colleagues before the plan ws developed.

Concerned citizens who objected to the police post and toilets in Adam Smith Square started a petition calling on government to keep the space a green one. It had over 1,700 signatures on Friday.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Massy offers financial support for domestic violence survivors

/0 Comments/in /by

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana
From left: CEO of Massy Gas, Lekhnarine Shivraj; Snr. Vice President of Massy Group, Navindra Thakur; Minister of Human Services and Social Security (MHSSS), Dr. Vindhya Persaud; Assistant VP Massy Group Christpen Bobb-Semple; Permanent Secretary of the MHSSS, Shanielle Hoosein-Outar; and Dr. Cona Husbands, Gender Based Violence Specialist

One hundred women are set to benefit from Massy Group Guyana’s $1.5 M Women’s Grocery Voucher Programme dubbed “SAFE – Stop Abuse, Stay Empowered” which was launched today at the Massy Distribution headquarters at Montrose on the East Coast of Demerara

Under this initiative, which is being done in collaboration with the Human Services and Social Security Ministry, each woman will receive a grocery voucher value $15,000. The vouchers are redeemable at any of the five Massy Stores located at Providence, Plantation Turkeyen, Montrose, Vreed-en-Hoop and Ruimveldt.

The project aims to assist women who are in abusive situations, and the Human Services Ministry will screen and identify the 100 recipients.

Snr. Vice President of the Group, Navindra Thakur spoke of the group’s Corporate Social Responsibility projects over the years with specifics to women empowerment and committed to the Group continuing the SAFE Grocery voucher programme in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud said, “I am very happy to have this collaboration with Massy as it ensures that an initiative that I have long wanted to happen really manifest in the sense that we are able to provide survivors of domestic violence with the wherewithal to provide for themselves, with our support, when they are leaving their homes.”

Financial abuse occurs in almost every domestic abuse situation and because of this, many people in such situations cannot provide for themselves thus they find it difficult to leave.

The minister said Massy’s financial contribution will help survivors to procure basic needs when they leave.

“I want to thank Massy for coming on board as the first company in this invaluable step,” she said, while adding that the ministry will continue to seek more support for those affected by domestic violence.

Notably, the Women’s Grocery Voucher Initiative is just one part of Massy’s 2022 activities to support its staff and the wider community as it relates to mental health well-being and professional life, suicide prevention and domestic violence.

Assistant Vice President and Head of the Group’s Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Steering Committee, Christpen Bobb-Semple shared that the objectives of the SAFE grocery voucher programme are twofold.

First it seeks to empower women by bringing immediate relief so that they do not have to second guess and subject themselves to abusive and at-risk situations.

Secondly, the programme will provide counselling to men to engender positive coping behaviours. He also shared some of the activities the Group has embarked upon for 2022.

NewsAmericasNow.com