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Le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU appelle à arrêter d’armer les gangs en Haïti

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Guadeloupe FranceAntilles

Le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU a adopté vendredi à l’unanimité une résolution des Etats-Unis et du Mexique demandant aux Etats membres de l’Organisation d’interdire le transfert d’armes légères aux gangs sévissant en Haïti, sans aller jusqu’à décider d’un embargo comme l’avait réclamé avec insistance dans la semaine la Chine.

Le texte “appelle les États membres à interdire le transfert d’armes légères et de petit calibre et de munitions à des acteurs non étatiques engagés dans ou soutenant la violence des gangs, des activités criminelles ou des violations des droits humains en Haïti”.

La Chine, qui avait réclamé l’imposition d’un embargo sur les armes légères à destination des gangs en Haïti, a estimé que “cette résolution était un avertissement” pour ces derniers.

Des sanctions individuelles pourraient être prises dans les 90 jours en vertu de la résolution à l’encontre de leurs chefs, a souligné après le vote l’ambassadeur chinois à l’ONU, Zhang Jun.

Le texte aurait “pu être meilleur”, a-t-il ajouté, estimant cependant qu’il s’agissait “d’un bon pas dans le bon sens”.

Tout au long de la semaine, Pékin s’était montré à l’offensive pour durcir le texte proposé par les Etats-Unis et le Mexique, jugé trop mou alors que Haïti s’enfonce dans la crise.

La Chine avait ainsi jugé jeudi qu’”un embargo sur les armes contre les gangs criminels était le minimum que le Conseil doive faire en réponse à une situation épouvantable”.

L’ambassadeur chinois a une nouvelle fois déploré vendredi “le vide du pouvoir” en Haïti, une “situation humanitaire (qui) se détériore” et la “violence des gangs”.

– Saisie d’armes –

Sur le dossier haïtien, Pékin est devenu à l’ONU un acteur de plus en plus important ces dernières années.

La raison? Une volonté chinoise de représailles, assurent des diplomates occidentaux, après la reconnaissance de Taïwan par Port-au-Prince.

Pékin dément de son côté établir tout lien entre les deux sujets.

Coïncidence ou pas, avec les négociations ardues qui se sont tenues sur le renouvellement de la mission politique onusienne Binuh, les autorités haïtiennes ont procédé à une rare saisie d’armes au port de la capitale, Port-au-Prince.

L’administration haïtienne des douanes a indiqué jeudi soir avoir, dans le premier des trois conteneurs ciblés, déjà mis la main sur “18 armes de guerre, 4 pistolets de calibres 9 mm, 14.646 cartouches, 140 chargeurs, un viseur et 50.000 dollars américains en faux”.

Plusieurs mandats d’arrêt ont été émis contre des individus suspectés d’être liés à l’arrivée de cette cargaison en Haïti.

Outre l’absence d’embargo sur les armes, la Chine n’a pas non plus réussi à imposer le lancement de consultations sur l’envoi en Haïti d’une force de police régionale afin de pacifier le pays.

La résolution se limite à demander à Antonio Guterres d’étudier avec des pays de la région “les options possibles” pour renforcer la sécurité en Haïti, avec un rapport à remettre le 15 octobre prochain.

Au moins 89 personnes ont été tuées en une semaine dans des affrontements entre gangs à Port-au-Prince, où les prix s’envolent et les carences de carburant s’aggravent toujours davantage, menaçant l’aide humanitaire cruciale pour les habitants.

La résolution “exige la cessation immédiate de la violence des gangs et des activités criminelles”. Elle reconduit le mandat de la Binuh jusqu’au 15 juillet 2023.

Dans la capitale haïtienne, les habitants se montraient pessimistes vendredi sur la capacité de l’ONU à améliorer la situation.

Un étudiant en droit, Fleurant Duceppe, jugeait ainsi que la Binuh avait “failli à sa mission”, en échouant à enrayer la hausse de l’insécurité.

Cette mission “ne nous est utile en rien. C’est à nous, le peuple, de prendre notre destin en main”, déclarait-il à l’AFP.

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Banker booked for allegedly moving millions to associated accounts Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News
Loop News

2 hrs ago

Thirty-two-year-old Arsenio Johnson, a retail support officer at a bank in the Corporate Area, has been charged with larceny as a servant and breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Cybercrimes Act.

Reports from detectives assigned to the Fraud Squad are that about 4pm on Wednesday, July13, Johnson was arrested following investigative leads.

The allegations are that between January 2020 and July 2022; Johnson effected a number of unauthorised transfers of monies from the bank’s suspense account to two accounts associated with him.

Based on preliminary investigations, $5.8 million has been established as having been defrauded.

However, an audit is being conducted to ascertain the exact amount that was involved.

Johnson was interviewed in the presence of his attorney on Friday, July 15, after which thecharges were laid.

He is scheduled to appear in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Wednesday, July 20, 2022.

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Live blog: Caribbean athletes hunt medals at World Champs Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

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Sponsored By : Wray & Nephew Loop Sports

49 minutes ago

Photo: AP

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With around 2,000 athletes from 200 countries competing at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, at the 2022 World Athletics Championships which got under way on Friday, the stage is set for an exciting display of track and field prowess over 10 days.

Athletes from the Caribbean are among them, with many from the region expected to perform well, including Jamaicans. Stay with us as we bring you updates from World Champs.

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World Champs: Jamaica’s Thomas-Dodd into women’s shot put final Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

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Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd in action at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Friday.

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The 2019 World Championship women’s shot put silver medallist, Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd has qualified for the finals of her event in the 2022 edition of the cmpetition now under way in Eugene, Oregon.

Thomas-Dodd, competing in group B, threw a hefty 19.09m on her first attempt, easily surpassing the qualifying mark of 18.90m to book her place in the final.

She enters Saturday’s final with the fourth best throw.

The other Jamaican shot put contender, Lloydricia Cameron, failed to make the cut. Her best effort was her opening throw of 17.55m.

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Yellow-level alert extended to noon on Sunday

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

In this file photo a woman braves heavy rainfall on Queen Street, Port of Spain. Photo by Angelo Marcelle

A YELLOW-LEVEL adverse weather alert issued by the TT Meteorological Office that began at 5 am on Friday has now been extended to noon on Sunday. The alert, originally issued on Thursday, was initially projected to end on Friday at 6 pm.

The Met Office, in an update issued on Friday afternoon, said another tropical wave was expected to start affecting both islands from Saturday afternoon. This, after heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslips in various parts of Trinidad from early Friday morning.

The update said, although the threat of “impactful weather” had decreased, saturated ground and spring tides would result in water levels in inundated areas and elevated rivers receding extremely slowly.

Occasional periods of rainfall are expected on Saturday, with a 40 per cent chance of isolated thunderstorms. Gusty winds in excess of 55 km/hr were still possible with showers/thunderstorms, and seas could become agitated in sheltered areas.

It added that major river courses were expected to remain contained but were being closely monitored.

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AG survives no-confidence motion filed at Law Association

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC.

AND SHANE SUPERVILLE

After hours of arguments and debate, a motion of no confidence in Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, has failed. The motion was filed by a group led by attorney Kiel Taklalsingh.

Attorneys began arriving at the conference room of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain, from as early as 1 am for the debate on Friday.

The debate which was originally expected to begin at 2 pm was pushed back to 2.15 pm.

Out of approximately 3,040 lawyers who were eligible to vote, 317 financial members voted against the no-confidence motion against Armour over his role in the ongoing United States civil asset recovery case related to fraud allegations in the construction of the Piarco International Airport.

A final tally in support of the motion was 234, with 47 voting at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain and 187 on the virtual platform.

Of the 317 voting against the motion, 32 voted physically while 285 voted virtually.

Lawyers were also asked to vote on if a call should be made for Armour to resign as attorney general.

A total of 241 voted for the second motion, while a total of 310 voted against it with 31 doing so in person and 279 virtually.

A total of 551 financial members voted on the two motions with 472 virtual votes and 79 physical votes.

Special measures were put in place to protect the integrity of the voting process, Newsday was assured.

A statement from the association late Friday gave the final tally of votes for and against.

It said, “Both motions, therefore failed.”

Speaking at the meeting virtually, Armour read from his previous statements and maintained he made an error, but did not act dishonestly or set out to willfully deceive the US court, Newsday was told.

Earlier, Newsday was told Taklalsingh explained why the motion was brought and described Armour as a “brilliant lawyer” who was forthright and honest, but he told the special general meeting, that was not why they were there. He said the actions of the AG in the Miami case was not in keeping with the traditions of the bar and his explanation should not be accepted as a “mere mistake” as it will signal an “appalling apathy” for affidavits.

He also reportedly said the motion to censure the AG had nothing to do with politics.

He was said to have admitted the association could not fire or discipline Armour but voting for the motion of censure would send a message that unprofessional conduct was unacceptable.

The association has no power to compel the Prime Minister to revoke Armour’s appointment or force his resignation.

Newsday understands Armour received support from his colleagues in the inner bar, all of whom spoke against the motion.

They included former Law Association president Russell Martineau, Elton Prescott and Gilbert Peterson, among others.

Also speaking against the motion were senior attorneys Michael Quamina, Ravi Rajcoomar, Ravi Nanga and Terrance Bharath, among others.

Those for the motion included attorneys Patricia Dindyal, Renuka Rambhajan and former attorney general Garvin Nicholas.

Those who spoke in favour of and against did so either physically at the Hyatt or on the virtual platform.

Taklalsingh: Motion was meant to hold AG to account

In the original requisition, Taklalsingh said he and the other members who signed the petition felt the issue should be discussed by the membership, as it concerns the integrity of the legal profession.

“Respectfully, these allegations, if left unaddressed, have the potential to erode public confidence in our profession, the administration of justice, and the rule of law,” Taklalsingh said.

Speaking with reporters outside the conference room where the debate was held, Taklalsingh said while both motions failed, he was pleased that due process was followed and all members of the association were allowed to speak on the matter.

He noted that he was pleased that Armour was able to attend the debate and stressed the importance of holding high office holders to account.

“I think (in) every democratic society you have to be able to hold leaders to account and the law society, the legal profession is one such institution.

“Today, there was some success we were able to get the Attorney General to appear before us that did not happen on the last occasion when a no-confidence motion was brought. This Attorney General came, he was contrite, he apologised to members of the Law Association and that may have swayed the vote. We won’t know but, at the end of the day, we think that holding him to account in some form and fashion, we think we achieved our purpose.”

Armour, 65, who was appointed Attorney General in a surprise Cabinet reshuffle on March 16, failed to disclose his full involvement as a defence attorney for former government minister Brian Kuei Tung and Renee Pierre who are charged in the Piarco case when he met with US lawyers prosecuting Kuei Tung and others in a $200 million civil asset forfeiture case dragging on in Miami for 18 years.

On May 2, a US judge automatically disqualified Armour and the law firm Sequor Law on the grounds of an apparent conflict of interest as Armour was both chief prosecutor and a former defence attorney.

The government has since retained another US law firm, White and Case, to appeal the ruling by US judge Reemberto Diaz only against the disqualification of the law firm.

A request for an expedited appeal has been thrown out by the US appeal court. Former attorney general Faris Al-Rawi has replaced Armour as the client representative for the government in the US lawsuit which comes up for trial in September.

The Law Association has also opened a separate investigation into the AG’s conduct and has made a request for all the documents in the matter.

In a full-page newspaper advertisement, published after public commentary over what transpired in the case, Armour denied he misled the US Court when he initially claimed he only played a minor role in representing Kuei Tung, which was limited to research and note-taking.

Armour claimed that his initial affidavit to the court was prepared while he was in Europe on vacation and he did not have access to his office records to full recall the extent of his involvement in the case over 14 years ago.

He also claimed that he was not allowed to rectify the error when he had an opportunity to verify his records shortly after.

Speaking on the issue on his return from the US, Dr Rowley publicly dismissed the move by the association, saying he wanted to know who was going to pass a vote of no-confidence in the association as he wanted to vote.

Responding to Rowley, LATT said it was obligated to call the meeting once it received a valid requisition from its members.

In a release on Thursday, Senior Counsel Israel Khan urged attorneys to withdraw the motion or vote against it while earlier on Friday, attorney Farai Hove Maisasai also maintained the legal profession, in its entirety, was not brought into odium by Armour’s actions.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Eyewitness: Lobbying…and reaction?

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: INews Guyana

The fallout from the VICE undercover sting operation continues to roil the political landscape. As your Eyewitness has said before, what VICE uncovered was a bunch of Chinese nationals (some may also have become Guyanese citizens) boasting about having connections “to high officials of the Government to smooth their investment plans in the country”.

Now, this has been a feature of governance since Man crept out of caves and established tribes and chieftains. Folks gonna always try influencing power-holders to do things “their way” – to have an advantage over their competitors. After all, going back to our own history – and those who taught us about governance – weren’t we told about the influence of the “West Indian Lobby” in the British Parliament?? Then later about friends and relatives getting their young’uns plum jobs in the Civil Service? And later still, having “lines” to get anything done during the Burnham dictatorship?? Does anyone believe those “lines” didn’t mean “payoffs”??

But that doesn’t make having “lines” right, does it? If it ain’t a moral question, then, at a minimum, it’s an economic one. We’re told that such payments are “economic rents”, and make transactions “inefficient”, since the market isn’t “free” to deliver the optimum outcome!!

The system is being gamed!! The question is what’d we do about it. Well, that beacon on the Hill for us on these “democratic and free market” matters is the good ole U.S of A!! What have they done??

Very simply, as with all institutions providing “checks and balances” and such like, the Yanks created an institution to deal with this aspect of human nature – lobbying!! And we’re informed: “The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946 is a statute enacted by the US Congress to reduce the influence of lobbyists. The primary purpose of the Act was to provide information to members of Congress about those that lobby them. The 1946 Act was replaced by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.” Lobbyists to members of Congress have to be registered, and as of 2021, there were 12,137 of them!! Some even for “furriners” like us to use – as we well know during the attempted PNC elections heist of 2020!!

So, as to the VICE claims being VICE, they concluded that some “VICE” was being perpetrated – here involving the VP. Fair enough…these are allegations, and should be investigated. Both the President and the VP have supported such an investigation – “If people break our law, and they admit to breaking our laws, they should face the consequences!” But we need that institutional fix, since we’re on an inevitable spending spree that’ll attract these “middlemen” like bees to honey!!Let’s introduce legislation to register lobbyists!!

…or ousting?

Well, whadya know?? We always knew, and they always knew, that the big powers worked behind the scenes to oust Governments inimical to their interests. Sometimes they didn’t bother to stay behind the scenes, like when the USSR invaded Hungary in 1956, and to show that it had nothing to do with “communism”, when they just invaded Ukraine. A big power’s gonna do what a big power’s gonna do – and deal with the consequences!!But they don’t normally admit these behind-the-scenes manoeuvres – even when they’ve been confirmed by declassified files etc!! When asked, “Don’t Tell!” was the rule. Up to now!! But here came former U.S. Ambassador to the UN and former White House National Security Adviser to Donald Trump, John Bolton, declaring to the Congressional Hearing into the Jan 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that he’d helped plan attempted coups in foreign countries!!

Maduro over in Venezuela comes to mind – after Guido and other democracies had found he’d fiddled with their elections!!And the lesson for us?

…sugar cane production

Sugar workers (who should know) say rats have overrun the neglected cane fields and gnawed away at enough shoots to significantly lower yields per acre.Remember the “rat gang” in which Yesu started out his career? What happened to them?

NewsAmericasNow.com

WATCH: RSLPF Unveils Traffic Management Plan For Carnival – St. Lucia Times News

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

– Advertisement –

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) has announced ‘changes and restrictions’ regarding the normal flow of traffic for Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

According to an RSLPF statement on Friday, the adjustments aim to ensure the smooth and safe movement of traffic in Castries.

– Advertisement –

Source: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force. Headline photo: Stock image

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GoFundMe account set up to help Buccoo’s Daveon Webster walk again

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

Nichole George and her son Daveon Webster at their Buccoo, Tobago home – PHOTO BY KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

DAVEON Webster wants to walk again.

The 22-year-old Buccoo man was left paralysed from his waist down when he hit his head while diving into the sea close to his home five years ago. He was then 16 years old and a student of the Scarborough Secondary School.

Speaking with Newsday on Thursday last week, Webster recalled what happened on April 15, 2017.

“I dove off the jetty right here in Buccoo and I ended up hitting the bottom – the sand.

“I was liming with my friends – it was the Saturday before Easter and there was this party. I was going to get the boat to carry some people on a reef tour. I ran first then dove off the jetty.”

Webster said he remembers hitting his head first.

“When I landed, immediately my whole body shutdown. So my legs pulled together and so did my arms. My entire body was laying at the attention position. I couldn’t move any part.

“I remember saying ‘Lord Father, just bring me back, I don’t want to die.’

“I kept on praying, and all this time I was holding my breath because this was happening under the water.”

Doctors later explained to him that a bone slipped out of his vertebrae.

“It squeezed my spinal cord, so that affected the movement from my waist down.”

He now uses a wheelchair to move around.

Webster said his dreams of joining the coast guard came crashing down in that one moment.

“I didn’t get to finish high school or even graduate – my education was placed on a pause. I am definitely interested in continuing my education soon.”

He said he tries to have a positive outlook on life.

“There are aches and pains a lot, but I don’t study it. I pay no mind to those pains. I try to be strong most times.”

His mother Nichole George told Newsday she wasn’t at home when the incident happened. She said Webster sought her permission prior to her leaving home.

George said she received a frightening phone call while on the road. It was her mother telling her to return home right away.

“She (my mother) said Daveon was on the jetty unresponsive. When I got there, the more I tried to walk faster, it was the slower I was going. There were a lot of persons at the jetty surrounding him. So, from the distance, I shouted his name and he responded. At that moment I thanked God.”

Webster was airlifted to the Port of Spain General Hospital that evening, accompanied by his father Dave.

George said life for her and her family has changed drastically.

“I remember seeing him warded and he was the life of the entire ward. This was something really hard, to see him in this position, yet he had so much faith and that is what is carrying me through. Had he been in low spirit, I would have been low as well but he has always had a very high spirit. Even in his sad moments, if he has to cry he will and say what he has to say, but he moves along quickly. He has hope that he would walk again.”

She said since the accident they have tried numerous specialists locally.

“But I think now is the time for us to see if we can get him out of the country to do additional recovery treatments.

“His recovery is sure but slow and, with an open mind, we’re going into this thinking he would walk again. He would not be able to walk strong one time, but the therapy would assist him greatly.”

George firmly believes that with the right specialists, surgery, and comprehensive treatment, Webster can return to the once active son she knows he can be.

“We have been in contact with NeuroFit 360 in Pembroke Pines, Florida. So when he goes up first, they would assess him because I sent all the documents already. They would do all their routine checks, and then he would be able to start physiotherapy because they said that is what he needs. If he needs anything additional, we will go from there. But starting the physiotherapy is very important.”

The cost of the procedures are US$155 per session, five days a week for approximately three months.

To help with this, the family has set up a GoFundMe account to receive donations from the public. As at Friday afternoon, they had raised US$1,139 of the US9,300 goal from 25 donors.

The family will also soon establish a collections account with a bank.

Anyone wishing to donate can do so via the fundraising page https://gofund.me/197b92a7, or by calling George at 753-8837.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Annisette: NTAC arrangement must be put in legislation

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

News

NATUC general secretary Michael Annisette –

Trade union leaders say they do not intend to rejoin the National Tripartite Advisory Committee (NTAC) unless legislation is brought to the Parliament to govern its operations.

In his Labour Day message on June 19, Labour Minister Stephen Mc Clashie urged labour leaders to return to the NTAC, saying they should avoid operating in silos and avoiding dialogue just because it might be hard to find a middle ground.

Mc Clashie said then, the country would only progress towards decent work by “a collective effort comprised of labour, business and government representatives, the very basis of social dialogue and tripartism.”

He added the NTAC mirrors the work of the International Labour Organization by providing a forum for members of a tripartite body to advance workers interests.

In April 2021, the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC), the Joint Trade Union Movement and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions claimed the NTAC was dead. They withdrew, saying their participation in it was sacrilegious to the objectives of the labour movement.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, after delivering a copy of the labour movement’s no-confidence motion against the government to THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine at the Division of Finance, Trade and the Economy, Scarborough, NATUC general secretary Michael Annisette said the government has not engaged the movement genuinely.

“We know why we left NTAC. And until and unless there is a genuine attempt by this government to genuinely engage the labour movement in meaningful discussions, we are not going back there. We would not be used as a PR stunt by this government,” he said.

“And I am saying too that we are of the considered view that the question of the NTAC must be legislated. It must be put in legislation so that the question of labour, business and government meeting at that level would be part of a legislation. That means the government cannot manipulate it as they see fit. And when another government comes in, they do something different.”

Saying such legislation exists in Grenada and other islands, Annisette accused the government of removing labour representatives from boards other than those in which the law states there must be a labour representative.

“You cannot treat us with that scorn and disregard and when we are there (in the NTAC) and we raise issues, there is nothing that has been done in the best interest of labour. Where is the legislative agenda that we have been asking for?

Annisette, who is also the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union’ general secretary, said if a company is not operational and closes down, workers are not entitled to any benefits.

‘That is a reality in Trinidad and Tobago in the 21st century.”

He recalled the unions had tried in vain to raise the closure of Petrotrin at the NTAC and the Prime Minister had rejected the idea.

“Those are realities. So then we are not going to play that game. We are going to come back there (NTAC) when there is seriousness and when there is a willingness to really engage the labour movement in meaningful and genuine discussion for the betterment of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Joint Trade Union Movement leader Ancel Roget lamented that thousands of workers were sent home while they were in NTAC.

“So we were there as window-dressing and the labour movement is not about that.”

He said Mc Clashie, who was not in the Cabinet when the NTAC was established, must research and understand that the comprehensive statement they had made when they left the body.

“If that is not fixed and they are not serious, therefore the issue of window-dressing, we are not about that.”

Roget also noted that no labour legislation has been brought to the Parliament within recent times to protect workers.

NewsAmericasNow.com