April 19, 2023

NEW YORK STATE

GOV. HOCHUL SLAMMED

For racist anti-immigrant housing policy by housing advocates

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NEW YORK CITY

ASSEMBLYWOMAN WALKER ON HUNGER STRIKE

Over bail reform to keep people of color from incarceration

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TRINIDAD & T0BAGO

COPS ARRESTED ON EXTORTION SCHEME

Forcing businesses to pay protection money for operation

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HAITI EX-SENATOR’S DRIVER DETAINED

In assassination of President Moise -Ex-Senator also faces charges as a result of initial search of his home

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A&E CARNIVAL PATH TO CARIBBEAN UNITY

Says Soca star Machel Montano at Jamaica Carnival

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A WAR THAT MUST BE WON THE FUTURE OF THE REGION AT STAKE LEADERS CONVENE AT SUMMIT

JAMAICA

CALABASH IS BACK!

The international festival is live and in-person with impressive lineup.

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by Ben Jealous - P

AFRICA WORLD BRIEFS

Guterres calls for ‘immediate’ ceasefire in Sudan, as death toll mounts

Clashes intensified across Sudan on Monday, as top UN officials urged rival military factions to protect civilians and respect the country’s international obligations.

M.Brown - P 9

“I strongly condemn the outbreak of fighting that is taking place in Sudan and appeal to the leaders of the Rapid Support Forces (RAF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm, and begin a dialogue to resolve the crisis,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday.

Following the deaths of three employees of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in the restive Darfur region amid widespread fighting, he called for those responsible to be brought to justice without delay.

‘Horrendous’ loss of life

SPORTS

“The situation has already led to horrendous loss of life, including many civilians,” the UN chief said, ahead of delivering opening remarks at a UN Forum on Financing for Development.

He urged all those with influence over the deteriorating situation to press for peace, and support efforts to end the violence, restore order, and return to the path of transition.

WFP chief puts hold on Sudan aid operations, following death of 3 staff in unrest

The World Food Programme (WFP) has temporarily halted all operations, as a result of the fighting between rival military groups in Sudan, which led to the deaths of three WFP employees on Saturday. The UN Secretary-General has called for those responsible to be brought to justice.

According to a statement attributable to the Executive Director of the UN agency, Cindy McCain, the workers were carrying out life-saving duties in Kabkabiya, North Darfur.

In a separate incident on Saturday, a WFP-managed UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) aircraft was significantly damaged at Khartoum International airport during an exchange of gunfire, seriously impacting WFP’s ability to move humanitarian workers and aid within the country.

In the statement, Ms. McCain explained that all operations in Sudan have been suspended, pending a review of the evolving security situation.

“WFP is committed to assisting the Sudanese people facing dire food insecurity,” said Ms. McCain, “but we cannot do our lifesaving work if the safety and security of our teams and partners is not guaranteed. All parties must come to an agreement that ensures the safety of humanitarian workers on the ground and enables the continued delivery of life saving humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan. They remain our top priority.”

Any loss of life in humanitarian service is unacceptable and I demand immediate steps to guarantee the safety of those who remain.

Ms. McCain emphasized that threats to WFP teams make it impossible for them to operate safely and effectively in the

Haiti’s ‘hostage population’ struggle to survive

Haiti’s population is being held hostage to brutality and gang violence, according to a report from the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), which contains harrowing testimony from a country seemingly in freefall.

Artwork from Francisco Silva, featured in a UN humanitarian report on Haiti. Artwork from Francisco Silva, featured in a UN humanitarian report on Haiti. The 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for Haiti describes life in the country as a daily, terrifying struggle for survival, the result of three consecutive years of economic recession, a political impasse, and unprecedented levels of gang violence.

Every day, more and more people fall into extreme poverty; 31 per cent of the population lives on less than US$2.15 a day, and some 4.8 million are foodinsecure, which means that they struggle to meet their daily nutritional needs. Find out more about the report to which three Haitian artists agreed to contribute their artwork, and read the stories of some of those caught up in the violence, here

Yemen at ‘critical juncture’ in bid to end eight-year war: UN Special Envoy

An expired truce still delivering positive results, and a recent mass prisoner exchange, are signs of hope in Yemen, but more work remains to end the war between the Saudi coalition-backed Government and Houthi rebels, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Monday.

“One year on since the parties agreed to a truce under UN auspices, Yemen is again at a critical juncture,” he said, speaking via videoconference.

“I believe we have not seen such a serious opportunity for making progress towards ending the conflict in eight years. But the tide could still turn unless the parties take bolder steps toward peace,” he warned.

Historic prisoner exchange

Mr. Grundberg noted that although the landmark truce ran out six months ago, it continues to deliver results, and the parties are engaging on next steps. They have also shown that negotiation can be effective. Over the weekend, nearly 900 people from all sides, who had been detained in connection with the conflict, were released from prison – the result of meetings held last month in Switzerland under the auspices of the UN.

Meanwhile, many aspects of the landmark truce continue to be implemented, representing another encouraging sign. Relative calm amid conflict

“Yemen is experiencing the longest period of relative calm yet in this ruinous war,” he said. “Food, fuel and other commercial ships continue to flow into Hudaydah. And commercial flights continue between Sana’a International

The State of Black America Reveals How Hate Continues to Rise in the U.S. by Stacy

Regional Symposium Addressing Crime and Violence as a Public Health Issue

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Monday called for concrete recommendations to be adopted at the end of a two-day regional symposium on violence that Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders regard as a public health issue.

“I really believe we would do ourselves an injustice,” she said if the delegates left the gathering without adopting decisions to be implemented across the region.

“We need the Caricom arrest warrant, we need to have the exchange and rotation of judges…we need to have an enlargement of the jurisdiction of magistrates, we need cooperation on forensics and we need to….deconstruct all the rules in our police service and reconstruct them,” Motley told a panel discussion of regional leaders. Mottley, an attorney, also noted that many years ago “people did not get bail for murder.

“Now when I look at the stats, not just out of the Bahamas, Barbados and all through the region, the people who are causing the greatest problems are charged with two, three, four murders. Something is fundamentally wrong,” she said.

“So I ask myself two basic questions. How are we going to deconstruct and reconstruct to meet the reality of this jurisprudential development that is undermining the rule of law in our countries and we are going to have to find ways of cooperating from the level of the police to the level of the courts, but in particular, forensics.

“If we can get people to court within nine to 12 months, you have a good chance of a person not being given bail.

Beyond 12 months, any number can start to play,” Mottley said, questioning why countries have been establishing forensic labs individually.

She also questioned why the region is not involved in “proactive prosecutions rather than reactive prosecutions.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that the region as a collective group must agree that greater resources must be placed on international security in the police services “into our ability to gather intelligence, interdict and prosecute.”

“But we must also consolidate our efforts to lobby, particularly the United States, to assist us as we have assisted them in the war on drugs. They must assist us in the war on guns,” Holness said.

“There seems to be no interest in stopping the other part of the trade, which are the guns. The guns fuel crime, they are an accelerant, they are needed to protect drugs that are transshipped to our borders. They are then turned to deal with other forms of criminal activity.”

Holness said in the case of Jamaica, the weapon of choice is no longer the Russian made AK-47, but the AR-15 and the Glock, which are guns manufactured in North America.

“So, collectively as the leaders of Caricom, we must raise our voice on this. We must appeal to our friends in the North to increase their efforts to prevent the flow of guns into the region,” Holness said.

“We must also increase, in a consummate way, our own

spending on securing our ports, airports and our points of entry and increase our ability to detect the entry of illegal weapons and we must also change our laws so that they align with the new and sophisticated crimes that are being committed and the flow of weapons into our country.”

Holness said the issue of crime and violence also has to be treated from the public health standpoint noting that Jamaica has established a national commission on the prevention of crime.

NYS – Gov. Hochul Slammed as Racist, AntiImmigration in Housing Dispute

like through like, you know, how she has like run her career, the things that she has done.”

An audience member from the Bronx named Darryl McPherson claimed Hochul is a disappointment and compared her to disreputable former governor Andrew Cuomo.

“Kathy Hochul depended solely on the progressives to get elected,” and “she has zero consciences,” remarked.

McPherson also expressed displeasure that Hochul used funds from the Seneca Nation tribe and “gave it to her friend” Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Bills, to fund a new Bills stadium.

Representatives from VOCAL-NY, Citizen Action, the Democratic Socialists of America, and Make the Road are among the other participants.

against that.”

Charlie Dibe, a film producer and self-identified “Communist Party USA Housing” member, suggested “bombarding” Governor Hochul’s Twitter account with “nonstop “Hochul-shaming.”

Some people supported flooding the governor’s Twitter account.

Governor Kathy Hochul office informed NY Post in a statement that “Governor Hochul proposed the New York Housing Compact to create 800,000 new homes in the coming decade, has committed billions of dollars to affordable housing and rental assistance, and is actively working with the legislature on a final budget that addresses our housing crisis and meet the needs of New Yorkers.”

During a “virtual call” to discuss the ongoing state budget negotiations, housing activists described Governor Kathy Hochul as a “racist” who “does not like immigrants.”

Housing Justice for All, an organization that advocates for the “good cause” legislation to restrict rent increases in apartments across the state and supports a new housing access voucher program to assist the homeless and tenants who are being evicted, sponsored the strategic planning session on April 11.

The activists asserted that Hochul, who has her own proposal to encourage the development of 800,000 affordable housing units statewide, is impeding their favorite pro-tenant initiatives.

Ritti Singh A staff member of the organization noted in an audio made available to the Post,

“Governor Hochul doesn’t like [Housing Justice For All] because she doesn’t want everyone who’s included in this program to be included. That includes people who are undocumented, people with felony convictions.”

Singh expresses her claim of Gov. Hochul not being fond of immigrants, “We know Governor Hochul is like really conservative and that she really, you know, she’s racist. She does not like immigrants. She does not like people who’ve been, you know, in jail. So she’s, like, really, really been fighting against it.”

“She hates immigrants and she hates poor people, “ according to Julie Colon, a housing advocate with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition. The attendee continued by stating, “And that’s like, demonstrated

Genesis Aquino, a new member of the Rent Guidelines Board appointed by Mayor Eric Adams, was there but did not make a statement.

The governor received criticism from both sides, with some suggesting that Hochul was too lenient toward immigrants as opposed to legal residents.

Renette Bradley, a member of Housing Justice For All, lamented the fact that immigrants were being given homes in New York City while Hochul opposed housing voucher programs for “people that are already here.”

Bradley noted her stance in the fight for immigrants housing, “They’re bringing these – they have people coming in and they’re giving them housing, and we have people that are already here. … That’s not fair. And I’m fighting. I’m gonna fight

The protestors boasted of intimidating lawmakers into endorsing the good cause eviction proposal by threatening to demonstrate outside of their residences and defaming those who support landlords.

Renette Bradley of Housing Justice for All remarked, “Senator Andrew Gounardes. He wasn’t on Good Cause, but we ran him down and told him if he signed, we wouldn’t come to his house. So, I guess he didn’t want us there, so he signed.”

Andrew Hiller, a member of DSA, was among the participants who declared that humiliating Real Estate Board of NY president Jim Whelan was their “favorite moment.”

T&T – No State of Emergency Says Minister

The government has no plans to declare a state of emergency in reaction to the rise in crime, particularly killings in Trinidad and Tobago, according to National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds. He also rejected requests that he come up with a crime plan, stating that was not his responsibility.

To address the spike in house invasions and killings, there have been repeated calls in recent days for the declaration of a state of emergency.

However, addressing the media at the official opening of the Committee for the Repatriation of Nationals from Overseas’ headquarters, Hinds mentioned that an SOE was put in place in the year 2011. He continued by saying that it was later discovered that Dwayne Gibbs, the police commissioner at the time, was not aware that dealing with crime and criminality, which was his primary responsibility, would have required declaring a state of emergency.

Hinds noted, “That would not happen

with us. We are far more astute and far more respectful of our roles and responsibilities. So, to ask me whether I would establish or cause to be established a state of emergency is a little bit far-flung and outside of my remit. “We would take our timing from law enforcement on matters of that nature.”

The National Security Minister answered inquiries concerning his creation of a crime strategy as well.

He asserted that no criminal strategy is produced or created by a government ministry.

“That is a matter for the police commissioner, that is a matter for the Defence Force that supports the police in dealing with these issues. I’ve always said I know exactly what my responsibilities as a minister of Government are, and it does not include me creating any crime plan.”

“So, when I hear, particularly some, purported to know better even in the Parliament calling on me to create a crime plan, I wonder,” Hinds noted.

for the past three days is that the criminal elements believe they are winning the battle and they are prepared to continue intimidating. They have no respect for politicians. They have very little respect for the police. They don’t care about people’s families and they are recruiting very young people. They have their underground training academies teaching young people how to shoot, and they feel they are large and in charge, and they believe they are about to win that battle to perpetrate crime across the country.”

The Minister noted that if he had a strategy to counteract the crime plan, he would have arrested everyone who was saying “a lot of nonsense,” starting with members of the opposition. “I’m aware that the police have plans and strategies along with the Defence Force, which they are operating.”

“My job is to provide them with the policy directions of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, through the Government, and to ensure that they understand these policies particularly clearly.

Hinds added, “In addition, my job involves providing all of the resources that they need in order to carry out their respective mandates, and that we do in accordance with our budgetary allocations and certainly in accordance with what the Government of Trinidad and Tobago could afford at any particular point in time.”

https://a157f70e20b8aed270bab6542a1854bd.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/ container.html Additionally, the National Security Minister rejected calls for a gun amnesty. “I think not, for me personally. But again, that wouldn’t be my individual call. I’m just one member of the Government, and again, these kinds of things are usually done on the advice of the police commissioner.”

A religious leader is urging Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher and National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds to speak out in order to reassure and console the public as fear shook the nation due to the increase in criminal activities.

Clive Dottin, a Seventh-Day Adventist preacher, recently asserted that no one feels secure anywhere because of violent house invasions, fatal robberies, and even a drive-by shooting on a highway across the country. He even claimed that locals were no longer leaving T&T in search of better employment; instead, they were attempting to avoid the criminal elements that were engulfing the nation.

According to Dottin, families, and business owners have been looking for safe havens outside of the country as violent crime rates rise. The appropriate authorities should now take authority back from the criminal groups, he claimed.

“The authorities have to confront the criminal elements, the local mafia … and let them know that we will not allow them to win this battle in terms of crime.”

Dottin asserted that he had heard from several individuals over the weekend in response to tales of awful house invasions at Bejucal and Aranguez, saying, “There is a level of fear in the society that is horrendous.”

“My analysis as I traveled all over the country

Dottin urged Harewood-Christopher and the nation’s authorities to provide “assurances to the public and form a united front in terms of the Government, church, national security institutions, and the Opposition.”

“We need to show the criminal elements that we have courage, that we have faith in God, and we are prepared to confront them.”

He claimed that because we continue to work separately, we are losing the war against crime. However, he added, “It is time to unite.”

Dottin contends that the government also has to guarantee that children have access to positive activities.

The pastor disclosed that he has been getting calls recently from elderly people “who are living in absolute fear in this country.”

Dottin claimed that while some company owners were preparing to leave T&T, some householders had been barricading themselves inside their homes out of fear of criminality.

He asked localities to create neighborhood watch organizations and to attempt to stay out of situations where they may become victims.

He clarified that this meant limiting activities, not staying out too late, and taking safety measures to protect properties.

“Have trust in God. You must be intelligent, have bravery, pray without ceasing, avoid taking unwarranted risks, and be on guard at all times.

NYC – VP Harris Addressed NAN Convention

deliver a powerful message to an enthusiastic crowd of Black civil rights leaders and others at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. Her speech had all the hallmarks of a 2024 campaign speech. The vice president said that the Biden administration has been beneficial for all Americans, particularly Black Americans while condemning Republican attacks on reproductive and voting rights. Harris used the comments of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in asserting that the battle for economic justice was part of the civil rights movement.

stration in support of gun control laws in response to the shooting murders of six people in Nashville. The two individuals, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson have become known as the “Tennessee Three” together with a third legislator. After a widespread uproar, they were promptly reinstated.

“Seven thousand students and parents continued to organize and march and raise their voices, and now Justin Jones and Justin Pearson are back in their seats,” she said, drawing loud cheers. “The people spoke.”

ence in Midtown Manhattan, according to 88-year-old Upper West Side resident Benita Bobo, inspired her.

Several participants at the NAN conference, which is run by the Rev. Al Sharpton, expressed inspiration from the vice president. Among them was 88-year-old Upper West Side resident Margarita Benita Bobo, who spoke passionately of her family’s history.

“My father was born in 1899 in Mississippi, to teenage parents,” she noted. “He was working at 6 years old at a slaughterhouse. He never forgot where he came from.”

The “Tennessee Three” received applause during Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent speech before the National Action Network’s annual conference in Midtown Manhattan. She also asked the conference’s participants to “stand and protect our democracy” against Republicans. Less than a year before the New York Democrats’ presidential primary on February 6, Harris utilized her platform to

Harris outlined the administration’s goals in contributing to a better America, “It is the fight for paid leave and affordable child care, to permanently expand the Child Tax Credit, to cancel student loan debt, to provide access to capital for small business owners and entrepreneurs, to make sure all families can buy a home, and to protect Social Security and Medicare from attack.”

As Vice President Harris recalls recent events which took place in the state of Tennessee. Two Black politicians there were removed from office by Republican legislators after they organized a demon-

“Seven thousand students and parents continued to organize and march and raise their voices, and now Justin Jones and Justin Pearson are back in their seats,” She remarked, amid thunderous applause, ” The people spoke”.

In a March survey conducted by Monmouth University, 36% of voters said they approved of Harris, while 53% disapproved. Democrats are significantly more likely to support Harris, with 76 percent of them doing so.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech at the National Action Network confer-

The nation’s first Black and South Asian vice president was commended by Bobo for tackling the issue of gun violence and for supporting abortion rights.

“The biggest thing is freedom,” she remarked. “The freedoms of women to supervise their own bodies, the freedom to vote, the freedom to be a full-class citizen in America. And the freedom to not feel you are in danger.”

“She told it all,” Bobo noted, “and she told the truth. She’s a brilliant, beautiful woman.”

Jamaica: CRC Decides to Remove Monarchy

recommendations that had emerged, “revising them to see what new perspectives need to be taken into account [and] what changes have taken place in the society to ensure we are up to date with the thinking”.

KINGSTON – The co-Chair of the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC), Marlene Malahoo Forte, says the committee has arrived at consensus to recommend the abolition of the constitutional monarchy as the form of government while insisting that no one view dominates the decisions of the CRC.

“Decisions are made by consensus. Every issue to be discussed is discussed widely, taking into account views in the public domain, taking into account experience at the table and also where we would like to go,” she told a news conference, amid recent criticism of the composition of the CRC.

Malahoo Forte, who is also the Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, said it should be reminded that the CRC is not starting its work “from scratch” and that it is “actually building on the body of work previously done by the Constitutional Reform Committee and the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional and Electoral Reform”.

She said the CRC has been revising the

Malahoo Forte said the CRC, which has held five meetings to date, has arrived at consensus to recommend the abolition of the constitutional monarchy as the form of government and “once we have abolished the monarchy from the make-up of our form of Government, it will be replaced by the Office of President of the Republic of Jamaica”.

“The president of the Republic of Jamaica is to be a separate office from the head of government of Jamaica,” she told reporters, noting that the consensus is that it will be on the nomination of the prime minister, after consultation with the leader of the opposition, to be confirmed in the Parliament.

“It is our intention to legislate that the two Houses will sit together to make this determination on a special vote,” she said. Malahoo Forte noted that the committee has arrived at the consensus that any country other than Jamaica will be considered a foreign country.

She said the CRC, which will play a key role in ensuring Jamaica’s smooth transition to a Republic, is of the view that the reform will take out of the Constitution any reference to the Commonwealth and any privilege to be attached to Jamaica’s relationship to the bloc will be done in ordinary legislation. (CMC)

Barbados – Afreximbank Caricom Opens Office

The forum took place in September 2022 and was organized by Afreximbank, in collaboration with the Government of Barbados, and others. It included a nonstop flight from Nigeria to Barbados carrying bank employees, businesspeople, and ministerial representatives.

The Partnership Agreement was signed by and between Afreximbank and CARICOM Member States with the intention of enhancing trade and investment ties between Africa and the Caribbean. Its operation is to be supported by the Afreximbank CARICOM Office.

measures to encourage and enhance South-South commerce, notably trade between Africa and the Caribbean.

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), a partner of the first-ever AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum, will be held on the Caribbean island of Barbados at its Caricom office, which will open in seven months. The Bank’s Board has approved the venue.

In accordance with the press release, the Agreement has been approved by 10 of the 15 CARICOM Member States. This accords the signatories with a status similar to that of the cooperating states in Africa. As part of its Diaspora Strategy and in accordance with the African Union’s identification of the African Diaspora as Africa’s sixth area, it centralizes the Bank’s

The Board of Directors of Afreximbank authorized a US$1.5 billion loan ceiling for qualifying CARICOM States after the Partnership Agreement was established, promising to extend it to US$3 billion. The funding will be used to support economic sectors that have been identified as being essential to increasing the prosperity of the region, notably the development of infrastructure that facilitates trade, as well as to promote trade and investments between Africa and the CARICOM Member States while supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in the region.

The opening of the Afreximbank CARICOM Office is essential for the Bank’s activities in the Caribbean Community. It will make Afreximbank’s projects and products more accessible to

the business community and guarantee that the bank quickly ramps up operations to foster deeper links with the governments in the area in order to pursue goals that both parties have agreed upon.

Afreximbank’s president and board chairman, Professor Benedict Oramah, stated: “I am delighted to announce this important milestone as we forge closer ties with our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean. “There are enormous opportunities to scale the trade and investment flows between the African continent and the broader African diaspora. Investment flows between Africa and the Caribbean are currently almost non-existent. This strategic partnership will open the door for enhanced trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean. We are poised to right the wrongs of the middle passage. This approval is an important step towards that end.”

Antigua – Seized Super Yacht Owned by Russian

Antigua’s government formally seized custody of a luxury yacht left deserted in its major harbor, allegedly evacuated by its fearful owner, more than a year after the US and Western nations levied sanctions on Russian billionaires related to the dictatorship of President Vladimir Putin.

Authorities claim they are eager to get rid of the 267-foot Alfa Nero because it has become a nuisance to the marina where it has been parked since Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine for over a year and is costing taxpayers millions of dollars to retain both the vessel and the crew that is on board. The ship’s sewage system is broken, which means that the crew just dumps garbage overboard to everyone else’s displeasure rather than properly disposing of it, according to boat owners whose yachts also use the harbor. After meeting with the men stuck on the vessel and their attorneys, Port Authority Manager Darwin Telemaque issued the crew legal paperwork of seizure and possession. Prior to taking official action to seize the ships and get them ready for sale internationally, The government had to alter local law to permit such action and address other legal gaps in this historic case

that might have thrown Antigua’s politics straight into the Cold War era. The proceeds from the sale, according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne, would go toward advancing the country. The United Progressive Party (UPP), the major opposition party, has advised him against doing so and suggested that money be put in escrow in case there are any unforeseen international events that might result in requests for payment in the near future. Browne also claims that the absence of insurance on the ship worries him. If a fire starts and other boats are harmed, nobody will be compensated, he claimed. When it is formally placed on the auction market, the amount that officials claim they have already received in proposals, up to $80 million, may alter.

Port Authority Chief Telemaque remarks that until all concerns are resolved, the government still has to take a few more measures. Reporters noted, “There are five things that we must do now, one is to resolve the issue of the crew which is our primary responsibility under international maritime law, and also because we have designated seafarers in Antigua as essential workers. When that is done, we will engage in the process of maintain-

ing and sustaining the ship. Third, we will engage with security personnel. Fourth would be the flagging of the ship. The final

component is to discuss the issue of liability insurance is very important for the vessel, marina, and the crew.”

T&T – Cops Arrested in Extortion Investigation

Nine T&T Police Service Eastern Division officers from a specialized squad were detained yesterday by Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) agents.

The arrests followed the conclusion of the PSB’s investigation into claims made by a business owner that many officers had forcibly extracted money from him and other business owners over a period of time.

The PSB officers read warrants for arrest to the cops while they were being held at the Sangre Grande Police Station.

According to Guardian Media, some of the officers were having a meeting with a senior when the PSB police interrupted it to conduct the arrests.

The officers’ houses and lockers were later searched by the investigating PSB officials.

The nine cops who had been detained were later transferred to the Port-of-Spain PSB, where they were anticipated to face charges of misconduct in public office.

Following allegations of an extortion scheme involving officers in a social media post from last month, the T&TPS and Police Complaints Authority (PCA) launched separate investigations.

In a video being circulated on the internet, a man posing as a former law enforcement officer and a relative of a businessman from Sangre Grande claimed that police in the Eastern

Division had been taking “tax” from illegal operations and roulette machines, as well as asking for payments from his relative to keep the business running as a form of bribery.

A relative of the businessman stated that “On a monthly basis, they will enter his business and if not given the requested amount, they will then venture to take whatever money is in the register or elsewhere.”

Further adding that the owner of the establishment has previously reported the matter, however, nothing was done to resolve the issue, “He has reported this matter to the PSB (Professional Standards Bureau) since last year, accompanying it with this video and to date nothing has been done. He is also concerned that these very officers may plant illegal drugs on his premises and then hold him accountable for it, or physically harm him. These said officers were recorded demanding a bribe from a Chinese businessman.”

The social media post includes a recording of a phone call in which the caller, who is reputed to be an IATF officer who was once assigned to the Eastern Division, is overheard requesting $30,000 for “the boys.” The amount sought is too excessive, according to a voice on the other end of the line who claims to be a Chinese businessman, and instead recommends that the customary monthly payment of $10,000 will be made.

US, Cuba Resume Migration Talks

According to reports, the group that conducts their extortion bid has been active since the COVID-19 lockdowns and included an inspector and three constables.

After the incident was covered by mainstream media, other businessmen leveled comparable accusations.

PBS’s ACP Chandoor supervised the examination.

Washington – The United States Department of State says the Joe Biden administration has resumed talks here with Cuban officials on the implementation of the US-Cuba Migration Accords.

“This bilateral discussion reflects a commitment by both countries to regularly review the implementation of the accords,” said the State Department in a statement. It said the Department of Homeland Security’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere David Cloe led the US interagency delegation, and Cuba’s Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio led the Cuban delegation.

“These migration talks provide an opportunity for discussions on mutual implementation of the Migration Accords, comprising a series of bilateral agreements between the United States and Cuba com

pleted in 1984, 1994, 1995 and 2017,” the State Department said.

“The US delegation highlighted areas of successful cooperation on migration, while also identifying issues that have been obstacles to fulfilling the goals of the Accords,” it added.

“Engaging in these talks underscores our commitment to pursuing constructive discussions with Cuba where appropriate to advance US interests.

“Ensuring safe, orderly, humane and regular migration between Cuba and the United States remains a mutual interest of both countries, and is consistent with US interests in fostering family reunification and promoting greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba,” the State Department said. (CMC)

The War On Crime in the Caribbean

In recent years there has been discussion between the United States and various Caribbean nations that are somehow facilitated between cooperation and conflict around the issue of drug trafficking and the impact it has had on the region. This relationship between the United States and the small economically dependent Caribbean nations has contributed to the perception that economic and political coercion is being used to force the Caribbean to concentrate more on the supply side of the drugs issue as opposed to the demand side that has been under the control of the United States. For decades the US policy, as it relates to drug trafficking, was to implement restrictions on the supply side and in many instances have imposed on the Caribbean country the huge problem of solving the movement of drugs throughout the region that ends up on the shores of the US with respect to the demand side of the market for drugs in the United States. The emphasis on supply and the maritime counter-drug measures, the sovereignty and security of the Caribbean countries have been one that has created narrowly defined objectives that does not always provide common grounds for the

totality of the drug trafficking enterprises to be discussed, and as a result, the Caribbean region is left with this monster problem. The recognition of this problem has not gone unnoticed and has been dealt with particularly over the decades by retired Congressmember Charles Rangel, who, at several Carib News Multinational Business Conferences held in the Caribbean has made the point to Caribbean leaders that they ought to be more assertive around what the United States should be doing with respect to the war on drugs in the Caribbean, rather than the US leaving the problem to be solved by the Caribbean Nations and just providing support with respect to the interception of some of the traffickers and providing occasional support, rather than taking on the hardcore issue of the demand in the United States that is creating the drive for drugs coming through the Caribbean. He has warned year after year to these leaders that there needs to be more aggressive action on the part of the US with respect to supplying the needs and support to handle the trafficking of drugs in the region in a significant way.

The core problem is generated in the

United States, which is the demand, and that in fact the effort that has been made within the region with respect to impacting the supply side has not worked, and so it is now time for the realization that the United States needs to step up to the plate in providing significant help to solve the drug trafficking and the guns that are coming from the US to the Caribbean. Therefore, it was interesting to see that at the Summit on crime some of the Prime Ministers are coming to the position that the US must take a more active role on the issue of the drug trafficking that is driving the guns and violent crime in the region. Bahamas Prime Minister, Prime Minister Philip Davis has made the direct appeal that the US must do something about the issue and must do something about the flood of guns coming into the region, that is something that needs priority on their part. Prime Minister Holness has taken a similar position asking for the US to provide substantial help in helping the region with the war on crime that comes out of drug trafficking, the guns, money laundering which have led to corruption within the government.

For those of us in the Diaspora we too can

play a role in lobbying the elected officials, lobbying the appointed officials to see the needs of the region with respect to its imbalance pushed in on poor countries, the issue of controlling the drugs and guns that are flooding into their countries primarily as a result of the demands in the US and the manufacturers, with the exchange of guns for drugs. It is just one piece of the puzzle In the violent crime that is so pervasive in the region. There are a number of other issues to be dealt with and should be, but here is one that there has been some discomfort in confronting the US on its own obligation and its own requirement to provide significant help in stemming the demand and stemming the flow of drugs through the region and not to leave it to the local police and authorities. It is overwhelming these countries and you can see the impact day in day out. So we must lobby our elected officials, and bring the issue to their attention, the impact it is creating in the region and the disastrous effect it is having in communities, one that the United States should take some responsibility for and provide should resources to confront it and help make a change.

No Time to Forget the Gulf Coast

by Ben Jealous

How long do you think it would take to overlook the worst offshore oil spill in history, one that lasted 87 days during which 4 million barrels spewed into the Gulf of Mexico? Recent moves by the federal government point to the answer being 13 years.

On April 20, two days before Earth Day, we’ll mark the 13th anniversary of the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana that killed 11 workers and started an ecological disaster that lasted longer than the nearly three months as oil poured into the sea. Despite billions directed at mitigation, we still see the devastating impact – in increased erosion and damaged plant life in the Gulf Coast’s disappearing wetlands, in marine life from dolphins to coral, in the health issues experienced by those who worked on the clean-up.

Yet the Interior Department in late March

opened most of the remaining parts of the central and western Gulf along that same coastline to oil and gas extraction through the sale of drilling leases. The Sierra Club joined other environmental groups to challenge the decision, made based on a flimsy impact review that found that burning a billion barrels of oil and 4.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that could be pulled from the area won’t damage the climate.

Beyond colliding with the Deepwater Horizon anniversary, the sale came in the same month that the federal government approved the Willow project to drill across a huge swath of the Alaskan tundra and the UN’s climate change panel asserted that the planet can’t afford any more oil wells.

The administration’s excuse for selling leases was that the historic clean energy package approved last year demanded it. But that deal cut with fossil fuel champions in Congress didn’t demand that an area the size of Italy be put on the auction block or prescribe an outcome for the sale Big Gas and Oil’s protectors in Congress say more drilling means lower gas prices and less dependence on foreign oil. Not any time soon – it’s typically at least a four-year turnaround from a lease to oil flowing. Only a quarter of US oil produc-

tion comes from federal lands and waters, and there are thousands of existing leases that aren’t in production. In the Gulf alone, there’s extraction from only a quarter of the leases sold before last month.

The real brake on more drilling is investors’ hesitancy to pursue it. Oil companies have enjoyed record profits and turned them back into shareholder dividends, not exploration. Recent leases for offshore wind power have sold for far higher amounts than recent oil and gas leases. The markets are placing bets on the future of our warming planet.

None of us can escape the dire effects of continuing to feed the addiction to fossil fuels for decades with Gulf leases and Willow. The greatest impact will continue to be borne by those with the least power and most at risk, the same poor communities and people of color who get crushed by severe weather from climate deterioration and who live in cancer alleys on the Mississippi River polluted by refineries. Those same places, a study by Robert Bullard at Texas Southern University found, are where most waste from the 2010 spill ended up in landfills. The greatest risk may be to fewer than 50 remaining Rice’s whales recently discovered living in the Gulf. We’re careening

toward the first human-caused extinction of a large whale in history.

If the calculation to offer the leases was political, it probably winds up a subtraction equation. The new drilling won’t happen quickly enough to lower prices soon. But it may be enough to weaken the enthusiasm of most American voters who said climate is an issue that determines if and how they vote.

Looking ahead, the Interior Department is writing a new five-year plan for offshore drilling. The planet can’t afford a U-turn from the leadership shown by rejoining the Paris agreement and pushing through infrastructure and clean energy packages that will spend more on a healthier Earth powered by abundant energy than we spent sending astronauts to the Moon. That five-year plan should be short and borrow a line from President Biden in his last campaign. No more drilling. Period.

Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

The State of Black America Reveals How Hate Continues to Rise in the U.S.

by Stacy M. Brown

4. A threat to national security: Hate within law enforcement and the military.

5. The divided state of America: A surge of divisive policies.

to destroying American democracy and replacing it with autocratic rule.

The National Urban League’s 2023 State of Black America report concluded that an uptick in police brutality, specifically against Black Americans, is no coincidence.

Across the nation, white supremacist groups and domestic terror cells have infiltrated law enforcement and the military ranks, posing a threat to homeland security and the public.

The report highlights five topics revealed as troubling threats:

1. A hate manifesto: The Rise in Violent Hate Crimes Across America.

2. Tracking parental rights’ movement rooted in racism: the threat within education.

3. Hate in the nation: The threat within America’s political system.

The State of Black America, which also drew from information from the Brennan Center, noted that the FBI reported that white supremacists posed a “persistent threat of lethal violence” that has produced more fatalities than any other category of domestic terrorists since 2000.

“And FBI policy documents have also warned agents assigned to domestic terrorism cases that the white supremacist and anti-government militia groups they investigate often have ‘active links’ to law enforcement officials,” the National Urban League’s report stated.

“Countries around the world have been destabilized by military and law enforcement coups led by extremists holding right-wing ideologies. To protect our communities and our democracy, we must take this threat seriously.”

The authors of the report said that groups of state and federal lawmakers working with shady political operatives and violent extremists are dangerously close

The 2023 report titled, “Democracy in Peril: Confronting the Threat Within,” sounds the alarm about extremist ideas taking root in classrooms, law enforcement, the military, and the halls of Congress.

“The mainstreaming of extremist ideology is an existential threat to American democracy, the rule of law, and decades of hard-won progress toward an equitable, inclusive, and more perfect union,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said.

“No longer limited to passing out mimeographed leaflets on street corners or huddling in corners of the dark web, conspiracy-mongers and white nationalists openly spew their bile across social media and cable television,” he continued.

“They weave it into the public policy they impose on their constituents. It corrodes the trust between police, the military, and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve.”

The report also draws on data and analysis from the Southern Poverty Law Center, ADL, and UCLA Law.

The State of Black America reveals how deeply extremist ideas have crept into America’s most important institutions, leading to a rising tide of deadly violence, harsh laws, and racial tensions being used as weapons.

A special section of the report talks about Morial’s 20 years as president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League.

This section shows how his leadership has changed over the last two decades. A special section of the report called “A Climate in Crisis,” made in partnership with the American Council on Renewable Energy, makes a case for equal economic opportunity and environmental justice.

“The mainstreaming of extremist ideology is an existential threat to American democracy, the rule of law, and decades of hard-won progress toward an equitable, inclusive, and more perfect union,” Morial wrote in the report.

Con Edison Rolls Out Electric Bucket Truck at New York International Auto Show

Utility Truck Will Help Maintain Overhead Electric System Without Emitting Tailpipe Pollution; Underscores Con Edison’s Commitment to Vehicle Electrification

Visitors at the New York International Auto Show will have the chance to see one of the nation’s first all-electric bucket trucks in person.

Con Edison recently took ownership of the truck, highlighting the company’s commitment to vehicle electrification and its support for cutting-edge clean energy technologies.

The truck will be on display at Con Edison’s booth (#1602 on Level 1 at the Javits Center) near the EV Test Track.

An electric bucket truck.

The truck will help maintain overhead power lines and repair critical infrastructure in the New York City region, lifting line workers as high as 60 feet in the air. The vehicle and its aerial equipment run entirely on electricity stored in battery systems.

“As anyone walking the floor at the New York International Auto Show can see, a once-in-a-generation change is rippling across the transportation sector,” said Fortunato Guli-

no, Con Edison’s chief automotive engineer. “We’re excited to showcase our first electric bucket truck and share our vision for electric vehicles and the clean energy future.”

The Class 7 truck was built by South Dakota-based Terex Utilities, with an all-electric International chassis supplied by Navistar. The truck is powered by a lithium-ion battery with 210 kilowatt-hours of capacity, offering an estimated 135 miles of driving range – more than enough to get through a typical workday. With a gross vehicle weight rating of 33,000 pounds, the truck is expected to take roughly 11 hours to recharge its batteries.

A Bucket Truck That Runs on Batteries

Con Edison now buys only electrified vehicles for its light-duty fleet, but moving mediumand heavy-duty trucks away from fossil fuels is a more challenging task due to their size and operational needs. Con Edison’s existing fleet of approximately 300 bucket trucks runs on diesel and gasoline.

EVs are quieter than internal combustion engine vehicles and do not emit tailpipe pollution, both attractive features for utility trucks, which

often must leave their engines on as the crew performs work maintaining the electric system.

Building a Clean Energy Grid for Electric Vehicles

Con Edison is building a grid to deliver 100 percent clean power by 2040, ensuring that EVs deliver significant environmental benefits compared to vehicles that run on fossil fuels. The company’s PowerReady program is among the largest utility EV support programs in the

country, with a goal to support the installation of 19,000 EV chargers in the New York City region by 2025 and 400,000 by 2035.

In addition to PowerReady, Con Edison supports EV adoption through a range of other support programs, including SmartCharge New York, a managed charging program aimed at reducing stress on the grid by encouraging EV drivers to charge overnight.

Assemblywoman Latrice Walker on Hunger Strike Over Bail Reform

State legislators, Rikers Island survivors, and those who lost loved ones at Bikers met for a passionate demonstration on Thursday in Foley Square to defend the effective bail reform bill.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s insistence on leveraging the state budget to compel revisions to the bail regulations that will increase pre-trial incarceration has caused a delay of nearly two weeks.

Assemblywoman Lattice Walker, who is on a hunger strike in opposition to the governor’s proposal, attended the event.

Assemblywoman Walker stated, “I will do everything in my power to keep more Black, brown, and poor people from being incarcerated pretrial in dangerous jails across the state.” She added, “Locking up more people pretrial will not make anyone safer. We need to focus on real investments in public safety, including alternatives to incarceration, pretrial services, violence interruption, substance use treatment, secure housing, mental health treatment, job training and education. Hands off bail reform.”

Governor Hochul acknowledged the need

for reform in 2021 and referred to Rikers Island as “hell on earth.” More than 24,000 people have been saved from pre-trial detention on criminal and non-violent felony charges as a result of the bail reform bill, which has caused a decrease in re-arrest case of an increase in court presence rates. In order to advocate for reforms to the bail regulations, Governor Hochul has halted the state budget. Participants in the rally demanded the implementation of triedand-true measures to make New York safer, including safeguards against arbitrary evictions, rental assistance, extended unemployment benefits, more funding for first responders who specialize in mental health, and investments in anti-violence initiatives.

Assemblywoman Monique Chandler-Waterman, who represents Assembly District 58, “I represent a community that is 9o% Black and brown and I’m here to tell you that it is fake news when you try to argue that bail reform is responsible for a spike in crime.” She added, “Removing the least restrictive standard will open the door to more of the same — more Black and brown people being caged. We need support and funding. Let’s focus on that. The safest communities have the most resources, let’s focus on that.”

Governor Hochul’s proposed bail has drawn criticism from a number of advocates, lawmakers, and union officials. The idea has been criticized by more than 100 legal professors from all of New York State’s law schools, and prominent unions UAW Region 9A and DC37 have urged lawmakers to reject it.

Participants in the rally on Thursday encouraged lawmakers to forego making changes to the bail system in favor of spending money on initiatives that will increase public safety.

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Photo by Leonard McKenzie for Carib News

Black Teen Shot After Ringing Wrong Doorbell When Trying to Pick Up Sibling

The Black community once again is in tears and shaken by fear due to a shooting incident that led 16-year-old Ralph Paul Yarl to be hospitalized. The shooting of the teen led to an uproar on social media for the arrest of the shooter who shot Yarl after he mistakenly ranging the wrong doorbell after thinking the house across the street was his.

After making their acceptance of the case public, nationally renowned human rights lawyers Lee Merritt and Ben Crump immediately slammed Kansas City, Missouri, authorities for releasing the shooter, who they claimed is a white guy.

According to police and the teenager’s attorneys, Yarl was said to be in stable condition at a hospital.

In a joint statement, Merritt and Crump claimed that Yarl, a high school junior whose instructor indicated his desire to pursue chemical engineering in college, was shot twice and hit in the head and arm.

The attorneys argued that there could be no justification for releasing this dangerous and armed criminal.

According to Kansas City police, the child thought his siblings were at a home in the 1100 block of Northeast 115th Terrace which is in fact valid, however, the teen had mistakenly visited the wrong house in the area which led

to him being innocently shot.

As news of the shooting spread around the country via social media, protesters converged on the area.

“What do we want? ” protesters chanted as they marched toward the home where the incident occurred. “Justice! When do we want it? Now!”

At the demonstration, the victim’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, stated, “My nephew is alive and he is healing. It is not the story that that individual intended for us to tell. We are telling a story that is different from the stories that you normally hear.”

Police Chief Stacey Graves gave the reason the shooter was let go and promised to conduct a thorough investigation.

The resident, whose race and name were withheld, was apprehended and detained for the maximum period of time for a suspect in a felony—24 hours—until charges were filed.

According to Graves, a firearm was taken as evidence.

The overwhelming majority of criminal suspects, according to her, are freed within a day, but many are later detained again once enough evidence has been obtained to justify filing charges.

In this instance, detectives will seek to establish a strong case for prosecution, according to Graves, working “as expeditiously and thor

Canada – Vincentian Chaz Williams Featured in Yukon Engineering Month

of Engineering in electrical and electronic engineering and a Master of Science in management and engineering. Before this job, I worked with a power utility company.”

William explain what his duties are at HPW as an Energy Technical Specialist, he stated that he “provides technical advice on climate change adaptation, energy conservation, and renewable energy systems such as solar, micro-hydro, geothermal, and biomass. Lately, we’ve been focused on understanding the impacts of climate change and how it affects Yukoners.”

oughly as we can.”

She added, “As soon as the case is complete, it will be presented to the Clay County prosecutor for their review.”

“I want everyone to know that I am listening and I understand the concern we are receiving from the community,” she noted. Clay County prosecutors noted in a recent statement that, “at this point, we have not yet received a criminal referral from the Kansas City Police Department regarding this case. However, we are actively working with law

enforcement in an attempt to speed up that process so that we can review the file when it is submitted and determine whether criminal charges are appropriate.”

According to Graves, investigators will examine whether Missouri’s “Stand Your Ground” law applied to the suspect.

According to the law, a potential gunman is not required to flee before using violence to protect people or property.

Graves added that she has spoken with the teen’s family and is taking the Black community’s worries seriously.

At the press conference, Mayor Quinton Lucas stated that a “thorough” investigation is currently being conducted.

He noted that his team will be doing their best in bringing justice to young Yarl’s case as soon as possible, “We will make sure we do all we can to be fair, to make sure we’re as expeditious as possible and more than anything to make sure that everyone, no matter their background, knows that justice can be obtained here in Kansas City.”

Lucas expresses a heartfelt message to the family, “My heart goes out to the victim of this shooting, the victim’s family, my heart goes out to everyone impacted.”

Chaz Williams, a resident of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, was highlighted by Yukon Highways and Public Works during Canada’s National Engineering Month.

Williams, according to Highways and Public Works, operates as an energy technical specialist in their sustainable infrastructure division and specializes in the development of electrical systems, which aids in solar-battery projects and the building of infrastructure for EV charging stations.

The responsibility for maintaining the security and functionality of public highways, airports, structures, and information systems in the Yukon territory falls on the Department of Highways and Public Works.

Yukon province or territory is Canada’s second-least populous.

When asked in an interview about his specialized field Williams stated, “I have a Bachelor

Williams spoke on what inspires him to work in this field, “My family has always been technically adept. They were involved in fields that benefit from cutting-edge technologies such as radio broadcasting, recording studios, sound engineering, computer hardware, etc. The inspiration came because of the aspects of my family businesses!”

Even though life can be as beautiful as we can hope for it to be we may face challenges at times and work is not an exception. When asked about his challenges at work Williams referred to the different weather patterns from what he was accustomed to back in his home country, “I came from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a small archipelago in the Caribbean. The first challenge here is the winter! My first job had me working a lot outdoors and apparently, my first winter was the worst in a long time. Just my luck! The small community here reminds me a lot of the island community.”

Guyana- GECOM Ready For Local Elections

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) says that all systems are in place for the smooth conduct of Nomination Day on Monday, for the local government election, due on June 12.

“During the hours of 10:00hrs – 14:00hrs [local time], political parties, voluntary groups, and individual candidates contesting in Local Government Elections 2023 are expected to submit their lists of candidates to the respective returning officer in the municipalities and/or Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) where they would be contesting,” the Elections Secretariat said in a recent statement.

GECOM also urged contestants to ensure that their nomination lists are submitted using the prescribed statutory forms, and in keeping with the stipulated guidelines. “It must be noted that lists of candidates that do not conform to the statutory requirements would be classified as defective and the representative of the list would be given an opportunity to correct those defects,” GECOM said. It said the statutory procedures following Nomination Day would ensure that all the legal requirements are met by contestants in order for their lists of candidates to be approved to contest in the elections.

“While the Commission has already approved a total of sixty-four (64) symbols, approval to contest in the elections is only guaranteed upon the submission and approval of the lists of candidates,” GECOM said.

The commission said it looks forward to a smooth process on Nomination Day and is confident in the ability of the staff at the respective offices to adhere to the legal provisions in the execution of their function.

The last local government election was held in 2018. (CMC)

Haiti – Suspect in President’s Assassination is Ex Senator’s Driver

Haitian authorities said that a former senator from Haiti’s driver had been taken into custody and interrogated about the murder of former president Jovenel Moise.

A 9mm weapon and ammo were discovered during a search of Mozart Prevot’s Port-au-Prince home by National Police officers on Tuesday, according to the

information posted on the agency’s website. Prevot was arrested as a result of the search. There are no charges against Prevot.

John Joel Joseph, a former senator from Haiti who is being charged in the US with involvement in the 2021 murder, used Prevot as his vehicle.

T&T – Supermarket Owners Want Firearms

owner of the Golden City Supermarket, was shot and killed on Friday night as three armed bandits attempted to rob his business place. Police later said one of three gunmen was shot and killed by lawmen. The other two suspects are in custody after they were intercepted near the San Juan River on the outskirts of the capital.

The US deported Joseph, a political foe of the assassinated president, from Jamaica to the US in May of last year to face charges related to plotting to murder or kidnap someone outside of the US. He may get a life sentence.

Joseph was one of the leaders in the assassination conspiracy, at least one indi-

vidual said in a report from Haiti’s National Police. According to the informant, Joseph met with the other suspects and paid cash for the rental automobiles they utilized before the murder. Prevot is one of more than 40 persons who have been arrested in connection with the murder of the president.

President of the Supermarket Association of Trinidad and Tobago (SATT), Rajiv Diptee on Monday called on the police to provide business owners with a gun license after gunmen shot and killed a 49-year-old supermarket owner over the weekend.

Diptee, speaking on a radio program, said that the association has been working closely with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) “to see how more resilient crime-fighting measures can be put in place because we have been noticing this increase in robberies and larcenies since the reopening of the economy last year.”

“What we will suggest is that law-abiding business owners who are suitably qualified within the remits of the law be granted their (firearm user’s license). The most complaints we get are from supermarket owners who have applied, and not getting approved.”

Police said that Bing Zhu Zhang, 49, the

“We have a situation where there are not near enough patrols to cover all of the hot spots across Trinidad and Tobago and this lends a particular vulnerability to those whom the criminal elements regard as soft targets when they go after these establishments,” Diptee said.

“So what we are simply asking for is the consideration being made with urgency for members of the business community who have the means to defend themselves at this time,” he added, noting that “the stark reality of the crime situation facing members of the business community today is one in which we cannot afford 24/7 armed security personnel at these types of establishments.”

“We have a crime situation where criminals are coming out in numbers, each one of them with more sophisticated firearms,” he said.

Trinidad and Tobago has recorded 156 murders so far this year. Last year, the country recorded a total of 605 murders, the most in its history. (CMC)

SPONSORS

Donors Making a Difference: Immunization

WHO’s contributors are supporting the “Big Catch-Up” – a push to get countries back on track with vaccinations after disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and armed conflicts.

WHO estimates that 25 million children missed out on vaccination in 2021, six million more than in 2019 and the highest number since 2009.

To mark World Immunization Week (24-30 April), we visit campaigns to stop flood-related cholera outbreaks in Kenya, Malawi, and Mozambique; polio and measles campaigns in Syria in the aftermath of a massive earthquake; and the quest to reach “zero-dose” children caught in Somalia’s years-long drought.

This issue celebrates vaccination successes in Africa, where a grant from the European Union helped push a group of countries with very low COVID-19 vaccination coverage closer to, or in some cases above, the continent’s average. Also read about stopping COVID-19 in the Americas, HPV vaccination to end cervical cancer in Sierra Leone, Montenegro’s Health Caravan project and work to vaccinate vulnerable people ahead of Lao PDR’s National Games. Also see:

All about World Immunization Week 2023

New cholera cases in Africa surging fast, reach a third of 2022 total in a month

Polio and measles vaccinations are deployed in Syria’s earthquake zones

This month, WHO and partners are working to administer polio and measles vaccinations to 800 000 small children in the northwest of the country where a February earthquake damaged or destroyed 67 health facilities.

The 10-day campaign involves about 3 000 health workers, many of whom have themselves been affected by the massive quake.

“The earthquakes have already disrupted so many lives and livelihoods … vaccinating children under the age of 5, we can prevent a secondary disaster in the form of a disease outbreak,” said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Close to 100 000 people newly displaced by the disaster are living in overcrowded camps, where insufficient clean water and sanitation have heightened the risk for the spread of infectious diseases.

Sierra Leone introduces HPV vaccination to end cervical cancer

An old adage in Sierra Leone says that “what goes on under the cloth should remain under the cloth.”

Most women are not willing to be screened, or even talk about cervical cancer, health author

ities say, although it is the country’s leading cause of cancer death among women. But the government has introduced another way to fight the disease. Starting this year, girls ages 9 to 15 can receive the vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection that causes more than 95% of cervical cancer cases.

WHO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF

are supporting the work.

WHO worked with the government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to shore up vaccinations in the province hosting the country’s annual National Games, reaching out to villages where previous vaccination campaigns had not been well received.

“The National Games provide an amazing opportunity to come together and see the best of Lao’s athletes,” said WHO Health Emergency Specialist Satoko Otsu, “but also an opportunity for the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases.”

The campaign’s focus was to administer routine catch-up vaccinations to babies and COVID-19 vaccinations to at-risk groups such as people with disabilities, older people and ethnic communities. The effort reached nearly 39 000 people.

“The things that seemed to be the most persuasive in changing people’s views, were simple - talking to them in a non-hierarchical way, spending time to discuss the vaccine and listen to concerns and views, and identify and persuade influencers – whether village representatives, religious leaders, or close neighbours and friends,” said WHO Community Engagement Team Lead Shogo Kubota.

PAHO, Partners Support Healthy Aging Strategies in the Americas

Poverty and inequality influence the life course and the conditions in which people spend their old age, a factor also highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington, DC, (PAHO)- A series of reports that seek to contribute to the development of healthy aging strategies in the Americas was launched today by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in collaboration with other United Nations agencies and the Inter-American System.

The series - The Decade of Healthy Aging in the Americas: Situation and Challenges - presents an overview of different aspects of aging and the health situation of older persons in the region, where life expectancy reached 77.2 years in 2019.

“These reports constitute a significant advance in the consolidation of data and information on population aging and on the health and well-being of older persons in the Americas,” PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa said. “Through them, it will be possible to identify, understand and address many of the challenges and opportunities that profound and accelerated aging will present for the Americas,” he said. The region is aging rapidly. It is estimated that, by 2030, there will be more people over the age of 60 than under the age of 15. And while life expectancy at birth for both sexes increased by three years between 2000 and 2019, men and women in the region live on average 9.7 and 12.3 years in poor health, respectively.

The fact that people are living longer reflects progress, but the challenge now is to ensure that most of these years are lived in better health. For this to happen, strategies must be implemented not only during old age but throughout the entire life course. It is also key to provide favorable environments for the elderly and integrated, person-centered health care, with an emphasis on primary care.

The series is launched within the context of the United Nations Decade for Healthy Aging (2021-2030) with the aim of providing accurate and reliable information so that countries can advance strategies, actions and policies that promote healthy aging of all populations.

The reports focus on various topics, including the human rights of older persons, their access to new technologies and the economic context of aging, as well as the situation of indigenous older persons and older persons within the LGBTIQA+ community. Several articles present information on the impact of COVID-19 on older people with a view to protect this population in future emergencies.

“We cannot imagine inclusive and sustainable development if we do not put people at the center of strategies. This includes both older people and the next generations,” said the PAHO Director.

The series is the result of collaboration between PAHO and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Calabash International Literary Festival Back in Jamaica

Following a hiatus from 2018, the 15th edition of the renowned international festival, the Calabash International Literary Festival, was recently launched with the announcement of the 2023 lineup.

This year’s Calabash festival’s theme, “Onward Upward… For Word,” honors people’s tenacious will to persevere in the face of hardship while also acknowledging the difficulties of recent years.

Co-founder Kwame Dawes remarked, “Some clichés are wholly necessary for they carry profound truths and in this instance; our unexpected absence has deepened the fondness we all have for this festival. We have not been idle in the interim, instead, we have worked hard to secure the future of our festival and to plan what we believe is a most dynamic and delightful Calabash roster. So, what we feel is gratitude for the continued faith that our audience has had in what we do.”

Calabash keeps blending up-and-coming authors with seasoned authors while consistently providing a range of genres. As always, the event is “earthy, inspirational, daring, and diverse.”

The 2023 program will undoubtedly be distinguished by its diversity and audacity, according to a press release, which noted that one of the ‘Reasonings’ conversations will feature Joyce Carol Oates, a literary giant who has written more than 70 books in her 50-year career.

Oates’ ‘Sunday Talk’ with Paul Holdengraber is also expected to be controversial because Oates is known for being open and honest with her opinions.

Clients will be regarded to excerpts from the New York Times Editors’ Choice short story collection If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery (Ja/USA), a compelling historical study concentrating on Sam Sharpe by Tom Zoellner (USA), creative non-fiction by Cathy

Park Hong (USA), whose book Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning was a New York Times bestseller, and Kei Miller (Ja), a poet and novelist whose most recent book ” Things I Have Withheld”.Clients will be regarded to excerpts from the New York Times Editors’ Choice short story collection If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery (Ja/USA), a compelling historical study concentrating on Sam Sharpe by Tom Zoellner (USA), creative non-fiction by Cathy Park Hong (USA), whose book Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning was a New York Times bestseller, and Kei Miller (Ja), a poet and novelist whose most recent book ” Things I Have Withheld”.

The New York Times praised Nicole Krauss (USA) as one of America’s most significant writers and a worldwide literary phenomenon, while the Financial Times referred to her as “one of the great novelists working today.” Her debut collection of short stories, To Be A Man,

received the Wingate Literary Prize. She is the author of many books that have achieved international bestseller status.

The Harder They Come by Michael Thelwell, which was published 50 years after the publication of the film of the same name, will be honored at the festival. Readings from this genuinely enormous piece of Caribbean literature by four well-known Jamaicans. Authors from the Caribbean, including Kamau Braithwaite, Erna Brodber, John Hearne, Roger Mais, Jean Rhys, Neville Dawes, V.S. Naipaul, Claude McKay, and Orlando Patterson, have all had their works highlighted by Calabash in the past. The Calabash Acoustic Ensemble, which consists of Ibo Cooper, Stevie Golding, Wayne Armond, and pals, will pay tribute to Third World on Sunday, fifty years after the formation of that ground-breaking band.

Carnival Can Lead Charge to Caribbean Unity

The reggae tunes he utilized to whisk his audience back in time included “Tempted to Touch” by Beres Hammond, “Trying to Get to You” by Richie Stephens, “Fresh Vegetable” by Tony Rebel, “Welcome to Jamrock” by Damian Marley, and “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley.

But the “King of Soca” advocacy for peace did not end there, as Voice, who took the stage before Montana finished his act, came out while carrying a Jamaican and a Trinidadian flag in support of the two countries rapprochement through soca music.

and captivating sound to win the hearts of Soca fans within the region and beyond. Iwer George gave fans a glimpse of the past thus allowing decade-long fans to sing along and enjoy the tunes granting them a nostal-

gic feeling. Classics such as, Skinny Fabulous’s “Up and Up,” “Behaving the Worst,” “Hurricane,” “Come Home,” and “Famalay,” among other hits, had the stadium jamming and waving their flags all night.

There is no doubting the popularity of soca among Jamaicans. And Machel Montano is working to keep the genre within its untouchable contribution to the history of the music industry.

And he succeeded in doing just that at the recent inaugural Wi Fete at Kingston’s Sabina Park, where he led the charge for togetherness among Caribbean nationals via their undivided passion for soca.

“We have to represent for unity. We love reggae and love dancehall,” Montano told the hundreds of spectators at the ancient cricket stadium that he and his band loved both reggae and dancehall, right after introducing dancehall performer Agent Sasco to the stage,

“There’s an energy, and Jamaica has the energy right now. I love soca. We love soca… We gonna show the world that they should be here in Jamaica.”

The renowned “King of Soca,” Montano, performed at Wi Fete in Jamaica for the first time in eight years and provided classics from beginning to end. Those who weren’t already ardent followers of the soca king left the location with an impression of his magnificence, as he sent Sabina Park into a frenzy.

He played songs from his catalog of hits, including “Waiting on the Stage,” “Soca Kingdom,” “Light Yourself,” “Mr. Fete,” “Haunted,” “Like Ah Boss,” “Bend Over,” “Vibes Cyah Done,” and many others, leaving the audience in wonder.

When performing his classics like “Fire Go Bun Dem” (Year for Love), “Dear Promoter,” and “Cheers to Life,” among others, Voice, whose real name is Aaron St Louis, lived in the moment by giving his 100% in the performance.

Bunji Garlin, meantime, demonstrated why he has the moniker “the Viking” as he had partygoers gushing about not only his tracks but also his ability to freestyle, which kept bystanders yelling for him to stay on stage.

Garlin, whose real name is Ian Antonio Alvarez, recalled how he was booed off the stage during his debut performance in Jamaica. However, he was left to be in awe of the love he had experienced.

Garlin claimed that he has an unending affection for Jamaica and its people precisely because of his experience with the people and their music.

“When we are back home (Trinidad and Tobago), for every one soca song playing on the radio, plenty more dancehall music is playing. We love Jamaica. I cannot understand how people would say Jamaicans and Trinis don’t like each other.”

He sang a number of songs, including “Hard Fete,” “Famalay,” “Big Bad Soca,” “Carnival Tabanca,” “Differentology” (Ready for the Road), “Umbrella,” “Truck On D Road,” and “ATSA.”

The appearance of the “Princess of Soca,” Nailah Blackman, Skinny Fabulous, and Iwer George at Sabina Park was no exception. As she released songs like “Baila Mami,” “Badishh,” “Come Home,” and “Work Out,” to mention a few, Nailah used her distinctive

COP28 President-Designate Calls on G7 Countries to Deliver New Deal on Climate Finance

mercialize viable alternatives for high-emitting sectors, like hydrogen and carbon capture technologies. And we need to continue to make the energies the world relies on today as low carbon intensive as possible, ensuring energy security is maintained during a well-managed transition.

“Let’s remember that emissions are the enemy, not energy. We need maximum energy, minimum emissions to ensure sustainable economic and social development.”

the actions needed to deliver the climate deal of the decade. Let’s keep 1.5 alive. Let’s ensure sustainable economic and social growth for all our people. And let’s keep our eye on the prize… and that is holding back emissions, not progress.”

ABU DHABI, UAE - COP28 President-Designate, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, attending a Joint Meeting of G7 Ministers of Climate, Energy and the Environment, in Sapporo, Japan, stressed the urgency to increase public finance to fight climate change and accelerate a pragmatic energy transition.

Dr. Al Jaber called on G7 nations to help deliver a new deal on climate finance, to help kickstart progress on mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, particularly in developing nations.

“We must make a fairer deal for the Global South. Not enough is getting to the people and places that need it most. Developed countries first need to follow through on the 100 billion dollar pledge they made to developing countries over a decade ago.”

“The fact is that climate finance is nowhere near available, affordable or accessible enough. We need fundamental reform of international financial institutions to achieve both climate and development goals.”

The COP28 President-Designate called for “a massive course correction” to “ignite a transformational agenda that is pro-growth, proclimate and leaves no-one behind.”

On the global energy transition, Dr. Al Jaber said that the world needed to “triple renewable capacity by 2030 and increase it 6-fold by 2040 in order to bring the goals of the Paris Agreement within reach. He emphasized the need for investments in hydrogen, carbon capture and nuclear to help decarbonize heavy industry. Advocating for a pragmatic and well-managed energy transition, Dr. Al Jaber emphasized that the solutions we adopt should take into account differences between regions and countries and consider national circumstances, as long as we stay laser focused on reducing emissions.

“I am counting on you to pursue the policies and take the actions needed to deliver the climate deal of the decade. Let’s keep 1.5 alive. Let’s ensure sustainable economic and social growth for all our people. And let’s keep our eye on the prize… and that is holding back emissions, not progress.”

Dr. Sultan also met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to discuss Japan’s Presidency of the G7 and close cooperation on climate finance and IFI reform in the run up to COP28.

COP28 President-Designate, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, attending a Joint meeting of G7 Ministers of Climate, Energy and the Environment called on G7 nations to lead by example in making climate finance more accessible, more available, and more affordable, and to support efforts to accelerate a pragmatic energy transition.

COP28 President-Designate, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, attending a Joint meeting of G7 Ministers of Climate, Energy and the Environment called on G7 nations to lead by example in making climate finance more accessible, more available, and more affordable, and to support efforts to accelerate a pragmatic energy transition.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Al Jaber noted that world was falling behind on climate commitments, necessitating a massive course correction across mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and finance. He reiterated that the COP28 Presidency was keen to work with the G7 to deliver transformational change across each workstream.

“To get where we need to go, everyone must pull in the same direction. We must replace polarization with partnership, division with determination. That is why I am calling for a COP of Action, a COP of Unity, a COP of Solidarity, and a COP for All. We must act together to ignite a transformational agenda that is progrowth, pro-climate and leaves no-one behind.”

The Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment is part of a series of G7 Ministers’ meetings being held in Japan this month, under the country’s Presidency of the G7, and ahead of the Summit in Hiroshima in May. Dr. Al Jaber held bilateral meetings with ministers from India, Indonesia, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the US, emphasizing the need for more climate finance to enable a just energy transition in emerging economies.

Dr. Al Jaber called on G7 nations to deliver a new deal on climate finance to help accelerate climate action, from mitigation and adaptation, to loss and damage.

“We must make a fairer deal for the Global South. Not enough is getting to the people and places that need it most. Developed countries first need to follow through on the 100 billion dollar pledge they made to developing countries over a decade ago.”

“On top of that, the world needs to triple the amount of money by 2030 that is available for clean tech investment, adaptation finance and a just energy transition in emerging and developing countries. The fact is that climate finance is nowhere near available, affordable or accessible enough. We need fundamental reform of international financial institutions to achieve both climate and development goals.”

The COP28 President-Designate emphasized that the world was at risk of missing the mark on the Paris Agreement and overshooting climate targets. He stressed the need for an accelerated, just, and pragmatic energy transition.

“We need to triple renewable capacity by 2030 and increase it 6-fold by 2040. We need smart government regulation to incentivize and com-

Adding that climate finance was an impediment to delivering action, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, who traveled to Japan from the World Bank’s Spring Meetings in Washington D.C, stressed the need to reform international financial institutions and deliver on the $100 billion promised to developing countries.

“The global south is still waiting for developed economies to make good on the 100-billion-dollar climate finance pledge made over a decade ago. And they are rightly calling for fundamental reforms of IFIs and MDBs. The COP28 President-Designate underscored the need for solidarity and unity in driving climate action, adding, “The transformational progress we need will only happen through complete inclusivity.

No one can be on the side-lines. COP 28 must unite North and South, Governments and Industry, Science and Civil Society. I am counting on you to pursue the policies and take

Dr. Al Jaber also met in Tokyo this week with Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yoshimasa Hayashi, for discussions on climate action. During the meetings, Dr. Al Jaber highlighted the importance of building on the strategic partnership between the UAE and Japan, and the two nations’ bilateral commitment to accelerating the energy transition, ahead of COP28.

The COP28 President-Designate recognized the key role that Japan has played in advancing climate action, through the establishment of the Kyoto Protocol, the first international treaty to set legally binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, in 1997.

“The Kyoto Protocol represents a historic landmark in the international fight against climate change – the awakening of the need for global climate action,” Dr. Al Jaber said. “Now, COP28 in the UAE must deliver that action. The Global Stocktake will show just how far off course we are on global progress, and we will need to respond with a plan of action that is inclusive, ambitious and bold. We need a COP of Action and a COP for All.”

Jamaica, El Salvador Survive Big Challenges on CWU20Q Day 3

Olivia Smith notched a hat trick (21’, 25’, 45+1’), Rosa Maalouf (56’, 89’) and Ella McBride (81’, 87’) each had braces, while Nyah Rose (31’), Kayla Briggs (38’), Jadea Collin (55’), Annabelle Chukwu (70’) and Jeneva Hernandez Gray (72’) all added scores in another commanding win for Canada.

El Salvador 3 Martinique 1

Also, in Group A, El Salvador came away with another three points in a hard-fought 3-1 victory against Martinique.

In the lone contest of the day in Group B at the Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao, Panama defeated Bahamas 13-0.

Sherline King (3’, 13’, 61’) and Marissa Gross (17’, 19’, 32’) each had a hat trick, while Daniela Hincapie (48’, 89’) bagged a brace. Also adding their names to the scoresheet were Aaliyah Gil (29’), Meredith Rosas (45+1’), Dayane Madrid (66’) and Amanda Goldstein (83’), on top of a Bahamas own goal from Raynia Russell (36’).

In the nightcap, Jamaica gutted out a 2-0 triumph over Bermuda. The game’s first goal came in spectacular fashion in the 48’ as Shaneil Buckley powered home a shot from 25 yards out. Davia Richards then tacked on a late goal in second half stoppage time with a well-taken free kick from outside the area to seal the 2-0 win.

MIAMI, Florida – The teams in Group A, Group B and Group E of Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship Qualifying returned to action on Sunday with most sides playing their second match of the tournament.

Canada 12 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Canada made it two wins in two games in Group A with a 12-0 victory over Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

Dariella Lopez gave El Salvador a 1-0 lead in the 7’, but just nine minutes later it was 1-1 when Eden Dincuff equalized for Martinique from the penalty spot.

But after coming on as a substitute midway through the first half, Karoline Velasquez would score a go-ahead goal for her side in the 44’ and then Kelsey Villatoro completed the 3-1 scoreline with an insurance goal in the 62’.

Panama 13 Bahamas 0

Honduras 9 Anguilla 0 Group E was back at it at the Estadio Nacional in Managua, Nicaragua, where Honduras marched to another victory in a 9-0 final with Anguilla.

Katherine Luna starred with four goals (7’, 16’, 19’, 70’), while Anyeli Rodriguez (32’, 48’) had a pair of scores and was joined on the scoresheet by Iveth Ramos (21’), Karla Calix (57’) and Emelly Chicas (79’).

The teams in Group A, Group B and Group E will return to the playing field on Tuesday. In Group A at the Estadio Panamericano, El Salvador will seek their third win of the tournament when they take on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while Martinique will tangle with Cuba.

Panama will have a third win in three games in their sights in Group B at the Rignaal Jean Francisca Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao, as they square off with Sint Maarten. Meanwhile, in Group E at the Estadio Nacional in Managua, Bermuda will first meet Anguilla, followed by a primetime affair between unbeaten sides Jamaica and Honduras.

Courtney Walsh Out As Head Coach of West Indies Women’s Team

Assistant coaches Robert Samuels and Corey Collymore are out too; recruitment process to find replacements to begin soon

Cricket West Indies has decided not to renew the contracts of West Indies women’s head coach Courtney Walsh and assistant coaches Robert Samuels and Corey Collymore following a review of the team’s performance in recent times.

“We are very grateful for the contribution of Courtney and his technical team over the past two and a half years and we wish them all the best going forward,” CWI director of cricket Jimmy Adams said in

a statement. “CWI remains committed to our international women’s programme and will now be focusing on recruiting a new Head Coach and technical support team. An interim technical support team will be put in place during the recruitment period.”

Under Walsh, who took over from Gus Logie in October 2020, West Indies have won seven out of 24 T20Is and 11 out of 32 ODIs. The most noteworthy performances of the team in this period were the home and away series wins against Pakistan in 2021 and their run to the semi-final at the 2022 50-over World Cup.

In the recent T20 World Cup in South Africa, West Indies failed to qualify for the

knockouts after winning just two matches - against Pakistan and Ireland - in the group stage.

One of the big developments during Walsh’s tenure was Deandra Dottin’s sudden retirement from international cricket. At the time of announcing her decision, Dottin had written on social media, “There have been many obstacles during my cricket career that I have had to overcome[.] [H]owever, the current climate and team environment has been non-conducive to my ability to thrive and reignite my passion.”