SUNDAY UPDATE: LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) -- The death toll from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti soared on Sunday as rescuers raced to find survivors amid the rubble ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching tropical storm.

Saturday's earthquake left at least 724 dead and 2,800 injured in the Caribbean island nation, with thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes. Survivors in some areas were forced to shelter in streets or soccer fields with their few salvaged belongings while overloaded hospitals scrambled to help those who were injured. #Yet the devastation could soon worsen with the coming of Tropical Storm Grace, which was predicted to reach Haiti late Monday or early Tuesday, bringing the potential for torrential rain, flooding and landslides. #The U.S. National Hurricane Center forecast 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimetres) of rain in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with up to 15 inches in some southern parts of the island they share.The earthquake struck the southwestern part of the hemisphere's poorest nation, almost razing some towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts in a country already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and a wave of gang violence. #FROM SATURDAY: #By EVENS SANON and TAMMY WEBBER Associated Press #PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 304 people and injuring at least 1,800 others as buildings tumbled into rubble. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients. #The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometres (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and widespread damage was reported in the hemisphere's poorest nations as a tropical storm also bore down. photo An aerial view of the Hotel Le Manguier destroyed by an earthquake, in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometres (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo / Ralph Tedy Erol) #Haiti's civil protection agency said on Twitter that the death toll stood at 304, most in the country's south. Rescue workers and bystanders were able to pull many people to safety from the rubble. The agency said injured people were still being delivered to hospitals. #Henry declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he would not ask for international help until the extent of the damages was known. He said some towns were almost completely razed and the government had people in the coastal town of Les Cayes to help plan and coordinate the response. #"The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble," said Henry. "We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people."

Saturday's earthquake left at least 724 dead and 2,800 injured in the Caribbean island nation, with thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes. Survivors in some areas were forced to shelter in streets or soccer fields with their few salvaged belongings while overloaded hospitals scrambled to help those who were injured.

Yet the devastation could soon worsen with the coming of Tropical Storm Grace, which was predicted to reach Haiti late Monday or early Tuesday, bringing the potential for torrential rain, flooding and landslides.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center forecast 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimetres) of rain in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with up to 15 inches in some southern parts of the island they share.The earthquake struck the southwestern part of the hemisphere's poorest nation, almost razing some towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts in a country already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and a wave of gang violence.

FROM SATURDAY:

By EVENS SANON and TAMMY WEBBER Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 304 people and injuring at least 1,800 others as buildings tumbled into rubble. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients.

The epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometres (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and widespread damage was reported in the hemisphere's poorest nations as a tropical storm also bore down.

Haiti's civil protection agency said on Twitter that the death toll stood at 304, most in the country's south. Rescue workers and bystanders were able to pull many people to safety from the rubble. The agency said injured people were still being delivered to hospitals.

Henry declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he would not ask for international help until the extent of the damages was known. He said some towns were almost completely razed and the government had people in the coastal town of Les Cayes to help plan and coordinate the response.

"The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble," said Henry. "We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people."

 

AMERICAN anti-virus software founder John McAfee, pictured, was found dead in his cell at a Barcelona prison in an apparent suicide, according to international reports.

The discovery came hours after Spanish officials agreed to extradite him to the US to face tax evasion charges. The 75-year-old founder of McAfee antivirus software had grabbed headlines locally for a series of wild tweets in which he made unsubstantiated claims of corruption against Bahamian officials. #In 2019, Police Commissioner Paul Rolle, who was acting deputy commissioner at the time, threatened to take action against the Bitcoin millionaire after the latter unleashed a tweet storm, making claims about corruption in the US government and among Bahamian officials. #Commissioner Rolle also said he did not know McAfee. #In 2020, McAfee alleged he had bribed a police officer in 2018 to secure weapons found on his yacht at the time. #In response, police said all officials had acted appropriately in the 2018 incident and noted the weapons still remained in their custody at the time. #Police also maintained last year that no cash was exchanged between McAfee and “any of the Bahamian authorities” despite allegations saying otherwise. #McAfee had been declared a US fugitive over tax evasion. #He was also indicted in a New York court for allegedly bilking bitcoin investors out of millions of dollars.

The discovery came hours after Spanish officials agreed to extradite him to the US to face tax evasion charges. The 75-year-old founder of McAfee antivirus software had grabbed headlines locally for a series of wild tweets in which he made unsubstantiated claims of corruption against Bahamian officials.

In 2019, Police Commissioner Paul Rolle, who was acting deputy commissioner at the time, threatened to take action against the Bitcoin millionaire after the latter unleashed a tweet storm, making claims about corruption in the US government and among Bahamian officials.

Commissioner Rolle also said he did not know McAfee.

In 2020, McAfee alleged he had bribed a police officer in 2018 to secure weapons found on his yacht at the time.

In response, police said all officials had acted appropriately in the 2018 incident and noted the weapons still remained in their custody at the time.

Police also maintained last year that no cash was exchanged between McAfee and “any of the Bahamian authorities” despite allegations saying otherwise.

McAfee had been declared a US fugitive over tax evasion.

He was also indicted in a New York court for allegedly bilking bitcoin investors out of millions of dollars.

 

Derek Chauvin has been convicted on all charges.

The maximum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is imprisonment of not more than 40 years. The maximum sentence for third-degree murder is imprisonment of not more than 25 years. The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is 10 years and/or $20,000.

Derek Chauvin was found: 

GUILTY - The second-degree unintentional murder charge, Chauvin caused Floyd's death "without intent" while committing or attempting to commit felony third-degree assault. In turn, third-degree assault is defined as the intentional infliction of substantial bodily harm.

GUILTY - The third-degree murder charge, Chauvin caused Floyd's death by "perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life."

GUILTY - The second-degree manslaughter charge, Chauvin caused Floyd's death by "culpable negligence whereby the person creates an unreasonable risk, and consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm."

According to the Wikipedia article, Derek Chauvin is an American former police officer and convicted murderer who killed George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020. 

During an arrest made by Chauvin and three other officers, he knelt on Floyd's neck for about nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed, lying face down on the street calling out "I can't breathe". The next day, Chauvin was fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. He is charged with second-degree murder and lesser included offenses. The incident set off a series of protests in the Twin Cities and across the rest of the United States, later spreading around the world. Chauvin was released on bail on October 7, 2020. His murder trial began on March 8, 2021.The trial concluded on April 20, 2021, finding him guilty on all charges.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Chauvin

The Bahamas’ regressive tax structure is exacerbating inequalities in the country, the United Nations (UN) Common Country Analysis 2020 on The Bahamas points out, adding that this country is one of only a few in the region not collecting corporate or income taxes.

The UN report adds that the tax intake is one of the lowest in the region, while contending that raising that intake rate to the regional average could help the country finance projects that work toward satisfying the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due in 2030.

SDG number ten, which calls for reduced inequalities, is being affected by government’s continued use of regressive tax methods.

Those methods, under recommendation by the Economic Recovery Committee, are to be re-evaluated.

“While the government has made a substantial effort to increase its spending, especially through the introduction of a value-added tax (VAT) in 2015, it is still hesitant to levy income tax, either corporate or personal,” the report states.

“The argument is that not levying an income tax is part of the country’s development strategy, but under the current circumstances, it seems untenable to maintain that position in the long run.

“Revenue increased from 12.8 percent of GDP in 2013 to 16.4 per cent in 2018, a substantial increase, but still a long way off from the average for Latin America and the Caribbean, which stood at 23.9 per cent in 2018. While the introduction of the VAT may have expanded the tax base, it did so in a highly regressive way, disadvantaging the poor and exacerbating existing inequalities.”

According to the UN, only a small percentage of the government’s revenue is currently being used to get the country close to achieving the 2030 SDGs.

The UN suggests that the government create an enabling environment for private sector development in order to achieve the SDGs.

“Opportunities to increase levels of private sector participation and introduce private sector technology and innovation for both economic and social value must continue to be explored in order to meet the financing gap,” the report states.

“Another source of private funding is through charity. The Bahamas benefits from a very active civil society that can help direct resources specific to those left furthest behind.”