International
Rare Blue Supermoon Mesmerizes Stargazers Around the Globe
On Wednesday night, stargazers around the world were treated to a mesmerizing sight as a rare blue supermoon graced the skies. The breathtaking phenomenon could be witnessed illuminating the skylines around the world. Photographer Kelvin Titley captured these images in the British Virgin Islands.
Adding to the celestial spectacle, Saturn made an appearance alongside the moon, delighting those fortunate enough to have clear skies for viewing.
Contrary to its name, a ‘blue’ moon does not refer to the color of the moon but rather to the occurrence of a second full moon within a single calendar month. This event takes place approximately once every two or three years. However, this particular blue moon was even more special as it was unusually close to Earth, earning the title of a ‘supermoon’.
Given its close proximity to Earth, the supermoon appeared larger and brighter than usual, at a distance of approximately 222,043 miles (357,344 km). In comparison, the previous supermoon on August 1 was over 100 miles (160 km) farther away. The captivating event provided a spectacular backdrop for photographers, with the moon even displaying a reddish hue in some images.
Business
Government Launches Consultation on Beneficial Ownership Transparency
The Virgin Islands government has commenced a public consultation on the rights of access to beneficial ownership information, an initiative aimed at enhancing transparency and aligning with evolving international standards. Premier Hon. Natalio D. Wheatley announced the development during the first press conference of 2025 on January 24.
“Last Friday, the government of the Virgin Islands launched its consultation on the rights of access to beneficial ownership information, marking a significant step in our ongoing commitment to transparency and international collaboration,” stated Premier Wheatley.
The consultation comes in the context of global discussions about publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership. These discussions, particularly between the United Kingdom, its overseas territories, and Crown dependencies, centre on balancing the need for transparency in addressing illicit financial activity with the protection of privacy and prevention of misuse of sensitive information.
Premier Wheatley referenced the recent European Court of Justice ruling, which highlighted the importance of protecting legitimate privacy rights while promoting global transparency efforts. In response, the Virgin Islands is considering a system of access based on legitimate interests, ensuring that access to sensitive information is proportionate and subject to stringent safeguards.
“This shift reflects an evolving understanding of the need to balance transparency and fairness while ensuring that access to sensitive information is purposeful, proportionate, and subject to stringent safeguards,” said Premier Wheatley.
The consultation represents a step towards refining the Virgin Islands’ framework for beneficial ownership information access, in line with international best practices and expectations. It aims to address the challenges associated with implementing a globally consistent approach to beneficial ownership registers.
Premier Wheatley called for stakeholder participation, stating, “Your insights will be vital in shaping a framework that not only addresses the concerns of the global community, but also upholds the integrity of our financial services sector.”
The financial services industry remains a significant contributor to the Virgin Islands’ economy.
International
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order, Calling It Unconstitutional
International
President Biden Pardons Marcus Garvey, Recognising Legacy of Black Nationalism
WASHINGTON (AP) — United States President Joe Biden on Sunday, January 19, posthumously pardoned black nationalist and Jamaican National Hero Marcus Garvey, who influenced Malcolm X and other civil rights leaders and was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s. Also receiving pardons were a top Virginia lawmaker and advocates for immigrant rights, criminal justice reform and gun violence prevention.
Congressional leaders had pushed for Biden to pardon Garvey, with supporters arguing that Garvey’s conviction was politically motivated and an effort to silence the increasingly popular leader who spoke of racial pride. After Garvey was convicted, he was deported to Jamaica, where he was born. He died in 1940.
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr said of Garvey: “He was the first man, on a mass scale and level” to give millions of black people “a sense of dignity and destiny.”
It’s not clear whether Biden, who leaves office Monday, will pardons people who have been criticised or threatened by President-elect Donald Trump.
Issuing pre-emptive pardons — for actual or imagined offences by Trump’s critics that could be investigated or prosecuted by the incoming administration — would stretch the powers of the presidency in untested ways.
Biden has set the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued. He announced on Friday that he was commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offences. He also gave a broad pardon for his son Hunter, who was prosecuted for gun and tax crimes.
The president has announced he was commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just as Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. In his first term, Trump presided over an unprecedented number of executions, 13, in a protracted timeline during the coronavirus pandemic.
A pardon relieves a person of guilt and punishment. A commutation reduces or eliminates the punishment, but doesn’t exonerate the wrongdoing.
Among those pardoned on Sunday were:
— Don Scott, who is the speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in a chamber narrowly controlled by Democrats. He was convicted of a drug offence in 1994 and served eight years in prison. He was elected to the Virginia legislature in 2019, and later became the first black speaker.
“I am deeply humbled to share that I have received a Presidential Pardon from President Joe Biden for a mistake I made in 1994 — one that changed the course of my life and taught me the true power of redemption,” Scott said in a statement.
—Immigrant rights activist Ravi Ragbir, who was convicted of a non-violent offence in 2001 and was sentenced to two years in prison and was facing deportation to Trinidad and Tobago.
—Kemba Smith Pradia, who was convicted of a drug offence in 1994 and sentenced to 24 years behind bars. She has since become a prison reform activist. President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence in 2000.
—Darryl Chambers of Wilmington, Delaware, a gun violence prevention advocate who was convicted of a drug offence and sentenced to 17 years in prison. He studies and writes about gun violence prevention.
Biden commuted the sentences of two people:
—Michelle West, who was serving life in prison for her role in a drug conspiracy case in the early 1990s. West has a daughter who has written publicly about the struggle of growing up with a mother behind bars.
—Robin Peoples, who was convicted of robbing banks in northwest Indiana in the late 1990s and was sentenced to 111 years in prison. The White House said in a statement that Peoples would have faced significantly lower sentences today under current laws.
By Colleen Long, Associated Press
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