Black Immigrant Daily News

Dans le cadre de la journée internationale de sensibilisation au deuil périnatal, l’association Zétwal An Syèl organise une rencontre ce samedi 15 octobre, de 10h à 18h, à La Familiale de Fond Pérèz, à Saint-Joseph.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Rescue workers using drones and trained dogs searched for survivors Monday following a massive landslide in central Venezuela, as the death toll rose to 34 and residents described harrowing tales of escape from the water and mud.

Jose Medina recalled how the water streaming into his home in the town of Las Tejer?as on Saturday night had reached waist level. He and his family were trapped, he realised.

So the 63-year-old turned his refrigerator sideways, opened its door and used it as a boat for his granddaughter. Meanwhile, he held on to the fridge with his wife, and pinned it to a table so that the strong currents of water would not push them downstream.

Medina described their survival as a “miracle.”

“I’m happy that we’re alive but I’m also sad,” said the retired construction worker who lost his home and all of his belongings.

His plight began when torrential rains caused by Hurricane Julia unleashed mudslides and floods that destroyed several mountainside neighbourhoods in Las Tejerias.

On Monday, Venezuelan officials said at least 34 people died in the flooding and 60 are missing following the worst natural disaster to hit the cash-strapped South American country in recent years.

In Las Tejerias, a city of 50,000 people located along Venezuela’s main industrial corridor, crews were using heavy machinery to clear debris from neighbourhoods whose streets were still blocked with mud. Meanwhile, rescue workers used drones and dogs to find people buried under the debris.

“We are still hoping to find people that can be saved” said Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as she toured one of the neighbourhoods affected by the mudslides.

For those who survived, the country’s dire economic situation will make recovery more challenging.

Medina said his pension – which is pegged to Venezuela’s monthly minimum wage – is worth just $17 a month. Now he will depend on government assistance to survive, but added that he considers himself lucky that he did not lose relatives in the mudslide.

Venezuelan authorities said 317 homes in Las Tejerias were wiped out by the mudslide and another 750 homes sustained damage.

Residents said they only had minutes to leave their homes late Saturday, as the avalanche of mud, rocks and tree logs swept over several hillside neighbourhoods in the city.

Some people were praying at an evangelical church when the mudslide occurred, while others were at a children’s party residents said. Several children are among the missing.

Venezuelan president Nicol?s Maduro on Sunday declared three days of mourning for the victims and sent rescue workers to Las Tejerias, which lies along a highway that connects Caracas to the industrial city of Valencia. Maduro said that 11 states in the country sustained damage from floods over the weekend.

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By MAT?AS DELACROIX and JUAN PABLO ARR?EZ

Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda contributed from Caracas

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The Antigua and Barbuda High Commission in London will be hosting its second annual United Kingdom-Antigua and Barbuda Business Forum from 6th to 10 th November, 2022.

The event is the brainchild of High Commissioner Karen-Mae Hill and seeks to identify, promote and connect trade and investment opportunities for Antiguan and Barbudan businesses in the UK market.

It will be held in the same week as the annual World Travel Market in London and will involve close collaboration with the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

Exhibitors from Antigua and Barbuda will have the opportunity to showcase their goods and services at various customised events to include the World Travel Market. They will gain information on the entry requirements for the United Kingdom including exporting, standards, marketing, transportation and logistics as well as explore opportunities under the UK-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement.

The exhibitors will also interact with UK media and engage in targeted Business to Business (B2B) exchanges that will provide important networking and potential investment opportunities.

As is customary, the Forum includes elements of celebration of Antigua and Barbuda’s political independence and diaspora engagement and will feature several wider events to promote Antigua and Barbuda.

The Opening Ceremony will conclude with the London screening of the Environmental Awareness Group’s documentary – “Redonda: The Road to Recovery” which chronicles the restoration and transformation of this Island. The film will also be screened in Leicester, another diaspora hub for Antiguans and Barbudans.

The week will also host the launch of the book by celebrated author Pamela Roberts titled The Adventures of a Black Edwardian Scholar: The Story of James Arthur Harley. It is the compelling story of an Antiguan who studied at Howard, Yale and Oxford Universities in the early 20th century and became a priest and later a Councillor and whose life provides an interesting study on the intersection of race, identity, academics, religion and politics. The foreword to the book was written by High Commissioner Karen-Mae Hill.

Nine businesses will participate in the Forum: Grannie Annie Pepper Sauce, Neem Avenue, Crispa Chips, Shell Beach Sea Food Company, Sarafina Savoury Caribbean Pudding, 2SIX8 Craft Brewery, Antigua Distillery Ltd., Miss Ellie Stuffed Dumplings and BWC Enterprises which is a coconut-based company. They will be joined by the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Trade has commended the initiative and said that trade promotion and securing international investment is central to Antigua and Barbuda’s economic development policy.

“These forums provide an invaluable opportunity to expose Antigua and Barbuda’s entrepreneurs to important opportunities in key markets like the United Kingdom and equally to exhibit Antigua and Barbuda as an attractive destination for British investment. Trade has always been a force for good in the world. It helps to raise living standards and provide economic opportunity and prosperity for our people”, the Minister said.

The Resident British High Commissioner to Antigua and Barbuda, Lindsy Thompson also commended the trade initiative between both nations. She said, “I’d like to congratulate all those involved in making the second UK Business Forum come to life. The British High Commission St John’s and the UK’s Department for International Trade are proud to be able to engage in this important event, particularly on how Antiguan and Barbudan businesses can harness the benefits of the UK/CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement, which is governs trade between our two nations. This event further highlights the close relationship the UK and Antigua and Barbuda enjoys: and one the UK wants to continue to grow. The products of many of the businesses being showcased in the UK in November are enjoyed by not just my family here in Antigua and Barbuda, but guests to our High Commission. I’m thrilled that the UK market will soon be able to enjoy them too.”

Several public and private sector partners have contributed to making the Forum possible. The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) who will be hosting the B2B exchanges at its offices, the law firm Georgiev, Todorov & Co., the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), the UK Department for International Trade (DIT), Caribbean Export, the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Trade and the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

The exhibitors participated in a pre-departure briefing session on Tuesday 11th October jointly developed by the High Commission, the Antigua Barbuda Investment Authority, the Ministry of Trade and the British High Commission St. John’s.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

One year after two suspected bandits, who were wanted for the murder of a 19-year-old man, were shot dead by the Police, a coroner’s inquest into the wanted men’s death commenced today at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

According to a notice published by the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature, Sueanna Lovell, the deceased persons in the matter are Kwase Jupiter and David Smith.

City Magistrate Annette Singh will act as the coroner. A total of 22 witnesses, most of whom are Police ranks, are listed to testify in the proceedings.

An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person’s death and if anyone is to be held liable.

Jupiter and Smith were shot dead on October 2, 2021, during a shootout with the Police at Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown.

Shot dead by the Police: David Smith (left) and Kwase Jupiter

Jupiter called “Ding Docker” and Smith, called “Burlyn” were wanted for the September 30, 2021, murder of 19-year-old Joshua Denny, an electrician of Festival City, Georgetown, who was shot dead during a robbery.

According to reports, at the time of the shootout, Police were acting on information received that the suspects, who had eluded Police in Albouystown, Georgetown, on October 1, 2021, were in the Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown area.

As ranks closed in on the suspects, there was an exchange of gunfire between the two men and Police officers during which the suspected bandits were fatally shot. Police confirmed that two firearms, along with eight rounds of 9mm ammunition, were recovered from the scene.

During a search in the Albouystown area, cops managed to recover several items, including a haversack, a motorcycle, a licence plate, face masks, a helmet and other motorcycle parts that were used during the robbery.

It was reported that when the Police received information about the suspects’ whereabouts, they swooped down on a location in Albouystown, but went to the wrong house.

It was during that time an aunt of one of the suspects, a businesswoman in the community, hid her nephew and his accomplice in her home until the Police left.

Joshua Denny was shot and killed by bandits

On the day Denny, who was expecting his first child, was killed, eyewitnesses who described the incident as bizarre, said the gunmen bolted with the man’s gold chain after shooting him. The young man was killed moments after leaving home for work at approximately 07:20h.

The man was found by his sister, Felicia Denny, shortly after the incident, lying on the roadway with blood oozing from his chest. She said that her brother called her minutes after he had left home, informing her that he had been shot.

Upon rushing to the scene, she found him in a critical state. This publication had reported that the now dead man had left for work before, but returned home to use the washroom.

It was when he left home for the second time that he was attacked and shot two houses away from where he lived. He was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, but died while undergoing emergency surgery.

Meanwhile, in 2019, Jupiter was charged for robbery under arms and the unlawful possession of ammunition. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison. At the time of his demise, he had just been released from prison.

Smith, on the other hand, was arrested and charged in May 2021 for robbery under arms and discharging a loaded firearm.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Digicel Group has been shortlisted for both the Global Carrier Awards and the World Communication Awards.

Entering the category for “Best Environmental, Social, Governmental (ESG) Initiative” in the Global Carrier Awards, this submission looked at the extensive work the Digicel Haiti Foundation has done in the field of education throughout the nation.

Digicel has built 188 schools, resulting in more than 100,000 Haitian children accessing education in a Digicel-built school each day.

The “Best ESG Initiative” category recognises initiatives that are changing the world in the environmental, societal, state and government spheres, including charity initiatives, corporate environmental commitments now or for the future, or anything in the CSR space.

For the World Communication Awards, Digicel was shortlisted in two categories, the “Social Contribution Award”, again for the work of the Digicel Haiti Foundation in education and the “Customer Experience Award” for work done to improve customer experience and to go above and beyond when it comes to putting the customer first.

The “Social Contribution Award” celebrates the service provider demonstrating the greatest positive impact on the market it seeks to address, while the “Customer Experience Award” will go to the service provider that proves to have the best all-round experience for its customer whilst enhancing the trust bonds with its customers in an increasingly digital world.

Oliver Coughlan, Digicel Group CEO said: “Each year, we take a look at the work Digicel has done in a number of areas and determine which aspects can stand tall in a global playing field. While we mostly operate in small island nations, we have a big impact and we are all immensely proud of the work we do in the markets we serve.

“Being shortlisted for these awards is a tremendous honour, and validates the work we have been doing. Getting to this stage took a collective effort, so I’d like to give a big thank you to all the teams across the business who have been working extremely hard to make this a possibility, especially in Haiti where, despite the challenges, we continue to do our best to create a world where no one gets left behind.”

The Global Carrier Awards will be held on October 19 at The O?, London and the World Communication Awards on November 1 at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London.

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