Men’s mile relay, Gittens qualify for Commonwealth finals

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Sports

Tyra Gittens of Trinidad and Tobago competes in the women’s long jump qualification, in the Alexander Stadium, at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on Friday. (AP PHOTO) –

THE TRINIDAD and Tobago men’s 4×400-metre (mile) team and long jumper Tyra Gittens both advanced to finals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on Friday.

The TT quartet of Dwight St Hillaire, Che Lara, Machel Cedenio and Kashief King clocked three minutes, 7.12 seconds (3:07.12) to finish third in heat two of round one. TT are expected to strengthen their team for the final with Jereem Richards and Asa Guevara available.

The final will be held at 3.30 pm TT time, on Sunday.

Kenya won heat two in a season’s best time of 3:06.76 and India were second in 3:06.97 to earn spots in the final.

Barbados faded in the final leg of the race, but finished fourth in 3:07.23 to book a place in the final.

Four teams also qualified for the final from heat one – Botswana (3:05.11), Jamaica (3:05.20), Zambia (3:06.02) and Nigeria (3:06.36).

Gittens finished sixth in Group A in the women’s long jump qualifying round to advance to the final.

She jumped 6.18m on her first attempt, fouled her second effort and leaped 6.28m on her third, which was enough to qualify. Australian Brooke Buschkuehl won Group A with a 6.84m performance.

A total of 13 athletes qualified for the final on Sunday at 2.05 pm.

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BCF Concerned Over The Number Of Inmates Returning After Release – St. Lucia Times News

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

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Director of Corrections Hilary Herman has described the reintegration of inmates into society after serving their time as the the ‘missing link’ at the Bordelais Correctional Facility (BCF).

“The reintegration piece which is the missing link in our Bordelais Correctional Facility – that doesn’t exist,” Herman disclosed during an interview broadcast this week by the National Television Network (NTN).

“And where it shows itself is when we have forty-seven individuals returning to the facility between March 26th and July 30th. With forty-seven individuals returning to the facility, which means that they have been to Bordelais at least twice,” he explained.

Herman said in not preparing inmates for the world outside, there’s no support system to help them and no guidance.

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As a result, he asserted, the chances are that the cycle of imprisonment will continue.

In this regard, he explained that groups such as Back On Track Inc, a non-government organisation conducting a prison ministry to readjust inmates, could be instrumental in reintegration.

Herman also said another of the BCF’s needs is inmate assessment.

“That right now we do not have and that’s a barrier. We need to assess the inmates,” he stated, adding that the institution desperately needs a Psychologist.

The Director of Corrections indicated that if the BCF cannot make inmate assessments, no accurate picture of sentence management would emerge.

“The inmate should be assessed at day one and from the very day he comes into our institution, his sentence should be managed until the day he leaves,” Herman stated.

He said the absence of that process was also a missing link.

The current population at BCF is 514. 190 are Male Sentenced and 304 are Male Remand. Six are Male Juveniles, 4 are female sentenced and 10 are female Remand inmates.

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¿Dónde y cuándo apreciar mejor las Perseidas?: la lluvia de meteoritos más grande y vistosa del año está al caer

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Radio Isla TV

Las Perseidas o ‘lágrimas de San Lorenzo’, el espectáculo celeste que cada mes de agosto alumbra el firmamento, podría quedar ‘deslucido’ este año por la Luna llena. La NASA advierte que la noche del 12 al 13 de agosto, en el periodo de mayor intensidad de la vistosa lluvia de meteoros, el satélite natural de la Tierra se encontrará en su fase de mayor visibilidad, pudiendo interferir en la observación del fenómeno astronómico.

No obstante, si se encuentra a la intemperie en la medianoche del 12 al 13 de agosto, la agencia espacial aconseja mirar al cielo: quizá tenga suerte y vea los meteoros más brillantes.

It’s a shine off!
This year’s Perseids meteor shower will have to contend with the full Moon’s brightness. Look up if you’re outside after midnight (local time) on Aug. 12 or 13, when it’ll be at its peak–you might be lucky and see the brightest ones. https://t.co/vFkqWhKOmi pic.twitter.com/iPP9lsYmzx

— NASA (@NASA) August 1, 2022

El fenómeno se puede apreciar entre el 17 de julio y el 24 de agosto, aunque es necesario determinar la fecha óptima para ver la mayor cantidad de estrellas fugaces sin que la observación se vea interferida por la Luna. Según el portal Xataka, este día es el 6 de agosto.

Ese día el ocaso de la Luna tendrá lugar a una hora temprana: a las 1:58 en España; a las 1:35 en Mexico y a las 2:12 en Argentina. A partir de esas horas, nada impedirá disfrutar de la maravillosa vista de las estrellas fugaces.

En cualquier caso, lo más importante es alejarse de las ciudades, que pueden opacar todo el cielo estrellado con su luz artificial. Los expertos recomiendan ir a poblaciones pequeñas y zonas de montaña para obtener condiciones ideales para la observación.

Las Perseidas son fragmentos del cometa Swift-Tuttle, una bola de polvo helada que orbita alrededor del Sol cada 133 años. Todos los años la Tierra pasa cerca de la trayectoria del cometa y sus restos se queman al penetrar en nuestra atmósfera, creando la lluvia más popular de meteoros.

Noticia original de RT en Español.

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11 graduate with EMT and AEMT certificates

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: The BVI Beacon

It was an occasion of pomp and circumstance for 11 people who received their basic and advanced emergency medical technician certifications. Some completed their advanced EMT certificates while others will step into the role for the first time.

During a ceremony in the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital lobby last Thursday, Emergency Medical Services Supervisor Deon Sagala said that the occasion was a “long time coming for the Virgin Islands.”

“Usually in the past you would have to leave the island for training or the advanced certificate. Now we are able to train our own people locally and upgrade them to advanced EMTs as well,” he said. “As it stands, we have nine EMTs who are promoted to advanced EMTs in our department, which makes me very happy because this increases the quality of care we are able to
provide to the public.”

The feat was possible through a collaboration between the BVIHSA and the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, according to Dr. Arlene Smith-Thompson, HLSCC’s vice president of academic affairs.

She said that the first cohort of trainees began their journey in 2020. In this second cohort of trainees, five people received their basic EMT certificates and six people received their advanced EMT certificates during last week’s ceremony after beginning their course in January 2021. Four of those who received their certificates were employees of the BVIHSA.

Student respondent Kevin Burgess recollected the challenges that the students faced during the “extended course,” including having to resort to online classes during the pandemic.

He told his classmates to “never give up” and to “stay motivated” throughout their careers. Acting BVIHSA CEO Dr. June Samuel said that conversations about increasing the territory’s capacity to train EMTs began around 2017.

“I am so excited today to see here today in 2022, we have achieved that,” she said.

Dr. Samuel noted that the two organisations will take their collaboration into other areas in the future.

Health and Social Development Minister Marlon Penn said that the programme would continue to receive financial support to ensure its progression.

“The field of EMTs is a very important cog in the healthcare provision in this territory because you are the first responders,” said Mr. Penn while commending existing EMTs for their commitment despite challenges like Hurricane Irma and the pandemic.

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Rolling average for COVID cases drops significantly, but is this real? Loop Cayman Islands

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Cayman Compass

Wednesday’s reported seven day rolling average for COVID cases, as per numbers recorded by Cayman’s Department of Public Health was 41, the lowest 7-day rolling average in recent months and three cases lower than the rolling average reported for the first two days of the month. While this has been an ongoing trend in recent weeks, it begs the question- is this a function of actual declining cases or a reduction in testing due to the elimination of COVID-testing requirements for travelers?

The response to that question is not cut and dry. Statistics since May have shown a progressive decrease in the seven day rolling average case count. The seven-day rolling average was 44 for August 1 and 2, 43 for July 28 and 42 for July 27. This is in sharp contrast to weeks prior; for example, on July 19, the seven day rolling average was 56, on July 13 it was 65, on June 28 it was 58, on June 1 it was 72, on May 30 it was 77, on May 26 it was 98, on May 24 it was 116 and on May 20 it was 121. This dates back to pre-elimination of testing requirements for travelers to the Cayman Islands, which went into effect on June 30.

Between July 24-30, local data shows a continuing decline in COVID-cases detected. The number of cases detected fell from 323 to 310 cases, with the case rate declining by 4 per cent to 447 cases per 100,000 population from 466 cases per 100,000 population.

Globally, the reported number of cases also decreased during the last week by 9 per cent compared to the week prior.

In its weekly report, the World Health Organization pointed out that the current global trends in reported cases should be interpreted with caution as several countries have been progressively changing COVID-19 testing strategies, resulting in lower overall numbers of tests performed and, consequently, lower numbers of cases detected.

Cayman’s Department of Public Health has responded to the trend, stating:

Whilst the number of detected cases has decreased, a reduction in transmission is not necessarily reflected by other data indicators. Preventative measures including good hand hygiene, home isolation for those positive, wearing of masks in public and uptake of the vaccine continue to be advised to reduce the risk of infection.

Indeed, the reduction in COVID numbers could very well be a function of reduced testing. The number of PCR tests conducted between July 24 and 30 decreased by 16 per cent from 724 to 610 tests, while the test positivity increased by 11 per cent to be 50 per cent for the most recent weekly assessment. The graph below shows that the positivity rate has not been decreasing.

Source: Department of Public Health

Statistics with respect to hospitalizations also shed some light on whether the trend in recorded cases is actually reflective of an actual decline. The hospitalization numbers, while consistently quite low, are not declining.

Department of Public Health

Eight new hospital admissions were registered between July 24 and 30, one less than the previous week. Of the eight new admissions, 3 were admitted due to COVID-19 morbidity and 5 were detected on screening. A total of 11 patients required inpatient treatment, a decrease from 15 patients in the previous week.

This week, the CDC said it was tracking a new “variant of concern” dubbed BA.4.6. So far, there is little data on whether BA.4.6 is more transmissible than previous Omicron subvariants, but what is certain is that with the absence of a testing requirement it is not whether but when it will arrive in Cayman.

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Caymanians can now get all of their vitamins and supplements online Loop Cayman Islands

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Cayman Compass

George Town Vitamin & supplements store, Waa Supp Ltd has launched a full service supplement business in the Cayman Islands. Waa Supp is an online only retailer, offering delivery within 5 business days.

Waa Supp stocks reputable brands, such as Optimum Nutrition and BSN. Optimum Nutrition has won numerous awards from Bodybuilding.com and their Whey Protein offering is considered the most popular whey protein in the industry.

“We know how tough it is to find reliable brands that are affordable, especially in the Cayman Islands. That is why we do it all for you. The Waa Supp team have curated a list of the top products, that we have personally used in the past, so we are able to give our customers advice on how to use our products,” said John Fleming- CEO Waa Supp Ltd.

The Waa Supp website was not only built to be the main point-of-sale, but also an advice hub on fitness in the Cayman Islands. The article section is full of product advice, workout tips and recipes that work with our products. The articles will be updated regularly with new workouts, product guides and local fitness news.

“Waa Supp is looking forward to being a part of the digital revolution in the Cayman Islands,” said Flemming. “There are very few fully automated e-commerce websites in Cayman. We are following the business model of iHerb and MyProtein, both online only supplement dealers in the United States and the United Kingdom. Once the consumer places their order, the product is delivered within 5 business days. This allows the consumer to avoid taking their lunch breaks or Saturdays to go to a traditional retailer.”

Waa Supp will be running a Welcome10 discount code, giving 10% off on all first orders. Additionally, the Waa Supp membership, which costs $10, gives customers 10% off on all products for one year.

Delivery on orders less then $100 costs $10, with orders over that being free.

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Fraser-Pryce and Jackson set to star in Silesia on Saturday Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are among nine Jamaicans who will be in Poland on Saturday to compete in the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Silesia.

Fraser-Pryce will be looking to re-assert her authority in the event after winning her fifth world 100m title in Eugene, Oregon.

World finalist Aleia Hobbs, US champion Melissa Jefferson and compatriot Twanisha Terry – all of whom won 4x100m gold in Oregon – are also in the line-up.

Local star and 2019 European indoor 60m gold medallist Ewa Svoboda will also present some colourful opposition.

Also in the lineup are two other Jamaicans – Briana Williams and Natasha Morrison.

More fireworks are expected in the women’s 200m, where newly crowned world champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica will face world and Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas, as well as Olympic bronze medallist Gabby Thomas and USA’s world finalist Tamara Clark.

Jackson landed one of the performances of the championships in Eugene with a searing 21.46 to move to second on the world all-time list.

Having collected her first world gold over one lap in Eugene, double Olympic champion Miller-Uibo is not short on confidence and form. And Jackson cannot be complacent against the Bahamian, who took world bronze over 200m in 2017.

As the only woman in history to have won World Championships medals in the 100m, 200m, and 400m, Jackson is an athlete of rare versatility, and she remains open-minded over what distances she will tackle in the future.

“When you achieve a goal, you go back and set another goal,” she said. “So, for this season, it is just to have some fun. I know proper execution will get me to run fast. I love challenges, so if I go back to the 400m, I know I will do pretty well. I am not giving up any event as yet. All events are up for grabs!”

Ahead of the match-up, Miller-Uibo said she was looking forward to some fun at the shorter distance. “For just about every athlete, the high is always the major competition of the season (World Championships),” she said.

“Everyone has been putting down some really impressive times. I have done everything in the 400m, it’s time to let loose now and enjoy the rest of the season.”

Schedule for Jamaican athletes down to compete at the Diamond League meeting in Poland.

The schedule is in Jamaica time.

Women’s shot put – 7:55 amDanniel Thomas-Dodd

Men’s 100m – 9:28 amAkeem BlakeYohan Blake

Women’s 400m – 9:56 amCandice McLeodStephenie Ann McPherson

Women’s 200m – 10:28 amShericka Jackson

Women’s 100m – 10:52 amShelly-Ann Fraser-PryceNatasha MorrisonBriana Williams

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Student Living stock gains 12% during Thursday’s trading Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

138 Student Living led double-digit gains on Thursday’s trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) while five stocks gained 7.0 per cent.

138SL gained 12 per cent to $58.02, followed by General Accident up 7.3 per cent to $5.90, Community & Workers of Jamaica CCU Deferred shares up 7.2 per cent to $1.93, Frist Rock Real Estate gained 7.1 per cent to US$0.07, Berger Paints gained 7.0 per cent to $11.85, and Everything Fresh gained 7.0 per cent to $1.38.

The JSE Index advanced by 480.00 points (0.13 per cent) to close at 369,335.69 points and the volume traded amounted to 16,728,941 valued at $46,042,543.05.

The Junior Market Index advanced by 19.64 points (0.47 per cent) to close at 4,174.54 points and the volume traded amounted to 67,565,648 valued at $220,496,708.23.

The JSE Combined Index advanced by 625.49 points (0.16 per cent) to close at 382,871.73 points and the volume traded amounted to 84,294,589 valued at $266,539,251.28.

The JSE All Jamaican Composite Index advanced by 543.67 points (0.13 per cent) to close at 420,869.32 points and the volume traded amounted to 16,723,630 valued at $45,554,765.80.

The JSE Select Index advanced by 33.19 points (0.35 per cent) to close at 9,549.08 points and the volume traded amounted to 828,516 valued at $19,962,083.43.

The JSE USD Equities Index advanced by 2.01 points (0.97 per cent) to close at 208.28 points and the volume traded amounted to 19,463 valued at $5,628.70.

Overall Market activity resulted from trading in 112 stocks of which 49 advanced, 43 declined and 20 traded firm.

Meanwhile, the Jamaican-dollar market volume (excluding blocks) amounted to 84,294,589 units valued at $266,539,251.28.

The US$ Market Volume (excluding blocks) amounted to 19,463 units valued at $5,628.70.

The following companies represent the overall volume leaders: –

SSL Venture Capital with 61,865,246 units (73.37per cent)

Wigton Windfarm ordinary shares with 9,097,981 units (10.79 per cent)

JMMB Group 7.35 per cent CUMULATIVE REDEEMABLE PREFERENCE SHARE with 3,985,147 units (4.73 per cent)

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Llega a Puerto Rico grupo de 27 puertorriqueños que estuvo varado en aeropuerto de Madrid

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Radio Isla TV

Ya están de regreso a la Isla los 27 puertorriqueños que el pasado 2 de agosto perdieron en el aeropuerto de Madrid el vuelo de conexión de Iberia que los traería de vuelta a Puerto Rico, informó Ignacio Soriano, director general de Madrid Travel, Inc. 

El grupo de viajeros que participaba de una excursión de casi tres semanas por Europa perdió el vuelo de Iberia en el aeropuerto de Ámsterdam que los trasladaría a Madrid para tomar un vuelo de conexión hacia la isla. 

“Tan pronto nos enteramos el pasado 2 de agosto, a las 2:05 am (hora de Puerto Rico) que el grupo de viajeros había perdido su vuelo en Ámsterdam, activamos de inmediato nuestro protocolo y el equipo de trabajo para atender la lamentable situación, buscar la mejor solución para todos y traerlos de vuelta a la isla con la mayor celeridad posible. Mantuvimos comunicación con el grupo de viajeros y con la línea aérea Iberia para asistirles ante una situación inesperada y fuera de nuestro control en temporada alta de viajeros.  Afortunadamente, ya el grupo está de vuelta a la isla gracias a las gestiones realizadas por la compañía aérea Iberia”, afirmó Soriano. 

Noticia relacionada: Denuncian que sobre 20 puertorriqueños permanecen varados en aeropuerto de España

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Reasonable amount of time on remand? Bail is not granted willy-nilly Loop Barbados

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Barbados News

The slow-moving justice system in Barbados may be part of the problem which leads to accused persons being out on the streets despite having serious charges or a slew of charges on their rap sheets.

Stressing that bail is as of right according to the Barbados Constitution, Magistrate Deidre McKenna explained to Loop News that if all normal circumstances prevail then bail is granted, but there are instances when bail is denied.

She said for example if a person was charged with something two months ago and granted bail, “we [magistrates] can use our discretion” on whether to grant bail again or not. The sitting magistrate at District B Magistrate Court, Oistins, stressed that magistrates have “a wide discretion once you can justify the reason to give or revoke bail.”

With respect to refusing bail, she said one of the considerations is if a magistrate believes another offense would be committed while on bail, “then you could deny the application.” If there is a chance that they would re-offend, a magistrate can use that as a basis for denying bail.

A magistrate can also deny bail to protect the accused from others or from society, or to protect society from the accused. The accused also must have a surety and proof of address to be granted bail.

However, in light of recent news, where a person facing three murder charges from 2015 was out on bail, she said that a magistrate or judge will also consider the time spent in prison on remand. The accused who is the center of news this week did not go before Magistrate McKenna, therefore she did not speak on that matter, but spoke in general terms.

Magistrate McKenna took care not to list all circumstances for granting or denying bail as a security precaution, but she explained that sometimes the matter could be at the High Court stage as well. She said the matter could have passed the Magistrate’s Court and is just awaiting trial. “It could be a situation where you are still on remand and the trial still hasn’t started yet. The issue of bail may be an issue for a judge.

“[Therefore,] A magistrate or judge must consider what is a reasonable time spent on remand pending the hearing.” If a magistrate or judge considers the time spent on remand as “unreasonable” they may grant bail, she explained. And she insisted, it is not a one size fits all approach. The magistrate and or judge has to consider in the circumstances. “It has to be a situation where in the magistrate or judge’s opinion they exercise their discretion as to what is a reasonable time that you have spent on remand before granting bail pending a conclusion or pending trial.”

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