Black Immigrant Daily News

The tropical storm warning in effect for Antigua and Barbuda has been lifted.

Director of the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Services, Dale Destin says it was lifted at 5am Saturday morning after having been in place since Thursday.

He says the decision comes as Tropical Storm Fiona continues to move away from the country. Winds which have been howling since Friday afternoon, have subsided and are no longer storm-force.

However, Destin says more rains are in the forecast, albeit less than what had originally been forecast.

The downward revision of the rainfall forecast is the result of some of the convection associated with Fiona heading south of the center of circulation, taking it away from Antigua.

The lifting of the tropical storm warning is only for Antigua and Barbuda at this point; more warnings will be discontinued within hours.

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After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Blackheart Football Tournament will kick off again on September 24, 2022.

That’s the word from Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Blackheart Productions, David “Shakes” Christopher.

Previously scheduled for a September 17 start, the tournament opener had to be postponed by a week.

“The festival will not be held this weekend due to logistical reasons,” said Christopher.

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The Saint Lucia Football Association needed some time to wrap up a few tournaments before the Blackheart tournament began. Also, many of the referees have a major training programme on Saturday (September 24), so they will not be available.”

Christopher thanked everyone who came out to support the Big 8 Tournament held at theDennery Playing Field from September 3-4, from which Dennery emerged champions afterdefeating Vieux Fort South 2-0 in the final.

He noted that this year’s tournament is shaping up nicely, thanks to some good sponsors coming on board.

“We really want to thank the Saint Lucia Football Association, Insomnia Bar and Grill,Guinness, Blue Waters (distributors of Stamina Energy), National Lotteries Authority, Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, Flow, MBC/Real FM, DBS, Vybe Radio, Soufriere Regional Development Foundation, Sports Saint Lucia Inc. and Button Up,” he said.

Christopher said that, like in previous years, the tournament continues to create linkages for people to benefit from the economic spinoffs.

“I think it was very successful Big 8 Tournament,” he said. “I can’t emphasize enough howmuch we appreciate the economic spin-off from what transpired in Dennery over the two days of the tournament. We hope it can transcend across the island where our matches will be played for the tournament proper.”

The playoffs will now take place on Saturday and Sunday (September 24 and 25) at LaRessource Playing Field in Mabouya Valley.

The official press launch will be held subsequently where the draw will be done. On October 1, 2 and 3, the tournament proper kicks off in Mabouya Valley.

Matches will be held at the Soufriere Mini Stadium on Wednesday, October 5, which will be the final day of the first round, where the Soufriere team will be playing at home. On Saturday, the first set of games in the second round will be played at the same venue before heading back to Mabouya on Sunday, October 9, for the second day of the second round.

On Saturday, October 15, the semifinals will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

After a week’s break, the final will be held on Saturday, October 22, at the same venue.

“We’re hoping that people come out in large numbers and bring their best behaviour so that we can really showcase our footballers and get back on track in a big way,” Christopher stated.

Vieux Fort South are the defending champions of the Blackheart Football Tournament, having won the competition in 2019 when it was last hosted before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a two-year hiatus.

In fact, Vieux Fort South have won the tournament for four consecutive years, beginning in 2016.

With the return of Blackheart Football, many teams across the island are already gearing up to lift the championship, including past winners.

Aside from promoting sports, Christopher said the tournament also helps build camaraderie among the youth.

“We’ve always promoted non-violence,” he said. “If you checked many of our slogans fromback in the day, you would recognize that, including ‘Stop the Violence’, and, ‘Football is life’, and ‘Shoot goals, not bullets’. We’ll continue to do so because whenever Blackheart Football comes around, if you checked the statistics, the crime rate always goes down. When football is around, our young men don’t have time to pick up guns.”

A spate of violent crimes across the island, including in Vieux Fort, has resulted in the PhilipMarcellin Ground not included in this year’s venue line-up.

While he described that decision as unfortunate, Christopher said it was a hard decision to make.

“It’s sad that due to the crime level that’s now in the south we cannot host matches there this year,” said the Blackheart Productions CEO. “But that decision was made long before, when things were more hectic there. In fact, the authorities were making certain demands. So we had already gone ahead and planned on not including Vieux Fort as a match venue. But I want to say to Vieux Fort that all is not lost. We’ve had matches there for many years and nothing unfortunate happened there.”

He added: “To those who were offended by the statement we made where we said the gunshots in Vieux Fort makes it seems like a little Ukraine, we want to apologize for that. We didn’t mean to stigmatize Vieux Fort. We wish Vieux Fortians and their teams the best in the tournament and in the future.”

SOURCE: Blackheart Football Tournament.  Headline photo: Stock image.

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Boeing 737 Max-800 a ateriza

ORANJESTAD (AAN): Arajet, un aerolinea Dominicano nobo di tarifa cu costo abao, recientemente a confirma cu tur arubiano lo por cuminsa bula directo desde Aruba pa Santo Domingo. 

   Cu e gran compromiso aki, Arajet, ta busca pa conecta Aruba cu Santo Domingo y Diabierna atardi e prome vuelo a ateriza na Aruba.  Arajet tin cinco avion Boeing 737 Max-800 cu a caba di sali for di fabrica, y tin mas na caminda.  Di e forma aki, nan kier ofrece pasaheronan cu diferente experiencianan turistico y comercial, pero tambe pa duna un impulso na e crecimento y desaroyo economico di ambos pais a traves di e promocion comercial y turistico di e dos paisnan tan importante den Caribe, cu tin un historia comun. 

   E fundado y CEO di Arajet, Victor Pacheco, a garantisa cu “Sin duda, pa Arajet, Aruba ta un destinacion cu hopi interes, debi na e demanda di e biaheronan cu ta bay y bin pa Republica Dominicana. Nan kier ofrece e habitantenan di Aruba un alternativa di biahe cu ta accesibel den prijs y cu ta cumpli cu nan expectativa di biahe di menos costo, cu servicio di clase mundial y cu e avionnan di mas nobo y eficiente riba mercado.”

   Un brindis special a ser teni na Aeropuerto di Aruba, cu e.o. Ministro di Turismo Dangui Oduber, director di Aeropuerto Joost Meijs, directora di Aruba Tourism Authority Ronella Croes, y demas ehecutivonan di Aeropuerto.

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ORANJESTAD (AAN):  E ehercicio pa emergencia den tempo di horcan cu Defensa den Region Caribe

ta tene durante e periodo di 15 di September te cu 27 September, temporalmente a cambia na un despliegue real na Isla Riba. 

            Autoridadnan local di Saba y St. Eustatius a haci un peticion na Defensa  pa brinda sosten Militar rond di e pasada di Tormenta Fiona. Den esaki ta espera hopi rafaga di biento y hopi awacero, y cu esey ta espera tambe un cantidad grandi di destruccion y estorbo. Defensa ta actua den e despliegue aki hunto cu socionan local di seguridad. 

            Saba a pidi Defensa pa sostene nan cu limpiesa di terenonan y haci e cayanan liber. Tambe tin e necesidad na eventual sosten durante trabaonan chikito di recuperacion, tanto prome como despues di pasada di e tormenta.

            Saba tin un infrastructura limita, y p’esey ta di importancia pa rapidamente haya e cayanan liber pa e servicionan di yudansa cu tey presente ya caba. Un cantidad di 30 Marinier y un  enfermero Militar di Marina Real ta presente.  

            Militarnan Hulandes lo brinda na Sint Eustatius tambe sosten militar den forma di posibel yudansa di emergencia. Pa motibo di e awacero y biento cu ta pronostica tin chens riba daño na edificionan y pues tambe un potencial peliger pa habitantenan.

            Loke por ehempel por ta un problema grandi riba e isla, ta corientenan di lodo, inundacionnan y desplazamento di tera. Aki tambe Defensa, cu ya ta presente,  por haci un diferencia y proporciona e isla  cu e posibel yudansa di emergencia.

            Defensa lo brinda un Consehero pa e staf di desaster pa por laga cu e colaboracion entre autoridadnan local y Defensa por cana flexible. Mas aleu mas o menos 30 Marinier, caminda ta necesario, lo actua como team hunto cu Polis y Brandweer, pa ehecuta diferente tarea. 

            Na Sint Maarten na e momentonan aki no tin necesidad concreto ainda pa sosten Militar, pero e unidadnan ta para cla pa eventual peticionnan pa por ehecuta esakinan. Si en caso no tin necesidad di un despliegue di parti di Defensa na Sint Maarten, e programa de ehercicio lo keda reanuda.

            E Militarnan cu ta keda desplega ya ta presente caba riba e islanan pa motibo di un training pa brinda yudansa di emergencia durante pasada di un horcan. Cu tin e titulo di ‘Windward Express’. Ora e situacion ta permiti esey, e unidadnan procedente di Aruba, Corsow y St. Maarten lo bolbe reanuda e ehercicionan (parcialmente).

            Sosten na autoridadnan local ta un di e tareanan primordial di Defensa den Region Caribe Hulandes.

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