Weather Update for Tuesday, 30th August 2022

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation

Present Weather: Fair with dust haze 

Winds: A moderate breeze of 15mph from the East northeast. 

Temperature: 28°C / 83°F                           Humidity: 75%

Sea Level Pressure: 1015.6mbs or 29.99″ 

Sunset: Today, 6:26 pm                                    Sunrise: Tomorrow, 5:57 am

Weather Forecast Valid until 8 am Tomorrow 

Winds: East at 8 to 16mph becoming east – northeast by tonight.

Seas: 1 to 1.5meters or 3 to 5 feet. 

Weather Forecast for St. Kitts & Nevis: Today will be sunny to partly sunny and slightly hazy. Tonight will be fair to partly cloudy with a 20 percent or a slight chance of a passing shower. 

Eastern Caribbean Forecast: A relatively stable atmosphere moving into the region will reduce the chance of showers over the Islands today and tonight. Skies over the Islands from Puerto Rico eastwards to the Leewards and southwards to the  Windwards will be generally fair to partly cloudy; any shower will be light and brief.  Meanwhile, lingering instability over Trinidad and Tobago will result in brief localize showers over those Islands today with clear skies expected tonight. 

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Teachers Gear Up for the Start of the 2022-2023 School Year

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The content originally appeared on: ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation

Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 29, 2022 (SKNIS): The 2022-2023 school year officially commenced on Monday (August 29, 2022) as the Ministry of Education welcomed scores of teachers to its Summer Workshop. The opening ceremony was held at the Rivers of Living Waters Christian Center at Lime Kiln Commercial Development.

Chief Education Officer, Francil Morris, greeted the teachers and promised that the next four days of training will afford the front-line educators additional tools to ensure that students are exposed to opportunities that maximize their full potential.

“I urge all of you as members of this education sector to mentally prepare yourselves to be challenged, excited, and inspired in the days ahead as the professional development opportunities that will be available will ultimately enable us to perform our professional roles effectively and efficiently,” he stated.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, William Vincent Hodge, noted that the key message for the school year was “Excellence is not a Skill, it is an Attitude.” The original quote by Ralph Marston will be shared with students when classes begin on Wednesday, September 03, 2022.

“We now stand at the portal of a new year that officially starts the recovery from the devastation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “The new school year gives us yet another opportunity to make a fresh start. We must look forward to the unfolding of the year ahead with a renewed sense of direction and hope, enthusiasm, and excitement.”

Permanent Secretary Hodge congratulated the new persons being enrolled as teachers for the new school year and those who attained additional qualifications from the C. F. Bryant College or university degrees.

The teachers were assured that the Ministry of Education will do all within its power to enhance the learning experience ensuring that students are given a solid foundation to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

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#InterestingFacts: St Lucia is the only country named after a woman? Loop Jamaica

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The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

While Ireland is named after the mythical goddess ?iru, there’s only one sovereign nation in the world named for a real-life woman.

That distinction lies with Saint Lucia, a Caribbean island nation christened in honour of St Lucy of Syracuse, patron saint of the blind, who died around the fourth century CE.

Saint Lucia was initially called Louanalao (meaning “Island of the Iguanas”) by the Indigenous Arawak people as early as 200 CE.

It was in 1502 that the origins of its current name formed when shipwrecked French sailors dubbed the place “Sainte Alousie”.

It was a common practice at the time to name islands after saints, and legend has it that the sailors reached the island on December 13 — St Lucy’s feast day.

Given the date’s significance, December 13 is now celebrated in the country as the National Day of St Lucia.

The Spanish who arrived around 1511 named the island “Sancta Lucia”; the current name formed after waves of colonisation by the English and French.

While female namesakes are rare on a national level, one woman has lent her name to dozens of smaller locations.

The name of Queen Victoria, the UK’s reigning monarch from 1837 to 1901, appears in the titles of locations around the globe, such as the provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada, and Zimbabwe’s breathtaking Victoria Falls.

You’d be hard-pressed to find an American woman with influence so vast. Even in the USA, only a handful of places are named for women, including Barton County, Kansas — named after Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross — and Dare County, North Carolina, honouring Virginia Dare, the first child of English parents to be born in the New World.

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3 juveniles held as cops seize firearm in knapsack bag Loop Jamaica

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The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News
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Three juveniles are in custody following the seizure of a firearm on Lower Harbour Street, Falmouth, Trelawny on Monday, August 29.

Reports are that at about 1:30 am, a security team responded to a sensor alarm that went off in the area.

The security officers saw the three walking along the roadway, acting in a manner that aroused their suspicions. They were accosted and searched; one Browning pistol with an empty magazine was found inside a knapsack bag that they were carrying.

The police were summoned and the firearm along with the teens handed over to them. Investigations continue.

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Retired teachers to fill gaps left by migrating colleagues Loop Jamaica

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The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

Those who are on long-leave also given chance to fill areas

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The Government has responded to the looming teacher shortage just days ahead of the new school year with the Minister of Education and Youth, Fayval Williams advising school principals that the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service has granted approval for retired teachers to fill areas of specialisation where schools are not able to find adequate replacements. “This approval was granted in response to a request from the Ministry of Education and Youth to allow “locum tenens”, i.e. teachers being their own replacement. There are 1,877 teachers who applied for and received vacation leave, retirement, or study leave,” Williams explained in a statement. The Minister of Finance, Dr Nigel Clarke, said that while discussions continue to arrive at the best solution for the long-term, the following short-term measures are approved for implementation:

Existing teachers to be able to serve as “locum tenens” while on vacation leave in either their existing institution or in another institution of employment.

During these periods of engagement, the teachers’ compensation are to be based on the existing guidelines for the payment of locum tenens.

Retired teachers to be utilised in areas of specialisation are to be re-engaged on a contractual basis only.

The rate of pay is to be determined based on the position to be filled and not on the qualification of the retired teacher to be engaged.

For existing teachers, this approval is conditional on the understanding and acceptance that teachers will not earn or accumulate vacation leave for any period served teaching while on vacation leave, whether as their ‘own locum-tenens’ or otherwise. Minister Williams welcomed the approval at a back-to-school meeting with over 900 principals who were being updated on the distribution of desks and chairs, broadband connectivity of schools, textbooks, eResources and the Sixth Form Pathways Programme.

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Purity stock at 52-week high Loop Jamaica

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The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

Consolidated Bakeries (Purity) led gains on Monday’s trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE).

The company, which manufactures baked goods under the Miss Birdie brand, gained 21 per cent to close at $2.29 which represented a 52-week high.

Also on the day, JPS preference shares gained 16 per cent to close at $3,100 or about the highest priced shares on the market. The top declining stock went to Portland JSX down a whopping 24 per cent to $9.13; JMMB Preference shares declined 15 per cent to $1.62 and General Accident declined 14 per cent to $5.02.

The JSE Index declined by 3,398.45 points (0.94 per cent) to close at 359,146.76 points and the volume traded amounted to 22,909,155 valued at $1,091,762,298.33.

Meanwhile, the Junior Market Index declined by 7.26 points (0.17 per cent) to close at 4,161.12 points and the volume traded amounted to 10,844,740 valued at $34,617,753.65.

The JSE Combined Index declined by 3,242.85 points (0.86 per cent) to close at 373,224.37 points and the volume traded amounted to 33,753,895 valued at $1,126,380,051.98.

Also on the day, the JSE USD Equities Index advanced by 0.61 points (0.29 per cent) to close at 214.14 points and the volume traded amounted to 57,945 valued at $9,558.18. The JSE Cross Listed Index advanced by 0.25 points (0.41 per cent) to close at 60.56 points and the volume traded amounted to 4,141 valued at $342,826.65.

The JSE Financial Index declined by 1.59 points (1.82 per cent) to close at 85.56 points and the volume traded amounted to 2,858,654 valued at $31,398,541.88.

The JSE Manufacturing & Distribution Index advanced by 0.59 points (0.59 per cent) to close at 101.03 points and the volume traded amounted to 19,125,544 valued at $1,066,269,655.10.

Overall, market activity resulted from trading in 120 stocks of which 49 advanced, 48 declined and 23 traded firm.

The JA$ Market Volume (excluding blocks) amounted to 33,753,895 units valued at $1,126,380,051.98. The US$ Market Volume (excluding blocks) amounted to 57,945 units valued at $9,558.18.

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Where is the FSRC, Lovell asks as bank is sued by customer

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The content originally appeared on: Antigua News Room

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St. Kitts ruling is another promising action to uphold the rights of the LGBTQ+ Community, group says

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Actual LGBT pride flag

The Caribbean Observatory on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and the Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA) applaud the decison made  by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court to uphold the Sexual rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the High Court of Justice ruled that sections 56 and 57 of the Offences Against the Person Act  were unconstitutional. This upholds the rights of consenting adults to engage in same-sex intimacy, personal privacy and protection from discrimination on the basis of sex. Following the historic ruling in Antigua and Barbuda on July 5th 2022, Saint Kitts and Nevis is another milestone on the journey to a Caribbean where the sexual rights of its people are respected and protected.

Fr. Sean Major-Campbell, Anglican Priest, Lay Magistrate and human rights advocate joins with the Caribbean SRHR Observatory and CFPA in commending the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) and the Saint Kitts Nevis Alliance for Equality and the Saint Kitts Nevis Alliance for Equality (SKNAFE) for their courageous leadership and advocacy. “I am happy to affirm respect for freedom of expression and the protection of privacy. Advocating for the criminalizing those who think differently, contravenes the interest of democracy and human rights. The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis (St. Kitts and Nevis), is indeed a powerful light for our wider Caribbean jurisprudence. Justice for one is justice for all. Peace and blessings be with everyone in St. Kitts and Nevis; and indeed our beloved Caribbean family.”

At present, discrimination laws against LGBTQ+ persons exist in almost all countries in the Caribbean. The most discussed laws are those that criminalize consensual same sex relations, the so called ‘buggery’ laws that are still in place in Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

This discrimination is in flagrant contradiction of ratified human rights conventions and other international commitments. Rights that are currently denied to LGBTQ+ community  are clearly protected  under human rights conventions such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):

‘All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.’

Since 2006,  the ‘Yogyakarta Principles’, based on the application of agreed international human rights law standards to ‘Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity’ (SOGI)  were launched to reaffirm the dignity of the LGBTQ+ community in the face of violence and the lack of protection of their human rights .

Saint Kitts and Nevis joins the list of Caribbean countries such as  Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas,  Cuba, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago who have decriminalized same-sex sexual conduct. Suriname has had no laws against same-sex sexual activity since 1869.  Currently, cases have been launched by civil society and individuals in St. Vincent & Grenadines, Jamaica, Barbados and Dominica (Carrillo, 2021: 5).

We  stand in solidarity with all LGBTQ+ advocates and allies and urge Caribbean Governments to repeal all discriminatory laws that continue to marginalize and infringe upon the Human Rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

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Ministry of Agriculture responds to Wallings Nature Reserve controversy

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Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s Marketing Communications Manager, Maria Blackman presents Wallings Nature Reserve Executive Director Refica Attwood with her Leading Light Award (Photo Courtesy, The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Barbuda Affairs (MAFBA) seeks to correct the public record regarding the operations and management of the Wallings Forest in response to claims made on the media by Wallings Nature Reserve (WNR).

It is the objective of the Ministry to establish a public-private partnership agreement through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bring into compliance and govern the multi-stakeholder management and operations of the Wallings Forest.

The Ministry recognises and commends the WNR for the dedicated work done in upgrading and managing the forest’s infrastructure and support facilities.

However, the Ministry notes that as WNR operates on Crown Land, there must be adherence to due procedure, statutory obligations and the rights of other partners, and accountability mechanisms.

Furthermore, contrary to intimations, the Ministry never had and is not aware of any plans to pursue any legal claims concerning the entity’s activities as this would defeat the purpose of finalising an MoU with WNR.

The Ministry’s newly assigned Legal Officer has been mandated to finalise the MoU and has been engaging with stakeholders one-on-one to best guide the drafting of the final output.

Despite frustrated efforts, this Ministry remains steadfast in its commitment to realising the establishment of the MoU to bring onboard more donors and other regional and international partners for greater support.

Moreover, the Ministry and by extension the Government of Antigua and Barbuda hope that upon the formalisation, the MoU would serve as a model to enable other community groups and organisations to become more active participants in the green economy and the country’s sustainable development.

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Is Wallings Nature Reserve in Jeopardy?

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Airall alone pleads guilty to drug and ammunition charges; matter of monies found to be decided by the Court

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The content originally appeared on: Antigua News Room

The Golden Grove couple who were arrested and charged for drug and ammunition possession made their first court appearance on Monday, August 29, in St. John’s Magistrates’ Court. However, only the man took responsibility for the items.

Dane Airall Jr., 32, and his partner of seven years, 35-year-old Merlyn Richards, appeared before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh after being charged on the weekend.

They faced charges of possession of 1.6kg of cannabis; possession with intent to sell; being concerned in the supplying of cannabis; unlawful possession of five .38 rounds of ammunition; and unlawful possession of one .45 round of ammunition.

After the charges were put to the duo, Airall Jr. pleaded guilty to them, while Richards pleaded not guilty. The charges against her were withdrawn by the Police.

The Court heard that the Police, while on patrol in St. John’s, had stumbled upon a vehicle with a man sleeping inside.

The officers reportedly became suspicious after seeing rolls of various currency strewn all over the sleeping man, who was later identified as Airall, Jr.

Officers later obtained a warrant to search his Golden Grove home, where the drug and other paraphernalia were discovered.

Reportedly, when the officers went to execute the warrant they surrounded the house, and they saw when someone threw two bags out of a window and into the yard. They reportedly contained the cannabis and the bullets.

Airall, Jr., who is being represented by attorney Wendel Robinson, is reportedly a taxi operator and the owner of a shop.

Sentencing has been put off until Tuesday, August 30, to allow Robinson to review two statements his client gave to the Police, before he continues his plea for mitigation and attempts to have the monies returned to Airall, Jr.

The Office of National Drug Control and Money Laundering Policy (ONDCP) has not made an application for the monies to be forfeited under the Proceeds of Crime law; therefore, the Court will deal with the matter in its totality, with the money being an exhibit in the matter.

Chief Magistrate Walsh will make a determination, based on Robinson’s arguments, on whether the monies will be returned to the Golden Grove man.

Meanwhile, Airall Jr. has been remanded to the St. John’s Police Station until Tuesday.

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