Black Immigrant Daily News

Patrick Lynch’s BLUE VINYL is 12 furlongs away from Triple Crown glory at Caymanas Park, taking on nine rivals in Saturday’s Jamaica Derby, which should be another match race between the colt and Gary Subratie’s filly, ATOMICA, who he handed her first loss in a humbling St Leger victory.

After snapping ATOMICA’s win streak with a convincing three and three-quarter length victory in last month’s 10-furlong St Leger, BLUE VINYL should start a short-priced favourite for the derby with Raddesh Roman astride. However, ATOMICA set tongues wagging last Sunday morning after ripping 1:25.3 for seven furlongs at exercise, reigniting the filly versus colt debate.

With pundits claiming Subratie had gone easy on ATOMICA leading up to the St Leger whereas Lynch had long taken BLUE VINYL to task with solid mile gallops from as early as June’s 2000 Guineas, whispers are growing louder approaching the derby’s 4:55 pm post time that the filly will turn the tables on the colt.

ATOMICA went unbeaten in five starts before facing colts and geldings in the St Leger. Her fast-time victory in the 1000 Guineas, 1:37.0 for a near 17-length win made the filly a 1-5 favourite over BLUE VINYL at 7-5.

However, taken out of her fillies-only comfort zone, ATOMICA found herself going too fast, too early, against speedy BRINKS and stalker BLUE VINYL, who attacked three furlongs out and overpowered her early in the stretch run.

BRINKS will again try making all, thwarting any plans Dane Dawkins might harbour of slipping away from BLUE VINYL, who has worked well for the derby, galloping 1:44.0 for a mile on the round course last Thursday morning, the perfect prep to crown himself the country’s 19th Triple Crown winner.

First post for the Independence Day Jamaica Derby 10-race card is noon.

CAYMANAS PARK TIPS

Race 1 – 1400mHeavenly Glitter (7)

Race 2 – 1200m Colorado Ranger (5)

Race 3 -1400mRegal and Royal (10)

—-Race 4 – 1000m StMakeupartist (1)

Race 5 – 1000m StOne Like It (5)

Race 6 -1300mDiligent (1)

Race 7 – 1400mTapit Good (12)

Race 8 – 1000m StPapito (10)

Race 9 – 2400mBlue Vinyl (8)

Race 10 – 1000m StUnruly Dude (15)

BET OF THE DAY

—Race 1 – 1400mHeavenly Glitter (7)

Race 4 – 1000m StMakeupartist (1)

Race 9 – 2400mBlue Vinyl (8)

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Black Immigrant Daily News

News

National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds addresses the media on Friday at his Abercromby Street, Port of Spain office. With him are acting Commissioner of Police Mc Donald Jacob and Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales. Photo by Sureash Cholai

Government’s announcement of its intention to implement a six-month ban on the scrap iron industry is expected to negatively affect about 20,000 people, says president of the TT Scrap Iron Dealers Association Allan Ferguson.

To combat what the Government has now described as a national security issue, legislation is being drafted to regularise the industry.

The ban is expected to come into effect after the Finance and General Purposes sub-committee of Cabinet finalises the plan.

This was announced on Friday by National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds during a media conference at his ministry’s Abercromby Street, Port of Spain office.

He said the need to put a ban on the industry arose after continuous acts of vandalism on state assets including water pump stations where copper wires have been stolen, cable barriers, electricity poles and other assets.

Hinds said, intelligence suggests the acts are not random theft but deliberate attacks against the State by some who may be affected by the restructuring of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).

He said the regularisation will place the scrap iron industry under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and only authorised dealers will be allowed to continue.

Speaking with Newsday after the media conference, Ferguson said many people will be affected. He said he will not say more on the issue until he meets with his attorneys, as he is contemplating filing for an injunction to stop the move by government.

A Cabinet committee comprised of Hinds, Energy Minister Stuart Young, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon and Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, agreed to temporarily ban the industry. The committee was formed after the Prime Minister, on July 2, chastised cable-wire thieves and said he will speak with Armour on banning the entire industry.

Hinds said he met with Fergusson’s association two weeks ago. However, sources within the industry said they were only informed on Thursday that a decision was made to temporarily shut down the industry.

Acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob said in the past 30 months, 129 people, including two scrapyard dealers, were arrested in relation to the theft and sale of copper and other metals. Given the hint by him and Hinds that the thefts are not simply larceny but malicious attacks against the State, Jacob could not say how many WASA and other state employees were among those arrested.

Hinds interjected saying the culprits had working knowledge of the compounds vandalised, suggesting that they had inside help.

Jacob said police have increased patrols around state-owned compounds.

“We have decided to offer a reward of $100,000 for any information that can lead to the arrest and prosecution of the persons responsible.”

Also at the media conference was Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales who said vandals and thieves caused the State to find an additional $22 million to repair and replace state assets.

Hinds dismissed the notion that the plan is a roundabout way of taking the industry away from the average citizen and putting it in the hands of his party’s financiers.

He said the malicious attack is part of a larger plot which may need the Anti-Terrorism Act to prosecute.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

El informe preliminar de COVID-19 del Departamento de Salud (DS) reportó el sábado 8 muertes y 381 personas hospitalizadas.

El total de muertes atribuidas es de 4,803.

Hay 333 adultos hospitalizados y 48 menores. El monitoreo cubre el periodo del 21 de julio al cuatro de agosto de 2022.

La tasa de positividad está a 35.34 por ciento.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

El expresidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump, ha vuelto a arremeter este viernes contra la Administración del actual mandatario Joe Biden por su política que ha conllevado a la actual crisis energética en el país.

“Somos una nación que tiene mayores costes energéticos en la historia. Ya no somos independientes ni dominantes energéticamente como hace dos años. Somos una nación que mendiga petróleo a Venezuela, Arabia Saudita y muchos otros. ‘Por favor, por favor, por favor, ayúdenos‘, dice Joe Biden”, declaró el expresidente en un mitin celebrado en la ciudad de Waukesha (Wisconsin) para hacer campaña a favor de algunos candidatos republicanos.

En paralelo, aludió a las estadísticas económicas que auguran una crisis en el país. “Somos una nación en declive. Somos una nación que está fracasando“, manifestó Trump, al mencionar que hoy en día el país tiene la mayor tasa de inflación en unos 40 años, mientras que el mercado bursátil “acaba de terminar la peor mitad del año desde 1870”.

Situación energética y económica en EE.UU.

En marzo, EE.UU. introdujo el embargo al petróleo ruso por el operativo militar en Ucrania. Luego, el país se ha enfrentado al alzade los precios de la gasolina que el pasado 14 de junio marcó su récord histórico tras situarse en los 5,016 dólares por término medio el galón, según los datos de la Asociación Estadounidense del Automóvil (AAA). Actualmente, el índice a nivel nacional es de 4,084 dólares por unidad.

Para paliar la crisis, Washington emprendió una serie de medidas. En particular, autorizó en mayo a las petroleras estadounidenses y europeas para que “negocien y reinicien operaciones” con Venezuela tras años de sanciones contra el país suramericano. Por otra parte, durante la visita de Biden a Arabia Saudita en julio pasado, desde Riad anunciaron que incrementarán la capacidad de producción diaria de crudo hasta 13 millones de barriles, pero solo para el 2027, después de lo cual ya no habrá tal posibilidad.

En cuanto al estado económico, los altos funcionarios estadounidenses, incluido el actual presidente, declararon en varias ocasiones que el país no está en recesión. Sin embargo, el pasado 28 de julio la Oficina de Análisis Económico del Departamento de Comercio informó que el producto interior bruto (PIB) del país se contrajo un 0,2 % en el segundo trimestre de 2022 respecto a los tres meses anteriores, lo que técnicamente constituye un indicador informal de recesión económica.
Nota original de RT Español.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Guyana has received 132 black belly sheep from Barbados, with another 868 scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks to months.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley tweeted:

“Today, the first… Black Belly Sheep arrived safely in Guyana from Barbados, as a part of the Black Belly Sheep Project. The next shipment will be to Suriname. Improved food security continues to be a key area of focus for Barbados, as we work with our regional neighbours.”

30 per cent will be going to women, 20 per cent young people

This initial batch consisting of 112 ewes and 20 rams forms part of the 1,000 animals that are promised to Guyana.

According to Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture, these animals form part of a joint initiative between the governments of Guyana and Barbados to develop a regional brand of sheep to reduce the importation of lamb and mutton products into the region.

While speaking to members of the media, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha stressed that “this is one of the ways that we are working to reduce the food import bill.”

He said his hope is that all the remaining sheep can arrive in the next two shipments. This “special programme” is also expected to yield a new crossbreed between Barbados’ Black Belly Sheep and Guyana’s local sheep, and to create a brand of Black Belly Sheep in Guyana. “We are looking to work in those two directions as a matter of fact, as the President rightly said when he launched this programme, 30 per cent will be going to women, 20 per cent young people and also we are now involving the differently-abled and that group too. So all those groups will be involved in the rearing of Black Belly, to develop this brand.”

As it pertains to the plans for the sheep that just arrived, Minister Mustapha said that the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) will be tasked with weaning the sheep and ensuring that they adjust to Guyana’s climate as well as introducing them to their new diets.

He also said that works are currently moving apace in Region Five to prepare pens for the additional remaining sheep that are scheduled to arrive in Guyana.

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