Black Immigrant Daily News

Jamaica will have three women in the semifinals of the 400m of the 2022 World Athletics Championships when they line up on Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon.

The trio is led by the veteran Stephenie Ann McPherson of MVP Track and Field Club, who qualified with the fastest time overall.

Drawn in heat two, the 33-year-old 2022 World Indoor bronze medallist ran a controlled race to win in 50.15s. Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek was second in 50.21s with third going to Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands in a national record of 50.24.

Fast-running Stephenie Ann McPherson in one of the 400m heats at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday. (Photo: Marlon Reid)

Also through to the semis is Charokee Young, who made it through as one of six fastest non-automatic qualifiers. The fastest Jamaican woman over the distance this year and the second fastest in the world going into the championships with 49.87s, Young clocked 51.85s in heat 3 while running out of lane four. Her time in the heat makes her the 19th fastest of the semi-finalists.

The former Hydel High athlete ran 49.87s in April while representing Texas A&M University in the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She was the overall silver medallist at the end of a very long season and entered the Oregon22 championships with high expectations to medal.

Jamaica’s Charokee Young (right) finishes fourth in her 400m heat at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday. Sada Williams (third right) of Barbados won the race in a time of 51.05. (Photo: Marlon Reid)

Some analysts are worried though, that she, and others like her, may be feeling the effects of the long NCAA season.

Meanwhile, the fifth-placed finalist from the Tokoyo Olympics, Candice McLeod, also punched her ticket to the semis.

Drawn in the tight lane one in the sixth and final heat, McLeod came off the final bend in front and slowed down considerably as she approached the finish line where she was out-leaned by Poland’s Anna Kielbasinka who won in 50.63s.

McLeod was second in 50.76s, the sixth fastest of all the qualifiers, while Great Britain’s Victoria Ohuruogu was third in 51.07s.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Six Member Team of Local Police Police Officers join RSS Deployment in St Lucia:

A six-member team of police officers from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda departed Antigua on Sunday July 17 to join their counterparts in St. Lucia to assist in restoring law and order.

The exercise is in keeping with the mandate of RSS to provide the necessary security assistance to its member states within the region; in this case St. Lucia, as they are currently experiencing a rapid increase in violent crimes.

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda responded to the needs of the Government of St. Lucia in positive manner, and as a result, the contingent of officers will be part of the RSS operation for a period of 3 weeks in the first instance.

The Hon Prime Minister Gaston Browne and the Hon. Attorney General and minister of Public Safety, commended the officers for their committment and readiness to lend support to our regional partners.

They also extend best wishes to the team.

Commissioner Rodney was at the airport with the officers as they were preparing depart. He thanked the men for selflessly answering the call to duty and their commitment to service at this critical time.

He further admonished the team to be professionals and remain disciplined in whatever they set out to do.

The team, led by Sergeant Clint Spencer was highly motivated and in good spirit as they departed the country.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

A 56-year-old man was killed this morning in a tragic accident at Onderneeming, Eassquibo Coast.

Lincon Moore of Onderneeming Sandpit was travelling in the tray of a pick-up vehicle when he reportedly hit his head on a steel bar and subsequently died.

The incident occurred sometime around 07:30h on the Onderneeming Sandpit Access Road.

INews understands Moore was seated in the tray of the pick-up while the driver was heading onto the Onderneemng Sandpit Road.

Upon passing under a steel bar at the toll gate, a loud sound was heard from the back of the vehicle.

According to the driver, he immediately stopped the vehicle and went to investigate. He found Moore lying motionless in the tray of the vehicle bleeding from his head.

The injured man was rushed to Suddie Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

While the body is at the hospital Mortuary awaiting Post Morten Examination, driver of the vehicle is in custody assisting with the investigation.

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The UN human rights office said on Saturday it was deeply concerned by worsening violence in and around the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and rising abuse at the hands of heavily armed gangs, against vulnerable local communities.

The alert comes just hours after UN humanitarians said they were ready to provide all the assistance they could to communities caught in the crossfire of gang violence, once they can gain safe access to those impacted.

A recent upsurge in fighting between rival gangs in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood of the capital, has led to the deaths of 99 people with 135 injured according to data reported by the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) in Haiti.

On Friday night, the Security Council provided a boost to UN operations in the crisis-wracked Caribbean island nation by extending the mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, for a further year, through resolution 2645.

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Strengthen rights monitoring

Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for OHCHR, urged the authorities in Haiti to ensure fundamental rights are protected, and “placed at the front and centre of their responses to the crisis. The fight against impunity and sexual violence, along with the strengthening of human rights monitoring and reporting, must remain a priority”, he said.

“We have so far documented, from January to the end of June, 934 killings, 684 injuries and 680 kidnappings across the capital. Over a five-day period, from 8-12 July, at least 234 more people were killed or injured in gang-related violence in the Cité Soleil area of the city.”

“Most of the victims were not directly involved in gangs and were directly targeted by gang elements. We have also received new reports of sexual violence.”

OHCHR is calling on gang members and those supporting the violence, to immediately cease their activities, which are impacting many of the most vulnerable citizens, living in extreme poverty.

“The heavily armed gangs are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their actions, conducting simultaneous, coordinated and organized attacks in different areas”, said Mr. Laurence.

“The right to life is the supreme right under international human rights law, and the State has a duty to protect that right, including from threats emanating from private individuals and entities.”

Denied food and water

Some gangs are resorting to extreme tactics to control locals such as denying them access to drinking water and food. This has simply made malnutrition worse.

The violence has also exacerbated fuel shortages, as the main fuel depot is located in Cité Soleil, and transportation costs have risen sharply.

For months now, the desperate socioeconomic situation coupled with political gridlock, has sparked street protests, adding to the deteriorating security situation, and many residents and businesses have shuttered themselves indoors out of fear, said OHCHR.

OHCHR welcomed the extension of BINUH’s mandate, “which will further buoy the collective international response to the human rights crisis unfolding in the country and assist with flow of humanitarian assistance.”

Daily suffering

In less than one week and according to a report released by OCHA, at least 2,500 people have also been forced to flee their homes because of the fighting.

Twenty people have been reported missing. Every day, with continued fighting, more people will suffer and be forced to flee, often risking their lives, the agency said in a news release on Friday.

Cité Soleil, with a population of around 300,000 is one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the Haitian capital, where gangs have gained more influence over the past several years.

OCHA said that “a large proportion of the population are trapped in Cité Soleil as gangs attempt to exert their influence,” adding that “the people in some areas have not had access to food or water since July 8.” One child in five is suffering from severe malnutrition “a rate well above emergency thresholds.”

“As people continue to suffer in Cité Soleil, insecurity is preventing humanitarian agencies from entering the area,” said Ulrika Richardson, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, the organization’s most senior humanitarian official in Haiti.

“The UN is ready to provide assistance to the many children, women and men caught in the crossfire of gang violence as soon as humanitarian partners can gain access to the affected zones.”

Source: UN News/SLT. Headline photo: Stock image.

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