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Four nationals awarded Cuban Government scholarships

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Four nationals are the proud recipients of academic scholarships from the Government of the Republic of Cuba to pursue tertiary studies in that country. Ms. Kaedida Fough and Ms. Dolicia Barry will pursue studies in Medicine; Ms. Kaliyana DeSuza will pursue studies in Stomatology (Dentistry); and Ms. Abiola Powell will pursue studies in Nursing.

At a meeting held at the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba on January 5, the students received scholarship documentation. All students expressed their delight at receiving the scholarships, which will provide them the opportunity to undertake studies in fulfilment of their dream careers.

Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to St. Kitts and Nevis, H.E. Abelardo Hernández Ferrer provided commendation and encouragement to the students stating, “I wish to congratulate all of you and wish you every success as you journey to Cuba to train for your respective careers. Remember to study hard and immerse yourself, so that you can quickly become competent in the Spanish language and excel in your course of study. Lastly, Cuba is a country with a vibrant culture, so take time to enjoy and explore Cuba.”

The students will leave the Federation soon for Cuba to commence their studies, after having their departure delayed for a few months due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation expresses its profound gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Cuba, for its continued commitment to aid in the human capacity development of nationals, specifically in the area of healthcare.

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Rain set to ease in time for Sydney test cricket match

Intense rain, storms and winds are continuing in Queensland today after some places received 100mm of rain in just one hour last night.

Streets are awash in Ingham after more than 122mm fell in an hour, increasing to 185mm in two hours.

Mission Beach had almost 150mm in six hours, 264mm fell around Tully, 209mm at Halifax and 196mm at Innisfail.

"There's been a very wet 24 hours right across Queensland," Jonathan Howe from the Bureau of Metrology told Today.

"We saw pretty big thunderstorms west of Brisbane, 112mm at Amberly but we did see tropical an northern parts of Queensland, 100mm to 150mm overnight with heavy rainfall, particularly around Mackay, around Townsville as well and more heavy rain is on the way."

There are flood warnings in place for the Don And Proserpine Rivers today.

"Do keep an eye on those flood warnings and possible warnings for heavy rainfall as well. So certainly isn't over just yet," Mr Howe said.

Northern NSW is also expected to cop wet conditions today after storms hit the Northern Rivers district overnight.

Meanwhile, a front is bringing cool winds and showers to southeast of the state with rain expected to ease just in time for the annual test cricket match in Sydney.

A trough in the west is maintaining heat in the west and storms in the north.

Here's your state by state weather forecast for Thursday January 7 2021:

New South Wales and ACT

Showers, cool-to-mild in the northeast. Showers easing, cool-to-mild in the southeast. Mostly sunny, very warm-to-hot in the west.

Sydney will be partly cloudy with a minimum of 18C and top of 23C. Medium chance of showers this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1346888465665974283

The Byron and Coffs coast are also being warned of strong winds today.

Sydney's 10-day wet streak is set to ease just in time for the New Year Test Cricket match to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Three of the last six matches have ended in rain-affected draws but this year could be different despite significant rainfall over the last week.

Here's the forecast from Weatherzone:

  • Thursday January 7 (day one) and Friday January 8 (day two): windy, with temperatures in the low 20s during the day. Mostly cloudy with a moderate chance (40%) of light showers.
  • Saturday January 9 (day three): Partly cloudy. Top of 25 degrees.
  • Sunday January 10 (day four): Mostly sunny. Top of 27.
  • Monday January 11 (day five): Partly cloudy. Top of 27.

Canberra will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower a maximum temperature of 23C.

https://twitter.com/weatherzone/status/1346582163932647425

Queensland

Showers, mild-to-warm in the southeast. Showers/storms, very warm in the northeast. Mostly sunny, hot in the west.

Brisbane will be cloudy but warm with a minimum of 24C and top of 28C. High chance of showers, affecting the coast from early morning and spreading inland from late morning.

Victoria

Mostly sunny, cool-to-mild in the southwest. Clearing shower, cool-to-mild in the southeast. Mostly sunny, very warm-to-hot in the north.

Melbourne will be mostly sunny with a low of 14C and top of 26C.

South Australia

Mostly sunny, mild in the southeast. Sunny, warm in central. Mostly sunny, mild-to-warm in the west. Windy, mild-to-warm in north.

Adelaide will be mostly sunny with a low of 14C and top of 27C.

Tasmania

Thursday Mostly sunny, mild in the south. Mostly sunny, cool-to-mild in the north.

Partly cloudy. Winds W/SW 15 to 25 km/h tending SE/SW 25 to 40 km/h in the middle of the day. Daytime maximum temperatures between 17 and 23.

Western Australia

Mostly sunny, hot in the southwest. Sunny, warm in the south. Mostly sunny, very warm in the northwest. Showers, very warm in the northeast.

Perth's temperatures are set to soar today with a maximum of 38C possible later today.

The hot conditions are combining with wind gusts up to 70 km/h possible about the hills and foothills during the morning making for dangerous fire conditions.

There is a warning for extreme fire danger for the Coastal Central West and severe fire danger for the following the Inland Central West, Lower West (including Perth), Gascoyne Inland and North Interior.

Northern Territory

Showers/storms, very warm in the north. Windy, very warm over the interior. Sunny, warm-to-very warm in the south.

Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely from late this morning.

The chance of a thunderstorm, with gusty winds from late this morning. Daytime temperatures will range between 25C and 34C.

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US Congress Evacuated Amdist Pro-Trump Demos

A swarm of right-wing extremists egged on by President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday while Republicans in Congress began their attempt to subvert democracy and block certification of the electoral college count from the 2020 presidential election.

Members of Congress were evacuated from Senate and House chambers due to the attack. CNN reported that there was an armed stand-off happening outside the House floor.

“House pool reports we’re getting in right now is that there is an armed standoff at the House front door, police have guns drawn and someone is trying to reach the front door,” CNN’s Manu Raju said.

The rioters descended on DC from across the country as part of a so-called “Stop The Steal” protest, organized by Trump allies who have bought into debunked conspiracy theories that the election was fraudulent. Trump was handily defeated by President-elect Joe Biden by 7 million votes and a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College.

Despite that reality, thousands of Trump supporters marched on the Capitol shortly after Trump addressed them, again lied about the election results, and urged them to support his attempted coup. They listened and within hours were violently attacking police officers—despite for months insisting they “backed the Blue”—and trying to breach the Capitol building in an act of domestic terrorism.

As he was sheltering in the Longworth Office Building because protestors had stormed the capital, Rep Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) called into MSNBC around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
“Obviously, I have never experienced anything like this,” he said from his office.

He talked about hearing explosions, having to lock his doors and repeatedly getting alerts through his computer system. Boyle told anchors Chuck Todd, Katie Tur and Andrea Mitchell that his staff had been prepared for a “long night” and to take precautions during the day, like using the underground tunnels system.

However, he said, he didn’t expect chaos to arrive so early in the proceedings.

“This is much worse than I was anticipating,” Boyle said.

Some protesters began physically scaling the Capitol, while others breached the building and made their way outside the Senate chamber, according to the Huffington Post.

The violent clashes earlier forced a lockdown of the House and Senate, interrupting the certification process and also forcing evacuations of the Madison Library of Congress Building and the Cannon House Office Building, forcing reporters, congressional staff to leave.

Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, a Democrat, wrote on Twitter that she was forced to shelter in place in her office amid the chaos.

Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from Oklahoma, was also forced to evacuate and denounced the violence.

Wednesday’s incidents came after similar clashes on Tuesday evening, where right wing protesters clashed with police.

Keya Vakil

Keya Vakil Keya is a reporter at COURIER, where he covers everything from healthcare to climate change. Prior to joining Courier Newsroom, Keya worked as a researcher in the film industry and dabbled in the

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Pro-Trump supporters flood Washington as Pence defies president

Hundreds of law enforcement officers have mobilised across Washington as thousands of supporters who refuse to accept President Donald Trump's election loss flooded the nation's capital in protest.

It comes as Congress gathered to put the final stamp on President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Crowds stormed barricades around the Capitol building, some protesters clashing with authorities.

Some buildings were evacuated as tensions rose.

Thousands of protesters gathered around the Washington Monument on Wednesday morning as the Elton John song "Tiny Dancer" played from loud speakers.

READ MORE: US Democratic run-off candidate has Australian-born mum

The song was interrupted by an announcement telling people to leave behind backpacks, chairs and flagpoles so people could get through a security checkpoint.

Hundreds of people carried flags. Some were American, some were Trump 2020 flags, at least one said "F–K BIDEN" with the letter U replaced by a flag symbol.

https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1346891030055022592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

As part of their preparations, police posted signs around the district warning of the illegality of gun possession during protests as Mr Trump tweeted his support for the protesters, saying, "Our Country has had enough, they won't take it anymore!" and "We Hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office."

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1346822610957561858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The Department of Homeland Security, which has staffed a "Virtual Situation Room" to help communication between different agencies, is "not currently tracking any active threats," spokesman Alexei Woltornist said.

Mr Trump travelled a short distance from the White House to the rally on Wednesday morning.

About 20 aides were outside awaiting Mr Trump's departure, audibly shouting "Save our country" as he boarded his SUV.

Mr Trump gave a fist bump and appeared to blow a kiss.

Mr Trump addressed a large, tightly packed and largely maskless crowd of supporters on the Ellipse.

His remarks got off to an inauspicious start as Mr Trump's microphone appeared to be turned off as he began speaking.

"We can't hear you!" members of the audience were heard shouting on the video feed, though he appeared unaware and kept speaking.

Moments later, audio was restored, and Mr Trump was railing against the media.

Mr Trump's speech included calls for his vice president to step outside his constitutional bounds and overturn the results of the election.

"Hope Mike is going to do the right thing," Mr Trump said at a rally on the Ellipse. "If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election."

Mr Pence released a letter he wrote to congress on Wednesday just after noon, saying he wouldn't object to Mr Biden's victory.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1346698217304584192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

A large glass barrier shielded Mr Trump from the crowd, similar to when he spoke in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the Fourth of July 2019.

Ahead of Mr Trump's speech, Rudy Giuliani was addressing the rally on the Ellipse, baselessly repeating claims that voting machines were "crooked," and continuing to insist that Mr Pence can do something today to change the election's outcome, which he does not have power to do. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

"Let's have trial by combat!" Mr Giuliani told the enthusiastic crowd.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said the District is "absolutely prepared" for protests and announced that that at least ten people were arrested overnight related to the protests.

https://twitter.com/DanScavino/status/1346584866964598785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

At least one person was arrested for carrying an unlicensed gun and six people were charged with assault, including one for assaulting a police officer.

"We had several arrests related to that activity, but not a single one of them was a DC resident," she said.

Authorities – a mix that includes local police, National Guard and federal uniformed officers – had already arrested several people ahead of demonstrations including the leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that Trump directly addressed during an autumn debate to "stand back and stand by."

https://twitter.com/LexiDaish/status/1346882378485022720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The Proud Boys' leader, Henry Tarrio, who goes by Enrique Tarrio, was released from police custody on Tuesday on charges related to a protest last month and ordered by a local judge to stay out of DC as he awaits trial, including during this week's protests.

Gun-free zones

In the days leading up to Wednesday's planned march, police posted signs declaring areas where they expect protesters gun-free zones between Monday and Thursday. "ALL firearms prohibited within 1000 feet of this sign," they read, taped to light poles.

https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1346883245447778306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Protesters dressed in pro-Trump regalia gathered on Tuesday across the city while others posted photos of their travel to Wednesday's rally on social media.

Several speakers on Tuesday led the crowds in chants of "four more years," even as Mr Trump has all but exhausted legal avenues for turning the tide against Mr Biden.

One after another, speakers put forth claims that the election was stolen, imploring people to "fight" for victory on Wednesday. 

Mr Trump's loss has been reaffirmed by courts and state election officials dozens of times since the election.

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Person of interest in Police custody

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Troy Francis of Conaree/Cayon for whom a Person of Interest Poster was issued is now in Police custody.

He was captured by Officers at John Street, Newtown on Tuesday night, January 5.

The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force thanks its media partners for disseminating the information and the public for any assistance given with this matter.

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