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headline

SKN’s Changing Face…from Argiculture to Tourism

by Karla Berridge

This month marks 16 years since St. Kitts and Nevis moved away from a 300-year history of sugar production to step into a new path of formally marketing the islands as a tourist destination.

The then leaders took the chance and saw it was best to make the change at that time due to the difficulties faced with producing sugar and the debt associated.

When St.Kitts and Nevis moved away from exporting sugar in the early 2000s, to focus on Tourism, it was met with mixed reactions.

Some would agree that this change was good for the economy as it encouraged locals to find innovative ways to be part of that change.

Loop Caribbean spoke with local businessman and  St.Kitts and Nevis Honorary Consul to Switzerland and Italy Ernest Amory MBE about the diversification of the federation’s economy and what it meant for both the country and its people.

“I think it was a good idea by the government at the time because they saw where they were not making any money from the Sugar Industry. The cost of sugar on the world market had decreased so much that it wasn’t profitable for them to grow sugar.

Our local people were not interested in cutting Sugar Cane so the government had to employ persons from Guyana, Dominican Republic and Haiti to come to cut cane.

He said however that the move from the sugar industry to the tourism industry was a big move due to the fact that there was no form of preparation for the approximately 1500 persons within the sugar industry, to assist them in transitioning to this new industry.

“The persons who were left out from the sugar industry were not ready for tourism. There were no positions for them; they didn’t have the skills for tourism, there were no jobs.”

As is usually the case with anything new, there were teething issues. And while the impact of this shift wasn’t all bad, some were left struggling to come to terms with the implications of such a drastic change.

It was new for all and encouraged many to adapt and find new ways to fit into this new way of life, thereby offering more to the tourism product.

“It affected a lot of people in a negative way but it opened up more avenues for the country in general so the government received more revenue, more businesses opened. Of course, we can see Porte Zante today; it’s flourishing. Sometimes in the height of the season, we have had six or seven cruise ships on one day.”

Many persons were empowered to become entrepreneurs.  We see people on the beach giving massages, hair braiders offering their services, more local craft vendors and people have even made training monkeys into a profitable business.

“It’s good and bad but I think it’s more good than bad and I commend everybody for doing their part  in showcasing what they can offer to promote St. Kitts and Nevis.”

Brief History

On July 22nd 2005, two locomotives brought in the last sugar canes for processing at the St. Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Corporation (SSMC) factory, signalling the closing of the island’s 300-year old sugar industry.

From the time of settlement St. Kitts was developed as a plantation island. The small plantations produced tobacco, cotton, and indigo and over the 17th-century sugar cane started gaining ground and St. Kitts became the wealthiest of the British possessions.

Over the years the maintenance of the sugar industry became too high for the country to sustain and the then government decided it was time to close the industry and focus on something new. That’s where tourism came in.

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headline

Head of Miami Security Firm Linked to Moise Murder Denies involvement

Aug 4 (Reuters) – The head of a Miami-based security firm that hired the Colombian bodyguards suspected of killing Haiti’s president denied involvement in his death, saying on Wednesday he had been tricked and that the president’s own guards were to blame.

President Jovenel Moise was killed last month at his home in Port-au-Prince, and a group of former soldiers from Colombia were arrested in the attack.

Haitian officials said Antonio Intriago’s company, CTU, Security had hired the former soldiers, which he indirectly confirmed in a statement issued through his lawyers in Miami.

“Mr. Intriago had no knowledge of and no part in the tragic events,” his attorneys at Lacayo Law Firm said, marking Intriago’s first public remarks on the matter.

According to the statement, Intriago believed that his “unarmed security contractors” had been hired as personal guards in Haiti, but that there was a last-minute change of plans and the men were asked to serve an arrest warrant on Moise.

Intriago’s lawyers attached the warrant with their statement. The warrant was signed by a judge and dated February 2019.

“When they entered the presidential residence, they found the president deceased, his wife wounded, and the house ransacked,” the statement said. “It is our belief that the president’s own bodyguards betrayed him.”

“Mr. Intriago was the victim of an elaborate scheme,” it said, arguing the contractors had “no part” in Moise’s killing.

In Colombia, families and colleagues of Intriago’s hires have told reporters the men were hired to act as bodyguards.

Reporting by Chris Prentice and Daina Beth Solomon. Editing by Gerry Doyle

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro Rages Against Probe, Threatens to Act Beyond Constitution

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 4 (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday raged against a Supreme Court investigation into his conduct and threatened to respond outside the limits of the constitution, escalating the clash between the far-right leader and the judiciary.

Bolsonaro’s comments came after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes approved an investigation into the president’s unfounded accusations that Brazil’s electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud.

“This investigation is not within the bounds of the constitution, so the antidote to this is also not within the bounds of the constitution,” Bolsonaro said on social media, without specifying further the nature of the threat.

Bolsonaro, who is expected to seek a second term in 2022, has repeatedly said Brazil’s electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud without providing evidence.

Critics say Bolsonaro, like former U.S. President Donald Trump, is sowing doubts in case he loses in 2022. He has already threatened not to accept the result if the system is not changed.

Bolsonaro is calling for adoption of printed receipts that can be counted if any election result is disputed, a paper trail that would change the current all-electronic voting system. A proposal to that effect is currently with Congress, with a committee set to vote on it on Thursday. Analysts believe it has little chance of becoming law.

The president has called for people to take to the streets, and last weekend thousands of his supporters held demonstrations in several cities backing his proposal.

Reporting by Pedro Fonseca, writing by Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing by David Gregorio

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headline

Brazil in Back to Back Olympic Football Finals

BBC- Brazil reached back-to-back men’s Olympic football finals following a penalty shootout victory over Mexico.

The defending champions won 4-1 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes in Kashima.

Brazil goalkeeper Santos saved from Eduardo Aguirre in the shootout before Johan Vasquez hit the post with Mexico’s second penalty.

They will play Spain in Saturday’s gold medal match.

Dani Alves, Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, Bruno Guimaraes and Reinier all scored their spot-kicks for Brazil.

It looked like the second semi-final was heading for penalties until Marco Asensio scored in the 115th minute in Saitama.

The Real Madrid winger came off the bench to score the winning goal with a superb curling strike from inside the box to send Spain to a first Olympic final since they finished runners-up at the 2000 Games in Sydney.

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headline

Covid: Biden To Continue Trump’s Title 42 Migrant Expulsions

BBC- The Biden administration has said it will indefinitely extend a Trump-era pandemic policy that allows the US to swiftly expel undocumented migrants.

The policy known as Title 42 is aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 in holding facilities, officials say. Children and some families are exempt.

At least 940,000 people have been expelled since it was issued last year.

The decision comes as migrants continue to stream to the US border, including about 210,000 in July alone.

In a statement, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the policy will remain in effect until the spread of Covid by non-citizens stops being a “serious danger” to public health.

The CDC said it will review the situation every 60 days.

The announcement drew outrage from immigration advocacy groups who accused the Biden team of backing the hardline anti-immigration policies of Donald Trump.

Officers from Customs and Border Protection encountered an average of 6,779 individuals each day in July, including 616 unaccompanied children, Monday’s court filing said.

It added that the “record numbers” of migrants had “strained” operations at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to David Shahoulian, the assistant secretary for border and immigration policy.

“These encounter rates have … caused border facilities to be filled beyond their normal operating capacity, impacting the ability to employ social distancing,” the filing quoted Mr Shahoulian as saying.

US migrants 2000-2021 graphic

Additionally, Mr Shahoulian said that the department is experiencing “significantly increased rates” of positive Covid tests. It added that the dangers have increased because of the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant.

The American Civil Liberties Union and several other advocacy groups have said they will return to court over President Biden’s use of Title 42.

His administration has repeatedly defended the Trump-era policy in courts, where the civil rights groups have sued to have the US asylum system continue processing claims.

While the Biden government has made immigration reform an important goal, the president has repeatedly called on migrants to not attempt the dangerous journey to the US.

“I can say quite clearly: don’t come over,” he said in an ABC News interview in March. “We’re in the process of getting set up. Don’t leave your town or community.”

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headline

Mexico Sues US Gun Firms Over Arms Trafficking

BBC- The Mexican government has sued some of the biggest US gun manufacturers, accusing them of fuelling bloodshed through reckless business practices.

The lawsuit alleges that the companies knew they were contributing to illegal arms trafficking, which has been linked to many deaths.

Officials say Mexico is seeking as much as $10bn (£7.2bn) in compensation, though any amount would be decided by the court.

The companies have not yet commented.

They include Smith & Wesson and Barrett Firearms, among others. The BBC has contacted both companies for comment.

The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in the US state of Massachusetts.

It says the Mexican government took the action “to put an end to the massive damage that the [companies] cause by actively facilitating the unlawful trafficking of their guns to drug cartels and other criminals in Mexico”.

The gun manufacturers “are conscious of the fact that their products are trafficked and used in illicit activities against the civilian population and authorities of Mexico”, the Foreign Ministry said in a document related to the lawsuit.

Mexico said the companies had used “marketing strategies to promote weapons that are ever more lethal, without mechanisms of security or traceability”.

Mexican officials said that some of the guns made by Colt appeared to target the Mexican market in particular, such as a pistol engraved with the face and name of Mexican revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata.

Mexico has strict rules regulating the sale of weapons and they can only be purchased legally at one shop located on an army base in the capital.

As a result, those who want to buy weapons often get them from the US.

According to a Mexican government statement, criminal organisations buy thousands of pistols, rifles, assault weapons and ammunition in supermarkets, on the internet and at arms fairs in the US which are then used to commit crimes in Mexico.

The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that 70% of firearms recovered in Mexico between 2014 and 2018 which were submitted for tracing had come from the US.

In 2019 alone, more than 17,000 murders in Mexico were linked to trafficked weapons.

One official told reporters the damage caused by trafficked guns would be equal to around 1.7% of Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said: “We are going to win the trial and we are going to drastically reduce illicit arms trafficking to Mexico.”

Mexican officials stressed that the lawsuit was not aimed at the US government. Mr Ebrard said he believed that President Joe Biden’s administration was willing to work with Mexico to curb arms trafficking.

But experts have cast doubt on Mexico’s likelihood of success with the lawsuit.

Lorenzo Meyer, an emeritus professor at the College of Mexico, told AFP news agency that US law “makes it almost impossible for gun manufacturers to be held responsible” for the illegal trade.

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World View: Delta China Surge, COVID Hits Tokyo Games, US Immigrant Detentions Soar, More

Aug 05, 2021

Alternate text

 

The Associated Press

The Rundown

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BEIJING (AP) — The delta variant is challenging China’s costly strategy of isolating cities, prompting warnings that Chinese leaders who were confident they could keep the coronavirus out of the country need a less disruptive approach….Read More

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TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo reported 5,042 new daily coronavirus cases on Thursday, hitting a record since the pandemic began as the infections surge in the Japanese capital hosting the Olympics….Read More

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NEW YORK (AP) — He said his actions had been misconstrued, his words misunderstood. He said it was cultural: He hugs, he kisses, he says “Ciao, bella.” He said it was generational: Sometimes he lapses into “honey” or “sweetheart” or te…Read More

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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel on Thursday escalated its response to rocket attacks this week by launching rare airstrikes on Lebanon, the army said….Read More

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WINNFIELD, La. (AP) — Alexander Martinez says he fled from homophobia, government persecution and the notorious MS-13 gang in El Salvador only to run into abuse and harassment in America’s immigration detention system. …Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

TOKYO (AP) — A condom fixed Jessica Fox’s canoe, and skateboarder Jagger Eaton celebrated his bronze medal by broadcasting live on Instagram. Margielyn Didal “let” Tony Ha…Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The rare clash this week between the Biden administration and congressional Democrats over a lapsed eviction moratorium could become a blueprint for even…Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Toy maker Eric Poses created a card game last year he called The Worst-Case Scenario, a wry reference to the way the coronavirus had upended normal life….Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts will likely miss the band’s upcoming U.S. tour to allow him to recover from an unspecified medical procedure….Read More

The post World View: Delta China Surge, COVID Hits Tokyo Games, US Immigrant Detentions Soar, More appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Is Rapidly Spreading Lambda Variant More Dangerous than Delta?

The lambda variant likely composes the bulk of infections in South America.

By

Alexandra Kelley
The Hill
  • The lambda variant was identified as a COVID-19 mutation that could potentially be vaccine-resistant, similarly to the delta variant.
  • Dr. Rachel Graham, an assistant professor in epidemiology, says that its mutation likely causes it to be a more transmissible strain.
  • The lambda variant comprises just a few hundred cases in the U.S., but this could change

While the U.S. continues to reckon with the delta variant’s rampant spread, headlines have pivoted to another variant that is quickly growing into a dominant strain: the lambda variant.

First reported in Peru during late 2020, the lambda variant, dubbed C.37, is a viable candidate for the most prominent strain in South America — driving infections in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Further genome sequencing data indicates that the lambda is mutating at a rapid rate in cases across the world.

In light of these figures, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the lambda as a variant of interest. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to take similar steps, despite cases emerging in cities like Houston, Texas; South Carolina, Georgia, and Maryland.

This leaves Americans to wonder just how transmissible the lambda variant is, and if it poses the same insidious threat as the delta variant.

“From what we can see in South America right now, it does appear to be more transmissible than what you would call the grandparent strains of the original coronavirus,” said Dr. Rachel Graham, an assistant professor in the epidemiology department at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

While it hasn’t seized a major foothold in the U.S., the lambda variant stands to become the dominant strain the same way the delta variant has.

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“If this particular variant has the ability to circumvent immunity in previously infected patients the way that delta seems to be able to do…we could see another wave in, say, six months time that is predominantly lambda or something that is related to lambda,” she says.

Graham told The Hill that similar to the delta variant, the lambda variant’s mutation occurs within the spike protein of the coronavirus cell, or the part of the cell that attaches to the host cell and enables the virus to replicate. Changes to this part of the cell affect the virus’ transmissibility, or how contagious it can be, as well as human immune responses.

Preliminary data published in July suggested that the lambda variant may be resistant against the COVID-19 vaccines approved for use. This research has yet to be paper reviewed, but Graham cautioned that any resistance may be minor in nature.

“It does have an effect against neutralizing antibodies that are produced from that vaccine,” she said. “The important thing to take away from that, though, while there is an effect, you’re talking about taking something that was a huge response into something that was a slightly less huge response.”

Until more research on the lambda comes along, it remains to be seen whether the strain will actually cause a difference in any given patient response to the vaccine.

The best bet for preventing an infection and the further spread of the lambda, however, is vaccination.

Variants like the lambda and delta occur with more mutations, which stem from more infections. Denying the virus the opportunity to infect a host will make it harder for the coronavirus to continue mutating.

“It’s that sheer number of replication events that can produce more mutations,” Graham confirmed.

Replication of the virus tends to occur when people congregate and are unmasked and unvaccinated.

“Right now vaccination is the primary way to stop the spread of the virus,” she said.

=====================================================

WORLD STATS

Coronavirus Cases:

201,101,834

Deaths:

4,273,132

Recovered:

181,095,661
Highlighted in green
= all cases have recovered from the infection
Highlighted in grey
= all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases)

[back to top ↑]

Latest News

August 5 (GMT)

Updates

  • 296 new cases and 17 new deaths in Oman [source]
  • 14,211 new cases and 9 new deaths in Japan [source]
  • 23,120 new cases and 794 new deaths in Russia [source]
  • 20,685 new cases and 611 new deaths in Mexico [source]

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Victoria plunged into snap seven-day lockdown

Victoria will enter a "snap" seven-day lockdown after reporting seven new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours.

The lockdown will take effect from 8pm AEST tonight, meaning residents will have only five reasons to leave their homes.

These five reasons include purchasing foods and supplies, exercising for up to two hours, giving care, essential work and education or getting a COVID-19 test or vaccination.

EXPLAINER: Everything you need to know about snap Victoria lockdown

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Shopping and exercise must be done within 5 kilometres of your home.

Face masks will remain mandatory at all indoor and outdoor areas that are not your home.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said lockdowns were the only way to have the state open up properly going forward.

"There are no alternatives to lockdown," he said.

"If you wait, it will spread. Once it spreads, you can never even hope to run alongside it, let along get out in front of it and bring it back down to zero or a low number of cases.

"This thing moves so fast. There is no debate or discussion about this – the Delta variant moves at lightning speed and by the time you get the people they have already infected, all the people they live with, all the people they work with, all the people they spend time with. 

"We can't allow that to happen otherwise we are locked down until Christmas."

Delta forced lockdown decision

Mr Andrews said the rapid spread of the Delta variant was behind a sixth lockdown for Victoria.

"My fear is if we were to wait a few days – and the advice to me from the experts, is if we were to wait even just a few days, there is every chance, instead of being locked down for a week, this gets away from us," he said.

"And [then] we are potentially locked down until we all get vaccinated. That's months away."

Mr Andrews also said unlinked cases were a major concern for the state.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.

"(There were) six reported this morning and two of those cases will be reported tomorrow – only three of those can be linked to a known outbreak," he said.

"The mystery cases, we don't know how they got it, who they have given it to or how many people they have given it to."

The premier said coronavirus fragments have also been detected in regional Victoria, meaning the entire state would be under lockdown.

Mr Andrews said the five kilometre travel radius and gathering limits was critical to reduce case numbers.

"Some people have been visiting family and friends, and all it does is it spreads the virus," Mr Andrews said.

"I just say – not to any group or part of Melbourne, not any particular community – I think there are many people who are perhaps not doing as they should. We are all tempted to do that but we just have to find it within ourselves, to do the right thing.

"I plead with all Victorians, please don't go and visit family and friends, because you might well be contributing to the spread of the virus … that won't be good for your family and friends or any of us. The rules are there to keep us open."

READ MORE: Victoria exposure sites continue to climb as more cases emerge

Desperate race to track contacts

Two of the latest cases are close contacts of a footballer which will be included in tomorrow's numbers.

COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said authorities identified two additional cases linked to a Hobsons Bay couple in Melbourne's west.

"We have also tested some of the man's wider household contacts … family relatives who do not live in the same household, but nearby," Mr Weimar said.

READ MORE: Five deaths, 262 new COVID-19 cases in NSW as lockdown extended

"I can confirm that two of those household relatives have also turned positive," he said.

The man plays football for Newport Football Club and his partner is a teacher at Al-Taqwa College in Truganina who was confirmed to be a positive case yesterday.

Health Minister Martin Foley said one of the latest cases is a man in his 20s who lives in the City of Maribyrnong with a housemate.

The source of his infection is under investigation.

Mr Foley said three of the state's latest cases are linked to the Moonee Valley cluster and have been isolating for their entire infectious period.

Schools close as areas of concern grow

Two schools in Victoria remain closed today as Melbourne tries to squash the outbreak.

Mr Foley said the list of exposure sites continues to climb, and includes supermarkets and a gym. Al-Taqwa College has been listed as a Tier One exposure site.

Almost 2500 students and staff from, Al-Taqwa College, an Islamic primary and secondary school in Truganina outside of Melbourne, are in isolation after the teacher tested positive yesterday.

READ MORE: COVID jab incentives still on the table, but not yet, commander says

It is understood the teacher may have been infectious while at the school last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

A pop-up testing site has been established at the school today and will be open from midday until 8pm tonight.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FIlimCollege%2Fphotos%2Fa.138917932911828%2F2191156291021305%2F%3Ftype%3D3&show_text=true&width=500

A designated testing lane was set up at Melbourne Showgrounds yesterday for the school.

A second school, Ilim College, in Melbourne's north, last night announced it would close its three campuses from Thursday.

A Facebook post from the school said the closure was a "precautionary measure" and no positive cases had been detected inside the school community.

"Ilim College is taking precautionary measures with the current COVID outbreak announced this evening and will CLOSE all campuses tomorrow, Thursday the 5th of August 2021, with a further announcement pending advice from the DHHS," the Facebook post said.

"We must reiterate that Ilim College has not had any positive COVID results from this outbreak.

Health authorities have been working with Newport Football Club after the Hobsons Bay man tested positive.

"We have been in contact with the club," Mr Foley said.

"Can I thank the club for the proactive way in which it has shared that risk with its members and the wider community."

READ MORE: Queensland bracing for lockdown extension

https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1423055629774589955

Search for link to new case

COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said the man in the City of Maribyrnong who tested positive is in his 20s and works in a warehouse. He also lives with a housemate.

There is no information yet as to the possible source of acquisition, which is part of the ongoing investigation.

Mr Weimar said the Hobsons Bay couple were in their 20s and contact tracing was underway.

"The male in that partnership is somebody who works in Caroline Springs. He is also the individual who plays for the Newport footy club," he said.

"We have now tested both his workplace colleagues in Caroline Springs and are awaiting test results of that today."

'Twenty-four hours is a long time'

Mr Weimar said the two cases to be included in tomorrow's numbers were close contacts of the Newport Football player.

"Two of those household relatives have also turned positive, they are not in today's numbers but will be in tomorrow's report," he said.

"Twenty-four hours is a long time in a pandemic."

The Western Region Football League earlier confirmed a local player has returned a positive coronavirus test.

"The player participated in the West Footscray vs Newport senior men's match at Shorten Reserve in West Footscray on Saturday 31 July at 2.15pm," a statement read.

"The player began to feel unwell this week and did not attend club training on Tuesday, and was confirmed as having COVID-19 on Wednesday."

A full list of Victoria's current COVID-19 exposure sites can be found here.