Category Archives: headline

headline

Tokyo Olympics: Flora Duffy Claims Historic 1st Gold for Bermuda

BBC- With a population of just 63,000, Bermuda became the smallest nation or territory to win an Olympic gold medal at a summer Games when Flora Duffy won the triathlon in Tokyo.

The 33-year-old, making her fourth appearance at an Olympics, came out on top of the 56-woman field with a time of one hour 55 minutes 36 seconds – more than a minute ahead of Great Britain’s Georgia Taylor-Brown and USA’s Katie Zaferes.

Bermuda already held the record for being the least populated country to win a summer Olympic medal thanks to a bronze for boxer Clarence Hill in 1976 but now they have their first gold medal winner.

“It’s been a heck of a lot of pressure for five years,” said Duffy.

“I would never recommend being an Olympic favourite for five years. Of course it’s made it all worth it now.

“I think the whole of Bermuda is going crazy. That’s what makes it so special to me is that, yes, this was my dream, but I also knew it was bigger than me.”

Duffy, who rejected the chance to represent Britain as a teenager, is already familiar with writing her name into the history books having become Bermuda’s first female Commonwealth Games champion in 2018.

She added: “I’m just proud I could be Bermuda’s first gold medallist, first female medallist, and hopefully inspire everyone back home that this is possible.”

To put into context the size of Duffy’s win, at 51 kilometres the triathlon event itself is longer than an end-to-end walk

across the length of Bermuda (40km). It is 15 times smaller than New York.

Report

Overnight rain in Tokyo had delayed the start by 15 minutes because of slippery conditions but once it got under way Duffy took control after the first four laps and never looked back.

A huge smile turned to tears of joy as she crossed the finish line as the realisation of what she had achieved sank in.

“I tried to just keep my composure and not allow my mind to drift to the fact that this was really happening until about the last kilometre of the run,” said Duffy.

“I saw my husband, he’s my coach, on the side of the road, and just gave him a little smile.

“From there I just sort of allowed all the emotions to come but I truly don’t think it’ll hit me until a couple of days from now.”

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Miami Tower Collapse: Final Victim Identified from Rubble

BBC- The family of the final victim unaccounted for in a deadly apartment block collapse in Florida say her remains have been found and identified.

The discovery ends a weeks-long wait for the family of 54-year-old Estelle Hedaya, who had been missing since her building collapsed on 24 June.

Her brother Ikey Hedaya told US media that local New York police delivered the news to their family on Monday. Her discovery brings the death toll in the collapse disaster to 98.

Search teams spent weeks combing the rubble for victims but said on Friday that their search had finally ended. At that time, Estelle Hedaya was still unaccounted for.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Monday that police volunteers were continuing to “carefully and meticulously” sift through millions of pounds of debris at a secondary site looking for remains and personal items.

“We have done everything possible to bring closure to the families and I am especially proud that through these tireless efforts we were able at last to bring closure to all those who reported missing loved ones,” she told reporters.

The number of people missing had initially been put as high as 159, but police brought that figure down after weeks of checking reports.

Officials say the site where the 12-floor Champlain Towers South building once stood is being treated as a crime scene.

What caused the 40-year-old building to fall to the ground remains unknown, but a 2018 report had found structural problems with the ocean-side block.

All but one of those killed were recovered dead in the rubble, with one victim dying in hospital.

A Jewish funeral is expected to take place for Estelle Hedaya in New York on Tuesday, the AP news agency reports.

Her family and friends described her as outgoing and fun-loving and said she loved to travel and try new things, like salsa dancing.

Other victims of the disaster include the seven-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter, a 92-year-old grandmother and the sister of Paraguay’s first lady.

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Mexican President says Biden Must “Make Decision” on Cuba Embargo

MEXICO CITY, July 26 (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday that he thinks U.S. President Joe Biden must make a decision about the embargo against Cuba amid the biggest unrest in the Caribbean nation in decades.

Lopez Obrador said it was not enough for countries to vote to end the embargo via the United Nations General Assembly, but that it was time to make a real decision about it, given that “almost all countries of the world” are against it.

“It is not conceivable that in these times they want to punish an independent country with a blockade,” Lopez Obrador said.

“I think that President Biden must make a decision about it. It is a respectful call, from no point of view of interference, but we must separate the political from the humanitarian.”

Cuban families should also face fewer restrictions on receiving remittances from those who live in the United States or any other country, Lopez Obrador added.

“How can it be blocked if it’s not even government money?” Lopez Obrador said.

Remittances to Cuba are believed to be around $2 billion to $3 billion annually, representing its third biggest source of dollars after the services industry and tourism.

The transfers have been slowed by policies brought in under U.S. former President Donald Trump that led Western Union to close Cuban operations.

The Cuban government has blamed the protests mostly on what it calls U.S.-financed “counter-revolutionaries” exploiting economic hardship caused by decades-old U.S. embargo.

Lopez Obrador says the U.S. embargo is a cause of the protests, which erupted amid Cuba’s worst economic crisis since the fall of former ally the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

Mexico is due to send food and medical supplies, including syringes, oxygen tanks and masks, to Cuba via cargo ships. read more

Reporting by Diego Ore and Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel

The post Mexican President says Biden Must “Make Decision” on Cuba Embargo appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Young dad dies after testicular cancer battle

A young Brisbane father has died at the age of 30 after a battle with testicular cancer.

Brendan Nikolajew's wife Leah said the former Royal Australian Artillery gunner "passed away peacefully" yesterday.

"I held him close and lay next to him until his last breath," Mrs Nikolajew said.

"I made sure he knew how loved he was by everyone who knew him."

The father-of-two was diagnosed in after finding a lump on his left testicle and became a fierce advocate for men's health, reminding blokes to get checked if they noticed anything abnormal.

READ MORE: Young dad battling testicular cancer has one message for Aussie men

Queensland man Brendan Nikolajew has died.

"Knowing your 'normal' is a massive one," Mr Nikolajew told 9News last year.

"Getting to a doctor is simple, it's so easy to book a GP.

"It's not being embarrassed about your body, about speaking out."

The Queensland father found treatments including surgery, chemotherapy, stem cell transplants and alternative therapies to be successful initially.

But the cancer returned twice, and spread to other parts of his body.

Queensland man Brendan Nikolajew has died.

READ MORE: Shattering diagnosis after doctors blamed pain on bushwalking

In January 2020, he was told he had a year to live.

Mr Nikolajew – who fought the Taliban in Afghanistan – admitted his prognosis was "daunting" but pledged to fight for his family including children Georgie and Roman.

Mrs Nikolajew told 9News about the legacy her husband left behind.

"I just want people to know what and incredible husband and father he was and that his strength and positive has inspired so many people," she said.

The grieving wife said her brave husband struggled in the last few days of his life.

"The last few days of his life were extremely hard for him as he struggled to breathe and was quite confused, he fought right to the end and did not want to leave but eventually made the decision to finally be at peace and watch us from the stars," she wrote on Facebook.

READ MORE: Aussie soldier's plea, as he battles testicular cancer for third time

READ MORE: 'Stark' difference between Aussie's two different cancer diagnoses

"My little family and I are absolutely broken and still can't imagine how we are going to continue on in this life without our sun and moon and our rock.

"He lived life to the fullest and loved the people around so bloody hard and I am proud to be his wife. I hope we can all keep his memory alive by never giving up and living our life with Brendan's ferocity and passion."

Mr Nikolajew had shared his story with the media to raise awareness of testicular cancer among young men.

READ MORE: Sisters hope special gift will save young mum's life

While he didn't wait too long to see his GP after finding the lump, when he did go, he was immediately sent to a urologist.

After tests the doctor broke the brutal news to him and his wife.

"He said: 'Do you see this? It's cancer.' He just blurted it out," Mr Nikolajew told 9News.

He was also involved with the Movember campaign.

A few weeks ago he had a visit from Wiggle Anthony Field.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRI3pH6pBG0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp

The performer replaced his name with Brendan's on a new Wiggles album – meaning his family would get the money, according to veteran's organisation The Pineapple Express.

Symptoms of testicular cancer include a lump, ache, feeling of heaviness in the testicles, or back ache.

Testicular cancer is the second most cancer in young men, however, if caught early, almost all men survive.

READ MORE: Fears tens of thousands of Aussies could have cancer and not yet know