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Solo Anzac 'hero' revealed to be anti-vaccine, lockdown protester

A man who staged a lone march through an empty Perth CBD on Anzac Day has been revealed to be an anti-vaccine and COVID lockdown protester.

Michael Darby was stopped by police during his solo feat. He was not wearing a mask as per Perth's lockdown rules, but escaped a fine.

Western Australia's Anzac Day commemorations were cancelled due to the city's snap three-day lockdown, with people encouraged to mark the event in their driveways instead.

READ MORE: WA lockdown to end at midnight tonight, but masks and other restrictions to remain

Solo Anzac marcher revealed to be anti vaxxer/ A man who staged a lone march through Perth on Anzac Day has been revealed to be an anti-vaccine, COVID lockdown protester

However, Mr Darby was dubbed a mystery "hero" by local media after being seen walking though the city on crutches, with medals on his chest and a banner saying "honour the fallen" around his neck.

The West Australian newspaper reported he was given an "impromptu guard of honour" after police allowed him to finish his walk.

Mr Darby is in fact a long time political protester and campaigns against COVID-19 restrictions.

READ MORE: WWII vet joins Sydney march at 104

Solo Anzac marcher revealed to be anti vaxxer/ A man who staged a lone march through Perth on Anzac Day has been revealed to be an anti-vaccine, COVID lockdown protester

"Someone looked at CCTV footage and saw this old fella standing wearing a couple of medals and wrongly assumed that those medals referred to combat," he told 9News.

He did National Service and said he was a signals officer in 1974, but doesn't normally march on Anzac Day.

"I'm not a veteran, I'm an admirer of veterans," he said.

He backs the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus, and says people should take Vitamin A for it.

Solo Anzac marcher revealed to be anti vaxxer/ A man who staged a lone march through Perth on Anzac Day has been revealed to be an anti-vaccine, COVID lockdown protester

Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said officers escorted him off the road on Sunday, but they didn't know his background.

Premier Mark McGowan was asked about Mr Darby.

He said: "If those are the things he is saying, obviously I don't agree with them."

Australia expected to ban flights from India

Australia is expected to ban all flights from India amid a surge of cases in the country.

Australia's National Security Committee will meet on Tuesday and decide whether to suspend flights coming in from India.

Australia is looking into sending oxygen to try and help ease the crisis.

READ MORE: Hellish second wave 'tsunami' ripping India apart

India

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to 9News there are currently about 9000 Australians in India who want to return home.

Cricketers are also in the nation for the IPL.

One in 30 Australians are of Indian heritage.

India

Health Minister Greg Hunt said if all flights are cancelled, "we will do it with a heavy heart – but without hesitation".

"India is literally gasping for oxygen," he said.

Last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a cut of flights by 30 per cent plus a new rule meaning passengers must be tested on route if they change planes.

INDIA

The nation is the world's second-most populated.

The capital Delhi, home to nearly 30 million people, is reporting positive tests of about one in every three people.

The nation has been hit by another record jump in COVID-19 cases, with almost 350,000 new infections in the past 24 hours.

READ MORE: Travel rethink after Perth's patient zero returned from Indian wedding

It is the fourth day in a row cases India's daily cases numbers have hit world-record levels.

IndiaAs COVID-19 cases surge and India continues to face severe oxygen shortages, private companies are stepping in to offer their support.

The country has so far confirmed more than 186,000 deaths and 16 million cases, with three million added in the last two weeks alone.

Hospitals are running out of oxygen and supplies, and crematoriums are overflowing, sparking fears a major humanitarian disaster is underway.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson, said: "Australia stands by our friends in India in their time of need.

"The Australian Government is actively considering options for urgent support and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

"DFAT's highest priority at this time is helping vulnerable Australians overseas.

"Over 500,000 Australians have arrived in Australia since the Government recommended that people reconsider the need to travel abroad."

As well as India, the main countries Australians are trying to return from are the UK, USA, Thailand and the Philippines.

Caribbean Community and Diaspora Rush to Aid St. Vincent

CNW- As St. Vincent and the Grenadines continue to reel from the aftermath of the eruption caused by the La Soufriere Volcano last week, their Caribbean neighbors and Caribbean diaspora are stepping up to offer their assistance.

Among the groups conducting disaster relief efforts is the Caribbean Consular Corps in Miami, which recently sent a shipment of essential supplies of water and face masks, to victims of the disaster.

At an urgent meeting convened by the Caribbean Consular Corps on April 15, it was agreed they would join in solidarity to support the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

According to a joint statement from the group “We are standing with our brothers and sisters in this time of need. As Caribbean people, we believe it is important that we stand together in solidarity. At any time, any one of our countries could be affected by a natural disaster.”

It was further stated that the consuls general were pleased that the Caribbean diaspora has been responding favorably to the needs of the victims and that they will jointly give these initiatives their wholehearted support.

The initial reports highlighting the devastation included clouds of ash blanketing the island causing water and power outages. Thousands of residents were evacuated as it is expected that explosions could continue for days or weeks causing further damage. The residents, especially the frontline workers, will desperately need all their support at this time, the statement continued.

According to the team of consuls general, it was agreed that each consulate would contribute to the cause by donating basic medical supplies of masks and personal care packages, and also large volumes of water. The consuls general are working to boost the support of their respective governments.

The team included Consuls General Gilbert Boustany of Antigua and Barbuda, Dean of the Consular Corps in Miami; Linda Mackey of The Bahamas, Neval Greenidge of Barbados, Stéphane Gilles of Haiti, R. Oliver Mair of Jamaica, Tassa Jean of St. Lucia, Deputy Consul General Dianne Perrotte of Grenada, and Acting Consul General of Trinidad and Tobago Jean Andria Narinesingh.

 

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World View: Oscars, Pandemic-India, Italy, Biden’s 100 Days. More

April 23, 2021

Alternate text

In today’s Wire Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” has won best picture at the 93rd Academy Awards and China-born Zhao has become the first woman of color to win best director.

We also review the Oscars show and take a look at its ending.

India continues to set records for new coronavirus infections. We have a photo gallery of mass funeral pyres that underscores the country’s COVID crisis.

And we reflect on President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office.

Also this morning:

  • Italy’s re-opening: Too cautious for some, too soon for others.
  • American businesses worry about finding summer workers.
  • Death toll in Baghdad coronavirus hospital climbs to at least 82.

MIKE CORDER

The Associated Press

The Hague, Netherlands

The Rundown

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Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” a wistful portrait of itinerant lives on open roads across the American West, won best picture Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards, where the China-born Zhao became the first woman of color to win best director and a…Read More

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NEW DELHI (AP) — Delhi has been cremating so many bodies of COVID-19 victims that authorities are getting requests to start cutting down trees in city parks for kindling, as a record surge of illness is collapsing India’s tattered health ca…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — As he rounds out his first 100 days in office, President Joe Biden’s focus on reigning in the coronavirus during the early months of his administration seems to have paid off: He can check off nearly all his campaign promi…Read More

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MILAN (AP) — Italy’s gradual reopening on Monday after six months of rotating virus lockdowns is satisfying no one: Too cautious for some, too hasty for others. Allowing outdoor dining comes too little, too late for Italy’s restaurant owne…Read More

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The 93rd Academy Awards wasn’t exactly a movie, but it was a show made for people who love learning about movies. And it stubbornly, defiantly wasn’t trying to be anything else. It wasn’t an advertisement for the nominated films that audi…Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

BOSTON (AP) — The owner of seafood restaurants on Cape Cod has eliminated lunch service and delayed the opening of some locations because his summertime influx of fo…Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — If the nation is in the midst of a historic reckoning on racism, most leaders of the Republican Party are not participating. On the same day last wee…Read More

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister fired key hospital officials Sunday hours after a fire broke out in an intensive care unit for coronavirus patients in Baghdad, …Read More

Wait. What? If that’s what you yelled at the TV during the final moments of Sunday’s Oscars, you weren’t alone. In what may have been the most abrupt ending since th…Read More

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Brazil: Bolsonaro Cuts Environment Budget a Day After Pledging to Increase It

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has approved a cut to the environment ministry budget a day after he vowed to boost spending to tackle deforestation.

At a US-led climate summit, he promised to double the money reserved for environmental enforcement and to end illegal deforestation by 2030.

But the budget signed off on Friday did not include his spending pledge, or additional proposals made by Congress.

His government has weakened protections and wants to develop protected areas.

Critics say the president’s promises on Thursday were linked to a controversial deal Brazil is negotiating with the US to receive financial aid in return for protecting the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, and other areas.

The 2021 federal budget includes 2.1bn reais (£280m; $380m) for the environment ministry and agencies it oversees. The ministry had a budget of about 3bn reais in 2020.

Late on Friday, Environment Minister Ricardo Salles said he had requested the economy ministry to review the numbers and fulfil the pledge made by President Bolsonaro at the virtual climate summit hosted by US President Joe Biden.

A road runs through a tract of burnt Amazon jungle near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, 14 August 2020image copyrightReuters
image captionThe Bolsonaro government has called for protected areas in the Amazon to be developed

The environmental policies of President Bolsonaro, who is supported by powerful agribusiness leaders, have drawn widespread condemnation. The far-right leader has encouraged agriculture and mining in the Amazon, and rolled back environmental legislation.

Last year, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon surged to a 12-year high. Activists and indigenous groups say environmental enforcement remains underfunded, and denounce the impunity for illegal logging and mining in protected areas.

The president rejects the criticism, saying Brazil remains an example for conservation. But at Thursday’s summit he attempted to strike a more conciliatory tone, and also promised that Brazil would reach zero carbon emissions by 2050, 10 years earlier than previously agreed.

Charred trunks are seen on a tract of Amazon jungle, that was recently burned by loggers and farmers, in Porto Velho, Brazil, on 23 August 2019image copyrightReuters
image captionDeforestation in the Brazilian Amazon surged to a 12-year high in 2020

Brazilian and US officials have been discussing the possibility of collaborating to stop the destruction of the Amazon. Politicians and environmentalists have warned that the Bolsonaro government should show results first before any financial commitment is made.

Earlier this week, a group of 35 US and Brazilian celebrities voiced their opposition to a deal with Brazil, saying it risked legitimising a government that was encouraging environmental destruction.

The document followed another letter in which more than 200 Brazilian groups told President Biden that the Bolsonaro government was an “enemy” of the Amazon and that it did not have legitimacy to represent Brazil.

Last week, the environment minister said the country would need $1bn in foreign aid to support efforts to reduce deforestation in the Amazon by 30% to 40% in a year.

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Scooter crackdown: 'Picked up with blood running down my mouth'

Shocking new footage from Queensland Police has shown a rising tide of riders on motorised scooters breaking the law, putting themselves and those around them at risk.

Authorities say it's a reckless recipe for destruction that's seen riders get caught topping 60km/h, running red lights and dodging traffic in tragedies just waiting to happen.

Queensland has seen a rise in motorised scooter use since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, with commuters opting to use the two-wheelers instead of public transport.

But police say many are entirely ignoring the 25km/h speed limit speeds.

READ MORE: Queensland hospitals and aged care facilities crippled by cyber attack

Jessica was hit by a scooter in Brisbane.

Police bodycam footage has shown some scooter riders riding at excess of 60km/h, the average speed of a car on Queensland roads, including one instance of a woman being mowed down by a speeding scooter.

Jessica Jordan was crossing a Brisbane road when she was hit by a speeding scooter running a red light, the rider not even stopping to help her as footage shows him them swerving around other pedestrians to get away.

scooters

"I just remember being picked up with blood running down my mouth," Ms Jordan told 9News.

"I've had to have three root canal, one of my teeth was pushed up into my gum."

More than 400 Queensland riders in the past year were caught not wearing a helmet.

scooters

Instead, they all wore a $126 fine.

Sixty-five riders were caught scootering on the road instead of the footpath; they all got a $133 fine.

Police say their message to riders is simple, "Have fun, use the device accordingly and follow the road rules," so more easily avoidable collisions and injuries don't happen.

Oscars 2021: Nomadland, Frances McDormand, Anthony Hopkins and Daniel Kaluuya share glory

Chloé Zhao, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Daniel Kaluuya were amongst the winners of the 2021 Academy Awards

Film drama Nomadland has scooped three Oscars including best picture, while British stars Sir Anthony Hopkins and Daniel Kaluuya have won acting awards.

Nomadland’s Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman of color and second woman to win best director.

Sir Anthony, 83, is the oldest winner of best actor, while Kaluuya is the first black British actor to win an Oscar – in the supporting category.

“I did not expect to get this,” said Sir Anthony, who missed the ceremony.

British actress-turned-writer/director Emerald Fennell won a screenplay award.

The star, who plays Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown, won best original screenplay for Promising Young Woman, which she also directed.

Frances McDormand won best actress for her role in Nomadland, while veteran South Korean actress Yuh-Jung Youn won best supporting actress for Minari.

The trophies were handed out in one of the grand halls at Los Angeles’s stylish Union Station to allow for a Covid-safe ceremony, while many UK-based nominees were at a venue in London – although Sir Anthony was at neither.

2021 Academy Arawrd winners: Best film - Nomadland; Best actor- Sir Anthony Hopkins; Best Actress - Frances McDormand ; Best supporting Actor - Daniel Kaluuya; Best supporting Ctress - Yuh-Jung Youn; Best director - Chloé Zhao.
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Absent Sir Anthony beats Boseman

Olivia Colman and Sir Anthony Hopkins in The Fatherimage copyrightSEAN GLEASON
image captionOlivia Colman and Sir Anthony Hopkins star in The Father

Sir Anthony won best actor for his masterful performance as a man suffering with dementia in The Father, 29 years after he won his first Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs.

His victory was the biggest surprise of the night. The award had been tipped to go to the late Chadwick Boseman, who died aged 43 last August, for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Sir Anthony was neither in LA nor at the British Film Institute in London, the ceremony’s UK venue, so instead posted a message on Instagram on Monday morning.

“At 83 years of age I did not expect to get this award, I really didn’t,” he said in a video filmed in his “homeland” of Wales. “I’m very grateful to the Academy, and thank you.”

Sir Anthony went on to pay tribute to Boseman, whom he said had been “taken from us far too early”, and said he felt “very privileged and honoured”.

The Father, which will be released in the UK on 11 June, also won best adapted screenplay for Sir Christopher Hampton and director Florian Zeller, who called Sir Anthony “the greatest living actor”.

Big night for Nomadland

Nomadland producers Peter Spears, Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janveyimage copyrightReuters

The slow-burning drama about a woman living in her van in the American West after the financial crash won the top prize for best film, plus best director and best actress.

McDormand, who now has three best actress Oscars, is one of the only professional performers in the film. Most of the rest of the cast is made up of real people playing fictionalised versions of themselves.

In her acceptance speech, Zhao thanked the real-life nomads “for teaching us the power of resilience and hope”.

Before Zhao, the only woman to have won the directing prize in the Oscars’ 92-year history was Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2010.

McDormand spoke of her hopes for the revival of big-screen cinema, asking viewers: “One day very, very soon, take everyone you know into a theatre, shoulder to shoulder in that dark space and watch every film that’s represented here tonight.”

She then said: “We give this one to our Wolf,” and howled like a wolf – a tribute to the film’s sound mixer Michael Wolf Snyder, who took his own life at the age of 35 last month.

Meanwhile, black-and-white film Mank, which led the nominations with 10, picked up two awards, as did Sound of Metal, Judas and the Black Messiah, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Soul.

The big winners

  • Nomadland – 3
  • The Father – 2
  • Judas and the Black Messiah – 2
  • Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – 2
  • Mank – 2
  • Soul – 2
  • Sound of Metal – 2
  • The winners and nominations in full

Victorious Kaluuya ‘happy to be alive’

Daniel Kaluuyaimage copyrightAMPAS/Reuters

The 32-year-old Londoner won best supporting actor for his incendiary performance as Black Panthers leader Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah.

“What a man. How blessed we are that we live in a lifetime where he existed,” the actor said. “I am humbled to be nominated for portraying a man whose principles I deeply respect and for guiding me to walk in his footsteps.”

Kaluuya also paid tribute to his mother, who was watching at the BFI, who he said “gave me my factory settings so I can stand at my fullest height”.

But she could be seen asking “What is he talking about?” when her excited son told the global audience of millions: “My mum met my dad, they had sex, it’s amazing. I’m here. I’m so happy to be alive so I’m going to celebrate that tonight.”

Yuh-Jung Youn with her Oscarimage copyrightReuters
image captionYuh-Jung Youn with her Oscar

Yuh-Jung Youn became the first South Korean actress to win an Oscar, for her role as the grandmother in Korean-American family drama Minari.

She beat Olivia Colman, Amanda Seyfried, Maria Bakalova and Glenn Close to the prize for best supporting actress. It was Close’s eighth nomination without a win. Youn told the crowd she “doesn’t believe in competition” and paid tribute to her fellow nominee, asking: “How can I win over Glenn Close?”

From Call the Midwife to the Oscars

Emerald Fennell at the Oscarsimage copyrightAMPAS/Reuters

The night’s other British winners included Emerald Fennell for her first film as writer and director.

Until now, Fennell has been best-known for appearing in front of the camera, playing Patsy in BBC drama Call the Midwife and Camilla Parker-Bowles in Netflix’s The Crown.

Her satirical thriller stars Carey Mulligan as a woman avenging the rape of her best friend. In her speech, Fennell recalled how they shot it in 23 days while she was heavily pregnant.

She thanked her family, including her young son, “who did not arrive until a couple of weeks after shooting, thank God, because I was crossing my legs the whole way through”.

She is the first British woman to win the best original screenplay award since it was established in its current form in 1958.

The other UK winners included Sir Christopher Hampton, who shared the best adapted screenplay award with Florian Zeller for The Father; and Atticus Ross, who shared the best score prize with Trent Reznor and Jon Batiste for Soul.

Fellow Brits Andrew Jackson and Andrew Lockley won best visual effects for Tenet; James Reed won best documentary feature for My Octopus Teacher; and Martin Desmond Roe won best live action short for Two Distant Strangers, which addresses the police killings of black people in the US.

More history-makers

Left-right: Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson and Sergio Lopez-Riveraimage copyrightReuters
image captionLeft-right: Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson and Sergio Lopez-Rivera won best make-up and hairstyling

Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson became the first black winners of the best make-up and hairstyling award, triumphing for their work on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. They shared the award with Spaniard Sergio Lopez-Rivera.

In an impassioned acceptance speech, Neal said: “Jamika and I break this glass ceiling with so much excitement for the future because I can picture black trans women standing up here and Asian sisters and Latinx sisters, and one day it won’t be unusual and groundbreaking, it will just be normal.”

The film also won best costume design for 89-year-old Ann Roth, making her the oldest woman to win an Oscar.

A very different Oscars

The red carpet was set up outside LA's Union Stationimage copyrightEPA
image captionThe red carpet was set up outside LA’s Union Station

The ceremony was delayed by two months and was inevitably different this year. At Union Station, nominees walked an unusually sparse red carpet before sitting, spaced out but mostly maskless, in one of the station’s converted halls.

Like last year, there was no single host, so the show was introduced by director and Oscar-winning actress Regina King, who began on a political note.

Referring to the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin of the murder of George Floyd, she said: “If things had gone any different in Minneapolis I might have traded in my heels for marching boots.”

Most nominees and winners were there in person, but some were in London, while others appeared by satellite from locations including Paris, Prague and Sydney.

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Mexican Minister In Talks to Manufacture Russian COVID Vaccine

Reuters

Mexico’s top diplomat traveled to Moscow on Sunday for a visit with Russian officials, his office said, amid talks to hammer out plans for Mexico to bottle Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine domestically after delays in shipments.

The government is aiming to quicken its pace of vaccinations, with just more than 4% of its population of 126 million people fully inoculated.

Mexico has registered 214,947 deaths, the fourth most worldwide, and 2,328,391 infections from the pandemic. The government has said the real number of cases is likely significantly higher.

Mexico’s state-run vaccine manufacturer, Birmex, is working with Russia on a plan to bottle Sputnik V in Mexico, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said last week, just as Argentina produced test batches of the two-shot vaccine. read more

“Birmex is working jointly with Russian institutions so that Mexico can bottle the vaccine,” Ebrard told Russian media outlets on Friday. “There is already significant progress.”

Health ministry official Ruy Lopez told reporters on Sunday that the government’s aim is to ramp up distribution of Sputnik V not only in Mexico, but also other parts of Latin America.

Russia has shipped 1.1 million Sputnik V doses to Mexico to date, far fewer doses than those originally slated to have arrived by now.

Mexico’s Health Ministry said in late February it expected to receive 7.4 million doses of Sputnik V by April and an additional 16.6 million shots in May. Mexico has signed an agreement to acquire a total of 24 million doses.

Mexico is increasingly aiming to bottle vaccines domestically following delays from providers, and has already bottled 2.6 million shots of China’s CanSino vaccine.

It also plans to bottle AstraZeneca (AZN.L) shots using vaccine material produced in Argentina. But the first doses are not expected until May due to delays at the Mexican production laboratory.

Ebrard’s visit to Moscow will last through Wednesday and include a meeting with his counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

The minister will also visit China, India and the United States as part of his government’s efforts to make sure that its supply agreements for vaccines against COVID-19 are honored.

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Costa Rica with Record High Corona Cases

Costa Rica on Saturday registered 1,830 new COVID-19 infections, its highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic, with space for the most critical patients at public hospitals nearly full, health authorities said.

There have been 238,760 cases and 3,143 deaths from COVID-19 in the Central American country of 5 million people, whose tourism-driven economy has been hit by the pandemic’s toll on global travel. read more

“We are living through the darkest health moment of Costa Rica in modern times,” Health Minister Daniel Salas said in a televised address to the nation.

He added that the 125 beds in intensive care units allocated for severe COVID-19 cases are 94% full, and said the remaining space could be filled in the coming days.

Salas said cars could no longer be on the road from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but authorities would not impose a stricter lockdown to avoid hurting the economy.

“We have to take into account that people need to work,” Salas said, noting that government resources to disburse financial aid were depleted last year.

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UWI Report: St. Vincent Volcano Remains Active

The UWI St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago. Friday, April 23, 2021. Experts at The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) advise that La Soufrière volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines remains dangerous despite pauses in explosive activity. 

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During a virtual press conference hosted on Wednesday, April 21, Rod Stewart, Volcano-Seismologist from the UWI-SRC/Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) emphasized, “…although it is easy to identify the start of eruptions, conclusively saying when eruptions are over, often proves more difficult.” 

The UWI-SRC and Vincentian authorities continue to monitor developments at the volcano, as they have been since the onset of heightened activity in December 2020, which entered an explosive phase on April 9, 2021.  Advice provided by the UWI–SRC enabled the successful evacuation of 13,000 residents from the designated ‘RED ZONE’ 24 hours prior to the first explosion of the volcano. Thirty-two discrete explosions have been observed since the onset of explosive activity. To date, there has been no loss of life. Ash from these explosions has been the primary hazard. Buildings and infrastructure have suffered damage in Saint Vincent and nearby Barbados was also severely impacted for several days. Explosive events have become less frequent over time, with the period between explosions increasing as the eruption progresses.

Professor Richard Robertson, UWI-SRC, Scientific Team Lead estimates that the explosivity seen during this current eruption, is greater than in 1979, and more comparable to the 1902 eruption.  

The UWI-SRC Field Scientists based at the Belmont Observatory in Saint Vincent are part of larger team of seismic and engineering technicians, ground deformation specialists and communication experts based at the MVO and in St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Several international agencies and academic colleagues have also made valuable contributions to the current understanding of the eruption. The UWI-SRC remains ready to serve the region despite a perennial challenge to secure resources. 

Dr. Erouscilla Joseph, Director of the UWI-SRC, invited donor agencies willing to partner with the UWI-SRC to “come on-board.”  She noted, “reducing the regions vulnerability to natural hazards will require many hands. Our University of the West Indies continues to demonstrate the value of regional integration and its capacity to supply leaders to meet any circumstance.”  

The UWI-SRC reaffirms its commitment to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which will no doubt require substantial support to recover from this act of nature.

 

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