Category Archives: headline

headline

Basketball City sports a new look due to upkeep project

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Basketball City in Basseterre is sporting a new look thanks to an expanded upkeep project implemented by the Department of Sports.

The interior and exterior of the premier basketball facility were repainted, while the wooden bleachers were replaced with aluminium bleachers. Nearby trees were trimmed, and other general improvement activities were carried out.

Minister of Sports, the Honourable Jonel Powell, surveyed the work at Basketball City on January 22. While there, Hon. Powell was greeted by Glenville Jeffers, President of the St. Kitts Amateur Basketball Association (SKABA). Jeffers thanked Minister Powell and the department staff for transforming the look and feel of the facility.

“I am quite pleased, and I am sure basketball players and fans will be pleased with how aesthetically clean and colourful … Basketball City looks,” said Jeffers. “It would be more appealing for people to come to Basketball City,” he added, noting that the junior teams had already begun competition, while the seniors were preparing to kick off their season shortly.

Minister Powell highlighted the positive relationship between the Department of Sports and SKABA and pledged additional support.

“This is just part of the ongoing partnership that we hope to maintain with SKABA and part of the general maintenance and upkeep programme that we want to have in the Department of Sports, not just for basketball but for all of our sporting facilities across the island,” he said.

Other improvements to be carried out at the premier basketball facility will see the resurfacing of the basketball court, replacement of the backboard and rings as well as the installation of adjustable basketball frames. The new frames will be useful in teaching the game to a younger generation as the ring can be lowered to a suitable height.

The minister said the long term plan is to build a new home for the sport.

“The ultimate goal is for us to have a proper indoor facility in St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Powell. He referred to the economic challenges that St. Kitts and Nevis and the rest of the world are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and said it would be impractical to expect progress this year.

“It is still on the table,” said Powell. “It is something that I intend to achieve as the Minister of Sport here in St. Kitts and Nevis.”

The post Basketball City sports a new look due to upkeep project appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Police investigating circumstances of infant’s death

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The Police are investigating the death of a six-month old infant who died on Friday, January 22.

The Police visited the JNF General Hospital on January 21, after receiving a report that an infant was brought to the Accident and Emergency Room after being left in a car for several hours.

Preliminary investigations so far have revealed that the father, who had collected the baby to take her to the nursery, returned to work that morning. Sometime after midday, he went back to the vehicle and discovered the baby was still in the back seat. He took the baby to the hospital where she was admitted and warded in the Intensive Care Unit. The infant died early the following morning.

An autopsy was performed on January 25 by Resident Pathologist, Dr. Adrian Nunez. He concluded that the cause of death was Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy due to Asphyxia as a consequence of confinement in a closed space (vehicle). Investigations into the matter are ongoing.

The post Police investigating circumstances of infant’s death appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

headline

Sydney Opera House lights up for Australia Day

The white sails of the Sydney Opera House have been lit up with a colourful artwork before dawn on Australia Day.

It was the first time the iconic structure has been decorated with an Indigenous artwork on January 26.

NSW artist Frances Belle-Parker, a proud Yaegl woman from Maclean on the Clarence River, created the design for the projection to represent the oldest living culture in the world.

It features colours present in the Australian landscape and coastline. The circle markings depict the 250-plus Aboriginal language groups in Australia and the linear marks represent the 200 nationalities that call Australia home.

"Our sense of belonging to the land is something that is intrinsically embedded into our being, and as First Nations people we are responsible for sharing the truth of our history," Ms Belle-Parker said.

Shortly after first light, the Aboriginal flag was raised alongside the Australian flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

headline

'Busiest day of the year' for beaches as heatwave scorches Australia Day

It's the busiest day of the year on Australia's beaches and multiple states are bracing for dangerously high temperatures.

Parts of NSW and Victoria will hit more than 40C, and Brisbane will cop temperatures in the 30s as a heatwave scorches eastern states on Australia Day.

Record numbers are expected to flock to beaches, and Surf Life Saving NSW has emphasised the importance of not taking unnecessary risks.

READ MORE: Australia Day Honours: Gai Waterhouse and Malcolm Turnbull among list

A packed Bondi Beach on Australia Day 2020.

"Please take extra care this Australia Day," Surf Life Saving NSW Director of Lifesaving Joel Wiseman said.

"It's vital you make the extra effort to swim at a patrolled location and do not swim if you're drinking. We want everyone to have a great day, a safe day. By swimming between the red and yellow flags, you're not only keeping your friends and family safe but also supporting our volunteers on the beach who are giving up their time to make sure you have a good day."

The warning comes after a deadly start to the year for swimmers, with seven people drowning in the past two weeks in Victoria and NSW recording six deaths since January 1.

Yesterday a man died after being pulled unconscious from the water while snorkelling on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Australia Day Awards

Grace Tame, a sexual assault survivor who campaigned for the right to speak about her traumatic experience has been named the 2021 Australian of the Year.

Ms Tame said in her acceptance speech she was focused on empowering survivors and using education to prevent child sex abuse.

"I lost my virginity to a paedophile. I was 15," she said.

"I remember him towering over me, blocking the door. I remember him saying 'Don't tell anybody'. I remember him saying 'Don't make a sound'.

"Well hear me now, using my voice, amongst a growing chorus of voices that will not be silenced! Let's make some noise, Australia!"

The Australia Day Honours list features a diverse range of names including politicians, media figures and sports stars, as well as our frontline workers who have battled bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic over the past 12 months.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, cricket great Greg Chappell and racing icon Gai Waterhouse are among the names on the annual honour roll.

But Kerry O'Brien rejected his Australia Day honour in protest against the decision to give Margaret Court Australia's highest award, which he labelled "deeply insensitive and divisive".

The distinguished journalist and television news presenter was named as an Officer of the Order of Australia recipient, the second-highest honour, ahead of Australia Day celebrations.

However, in a letter to the governor general's secretary on Sunday, the renowned journalist said there was something "fundamentally wrong" with the honours awards.

"I believe the decision to present her (Ms Court) with this award was deeply insensitive and must undermine community respect for awards that were created to celebrate a true spirit of community, not divide it."

Mr O'Brien joins Canberra doctor Clara Tuck Meng Soo in protest of Ms Court's award.

You can search our interactive database below for a full list of awards.

Australia Day Protests

Australia Day remains one of the most divisive dates on the calendar.

Each year protests are held across the country and this year will be no different, despite coronavirus restrictions.

The largest of the marches is planned for Sydney today with the Invasion Day rally expected to draw scores of people to the city.

Crowds at the Invasion Day march in Sydney on January 26, 2020.

Despite warnings from police and threats of fines, the organisers of the Invasion Day rally say it will still go ahead.

One of these organisers, Elizabeth Jarrett, told 9News it is "essential, imperative" the march goes ahead.

"This actual date represents the day of mourning for us, the first day of our demise as a people, as a land, as a culture," she said.

However, nearly 50 per cent of people are opposed to changing the date of Australia Day from January 26.

Invasion Day

Just 28 per cent of Australians want the date to be moved, according to a new Ipsos poll for Nine News and The Age/Sydney Morning Herald.

Of the 1222 people surveyed nationally, 48 per cent were against the date change and a further quarter neither agreed or disagreed.

Coronavirus restrictions

In Greater Sydney, where coronavirus restrictions are still strict due to the Northern Beaches outbreak, a maximum of five visitors are allowed at a home, per day, under the current coronavirus restrictions. Overnight stays are allowed.

No more than 30 people can gather in a public area, such as parks, reserves, beaches, gardens and other outdoor spaces.

In regional and rural NSW, up to 50 people are allowed at a house, and no more than 100 people can gather outside in a public place.