NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS  — World Obesity Day will be observed worldwide on Thursday, March 04, and in Nevis, the Health Promotion Unit (HPU) in the Ministry of Health plans to mark the occasion with a road relay in Charlestown dubbed “A Fun Run in the Sun” on March 03, 2022. 

Ms. Shevanee Nisbett, Senior Health Educator at the unit, says the event which will be held under the international theme “Everybody needs to act” and the local sub theme “Passing the baton of good health” is about urging persons to get moving.

“This relay is geared towards encouraging the general public to exercise and get active, and this is one of the ways that we can control and prevent obesity which is one of the risk factors for [non-communicable diseases] NCDs, which is a big problem in health here on the island,” she said.

The road relay is the second of its kind. The first was staged in 2021 in which the Information Technology (IT) Department emerged winners.

The relay will commence 2 p.m. in the vicinity of Best Buy Supermarket. Ms. Nisbett provided details for the route from the beginning to the end.

There are five legs to the relay. The first leg of the relay is from Best Buy Supermarket to the Charlestown Police Station. The second leg is from the Charlestown Police Station to the Theodore L. Hobson Court Building. The third leg is  from the court house to the Iron Shed which would be going on to the pier, and the fourth leg will be from the Iron Shed going along the Samuel Hunkins Drive to the intersection of Main Street and Crosses Alley. The fifth leg is along Main Street ending at the bust of The Right Excellent Dr. Sir Simeon Daniel.

The senior health educator also spoke of the preparations and the team’s mood leading up to the road race.

“It’s going to be exciting because we have eight participating teams and everybody is excited. They are all teasing each other, and so it’s going to be exciting…

The eight participating teams are Nevis Postal Services; Nevis Electricity Company Limited (NEVLEC); Charlestown and Gingerland Secondary schools combined team of staff members; Inland Revenue Department; Alexandra Hospital; Ministry of Agriculture; Four Seasons Resort, Nevis; and Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (Nevis Division).

“We are all excited to see who’s going to be the winner because we have a few athletes, we have a few non athletes and then we have persons who just want to participate for a good cause,” she said.

Ms. Nisbett thanked the event sponsors and expressed gratitude to them for making the event a reality.  They are major sponsor Taiwan ICDF, Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs, Bulls’ Gym, Catch It Restaurant and Grill, 5 Trees Bar and Lounge, Kaiso Bar and Lounge, Runway Grill, Oasis Bar and Lounge, Tropical Boost Smoothies, God’s Creation, and LBW Bakery Deli and Bar.

She also encouraged the public to be a part of the event.

“You can come and cheer on and encourage persons who you’d like to see win or even persons in your department, and you could go anywhere along the stretch of Charlestown where the relay will be taking place.

“It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be quick. Last year, it was really quick, and we would also like to big up our winners for last year which would be the IT Department. IT is not taking part this year because they want to be retired winners, and so we want to see who’s going to win this year,” Ms. Nisbett said.

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Pandemic likely related to birth rate decline

© Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to a drop in birth rates at the beginning of 2021, according to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday.

Compared to the same time period in 2020, the first six months of 2021 saw births decline by 2 percent overall, largely due to a 9 percent drop observed in January. In this period, the number of births declined in 19 states and Washington, D.C., while increasing in four states.

The birth rates last year: From January to June 2021, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) recorded 1.75 million births, compared to 1.78 million births in the same period of 2020.

The NCHS noted that while birth rates also declined about 2 percent in both the first and last six months of the calendar year from 2015 to 2019, the sharp drop observed in January 2021 followed by a moderate drop in February was unusual compared with recent trends.

“This difference between patterns seen for the first 6 months of 2021 and earlier years suggests that the magnitude of the downward trend seen in the second half of 2020 and January of 2021 may have begun to wane and declines in the number of births may be returning to prepandemic levels,” said the agency.

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140M Americans have had coronavirus: CDC

© AP.

About 140 million Americans have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the end of January, according to an estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The percentage of individuals who have antibodies to COVID-19, known as seroprevalence, is 43.3 percent for the total U.S. population, the CDC study found, much higher than regularly cited infection rates.

The data for the study was collected from late December to late January and relied on tests of nearly 72,000 samples.

Prevalence across age groups: The percentage of those with antibodies to the virus was lower in older age groups, with children having a seroprevalence of about 58 percent compared to 23 percent for those over the age of 65, the study found.

The CDC estimated the seroprevalence by collecting about 1,750 blood tests at 52 sites roughly every four weeks. Specimens for the study were collected from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

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Australian leader tests positive for COVID-19

© Getty Images

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced he has tested positive for COVID-19.

“Tonight I tested positive to COVID-19,” Morrison wrote in a Twitter thread Tuesday. “I am experiencing flu-like symptoms and will be recovering over the next week.”

“I had tested myself daily since Sunday, including this morning, with all tests returning a negative result.”

Morrison shared that his wife and children have tested negative for the virus but will have to quarantine for a week due to them being close contacts.

Morrison also said he plans to continue his work on his prime minister duties in quarantine, focusing on his government’s response to Russia’s Ukraine invasion and devastating floods on Australia’s east coast.

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WORLD COVID STATS

Latest News

March 2 (GMT)

Updates

• 5,069 new cases and 9 new deaths in Estonia [source]

• 97,455 new cases and 784 new deaths in Russia [source]

• 55 new cases and 6 new deaths in Afghanistan [source]

• 5,982 new cases and 10 new deaths in Lithuania [source]

• 866 new cases and 53 new deaths in the Philippines [source]

• 3,539 new cases and 83 new deaths in Hungary [source]

• 646 new cases and 1 new death in New Caledonia [source]

• 342 new cases and 15 new deaths in Armenia [source]

• 3,840 new cases and 32 new deaths in Georgia [source]

• 11,631 new cases and 14 new deaths in Czechia [source]

• 95 new cases and 1 new death in Uzbekistan [source]

• 25,270 new cases and 61 new deaths in Australia [source] [source] [source] [source] [source]

• 415 new cases in Cambodia [source]

• 6,527 new cases and 20 new deaths in Belgium [source]

• 29 new cases and 2 new deaths in Kyrgyzstan [source]

• 260 new cases and 10 new deaths in Kazakhstan [source]

• 765 new cases and 22 new deaths in Pakistan [source]

• 255 new cases and 1 new death in Mongolia [source]

• 61,843 new cases and 227 new deaths in Japan [source]

• 22,197 new cases and 45 new deaths in Thailand [source]

• 117 new cases and 3 new deaths in Bolivia [source]

• 78 new cases in Suriname [source]

• 13,115 new cases and 382 new deaths in Mexico [source]

• 219,237 new cases and 96 new deaths in South Korea [source]

• 24,106 new cases in New Zealand [source]

• 224 new cases in China [source]

March 1   February 28 February 27 February 26 February 25 February 24 

View More News 

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The Reuters Daily Briefing Tuesday, March 1, 2022 by Linda Noakes u Hello Here’s what you need to know. Human rights groups say Russia has used cluster and vacuum bombs Visa and Mastercard block Russian financial institutions The exodus of Western companies continues. Today’s biggest stories

U.S. President Joe Biden steps from Marine One upon his return to the White House, February 28, 2022 IN OTHER NEWS U.S. President Joe Biden, who has earned praise for his efforts to rally European allies and other nations against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, will turn to uniting Americans in the State of the Union speech today. Public opinion polls have shown Biden out of favor with the majority of Americans for months. A delegation of former senior U.S. defense and security officials sent by Biden arrived in Taipei on a visit denounced by China. The visit, led by one-time chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, comes at a time when Taiwan has stepped up its alert level, wary of China taking advantage of a distracted West to move against it. Hong Kong residents braced for a city-wide lockdown, emptying supermarkets and pharmacies, even as leader Carrie Lam called for calm and appealed for the public not to worry over a compulsory mass COVID-19 testing plan. Military helicopters airlifted stranded people from rooftops of flooded neighborhoods in eastern Australia and a tenth victim was found following days of torrential rain as the wild weather slowly shifts south toward Sydney. Iran said efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear deal could succeed if the United States took a political decision to meet Tehran’s remaining demands, as months of negotiations enter what one Iranian diplomat called a “now or never” stage. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei criticized the U.S. over the Ukraine crisis and described homosexuality as part of the “moral deprivation” widespread in Western civilization, during a televised speech. BREAKINGVIEWS Agenda-setting insight from the international commentary brand of Reuters Read Dasha Afanasieva on how a Russian economic collapse will be hard to avoid, Peter Thal Larsen on investors in Russia facing a mark-to-no-market problem, and Yawen Chen on how oil is lubricating Beijing’s Russian tightrope

Sponsored by Nomura The global reset is an opportunity Presenting actionable insights to rethink your financial strategy Find out more

Quote of the day “No one can avert their gaze, abstention is not an option” Nicolas de Riviere French U.N. ambassador U.N. General Assembly set to isolate Russia

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Feb 28 (Reuters) – A Texas software developer and a cook in British Columbia are among dozens of Americans and Canadians answering Ukraine’s call for foreign volunteers to fight Russia’s invasion.

With their governments refusing to send troops to Ukraine out of fear of sparking a world war, Americans and Canadians told Reuters they were inspired by Ukrainians’ fierce resistance. Many believe their democratic rights will be threatened at home if they do nothing to defend Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Sunday for the formation of an “international legion.” Some young volunteers are travelling straight to Ukraine to enlist.

Others are applying at Ukrainian embassies and consulates before quitting jobs or dropping out of university.

The mobilization was taking place as Russian artillery bombarded Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv on Monday, the fifth day of conflict. read more a

“I feel guilty to not go,” said Dax, 26, a veteran of the elite U.S. 82nd Airborne Division infantry, who planned to deploy with other former U.S. military personnel. Like many volunteers, the Alabama native declined to give his full name amid discussion on social media of the need to keep their identities and movements secret for security reasons.

Canadian Bryson Woolsey quit his job as a cook on Sunday after seeing Zelenskiy’s appeal. He has no military training and plans to buy a plane ticket to Poland, cross into Ukraine and volunteer for combat.

“I felt like I had to do something,” said Woolsey, 33, of Powell River, British Columbia, who became restless as he watched images of wounded women and children in Ukraine.

Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Sunday told reporters it was up to individual Canadians to decide whether they wanted to join Ukraine’s international brigade. The U.S. Department of State did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Not all volunteers want to fight.

In Quebec, 35-year-old physician Julien Auger was preparing to leave his young family to become a medic with Ukraine’s health ministry and provide “neutral” humanitarian aid.

“Global opinion and support is the key right now to solving the conflict,” said Auger, a father of two who provides palliative care at a hospital in Saint-Jérôme.

In online groups, military veterans warned volunteers with no combat training they were heading into a conflict where inexperience could be a liability for themselves and others.

That did not stop those like Tai B., 23, who studied journalism in New York.

“I’m not looking to be a hero, or a martyr, I just want to finally do something right,” said Tai, who can cook, do basic mechanics and knows how to handle a firearm. He has contacted Ukraine’s U.S. Embassy about enlisting in Zelenskiy’s “international legion.”

Hyde, a 28-year-old from the U.S. Midwest, said he was already in Kyiv and expected to start military training on Tuesday.

“I cannot bear the thought of Europe once again being plunged into warfare,” said Hyde, who described himself as a gun enthusiast and avid survivalist with no combat experience. He expects to be given a helmet, body armor, knee pads and eventually a rifle.

In Austin, Texas, a software developer said he would draw on his experience as a U.S. Army cadet to fight for Ukraine.

“If they’re willing to defend democracy then I think those that benefit from a democratic society are duty bound to support them,” said the 25-year-old, who asked that his name not be used. “I’m not telling my parents until I head to the airport.”

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Canada has already sent weapons and non-lethal support to Ukraine, and has backed a number of sanctions, including supporting the removal of Russia from the SWIFT system for international bank payments.

“We are providing even more lethal aid to Ukraine, and we’ll be sending 100 Carl Gustaf anti-tank weapon systems and 2,000 rockets, which we will be working to deliver as quickly as possible,” Defence Minister Anita Anand said.

Canada imported C$289 million ($228 million) worth of Russian energy products in 2021, according to Statistics Canada.

Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, but the vast majority comes from Alberta, far from eastern Canadian refineries owned by Irving Oil, Suncor Energy (SU.TO), Valero Energy Corp (VLO.N) and Cresta Fund Management.

Eastern refiners import oil on the spot market when needed, as well as fuels to meet demand during maintenance shutdowns, said David Schick, a vice-president with the Canadian Fuels Association.

The Russian oil ban applies only to crude oil for now, but the government is looking at oil derivative products next, a government source said.

In 2021, shipments included naphtha and diesel to Valero’s Quebec refinery and deliveries of diesel and gasoline to a refinery in Newfoundland & Labrador, now owned by Cresta Fund Management, said Jim Mitchell, head of Americas Oil Analysts at Refinitiv.

Cresta is repurposing the idled Newfoundland refinery to produce renewable fuel.

Irving does not import Russian oil, a spokeswoman said. A Suncor spokeswoman said the company does not process Russian crude in any of its refineries. Valero and Cresta did not immediately respond.

Canada also played a role in restricting Russia’s central bank from being able to access its foreign reserves.

Trudeau said his government has asked the independent Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications regulator to drop Russian state-owned broadcaster RT, saying that “it is important that Canadians and people around the world be faced with accurate information.” Canadian cable operators said on Sunday they would voluntarily drop RT.

Earlier on Monday, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said the G7 group of nations would bring more sanctions against Russia.

($1 = 1.2673 Canadian dollars)

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One of the five men was rescued from inside the pipeline four hours after the incident, and the company said they were searching for the body of the missing worker.

The government announced that an independent investigation has been launched to determine what the cause of the accident, and it will include experts from multinational energy companies.

“I want to give the assurance to the families that nothing will stand in the way of determining how this tragedy occurred,” Prime Minister Keith Rowley said in a separate statement.

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MUMBAI, March 1 (Reuters) – Palm oil has become the costliest among the four major edible oils for the first time as buyers rush to secure replacements for sunflower oil shipments from the top exporting Black Sea region that were disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Palm oil’s record premium over rival oils could squeeze price-sensitive Asian and African consumers already reeling from spiralling fuel and food costs, and force them to curtail consumption and shift to rival soyoil , dealers said.

Crude palm oil (CPO) is being offered at about $1,925 a tonne, including cost, insurance and freight (CIF), in India for March shipments, compared with $1,865 for crude soybean oil.

Crude rapeseed oil was offered at around $1,900, while traders were not offering crude sunflower oil as ports are closed due to the Ukraine crisis.

The Black Sea accounts for 60% of world sunflower oil output and 76% of exports. Ports in Ukraine will remain closed until the invasion ends. read more

“Asian and European refiners have raised palm oil purchases for near-month shipments to replace sunoil. This buying has lifted palm oil to irrational price level,” said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.

“They have the option of buying soyoil as well. But prompt soyoil shipments are limited and they take much longer to land in Asia compared to palm oil,” he said.

Soybean production in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay is expected to fall because of dry weather.

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The State Department under Trump sharply scaled back embassy staff in 2017 following a spate of “anomalous health incidents” that came to be known as “Havana syndrome.” The unexplained illnesses first affected U.S. employees in the Cuban capital and later cropped up in other parts of the world.

There have been no recent reports of incidents in Havana.

The drawdown all but halted visa processing for Cubans who in many cases seek to emigrate or travel to the United States to reunite with families. It coincided with Trump’s rollback of a historic rapprochement that his predecessor, Barack Obama, oversaw between the United States and Cuba, Washington’s old Cold War foe.

The two people familiar with the matter declined to be identified because they were not authorized to disclose details. One said the plan was expected to be announced as early as Thursday by senior U.S. diplomats in Havana.

A State Department spokesperson said the administration was committed “to exploring options to ensure appropriate staffing at U.S. Embassy Havana” while maintaining security. “These options could include sending both temporary and longer-term personnel,” the official added, declining to elaborate.

The Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It was not immediately known how many staffers would be added and how soon they would arrive, but the sources said they would focus on a huge backlog of visa requests. There were more than 90,000 Cubans on the “immigration waiting list” as of November, according to the State Department’s latest figures.

In the Trump era, the processing of Cubans’ visas had been transferred to the U.S. embassy in Guyana, where few Cubans could afford to travel.

Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Brian Nichols told lawmakers during a Feb. 3 hearing that the administration would send “temporary duty consular officers to Havana in the not-too-distant future” but he did not offer any details.

REMITTANCES

Even with this week’s expected embassy announcement, the Biden administration is not likely to provide any further clarity for now on any plans for easing the flow of remittances to Cuba that were severely restricted under Trump. Money sent by Cuban Americans to families on the island had served as a financial lifeline for them.

“That decision is still on hold,” one of the sources said.

Nichols testified last month that recommendations on remittances were in the White House’s hands and “we await their decision.”

Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president, had promised during the 2020 election campaign against Trump to re-engage with Cuba’s government.

But the Biden administration slapped sanctions on Cuban officials and security force in response to Havana’s crackdown on protesters in July, and has since imposed further measures over Cuba’s prosecution of hundreds of jailed protesters.

Biden officials are mindful that any easing of restrictions on Cuba could lead to political fallout from conservative Cuban Americans. The latter make up a large voting bloc in south Florida and mostly backed Trump’s tough policies toward Cuba, helping him to win the important swing state last year.

But the resumption of visa processing at the embassy is less likely to spur a serious political backlash since a number of Cuban American lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, have backed the idea.

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