Tag Archives: caribbean

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Looking Ahead: Johnny Grave Extolls the Caribbean’s 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup

Cricket West Indies chief executive, Johnny Grave, has hailed the Caribbean’s hosting of the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup as a “massive” boost for cricket in the region, and believes the tournament will provide a unique cricket experience for all stakeholders.

Pointing to the fact an International Cricket Council men’s tournament has not been staged in the Caribbean since 2010, Grave said the 2024 showpiece would further add to the region’s profile, especially with the Under-19 World Cup already set for January next year.

“We’re very much in the final stages of planning the Under-19 World Cup that will come to the Caribbean next year in the early part of 2022, from January until the early part of February,” the Englishman said.

“And to have this news that we will hosting the men’s T20 World Cup in 2024 is absolutely brilliant. It’s brilliant news for all Caribbean cricket fans and everyone associated with cricket in the West Indies.

“Not since 2010 have we hosted a men’s event in the Caribbean and it will therefore be 14 years without one, so it’s massive news for West Indies cricket.”

He continued: “We’re absolutely delighted and I’m sure everyone in the Caribbean will be looking forward to hosting that T20 World Cup in 2024.”

The ICC on Tuesday announced West Indies, in partnership with USA Cricket, would be joint-hosts for the showpiece. They were two of 14 nations announced to host eight tournaments between 2024 and 2031.

West Indies successfully delivered the 50-over World Cup in 2007 – the first-ever ICC tournament to be staged in the region – and followed up by successfully hosting the men’s and women’s T20 World Cup in 2010 and the women’s T20 World Cup in 2018.

Grave said the partnership with USA Cricket would ensure “unparalleled fan experiences”, thanks to the combination of Caribbean and American culture.

“We are extremely delighted to have been chosen by the ICC to host the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, in partnership with our friends at USA Cricket,” Grave said.

“We are developing a really important strategic partnership with USA Cricket and we firmly believe that this is the right time to stage a marquee ICC event in the Americas.

“We are confident that we can blend the unique Caribbean matchday experience with the very best in American sporting entertainment and infrastructure, creating unparalleled fan experiences for those in and out of the venues, including inspirational and well attended Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Fan Zones and a Trophy Tour that inspires a million school kids across the Americas region.

“This is a big challenge but also a fantastic opportunity to grow the game in this region and I’m confident that we can deliver a brilliant showpiece event for world cricket.”

(CMC)

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WORLD VIEW: Wife Vs. China, Jan.6 Riot Jail Time, Myanmar Hate Speech, Ukraine Troop Buildup, More

Nov 18, 2021

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The Associated Press

 

The Rundown

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Jacob Chansley, the spear-carrying Jan. 6 rioter whose horned fur hat, bare chest and face paint made him one of the more recognizable figures in the assault on the Capitol, was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in prison….Read More

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Years after coming under scrutiny for contributing to ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar, Facebook still has problems detecting and moderating hate speech and misinformation on its platform in the Southeast Asian n…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — American officials are unsure why Russian President Vladimir Putin is building up military forces near the border with eastern Ukraine but view it as another example of troubling military moves that demand Moscow’s explanation, …Read More

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Haiti: One Moise Murder Suspect Dies of Covid After Being Denied Hospital Treatment-Wife Says

Nov 17 (Reuters) – A suspect in the July assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise died while being transferred to a hospital from pretrial detention after suffering coronavirus symptoms, his wife said on Wednesday. He reportedly had been sick for two weeks.

Gilbert Dragon, 52, a former police commissioner, died of cardiac arrest, said Marie Leslie Noel, adding she spent two weeks trying to get him moved to a hospital and struggled to get a COVID-19 test done on time.

“I finally got the authorization to bring him to the hospital this afternoon, and he died while was on his way,” said Noel. “I had been fighting to get him out for two weeks.”

Interior Minister Liszt Quitel did not reply to a request for comment.

The Haitian National Police said in an August report that Dragon had been in contact with other suspects on the night of Moise’s assassination on July 7 and had participated in meetings to plan it.

Noel said her husband was unfairly imprisoned and that he had been asleep at their home on the night the killing took place. She said Dragon went to speak to investigators of his own accord after hearing that police had been looking for him.

“I was very impatient for the trial because I wanted to see the proof that they had,” she said.

Haiti has made more than three dozen arrests, including a group of former Colombian military officers, in connection with the probe into Moise’s killing.

Turkish authorities arrested another suspect, Samir Handal, in Istanbul, Haitian Foreign Minister Claude Joseph said on Monday. read more

Reporting by Brian Ellsworth and Gessika Thomas; Editing by Peter Cooneyenied

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Canada: Race to Save Cattle from Floods Caused by Torrential Rain

(CNN)A flotilla of motorboats, canoes, dinghies and jet-skis helmed by farmers raced to move dozens of trapped cows from frigid waters as floods hit the Canadian province of British Columbia.

After a month’s worth of rain in two days, the downpours triggered widespread flooding. Mudslides hit cities and towns across the province.
Among the worst-affected areas was Abbotsford, one of the largest cities in the province by land size, with approximately half of it farms.
Cows that were stranded in a flooded barn are rescued by people in boats and a sea doo after rainstorms lashed the western Canadian province of British Columbia, triggering landslides and floods, and shutting highways, in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada November 16, 2021.

Cows that were stranded in a flooded barn are rescued by people in boats and a sea doo after rainstorms lashed the western Canadian province of British Columbia, triggering landslides and floods, and shutting highways, in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada November 16, 2021.
Farmers and residents scrambled to save cattle as the water quickly rose above the animals’ heads, even deploying a hovercraft. They risked their own lives to save the animals with the town under an evacuation order over fears that a water pumping station could fail and flood the area.
Dozens of people used halters and small motorboats to coax frightened cattle to swim to safety and then loaded them onto larger trailers.
“This is a disaster,” said Abbotsford’s Mayor Henry Braun, as he watched the desperate effort to save the cows.
Stranded cattle are seen during a community rescue operation after rainstorms caused flooding and landslides, in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada November 16, 2021.

Stranded cattle are seen during a community rescue operation after rainstorms caused flooding and landslides, in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada November 16, 2021.
“When I see calves that are underwater and they throw them in the boats to save them, on the one hand it breaks my heart,” he said. “On the other hand, I’m just so impressed with our farming community coming together to help each other.”
Many of the farms are in the low-lying Sumas Prairie, created by the draining of a lake nearly a century ago, and which was heavily flooded when the Sumas River breached its banks in the night.
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The floods trapped hundreds of motorists and cut off access to Canada’s biggest port and all of Metro Vancouver’s highway links to the rest of the country.

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Pfizer Coronavirus Pill Will Be Available for 4 Billion People

COVID-19 pills could be a major access boon for the world’s poor

Pfizer struck a deal with a U.N.-backed group to allow manufacturers to produce its COVID-19 antiviral pill, as well as waiving royalties on sales in poorer countries. The decision is a major boon in the fight against COVID-19, and would make the pill available to more than half the globe’s population, according to a tally by the Associated Press.

The news comes as Pfizer separately asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to authorize the at-home treatment, which the company says decreases the risk of hospitalization by around 90 percent in those with mild to moderate infections.

The agreement follows a similar deal bio-pharmaceutical company Merck struck on November 4 to provide generic versions of its antiviral drug. Until recently, health officials have relied on vaccines, in-hospital treatments like monoclonal antibodies and containment measures to fight COVID-19. But the pills could be game-changers for immunocompromised people and individuals who have declined vaccines or have not been able to get vaccinated due to equity issues (fewer than 1 percent of Pfizer’s shots have gone to poor countries).

What happens now? An official at the Medicines Patent Pool which obtained the license said manufacturing would begin within months. Despite the news, some groups remain critical of Pfizer and are asking why it can share intellectual property on the pill but not its vaccine.

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Fox Boss Murdoch Says Trump Should Stop Focusing ‘On the Past’ in Rare Rebuke

Fox News boss has made few public comments about ex-president who was championed by many of the network’s commentators

Until now the 90-year-old media mogul has publicly stayed out of the fray and not commented on the election.
Until now the 90-year-old media mogul has publicly stayed out of the fray and not commented on the election. Photograph: Kim Kulish/Corbis/Getty Images

Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch has said Donald Trump should stop focusing “on the past” in a rare public rebuke of the former US president.

On Wednesday addressing the annual meeting of stockholders for News Corp Murdoch said: “The current American political debate is profound, whether about education or welfare or economic opportunity.

“It is crucial that conservatives play an active, forceful role in that debate, but that will not happen if President Trump stays focused on the past. The past is the past, and the country is now in a contest to define the future.”

Murdoch also took aim at digital giants Facebook and Google for trying to “silence conservative voices” and manipulating the digital ad market to the detriment of publishers, advertisers and the public.

He told shareholders that a “quick Google News” revealed a pattern of selectivity or censorship.

“Both of these issues highlight the fundamental need for algorithmic transparency,” Murdoch said. “The idea falsely promoted by the platforms that algorithms are somehow objective and solely scientific is complete nonsense. Algorithms are subjective and they can be manipulated by people to kill competition and damage other people, publishers and businesses.

“What we have seen in the past few weeks about the practices at Facebook and Google surely reinforces the need for significant reform.”

His comments come weeks after Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen gave evidence to parliament in the UK, calling for urgent regulation to rein in the company’s management and reduce the harm being done to society.

Murdoch, who is also co-chair of Fox news parent Fox Corporation, has made few public comments about Trump, whose presidency was championed by most of Fox’s biggest commentators. Since his defeat Trump has continued to push unfounded conspiracy theories that the election was “stolen” by Joe Biden, who beat Trump by a margin of more than 7m votes.

Until now the 90-year-old media mogul has publicly stayed out of the fray and not commented on the election. But according to Murdoch biographer Michael Wolff in private he has called Trump “a fucking idiot”.

Trump has had a testy relationship with Fox claiming, without evidence, that its ratings had “completely collapsed” after the news channel made an early call for Biden’s victory in the last election. He has forged closer ties with Fox’s much smaller rivals OAN and Newsmax but has lost much of his online media presence after being banned by Twitter and Facebook.

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Virus Deaths Down 17% in Americas, COVID-19 Not Yet Endemic, More

COVID-19 deaths decline 17% in the Americas, says health agency

People travel on a bus during the vaccination campaign against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) inside a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

People travel on a bus during the vaccination campaign against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) inside a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

BRASILIA, Nov 17 (Reuters) – COVID-19 deaths have decreased 17% in the Americas over the past week, but the most populous countries like the United States, Brazil and Colombia are seeing a leveling of new infections after weeks of declining trends, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.

Mexico is reporting an increase in new deaths and in the Caribbean Trinidad and Tobago had a sharp rise in deaths as intensive care unit (ICU) beds fill with COVID-19 patients, PAHO said.

In an important milestone, half of the people in Latin America and the Caribbean have now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, though coverage remains below 10% in Nicaragua and Haiti, PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said.

“The COVID pandemic is still very active in our region,” she warned in a webcast news conference.

Countries across Central and South America have seen a decline in new infections, except for Bolivia, it said.

As Uruguay and Chile have relaxed pandemic restrictions, COVID-19 cases have spiked, even with their high vaccination coverage, the health agency said.

Etienne urged people in the region to get vaccinated and stick to social distancing and mask wearing as the holiday season approaches.

Reporting by Anthony Boadle Editing by Bill Berkrot
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US: Vaxxing Kids Picking Up Pace

Coronavirus vaccine getting put into arm

 

© Associated Press – Lynne Sladky

The pace of vaccinating younger children against the coronavirus is speeding up. The White House said about 10 percent of children aged 5 to 11 will have received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine shot within the two weeks since it became available to the younger age group.

More than 2.6 million 5- to 11-year-olds are expected to have received their first dose by the end of the day on Wednesday, officials said during a briefing, citing the “strength” of the administration’s vaccination rollout for children, which has been fully operational for 10 days. There are 28 million children eligible.

White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients contrasted the timeline with the 50 days it took to reach 10 percent of adults with one COVID-19 shot.

Children’s vaccinations doubled in the first full week of the program, compared to the previous week, with 1.7 million kids getting their shots in the last week alone. The number of vaccination sites available to children also increased by 50 percent to 30,000 last week.

The numbers for kids come as the U.S. is set to hit a milestone of 80 percent of Americans aged 12 and older receiving at least one shot. According to Zients, 300,000 people are getting their first dose every day. The White House has pointed to the growing acceptance and uptake of vaccines as evidence that mandates work— many businesses across the country are requiring employees to be vaccinated.

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FAUCI: COVID NOT ENDEMIC TO  US, YET

Anthony Fauci said COVID-19 in the U.S. will eventually become endemic, but despite increasing vaccinations, it’s not there yet.

Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, on Wednesday said the nation’s ultimate goal is not to eliminate COVID-19 but to reduce it to a level where it’s not dominating everyday life.

“I don’t think we’re going to eliminate it completely. We want control and I think the confusion is at what level of control are you going to accept it in its endemicity?” Fauci said during a White House briefing.

“We don’t know really what that number is, but we will know it when we get there. It certainly is far, far lower, than 80,000 new infections per day, and is far far lower than a thousand deaths per day, and tens of thousands of hospitalizations,” Fauci added.

Fauci said the key to reaching endemic levels is to get as many people vaccinated, and boosted, as possible.

“So even though there’s a wide bracket under control, we want to get to the lowest possible level that we can get. And rather than picking an arbitrary number, why don’t we get as many people as we can get vaccinated, vaccinated as quickly as possible, and get as many people who are eligible for boosters, getting boosted as possible,” Fauci said.

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Moderna pushes for boosters for all adults

 

© Getty Images

Moderna has submitted a request to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize booster doses of its coronavirus vaccine for all adults, seeking to expand the number of people eligible for a third shot.

The vaccine manufacturer announced that it asked the FDA to allow the 71 million adults initially vaccinated with Moderna’s shots to get a third dose. The 50 microgram dosage in Moderna’s booster is half of the 100 micrograms used for the first two shots for adults.

The FDA previously granted authorization last month for Moderna’s booster dose to be given six months after the second dose to people ages 65 and older and adults at high risk for severe COVID-19 due to underlying conditions or their living or work environments.

Booster debate: The debate over who should get boosters has been active for months, as the initial vaccine series is still considered effective against hospitalization and deaths. But recent research suggests boosters improve protection against infection.

The administration has faced criticism from the World Health Organization (WHO) for prioritizing getting more shots to vaccinated people while other countries struggle to get initial doses for their at-risk populations.

Upcoming: The request comes as the FDA is poised to authorize the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine for all adults ahead of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory meeting on Friday.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will have the final say on whether all adult Pfizer-BioNTech recipients can get a third dose.

 

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On Heals of COP26 US Sells Oil, Gas Drilling Leases in Gulf of Mexico

Biden administration launching auction of more than 80m acres for fossil fuel extraction that experts call ‘incredibly reckless’

A man fishes near docked oil drilling platforms in Port Aransas, Texas.
A man fishes near docked oil drilling platforms in Port Aransas, Texas. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP

The US federal government is on Wednesday launching an auction of more than 80m acres of the gulf for fossil fuel extraction, a record sell-off that will lock in years, and potentially decades, of planet-heating emissions.

The enormous size of the lease sale – covering an area that is twice as large as Florida – is a blunt repudiation of Biden’s previous promise to shut down new drilling on public lands and waters. It has stunned environmentalists who argue the auction punctures the US’s shaky credibility on the climate crisis and will make it harder to avert catastrophic impacts from soaring global heating.

“Coming in the aftermath of the climate summit, this is just mind boggling. It’s hard to imagine a more hypocritical and dangerous thing for the administration to do,” said Kristen Monsell, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s incredibly reckless and we think unlawful too. It’s just immensely disappointing.”

There is no guarantee that all the leases will be taken up by oil and gas companies but the Department of the Interior, which oversees public lands and waters, has estimated there is as much as 1.12bn barrels of oil and 4.2tn cubic ft of gas available for extraction. A separate lease sale offered by the government in Alaska’s Cook Inlet will offer up another 192m barrels of oil and 301bn cubic ft of gas to drillers.

Combined, these leases would result in nearly 600m tons of planet-heating gases if fully developed over the next four decades, which is more than the total annual emissions of the UK.

The sale represents a “huge climate bomb”, according to Earthjustice, one of the green groups that has lodged a lawsuit claiming it lacks a proper environmental assessment. Biden has set a target for the US to cut its emissions in half this decade before getting to net zero emissions by 2050.

Critics say a worrying pattern has emerged during Biden’s tenure, with his administration handing out drilling permits at a rate of more than 300 a day since his inauguration, a faster pace even than under Donald Trump.

At the Glasgow talks, known as Cop26, the US also declined to sign on to an agreement to end coal mining, or to phase out gasoline and diesel cars. “It truly calls into question whether the Biden administration’s climate agenda is nothing but broken promises,” said Jeremy Nichols of WildEarth Guardians, an environmental group.

Biden struck a defiant posture against the fossil fuel industry when campaigning for the White House, stating in a Democratic primary debate last year that there will be “no more subsidies for fossil fuel industry. No more drilling on federal lands. No more drilling, including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill, period, ends, number one.”

Once in office, Biden quickly moved to realize at least part of this vision, calling a temporary halt to the issuance of oil and gas drilling permits across America’s vast publicly owned lands and ocean territory pending a review into how they are conducted.

Experts have said that the development of new oil and gas fields must stop this year if the world is to avoid more disastrous heatwaves, floods and other climate impacts, with fossil fuel production on America’s public lands causing around a quarter of the country’s overall greenhouse gas pollution.

However, the oil and gas industries immediately objected to Biden’s move, claiming it imperiled jobs and risked pushing up energy prices, and a dozen states sued to lift the moratorium. In June, a federal judge in Louisiana agreed with the states and found that the government hadn’t taken the required steps to pause new leases.

This courtroom setback has forced the Gulf of Mexico sale, according to the Biden administration. A spokeswoman for the Department of the Interior said it is “complying” with the court ruling while also appealing it and devising a better system to measure the emissions impact of oil and gas lease sales.

Jen Pskai, Biden’s press secretary, said on Monday: “It’s a legal case and legal process, but it’s important for advocates and other people out there who are following this to understand that it’s not aligned with our view, the president’s policies, or the executive order that he signed.”

But legal experts say the court decision doesn’t, in itself, prevent the administration from stopping or delaying a scheduled lease sale, or from scaling it back.

“The Louisiana opinion doesn’t force the administration to move forward with any particular lease sale – the Department of Interior still has discretion over that,” said Max Sarinsky, a senior attorney at the New York University School of Law. “If they were to postpone, I’m almost certain they would be sued by oil and gas interests, but that’s another matter.”

To many living on the Gulf’s coast, the huge expansion in oil drilling, reaching down through up to two miles of ocean into the seabed, raises concerns over a repeat of the numerous oil spills that have caused varying degrees of devastation to coastal communities and wildlife.

“That’s a fear we live with,” said Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, an environmental group based in New Orleans. “There are spills every year and nothing is done to stop it – all the technology goes into how to drill further out, not to clean up spills or pipeline repair. The industry is like a cancer, it’s just relentless growth. It’s disappointing Biden won’t take a firmer stance.”

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SKN announced as a host for U19 World Cup

The West Indies will host the 14th edition of the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time ever, as the event which showcases the future stars of the game will see 16 teams travelling to the Caribbean to compete in 48 matches from January 14 to February 5 across four host countries.

The sixteen teams competing will see current holders Bangladesh, England, Canada and the United Arab Emirates form Group A, with debutants Uganda placed in Group B alongside India, South Africa and Ireland. Group C comprises Pakistan, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinea and Group D sees host West Indies, Australia and Sri Lanka. Scotland complete the tournament line up in Group D after New Zealand withdrew due to the extensive mandatory quarantine restrictions for minors on their return home.

The four host countries have been confirmed as Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago with 10 venues hosting matches. The format will see the top two teams from each of the four groups advance to the Super League while the remaining teams feature in the Plate across 23 days of competition.

The 48-match schedule will begin with hosts West Indies taking on Australia, with Sri Lanka facing Scotland in Guyana on January 14. The group stage will take place across Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago between January 14 and 22.

Trinidad and Tobago will host the Plate competition between January 25 and 31, with the Super League taking place in Antigua and Barbuda from January 26. The semi-finals will be played on February 1 across two venues; the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and Coolidge Cricket Ground on February 2. The Final on February 5 will also be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

Cricket West Indies President Ricky Skerritt said: “CWI is looking forward to hosting this important global U19 cricket event, which is just around the corner, in January. In partnership with host territorial boards, cricket clubs, and Ministries of Sports, we have been hard at work preparing for this event over the past several months. However, amid so many Covid-related challenges, it has not been easy to finalise the venues and to work out all the related logistics.

“At the same time, our U19 head coach, Floyd Reifer, and his coaching staff have been busy preparing our team for competition, using innovative methods to keep them active even while they were restricted from travel. West Indies has a proud under-19 cricket history, with several bright talents blossoming into international stars over the years. We, therefore, expect our current team of under-19 players to do us proud in the 2022 tournament. I am also confident that our visitors will experience the best of our world-famous Caribbean culture and hospitality in Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Trinidad & Tobago.”

ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said: “The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup is such an exciting and special tournament, bringing together the future stars of the game and giving them an unrivalled experience of competing on the global stage.

“So many of the best players have competed at the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup including Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Joe Root and Shimron Hetmyer and we are looking forward to the 2022 edition to see who emerges as the future stars.

“We are delighted that the West Indies will be hosting this event and we wish all the teams the very best in their preparations for the tournament and to Cricket West Indies in organising the event.”

The West Indies have won the title once in 2016, with India being crowned champions four times, Australia three times, Pakistan twice while England, South Africa and Bangladesh have won it once each.

There will be 16 warm-up matches taking place between January 9 and 12 in St Kitts and Nevis and Guyana.

CC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Groupings:

Group A – Bangladesh, England, Canada, United Arab Emirates

Group B – India, Ireland, South Africa, Uganda

Group C – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe

Group D – Australia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, West Indies

ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Venues:

St Kitts and Nevis – Warner Park Cricket Stadium , Conaree Cricket Center, (Sandy Point – Warm-up match venue only)

Guyana – Guyana National Stadium, (Everest Cricket Club – Warm-up match venue only)

Trinidad and Tobago – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Queens Park Oval, Diego Martin Sporting Complex

Antigua and Barbuda – Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Coolidge Cricket Ground

ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup match schedule:

January 14 – West Indies v Australia, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana; Sri Lanka v Scotland, Everest Cricket Club, Guyana

January 15 – Canada v UAE, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis; India v South Africa, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana; Ireland v Uganda, Everest Cricket Club, Guyana; Pakistan v PNG, Queens Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago

January 16 – Bangladesh v England, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis; Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad and Tobago

January 17 – West Indies v Scotland, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis; Australia v Sri Lanka, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis

January 18 – England v Canada, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis; South Africa v Uganda, Queens Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago; Afghanistan v PNG, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad and Tobago

January 19 – Australia v Scotland, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis; India v Ireland, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago

January 20 – England v UAE, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis; Bangladesh v Canada, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis; Pakistan v Afghanistan, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago; Zimbabwe v PNG, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad and Tobago

January 21 – West Indies v Sri Lanka, Conaree Cricket Center, St Kitts and Nevis; South Africa v Ireland, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago

January 22 – Bangladesh v UAE, Warner Park Cricket Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis, India v Uganda, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago; Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Queens Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago

Plate and Super League fixtures to take place between January 25 and February 4 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground and Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua and Barbuda and Brian Lara Cricket Academy , Queens Park Oval and Diego Martin Sporting Complex  in Trinidad and Tobago.

February 1 – Semi-Final, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua and Barbuda

February 2 – Semi-Final, Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua and Barbuda

February 5 – Final, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua and Barbuda

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Barbados Opens World’s First Digital Embassy

The Barbados government says it has established what is being referred to as the world’s first metaverse or digital embassy.

A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said that the virtual embassy will be at the centre of activities to advance the growth of stronger bilateral relationships with governments globally.

“The government of Barbados is very pleased to announce the launch of its metaverse embassy initiative,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Jerome Walcott said, adding “this platform will be an important forum where Barbados will work with our traditional partners and new allies to deepen engagement in the diplomatic arena, and the investment, business, tourism and cultural sectors, and people-to-people interaction.

“Barbados looks forward to welcoming the world in its metaverse embassy,” he said.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade signed the agreement with Decentraland, one of the world-leading blockchain metaverse platforms, in an effort to outline the baseline development elements for its metaverse embassy.

The metaverse can be referred to as a 3D mixed or sci-fi concept that combines the real world with the digital world, in which people live, work and play.

Details of the metaverse embassy are yet to be made public, but it is understood the concept will provide for the identifying and purchasing of land, architecting of the virtual embassies and the development of facilities to provide services such as e-visas and teleportation.

In the statement, the ministry said that the government will continue to establish and maintain physical embassies and will use the metaverse embassy as an opportunity to “pioneer the evolution of global diplomacy beyond the physical world”.

Walcott said Barbados is welcoming the world’s diplomatic missions “to join us in establishing their embassies in the metaverse.

“Barbados is proud to lend our technical assistance and know-how to governments waiting to establish their own metaverse embassy.”

E-consular services will be a core feature alongside a virtual teleporter, which will be built in Barbados’ metaverse embassy, connecting all meta worlds as a gesture of diplomatic unification between technology platforms, said the island’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Gabriel Abed.

CMC

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