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.”

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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.

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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Scientists from the three principal public universities in Costa Rica, the University of Costa Rica, the Technologic University and the National University, completed the first prototype of saliva tests for a speedy diagnosis of COVID-19.

After almost a month of investigation and the support of more than 20 specialists, the scientists begin with the verification phase of the saliva tests they are developing for the fast diagnosis of COVID-19.

With the use of synthetic genes also designed by the scientists, the preliminary results obtained so far are successful, according to the scientists.

“The first results show that in vitro tests using synthetic genes achieved a sensitivity of 94.4 percent in the ability of the test to detect the disease. It also has a specificity level of 100 percent in the case of applying the test to healthy individuals,” German Madrigal, director of the Institute for Pharmaceutical Research said. “The percentages obtained are very high and mean that the test has great potential to improve the diagnosis of COVID-19.”

Intending to carry the validation tests, the scientists designed synthetic COVID-19 genes and artificial saliva as a first step to counteract the results with the standard test known as Polymerase chain reaction, PCR.

The most common test is the PCR, which is a process that amplifies (replicates) a small, well-defined segment of DNA hundreds of thousands of times, creating enough of it for analysis. Samples can be obtained by a nasopharyngeal swab (or nasopharyngeal culture) for collecting nasal secretions from the back of the nose and throat.

If this new test successfully passes the following two stages that are still pending, it is expected that within a few months the university will share with Social Security, the Ministry of Health and any company that wishes to produce the tests.

The country will have an additional resource to the standard test for the diagnosis of COVID-19 with 70 percent less cost, the scientist said in the statement.

The speedy and efficient detection of COVID-19 is vital for health authorities, due to the increase in virus contagions in the country.

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GENEVA – Tentative signs of recovery are emerging in global labour markets, following unprecedented disruption in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest report from the International Labour Organization.

New annual estimates in the seventh edition of the ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work confirm the massive impact that labour markets suffered in 2020. The latest figures show that 8.8 percent of global working hours were lost for the whole of last year (relative to the fourth quarter of 2019), equivalent to 255 million full-time jobs1 . This is approximately four times greater than the number lost during the 2009 global financial crisis.

These lost working hours are accounted for either by reduced working hours for those in employment or “unprecedented” levels of employment loss, hitting 114 million people2 . Significantly, 71 percent of these employment losses (81 million people) came in the form of inactivity, rather than unemployment, meaning that people left the labour market because they were unable to work, perhaps because of pandemic restrictions, or simply ceased to look for work. Looking at unemployment alone drastically understates the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market.

These massive losses resulted in an 8.3 percent decline in global labour income (before support measures are included), equivalent to US$3.7 trillion or 4.4 percent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Impact by groups and sectors

Women have been more affected than men by the pandemic’s labour market disruptions. Globally, employment losses for women stand at 5 percent, versus 3.9 percent for men. In particular, women were much more likely than men to drop out of the labour market and become inactive.

Younger workers have also been particularly hard hit, either losing jobs, dropping out of the labour force or delaying entry into it. The employment loss among youth (15-24 years old) stood at 8.7 percent, compared to 3.7 percent for adults. This “highlights the all too real risk of a lost generation,” the Monitor says.

The report shows the uneven impact on different economic, geographic, and labour market sectors. It highlights concerns of a “K-shaped recovery,” whereby those sectors and workers hit hardest could be left behind in the recovery, leading to increasing inequality, unless corrective measures are taken.

The worst affected sector has been accommodation and food services, where employment declined by more than 20 percent, on average, followed by retail and manufacturing. In contrast, employment in information and communication, and finance and insurance, increased in the second and third quarters of 2020. Marginal increases were also seen in mining, quarrying and utilities.

Looking ahead

While there is still a high degree of uncertainty, the latest projections for 2021 show that most countries will experience a relatively strong recovery in the second half of the year, as vaccination programmes take effect.

The Monitor puts forward three scenarios for recovery; baseline, pessimistic and optimistic. The baseline scenario (which draws on International Monetary Fund forecasts from October 2020), projects a 3 percent loss of working hours globally in 2021 (compared to Q4 2019), equivalent to 90 million full time jobs.

“The signs of recovery we see are encouraging, but they are fragile and highly uncertain, and we must remember that no country or group can recover alone.”

Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General

The pessimistic scenario, which assumes slow progress on vaccination in particular, would see working hours drop by 4.6 percent, while the optimistic scenario forecasts a 1.3 percent decline. This would depend on the pandemic being under control and an upsurge of consumer and business confidence.

In all scenarios the Americas, Europe and Central Asia would experience around twice the working hour losses of other regions.

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The bill specified the circumstances under which different kind of weapons – handheld, shipborne or airborne – can be used.

The bill allowed coast guard personnel to demolish other countries’ structures built on Chinese-claimed reefs and to board and inspect foreign vessels in waters claimed by China.

The bill also empowered the coastguard to create temporary exclusion zones “as needed” to stop other vessels and personnel from entering.

Chinese coast guard ships and barges spotted in 2016 at the Scarborough Shoal, which is also claimed by the Philippines [Philippine Government via AP]

Responding to concerns, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday the law is in line with international practices.

The first article of the bill explained the law is needed to safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and maritime rights.

Complicate US relations

This law comes seven years after China merged several civilian maritime law-enforcement agencies to form a coast guard bureau.

After the bureau came under the command of the People’s Armed Police in 2018, it became a proper branch of the military forces.

The latest move by China could also further complicate its relations with the United States, which maintains strategic alliances with several Asia-Pacific countries, including Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, which have competing maritime claims with Beijing.

In a social media post, Christian Le Miere, a maritime diplomacy analyst and founder of the London and The Hague-based group Arcipel, said the new law “strikes at the heart” of the US policy of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

“China’s coast guard is already doing most of the heavy lifting in maritime coercion in the near seas, so it’s worth examining the new legislation just passed on this issue.”

The International Court in The Hague has nullified China’s nine-dash line claim, which asserts control of most of the South China Sea.

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Baseball legend and longtime home run king Hank Aaron passed away Friday at the age of 86. The cause of death was not revealed, though a family representative said Aaron died peacefully in his sleep at home.

Nicknamed “Hammerin’ Hank,” Aaron smashed a number of league records during his 23 seasons with the Milwaukee (and then Atlanta) Braves, and remains the leader in runs batted in (2,297), total bases (6,856), and extra-base hits (1,477). He is perhaps best known for breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974, a mark that seemed insurmountable and represented a milestone for Black athletes at the time. Watch the video of Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run here.

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New York, Jan. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The economic growth outlook for Central America and the Caribbean is restrained by multiple interrelated factors, mostly due to dependence on the external economic environment.As global growth is poised to contract in 2020, regional growth stands to severely contract as well.

Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report “COVID-19 Alters Near-term Growth Trajectory of Central America and the Caribbean” – https://www.reportlinker.com/p06010562/?utm_source=GNW

In this research, the analyst examines the macroeconomic outlook for Puerto Rico, Panama, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guam, El Salvador, and Honduras through the year 2027.

What factors will drive the region’s growth for the next 6 years? What stands to stymie growth prospects during this time? The study provides insights into the regional growth drivers and restraints from 2020 to 2027.

This is a forward-looking macroeconomic assessment of elements such as GDP growth, inflation, monetary policy, and unemployment covering the 2016 to 2027 period.

Are corruption and drug-related violence still a major deterrent to investments in the region? Will fund misappropriation limit the region’s ability to respond to the ongoing health crisis? The study puts in perspective the political backdrop against which economic elements operate. Likewise, the study isolates the key macroeconomic implication of the COVID-19 pandemic for each country.

Major global trends such as the decline in tourism-related activities and the rise in global unemployment, especially in North America, severely limit the region’s outlook for the near-term. The study offers an in-depth exploration of the push for diversification across the region and among industries that will consequently see an increase in investment incentives.

Based on a detailed assessment of the macroeconomic situation, the analyst determines growth opportunities for businesses in this region that could be leveraged. The study highlights the key strategic imperatives that will ensure growth in Central America and the Caribbean.
Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06010562/?utm_source=GNW

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(Miami Herald) Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi declared a state of emergency Sunday over a tide of violence against women, a measure local activists have demanded for years to address a scourge that continues to go largely unpunished.

The emergency declaration calls for a series of wide-ranging policies to combat femicides and other forms of violence. The executive order was hailed by advocates as an important step in addressing a long-existing issue that jumped back into the spotlight after a recent murder.

“Gender violence is a social evil, based on ignorance and attitudes that cannot have space or tolerance in the Puerto Rico that we aspire to,” Pierluisi said in a press release. “It is my duty and my commitment as governor to establish a STOP to gender violence and for these purposes I have declared a state of emergency.”

As part of the order, a mobile app will be created to help victims request assistance and report aggressors to emergency services. Authorities will create a program to check in with women who have filed restraining orders. And the government will launch media campaigns to educate the public about gender violence.

A compliance officer will be charged with ensuring the order is followed, while a committee including local rights groups will simultaneously recommend public policy, monitor implementation, and publish progress reports.

“To eradicate gender violence we have to make concerted efforts between the state and society in which, in addition to a comprehensive plan, there is an educational approach to teach our children that every human being has to be respected, as well as empower to our next generations to eradicate this evil,” the governor said.

The move comes days after Angie Noemi González, a nurse from the mountain town of Barranquitas, was found dead in a ravine in a crime that outraged many on the island. According to police, her partner of 16 years, Roberto Rodríguez, admitted to killing the mother of three.

The woman’s uncle, Alex Santos, told el Nuevo Herald she had been working at a nursing home throughout the pandemic and had survived cancer. He said she had expressed fear for her life but thought that filing a restraining order would be pointless.

“It’s a piece of paper that won’t protect me at all,” he said she told him.

The order is the latest measure to bring attention to violence against women in Latin America and the Caribbean, considered one of the most dangerous regions in the world to be female. A recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperative and Development notes the region has the world’s highest rates of femicide, with over a quarter of women experiencing violence from an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime. Advocates fear those trends have gotten worse during the pandemic, with lockdowns putting vulnerable women at further risk.

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Jamaica minister of tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has revealed that the country has bolstered its Covid-19 testing infrastructure to meet the growing demand for such tests.

The increase in demand has been driven by new travel requirements in major tourism source markets.

“Jamaica is now very ready,” said the minister.

“We have developed the infrastructure to secure the quantities of testing agents and/or to enable the viral testing methods that are approved by the relevant authorities.

“So, all visitors who come to Jamaica will be able to access approved testing arrangements to enable them to fulfil the requirements of their respective countries for re-entry,” added Bartlett.

This follows the recent order by the United States Centres for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), which requires evidence of a negative Covid-19 test result for airline passengers travelling into the United States.

Similar requirements were previously introduced by the governments of Canada and the UK, which require all persons flying to those countries to present negative test results to facilitate entry or to avoid self-quarantine.

The minister underscored that the improvements to the testing framework was being driven by the special task force he recently developed to spearhead efforts to boost Jamaica’s Covid-19 testing capacity.

The group has also created a system which will make the process easier for visitors.

“The task force has done quite a lot of work. Which includes taking steps to assess and determine the capacity to respond to the need for testing of all visitors going back to their country and I am pleased to say that that work is completed.

“We are able to report positively that the labs are all accredited and resourced,” the minister added.

“We have also established two redundancy arrangements.

“They are located at sites close to both international airports in Montego Bay and Kingston.”

Testing facilities are also in place at all of the country’s major hotels and transportation arrangements are in place to facilitate the movement of visitors to the closest testing centre, if one is not available on property.

Visitors will also have the option to pay for the tests prior to their arrival at the facilities.

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They said it was still uncertain how much mobility Felix Gretarsson, 48, will recover following the operation earlier this month in the southeastern French city of Lyon.

But “giving a little to somebody who was missing so much, that’s already a lot” Aram Gazarian, the lead surgeon in the operation, told a news conference on Friday

“If he can recover the possibility to actively bend his elbow, that would be a life-changer,” he said.

He sustained multiple fractures and internal injuries, and went into a three-month coma during which surgeons amputated both arms.

He underwent several more operations, including a liver transplant.

When hand transplant pioneer Jean-Michel Dubernard, based in Lyon, visited Reykjavik for a conference, Gretarsson asked him whether it would be possible to replace the lost limbs.

The operation was “his biggest dream”, Gretarsson’s wife Sylwia told Friday’s news conference, adding that she herself never felt that the operation was truly necessary as he “wasn’t missing anything”.

It took years to find suitable donors, during which some 50 medical staff in total became involved in the preparations for the operation.

Four surgical teams were involved to minimise the transition time between donor and recipient.

Doctors said the outlook for the right arm to become functional was better than for the left, which had also required a complete rebuild of the shoulder. No serious complications had been detected nine days after the operation, they said.

The patient was a long way from being able to move his arms, but seemed visibly pleased with the outcome in a short video shot at his hospital bed and shown at the news conference.

“With this level of amputation, we can’t promise anything,” said Lionel Badet, the surgeon who launched the medical protocol for the operation in 2010. Gretarsson has years of re-education ahead of him, he said, “but we will support him all his life”.

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