Latest news with #Grenadines
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Anahat enters her first world juniors semis, guarantees medal
Mumbai: India's rising squash talent Anahat Singh confirmed her first World Squash Junior Championships medal by entering the semi-finals of the 2025 edition in Cairo on Thursday. BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JULY 29: Anahat Singh of Team India plays a shot against Jada Ross of Team Saint Vincent and the Grenadines during the Men's/Women's Singles Round of 64 Match on day one of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at University of Birmingham Hockey & Squash Centre on July 29, 2022 on the Birmingham, England. (Photo by) (Getty Images) The 17-year-old, seeded second, beat Egypt's Malika Elkaraksy 11-6, 13-11, 11-5 in the last eight to break her quarter-final jinx at the prestigious junior event. Anahat had been halted at the quarter-final stage of the previous three junior worlds, losing close matches in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and each of them to Egyptian opponents. This will fill the one medal missing in the promising Indian's rich cabinet at the junior level, with Anahat bagging medals at every other key global age-group event including the British Open and US Open. Despite increasingly dabbling on the senior professional tour -- she is currently the top-ranked Indian woman on the PSA charts at world No.54 -- Anahat had singled out medalling at the junior worlds as one of her season's biggest goals. And facing her toughest test yet in the tournament, she wasn't going to let this quarter-final slip. Running into a left-handed Egyptian and a partisan crowd inside a packed Black Ball Club rooting for their own, Anahat maintained her level and composure. From 5-6 in the first game, Anahat won six straight points to seize the advantage. Malika bounced back in the second game and held two game balls but Anahat dug in and came out a 13-11 winner. With Malika's fight quelled, Anahat soon wrapped up the close contest. Anahat will take on Nadien Elhammamy on Friday for a place in the final. The Egyptian had beaten her in the quarters of the 2024 edition, but the Indian had reversed the result at the JSW Indian Open in Mumbai this year.
BBC News
17-07-2025
- BBC News
Devon man drowns in strong currents while on holiday
A man from Devon drowned while snorkelling with sea turtles off a small, uninhabited Caribbean island, an inquest has newspaper editor Gareth Weekes, 77, was on a week-long yachting trip in St Vincent and the Grenadines when the incident happened in March 2023, Exeter Coroner's Court was wife, Alison Weekes, said she and her husband were not told about the currents ahead of being left in the told the hearing: "I fully accept his death was accidental, but we had no warnings about currents and no means of communication from the uninhabited island - the dinghy disappeared." The yacht's captain and the Dutch company that organised the holiday said that the swimming and snorkelling trips were free activities, but the risks and responsibilities lay with the guests Weekes told the coroner she believes the sailing company should improve their safety procedures. Mrs Weekes said her husband - a former editor of the Tavistock Times Gazette - was an "adequate swimmer" and had swum from the yacht on previous said Mr Weekes chose not to use flippers on the day in question, as they were difficult to walk with on the entered the sea together, but she left the water when her mask misted up, before realising her husband was appealed to other tourists for help, before one of the yacht's dinghies returned after 20 minutes, when a "frantic" Mrs Weekes told the crewman her husband was crew searched for Mr Weekes, finding him clinging to ropes at the edge of the snorkelling took Mr Weekes back to the yacht, where he was given CPR, but could not be saved.A post mortem concluded he died from drowning and he also had atrial fibrillation and Parkinson's senior Devon coroner, Philip Spinney, recorded a conclusion of accidental death.
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Widow of British holidaymaker who drowned snorkelling off Caribbean island accuses yacht cruise company of poor safety
The widow of a British holidaymaker who drowned while snorkelling off a Caribbean island has accused the yacht cruise company of poor safety. Gareth Weekes, 77, of Clayhidon, Devon was onboard a luxury yacht with his wife Alison Weekes, alongside 25 other guests and 10 members of crew, off the coast of St Vincent and the Grenadines when he tragically died on March 8, 2023. Now, his heartbroken widow has claimed that the couple received 'no warning' from members of staff regarding the risk of 'currents', adding that she believes the sailing company should improve their safety procedures as a result. Exeter Coroner's Court heard that both Alison and her husband, a retired journalist and former editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo, had been taken by a dinghy to the beach off the island early that morning while away on holiday. Ms Weekes, who had been married to Mr Weekes for 17 years, previously described her beloved husband as having 'enormous integrity and empathy' and a keen sailor. She said that on the morning of that fateful day, Mr Weekes, a -father-of-four, did not use flippers as he said they were difficult to walk with on the beach. While the pair entered the sea together, Ms Weekes faced difficulties with her mask. When she emerged from the water, her husband was nowhere to be seen. Becoming 'frantic', Ms Weekes quickly enlisted the help of other members of the public in attempting to find Mr Weekes. After 20 minutes, one of the dinghies returned, with the crewmen immediately informed of his disappearance. A crewman eventually located Mr Weekes, found hanging onto ropes at the edge of the snorkelling zone. He was then taken to their 54 metre yacht and given CPR, but unfortunately did not survive. Both the captain of the yacht and the Dutch company that organised the trip said that both the swimming and snorkelling trips were free activities, but that the risks and responsibilities laid with the guests themselves. However, Ms Weekes refuted such claims, adding that while she 'fully accepts' that her husband's death was 'accidental', the pair 'had no warnings about currents and no means of communication from the uninhabited island. The dinghy disappeared'. She also added that her husband was an 'adequate swimmer' and had been able to swim from the yacht in the previous days. Previously described as a 'wonderful father' with 'kindness running through everything he did', Mr Weekes' daughter, Jenna Fansa, told The Echo: 'Dad took a very genuine interest in everyone he met - together with his wit and engaging writing style, this made him a very talented journalist. 'We are so very lucky to have had him.' Meanwhile, Mr Weekes' eldest daughter, Veryan Canston, spoke highly of her father's 'boundless enthusiasm and gung-ho zest for new experiences'. Reflecting on his incredible life, she told the publication: 'Dad died how he lived - taking risks, having adventures, exploring the world and approaching life with boundless enthusiasm and a gung-ho zest for new experiences. 'We are glad he was having those adventures right up till the end.' Mr Weekes also had two stepchildren - Poz Watson and Maddie Flint - as well as 11 grandchildren. He was survived by his two sisters, Carolyn Arthurs and Jane Revill. Born in Cardiff in October 1945 and growing up in south Wales, Mr Weekes worked at a firm of solicitors before becoming a journalist. He edited weekly newspapers in Tavistock and Salisbury before later becoming the editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo. A post mortem investigation into his 'tragic and sudden death' concluded that the British holidaymaker died from drowning. He was also found to have had atrial fibrillation and Parkinson's disease. Senior Devon coroner Philip Spinney recorded a conclusion of accidental death.
Vancouver Sun
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Jamaican runner breaks new ground at Harry Jerome meet
Jamaican sprinters, led by the likes of Usain Bolt and Merlene Ottey, have left an indelible mark on the world of track and field, but Jamaica's first Olympic medal of any kind actually came in the 800 metres, a silver by Arthur Wint in 1948. Middle-distance running has been mostly barren ground for the sprint-crazed Caribbean nation since — no Olympic finalist in the 800 since 1964 — but 25-year-old Navasky Anderson is hoping to make his mark at a race distance often considered track's most taxing. The need to sprint at nearly maximal speed while simultaneously conserving energy. Anderson, who broke his own 800-metre national record on June 8 by running one minute, 44.61 seconds at a meet in Newark, N.J., headlines a strong international field set to contest the two-lap race at the Jerome Classic at Swangard Stadium on July 15. He will be joined by Alex Amankwah of Ghana, Handal Roban of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Edose Ibadin of Nigeria, and Canadians Matti Erickson, a University of Oregon product and the current NCAA indoor champion and outdoor silver medalist, and Abdullahi Hassan. Erickson, a 22-year-old from Nelson, B.C., won last year's Jerome in 1:46.63, with Roban third, Amankwah fourth and Hassan seventh. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Anderson first broke the Jamaican record in 2022, bettering a mark that had stood for 45 years. His latest national record is just shy of the 1:44.50 automatic qualifying standard for the 2025 outdoor world championships in Tokyo in September, where the field is capped at 56. Thirty-eight athletes have met the standard, while Amankwah (45th), Anderson (52nd) and Hassan (53rd) are currently in, based on the world rankings quota system. The quota qualifying closes Aug. 27. 'The season is long, so there's no rush,' Anderson, a Mississippi State grad who now trains in Baltimore, told the Jamaica Observer a month ago. 'I'm staying patient and humble, trusting that with faith and consistency everything will fall into place. So far, preparation is right on track and, most importantly, I'm enjoying the process.' In Newark, a patient Anderson ran a very tactical race, sitting sixth after one lap. He caught Moroccan Moad Shafi with a strong finishing kick. Amankwah was third in 1:45.50, and Ibadin fourth in 1:46.00. Anderson's success has spurred a wave of young 800-metre runners from Jamaica, with U.S. collegians Rivaldo Marshall, Tyrice Taylor, who beat Anderson at the recent Jamaican championships, and Kimar Farquharson all running sub-1:46.00 times this year. 'It shows Jamaica has the talent and potential beyond the traditional sprint events,' says the six-foot-four Anderson. 'My hope is to continue that momentum by not just qualifying (for worlds), but competing for a medal. 'I haven't reached my ceiling, and I feel a sense of responsibility to push the limits, not just for myself, but for the next generation of Jamaican athletes.' The 800-metre world record is 1:40.91, set back in 2012 by Kenyan David Rushida. 2024 Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi has the fastest time in the world this year at 1:41.95. Canadian Marco Arop is the reigning world champion and a silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Sudan-born Edmontonian's spot in Tokyo in September is assured, while Hassan, a Scarborough, Ont., native, will be hoping a strong showing at the Jerome can keep him in a qualifying spot. Erickson, who has a season best of 1:45.89, is just nine ranking points back of the 56th quota qualifier. With a solid pacer and Anderson, Amankwah, Ibadin, Roban and the Canadians all in top form, it should make for an entertaining 800-metre race on the track at Swangard. The meet record is 1:43.70 set by American Johnny Gray back in 1988.
New York Times
07-07-2025
- New York Times
How to Have a Relaxed, Festive Vacation With a Baby in Tow
In late May of last year, when Brandon Thomas Brown and Jade Akintola were sitting in the back seat of a rickety jeep driving up a windy road in the hills of the Caribbean island of Bequia — the largest in the Grenadines — with their baby son on Akintola's lap, they asked themselves, 'What have we done?' For the couple, who co-founded the outdoor goods company ITA Leisure, the journey was the last leg of a trip that had started with a flight from New York to St. Vincent, followed by a lengthy car and ferry ride — two legs too many, perhaps, with an infant. - A Danish jewelry designer's long midsummer lunch. - In the Caribbean, a couple's laid-back birthday party with their young son. - A group of trans artists and activists' Filipino feast on Fire Island. - In a Georgian vineyard, a meal inspired by a painting. - A guide to sharing a vacation rental (and remaining friends with your housemates). - Chefs' favorite recipes for large groups. - An easy, crowd-pleasing cocktail to make in big batches. But then they reached the top of the hill: 'The island kind of opens its mouth, and you see the sand, the town, more greenery,' says Brown, 37. The rest of their week was laid-back and restful. To celebrate Akintola's 35th birthday, the couple and two of their friends spent time cooking, exploring the town of Port Elizabeth and taking more drives through the hills. The property they rented, named Villa Helianthus, after the genus of the sunflower, had a courtyard full of lilies and fruit trees as well as a view of the ocean and neighboring islands. 'You feel so sun-kissed all the time,' says Akintola, now 36, of her time on Bequia. 'There are some places you go to that just feel like God's country.' It's not the sort of vacation the New York-based couple would have taken a few years ago. Typically, for Akintola's Jade Parades, as she calls her annual birthday celebrations, she's opted for adventure-packed trips; for her 30th, she and 15 friends went to Negril, Jamaica, to snorkel, bar hop and snack on spiked ice cream and extremely hot scotch bonnets. On a trip to the Philippines, Brown, a photographer, traveled to four different cities with a backpack full of cameras. But on Bequia, the pair saw the value in slowing down, to ensure that their then-8-month-old son, Taslim, could fully be a part of the experience. 'Our rah-rah days are over,' says Brown. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
