Jamaica's PM to deliver keynote address at Global Tourism Resilience Conference
Prime Minister Andrew Holness will deliver the keynote address at the Global Tourism Resilience Conference next month.
The conference is being held from February 15 to 17 at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.
Holness will address a slew of government ministers from several nation states, policy advisors, international travel stakeholders, academics, executives of several international organisations, international business leaders among other key stakeholders.
Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett in highlighting the significance of the conference noted that: “As we exit the COVID-19 pandemic ‘tourism resilience’ has become the epicentre of national development priorities. While travel and tourism have been traditionally considered one of the most resilient segments of the global economy, it has also proven to be simultaneously and disproportionately prone to shocks, due to the impact of disruptive events on perceptions of destination attractiveness and security.”
He added: “Such disruptive events include natural disasters, climate change impacts and bio-diversity loss, food insecurity, political instability and conflicts, the threat of terror attacks, cyber-crime and cyber security issues, economic recessions and indeed epidemics and pandemics, as exemplified by the current crisis.”
The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), which is in part piloting the conference, continues to work on building tourism resilience in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Through their work in these areas, they have recognised the need to consolidate learnings and build tourism resilience strategies to prepare for the next disruption to the travel and tourism space.
Bartlett noted that Jamaica will once again prove itself a pioneer when it launches the first ever Global Tourism Resilience Institute in February. The Institute’s launch will coincide with the observance of Global Tourism Resilience Day on February 17.
Executive Director of the GTRCMC, Professor Lloyd Waller, indicated that the Institute will provide several offerings.
“We are in the process of establishing an Institute to focus on resilience and not just tourism resilience. We will be offering short certificate courses, diploma courses as well as an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) to provide persons with the skills and knowledge, in terms of methodologies for being resilient,” he stated.
Source-Jamaica Observer
TCIG Will Soon Have New Aerial Imagery of the Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG), through the National Security Secretariat and the Attorney General’s Chambers Lands Division has partnered with PLACE, to capture new high resolution aerial and street view images of Providenciales and Grand Turk.
For two weeks, which commenced on January 9th, 2023, a field survey team from PLACE, a USA-based non-profit data trust that creates and stewards hyperlocal mapping data in the public interest, is in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The team will, deliver training in the operation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), including flight planning, flight repetitions and data processing training to technical officers with the Survey & Mapping Department, PWD, DDME as well also local surveyors.
TCIG will acquire the tools and techniques to continue the acquisition of imagery in all the islands as part of a MOU between TCIG and PLACE. Commissioner of Lands, Mrs. Tatum Clerveaux, stated in a press release quote “The project seeks to address the challenges faced by the Turks and Caicos Islands when it comes to data collection- especially on informal settlements. It focuses on incorporating drones to create detailed, real-time maps of islands to be used in the monitoring and control of in formal settlements. The training and the collected data will improve local authorities’ technical capacity and will ensure that imagery is always available to facilitate change detection, site analysis, site monitoring, morphology analysis, and enabling/ informing enforcement mechanisms to address the reality of informal settlements. The imagery derived from this partnership will also facilitate the monitoring of urban development juxtaposed to physical planning policies and derive geospatial intelligence for the micro and macro-economic ambitions of the Turks and Caicos Islands”. End quote
The Hon. Attorney General, Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles believes that Land is undoubtedly a source of material wealth and is therefore inextricably linked to the developmental ambitions of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Land resources are finite and must be managed to ensure the nation's sustainability.
A second batch of potentially classified Biden documents has been discovered
Aides to President Joe Biden have found a second batch of documents, some of which may be classified, at a new location that Biden was known to use after leaving office as vice president, ABC News has learned.
Sources familiar with the White House efforts tell ABC News that the second batch of documents contained information suggesting they may be classified. The materials came to light as Biden aides conducted a search of other locations where he worked after leaving the Obama administration.
These documents came to light as Biden aides responded to the November discovery of classified documents at the Washington, D.C., office of the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Biden Center, which Biden used after his time as vice president.
Source-ABC
WhatsApp to enable messaging in internet blackouts
Instant-messaging service WhatsApp is letting users connect via proxy servers so they can stay online if the internet is blocked or disrupted by shutdowns.
The technology giant, owned by Meta, said it hoped blackouts such as those in Iran "never occur" again.
They denied human rights and "cut people off from receiving urgent help".
WhatsApp is urging its global community to volunteer proxies to help people "communicate freely" and said it would offer guidance on how to set one up.
"Connecting via proxy maintains the same high level of privacy and security that WhatsApp provides," it blogged.
"Your personal messages will still be protected by end-to-end encryption - ensuring they stay between you and the person you're communicating with and are not visible to anyone in between, not the proxy servers, WhatsApp or Meta."
Juras Juršėnas, from proxy and online data collection company Oxylabs, told BBC News: "For people with government restrictions on internet access, such as was the case with Iran, usage of a proxy server can let people retain a connection to WhatsApp and the rest of the free, uncensored internet.
"It will allow people around the world to stay connected even if their internet access is blocked by some malicious actors."
Source-BBC
Oprah Winfrey, Kerry Washington enlist in Tyler Perry's WWII-set Six Triple Eight for Netflix
The Netflix movie about an all-Black, all-female World War II battalion sent overseas has just snagged two five-star actresses.
Kerry Washington and Oprah Winfrey have enlisted in Tyler Perry's Six Triple Eight, along with Law & Order and the Kominsky Method vet Sam Waterston, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The based-on-real-life film is already underway, with a cast that includes Milauna Jackson, Ebony Obsidian, Kylie Jefferson, Shanice Shantay, Jay Reeves and Sarah Jeffery.
Officially, the real-life group was known as the U.S. Army's 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion; 855 Black women, both enlisted and officers, were deployed to Europe after combat training to deal with a massive backlog of letters and packages sent back and forth between millions of the country's fighting men and their loved ones back home.
Their diligence and a unique organizational system they created to track each soldier in theater was considered key to the morale of American GIs, and therefore the overall war effort.
Maj. Charity Adams was the group's commanding officer, and when the war was over, she'd achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel — at the time the highest-ranking Black woman in the Army.
Source-ABC
Haiti Senate President Joseph Lambert Injured during Attack
President of Haiti’s Senate, Joseph Lambert, has been treated at a hospital in the capital, Port au Prince, after he escaped an assassination attempt on Sunday.
Authorities said Lambert underwent an eye operation and his doctors say he remains under observation.
It is reported that heavily armed individuals opened fire on the vehicle in which Lambert was travelling in on Sunday at a roundabout near to the former premises of the Parliament.
The attack on the Senate President came the same day that the mandate of the ten remaining senators ended at midnight on Sunday. As a result, Joseph Lambert and the ten others are no longer regarded as elected legislators or mayors after that time.
Last year, the United States Department of State, imposed sanctions on Lambert “for his involvement in significant corruption and a gross violation of human rights”.
US Secretary Anthony J. Blinken said Lambert abused his public position by participating in corrupt activity that undermined the integrity of Haiti’s government.
FAA gives green light for flights
The FAA has ordered a nationwide pause on all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Wednesday morning following a computer failure that has affected flights around the country.
"The FAA is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following an outage," said the FAA when announcing the temporary grounding of all planes nationwide. "The FAA has ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information."
The affected system is responsible for sending out flight hazards and real-time restrictions to pilots known as NOTAM or Notice to Air Missions. The FAA issued an update shortly after their initial announcement saying they’re working to fix the problem.
"The FAA is working to restore its Notice to Air Missions System. We are performing final validation checks and repopulating the system now. Operations across the National Airspace System are affected. We will provide frequent updates as we make progress," said the FAA.
Other airlines in the U.S. have issued their own statements regarding the computer failure and are asking travelers to check with their airline for the latest information on their flight status.
Following this story, The FAA tweeted at 8:50 a.m. ET: "Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted. We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem."
Golden Globe Awards 2023: The winners list
Here's the complete list of winners for the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards, presented Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California:
MOVIES
Best Motion Picture – Drama
The Fabelmans
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Cate Blanchett, Tár
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Austin Butler, Elvis
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Motion Picture – Animated
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Director — Motion Picture
Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Justin Hurwitz, Babylon
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Naatu Naatu,” Kala Bhairava, M.M. Keeravani, Kala Bhairava, Rahul Sipligunj (RRR)
TELEVISION
Best Television Series – Drama
House of the Dragon
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Zendaya, Euphoria
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Kevin Costner, Yellowstone
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Abbott Elementary
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
The White Lotus
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Evan Peters, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion
Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical-Comedy or Drama Television Series
Julia Garner, Ozark
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical-Comedy or Drama Television Series
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Carol Burnett Award for Achievement in Television
Ryan Murphy
Cecil B. DeMille Award
Eddie Murphy
Mass arrests in Brazil as Lula condemns 'terrorist' riots
About 1,500 people have been held in Brazil after supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in the capital Brasília.
The rioting came a week after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in.
He condemned the "terrorist acts" and vowed to punish the perpetrators.
Mr. Bolsonaro has not admitted defeat in October's tight election that divided the nation and flew to the US before the handover on 1 January.
On Monday, he was admitted to a hospital in Florida with abdominal pain.
Tens of thousands of people are now demonstrating in Brazil's largest city São Paulo in support of democratic values.
The turnout is impressive - a part of Paulista Avenue, Brazil's most famous street, is blocked off - as crowds have filled the area, singing, dancing and chanting for justice, reports the BBC's Katy Watson in São Paulo.
There was however a huge police presence in case of any trouble. At times, the atmosphere has felt tense, our correspondent adds.
The new president - widely known as Lula - and the heads of Congress and the Supreme Court said they "reject the terrorist acts and criminal, coup-mongering vandalism that occurred" during Sunday's riots.
The dramatic scenes saw thousands of protesters clad in yellow Brazil football shirts and flags overrun police and ransack the heart of the Brazilian state.
Lula was forced to declare emergency powers.
On Monday morning, heavily armed officers started dismantling a camp of Mr. Bolsonaro's supporters in Brasília - one of a number that has been set up outside army barracks around the country since the presidential election.
Authorities arrested 1,200 people on Monday - in addition to 300 detained a day earlier.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino said some 40 buses that had been used to transport protesters to the capital had been seized.
The scale of the damage was still starkly evident on Monday afternoon, even as officials lauded the progress of the clean-up at the presidential palace, reports the BBC's Bernd Debusmann in Brasília.
He says workers were cleaning up broken glass around the building's exterior. Almost every window on the building's ground floor had been damaged, forcing crews to painstakingly remove each pane of glass and replace it with a new one.
The cobblestone pavement outside the palace also showed signs of damage, with large patches tore out by rioters on Sunday.
"They were using the rocks as missiles," one official said. "To break the glass."
In the nearby Congress building, the damage included valuable works of art, including several high-profile pieces that were reportedly damaged by water or defaced during the riot.
The streets, however, were largely calm and devoid of noticeable military or police presence, our correspondent adds.
Mr. Bolsonaro condemned the attack and denied responsibility for encouraging the rioters in a post on Twitter some six hours after violence broke out.
Meanwhile, Brasília Governor Ibaneis Rocha has been removed from his post for 90 days by the Supreme Court.
Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes accused him of failing to prevent the riot and of being "painfully silent" in the face of the attack. Mr. Rocha has apologized for Sunday's events.
Video shared by the Brazilian outlet O Globo showed some officers laughing and taking photos together as demonstrators occupied the congressional campus in the background.
Source-BBC
Prince Harry's book officially hits shops after days of leaks
Bookshops across the country opened at midnight to meet the demand for Prince Harry's memoir after it officially went on sale.
In London, fans queuing to buy a hardback copy described wanting to hear the story "from the horse's mouth".
It follows the chaotic launch of Spare with multiple leaks and copies becoming available in Spain last week.
Waterstones says Prince Harry's book has been one of its "biggest pre-order titles for a decade".
The booksellers opened their flagship Piccadilly branch early on Tuesday in expectation of high customer demand, as the book was published around the world in 16 languages.
Branches of WH Smith in locations including Euston, Victoria, Heathrow, and Gatwick were also among those to extend their hours for the release.
The memoir is already top of the best sellers in the UK for online retailer Amazon, after days of headline-grabbing revelations from leaks - ranging from how Prince Harry lost his virginity to claims that Prince Harry was attacked by his brother, Prince William.
The 410-page memoir, revealing the conflict and personal tensions inside royal palaces, shows Prince Harry's version of growing up and then falling out with the Royal Family.
So far Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have not responded.
But the claims in the book include that Prince Harry begged his father not re-marry, that he killed 25 Taliban fighters while serving in Afghanistan, that he took psychedelic drugs, partly in response to panic attacks, and that Meghan and Catherine had a difficult relationship.
A major theme in the book is the sense of unresolved grief for the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, with Prince Harry saying he had a "post-traumatic stress injury".
The press are held responsible for pursuing Diana and Prince Harry said in one of several interviews promoting the book that it would be his "life's work" to change the media landscape.
There are also unexpected details such as Prince Harry and Prince William calling each other "Harold" and "Willy", that Harry used to get his clothes at the discount outlet TK Maxx and watched a lot of Friends on television.
Prince Harry recalls he first found out from the BBC website that the late Queen Elizabeth had died, rather than from his family.
The revelations about tensions with the Royal Family, including Camilla, the Queen Consort, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, have provoked much controversy.
Despite the leaks, many queued late into the night to be the first to buy the memoir.
Source-BBC