Damar Hamlin moves from Cincinnati to Buffalo hospital
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been discharged from a Cincinnati hospital one week after suffering a cardiac arrest during an NFL game.
He will continue his recovery at a hospital in Buffalo, doctors said.
The 24-year-old, who had to be resuscitated on the pitch, was released from University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Monday.
"He is doing well and this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery," said Dr William Knight.
Hamlin collapsed during a match at Cincinnati Bengals after making a tackle on wide receiver Tee Higgins, and received more than 30 minutes of medical attention on the field before being moved to an intensive care unit in the city.
He spent two days on a ventilator but doctors said he was up walking the unit by Friday and Hamlin thanked the Cincinnati medical staff in a social media post on Monday, after moving to Buffalo General Hospital.
"Grateful for the awesome care I received at UCMC," Hamlin wrote on Twitter. "Happy to be back in Buffalo. The docs and nurses at Buffalo General have already made me feel at home!"
The American football community rallied in support of Hamlin, raising millions of dollars for charity in his name before making tributes at NFL matches when play resumed at the weekend.
He added on Twitter: "Headed home to Buffalo today with a lot of love on my heart. Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling. The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more. Bigger than football!"
The most poignant show of support for Hamlin came in the Bills' return to action on Sunday, when they beat the New England Patriots at home to clinch second seed in the AFC for the play-offs.
Source-BBC
Legal Year begins in the TCI
Tuesday morning, His Excellency Governor Nigel Dakin, Premier Hon. Charles Washington Missick, members of the cabinet, government officials, members of the legal profession, and other key stakeholders joined together at St. Monica’s Anglican Church for a church ceremony before a walking procession to the Supreme Court House to officially open the legal year 2023.
Inside the Supreme Court building would be seen over 40 of TCI’s attorneys adorned in their black gowns, with white bands around the neck, and of course their legal wigs.
A reminder to the legal sector, all practicing certificates expire on January 31st, 2023.
Any attorney who is found to be practicing without a valid certificate is in breach of section 12 1(A) of the Legal Profession ordinance and is guilty of an offense punishable on summary conviction to a fine of $5,000 and a further fine of $500 per day on which the offense continues. Imprisonment for a 6-month period may also be granted.
US economy sees robust jobs growth in December
Jobs growth in the US remained strong last month even as the economy wrestled with the impact of fast-rising prices.
Employers added 223,000 positions in December, pushing the jobless rate down to 3.5%, from 3.6% in November.
The resilience of the labour market has raised hopes that the world's largest economy will avoid a severe economic downturn this year.
The US central bank is raising borrowing costs to try to cool the economy and ease the price pressures.
As firms struggle with the impact of higher interest rates and the possibility of lower consumer spending, recent news of big job cuts at banks and tech companies, such as Amazon, has drawn attention.
But the monthly report from the US Labor Department showed nearly every sector in the economy adding jobs, with bars and restaurants, health care firms and construction businesses helping to drive the gains.
Though job losses are rising - especially in the tech sector - the figures overall remained near historic lows last year, said Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which has been tracking such announcements since the 1990s.
"The overall economy is still creating jobs, though employers appear to be actively planning for a downturn," he said.
Source-BBC
House narrowly agrees to adjourn to day 3 after more failed speaker votes
The House Republican leadership standoff will stretch into at least a third day, on Thursday, after six failed votes to decide on a speaker over Tuesday and Wednesday.
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has so far been blocked from the speakership by 20 members of his party repeatedly voting for other candidates -- now across six rounds of voting over two days.
The vote to adjourn marked the climax of a second day of historically failed speaker votes -- the first time in a century it has taken more than one round to pick a speaker.
The House can conduct no other business -- and members can't be sworn in -- until a speaker is chosen.
President Joe Biden said House Republicans' inability to unify behind a speaker candidate, which has prevented the chamber from beginning its legislative business, was “embarrassing” and “not a good look” for the country.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday before traveling to Kentucky with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Biden said of Republicans, “I hope they get their act together.” Biden said that “the rest of the world is looking” at the chaotic scenes on the House floor, but that his focus was on “getting things done.”
The president also revealed on Wednesday that he intends to visit the border during his upcoming trip to Mexico. Biden has often been criticized for not visiting the border during his tenure as president as record-setting numbers of migrants have attempted to enter the country.
Until now, administration officials dodged any questions about a possible border visit during the trip, which kicks off on January 9th.
Source-ABC
NFL cancels Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game as Damar Hamlin continues to recover
The football game between the Buffalo Bill and Cincinnati Bengals, during which Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field from cardiac arrest following a tackle, has been canceled and will not be re-scheduled, the NFL announced Thursday night.
"We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the statement announcing the decision.
Hamlin has been hospitalized in critical condition since the Monday night incident. Doctors on Thursday said he had made “substantial improvement” and was now awake and appeared neurologically intact and was communicating via writing while he remains intubated to assist him with breathing as he continues to recover.
As for how the cancellation will affect postseason standings, the NFL in announcing their decision Thursday said the outcome of the game -- in which the Bengals were leading 7-3 with fewer than six minutes remaining in the first quarter of play -- would have no bearing on which teams qualified for the postseason. They further noted that playing the game would have altered the playoff schedule for the remaining teams, and not playing the game would allow all clubs to know the postseason possibilities before the start of Week 18.
The league's owners will vote Friday on scenarios, approved Thursday by the NFL competition committee, that involve a neutral site for an AFC Championship Game. The scenarios will be dependent on Week 18 outcomes.
Source-ABC
Popcaan teases Drake collab, "We Caa Done"
Popcaan and Drake are back at it again. The two have come together for Popcaan's "We Caa Done," a song that is slated to drop Friday.
The dancehall star took to social media to share a 21-second clip of the song, which only hears Popcaan as he flexes his vocals. Words mentioning Drake's feature appear toward the end; the 6 God is also spotted riding a Jet Ski in the teaser of the music video.
"We Caa Done" marks yet another collaboration between Drake and Popcaan, who signed to OVO in 2016. It's expected to appear on the dancehall star's upcoming album, Great Is He, which may drop sometime this year.
Drake and Popcaan previously teamed up on the latter's "Twist & Turn" and "All I Need," as well as a version of Drake's "Controlla."
Source-ABC
A $90m drug bust occurred at Jamaican Airport,
Fifty-six-year-old Robert Chin, the man charged in connection with the $90 million cocaine bust at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston was granted bail in the sum of $700,000 on humanitarian grounds.
Parish Judge Maxine Dennis-McPherson, from the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court, granted bail after an application was made by Chin's attorney, Peter Champagnie; which resulted in a heated debate between the defense counsel and the prosecution.
Champagnie argued that his client should be granted bail because he needs dialysis treatment every other day. Champagnie added that the police officers at the Halfway Tree police station, where Chin is being housed, did not take him to get treatment.
Champagnie also told the court that the wound with a tube leading to his heart and throat is not being cared for adequately. He noted that this puts Chin’s life in danger, stating that his life is "in great peril."
However, the prosecution opposed bail, stating that Chin is a flight risk.
The judge, however, granted bail with strict bail conditions.
Chin, who is the half-brother of People's National Party (PNP) vice president, Mickeal Phillips, was ultimately granted bail with one to three sureties.
Chin was also ordered to report to the nearest police station every day, he is to surrender all travel documents, and not contact any crown witnesses. A nightly curfew was also placed on his bail conditions.
Reports are that on Monday, at about 7:00 am, Chin, who is of a Mona address in Kingston, was attempting to board a departing flight to the United States of America but managed to evade arrest after anomalies were detected on a suitcase assigned to him.
A search of the luggage was conducted and the illicit drug, with an estimated street value of US$600,000 or J$90,603,000 was found.
Source-Jamaica Observer
Power theft incident causes pole fire
FortisTCI is investigating a case of attempted power theft in the vicinity of Caicos Lodge near Leeward Highway, Providenciales, that occurred on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, and caused an electrical pole to erupt in flames.
Evidence of a tool kit and other gear abandoned at the scene indicates that the individual(s) attempted to tap into what was thought to be a low-voltage circuit and instead encountered an energized high-voltage line. FortisTCI utility workers reported to the scene, and the hazardous situation was contained in a safe and effective manner.
Power theft can lead to serious injury or death from electrical shock or fire. When an electric current is diverted, or attempts are made to stop, under-register or bypass a meter, the dangers and risks to the individual, the general public, and others significantly increase. Power theft by any means or scheme also creates hidden dangers for power grid safety and affects the power supply's quality.
FortisTCI will continue to monitor system data, investigate any abnormal electrical changes that are typical of possible power theft, and conduct field inspections to identify any signs of meter or equipment tampering. If power theft or meter tampering is detected at a premise or location, the police will be notified, and the service may be disconnected. Power theft is a criminal offense punishable by fines and prison sentences.
If you suspect power theft in your area, report it to the relevant authorities. Contact 946-4313 to make a report for further investigation by FortisTCI.
Changes to Cabinet Minister Profiles and Executive Changes
On December 30th, 2022, changes have been made to the ministerial profiles and executive re-assignments of members in the Turks and Caicos Islands Government.
The Departments of Labour, Customer Services and Employment Services (formerly under Rachel Taylor) will be assigned to the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services (under Arlington “Chuck” Musgrove;
The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) will be assigned to the National Security Secretariat;
The Turks and Caicos Gaming Commission (formerly under Minister of Tourism Josephine Connolly) will be assigned to the Ministry of Finance, Investment and Trade (Hon. E Jay Saunders).
The Department of Special Needs (formerly under Minister of Health Shaun Malcolm) will be assigned to the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Social Services (under Rachel Taylor)
Wesley Clerveaux, formerly PS in the ministry of education, will now serve as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries, Heritage, the Environment and Religious Affairs
Cheryl Ann Jones, formerly PS in the ministry of tourism, will now serve as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Social Services.
Premier, Hon. Charles Washington Misick in a press release stated, quote, “The ministerial and executive revisions were taken as part of a wider initiative to enhance efficiency and effectiveness on my government’s overall service delivery on promises made in the Citizen’s Contract.” End quote…
Commenting on the reassignments, Her Excellency Anya Williams, Deputy Governor and Head of the Public Service said: “The pool of Permanent Secretaries offers TCIG the exceptional ability reassign individuals as necessary to achieve an elected government’s agenda. Both Permanent Secretaries’ Clerveaux and Jones have provided over a decade of public service executive leadership and are invaluable to any ministry assigned. The realignment of their talents will help TCIG deliver on key initiatives laid out by the government.”
Reassignments take effect 1st January, 2023 with the exception of the Department of Special Needs which will complete migration to the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, and Social Services on 1st April, 2023.