Long working hours killing 745,000 people a year
Long working hours are killing hundreds of thousands of people a year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The first global study of its kind showed 745,000 people died in 2016 from stroke and heart disease due to long hours.
The report found that people living in South East Asia and the Western Pacific region were the most affected.
The WHO also said the trend may worsen due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The research found that working 55 hours or more a week was associated with a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared with a working week of 35 to 40 hours.
The study, conducted with the International Labour Organization (ILO), also showed almost three quarters of those that died as a result of working long hours were middle-aged or older men.
Often, the deaths occurred much later in life, sometimes decades later, than the long hours were worked.
Five weeks ago, a post on LinkedIn from 45-year-old Jonathan Frostick gained widespread publicity as he described how he'd had a wake-up call over long working hours.
The regulatory programme manager working for HSBC had just sat down on a Sunday afternoon to prepare for the working week ahead when he felt a tightness in his chest, a throbbing in his throat, jawline and arm, and difficulty breathing.
"I got to the bedroom so I could lie down, and got the attention of my wife who phoned 999," he said.
While recovering from his heart-attack, Mr Frostick decided to restructure his approach to work. "I'm not spending all day on Zoom anymore," he said.
His post struck a chord with hundreds of readers, who shared their experiences of overwork and the impact on their health.
Mr Frostick doesn't blame his employer for the long hours he was putting in, but one respondent said: "Companies continue to push people to their limits without concern for your personal well-being."
HSBC said everyone at the bank wished Mr Frostick a full and speedy recovery.
"We also recognise the importance of personal health and wellbeing and a good work-life balance. Over the last year we have redoubled our efforts on health and wellbeing.
"The response to this topic shows how much this is on people's minds and we are encouraging everyone to make their health and wellbeing a top priority."
While the study did not cover the period of the pandemic, WHO officials said the recent jump in remote working and the economic slowdown may have increased the risks associated with long working hours.
"We have some evidence that shows that when countries go into national lockdown, the number of hours worked increase by about 10%," WHO technical officer Frank Pega said.
The report said working long hours was estimated to be responsible for about a third of all work-related disease, making it the largest occupational disease burden.
The WHO suggests that employers should now take this into account when assessing the occupational health risks of their workers.
Source-The BBC
Missy Elliott celebrates 20th anniversary of Miss E... So Addictive
Missy Elliott marked the 20th anniversary of her third studio album Miss E... So Addictive on May 15, hailing it as a work way ahead of its time.
Taking to Twitter on her album's Platinum anniversary, the four-time Grammy winner remarked, "Today Marks 20 years since I dropped my album 'So Addictive' I want the new generation to get this album because trust me it’s still 20 YEARS ahead of NOW!"
Added the "Get Ur Freak On" rapper, "I stand 10 toes down."
Missy also encouraged her nearly seven million followers to support the album and have it return to the charts, writing in a follow up tweet, "'So Addictive' let’s run it up! Because we didn’t have social media when I was coming up so Now that everything is on the internet let’s make sho those who haven’t heard it will now bang this in the whip."
Her fans delivered, with Missy announcing Sunday that her album returned to the top 10 on the iTunes Rap/Hip-Hop chart, going from number 68 to number eight.
"I am 4EVER GRATEFUL for every1 support," she gushed. "Let’s Goooo."
Miss E... So Addictive was released March 15, 2001 and spawned the hit singles "Get Ur Freak On," "One Minute Man" and "4 My People."
It was recognized at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, picking up Best Rap Solo Performance for "Get Ur Freak On" and Best Female Rap Solo Performance for the track "Scream a.k.a. Itchin'" -- to date, making her the only artist to receive the latter award.
She collected Best Female Rap Solo the following year for "Work It" before the category was retired.
Miss E... So Addictive was later certified platinum after selling over a million copies.
Source-ABC
Judge postpones trial for ex-police officers involved in George Floyd case
Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng -- the three former Minneapolis police officers charged with the death of George Floyd -- will face trial in March 2022 after Judge Peter Cahill delayed their case Thursday.
The charges the three former officers face are aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
The three men, including former officer Derek Chauvin, were also indicted with federal civil rights crimes by a federal grand jury in the May 25, 2020 death. The federal trial is considering a three count indictment for "willfully depriving" Floyd of first aid, as well as his constitutional rights, against Chauvin, Lane, Thao and Kueng.
The federal indictment highlights Theao and Kueng, stating they "willfully failed to intervene" to stop Chauvin's use of force.
Judge Cahill delayed the three men's state trial in order for the federal charges to proceed in court.
The three waived their right to appear for the hearing on Thursday when Judge Cahill made the call.
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter last month in his involvement in George Floyd's death.
Source-ABC
Bitcoin plunges as Elon Musk puts environmental impact under scrutiny
The price of Bitcoin nosedived after Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced his company would no longer be accepting the cryptocurrency as payment due to its ties to fossil fuels in a tweet that sparked a heated debate on the digital currency's environmental impact.
The electric vehicle company chief executive added that Tesla will not be selling any of the Bitcoin it currently holds -- which amounts to some $1.5 billion, according to a February SEC filing -- but will use it for transactions "as soon as mining transitions to more sustainable energy."
Bitcoin is made through a process called mining, which involves verifying Blockchain transactions using high-powered computers that solve complex mathematical equations. The specialized computer servers required to mine Bitcoin consume immense amounts of electricity, which in China and other Bitcoin-mining hubs often relies on energy from fossil fuels.
Bitcoin accounts for 0.69% of the world’s total electricity consumption, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF).
Annually, this would mean that Bitcoin mining and transactions consume more energy than the entire nation of Sweden or the Netherlands did in 2019, the researchers noted.
Source-ABC
Conor McGregor tops 2020 sporting rich list
Mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor was the sporting world's highest-paid athlete in 2020, raking in around US$180 million with earnings boosted by commercial ventures, a Forbes report showed Wednesday.
The 32-year-old Irishman only fought once in 2020, earning around $22 million from his victory over Donald Cerrone in January.
The bulk of the former plumber's pay packet — an estimated US$158 million — came via his successful business activities, which included the sale of his Proper Twelve whiskey brand.
McGregor was one of only four athletes to earn more than US$100 million in 2020, according to the Forbes annual list of sport's highest earners.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi was second on the list with US$130 million in earnings, followed by Juventus idol Cristiano Ronaldo with US$120 million.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was ranked fourth on the list with US$107.5 million.
Source-Forbes
DJ Khaled, H.E.R. and Migos to perform at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards
DJ Khaled, H.E.R. and Migos are taking the stage at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards to perform their collaboration, "We Going Crazy."
Billboard shared the exciting news Friday, as part of their "Daily Countdown" to reveal the lineup of performers before the big show later this month. Previously announced performers include The Weeknd and Icon Award recipient Pink.
"We Going Crazy" is one of the many anthems from Khaled’s latest #1 album, Khaled, Khaled. The song's video finds Khaled, Migos and H.E.R. on a tropical island rapping and singing about their appreciation for life and their success in music.
Khaled, Khaled topped the all-genre Billboard 200 chart with an extended list of more chart-topping artists including Jay-Z, Post Malone, DaBaby, Cardi B, and Billboard Artist of the Decade: Drake.
The 2021 Billboard Music Awards will also honor Houston rapper Trae tha Truth with the Billboard Change Maker Award for his philanthropic work and advocacy in his community. The show airs live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles Sunday, May 23, on NBC at 8 p.m. ET.
Source-ABC
TCI confirms close to 20,000 vaccinated
The Ministry of Health and Human Services on Tuesday confirmed that as of May 9 2021, a total of 19,515 persons in the TCI have now received their 1st dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.
This represents roughly 56% of the adult population. The ministry says that it marks a tremendous milestone for the ongoing vaccination campaign which commenced in January of this year. Additionally, significant to note is that 42% of the adult population or 14803 persons are now fully vaccinated having received both doses of the vaccine.
Commenting on the government’s achievements, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Human Services, the Honourable Erwin Saunders, congratulated his team within the Ministry of Health on getting the 28-day positivity rate down below 3%. He said that this was an amazing achievement and milestone.
The minister noted that combined with achieving 56% uptake of the vaccine, 42% being fully vaccinated, and the increased vaccination rate, would allow the TCI to get a 4th batch of the vaccine.
Honourable Saunders went on to say that with the support of the public, the government was looking forward to building on these achievements so that the TCI can begin to return to normal.
The number of active COVID-19 cases locally peaked to over 600 in February and has consistently declined since then, including the number of COVID-19 related admissions to the hospital.
The TCI’s 28 positivity rate is now 2.7%, when considering PCR tests only; and it is 2.3% when considering both PCR and antigen tests. This is the lowest positivity rate the TCI has recorded for a 28-day period since early December.
The ministry says that the numbers give supportive evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign considering the country has remained open since July 2020.
Health officials have also stated that in order to build on this progress as well as the continued reopening of the TCIs economy, continued support of the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign is needed.
As such, the ministry is encouraging unvaccinated persons to strongly consider taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Studies have shown that the vaccine on offer in the TCI, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, is 95% effective and is safe.
Persons are encouraged to contact their health care provider for vaccination appointments; but they can also access the vaccine through community events held by the Primary Health Care Department which is available at no cost to all residents.
St Kitts/Nevis PM appeals for vaccine for regional countries
Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris Friday called on the United States and other vaccine producing countries to ensure the equitable distribution of the vaccine needed to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) that has killed thousands of people in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping.
Harris, who also has lead responsibility for health within the quasi-Caricom cabinet, said greater effort is needed from larger countries with greater resources, like the United States, to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines globally, and particular within Caricom.
“The US is the most important partner to the Caricom member states, and St Kitts and Nevis in particular. It supplies us with the largest intake of tourists, and it is the market for most of what we export,” Harris said on the US based Bloomberg QuickTake, a global streaming news network.
“What we really would have loved to see is that the US would have shown early leadership in terms of support to the region as we fight a most dangerous pandemic. The US at this moment has excess vaccines.
“The Caribbean region needs vaccines desperately and in the short term, we would require the United States of America to make a portion of those excess vaccines available to Caricom member states, including St Kitts and Nevis,” Prime Minister Harris said during the programme.
Harris told the programme that his twin island Federation's vaccination process is progressing reasonably well, despite some levels of vaccine hesitancy amongst the population.
“We have about 42 per cent of our target population covered; covered meaning they at least had their first shot of the vaccine. The vaccine of choice here is the AstraZeneca vaccine and that is of course a two-dose regime.
Source-CMC
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT THIS AFTERNOON WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS…A BIT BREEZY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN ISLANDS. PARTLY CLOUDY AND WARM TONIGHT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IS IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS & CAICOS…EXPECT GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE TURKS & CAICOS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS; 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE TURKS & CAICOS.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 91°F 33 °C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 75°F 24°C
SUNSET: 7:44PM SUNRISE: 6:26AM
MOONSET: 9:36PM MOONRISE: 7:39AM
LOW TIDE: 3:37PM & 4:29AM
HIGH TIDE:9:59PM & 10:15AM .
WEATHER OUTLOOK: VARIABLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS.
Deputy Governors International Nurses Day Message
Today we join with the rest of the world in recognizing and celebrating all nurses in the Turks and Caicos Islands and elsewhere on this International Nurses Day.
International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12th every year, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, a famed British nurse known as the founder of nursing, and serves to bring appreciation and awareness to the occupation of nursing.
The theme for the 2021 International Nurses Day is: “Nurses: A Voice to Lead - A vision for future healthcare”.
This follows on from previous themes in 2017 - Nurse A Voice to Lead - Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals; 2018 - Nurses A Voice to Lead - Health is a Human Right; 2019 - Nurses A Voice to Lead - Health for All; 2020 - Nurses A Voice to Lead - Nursing the World to Health.
Previously themes focused on Being A Force for Change and on Closing the Gap.
The contribution and importance of nurses cannot be overstated as serving humanity is one of the greatest professions in life.
Nurses are the backbone of health care systems and help to play vital roles in helping to save and to preserve lives.
During the last year the nurses have played key roles on the front line in helping to respond to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. It has been a selfless, tireless year for the medical profession and we owe them a debt of gratitude and appreciation for the work that they have and continue to do, so nurses across the TCI and elsewhere today and always we recognize, celebrate and appreciate you.
Continue to lead and to chart a new way forward as we work to develop a new vision and plan for healthcare here and elsewhere.
Happy International Nurses Day 2021!
Deputy Governor and Head of the TCI Public Service