The Youth Department presents ‘It Takes a Village' Series
The Department of Youth Affairs is proud to present the continuation of its “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” Webinar Series from May 12th – 26th, 2021. This webinar is a four (4) part series, designed to highlight the persons and the roles dedicated to the development of Youth. Each portion will be dissected to help the Youth and the Community alike gain a better understanding of who and what is working in their best interest and to ensure the proper decision and avenues are in place for their access, use, future and success.
This series will also allow for the panelists (village) to publicize/expose the measures and programmes that may be in place but are not well known. Measures that may assist Youth and Families in the different challenges they may be facing. It will allow Panelists to discuss the importance of their roles in Youth Development and also allow room to discuss common issues that they face with Youth and further initiatives that are being developed to aid in the development of Youth.
It is imperative that all roles in Youth Development take up its rightful place and ensure their part is being done. The Youth are the future, and if we fail to prepare them and equip them with the necessary advice and tools for success, then the livelihood of the people and the country is at stake. These webinars will allow them to gain the information needed to guide them on their journey.
The dissection of these webinars will transpire as follows with representatives for each sector:
Week 2- May 12th 2021
The Role of the Community
- Community ‘Then’ vs ‘Now’
- Police
- Rights of the Child
- Cadets
Week 3- May 19th 2021
The Role of the Government
- Education
- Youth
- Culture
- Social
- Sports
Week 4- May 26th 2021
The Role of the Family
- Role of the Father
- Role of the Mother
- Role of the Child/Children
- Role of the Grandparents
Contact Person:Ms. Jasmine Malcolm,Youth Officer, Providenciales, Cell: 649-232-3209/ Email: jmalcolm@gov.tc
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT MONDAY 17TH MAY 2021
A WEAKENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO GENERATE INCREASED SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WHICH INCLUDES THE TCI. MEANWHILE, BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL SUPPORT FRESH BREEZES IN ITS WAKE THROUGH TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT DUE TO THE THREAT OF POSSIBLE WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. BEACHGOERS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG NORTHERN AND EASTERN SHORELINES.
FOR ALL AREAS
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY, WARM, AND BREEZY WITH WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY THROUGH TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS. EXPECT GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS BUT GUSTY AT TIMES IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS, DECREASING 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS, SUBSIDING 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS.
HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY: 88°F 31°C
LOW TEMPERATURE TONIGHT: 72°F 22°C
SUNSET: 7:46 PM
SUNRISE: 6:24 AM TUE
MOONSET: 12:57 AM TUE
MOONRISE: 11:55 AM TUE
HIGH TIDE: 12:23 PM & 12:48 AM TUE
LOW TIDE: 6:20 PM & 7:25 AM TUE
WEATHER OUTLOOK: THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE, AS HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD ACROSS THE AREA ON TUESDAY.
DECR to Commemorate International Day of Biological Diversity
The Department of Environment & Coastal Resources (DECR) is excited to commemorate International Day of Biological Diversity, hosted annually on 22 May, by participating in the United Nations Environmental Program's 'Restoration Begins with Me' Campaign. And you can too!
The campaign 'Restoration Begins with Me' invites you to submit a photograph or a short video of an activity that shows how you value plants, trees or forests, and what they mean to you.
The United Nations (UN) has declared 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, in a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world. Led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Decade is building a strong, broad-based global movement to ramp up restoration and put the world on track for a sustainable future.
People across the Wider Caribbean are invited to submit a photograph with a short description, or a short video, of an activity such as tree planting or caring, or anything associated with such an activity that shows how they value plants, trees, forests, mangroves and what they mean to them. Accompanying descriptions should be no longer than 200 words and can be made in English, Spanish or French.
The campaign, launched on the International Day of Forests (IDF) under the theme "Restoration Begins With Me", will culminate on World Environment Day (WED), when the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will be formally launched.
The objectives of the campaign are to:
· Raise awareness of the value of ecosystem restoration, the value of trees and forests, their contributions to ecosystem health and human wellbeing;
· Introduce the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, sources of information, its significance and tips on how individuals can take action to join this global conservation effort;
· Stimulate engagement and discussion on social media related to ecosystem restoration and biodiversity;
· Increase knowledge of the work of the UN.
Photos and videos should be submitted to restoration-begins-with-me@cep.unep.org by 17th May 2021. Qualifying videos will be featured in our special World Environment Day launch video, and in a regional environmental forum.
The participation guidelines are available on the Secretariat's website: www.unep.org
We invite you to share widely with persons in your country who may be interested in participating. Please see attached graphics in English and Spanish for dissemination; the French versions will be shared shortly.
The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues, and falls within the scope of the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals. In this larger initiative of international cooperation, the topic of biodiversity concerns stakeholders in sustainable agriculture; desertification, land degradation and drought; water and sanitation; health and sustainable development; energy; science, technology and innovation, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building; urban resilience and adaptation; sustainable transport; climate change and disaster risk reduction; oceans and seas; forests; vulnerable groups including indigenous peoples; and food security. The critical role of biodiversity in sustainable development was recognized in a Rio+20 outcome document, "The World We Want: A Future for All".
Join this rallying call and participate in the conversation on ecosystem restoration.
West Indies Women players & staff receive first jab
West Indies Women and support staff have received the first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine through a partnership between Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Antigua's Ministry of Health, Wellness & The Environment.
Eighteen players and members of the management group were inoculated this week following the start of the month-long, high- performance camp here nearly two weeks ago.
Several other players and support staff had been already vaccinated in their home territories prior to their arrival here.
“CWI is committed to assist[ing] the vaccination drive across the region by raising awareness and helping to educate communities, as this will help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus in the West Indies,” said CWI's Chief Medical Officer Dr Israel Dowlat.
“We continue to invest in the health and well-being of our cricketers and staff and are extremely grateful to the Ministry of Health in Antigua and Barbuda for assisting in getting everyone at the camp vaccinated.”
CWI, which is based here in the country's capital, said it was “supporting the Government's efforts to raise awareness of the importance of receiving the vaccine to protect everyone from the COVID-19 virus”.
Overall, the training camp features 30 players and a 12-member management group, and is geared toward preparing for the World Cup qualifiers at year-end in Sri Lanka.
Source-CMC
Israeli Airstrikes Pummel Gaza as Violence Enters 2nd Week
Israel pummeled Gaza City with airstrikes early Monday as violence in the region entered its second week.
The Israeli military said targets included tunnels used by Hamas and homes belonging to several commanders of the militant group that rules Gaza.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The attack followed comments Sunday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he was not planning any “immediate” end to deadly airstrikes on Gaza.
He spoke the same day that Israeli jet fighters flattened three buildings and killed at least 42 people, the deadliest single attack in the latest round of violence between Israel and Hamas.
On Sunday morning, Hamas launched rockets from civilian areas in Gaza toward Israeli civilian areas. One hit a synagogue in Ashkelon, a southern city, hours before evening services for Jewish holiday of Shavuot. No injuries were reported.
Since the fighting began on May 10, at least 197 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 58 children and 34 women, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. At least 10 Israelis have been killed in the rocket attacks, including a six-year-old.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had phone calls with his counterparts in Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and France Sunday to discuss “the urgent work to halt the conflict gripping in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza.”
With Egypt's Sameh Shoukry, Blinken "reiterated his call on all parties to de-escalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence, which has claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including children," the State Department said in a statement.
Blinken and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed "the ongoing efforts to calm tensions in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza and bring the current violence to an end."
In a televised address flanked by his defense minister and political rival, Benny Gantz, in a show of unity, Netanyahu told the Jewish state Sunday that the attacks were continuing at “full force” and will “take time.”
“I hope it won’t take long,” Netanyahu told CBS’s “Face the Nation” show in the United States. But he said the end of the attacks was “not immediate” despite international efforts to broker a cease-fire in the weeklong exchange of missile fire between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli airstrikes targeted a major downtown street of residential buildings and store fronts over a five-minute period early Sunday, flattening two adjacent buildings and another about 50 meters away.
Israel also bombed the house of Yehya Al-Sinwar, the top Hamas leader in Gaza. It was not immediately clear if Sinwar was home. An Associated Press report said he was “likely in hiding along with the rest of the group’s upper echelon.”
Source-VOA
Cayman Islands removes PCR tests for vaccinated travellers
The Cayman Government has removed the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing requirement for returning travellers who have completed their COVID-19 vaccination course with the Health Services Authority (HSA).
The announcement, which also maintained a ban on carnival parades, was made through a statement Friday evening outlining amendments to existing COVID-19 regulations.
“Amendment to Regulation 4 removed the requirement for SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing prior to boarding a plane to the Cayman Islands. This applies only if the traveller has completed a full course of vaccination by the HSA against the COVID-19 disease at least two weeks before boarding,” the statement said.
The quarantine protocols remain unchanged. Those fully vaccinated returning to the Cayman Islands are required to isolate for 10 days.
However, unvaccinated travellers are mandated to quarantine for 14 days and PCR tests 72 hours prior to arrival will still be required for everyone else.
The changes were gazetted Friday and took effect immediately.
The newly amended Control of COVID-19 (No 2) Regulations, 2021 will continue through July 15 .
The Government also issued an exemption for shelters from the 500-person gathering limit when the premises are being used for an emergency.
“Amendments to Regulations 2 and 3 permit emergency shelters to have over 500 persons indoors only in circumstances where the premises are being used as an emergency shelter in the event of a threat of a disaster or the aftermath of a disaster,” the statement said.
This change comes weeks ahead of the formal start of the 2021 hurricane season on June 1.
Changes were also made to the prohibitions around carnival-related social events.
These events now have the green light to resume in earnest; however, Government has maintained the prohibition for parades, including carnival parades.
Source-CMC
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