North Korea to skip Tokyo Olympics Games over Covid-19 fears
North Korea has announced it will not take part in the Tokyo Olympics this year, saying the decision is to protect its athletes from Covid-19.
The decision puts an end to South Korea's hopes of using the Games to engage with the North amid stalled cross-border talks.
In 2018, both sides entered a joint team at the Winter Olympics which led to a series of historic summits.
Pyongyang says it has no cases of the virus but experts say this is unlikely.
The country's health system is thought to be completely inadequate for dealing with the Covid pandemic, the BBC's Tokyo Correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports.
The announcement makes North Korea the first major country to skip the delayed 2020 Games because of the pandemic. The event is due to begin on 23 July.
This will be the first time North Korea has missed a Summer Olympics since 1988, when it boycotted the Seoul Games during the Cold War.
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it had not "received an official application" from North Korea to step back from the Games.
It added that despite repeated requests, the country's National Olympic Committee had failed to "hold a telephone conference during which the Covid-19 situation in North Korea should also have been discussed."
North Korea has taken stringent measures against the virus since it broke out last year.
Source-BBC
Caricom begins search for new secretary general
The Caribbean Community (Caricom) has begun the important search for a new secretary general (SG) to replace Mr Irwin LaRocque, whose second term ends in August, which could give the regional bloc its first woman SG.
Two women have emerged as the leading candidates, both of whom hold PhDs and have worked in the 48-year-old Caricom Secretariat for many years.
Belizean Senator Dr Carla Barnett, junior minister for labour, local government and rural development, is a former Caricom deputy secretary general, while Ambassador Manorma Soeknandan of Suriname currently occupies that post.
We support the election of a woman to the post of SG, but not simply because they are women. The best candidate must be selected regardless of gender, and we are happy to note that these two prospective candidates meet the requisite academic and professional qualifications and experience.
There is, of course, the possibility that other candidates could emerge by the time the search for a new SG ends. What is important, however, is that the person appointed will face the daunting task of leading a post-pandemic Caricom.
The necessity for a vibrant Caricom has oft been debated. In our view, the potential of the regional bloc as a force for good is itself impatient of debate. And that is not to suggest that there are not real-world issues about which we will often have to agree to disagree.
A new SG must be robust in addressing the enormous implementation deficit of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), as well as the need for coordination in external policy.
One sometimes senses an inability to agree on common foreign policy objectives, such as in relations with the United States, China and Taiwan. We certainly would have preferred to see greater coordination in sourcing the vaccine to treat the novel coronavirus pandemic, instead of the seemingly heavy reliance on the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility.
It is always going to be clear that only a nimble Caricom Secretariat can deliver the benefits of economic integration and combined support for a common Caricom in international affairs.
The new SG will need to lead a refreshed Caricom Secretariat, even if the halcyon days of outstanding men like Messrs William Demas, Alister McIntyre, Sonny Ramphal, and Roderick Rainford cannot be recreated.
To attract the right person, heads of member governments must increase the remuneration package to make it comparable to that of the chief executive office of a major company operating in the Caribbean.
The days of expecting people of talent to serve only out of a commitment to regional integration are also gone. A realistic package would include a decent salary, along with housing, business travel, as well as a car and driver. Adequate provision must be made for the perpetual regional and global travel.
The short time time between now and the departure of Mr LaRocque suggests that the process will be rushed, as we expect that the heads will make the decision on a new SG at a special meeting in May.
A search committee should be quickly established, and we suggest that the eminent statesman and former Prime Minister of Jamaica Mr P J Patterson is an excellent choice as chair. The committee should headhunt suitable candidates and not wait on applications.
Source-CMC
TCI Immigration Minister tours the new Ritz Carlton hotel
Hon. Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Immigration, Citizenship, Labour and Employment Services visited the Ritz Carlton construction site. Accompanying the minister was Edwin Taylor (Commissioner of Labour), Emilio Seymour (Customer Service Manager), and Alpheus Smith (Assistant Commissioner of Labour).
The Ritz was represented by Roberto Stipa Tenreio (Director Desarrollos Hotelco JWM limited), John Hazard (General Manager), Danitra Clare (Director of HR Operations) and Andryell Misick (Senior Project Manager).
The meeting was held to update the ministry on the progress of the development and the ongoing recruitment efforts. The team gave the ministry a walk through where they highlighted several initiatives needed in order to remain on schedule to open in June 2021.
The Minister stressed that the government expects every effort is made to not just employ Turks & Caicos Islanders, but ensure that Turks and Caicos Islanders are developed to make up the majority of senior management.
The Ritz-Carlton general manager assured the minister that it is the company’s goal is to make a big impact in the community and provide Turks & Caicos Islanders the opportunity to benefit from the new development. This he said will be done by providing direct employment through all areas of the resort.
Additionally, there will be opportunity for sub-contracted employment, mainly in the areas of laundry, housekeeping, maintenance and transport. The company promised to hold training for all potential vendors and subcontractors, to ensure they understand the high end luxury experience expected by their guests.
To ensure the maximum exposure for all available positions both parties realized the need to partner on the recruitment efforts. The ministry decided to assist in hosting a job fair on the 13th April 2021, with a venue to be announced later. In commenting on the fair, Honourable Musgrove stressed the importance of persons registering with the Labour and Employment Service Department, in an effort to capitalize on the upcoming employment opportunities.
All interested persons should drop their resumes to the employment services department along with a copy of their Turks & Caicos Islands status card. If you are currently registered with the department, please send us an email to express your interest via email address jobregistration@gov.tc .
Ministerial Statement from Hon. Rachel Taylor
Mr. Speaker, Members of this Honourable house, visitors in the gallery, my fellow Turks and Caicos Islanders, the Good Book says, in everything we must give thanks, and today, I rise to give the almighty thanks for permitting us to see another day, and all the blessings he has bestowed upon me. I also want to give thanks because the almighty has blessed me with health and strength to carry out my responsibilities in this Honourable House.
I must acknowledge that I am forever grateful to my Constituency Council led by Mr. Calvin Greene, my campaign team who toiled with me for four long years, the constituents of Electoral District 9, Five Cays, South Dock and Chalk Sound who resoundingly elected me on February 19thto represent their interests and those of all the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. To all those who supported me in different capacities, I say thank you. I will represent with integrity, dignity and accountability.
I wish to also thank my family for their continued support and guidance to take on the challenges of today and tomorrow. To Arnelle Alexis Taylor, I express my deepest gratitude to you, for you supported me not only as a daughter, but also played the role of my Campaign Manager.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to provide an update on the progress of my Ministry. Over the past year, the pandemic has struck a devastating blow to the Education Sector, not only in these Beautiful by Nature Islands, but across the Globe. This month of March 2021, marks one year since our schools have been closed in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and our children have been forced to remote learning from home.
Mr. Speaker,
- We have heard the cries of our children, they want to return to the classroom with their friends.
- We have heard the cries of our Teachers, who have expressed that they are not reaching our children in a meaningful way via online learning.
- We have heard the cries of our parents, who are seeking the best learning opportunities for their children.
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to update this Honourable House on matters related to the Education Sector and to address those cries from our children, the teachers and parents.
Since assuming office, I have held a series of meetings with officials in the Department of Education, Private and Public School Principals and key stakeholders to chart a course to safely return our students to a safe environment where we can once again ensure effective learning.
Arising out of those meetings and in consultations with the Ministry of Health, we have aimed to safely transition our students back to face to face learning blended with online classes through a phased approach captured in our revised Roadmap.
Mr. Speaker, with effect 22nd March 2021 to April 31st 2021 we will implement the first phase of the Roadmap for the reopening of School. This will include the following:
- All Schools throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands with a population of 200 students or less, will be permitted to return to Face to Face Learning.
- Schools with a student population above 200 students, we will permit only 4th and 5th formers and Grade 6 students to return to face to face learning at this time, while the lower classes continue using online learning.
- Due to the fact that students attending Tertiary Schools usually attend classes at scheduled time, all students at these institutions would be allowed to return to Face to Face Classes.
Mr. Speaker, at the initial stage, face to face classes are given to students that are in the senior grades who are preparing to sit examinations, because the Ministry wants to ensure that these students are given as much support as possible to prepare for external examinations, entry into the labour market and for pathways to lifelong learning.
We will also use this opportunity before the Easter break to get students readjusted to their classes. Also, teachers, school administrators and the Department of Education will have the opportunity to identify any potential issues and work diligently to resolve these kinks over the Easter Break.
Mr. Speaker, during Phase 1 after the return of the Easter break, we will return all students to school, yes, I repeat,ALL SCHOOLS,ALL STUDENTSwill return to face to face learning.
We are cognizant of the health protocols, and the requirement for Social Distancing and we have taken this into serious consideration. All Schools will be allowed to function with up to 200 students with a blended approach of face to face and online learning. The School Administrators would be permitted to use and adopt any strategy which suits them,but I re-emphasize at any onetime, only 200 students would be permitted in face-to face classes, while the remainder of students would continue to join classes remotely and alternate from time to time.
Mr. Speaker, we are here to do the peoples work and we aim to deliver.
As part of our strategy to make the full use of this Daylight Savings Time and also maximize this opportunity to enable our students to catch up, school hours are also modified. At present, students attending online classes in the Public Schools attend from 9a.m. to 1p.m. This will continue in instances where online learning remains the dominant form of lesson delivery, particularly in Phase 1.
However, in instances where students will be attending face to face classes, the following school operating hours would be as follows:
- In primary schools: 8:30 am to 2:30 pm
- In secondary schools: 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.
Mr. Speaker, these are exceptional times that have required all of us to take swift action and make drastic changes to our professional and personal lives to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Mr. Speaker, Phase 2 of the reopening of Schools will take place during the period May 3rd2021 to July 2nd2021 which leads us to the end of the school year. The Ministry will ensure that there is continuous liaison with the Ministry of Health with relevant updates from CDC and inspections by health officials, the necessary recommendations will be shared with the schools to ensure that they are all complying with the protocols.
Our first priority remains the health and well-being of our dynamic community of students throughout the islands, faculties, and other stakeholders. As part of this mandate to return our students to the classroom, we will implement the Guidelines Developed by the Education Department for the safe return of students to the classrooms. Some of these guidelines call for the following:
1) Daily screening and maintaining of a register of all students as they enter the school compound.
2) All students must wear a mask, face shield at all times.
3) In the Public Schools, we will implement a bubble system, whereby students would remain within their classroom with their cohorts. We will implement a system of restricted movement of students throughout the campus. Parents are encouraged to send their children with lunch to school.
There will be an option for students to purchase from the canteen and school administrators are asked to put a system in place to facilitate the students lunch being taken to the classroom.
Physical activities and Physical Education would be encouraged under a controlled and closely supervised environment. Teachers are encouraged to promote in-class physical activities such as stretching and pause periods.
We congratulate all teachers who have taken on the responsibility to vaccinate themselves and encourage all other teachers to get vaccinated as soon as possible in the best interest of themselves and their students. Mr. Speaker, in joint efforts with the Deputy Governor and the Ministry of Education, we will be arranging weekly vaccination times dedicated for our teachers and all those who work alongside our children on the school compound in both government and private schools should they wish to be vaccinated.
In reviewing some of the health protocols which are emerging in Europe and the United Kingdom, many schools and universities are working closely with public health experts to establish a COVID-19 rapid testing facility within their schools for students that is available on a voluntary basis. In the very near future, the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, would encourage a similar protocol to be implemented. This will be addressed in the new budget.
Mr. Speaker, my ministry will be installing plexiglass sneeze guards on the desks of each student and teacher in public schools for the new academic year as an extra protective measure for our teachers and students. The health and well-being of our people will always be paramount.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education alongside the Ministry of Health will initiate the sensitization campaign to inform parents of the health measures which are in place to keep their students safe such as the School Health COVID-19 Protocols and Contingency Plans which were previously developed and are currently in place. Our Ministry of Health has completed assessments of schools and will continue to ensure that our schools are adhering to the protocols established by the Ministry of Health.
In keeping with the Ministry of Health Protocols, we will provide additional PPEs, additional cleaning supplies and the necessary number of cleaners per school to ensure that the environment of our students are conducive to their health and well-being.
My Government will seek to implement temporary contracts with bus service providers for students of Long Bay High and students on Middle and North Caicos adhering to the Ministry of Health Protocols for the safety of our students. We will not hold back our students, but instead work in unison to ensure that our students education are treated as a priority, and in so doing follow rigidly the protocols established. Parents and the wider community, we need your support, again I am pleading with you to get vaccinated this will indeed mitigate the bread of Covid 19. Together we can, and together we will!
Mr. Speaker, I cannot end without speaking on the upcoming external examinations. We recognize and appreciate the significant stress that our students are feeling as they prepare to sit in some cases, life changing external examinations.
Mr. Speaker, we have heard the cries of our School Principals, the cries of our teachers, and the cries of our students when they say, our children are not ready for these examinations. Our children have not had the benefit of consistent face-to-face for over a year. Our students have not covered the subject requirements,and to sit some of these external examinations would not be fair to our children when other countries have had the benefit of returning their students to classroom much earlier than we have.
Mr. Speaker, Cambridge recently announced that it is their intention to proceed with the examination this year,EXCEPTfor a very small number of countries and regions within countries where directives from national and local authorities mean exams cannot go ahead, Cambridge will switch from exams to a teacher assessment approach using students' work, their SBAs.
Consequently Mr. Speaker, with effect immediately, my Government has taken the decision to formally write to Cambridge and advise them of the Government's decision to defer IGCSE examinations this year and switch from exams to a teacher assessment approach using their SBAs.
Mr. Speaker, The Caribbean Examination Council examinations will be sit by our students in June/July of this year and results will be made available to Ministers of Education the last week of September 2021. CXC intends to share with each country the broad topics to be assessed on Paper 2, five weeks in advance of the start of the examination. As a contingency measure, if students are unsuccessful in their exams, the Ministry will encourage these students to re-sit the examinations in 2022.
Mr. Speaker, we must give our students the best opportunity to succeed and in these stressful times, this is the right thing to do.
Similarly, Mr. Speaker, my Government has taken the decision to defer the Grade 6 Caribbean Primary Examination Assessment (CPEA) this year for All Schools except two. Instead, the Department of Education will focus on administering an internal assessment focusing on Literacy and Numeracy. We encourage school leaders, teachers and parents to continue to work with students using the CPEA guidelines and finish the curriculum.
This is no time for us to rest on ourlaurels, our children are behind and we must give them a fighting chance to succeed. The deferral of the CPEA examinations means, that schools are no longer burden to complete the school-based assessments within the allocated timelines, but we want to encourage schools to continue along the path, complete the curriculum, because it will build the students competencies and skills.To do otherwise will be unfair to the children.
Mr. Speaker, I had mentioned that two schools which are far advance in preparing our students to sit the CPEA exams. I wish to use this opportunity to congratulate these schools, the teachers and administrators, and most importantly the parents for their hard work. While the completion of the exams by these schools will not be used for the placement of students, the lessons learnt will be invaluable to other schools in the TCI and these schools will serve as a pilot and Champion schools to better assist other schools as we work to implement the CPEA next year.
Mr. Speaker, my ministry intends to provide additional after school programmes for struggling students in public schools to provide greater one on one support that will aid in improving their literacy and numeracy skills. The Ministry will continue to review its budget ceiling and identify savings which can be re-allocated towards this initiative in the next budget cycle or the new academic year. No child will be left time.
Mr. Speaker, the Education Department is aware of the struggles of our children and parents as it relates to having access to an electronic device. We are ever grateful to the many donors who have assisted with the many purchases. We are currently awaiting 300 laptops from the Pine Cay Project and an additional $17,000 worth of devices sponsored by the Shore Club. Our partnership with the private sector will improve as we work together for the betterment of our children. In the new financial budget, we will address procuring additional electronic devices for our children so that no child will be left behind.
Mr. Speaker, our classrooms will see the installation of HD cameras over the Easter break in an effort to aid in the delivery of their online learning. Additionally, we will provide additional hot spots on site at the public schools that will boost the internet service.
Mr. Speaker, as I conclude, I wish to reassure all parents, teachers, and students that in making these decisions, their health and safety was our primary consideration. All schools are currently operating under COVID-19 safety protocols which are aligned to the Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Health.
The Ministry of Education will continue to monitor the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and make informed decisions in conjunction with the Ministry of Health. We will continue to keep all our parents informed about the progress being made. The road ahead may have bumps, but I am confident we will continue to make significant advances in our shared goals of returning to some sense of normalcy.
My Ministry is fully committed to providing the resources and helping the education system to transition to one that can effectively navigate the new normal. This requires us to pivot the odds in our favour and to capitalize on the seeds of opportunity through consultations and strategic collaboration.
Mr. Speaker, we cannot fail our students. As we make this shift from online learning back to face to face and blended instruction, we must work to ensure that students are receiving thesame high-quality instructionthey would have under normal circumstances.
Mr. Speaker, I end by reminding us all that this month is known as Social Work Month. It isa time to celebrate the great profession of social work. As practitioners, social workers are trained to help people address personal and systemic barriers to optimal living.
They are employed to effect positive change with individuals, families, groups and entire communities. I would like to commend my staff, the social workers, for their continuous support and dedication in this field. They have worked tirelessly during this pandemic; dedicating their time and resources to assist the community throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.
I have not forgotten the vulnerable among us. I have heard their cries as well. Their cry for social assistance and support. That is why Mr. Speaker, with effective immediately, my ministry has redirected savings identified from the Social Stimulus Program in the sum of $56,0000. $16,000 will be awarded to Social Services to purchase $200.00 food vouchers, that will be made available to the most vulnerable in our communities.
Mr. Speaker, $40,000 will be given to Red Cross who will work with other NGOs in the TCI such as, Salvation Army, Soroptomist, Food for Thought and other groups of the cohort who are best placed to channel these resources to persons that are in need. I take this opportunity to thank them for the work they have done and continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, I promised the vulnerable people of Five Cays, that we will get them the help they need. I promised the vulnerable people throughout the TCI that we will remove the bureaucratic red tapes and we will deliver on that promise. For the purpose of accountability, the Ministry will be provided with the necessary documentation from the NGOs and Social Services outlining their expenditure.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve my country, especially as the Minister with responsibility for Education, Youth, Culture, Library and Social Services; I will work hard seeing that no one, no child, will be left behind. This is my promise to you.
May God continue to bless our country, the Turks and Caicos Islands.
FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT MONDAY 5TH APRIL 2021
WEATHER:VARIABLY CLOUDY, A BIT WARM AND BREEZY WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW LIGHT PASSING SHOWERS TODAY, TURNING COOL TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
WINDS: NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS, OCCASIONALLY FALLING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT TIMES IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, INCREASING 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE TURKS & CAICOS, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN BUT SLIGHTLY HIGHER IN SUBSIDING SWELLS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, BUILDING 4 TO 7 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 79°F 26°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 61°F 16°C
SUNRISE: 6:57 AM MOONSET: 1:49 PM
SUNSET: 7:26 PM MOONRISE: 3:50 AM TUE
LOW TIDE: 9:48 AM LOW TIDE: 9:51 PM
HIGH TIDE: 3:43 PM HIGH TIDE: 4:18 AM TUE
EXTENDED FORECAST: (FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS) HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE AREA, AS THE SYSTEM MEANDERS JUST NORTH OF THE ISLAND CHAIN THROUGH TO MIDWEEK.
Honda to unveil new City
Honda , through local dealer ATL Honda — a division of the ATL Automotive Group — will debut the Honda City in April. The 2021 City will be an updated version of the ever- popular sub-compact sedan, first introduced in 2009.
“We're absolutely excited to have the new City added to our Honda line-up. We know customers will also love it because of its practicality, affordability and its excellent resale value when they're ready to upgrade to their next Honda model,” Petrena Purser, general manager of Honda Jamaica, told the Jamaica Observer's weekly Auto magazine.
The new model continues the brand famed reputation for reliability and dependability.
“Buyers can also rest assured that when they purchase from Honda, they're not just buying a car, but they're becoming a part of our family and we are committed to providing them unbeatable service, top-notch after sales service, easy access to parts and overall 100 per cent customer satisfaction,” Purser continued.
The changes are skin deep starting with Honda's ACE (Advanced Compatibility Engineering) Body Structure, which uses a network of front frame structures to absorb and deflect the energy from a frontal collision. This helps reduce the force transferred to the cabin and more evenly disperse the forces transferred to other vehicles involved. This makes the City a safer car to drive, on top of its standard active safety systems, such as front and side curtain airbags, and Anti-Lock Braking.
The City is smartly styled, joining the rest of the Honda model's with the Honda Solid Wing Face, that blends the headlights and LED Daytime Driving Lights in with a bold grille. This extends to the rear where the tail lamps wrap around the body showing manufacturing precision. Exterior items, like the side mirrors and access handles, are painted alongside the body in one of the several variety of colours available including taffeta white, platinum white, lunar silver, modern steel, crystal black, coffee cherry red and brilliant sporty blue. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels complement the new body lines.
Drivers will be able to journey in comfort with an interior designed for enjoyable driving. The interior follows two design philosophies: SO-KAI, which translates from the Japanese as invigorating and Dynamic View. SO-KAI tailors in a sense of luxury that makes the City feel far above its class. For example, rear passengers are able to relax and enjoy the journey in comfort with rear air-conditioning vents and an accessory socket. Dynamic View structures the instrument panel for low anxiety operation. This comes in the form of a new eight-inch touchscreen display with audio that doubles as the car's rear camera for easy viewing of what's behind while reversing. Convenience features include Keyless Entry, Remote Engine Start to cool down the vehicle before entry and Cruise Control for easy travelling along highways without having to worry about speeding.
Powering the new Honda City is its 1.5 L VTEC engine with CVT Transmission. The new engine improves combustion efficiency, reduces friction and lowers emissions while delivering on the high performance expected from a Honda motor. The CVT Transmission helps by continuously feeding power to the front driven wheels in a smooth fuel efficient manner.
Godzilla Vs. Kong reports monster box office sales
As the world grapples still with the pandemic, it seems as if movie goers has restarted going back to the cinema, as Hollywood film Godzilla Vs. Kong has set a new global record for pandemic-era filmgoing,
Takings have been more than $385m (£205m) since opening two weeks ago.
The strong showing came despite continued limits on attendance in many places, bringing hope to an industry that has been battered by the virus.
The $48.5m the film brought in during its first five days in the US outpaced the weekend debut of the Godzilla franchise's previous film.
Overall, the film has made more than $236m outside the US, although it has yet to open in some key markets, such as Japan, Brazil and many parts of western Europe. More than half the sales were in China.
"The numbers don't lie - it's clear that wherever audiences are ready to safely return to the theatre, they have, and we're thrilled with the results," said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution for producer Warner Bros, which provided the figures with co-producer Legendary Entertainment.
Cinema-operators also cheered the performance at the box office, despite the film being available for streaming on the HBO Max service.
IMAX reported that more than 1,000 showings sold out at its cinemas, with chief executive Rich Gelfond calling the movie a "symbol of the enduring strength of the theatrical experience for blockbuster filmmaking".
In the US, Godzilla Vs. Kong reported more than $32m for its opening weekend - roughly double that of Wonder Woman: 1984, which previously had the biggest opening of the pandemic.
In recent weeks, cinemas in the key markets of New York and Los Angeles have been allowed to reopen with limits on attendance for the first time since the pandemic.
Source-BBC
LG scraps its smartphone business
LG Electronics said on Monday it would close down its loss-making smartphone business.
In January, the South Korean electronics giant said it was looking at all options for the division after almost six years of losses totalling around $4.5bn (£3.3bn).
LG had made many innovations including ultra-wide angle cameras, rising to third largest smartphone maker in 2013.
But bosses said the mobile phone market had become "incredibly competitive".
While Samsung and Apple are the two biggest players in the smartphone market, LG has suffered from its own hardware and software issues.
As LG struggled with losses it had held talks to sell part of the business but these fell through.
It still ranks as the third most popular brand in North America but has slipped in other markets. LG phones are still fairly common in its domestic South Korean market.
"LG's strategic decision to exit the incredibly competitive mobile phone sector will enable the company to focus resources in growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics and artificial intelligence," it said in a statement.
Last year it shipped 28 million phones, which compares with 256 million for Samsung, according to research firm Counterpoint.
The smartphone business is the smallest of LG's five divisions, accounting for just 7.4% of revenue. Currently its global mobile phone market share is about 2%.
It has been innovating its phones to compete with its bigger rivals, with last year's launch of the T-shaped Wing, a smartphone with a larger screen which swivels out to reveal a second, smaller one underneath.
LG still has a strong consumer electronics business, particularly with home appliances and televisions. LG is the world's second best-selling TV brand after Samsung.
Source-BBC
Royal Caribbean Group CEO says cruise ships ready to sail again
Chief executive officer (CEO) of Royal Caribbean Group, Richard Fain, says a number of test cruises carried out during the novel coronavirus pandemic and also prior to the start of vaccination programmes by countries have shown that ships are ready to start sailing again.
Fain, in a video message to travel advisors on March 22, said that the sector is now equipped with all the health protocols to safely resume operations.
He indicated that Royal Caribbean Group has carried more than 100,000 guests on over 150 cruises, with only 10 positive COVID-19 cases.
He noted that all of the positive cases “have been handled smoothly and without undue disruption of other guests and without undue burden on the communities and the governments involved”.
Fain said that the company's experience with the 100,000 cruise passengers demonstrates that the process indeed works.
He noted that the experience was not unique to Royal Caribbean, adding that the industry, as a whole, has transported more than 350,000 passengers “with very few cases and minimal disruption. This is precisely what we thought would be the case”.
“It is important to note that most of these sailings took place before the vaccines were out,” he added.
“Everybody knows that the vaccines are a game changer, but they're not the only protection we have,” he said, noting that contact tracing is able to be done effectively on the ships.
Fain said that the success of the test cruises “is enabling us to restart cruises in more and more places around the world”.
He said that the response to Royal Caribbean's decision to begin sailing from the selected ports “has been exceptional” and indicates that there is an enormous amount of pent-up demand to cruise again.
“I expect that we will soon be announcing more such itineraries,” he noted.
He pointed out that Royal Caribbean expects to sail out of The Bahamas and St Maarten with vaccinated adult guests in June, and signalled that there might be other home-porting opportunities for consideration in the region.
This is good news for Jamaica, which is in talks with cruise line executives, including Royal Caribbean, for the island to be considered a major home-porting destination.
Source-Jamaican Observer
MLB moves All-Star Game out of Atlanta over voting law controversy
MLB has moved this year's All-Star Game out of Atlanta following controversy generated by Georgia's restrictive new voting law.
"Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year's All-Star Game and MLB Draft."
Manfred said the new host city and details about events will be announced "shortly."
The new law, passed by the Georgia House and Senate and then signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on March 25, has generated controversy due to several limits it puts on voting in the state. The bill was passed along party lines, with Republicans vocally supporting it and Democrats calling it voter suppression.
President Joe Biden has condemned the new law and voiced support for moving the All-Star Game out of Atlanta in an interview with ESPN.
"I think today's professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly," Biden said. "I would strong support them doing that. People look to them. They're leaders."
The Atlanta Braves released a statement saying the team was "deeply disappointed" by MLB's decision to move the game.
"The Braves organization will continue to stress the importance of equal voting opportunities and we had hoped our city could use this event as a platform to enhance the discussion," the statement reads. "...Unfortunately, businesses, employees and fans in Georgia are the victims of this decision."
Source-ABC