C'bean HIV/AIDS stakeholders meet in DomRep
The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) says national AIDS programme managers, civil society organisation, HIV clinicians and social workers, have participated in a face to face knowledge exchange in the Dominican Republic.
It said that the five-day event, which was undertaken in collaboration with the Integral Orientation and Research Centre (COIN), was to provide participants with first-hand experience of COIN's operations. “This included a detailed explanation of how the entity has coordinated and collaborated with the Ministry of Health, other civil society organizations and stakeholders in delivering comprehensive HIV services in communities and to key populations.”
COIN is a social interest institution based in the Dominican Republic that implements HIV prevention, care, treatment and support programmes for key populations. The entity has been a key partner of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (Dominican Republic) and grassroots, community-based organizations in service delivery.
PANCAP said that the learning exchange was spearheaded by Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony, its Knowledge Management Coordinator, who said “there was a wealth of knowledge to be shared with our participants on the Dominican Republic's national HIV response and COIN's experience of service delivery, prioritization of key populations and their collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance and other in-country partners”.
She further explained that the goal of the knowledge exchange was to share successful models of care delivery in reaching key populations with prevention, Antiretrovirals (ARTs) and support services at the national level and for participants to understand the intersection with community-based models.
“Our objective was for participants to experience successful interventions by COIN aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination among key populations and to expose them to the components of COIN's Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) programme as a new prevention modality,” she added.
The participants from Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago were also challenged to develop country-specific action plans to enhance in-country collaboration among members of the multidisciplinary team.
Source-CMC
MINISTER'S MESSAGE TO GRADE SIX STUDENTS
The Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Service would like to wish all students taking the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) on June 13 and 14, 2018 much success.
During the past two weeks personnel from the Department of Youth Affairs along with specially invited motivational speakers; Norean Williams-McCoy, Pastor Courtney Missick and Dr. Cutella Talbot met with the Grade six students in public and private schools across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Students were encouraged to do their best and we expect nothing less. We also gave each student some valuable resources that would aid them during the test.
The Minister stated that she would like to express her sincere gratitude to all the teachers who worked extremely hard preparing our students for GSAT. We know that after the passage of two hurricanes it was not easy.
"We appreciate you for your selfless dedication and for everything you have done for our children. Students, the day has finally arrived. Go into the examination room and know that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring everything you have learned to remembrance. I believe in you. Your teachers, parents and extended family believe in you too. So, do well; make yourselves and your families proud."
COMMISSIONER JAMES SMITH ON FIREARM INCIDENT
Commissioner of Police informed RTC News that at about 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 10th, 2018 his Police arrested a male who was in possession of a firearm in the Long Bay area of Providenciales.
During the arrest, an armed Police Officer fired one shot. There were no injuries as a result of the Armed officer discharging his weapon and the circumstances of the incident is subject to an internal review.
The male arrested remains in Police Custody and investigations continue into the firearms-related offences.
A firearm an ammunition was seized from the man in custody.
The RT&CIPF is also aware of speculation suggesting a senior Police Officer was involved in a separate incident whilst off duty where shots were alleged to have been fired.
There is no evidence or basis for this speculation and members of the community are asked to cease comment on this rumour.
Tesla to slash thousands of jobs in profitability drive
Tesla said it plans to cut 9% of its workforce as part of a restructuring intended to reduce costs and boost profitability.
The job cuts at Elon Musk's electric car maker come as it tries to increase production of its Model 3 sedan and turn a quarterly profit this year.
Tesla said the more than 3,000 cuts would affect mostly salaried employees and not those making its cars.
Mr Musk said the move had been a "difficult decision".
Tesla employed more than 37,000 people at the end of last year.
"Given that Tesla has never made an annual profit in the almost 15 years since we have existed, profit is obviously not what motivates us," he wrote in an email to employees and posted on Twitter.
"What drives us is our mission to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable, clean energy, but we will never achieve that mission unless we can eventually demonstrate that we can be sustainably profitable."
Last month Mr Musk said the company was planning a wide-ranging reorganisation that would flatten its management structure.
In the email, he said the cuts are aimed at eliminating duplicate roles and he does not expect them to affect the firm's production ability.
Tesla employees based at US DIY chain Home Depot and involved with the home solar business Tesla acquired when it bought SolarCity are among those affected, he said.
The "majority" of those workers will be offered positions in Tesla's retail business, Mr Musk added.
Michelle Krebs, an Autotrader analyst, said the job cuts were not a surprise.
"It is clear that Tesla is under tremendous pressure to finally turn a profit and is attempting to address it by cutting overhead," she said.
"Also notable is Tesla is not cutting production jobs at a time when pushing Model 3s out the door is a top priority."
Source-BBC
Facebook to introduce advert rules
Facebook has announced a series of new policies to notify users about how they are being targeted with adverts.
Users will be informed when an advertiser has used a data broker, a company that collects and sells customer data to allow better advert targeting.
Advertisers will also have to confirm that the information was collected legally.
The changes will come into effect on 2 July.
The move is seen as a response to the crises that have plagued the social media giant over the past year, including the Cambridge Analytica scandal and accusations of Russian interference in the US election.
The policy change comes after a so-called "apology tour" which saw Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg appear before the US Congress and the European Parliament.
Other tech companies such as Apple have upped the data privacy consideration in their products.
Comcast bids for Murdoch's Fox assets in Disney challenge
Comcast, the US media conglomerate, has submitted another offer to buy parts of 21st Century Fox, after getting rebuffed last year in favour of Disney.
Comcast said it has offered $65bn (£48.6bn) in cash for Fox's studios and international businesses.
The bid sets up a fight with Disney, which announced its own plan to acquire Fox's businesses last year.
The two firms are also vying for ownership of Sky in the UK.
Comcast said its proposal is "at least as favourable" to shareholders as Disney's offer.
Comcast's proposal would create a massive media conglomerate with few rivals in America.
The firm, one of the largest providers of internet and pay TV in the US, already has a large television and film business, with subsidiaries such as NBC, Telemundo, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation.
It is seeking to add Fox's television and film studios, as well as international properties, including Star India and Sky.
The bid is a challenge to Disney, which announced in December that it would take over those assets in a stock transaction then valued at $52.4bn, or more than $66bn including debt.
The deal, described by the two companies as a merger, was set to give Fox shareholders a roughly 25% stake in Disney.
As part of the deal, Disney pledged to seek to win full ownership of Sky.
Fox, which is led by Rupert Murdoch and his sons, rejected an offer from Comcast last year, citing concerns that antitrust officials would oppose a deal.
But a court ruling this week on a similar merger may have alleviated those worries.
On Tuesday, a federal judge cleared the AT&T's takeover of Time Warner, rejecting regulator concerns that the tie-up would stifle competition and lead to higher consumer prices.
Regulators are currently reviewing the Disney transaction. Makan Delrahim, assistant attorney general for antitrust, recently signalled that regulators were open to the combination.
Under the Disney proposal, Fox would retain its news and sports businesses, including Fox News.
Source-BBC
Weather for TCI & Bahamas
GENERAL SITUATION: A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IN THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO CONTINUES TO PUMP DEEP LAYERED TROPICAL AIRMASS ACROSS THE AREA GENERATING UNSETTLED WEATHER MOSTLY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT AS THERE REMAINS THE HIGH POTENTIAL FOR WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS
FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY, HUMID AND BREEZY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS SHOULD CONTINUE TO EXERCISE CAUTION
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY 90F 32C
LOW TEMPERATURE TONIGHT 77F 25C
SUN MOON TIDES
SUNRISE: 6:20AM MOONRISE: 6:10AM HIGH TIDE: 6:53AM 7:25PM
SUNSET: 7:58PM MOONSET: 7:59PM LOW TIDE: 1:00PM 1:55AM THU
EXTENDED FORECAST: (FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS)...THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL WEAKEN WHILE CONTINUING TO PULL A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS ACROSS THE BAHAMAS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS GENERATING UNSETTLED WEATHER ACROSS THE ISLANDS
FORECAST FOR THURSDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS FALLING LIGHT AND VARIABLE IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND SOUTHEASTERLY AT 15 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 3 TO 5 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
FORECAST FOR FRIDAY
WEATHER: VARIABLE CLOUDINESS WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
SEAS: 1 TO 3 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: Disorganized showers and thunderstorms located over the western Caribbean Sea are associated with a surface trough. This activity is forecast to move westward to northwestward over Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula during the next couple of days, with no significant development expected. Environmental conditions could become slightly more conducive for some development if the system moves into the southwestern Gulf of Mexico by the end of the week. Formation chance through 5 days is low...about 20 percent.
ExxonMobil announces the start of drilling off shore in Guyana
The US-based oil giant ExxonMobil yesterday announced that it has started development drilling offshore.
In a statement, the company said that the Liza Phase 1 development continues to rapidly progress and that development drilling began in May for the first of 17 wells planned for Phase 1, laying the foundation for production start-up in 2020.
The company and its co-venturers have so far discovered estimated recoverable resources of more than 3.2 billion oil-equivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block.
President of ExxonMobil Development Company, Liam Mallon, said the work being done in Guyana is remarkable.
“We are well on our way to producing oil less than five years after our first discovery, which is well ahead of the industry average for similar projects. The Liza development and future projects will provide significant economic benefits to Guyana,” he said.
Liza Phase 1 is expected to generate over US$7 billion in royalty and profit oil revenues for Guyana over the life of the project.
The oil company said additional benefits will accrue from other development projects now being planned. Liza Phase 1 involves the conversion of an oil tanker into a floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel named Liza Destiny, along with four undersea drill centers with 17 production wells. Construction of the FPSO and subsea equipment is under way in more than a dozen countries.
ExxonMobil said Liza Destiny will have a production capacity of 120,000 barrels of oil per day, and that a second FPSO with a capacity of 220,000 barrels per day is being planned as part of the Liza Phase 2 development, while a third is under consideration for the Payara development.
It said that together, these three developments will produce more than 500,000 barrels of oil per day.
“Guyanese businesses, contractors and employees have been an essential element of our exploration, drilling and development progress. Our focus is on enabling local workforce and supplier development, and collaborating with the Government to support the growth and success of Guyana's new energy industry,” Mallon said.
The company said that about 50 per cent of its employees, contractors and subcontractors are Guyanese, a number that will continue to grow as operations progress.
ExxonMobil said it spent about US$24 million with more than 300 local suppliers in 2017, and opened the Centre for Local Business Development in Georgetown, Guyana, to promote the establishment and growth of small and medium-sized local businesses. The centre has enabled access to training and capacity-building support for more than 275 local businesses.
The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres.
Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45 per cent interest. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25 per cent interest.
'I do trust him': Trump opens up about Kim Jong-un after historic summit
North Korea will denuclearize, President Trump declared in an exclusive interview with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos just hours after intense and historic negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Stephanopoulos asked how Trump could trust the brutal dictator.
"I do trust him, yeah," Trump said. "Maybe in a year you’ll be interviewing and I'll say I made a mistake. It's possible. We’re dealing at a high level, a lot of things can change a lot of things are possible."
He pressed the president on his previous criticism of North Korea's human rights abuses including starving his people, running labor camps and assassinating members of his own family.
"George, I'm given what I'm given," Trump said. "This is what we have, this is where we are, and I can only tell you from my experience, and I’ve met him, I've spoken with him. I’ve met him. And this is, this has started early and it's been very intense. I think that he really wants to do a great job for North Korea. I think he wants to de-nuke, without that, there's nothing to discuss. It was on the table from the beginning, and you see a total denuclearization of North Korea – so important."
Trump talked about the agreements that were reached at the summit in Singapore Tuesday, saying that he believes the North Korean leader "wants to do the right thing".
"We have the framework for getting ready to denuclearize," Trump said. "He's de-nuking the whole place. I think he's going to start now."
Trump seemed to hold an optimistic take on Kim's intentions, saying that the dictator "really wants to do something I think terrific for their country."
When asked if there was talk of pulling U.S. troops out of South Korea, Trump said the topic didn't come up.
"We didn't discuss that, no. We're not going to play the war games... I thought they were very provocative. I also they're also very expensive," Trump said.
Another potential sticking point that didn't come up? The nuclear umbrella that the U.S. has over South Korea, that is intended to protect it from any missile strikes from the North.
When asked by Stephanopoulos if the removal of the nuclear umbrella was "on the table," Trump said no, saying the umbrella had not even been discussed.
An underlying strain of Trump's takeaways from the interview was Kim's perceived willingness to do the right thing.
"Over my lifetime I've done a lot of deals with a lot of people and sometimes the people you most distrust turn out to be the most honorable ones and the people that you do trust turn out to be not the honorable ones," Trump said.
"I believe he wants to get it done."
Source-ABC
Fans and soccer stars arrive in Russia ahead of World Cup
Fans and stars of international soccer are arriving in Russia as the country prepares for the World Cup that kicks off on Thursday.
The month-long tournament will begin with Russia playing Saudi Arabia in Moscow. National teams have been arriving for the past week, spreading out to team bases across the 11 cities that are hosting the tournament, from Sochi on the Black Sea to Ekaterinburg on the western edge of Siberia.
Russian authorities have said they expect around one million fans to visit. In Moscow on Tuesday, small groups were beginning to appear around the city in brightly-colored national dress.
A massive fan zone, capable of holding 25,000 people, has been constructed in the shadow of the Stalinist skyscraper of Moscow State University, looking out over the city’s main Luzhniki stadium, where the World Cup final will be played. A viewing area has been set up on Red Square by the Kremlin, more widely known abroad for the tank parades that roll across it each year.
Just off the square on Tuesday, a small crowd of pleased and bemused-looking Russians watched as a group of elderly Brazilian fans played drum music and sang. Most of the fans nearby were from South American countries, such as Peru, Columbia and Uruguay. Thousands of Americans are still expected to travel, with over 88,000 tickets sold to U.S. fans, despite their team’s failure to qualify.
More visible than the fans so far in Moscow was the massive security presence being deployed to guard the event against fan trouble, and in particular Islamic terrorism. Thousands of extra police have been called up from all over the country and there are extra patrols in many areas.
Concerns about security have been prominent, with attention particularly focused on potential violence from Russian soccer hooligans, who ran amok at the last major international competition involving Russia, the 2016 European Championship in France. But worries that Russia could see a repeat of the chaotic street battles that took place in Marseilles there have been overblown amid an intense crackdown by Russian security services against the hooligan groups.
Hooligans have described to ABC News receiving calls and house visits from police and officers from the FSB security service informing them to behave. They said their groups' leaders are under surveillance, with their phones tapped.
Zhenya, a veteran member of a hooligan group that supports CSKA Moscow and who didn’t not want to give his full name for fear of repercussions, told ABC News how armed police had raided his house as a warning.
A wave of arrests last year has also chilled the violent fan scene, while anti-hooligan practices long common in Europe, such as stadium bans have been introduced.
“The movement is effectively paralyzed,” Ivan ‘Il Duche’, a well-known former fan leader, told ABC News.
Under such pressure, over a dozen former and active hooligans told ABC News that they expect no major violence.
Source-ABC