US trade deficit widens in February
America's trade deficit widened in February as its international trade hit a monthly record.
The deficit was $57.6bn - the largest monthly gap between exports and imports of goods and services since 2008, the US Commerce Department said.
The figures come as President Donald Trump tries a variety of tactics to reset the balance between US imports and exports.
The deficit was larger than analysts predicted, as imports of services rose.
That reflected payments made to broadcast the 2018 Olympic Games, the Commerce Department said.
Overall, February imports were $262bn, rising 1.7% from January amid ramped up spending on items such as civilian aircrafts, computers and food.
Exports also rose 1.7%, reaching $204.4bn over the month, driven by sales of oil and natural gas and automotive vehicles.
The US recorded a monthly deficit in goods - the focus of much of President Trump's attention - with most countries, led by China at $34.7bn. However the gap with China shrank 2.3% from January.
Wells Fargo analysts said they expect to see exports and imports grow in coming months, with strong domestic demand leading to further widening of the deficit.
"A full-blown trade war between the world's two largest economies, should one develop, probably would not cause American exports and imports to go into reverse, but it could weaken growth in trade," they wrote.
China has initiated a complaint with the World Trade Organisation over the US plans to impose a 25% tax on Chinese-made imports worth about $50bn for what the White House says are unfair intellectual property practices.
The WTO circulated the request for consultation to members on Thursday, launching a discussion period before the complaint heads to formal dispute settlement process.
Mr Trump has said he wants America's deficit with China to decline by $100bn.
Economists say focusing on deficits, rather than total trade, is misplaced.
Source-BBC
TCIG Appoints TWO New Dental Hygienist
The Office of the Deputy Governor is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Dental Hygienist, Ms. Raymonda Brown and Mr. Deangello Germain in the Turks and Caicos Government's Dental Departments in Grand Turk and Providenciales, respectively.
Commenting on the appointment, Director of Dental Services Dr. Jameiko Harvey said; "I would like to welcome two of our very own, Ms. Raymonda Brown and Mr. Deangello Germain to the post of Dental Hygienist within the Dental Department. These two individuals are the first Dental Hygienist to be hired by the Turks and Caicos Government and will be helping to combat the fight on gum disease in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
"I can say that I am very proud of these two individuals and the direction that the Dental Department is heading. As we look to reshape the way individuals think about their oral hygiene, in short order we will be reintroducing our mobile clinic in Providenciales which will help to eliminate the heavy traffic at the Cheshire Hall Medical Center and the roles of these two Hygienists will be critical in helping individuals to keep their teeth longer and to live a healthier life."
Mr. Deangello Germain, who is a former track star, trained and competed alongside the great Delano Williams, but put aside his sporting ambitions to pursue a career in dentistry. Mr. Germain having completed a Bachelors Degree in Dental Hygiene from the University of Technology has returned home to serve his country, and has further aspirations to become a Dental Surgeon, having already been accepted into Nova Southeastern University in the USA, where he intends to complete a Bachelors degree in Biology before applying to Dental School.
Ms. Raymonda Brown redefines what it means to be dedicated as she was accepted to Dental Hygiene school some sixteen years ago and had to defer for personal reasons, but always kept in the back of her mind that one day she would finish what she started, so when the opportunity presented itself in the form of a Grant from the Civil Service Professional Development Fund to the APLUS Institute of Information Technology, Healthcare and Business in Toronto, Canada in 2016, Ms. Brown practically gave up everything to make her dreams come true.
Deputy Governor Anya Williams joined in congratulating both new appointees by stating: "I am pleased to congratulate both Raymonda and Deangello on their new appointments and to wish them much success in their new roles. Having had the opportunity to interact with them both I can emphatically state that they both are very passionate about their roles and about their profession.
"I am especially proud of their accomplishments and also of the efforts and accomplishments of the Dental Department through Dr. Harvey and the work that he continues to do to motivate young persons to pursue medical studies through the Clinic Exploration Program.
"I hope that their stories of success will continue to motivate others to pursue these most critical fields."
UK car registrations plunge in March
Car registrations plunged in March, according to figures from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Preliminary data shows the UK new car market shrank by 15.7% last month compared with 2017.
Demand for diesel vehicles fell 37%, but demand for petrol was flat and that for alternative fuel models rose 5.7%.
March 2017 was a record month as customers bought new vehicles ahead of a change in Vehicle Excise Duty.
New car sales fell for the first time in six years in 2017, with a 5.7% decrease to about 2.5 million vehicles.
Demand for diesel cars plunged by 17% last year, meaning the pace of decline for such vehicles in March has more than doubled.
Source-BBC
Google should not be in business of war, say employees
Thousands of Google employees have signed an open letter asking the internet giant to stop working on a project for the US military.
Project Maven involves using artificial intelligence to improve the precision of military drone strikes.
Employees fear Google's involvement will "irreparably damage" its brand.
"We believe that Google should not be in the business of war," says the letter, which is addressed to Google chief executive Sundar Pichai.
"Therefore we ask that Project Maven be cancelled, and that Google draft, publicise and enforce a clear policy stating that neither Google nor its contractors will ever build warfare technology."
The letter, which was signed by 3,100 employees - including "dozens of senior engineers", according to the New York Times - says that staff have already raised concerns with senior management internally. Google has more than 88,000 employees worldwide.
In response to concerns raised, the head of Google's cloud business, Diane Greene, assured employees that the technology would not be used to launch weapons, nor would it be used to operate or fly drones.
However, the employees who signed the letter feel that the internet giant is putting users' trust at risk, as well ignoring its "moral and ethical responsibility".
"We cannot outsource the moral responsibility of our technologies to third parties," the letter says.
"Google's stated values make this clear: every one of our users is trusting us. Never jeopardise that. Ever.
"Building this technology to assist the US government in military surveillance - and potentially lethal outcomes - is not acceptable."
Google confirmed that it was allowing the Pentagon to use some of its image recognition technologies as part of a military project, following an investigative report by tech news site Gizmodo in March.
A Google spokesperson told the BBC: "Maven is a well-publicised Department of Defense project and Google is working on one part of it - specifically scoped to be for non-offensive purposes and using open-source object recognition software available to any Google Cloud customer.
"The models are based on unclassified data only. The technology is used to flag images for human review and is intended to save lives and save people from having to do highly tedious work.
The internet giant is working on developing policies for the use of its artificial intelligence technologies.
Source-BBC
Davis Cup return for Spain star against Germany
World number one Rafael Nadal will play his first match since January's Australian Open on Friday in Spain's Davis Cup quarter-final.
Nadal, 30, will face Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in Valencia on the Spaniard's favoured clay surface.
The 16-time Grand Slam winner has been sidelined since retiring with a hip problem against Marin Cilic in his Melbourne quarter-final.
David Ferrer plays world number four Alexander Zverev, in the other rubber.
Nadal, who has won his last 22 Davis Cup singles matches, will then take on Zverev in the first match of the reverse singles on Sunday.
He has not lost a Davis Cup singles match since a debut defeat by Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic in 2004.
Despite his spell on the sidelines, Nadal reclaimed the top ranking after Roger Federer's surprise loss to world number 175 Thanasi Kokkinakis at the recent Miami Open.
Source-BBC
Bollywood superstar jailed for poaching
An Indian court has sentenced Bollywood superstar Salman Khan to five years in jail for poaching rare antelope back in 1998.
The court in Jodhpur also fined him 10,000 rupees ($154; £109) for the crime. He has since been taken to jail.
Khan killed the two blackbucks, a protected species, in the western state of Rajasthan while shooting a film.
Four other actors who starred with him in the movie and were also charged with the offence have been acquitted.
Khan, 52, can appeal against the verdict in a higher court.
Correspondents say he will have to spend at least a few days in prison.
This is the fourth case filed against the actor in connection with poaching animals during the filming of the 1998 movie Hum Saath Saath Hain.
In 2006, a trial court convicted the actor in two cases of poaching and sentenced him separately to one year and five years in prison. The Rajasthan high court suspended the sentences the following year, and eventually quashed both convictions in 2016.
The state government has appealed against that order in the Supreme Court.
Khan was then acquitted of a third case in 2017, which was for possessing unlicensed weapons used to poach the wildlife in 1998.
The original poaching complaint against him was filed by the local Bishnoi community, who revere and worship the blackbuck.
Source-BBC
PAHO calls for breaking down barriers that keep one in three people in the Americas from accessing health
On the eve of World Health Day, the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa F. Etienne, and former president of Chile Michelle Bachelet today called for collective actions to ensure that all people, everywhere have access to the health services they need.
In the Americas region, one third of the population faces obstacles to accessing health. "Health is a right, and as such we must overcome barriers to have access to care," said Etienne, noting that out-of-pocket payments that many people must make to obtain health services "constitutes the main barrier and pushes families towards poverty."
Other barriers are geographic or institutional in nature, including stigma and discrimination in health services. "It is not enough to have hospitals and health centers, these institutions must have the right combination of human resources, infrastructure and equipment, medicines and other health technologies, to avoid long waiting times and offer quality care," Etienne said.
Universal health, the theme of World Health Day 2018, implies that all people and communities have access, without discrimination, to quality health services without having to expose themselves to financial difficulties. Under the slogan "Universal Health: Everyone, Everywhere," the campaign calls on representatives of governments, academia and civil society to stimulate dialogue on policies that can help achieve health for all by 2030.
"We need a massive regional movement and listen to all voices" to move towards universal health, Etienne said. Last year, PAHO created the High Level Commission on "Universal Health in the 21st Century: 40 Years of Alma-Ata," led by Michelle Bachelet.
To achieve universal health, "we have to build national consensus, because the challenges are of such magnitude that they require the commitment and effort of all," said Bachelet.
Forty years after the Declaration of Alma-Ata—which promoted the values of the right to health, equity and solidarity—the region of the Americas continues to be one of the most inequitable in the world.
Bachelet noted that there have been important advances since Alma-Ata, but that there are still major gaps between and within the countries. "At the same time that we see health centers with quality we could not have imagined in the past, there are still women and children who continue to die from totally avoidable causes," she said, adding that "inequality is the great enemy in Latin America and the Caribbean."
Bachelet said that PAHO's regional strategy for universal health along with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the sustainable health agenda for the Americas infuse new life into the path toward "health for all" outlined at Alma-Ata. She urged greater emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention, reducing segmentation and fragmentation in health services, safeguarding the working conditions of health personnel, including new technologies and innovation, and for building health financing systems that promote solidarity.
"In this matter there are neither miracles nor shortcuts, what there is a long road of collective work that leads to more justice for all," said Bachelet.
CLOSURE OF THE TREASURY AND SUB-TREASURIES
The public is hereby advised that in order to facilitate a general staff meeting on Wednesday April 4, 2018 the Treasury, Grand Turk will be closed at 10 a.m. All Sub-Treasuries (Providenciales, North Caicos and South Caicos) will be closed for the day.
Normal operations will resume on Thursday the 5th April.
We apologise for any inconvenience which this closure may cause and thank you for your understanding.
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TODAY AND THE WEEKEND
GENERAL SITUATION: AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH DRY CONDITIONS PREVAILING.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: MARINERS AND BEACHGOERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS MAINLY ALONG NORTHERN AND EASTERN SHORELINES IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
TURKS & CAICOS
WEATHER: VARIABLE CLOUDINESS AND BREEZY WITH FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY AND COOL TONIGHT WITH FEW RESIDUAL SHOWERS.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION.
WINDS: NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 75 °F 24 °C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE 58 °F 14 °C
SUNRISE: 7:18 AM
SUNSET: 7:17 PM
MOONRISE: 6:51 AM
MOONSET: 6:42 PM
HIGH TIDE: 6:58 AM & 7:17 PM
LOW TIDE: 1:17 PM & 1:28 AM SAT
EXTENDED FORECAST
FORECAST FOR SATURDAY
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY AND MILD.
WINDS: SOUTHEASTERLY AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS:1 TO 3 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
NATIONAL AIDS PROGRAMME MANAGERS, CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS AND DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS COMMIT TO SUPPORT COUNTRY OWNERSHIP FOR HIV RESPONSE SUSTAINABILITY
The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP), the mechanism that provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean's response to the HIV epidemic, concluded the Sixth Meeting of National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers and Key Partners in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, 14 March 2018. The meeting came two years ahead of the 2020 deadline for reaching the 90-90-90 targets—90% of people living with HIV diagnosed, 90% of diagnosed people on treatment and 90% of those on treatment virally suppressed.
The forum opened on Monday March 12 with a Feature Address by the Honourable Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Minister Deyalsingh noted that in light of reduced technical and financial support from international partners, the region must collectively mobilize domestic resources especially for the support of prevention and the elimination of HIV-related stigma and discrimination among key and vulnerable populations.
These sentiments were echoed by the participants including National AIDS Programme (NAP) Managers, Chief Medical Officers, Permanent Secretaries, development, and implementing partners, including civil society organizations that work with people living with HIV and key population groups and youth.
In closing remarks, Dr. Nikkiah Forbes, Director, National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Diseases Programme at the Bahamas Ministry of Health, proposed integration of HIV care into other healthcare services in order to assure sustainability of the HIV response. She highlighted that participants recognized integration as one potential solution for improving the accessibility of health services and suggested that it could help countries meet the demand for increased HIV-related treatment, care and support services in the context of scaling up to "Treat All". ("Treat All" involves offering treatment to all people diagnosed with HIV regardless of CD4 count.)
"Caribbean countries are diverse and integration will need to be tailored for each country context," stated Dr Forbes, "HIV should never have been completely separated from the health agenda and synergies need to be fostered with sexual reproductive health services".
She further stated that integration requires healthcare worker training on "Treat All" as well as the meaningful and sustained involvement of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). For example, there should be leadership and inclusion of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and key populations on the prevention, treatment and care needs of their communities. Dr. Forbes noted that there should be a focus on quality of care, with steps taken to ensure that members of key populations can access sexual and reproductive health services including HIV and AIDS prevention.
She posited that to achieve integration the region should conduct south-to-south collaborations and draw on regional expertise for training healthcare workers on the front-line response.
Dr Forbes emphasized the integral role of civil society organizations, "CSOs we have not forgotten you", she stated. "You must be placed and supported in the planning and implementation process which only strengthens the argument for the need for social contracting and crystalizing this in policy. This is how we will sustain the regional response".
She concluded with an urgent plea for heightened government involvement in funding the HIV response. She advocated that governments need to own the HIV response and in owning it, they need to make the investments needed to reach the prevention, testing and treatment targets that will set the region on course to end AIDS by 2030.
"I make a respectful but urgent plea to our governments to commit to, as well as finance, their National and Regional AIDS response", stated Dr Forbes. "Without an urgent strategy to sustain the response we risk leaving many vulnerable groups behind and undoing the gains we have made in reducing HIV transmission".