Public Reminded, Smoking in Non-Smoking Areas is an Offense
The Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence within the Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services hereby reminds the general public that it is unlawful to smoke in non-smoking areas. Based on the Tobacco Control Law which came into force on April 1st 2016, a person shall not smoke or hold a lighted tobacco product in an enclosed public place, enclosed workplace or public conveyance.
Schedule 3 of the Ordinance also bans smoking in the following:
Government Buildings & Vehicles Public parks
Hospitals & Medical facilities Restaurants
Public lounges and Canteen Areas Cinemas
Areas for public transportation Corridors, toilet areas, stairways and elevators
Hotels, motels, inns Vehicles used for public transportation
Bars, Pool Halls, Clubs & Casinos Reception rooms, lobbies or areas where the public have access.
Schools Meetings and interview rooms
Shops & Shopping centres
A person who contravenes this section of the law is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years. A manager, owner or lessee who consents to the smoking commits an offense and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $3,000 or a term of imprisonment not exceeding eighteen months. A person who wishes to smoke may smoke at least 35 feet beyond an enclosed public place or any place previously listed.
Notice is also being given to Owners or Managers of outdoor bars or outdoor restaurants that an application must be made first to designate an outdoor smoking area. All outdoor smoking areas must be in line with the Tobacco Control Regulations and approved by the Environmental Health Department and the Planning Department.
Tobacco use is the second leading cause of death globally and is one of the main risk factors for chronic diseases, including cancer, lung diseases and cardiovascular diseases. This Law is part of the Ministry of Health's ongoing efforts to mitigate against the harmful effects of second hand tobacco smoke and to ensure that the health of the general population is being preserved.
For more information about Tobacco Control Laws contact the Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence by calling (649) 338-3613/(649) 338-4737.
DSS WINS TWO 2017 ACQ5 Global awards
Domus Semo Sancus (DSS), was today announced the winner of two 2017 ACQ5 Global Awards, with it winning the 2017 "International – Company of the Year (FinTech)" award and its Chairman & CEO, E. Jay Saunders picking up the "International – Game Changer of the Year" award.
The ACQ5 Global Awards, currently in its 12th year, honors "...the leading deal teams, firms, and professionals whose activities set the standard." According to Jake Robson, Group Editor of The ACQ5, "Experts whose intimate knowledge and expertise in the corporate, cultural, financial and legal arenas are redefining our industry. The 2017 ACQ5 Global Award winners represent the best of breed in all industry sectors and have earned these honours by standing out in a group of very impressive finalists."
Nominees were voted for by over 83,000 industry professionals, who rated each nominee from 1 – 5 on criteria such as experience, value for money, and responsiveness.
Only nominees who received an average 4-star rating or above were shortlisted for an award.
Commenting on DSS winning the awards, Saunders stated, "One of our goals for 2017 was to make our brands more well known. While we're confident that we're building best-in-class products, that means nothing if we're not getting the word out. We're proud and honored to have won these ACQ5 Global Awards, as it confirms to us that the DSS brand profile is increasing internationally and that industry professionals are starting to take notice of our products and services."
PREMIER ROBINSON SPEAKS TO FCIB SERVICES IN SOUTH CAICOS
Premier Robinson today told RTC News that wishes to inform the residents of South Caicos that as Premier and Minister with responsibility for District Administration, she is aware of First Caribbean International Bank's decision to cease weekly banking services to customers on South Caicos with immediate effect.
Premier Robinson, "We are aware of the announcement made overseas of the Bank's intention to withdraw its weekly services in South Caicos. We regret this decision and have written to them asking for a reconsideration of this position and have suggested an alternative to the provision of services under another arrangement. We are awaiting their response and we will communicate this as soon as we are in receipt of a response.
This challenge has presented itself before many years ago and I invite residents to allow us the opportunity to make representations on the community's behalf. We are aware of the challenges that arise from this decision and have outlined them in detail to the Bank citing the risk to business owners, the extreme inconvenience and difficulty that persons who receive welfare or social services checks will now face, and the difficulty overall for public officers and customers generally who have been the beneficiaries of these services since Barclays Bank came to our shores.
We hope to reach a quick resolution. "
Trump says no trade war despite Asia outcry over tariffs
US President Donald Trump has brushed off concerns that new tariffs the US has imposed on imported washing machines and solar panels will lead to a trade war.
The announcement of the tariffs - of up to 50% - have prompted outcry from China and South Korea, the primary targets of the measure.
Some US businesses that rely on the imported products are also concerned.
Mr Trump dismissed the talk and said the tariffs would add jobs in the US.
At a signing ceremony on Tuesday, he said they "demonstrate to the world that the United States will not be taken advantage of any more."
"There won't be a trade war," he later added.
The action is part of US President Donald Trump's "America First" trade policy, which aims to protect local manufacturers from foreign competition.
South Korea said it would complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
China, the world's biggest solar panel producer, said the move was an "overreaction" and pledged to "work with other WTO members to resolutely defend its legitimate interests".
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke against tariffs at the World Economic Forum in Davos in an apparent reference to the US measures, although India's own finance ministry is planning a 70% tariff on Chinese solar panels.
"Forces of protectionism are raising their heads against globalisation. Their intention is not only to avoid globalisation themselves but they also want to reverse its natural flow," Mr Modi said.
Samsung, a South Korean company, said consumers in the US would be negatively affected by the measures.
"Everyone will pay more with fewer choices," a company statement said.
South Korea's LG Electronics also said the move would harm employment prospects at its new factory.
Mexico said it was "regrettable" that it was not excluded from the tariffs, adding that it would "use all available legal resources in response to the US decision".
In the US, the Solar Energy Industries Association, which campaigned against the decision, estimated that 23,000 American jobs would also be lost. It believes the US will not be able to keep up with demand for panels, meaning there will be less work for those producing complementary technology and fittings.
The tougher policy was approved by President Trump after the US International Trade Commission (ITC) found local manufacturers were being hurt by cheaper imports.
Manufacturing companies - Whirlpool, a US-based maker of washing machines, and the solar firms Suniva and Solar World Americas - had complained to the ITC and it found in their favour.
The ITC said that China had been selling "artificially low-priced" solar components in the US, assisted by state subsidies.
Mr Trump has talked about taking the action ever since coming to office. In his inauguration speech a year ago he promised to protect US borders from other countries "making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs".
Source- BBC
Venezuela calls early election, Maduro ready to run
Venezuela will hold presidential elections by the end of April, the ruling Constituent Assembly said Tuesday, pulling forward a vote in which President Nicolas Maduro hopes to triumph over a divided opposition and win a second term.
The 55-year-old Maduro, a towering mustachioed former bus driver who was Hugo Chavez's handpicked successor, said he is ready to run if he receives the party's nomination.
"I am a humber worker, a humble man of the people," he told reporters before taking the stage at a rally in Caracas.
"If the United Socialist Party of Venezuela... believes that I should be the presidential candidate... I'm at your service."
It is the closest that Maduro — who assumed power in April 2013 after Chavez died in office from cancer — has come to declaring his candidacy outright.
He has yet to formally be nominated by his party, but it seems a foregone conclusion.
Top party official Diosdado Cabello confirmed to the Assembly that Maduro would be the party's sole candidate.
"We are not going to have a problem. We have only one candidate to continue with the revolution," he said, as delegates chanted "Nicolas, Nicolas."
Vice President Tareck El Aissami told a party rally late last year that Maduro would seek a second term.
The polls had been scheduled to be held by the end of the year, but analysts had predicted Maduro would seek an early election to seize the advantage over his opponents as they reel from a string of recent defeats.
"It's completely logical for the government to advance the election, first because it faces a very complicated year economically, and second it's trying to catch the opposition at a time of much disruption," said analyst Benigno Alarcon.
Maduro's unpopularity rating has risen to 70 per cent as his oil-rich country slipped inexorably into a severe economic crisis compounded by corruption and the fall in the price of crude. A divided opposition, drawn into a coalition called the Democratic Union Roundtable (MUD), however has been unable to capitalize.
Instead, it has slipped to a series of defeats in regional and municipal elections it has blamed on massive government fraud, but which have seen the Socialists consolidate their hold on power. "Today, tomorrow, in the past, the only great truth is that this government and its leadership is abhorred by the vast majority of Venezuelans," former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles wrote on Twitter.
Cabello said the National Electoral Council (CNE) — accused by the opposition of serving the government — would set an exact date for the elections, which he said would be "before April 30." Cabello said the decision to bring forward the elections was a response to the United States and the European Union for imposing sanctions on Venezuela, which he said had the sole objective of "seeking a change of government."
"If the world wants to apply sanctions, we will apply elections," Cabello told the Assembly, created last year to usurp the power of the opposition-dominated legislature.
"Imperial powers have unleashed a systematic and hateful campaign against Venezuela," he said. Last week, the EU blacklisted seven senior Venezuelan officials over human rights violations, including the interior minister, the intelligence chief, the attorney general, the head of the CNE and Cabello himself.
The US also announced a series of sanctions against Venezuela as Maduro has consolidated power amid a crackdown on opponents.
Source-AFP
Tsunami warnings cancelled after massive earthquake hits off Alaska's coast
The tsunami warnings that were issued after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of Alaska early Tuesday have been cancelled.
The quake had triggered fears of a tsunami along the state's coast; alerts reached all the way south to the U.S. mainland's West Coast.
The earthquake happened just after 1 a.m. local time about 175 miles south of Kodiak, Alaska.
Residents of Kodiak were asked by police to move at least 100 feet above ground as a precaution. Kodiak Police Department said slightly before 2 a.m. local time (7 a.m. ET) they had not seen any increase in waves.
Tsunami warnings were issued for the south coast of Alaska and the western edge of British Columbia. Watches were extended as far south as California. Hawaii was under a tsunami watch as well.
Sirens warned residents in Kodiak to head for higher ground ahead of a tsunami feared to hit the Kodiak area at about 1:45 a.m., according to the Kodiak Police Department.
There were no reports of damage from the initial quake.
Source-ABC
Marin Cilic beats Rafael Nadal to reach semi-finals
World number one Rafael Nadal retired hurt in the fifth set of an enthralling quarter-final against Marin Cilic at the Australian Open.
The top seed was in visible pain on court and Cilic of Croatia will now face British number two Kyle Edmund in the semi-finals following his 3-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 2-0 victory.
It was only the second time in 264 Grand Slam matches that Spaniard Nadal has retired - the last being against Briton Andy Murray in the quarter-finals of the 2010 Australian Open.
Speaking following the match, Nadal said he would provide an update on his injury after an MRI scan on Wednesday.
Two teenagers dead and 17 injured in Kentucky
Two people have been killed and 17 injured in a high school shooting in the US state of Kentucky.
A 15-year-old girl died at the scene at Marshall County High School in the town of Benton and a 15-year-old boy died in hospital, said Kentucky's governor.
The unidentified attacker was a 15-year-old male student, who was arrested and is in custody.
State police said he was detained about 15 minutes after opening fire at 08:00 local time on Tuesday.
The lone attacker was a student at the school who opened fire with a handgun in a common area before classes started, according to local media.
He will be charged with murder and attempted murder, said officials, who add that the FBI is assisting in the investigation.
"To walk in, the backpacks laying around, the phones laying around, going off, it's indescribable," said Marshall County Attorney Jeffery Edwards, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal.
"I've been doing this for 25 years. It's not like anything I've experienced in my life."
Mr Edwards told the newspaper that the shooter had appeared to open fire at random.
The state governor said the attacker was taken into custody in "a nonviolent apprehension".
Five students were taken to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee for treatment. One died there after suffering a gunshot to the head.
"There's an uptick of these mass casualties across the country... and we can handle a huge load of patients," said trauma surgeon Dr Richard Miller during a press conference.
Governor Matt Bevin called the attack a "tremendous tragedy" in a statement posted on Twitter.
"It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County," he said.
"As there is still much unknown, I encourage people to love on each other at this time.
"Do not speculate, but come alongside each other in support and allow the facts to come out."
The school has 1,146 students. Benton is about 130 miles (210 km) north-west of Nashville, Tennessee.
Source-BBC
"Shape of Water," "Three Billboards" among leading nominees for 90th Annual Academy
Here are the nominees for the 90th Annual Academy Awards, announced this morning by Andy Serkis and Tiffany Haddish:
Best Picture
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Lady Bird
The Post
Phantom Thread
Get Out
Dunkirk
Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Best Director
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
Best Actor
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel Esq.
Best Actress
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Meryl Streep, The Post
Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards
Best Supporting Actress
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Leslie Manville, Phantom Thread
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
Best Original Song
"Mystery of Love," Call Me By Your Name
"Mighty River," Mudbound
"Remember Me," Coco
"Stand Up for Something," Marshall
"This Is Me," The Greatest Showman
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Call Me By Your Name
The Disaster Artist
Logan
Molly's Game
Mudbound
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Three Billboard Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
The Big Sick
Get Out
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Best Foreign Language Film
A Fantastic Woman
The Insult
Loveless
On Body and Soul
The Square
Best Animated Feature Film
Coco
The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent
Production Design
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
The Shape of Water
Dunkirk
Darkest Hour
Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Mudbound
The Shape of Water
Costume Design
Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Victoria & Abdul
Sound Editing
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The last Jedi
Sound Mixing
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Short Film - Animated
Dear Basketball
Negative Space
Garden Party
Lou
Revolting Rhymes
Caribbean Port Management Workshop 2018: Mega-hurricanes, new technologies and Regional Disaster Assistance Network dominate topics
In less than four months since the passing of the last of the five devastating hurricanes of 2017, representatives of the broader Caribbean maritime community gather in Panama on January 22, 23 and 24 to discuss the type and nature of the destruction; and, what technologies, systems and networks are now necessary to deal with future tropical hurricanes.
Registration of participants began this week for the inaugural Caribbean Port Management Workshop, being held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Panama. The three-day event, organized and presented by the Port Management Association of the Caribbean, Portside Caribbean and Caribbean Maritime University, has attracted the attention of a number of regional organizations. Coming soon after the historically violent hurricane season of 2017, this year's Workshop provides an early opportunity to analyse and initiate plans and strategies ahead of 2018's tropical storms.
Already, a number of cruise and cargo ports and terminals around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico have registered or have indicated intentions to participate. Representatives of cruise ports and cargo terminals that were recently affected by destruction of land and port assets will share and analyse the type nature of port infrastructure damage and how defensive systems performed or failed under the onslaught of 2017's mega-hurricanes. This opening workshop session is a prelude to a broader discussion to take place on the second day of Workshop 2018.
INTEGRATED REGIONAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE AND RELIEF NETWORK
In the broader discussion, a plenary on January 22, participants will discuss coordination o assistance and relief efforts following major disasters and, specifically, the building of an integrated Regional Disaster Assistance and Relief Network operating across the Caribbean region. Already, representative from organizations, including the Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre, CBCL Consulting Engineers Limited, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), American Salvage Association, Oil Spill Response Ltd., T & T salvage, Panama, DHI. The Inter-American Committee on Ports (OAS-CIP), the American Association of Port authorities (AAPA), the Gulf Ports Association of the Americas, and the Regional Logistics Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (CLRAH) have registered or confirmed intention to attend.
Workshop 2018 will begin, after formalities with Tropical Hurricanes: Recent Phenomena – Impacts, Destruction and Outlook. This will be presented by the Regional Chair of the world Meteorological Organization, Dr. Albert Martis. This will be followed by accounts and recollections of what exactly happened in 2017, as Caribbean port managers show and tell stories not reported by news media but which are vital for the planning and development of sustainable port facilities. Of special interest also is a presentation entitles A Regional Lifeline, by Dr Carlos Manuel Gomez Rudy, Administrator of the massive resource facility of the Regional Logistics Centre for Humanitarian Assistance, now under construction in Panama.
DESIGNING, SUSTAINING, EXPANDING HARBOURS AND PORTS
The 2018 Caribbean Port Management Workshop will have three tracks (of workshop presentations) over its first two days. A total of 19 Workshop sessions will be presented in the three tracks. Two tracks will run simultaneously on Day 1, giving participants a choice of reviewing the latest satellite-based technology and systems for designing, sustaining or expanding harbours and port facilities or, otherwise, addressing disaster management and response strategies.
Day 2 will bring all participants into the discussion to establish a region-wide disaster assistance/relief network.
On Day 3, participants will leave the classroom setting at the Sheraton Hotel to visit three facilities, including the expanded Panama Canal and particularly its awesome new set of locks. This will be followed by a visit to the award-winning Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) to see the latest in port operations technology and systems.
RTC News understands that MIT will be hosting the 2018 Caribbean Port Management Workshop in Panama.