Zika Update - “Small bite, Big Threat”
Over the past year there have been concerns expressed about the possibility of infection with the Zika virus. While there were a number of countries in the Caribbean which have reported a high number of cases, the Turks and Caicos Islands have been very fortunate. To date, there were twenty-five cases within the islands with no new cases since the first week of January, 2017.
The Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services wishes to encourage the residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands to remain vigilant. Recently there have been frequent rainfall, residents and visitors are encouraged to continue to keep their surrounding free from all standing water even in flower pots. For those who have not yet removed old tires and derelict vehicles we encourage you to do so. Ensure that gutters are clean and free of debris as it can be a breathing site.
The Minister of Health, Agriculture and Human Services, Hon. Edwin Astwood stated: "Reduction of any contact between the mosquito and our people and those visiting us is critical. We encourage you to remove any stagnant water, use mosquito nets where possible and use appropriate repellents."
Hon. Astwood further stated that "My ministry remains committed to ensuring that residents and visitors alike, continue to enjoy safe surroundings by minimizing and eventually eliminating major threats posed by vector borne and other illnesses."
The efforts of our public health professionals and the multiple agencies who collaborate with us continue to fog, remove derelict vehicles and waste appliances, place traps along courses that capture larvae and conduct clean up campaigns around the islands. Due to our vigilance there have been no reported new infections and with our efforts maintaining momentum, we expect a continuance of this trend.
Mrs. Aldora Robinson, Director of Health Promotion and Advocacy Unit stated; "We can halt this big threat, but it requires the full cooperation of everyone alike to actively engage in a search and destroy mission of mosquito breeding sites whether big or small, inside our homes or around our homes, workplaces, schools, churches or playgrounds are destroyed. Let's find them."
The Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services wishes to assure the general public that our teams continue to engage in strategic actions to ensure that there is no recurrence of cases and have been taking time to share key information and build the skills of our communities. The health care mechanisms are robust and responsive and our personnel are well prepared.
TCI CUSTOMS TEAM TRAVEL TO CAYMAN ISLANDS FOR TRAINING
On Tuesday, June 6th, 2017 a delegation comprising of members of the Turks & Caicos Islands Custom Department travelled to the Cayman Islands. The purpose of the trip was to focus on strengthening our enforcement initiatives and capacity building. To seek ways of enhancing the overall structure and capabilities of the investigative and enforcement unit. The team consisted of June Harry, Assistant Collector (Enforcement), Gregston Been, Senior Customs Officer (Intelligence/Investigations Unit) and Alton Scott, Customs Officer (Anti-Smuggling Unit)
The Cayman Islands Customs Department was chosen because of its advanced enforcement operations and tools, particularly pertaining to baggage, containerized scanning, commercial imports and exports, fraud, intelligence gathering and analysis narcotics interdiction.
Team members were attached to various sections of the department including:
Commercial fraud unit
Joint Intelligence Unit
Intelligence/Investigations Unit
Airport
Seaport
Container/postal/Courier
Bonds/Warehousing
FSI (freight security initiative)
Maritime
Firearm handling
Duty collections
Narcotics Enforcement (CNET)
Joint Police & Customs Marine Unit
Mrs. Harry stated; "The training was extremely beneficial to us. It gave us the opportunity to gain valuable 'on the job' training in different aspects of the operation of a number of areas within the Customs Department. We began with classroom training which covered: Note taking, Statements, Modes and powers of arrest, Role of the professional standards units, Management by objectives, Time Management, Relationship with Prosecutor and Investigator and Stress Management."
"Our departmental strategic plan for the next 3 years focuses on strengthening enforcement initiatives. In order for us to make this a reality it is imperative that officers receive the necessary training because proper training will bridge the gap between where we are and where we should be."
Mr. Been added; "Such partnerships and initiatives can strengthen and help sustain our border protection efforts and also combat common threats We are all grateful for the opportunity to gain a significant amount of knowledge and we are eager to share this knowledge with our comrades here in TCI. We looking forward to attending the advance training for border protection for Senior Officers and Senior Management which is schedule for September 2017."
TCI Hospital attends International Infection Prevention Conferences
A team of clinicians from Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital recently attended the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) 44th annual conference in Portland, Oregon on June 14-16 2017, which is the premier forum and largest gathering in the world for infection prevention and epidemiology professionals.
The APIC conference featured three days of more than 90 cutting-edge educational sessions and workshops led by leading clinical, industry, and public health experts from across the globe and attended by nearly 5,000 professionals. Professionals capitalized on the opportunity to stay ahead of emerging issues, industry-hot topics and analyzed abstract presentations on critical issues like multidrug-resistant organisms, public reporting and safe injection practices.
The delegation from INTERHEALTH Canada (IHC) TCI comprised Orthopedic Surgeon, Doctor Richard Knobloch, Senior Infection Prevention & Control Nurse, Sur-bre-na Pedi-can, Operating Room Nurse, Jennifer Masi-clat and Senior Nurse, Celeste Hunt.
The conference aimed to provide infection preventionists, physicians, researchers, epidemiologists, educators, administrators, and medical technologists with strategies that can be implemented immediately to improve prevention programs and make healthcare safer.
The delegation visited the largest exhibit hall, dedicated to infection-prevention, to learn about scientific advances in equipment and devices, and were able to identify a number of products to recommend for usage at TCI Hospital. The team also organized an exploratory visit to Salem Health Hospital, which is a 435 bed, full service healthcare facility, serving an area of 400,000 residents in the state of Oregon.
Following the APIC Conference, Nurse Surbrena Pedican travelled to Geneva, Switzerland to participate in the 4th International Conference on Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC) and IPC training workshop held by the World Health Organization on June 20-24 2017.
An abstract on multiple drug resistant organisms created by Nurse Pedican was showcased during the conference in Switzerland and she was able to network with IPC leaders from across the world.
Bam! Here's some of the most intriguing track breakdowns from JAY-Z's 4:44
JAY-Z's coming clean on "4:44."
On the 10-track album, the rapper suggests he was unfaithful in his marriage to Beyoncé -- rapping "I don’t deserve you" on the album's title track -- and also reflects on the kind of husband and father he hopes to be on songs like "Legacy."
Here are some of the most fascinating track breakdowns from the rapper's 13th solo album:
"Kill JAY-Z"
In the first track on the album, JAY-Z talks about his relationship with celebrities, including his former best friend, Kanye West. He raps, "But if everybody's crazy then you're one that's insane." He also addresses his sister-in-law, Solange, and that headline-making elevator fight after the 2014 Met Gala.
"The Story of O.J."
JAY-Z uses the story of O.J. Simpson as a metaphor for the highs and lows of success, especially as a black man in America. "O.J. like I'm not black, I'm O.J...OK," he raps, unconvinced. He also talks about building financial wealth by buying property instead of blowing his cash in nightclubs.
"4:44"
Many are calling the title track a response to Bey's Lemonade album where she tells the painful story of a woman being cheated on. On this song, JAY-Z raps: "I apologize often womanize/Took for my child to be born/See through a woman’s eyes/Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles/Took me too long for this song/I don’t deserve you."
"Legacy"
If you had any question just where JAY-Z's head is at, he makes it clear on the final song on "4:44." His daughter, Blue Ivy, helps on the track in which he talks about his desire to create generational wealth from his success, rapping, "That's the key."
Source-ABC
Sweeping tax reform introduced in India
India has replaced its numerous federal and state taxes with the Goods and Services Tax (GST), designed to unify the country into a single market.
The historic overhaul of the existing tax legislation was carried out at a special midnight session of parliament.
India says introducing GST will cut red tape and increase tax revenues, fuelling economic growth.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says the reform will help the economy grow by 2%.
But businesses have been asking for more time to implement changes, worried that they are not ready for the move to the new system.
Many do not even have a computer to register on the GST network.
"No country of comparable size and complexity has attempted a tax reform of this scale," Harishankar Subramanian, of Ernst and Young previously told the BBC.
Under the new system, goods and services will be taxed under four basic rates - 5%, 12% 18% and 28%.
Some items like vegetables and milk have been exempted from GST, but will still be subject to existing taxes.
The price of most goods and services are expected to increase in the immediate aftermath of the tax.
Analysts expect economic growth to slow down over the next few months, but say it should pick up after the tax is fully implemented.
Ex-employee opens fire in Bronx
A gunman has opened fire with an assault rifle inside a hospital in the Bronx borough of New York, killing one doctor and injuring six other people, five of them seriously.
The gunman, a former doctor at the hospital, killed himself in the attack.
The shooting began at about 14:55 local time (18:55 GMT) at the 1,000-bed Bronx-Lebanon Hospital.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said the shooting was not an act of terrorism, but rather workplace-related.
He said the attack had been a "horrific situation in the middle of a place that people associate with care and comfort".
Police Commissioner James O'Neill said the attack began on the 16th floor and all the victims were shot on the 16th and 17th floors.
The gunman has not been officially named but police sources told US media he was Henry Bello, 45, a former family-medicine doctor at the hospital. Sources quoted by NBC said he had resigned in 2015 in lieu of termination.
Mr O'Neill said the gunman had tried to set himself on fire and died of a self-inflicted wound.
Messages on social media spoke of doctors and nurses barricading themselves inside the building in the Mount Hope district.
One patient in the radiology department, Felix Puno, tweeted: "Building is in complete shut down, I was in the middle of getting an X-ray when security alerted us to the active shooter situation."
Garry Trimble, whose fiancee works at the hospital, said security was not good enough.
He said: "I can walk through the back door with an employee. If the employee opens the door, I can walk in. I think every hospital should have one police officer at each entrance. They only ever do something when something happens."
Bronx-Lebanon is a private, not-for-profit hospital that has been operating for 120 years.
Jamaican Regulator Wants Explanation on New Fee by Telecommunications giant
Telecommunications giant DIGICEL has until tomorrow to explain to Jamaican regulators its introduction of a new charge to some customers.
Effective last Thursday, DIGICEL imposed a prepaid maintenance fee (PMF) on customers whose monthly spend, falls below $50. However, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) is not satisfied that the company followed procedure.
In a statement issued yesterday, the OUR asked DIGICEL to provide evidence that it had provided customers with sufficient advance notice; the exact amount to be charged and the basis of such a charge.
The OUR noted that it received a letter dated June 23, 2017 from DIGICEL, advising that the purpose of the PMF is to ensure that all customers adequately contribute to the cost of operating and maintaining their accounts on its systems and networks, in circumstances where they spend less than $50 within a calendar month.
In its response to the company, the OUR said that while DIGICEL had updated its terms and conditions on its website with the PMF, there is no indication of when its customers were notified, if indeed they were notified at all.
The OUR also expressed its disappointment that DIGICEL had not notified the regulator of this new fee prior to implementation.
Prosecutor Wants Suriname President Locked Away for 20 Years
Suriname’s military prosecutor Roy Elgin is proposing a tough prison sentence for President Desi Bouterse for his alleged role in the killing of 15 of his political opponents back in December 1982.
El-gin believes the former army leader should be jailed for 20 years.
Bouterse is accused of being responsible for the December 8, 1982 murders at Fort Zeelandia in the capital, Paramaribo, that served as the headquarters of the then military leadership.
Bouterse has claimed political responsibility for the murders since he was head of the military government at the time of the massacre, but has denied any personal involvement in the killings.
He has charged that the trial is politically motivated and has previously proposed the establishment of a special commission to determine the truth behind the so-called “December Murders”. Several attempts by President Bouterse to have the case dismissed have failed.
During yesterday’s hearing, El-gin told the Military Court that Bouterse was behind the killings and had been in Fort Zeelandia when they were committed.
“The murders were planned properly and there was a script. It was premeditated,” said Elgin.
The prosecutor referred to statements of union leader Fred Derby who was the only one of 16 men, who had been arrested, who was not killed.
Derby died from a heart attack in 2001, but he had given a statement in December 2000, in which he said that it was Bouterse who had presided over a tribunal that decided who would die that night.
And Elgin said that even if Bouterse was not present in Fort Zee-lan-dia, he could still be considered the culprit.
El-gin argued that there were enough statements from trustworthy witnesses to back his demand that Bouterse be jailed for 20 years.
Bouterse legal team was scheduled to address the military court today.
The prestigious Queen’s Baton is in route to the Turks and Caicos Islands
The prestigious Queen’s Baton is currently making its way through the Caribbean having completed its African Adventure.
The eyes of the Commonwealth of Nations will focus on the Baton’s every move when it arrives in our Beautiful by Nature Turks and Caicos on Tuesday July 11 – Friday 14, where it will be embraced by the country’s culture, its hospitality, but most of all our friendly people.
The Queen’s Baton Relay, is the curtain raiser to the Commonwealth Games, having visited 70 Commonwealth nations and territories before arriving for the Opening Ceremony of the 21st Commonwealth Games, which is a much loved tradition of the 4 yearly festival of sport and culture and symbolizes the coming together of all commonwealth nations and territories.
In the Caribbean, all eyes are now on the young athletes who will compete at the Youth Games, which will be held in Nassau Bahamas. The TCI will be featured heavily at the event, with some 31 Athletes and 7 officials from 16 – 24 July. It will be the first time the Queen’s baton will visit the Youth Games.
The Secretary General of the Commonwealth Games Association, Mrs. Rita Gardiner, is calling on the entire Turks and Caicos to come out and join in the Baton’s magic as it travels throughout the islands on Wednesday the 12th July, beginning in South Caicos, then on to Salt Cay. The Relay will end on the evening of the 12th with a touchdown in the nation’s capital, Grand Turk with a huge celebration from the Carnival Cruise Port, having made its way from Salt Cay by way of the Salt Cay Boat. The Queen’s Baton Relay will commence with Athletes and persons who have made outstanding contributions to the development of Sports in the TCI.
The Relay will end at the Parade Grounds for a formal celebration where Government Officials and Commonwealth Games Executive Members will be in attendance. The Relay will continue on Thursday 13th July from Grand Turk to North Caicos, then Middle Caicos and climaxing at Grace Bay in Providenicales with the finale at the famous Fish Fry.
The country will be featured every step of the journey.
“When people come together amazing things happen. As the Baton is passed from hand to hand, a bright boundless energy will light up the Baton in colors that reflect the warmth and spirit of the Gold Coast. Everyone is invited to be a part of this magnificent adventure and showcase our spirit, culture and hospitality around the Commonwealth,” said Mrs. Gardiner.
Chaka Khan releases empowering "I Love Myself" video
Chaka Khan is heading into Independence Day with an empowering video for her latest track, "I Love Myself." The clip, featuring guest artist B. Slade, shows the iconic entertainer singing words of self-love and encouragement to herself in the mirror.
Throughout the clip, several young women and two young boys pay Chaka a visit, and images of the winners of her "I Love Myself" video contest are seen singing along to the lyrics on Khan's "Chakagram."
In an official statement, she says that losing her longtime friends Prince, Natalie Cole and Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White "deepens the already universal message of 'I Love Myself' in ways I couldn't have imagined a year ago when the song was originally slated for release."
She adds, "Loving yourself is a life-long process and even more so in the face of loss."
"I Love Myself" is Chaka's first single released under her indie label, iKhan Sounds. You can stream or purchase it through the usual digital platforms.
Source-ABC