The Peak of Flu Season is Here says the M.O.H
On Tuesday, 3rd of February 2015, Public Health Nurses from the Ministry of Health and Human Services administered more than 100 free flu vaccines to Beaches Turks and Caicos Team Members as a part of the Beaches Turks and Caicos Healthy Living Initiative’s event for this month, “Beat The Flu”.
The 2014-2015 Influenza (flu) season has reach its peak. Seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, however, most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February, although activity can last as late as May.
Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection can result in hospitalization or death. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated each year.
The flu virus travels through the air in droplets when someone coughs, sneezes or talks. You can inhale the droplet directly, or you can pick up flu germs from an object, and then transfer them to your eyes, nose or mouth.
The Ministry of Health and Human Services is committed to keeping the Turks and Caicos healthy and is pleased to announce that the seasonal flu vaccine for adults and children is available at all Government operated Primary Health Care Clinics free of charge.
It is recommended that everyone over the age of 6 months has a flu vaccine annually. In addition to having a flu vaccine, the Ministry of Health and Human Services recommends the following healthy habits, which can stop the spread of the infection:
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Put your used tissue in a waste basket.
• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or long enough to sing the birthday song twice.
• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth (germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth).
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
• If you or your child is sick with the flu stay home from work, school or daycare. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill.
• Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat nutritious foods, manage your stress, and be physically active.
• Everyday preventive actions can help slow the spread of germs that can cause many different illnesses including the flu.
Ukraine Rebels Attack Local Military HQ
Rocket strikes in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Tuesday hit the headquarters of the military's operation against Russia-backed separatists and residential areas ahead of a key summit aimed at ending the conflict.
President Petro Poroshenko told Ukraine's parliament that rebels launched two salvos targeting Kramatorsk: one trageting the headquarters of the "anti-terrorist operation" in eastern Ukraine, while the second hit residential areas of the city.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Yuri Biryukov wrote on Facebook that two servicemen were killed and nine others injured at the military headquarters.
Donetsk Region Governor Oleksandr Kikhtenko said the rocket attacks on Kramatorsk killed eight civilians and injured 63, including five children and 32 servicemen. The Donetsk regional administration reported that the 32 servicemen were injured when a rocket hit an airfield.
Prior to the attack, Kyiv military spokesmen said at least seven Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the last 24 hours of fighting in the east of the country.
At the front in Vuhlehirsk, a small town captured by rebels last week, volleys of artillery crashed in both directions. The rebels are pushing to encircle government forces holding out in nearby Debaltseve, a strategic rail hub that pro-Russian separatists have been trying to pry from Kyiv forces.
Earlier Tuesday, pro-government forces had reported making gains.
Source-VOA
Niger to send troops to Nigeria
Niger's parliament has voted to send troops to Nigeria to join the fight against militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
The vote took place after Boko Haram attacked a prison and detonated a car bomb on Monday in the town of Diffa, near Niger's border with Nigeria.
MPs said parliament unanimously authorised deploying 750 soldiers with a regional force battling Boko Haram.
The Boko Haram has increasingly drawn in Nigeria's neighbours.
On Saturday Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin agreed to establish a 7,800-strong force to fight the group.
Boko Haram launched its first attacks in Niger last week, and has vowed to create an Islamic state.
Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou, a Muslim, vowed to defeat Boko Haram.
Robots replacing human factory workers at faster pace
Cheaper, better robots will replace human workers in the world's factories at a faster pace over the next decade, pushing manufacturing labour costs down 16 percent, a report Tuesday said.
The Boston Consulting Group predicts that investment in industrial robots will grow 10 percent a year in the world's 25-biggest export nations through 2025, up from 2 percent to 3 percent a year now. The investment will pay off in lower costs and increased efficiency.
Robots will cut labour costs by 33 percent in South Korea, 25 percent in Japan, 24 percent in Canada and 22 percent in the United States and Taiwan. Only 10 percent of jobs that can be automated have already been taken by robots. By 2025, the machines will have more than 23 percent, Boston Consulting forecasts.
Robots are getting cheaper. The cost of owning and operating a robotic spot welder, for instance, has tumbled from $182,000 in 2005 to $133,000 last year, and will drop to $103,000 by 2025, Boston Consulting says.
And the new machines can do more things. Old robots could only operate in predictable environments. The newer ones use improved sensors to react to the unexpected.
In a separate report, RBC Global Asset Management notes that robots can be reprogrammed far faster and more efficiently than humans can be retrained when products are updated or replaced — a crucial advantage at a time when smartphones and other products quickly fade into obsolescence.
"As labour costs rise around the world, it is becoming increasingly critical that manufacturers rapidly take steps to improve their output per worker to stay competitive," said Harold Sirkin, a senior partner at Boston Consulting and co-author of the report. "Companies are finding that advances in robotics and other manufacturing technologies offer some of the best opportunities to sharply improve productivity."
Boston Consulting studied 21 industries in 25 countries last year, interviewing experts and clients and consulting government and industry reports.
The rise of robots won't be limited to developed countries with their aging, high-cost workforces. Even low-wage China will use robots to slash labour costs by 18 percent, Boston consulting predicts.
Increasing automation is likely to change the way companies evaluate where to open and expand factories. Boston Consulting expects that manufacturers will "no longer simply chase cheap labour." Factories will employ fewer people, and those that remain are more likely to be highly skilled. That could lure more manufacturers back to the United States from lower-wage emerging market countries.
Source-AP
Caribbean reports record number of tourists, spending in 2014
A record 26.3 million people travelled to the Caribbean last year and spent an unprecedented amount of money in what is considered the world's most tourism-dependent region, officials said Tuesday.
It is the fifth consecutive year that the Caribbean has reported an increase in tourists following an economic crisis that forced resorts to shut down and caused a drop in visitors and spending.
Hugh Riley, the Caribbean Tourism Organization's secretary general, said Caribbean tourism rose by 5.3 percent, while the worldwide tourism growth rate was 4.7 percent.
Officials attributed the increase in part to improvements at airports around the region, the opening of new hotel chains and an increase in direct flights and airline seat capacity.
The Dutch Caribbean saw the most growth, with Aruba for the first time reporting more than 1 million visitors. The Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica also saw an unprecedented number of visitors. Smaller destinations including Haiti, St Lucia and Belize reported a record number of stay-over arrivals.
A surge in visitors from Canada, the US and Europe helped set those records.
"It tells us that stability is returning to the market," said Richard Sealy, chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
Tourists overall spent more than $29 billion in the Caribbean last year, an increase of more than $1 billion over the previous year.
The region also welcomed nearly 24 million cruise ship passengers last year, an 8 percent increase, though Winfield Griffith, the organization's research director, said he expected "another shift away from the Caribbean as the cruise lines try to diversity their product" in 2015.
Tourism officials also are keeping an eye on Cuba, with the island expected to attract far more tourists this year as relations between the US and Cuba begin to thaw.
Tourism officials also are keeping an eye on Cuba, with the island expected to attract far more tourists this year as relations between the US and Cuba begin to thaw.
Riley said the organization plans to promote multi-destination travel to ease the potential impact on other islands.
Source-AP
Grammy Awards 2015
Beck and Sam Smith were the biggest winners of the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, which has just been wrapped up. The 44-year-old musician, whose "Morning Phase" was named the Best Rock Album earlier in the day, surprised the crowd at Los Angeles' Staples Center as well as millions of viewers at home when the same effort was unexpectedly announced as the winner for the coveted Best Album of the Year.
Beck won the tough battle against other Best Album contenders that included Beyonce Knowles' self-titled set, Smith's "In the Lonely Hour", Ed Sheeran's "X" and Pharrell Williams' "G I R L". He accepted his award from none other than Prince.
Smith, meanwhile, dominated the winners list as he won four out of six categories he was nominated in. After bagging Best New Artist and Pop Vocal Album, the British sensation nabbed Song of the Year and Record of the Year both for Darkchild's version of "Stay With Me" .
"Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys," Smith said during his acceptance speech.
Despite losing the prestigious Album of the Year to Beck, Pharrell and Beyonce were other stars who scored multiple awards at the event. The former's "Happy" came out as the winner in categories like Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video. Its parent album "G I R L" was named Best Urban Contemporary Album.
The latter's collaboration with Jay-Z, "Drunk in Love" won the Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song titles. Bey additionally grabbed the Best Surrounding Sound Album for her 2013 self-titled set.
Other winners included Miranda Lambert (Best Country Album for "Platinum"), Eminem (Best Rap Album for "MMLP2"), St. Vincent (Best Alternative Music Album for her self-titled album) and Toni Braxton (Best R&B song for "Love, Marriage, & Divorce" with Babyface). The complete winners list is available on Grammys' official website.
Album of the Year: "Morning Phase" - Beck
Record of the Year: "Stay with Me" - Sam Smith (Darkchild Version)
Song of the Year: "Stay with Me" - Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips
Best New Artist: Sam Smith
Best Pop Vocal Album: "In the Lonely Hour" - Sam Smith
Best Rock Album: "Morning Phase" - Beck
Best Urban Contemporary Album: "G I R L" - Pharrell Williams
Best Country Album: "Platinum" - Miranda Lambert
Best Dance/Electronic Album: "Syro" - Aphex Twin
Best Alternative Music Album: "St. Vincent" - St. Vincent
Best Rap Album: "MMLP2" - Eminem
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Max Martin
Source-Ace.Showbiz
FortisTCI Employees Use Their Energy for Good
FortisTCI encourages all of its employees to donate their time, a task that no doubt they took seriously in 2014. Giving back to the community became a “big deal” for FortisTCI staff who committed in total over 1,600 volunteer hours last year. The top five volunteers among the staff were; Mervin Forbes with 241 hours, Devon Cox with 173.5 hours, Ladonna Bassett with 167.5 hours, Roxie Williams with 155.5 hours, and Callis Jones with 129 hours. In total, FortisTCI staff surpassed their 2014 target ending the year with 1,647.5 hours; over 400 hours more than required to meet their goal.
Mervin Forbes earned his 241 hours serving as the president of the TCI Rising Stars Basketball Club. It is a non-profit youth outreach program that he founded as a result of his personal passions and desire to give back to his community. He also regularly volunteers as a basketball coach and mentor at a local high school in Providenciales. Devon Cox donated a large portion of his hours to his church’s youth ministry and used a significant portion of his vacation time to assist with annual programs abroad with his mentees.
Roxie Williams and Ladonna Bassett both volunteer with the TCI Rising Star Basketball Club and serve as key members of the association. They too gave time to other community projects mainly assisting with children’s programs. Callis Jones donated his time helping with rugby training across the islands and volunteering as a coach for youth and woman’s rugby, in addition to helping out in other community sports activities.
Keeping in line with a part of its mission, FortisTCI continues to support community initiatives and remains devoted to being a responsible corporate citizen across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Activities such as the annual High School Science Fair, graduation programs, annual FortisTCI Spring (or Fall) Walk & Run, the adopt a school program, along with numerous other civic and cultural events, benefited from portions of nearly $97,000.00 in monetary and in-kind donations issued by FortisTCI during 2014.
FortisTCI believes that embracing the community in which you live and work is an integral part of what the company and its employees are here to accomplish. Recognizing top volunteers is a small way in which FortisTCI aims to say to these major contributors, “Thank you for your selfless and tireless work. You make a difference.” With increased volunteerism within the organization over the past three years, FortisTCI employees are looking forward to another record-breaking year in 2015, giving back to the community through volunteering.
MOH Observes World Cancer Day
The Ministry of Health and Human Services joins the world in recognizing World Cancer Day (WCD), which is celebrated each Year on February 4th. This important health awareness day is spearheaded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which is comprised of more than 470 cancer-fighting organizations from over 120 countries, including TCI and other Caribbean countries.
World Cancer Day is the singular initiative under which the entire world, including persons affected by cancer, can unite in the fight against the global cancer epidemic by raising awareness and focusing on prevention, early detection, and treatment. It also encourages policy makers in countries and UICC member organizations to make addressing cancer-related health concerns a political priority and to ensure that world leaders keep promises, such as those made at the recent UN Summit, in relation to reducing the impact of cancer.
This would help to achieve the WCD goal of reducing the number of preventable cancer deaths each year.
It is estimated that each year, globally, about 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer, and 8 million people die from the disease. Also, the number of cancer cases and related deaths worldwide are projected to double over the next 20 to 40 years. The greatest increase is expected to take place in low and middle income countries (LMICs), which are least equipped to cope with both the social and economic burden of the disease. Many Caribbean countries are numbered among LMICs.
In the Caribbean, cancers are the second leading cause of death. The TCI is no exception. In 2013, cancers were also the second leading cause of death. Nearly one half of cancers are preventable or treatable if detected early.
Empowering people affected by cancer to make healthy choices; providing universal access to screening, early detection and treatment programmes; and improving the quality of life would make meaningful contributions to achieving the global goal of reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25% by 2025 and achieving the targets of the World Cancer Declaration.
The following four key areas of focus of the 2015 WCD Campaign under the theme ‘Not beyond us’ have important implications for the Caribbean and TCI:
-Choosing healthy lives
- Delivering early detection
-Achieving treatment for all
- Maximising quality of life
The Ministry of Health and Human Services continues to promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviours and obtaining the required screening and check-ups to reduce the risk of developing cancers and other diseases. Reduction in modifiable risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol are also essential to reduce the risk of developing cancer. Early detection is vitally important to the management of all diseases, including cancers. Indeed, cancer prevention and management is “not beyond us” in TCI.
Massive Shake up in the PABA Basketball league
A Major upset in the PABA league over the past weekend, as the Nazarene Kings defeated the Five Cays Knights 77-72 and the Steelers shot their way past the Shottas 53-41.
Lofton Seymour scored 13 points, 2 rebounds , Ralph McKinnon added a career high 29 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists while Dwayne Hamilton chipped in 11 points & collected 9 rebounds for the Kings.
Andujar Gardiner scored 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists & 3 steals, Petrallo Russell added 12 points, 2 rebounds for the Knights. Emanio Williams was the leading scorer for the Shottas with 16 points, 4 rebounds, Wesley Cherry continued to lead all scores for the Steelers with 13 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks and 6 steals while Randy Rigby disciplined guard play earned him 8 points and 3 rebounds for the Steelers.
The only game that was played on Saturday night saw the HAB Sonics suffering another loss to the Spartans 58-53.
This was a much needed win for the Spartans as the team struggled to find a way to win games. TCIPS High School center Jose De Las Santos scored 13 pts, collected 16 rebounds and grabbed 4 steals for the Sonics. Devon Williams led the way with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 steals and was supported by Delton Robinson with 8 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals for the Spartans.
Games continue on Wednesday night when the Steelers face the Sonics and the Flyers take on the Coca Cola Classics.
Attorney said a friend found Bobbi Kristina in tub, not Nick Gordon
An attorney said Wednesday that it was his client who found Bobbi Kristina Brown face down in a bathtub last week and called 911, not Brown's partner.
Maxwell Lomas, 24, of Duluth, Georgia — not Nick Gordon — found Brown on January 31 at a town home in suburban Atlanta, said attorney Philip Holloway. Lomas and the 25-year-old Gordon were both listed in the police report as being at the home when investigators arrived.
"He immediately pulled her from the water and called 911 as well as alerting other people in the house," Holloway said of Lomas. "He did whatever he could do to assist in resuscitative measures until first responders arrived."
Previously, police in Roswell, Georgia, where the town home is located, had said that Gordon and Lomas found the woman in the bathtub and that Lomas called 911 while Gordon performed CPR. Gordon has not spoken publicly since then.
Brown is the only daughter of singers Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, who was also found unresponsive in a bathtub on February 11, 2012 and later died. Authorities found a dozen prescription drug bottles in her Beverly Hills Hotel suite and listed heart disease and cocaine use as contributors, but concluded that she accidentally drowned.
On January 15, 2015, Lomas was arrested and charged with weapons offences, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a prescription anxiety medication. Lomas pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to Holloway, who said the arrest is unrelated to Brown being found in the bathtub.
"He remains in the Metropolitan Atlanta area and has been questioned by police as have many other people," Holloway said. The attorney described Lomas as a close friend and frequent house guest of Brown's.
Bobbi Kristina Brown has commented often about her marriage to Gordon, the orphaned young man she grew up with after Houston brought him into the family. But her father's lawyer says they never wed.
"To correct earlier reports, Bobbi Kristina is not and has never been married to Nick Gordon," reads a statement released Tuesday by R&B singer Bobby Brown's attorney, Christopher Brown.
Legal authority over Bobbi Kristina's health care and money could become a critical issue for the fractious Houston-Brown family, which has said that Bobbi Kristina "is fighting for her life" in a hospital.
Whitney Houston never formally adopted Gordon, but raised the two teenagers together after divorcing Brown.
Bobbi Kristina became the sole inheritor of her mother's estate when she died in 2012, and shortly thereafter, she and Gordon went public with their romantic relationship.
Then, on January 9, 2014, Bobbi Kristina posted a photo on Twitter of the couple's hands wearing wedding rings, with the caption "#HappilyMarried. So #InLove. If you didn't get it the first time that is."
And as recently as December 25, she was still telling the world that Gordon is her husband:
"MerryChristmas!! :)(:Snuggling in a beautiful hotel room with MYbeautiful husband @nickdgordon :)(:Life couldn't be sweeter at the moment!"
Relations between Gordon and some other family members soured last year - He remains subject to a protective order barring him from being within 200 feet of Bobbi Kristina's aunt, Patricia Houston.