Russia's President says 'West Wants to Weaken Russia'
Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out today Thursday at the United States and its European allies, saying Western sanctions for Russia's annexation of Crimea were just an excuse to weaken the country.
Delivering his annual state of the nation speech to legislators, Kremlin officials and other leaders on Thursday, Putin said the sanctions are not just a reaction of the U.S. and its allies over Russia's response to the events and a coup in Ukraine.
"I am certain that if all this did not take place ... they would come up with another reason to contain Russia's growing capabilities, to influence it or, even better, use it for its own goals," the Russian leader said.
Putin said the Euromaidan revolution in Ukraine, that ousted Russia-backed President Viktor Yanukovich in February, was an armed coup supported by the West that justified Russian intervention.
"What we are seeing now in Ukraine, the tragedy in the southeast, fully confirms that our position is right," Putin said.
Fighting this year between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels has killed more than 4,300 people.
He also referred to Crimea as Russia's spiritual ground, calling the region "the same as Temple Mount in Jerusalem for those who confess Islam and Judaism."
Putin spoke after a rare and deadly rebel attack in the Chechen capital, Grozny. He said such acts of separatism are being supported by the West.
He said although Moscow has been treating its former Cold War enemies as close friends and almost allies, the support for separatism in Russia is coming from abroad, including political and financial help from spy agencies.
The President also warned Russians of hard times ahead and urged self-reliance, in his annual state-of-the nation address to parliament.
Russia has been hit hard by falling oil prices and by Western sanctions imposed in response to its interventions in the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine.
The rouble, once a symbol of stability under Mr Putin, suffered its biggest one-day decline since 1998 on Monday.
The government has warned that Russia will fall into recession next year.
Argentine footballer Franco Nieto dies after attack
Argentine football player Franco Nieto, 33, has died after being struck in the head following a match on Saturday.
Nieto, the captain of regional club Tiro Federal, was attacked by hooligans after a match against rivals Chacarita Juniors in the town of Aimogasta, in north-west Argentina.
The match was stopped 15 minutes before full time after the referee sent off eight players for fighting.
This year, 15 people have died in football-related violence in Argentina.
Nieto's cousin, Pablo Nieto, said three people surrounded the player as he was going to his car with his wife and one-month-old daughter.
They kicked and punched him before one of the attackers struck Nieto in the head with a stone, leaving him unconscious.
He was operated on on Tuesday but died on Wednesday.
Local police chief Fabian Bordon told local media that three people had been detained in connection with the attack.
Zimbabwe's Mugabe anger over Joyce Mujuru 'death plot'
Zimbabwe's president has spoken of his anger that his embattled deputy Joyce Mujuru allegedly plotted to assassinate him and accused her of being a thief.
Speaking at the ruling Zanu-PF party's congress, Robert Mugabe said he would act against all corrupt officials.
Mrs Mujuru's absence from the congress showed she was "scared", he added.
Recently expelled Zanu-PF member Robert Gumbo told the BBC the 90-year-old leader had "completely" turned the party into his "personal property".
Mr Mugabe had targeted Mrs Mujuru to advance the "fortunes" of his wife Grace, the former Zanu-PF spokesman added.
Mrs Mujuru, who has previously denied the allegations, had been seen as a potential successor to Mr Mugabe, with whom she fought for Zimbabwe's independence from white-minority rule.
However, her career ran into trouble when Mrs Mugabe entered into politics this year, and accused her of plotting against her husband.
The congress, being held in the capital Harare, is expected to elect the first lady as the head of Zanu-PF's women's wing.
Source-BBC
150 health workers receive Ebola training from Cuba
The Ministry of Health in Jamaica today announced that more than 150 health care workers will be trained by two Cuban experts over the next three weeks as part of the Ebola preparedness, response and management activities.
The training will cover epidemiology, patient management, safety, infection control, use of personal protective equipment, risks associated with Ebola and isolation, the ministry said in a release Thursday.
The training, which started on Monday, consists four sessions, each conducted over a three-day period.
Among the participants being trained are doctors and nurses from the public and private health sector, representatives from the University Hospital of the West Indies and the School of Public Health, University of Technology, the ministry said.
These persons along with the 30 Cuban workers who arrived in the island in November will be a part of the team of health staff in preparation for any possibility of Ebola reaching Jamaica.
The training being done by the Cubans is part of an agreement reached during a mission to Cuba in October led by Minister of Health, Dr Fenton Ferguson.
The two Cubans, who are experts in the field of Microbiology and Epidemiology, arrived in Jamaica on Saturday, November 29th from the Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in Havana.
According to the release, Cuba has also agreed to deploy doctors and nurses to assist in the response if Jamaica experiences an outbreak of Ebola.
St Kitts/Nevis PM promises tax free budget
Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas is promising nationals of the twin island federation, an early Christmas gift.
He has already informed them that on Tuesday next week, when he presents the national budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year, it will contain no new taxes.
“I do not intend to steal my own thunder… What I will say in reference to next week’s budget presentation, however, is that the people of St Kitts and Nevis, over the years, have given the government the space it needed for its policies to work. Those policies have worked.
“We thank the people for their faith and support and because the people allowed the government’s policies to work, there will be no need for any new taxes in the government’s 2015 budget,” Dr Douglas, announced at his monthly press conference on Wednesday.
Dr Douglas who is also the finance minister, said the policies put forward by his administration have already propelled St Kitts and Nevis to the leading position in the Eastern Caribbean in terms of manufactured exports to the United States, economic growth, direct foreign investment, and other key metrics.
He said the fiscal package “will make clear the fact that this government is poised to implement a development plan that will builds on the unquestioned transformations that we have already produced all across the nation, and I urge the close attention of both the media and the public to this event.”
Earlier, at a political meeting of his ruling St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), Prime Minister Douglas said that the budget would set the framework for the continued development of St Kitts and Nevis for the next five years.
There has been widespread speculation that Prime Minister Douglas would soon announce the date for a general election here and he told reporters that the budget would provide a firsthand “glimpse of what Labour intends to do beginning with 2015 over the next five years”.
He said the Federation’s national debt will be an issue in the election campaign given the success of his administration in reducing the debt.
“When we speak of where we go from here, we want to be able to tackle very seriously the challenges that we are facing ... national debt was one of the highest in the world, it is today from 200 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product), the national debt is just below 90 per cent, maybe 87 percent is what it is right now as I speak,” Dr Douglas said. He gave no figures.
Source-CMC
Britain abolishes travel tax for children under 12
United Kingdom’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has announced the abolition of Air Passenger Duty (APD) for children under 12 from next May.
Osborne also pledged to abolish APD for children under 16 as of May 1, 2016.
The announcement, part of today's Autumn Statement by the Treasury, could provide a significant fillip to travel. The industry coalition A Fair Tax on Flying launched a campaign to demand the scrapping of APD on under-12s only last week, media reports out of the UK said.
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) says it is celebrating the abolition of the Air Passenger Duty (APD) for children 12 years of age and under, starting in May 2015 as announced today by British Chancellor George Osborne.
"We welcome today's announcement by Chancellor Osborne about the elimination of the Air Passenger Duty on children as this alleviates costs for family vacations and essentially cuts the taxes in half for a family of two adults and two children," said Jeffrey S Vasser, CEO of CHTA.
“The timing of the abolition of the tax will further benefit families as vacations in the Caribbean are reduced for summertime travel," he added.
Today's announcement adds to the good news Chancellor Osborne released earlier this year with regards to reforming the current four-band system for the APD to a two-band system starting April 1, 2015, CHTA said in a release.
Under the new two-band system, the release added, all long-haul flights (over 4,000 miles) will be moved into band B, which means UK customers travelling to the Caribbean will pay the same tax as if they were travelling to the United States.
According to the budget, from April 1, 2015, the tax on long-haul flights between 4,001 and 6,000 miles will be reduced by £14 per person, while those over 6,000 miles will be cut by £26.
With today's announcement, a family of four (two adults, two children) could save over £140 starting May 2015, CHTA said.
Digicel fibre network to help create 'smart cities' in Jamaica
DIGICEL Jamaica yesterday said that its underground fibre network will help create 'smart cities' in Jamaica.
According to the telecommunications company, its recently installed advanced fibre-optic technology boosts Jamaica's ability to handle large quantities of data at high speeds.
"Smart cities generate insights from big data to improve efficiency of physical infrastructure use and enhances decision-making as it engages e-participation with its citizens," Digicel said, adding that these cities are regarded as major growth drivers, as close to 50 per cent of the global GDP comes from urban centres.
Earlier this year, Senator Angela Brown-Burke, who is also the mayor of Kingston, noted the importance of the fibre network.
"This investment in fibre by Digicel Business will certainly help us to achieve some of the broader objectives of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation, as well as some of our ICT development plans," she said. "We're looking to redevelop downtown Kingston, and having this fibre network will definitely play a key role in making this work."
The Government has already started implementing smart city projects, such as the Tablets in Schools initiative.
"Kids are going to go home with their tablets," said Brown-Burke. "So once they're in a Wi-Fi area, they can pick up and continue their work."
With the first phase of its fibre network completed in the key commercial areas of Kingston and Montego Bay, Digicel now provides connectivity via fibre to major industries, including business process outsourcing (BPO), manufacturing and tourism.
For these businesses, fibre affords them the opportunity to take advantage of cloud services and other cutting-edge technologies like IP surveillance and video-conferencing.
"Businesses need to be able to access the type of technology that will enable them to perform at global standards," said Jason Corrigan, general manager of Digicel Business. "But we understand that most times, lack of capital to invest in solutions like these and not having the resources to manage them are barriers to adoption for many Jamaican businesses.
"That's why Digicel Business has invested so much in building out a shared-services cloud platform that will enable them to enjoy the benefits of the technology, regardless of their size or the amount of resources they have at their disposal. Being able to use these services on our fibre network gives businesses even more advantages, as they have access to greater bandwidth and speed," Corrigan added.
The company pointed out that its fibre network also plays an important role in achieving Jamaica's goal of becoming the fourth node in the global logistics hub.
According to Corrigan, the fibre, which connects directly to Digicel's Tier III certified data centre facility, would play an important role in supporting the connectivity needs of the businesses operating in Jamaica's proposed hub.
"Cloud computing, BYOD and video have changed the way organisations communicate, enabling employees, partners and customers to interact with the business 24/7," said Corrigan. "Being able to offer this level of service will undoubtedly provide motivation for multi-national corporations in the global logistics industry that have connectivity at the top of their list of priorities."
These services, Digicel said, also help to equip businesses with the tools they need to increase operational efficiency, save money and, more importantly, strengthen their global competitiveness.
"This is why Digicel Business strongly supports the Jamaica Observer Business Leader Award's celebration of businesses which have used the capital raised through an initial public offering to expand, become more efficient, create job opportunities and help stimulate the local economy. The listing of these companies on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange has also made them more transparent, which helps improve the overall business environment," Digicel said.
Pope says truth must prevail in Dom Rep sex abuse case
Pope Francis assured Dominican Republic authorities on Wednesday that the truth must prevail in the case of his former ambassador to the Caribbean country who is accused of sexually abusing young boys.
Francis met with the Dominican Republic's top prosecutor, Francisco Dominguez Brito, after his Wednesday general audience. Dominguez Brito also met with the Vatican's criminal prosecutor and other officials to discuss the case against Jozef Wesolowski.
The Holy See recalled Wesolowski last year after rumours surfaced in Santo Domingo that he allegedly paid shoeshine boys to masturbate. Wesolowski has been defrocked and placed under modified house arrest inside Vatican City pending a decision by the Vatican criminal court on whether to indict him.
In a statement, Dominguez Brito quoted Francis as stressing the importance that the truth must prevail and that both Vatican and Dominican courts do their work freely and respect the law. In a sign that the Holy See endorsed the prosecutor's account of their meeting, the Vatican spokesman read the statement to reporters.
Dominguez Brito told reporters he was satisfied with the Vatican's handling of the Wesolowski case so far, though he made clear that Dominican authorities had provided the Vatican with sufficient evidence to warrant prosecution.
While there is no extradition treaty between the Vatican and Dominican Republic, the Holy See has said Wesolowski, a Polish prelate ordained by St. John Paul II, no longer enjoys diplomatic immunity and could be prosecuted by other courts once the Vatican investigation is finished.
Dominican and Polish authorities have opened investigations against him, but no charges have been filed, presumably pending the outcome of the Vatican investigation. Dominguez Brito acknowledged that the Vatican had jurisdiction over the case given that Wesolowski was a diplomat when the alleged abuse occurred.
Minister Of Health Observes International Day Of Persons With Disabilities
“These days the technology can solve our problems and then some. Solutions may not only erase physical or mental deficits but leave patients better off than 'able-bodied' folks. The person who has a disability today may have superability tomorrow”.
Daniel H. Wilson
Today, December 3rd, the Turks and Caicos Islands celebrate with the rest of the World, “International Day of Persons with Disabilities” under the theme: “SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: THE PROMISE OF TECHNOLOGY”
Technology has surely changed our landscape, on a daily basis we unintentionally use aides such as braille when pressing the number keys during transactions at local ATM's, and home keys when typing on computers. For many with disabilities technology has also allowed for mobility and communication.
Fifty years ago the occurrence of hip damage or injury to the knees meant reduced mobility, today this is not the case. Even on our little beautiful country technology has filtered its way into the healthcare system allowing for patients to have such procedures as orthopedic surgery; something previously unheard of decades ago, now being performed locally, which otherwise would have perhaps resulted in disabilities.
We have truly progressed as a society, with ramps and parking spaces bearing universal accessibility symbols in our banks, general stores and places of interest being a common sight. To those who paved the way, thank you for your vision.
As Minister of Health and Human Services, it is my goal to continue removing barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from participating in sustainable livelihood activities, inclusive of services and products.
We are truly overcoming obstacles through public – private sector partnership thus allowing the facilitation of empowerment by persons with disabilities in the workplace and educational institutions through technology. It is with pleasure that I highlight the donation by Seven Stars Resort Staff of ten (10) iPads to the SNAP Center in Providenciales; thus allowing for a practical approach to the role of technology in creating enabling working environments, especially through education. There are many good partners such as Kiwanis Club of Providenciales, the Road Runners Club and many others, playing their role in our respective communities.
Within this backdrop I encourage those with loved ones having disabilities to be registered on the National Register of Persons with Disabilities. This register has allowed better assistance in designing the necessary programs and services that are needed within the Turks and Caicos Islands. This baseline has established a more accurate benchmark for national identification. Additionally, we have seen the assessment of over 28 children in the islands, all of whom are registered. Previously individuals had to leave the comfort of their homes to have this done.
In the future I am sure that the Turks and Caicos Islands will see its share of bio robotics, transplants and basic devices all aiding in the betterment of lives for those in need. Let us all commit to making the Turks and Caicos Islands a country that is fully accessible to all with technology creating a level playing field.
Take time out to show love or perhaps surf the internet to see what affordable technological device can be used by a family member or friend thus allowing them to have a more comfortable life. May God continue to shine his mercies on us in these Beautiful by Nature, Turks and Caicos Islands.
TCI OBSERVES INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
The Ministry of Health & Human Services in collaboration with the Department of Special Needs joins the rest of the world on Tuesday 3rd December 2014 in celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities under the theme, “SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: THE PROMISE OF TECHNOLOGY”.
This year the International Day of Persons with Disabilities will focus on the role of technology in:
- Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Responses
- Creating Enabling Working Environments
- Disability-Inclusive Sustainable Development Goals
The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons (IDPD) was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
The” promise of technology” includes the benefits and impact of assistive technology, accessible information and communications technology, technological adaptations and other policy and programmatic measures to improve the well-being and inclusion of persons with disabilities in society and development.
The 2014 commemoration of IDPD will work to harness the power of technology to promote inclusion and accessibility to help realize the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society and shape the future of sustainable development for all!
The following activities are planned for the occasion:
South Caicos
Wesley Memorial Church will host a Cottage Meeting at the Wellness Center, 3rd December, 2014
Grand Turk
5th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at the Wellness Center, 8th December, 2014
Providenciales
December 3rd 2014, Staff and students of the SNAP Center will spent the day at Oseta Jolly Primary School, interacting with students and teacher alike, bringing awareness to disabilities, but most of all their abilities.
December 5th 2014, Open House at SNAP, students’ work on display 10:00am – 12:00pm
Presentation of Equipment & Supplies to SNAP Center for the Home Economics Program and a security system by Provo Roadrunners & Scotia Bank (Providenciales) Social Group.
December 13th 2014, Training sessions with SNAP PTA , Dealing with Behavioral and Emotional Problem in the Classroom and the Home and Fine Motor and Motor Development.