SOJA - AMERICA"S NUMBER 1 REGGAE BAND

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SOJA - AMERICA"S NUMBER 1 REGGAE BAND

Number of babies born with HIV decline 78% in Latin America, Caribbean --PAHO/WHO report

Monday, December 15, 2014 | 1:51 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The number of babies born with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean declined by 78 per cent between 2001 and 2013, according to a new report from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The report: Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Congenital Syphilis in the Americas, takes stock of progress in the region’s countries toward the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

Using data from PAHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS, the report estimates that 10,700 babies were born with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2001.

By 2013, the number had declined 78 per cent to just over 2,300, representing around 5 per cent of all babies born in the region to mothers with HIV.

The countries and territories of Latin America and the Caribbean have set the collective goal of reducing that proportion to less than 2 per cent by 2015. So far, nine countries and territories have reached that goal: Anguilla, Barbados, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the United States.

“We need a final push to ensure that 100 per cent of pregnant women have access to sexual and reproductive health services, including HIV testing and antiretroviral treatment, which can save their lives and reduce the chances of transmitting the virus to their babies,” said Massimo Ghidinelli, chief of PAHO/WHO’s HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Hepatitis Unit.

In 2013, 87 per cent of the 11 million women who gave birth in Latin America and the Caribbean attended at least four prenatal visits, a benchmark for adequate prenatal care. An estimated 74 per cent had access to HIV testing and counselling—up from 62 per cent in 2010—and 93 per cent of HIV-positive mothers-to-be received antiretroviral treatment, a significant increase over the 59 per cent who received treatment in 2010 and only two percentage points short of the target for 2015.

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Number of babies born with HIV decline 78% in Latin America, Caribbean --PAHO/WHO report

Minaj fails to snatch solo UK number one

12 October 2014 Last updated at 19:16 Nicki Minaj is due to release her album The Pink Print later this year Nicki Minaj has failed to capture the first UK solo number one single in her own right as her song Anaconda was beaten into third place in the chart.

The US singer was routed by Meghan Trainor, who galvanised pole position with All About That Bass.

Bang Bang – Minaj’s joint effort with Jessie J and Ariana Grande – was ahead of her solo record, remaining steady at number two.

George Ezra retained top spot in the album chart with his debut collection.

The singer-songwriter was ahead of Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Barbra Streisand in the rundown.

Smith’s album The Lonely Hours clocks up its 20th week in the chart this week.

Irish musician Hozier scored the highest new entry at five with his self-titled collection.

A large number of other new entries peppered the chart, including Canadian star Caribou at eight, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr at nine, with electro-house duo Gorgon City rounding out the top 10.

Another Canadian, Bryan Adams, was just outside at 11 with his 11th studio album.

Elsewhere in the singles chart, Taylor Swift was at four with Shake It Off, which was the most-streamed track of the week.

US R&B star Jeremih went in at number five with Don’t Tell ‘Em.

A cover of Beach Boys classic God Only Knows – covered by 27 artists including Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Sir Elton John – made number 20 after just four days on sale.

A lavish music video was unveiled to launch BBC Music this week, with proceeds of sales going to Children In Need.

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Minaj fails to snatch solo UK number one

"Obamaphone" use grew 100-fold in 3 years in Maryland — to twice the eligible number

As many as 645,000 Maryland residents had so-called Obamaphones in 2012 — one hundred times as many people as there were in 2009, and double the number in that state who are supposed to be eligible for the program based on their income.

The program, officially called Lifeline, is run by the Federal Communications Commission and imposes hefty fees on every paying phone company to give free phone service to low-income Americans.

The profits to telecom companies from the free, government-provided phone service are so great that in Nebraska alone, 51 corporations, many of them who are not even traditional phone companies building infrastructure and attracting paying subscribers, fought for a piece of the pie.

That structure allows advocates to argue that it’s not a tax and doesn’t affect the budget, and lessens the extent to which the FCC is beholden to Congress.

Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com

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"Obamaphone" use grew 100-fold in 3 years in Maryland — to twice the eligible number

Take Style Out sees 20% boost in number of stores

KARENA BENNETT Business reporter bennettk@jamaicaobserver

Wednesday, October 01, 2014    

Annual shopping event, Takes Style Out, has seen a nearly 20 per cent rise in participants over last year’s staging.

The night of sales, which is hosted by the Jamaica Observer and which will take place tomorrow, has approximately 2,000 stores registerd across the island, of which 300 outlets are new participants.

Over the last six years, retailers have reported doubling of sales figures and increased product awareness on the night.

“The past couple months have been extremely slow compared to normal activities, so let’s hope that this makes the difference,” owner of Signatures Boutique, Patricia Williams said. “So far, the store has doubled its profit at this time every year and we are looking forward to it again.”

“Our customers have grown accustomed to the sale every year and we again hope to see sales figure double for the day,” sales and marketing manager at McIntosh Bedding, Annette Farquharson told the Business Observer.

Discounts under the event ranges from five to 80 per cent across participating outlets.

Local retail store Eurowear, is looking to offer up to 75 per cent discount on clothing items as it gears up for the launch of the Jamaica Observer’s hosted event – Takes Style Out.

The company hopes to close the gap between European priced designer clothing wear and what the Jamaican market can afford with up to US$364 ($41,132) discount on its clothing items to boost its competitiveness.

Takes Style Out was introduced in Jamaica by the Observer’s Senior Content Editor for Lifestyle and Social Content, Novia McDonald-Whyte after observing the impact that the one-night-only sales bonanza event had on department stores overseas , back in 2009.

The event started as a test to boost the slowed post back-to-school sales of retailers and to revive the fashion industry.

Popular stores taking part in the event includes American Jewellery Company, Answers for Children, Action Sports, Payless Shoes Stores and Courts Jamaica Limited.

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Take Style Out sees 20% boost in number of stores

Ministry of Labour seeking to increase number of NIS contributors

The Ministry of  Labour is to embark on a major drive to increase the number of persons who contribute to the National Insurance Scheme, NIS.
Under the law, all working persons are required to contribute to the NIS.
However, Labour Minister Derrick Kellier says of  the estimated 1.2 million employed persons, a little over 400,000 are contributors to the NIS.
Mr. Kellier says the Ministry will go on an aggressive public relations campaign over the next few months, to encourage all working persons to contribute to the NIS, and to inform them of  the benefits.

In the meantime, Mr. Kellier says given the increase in the population over the last two decades, accompanied by the rise in life expectancy, the Government has paid out huge sums from the NIS.
Payments currently stand at J$14b versus J$11b in contributions.
Mr. Kellier says if  there is an increase in contributors the J$3b shortfall can be filled.
This will also reduce the need to tap into the National Insurance Fund to fill the gap.
The Fund now stands at nearly J$70b.

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Ministry of Labour seeking to increase number of NIS contributors

Police alarmed by the number of church break-ins

Jolyn Bryan, Star Writer

The St Thomas police have expressed concern over the increase in break-ins being experienced by churches across the parish.

Deputy Superintendent Charmaine Shand told the St Thomas Parish Council at its monthly meeting that while levels of crime were falling in the parish, break-ins at places of worship had increased significantly.

Most recently, thieves attempted to burglarise the National Church of God building in Pamphret on Monday night. The church had been broken into the previous month.

The thieves were thwarted by reinforcements made to the church’s windows and doors after the first break-in, where equipment worth more than $300,000, including four wall mounted fans, a component set, speakers and an audio mixer, were stolen.

DSP Charmaine Shand is imploring churches to secure their premises and for community members to be vigilant and report suspicious activities.

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Police alarmed by the number of church break-ins

Number of Caribbean children obese and overweight doubles in last decade – study

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Wednesday July 2, 2014, CMC – A study done in four Caribbean countries has found that 30 per cent of children aged 11 to 13 were overweight or obese, a senior official of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has said.

Dr. Audrey Morris, the advisor on Food and Nutrition at PAHO, told a workshop to review and refine a draft policy document on Nutritious and Healthy Foods in Barbadian schools that the number of overweight and obese children in the region has more than doubled over the last decade due primarily to unhealthy diets and inadequate exercise.

Dr. Morris said the consequences of overweight and obesity in children were serious, including breathing difficulties, hypertension, early signs of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects.

She noted the easy access to fatty and salty foods in school canteens and revealed that up to 80 per cent of the children in the Caribbean study admitted to drinking a carbonated soda every day. The countries in the study were not disclosed.

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The PAHO official said in addition to drinking carbonated soda daily, children were allowed to easily opt out of physical education classes at school, especially when preparing for examinations. In addition, the children spent many hours watching television and playing computer games at home.

Dr. Morris said countries like the United States had placed limits on sugar, fat and sodium in all foods and beverages sold on school compounds. In addition, Brazil has mandated that 30 per cent of the input in school meals must come from local agriculture, and Panama has banned fried foods and sodas from school premises.

She said what is needed in the Caribbean is a multi-faceted, multi-sectoral approach to reinforce the message of healthier eating and active living.

Senior Medical Officer of Health, here, Dr. Kenneth George, said that while Barbados was not included in the PAHO study, statistics show that the situation was very similar on the island.

According to him, the most recent survey conducted in 2012 and involving 1,600 secondary school students, revealed that 31.9 per cent of students aged 13 to 15 were overweight, and 14.4 per cent obese.

“These are frightening statistics because there is a higher propensity for the obese child to become an obese adult, with all the associated chronic diseases.” The standard Body Mass Index (BMI) for overweight is between 25 and 30 and for obesity between 30 and 40.

Dr. George said the School Meals Programme provided an excellent platform for introducing positive dietary habits and that physical education should be made compulsory at schools.

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Number of Caribbean children obese and overweight doubles in last decade – study

"I didn"t expect it" - Tessanne surprised as album reaches Number 6 on iTunes

Davina Henry, Staff Reporter

Tessanne Chin – File

Just hours after the release of her sophomore album, ‘Count On My Love’, Tessanne Chin is already dominating iTunes charts, having peaked at number six so far.

The songbird, who walked away as the winner of The Voice 2013, under the tutelage of coach Adam Levine, told THE STAR that while she welcomes the support of her fans, it was a bit unexpected.

“I didn’t expect it, not at all. I hoped for it and dreamed of it, but I didn’t realise how much support I would actually get. I’m grateful, happy and tremendously blessed,” Chin said.

massive achievement

In addition to being in the overall top 10 list on iTunes, Count On My Love also peaked at number three on the iTunes Pop chart.

Many Jamaican fans also took to social media to post images of the newly purchased album and to congratulate the artiste on her massive achievement.

“It makes me feel very proud. It’s great to know that my people support me, and not just Jamaicans, but fans all over the world. People in Canada, England, all over. It means the world to me. It’s priceless. It’s very overwhelming and definitely something I will treasure,” she added.

Though still on her Voice Tour, Tessanne is already gearing up for her headlining performance at this year’s Reggae Sumfest.

“The Voice Tour has been going well. It’s been wonderful to see old friends and meet new ones and to see the love and support of the fans. I’m also really looking forward to Sumfest this year. I’ll be performing tracks from this album for the first time. It’s going to be like an album release, I’m really looking forward to that,” she said.

In the meantime, Chin is in the process of choosing her next single and is also gearing up for the Count On My Love media tour.

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"I didn"t expect it" - Tessanne surprised as album reaches Number 6 on iTunes

"I didn"t expect it" - Tessanne surprised as album reaches Number 6 on iTunes

Davina Henry, Staff Reporter

Tessanne Chin – File

Just hours after the release of her sophomore album, ‘Count On My Love’, Tessanne Chin is already dominating iTunes charts, having peaked at number six so far.

The songbird, who walked away as the winner of The Voice 2013, under the tutelage of coach Adam Levine, told THE STAR that while she welcomes the support of her fans, it was a bit unexpected.

“I didn’t expect it, not at all. I hoped for it and dreamed of it, but I didn’t realise how much support I would actually get. I’m grateful, happy and tremendously blessed,” Chin said.

massive achievement

In addition to being in the overall top 10 list on iTunes, Count On My Love also peaked at number three on the iTunes Pop chart.

Many Jamaican fans also took to social media to post images of the newly purchased album and to congratulate the artiste on her massive achievement.

“It makes me feel very proud. It’s great to know that my people support me, and not just Jamaicans, but fans all over the world. People in Canada, England, all over. It means the world to me. It’s priceless. It’s very overwhelming and definitely something I will treasure,” she added.

Though still on her Voice Tour, Tessanne is already gearing up for her headlining performance at this year’s Reggae Sumfest.

“The Voice Tour has been going well. It’s been wonderful to see old friends and meet new ones and to see the love and support of the fans. I’m also really looking forward to Sumfest this year. I’ll be performing tracks from this album for the first time. It’s going to be like an album release, I’m really looking forward to that,” she said.

In the meantime, Chin is in the process of choosing her next single and is also gearing up for the Count On My Love media tour.

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"I didn"t expect it" - Tessanne surprised as album reaches Number 6 on iTunes