EVENING NEWS On the local scene Legal Adviser in the Attorney General’s Office Michelle Fife is addressing the opening of the Business Session of an Occupational Safety and Health Conference today. The National Conference is organized by the St. Vincent Electricity Services Limited, VINLEC, and is aimed at promoting good Workplace Safety Practices. Miss Fife is focusing on the Draft Bill on Occupational Safety and Health.Chief Executive Officer of VINLEC Thornley Myers says the forum is being held to educate, inform and generate discussion on issues relating to occupational safety and health. The Conference is taking place at the NIS Conference Room. Further abroad WASHINGTON D.C., United States– A new World Health Organization (WHO) report says interpersonal violence, traffic injuries and suicide are the three leading causes of death among youths ages 10-19 in the Americas, including the Caribbean. The report, “Health for the World’s Adolescents,” also says that depression is one of the three top causes of illness and disability among youths in the hemisphere. The report, released here on Wednesday, notes that while most adolescents are healthy, several have problems that require serious attention. WHO said the region of the Americas ranks fourth among six regions in levels of adolescent mortality, with 77.5 deaths per 100,000 youths ages 10-19 in 2012. The report says this is below the global average of 110.7 deaths per 100,000 and below levels in Africa (282.5), the Eastern Mediterranean (118.3) and South East Asia (102.3). Only Europe (57.4) and the Western Pacific (43.6) have lower adolescent mortality than the Americas, WHO said. It said the main causes of adolescent deaths in the Americas have changed very little since 2000. In both 2000 and 2012, the five leading causes of death among the region’s youths were interpersonal violence, traffic injuries, suicide, drowning and respiratory infections. The report added that interpersonal violence is the leading cause of death among boys (37.21 per 100,000), whereas traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among girls (5.84 per 100,000). It says complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the fifth-leading cause of death among girls in the Americas. “The world has not paid enough attention to the health of adolescents,” said Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General for Family, Women and Children’s Health. “We hope this report will focus high-level attention on the health needs of 10- to 19-year-olds and serve as a springboard for accelerated action on adolescent health,” she added. The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas, contributed to the world report with data from countries in the Western Hemisphere. On the regional scene ST.JOHN’S, Antigua– Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer has hinted at the possibility of naming the date for the general elections by Thursday, telling supporters “you will hear what you have to hear soon”. Spencer has in the past told the nation it must await the outcome of two court matters filed by the leader of the main opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP), Gaston Browne, before deciding on the election date. The Court of Appeal has since ruled on the-election related matters and the Prime Minister says he wants to make sure the Electoral Commission is fully prepared for the polls. The ALP, which said that historically, Antigua and Barbuda has had general elections within the five year parliamentary cycle which on this occasion ended on April 26, said it would begin next week, a series of protests and pickets in a bid to force Prime Minister Spencer to name the election date. But as he addressed supporters of the ruling United Progressive Party (UPP) at English Harbor on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Spencer their patience would soon be rewarded.
Posted on: Thu, 15 May 2014 20:59:50 +0000
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