Russian alcohol consumption decreased by 43% from 2003 to 2016, a World Health Organization (WHO) report says. It attributed the decline to a series of alcohol-control measures implemented by the state, and a push towards healthy lifestyles.

The WHO said the drop in alcohol consumption was linked to a significant rise in life expectancy. It noted that Russia had previously been considered one of the heaviest-drinking countries in the world. “Alcohol consumption has long been recognised as one of the main driving factors of mortality in the Russian Federation, especially among men of working age,” the report said.

But from 2003 to 2018, alcohol consumption and mortality decreased, with the most significant changes occurring in causes of death linked to alcohol. In 2018, life expectancy in Russia reached a historic peak, at 68 years for men and 78 years for women.(BBC)…[+]

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, on Sunday night said that only three Guyanese families decided to return here from the hurricane-hit Bahamas.

According to a Ministry of the Presidency release yesterday, the Minister and a representative from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) travelled to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri to welcome home Cecil and  Olive Simon.

The Simons were the third group of persons to return home after the island was ravaged by the Category Five hurricane. This brings the total to 12 persons who opted to return home, the release added. Felix said initially, 28 persons had signalled an interest in returning; however, the majority have since decided to remain on the island chain.

“By the time we started to make arrangements, we were able to confirm that 12 really wanted to return…Others who are interested in coming may have to do so on their own steam because this marks the culminating point of Government’s intervention to return Guyanese home. It cannot be an open-ended arrangement,” he said.(Stabroek News)…[+]

Miss China, Alice Li, was crowned Miss Global International 2019 during a glitzy ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James on Saturday night. The 25-year-old accountant came out ahead of 19 rivals to walk away with a cash prize of US$3,000 and other awards.

“I am so overwhelmed… It really doesn’t feel real… It’s such an honour to have won the title of Miss Global International 2019,” she told the Jamaica Observer. First runner-up went to Miss San Andres, Yasleth Castillo Nelson, while Miss Jamaica Brithney Clarke finished third. Li also copped two sectional prizes, Best Talent and Most Aware. She said she will use her reign to further her work in volunteerism.

“I have a great passion for volunteerism… all my free time, that’s where it all goes. There are so many amazing community organisations that I work with. I also sit on three hospital boards in my city, so it’s something that has been a part of my lifestyle. Therefore, this is the perfect opportunity to expand on that and give myself a greater voice,” Li disclosed.(Jamaica Observer)…[+]

Sri Lankan authorities have begun an investigation after seven elephants were found dead last week from suspected poisoning. Four bodies were discovered on Friday and another three on Saturday in Habarana Forest Reserve.

Authorities said all of those found were females from the same herd, and one had been pregnant at the time. Wildlife and security officials are continuing to search the area for signs of any more dead elephants.

Preliminary post-mortem examinations began over the weekend. While it is not yet clear what caused their deaths, officials suspect they may have been poisoned by angry villagers for destroying crops. On Monday, another elephant was found shot dead in Sri Lanka’s central reserve, though it is unclear if the deaths are related.

Killing wild elephants is illegal in the country, though elephant populations frequently come into conflict with rural communities. The expansion of villages and farms has contributed to a loss of habitat and supplies of food and water for the animals.(BBC)…[+]

WASHINGTON– U.S. President Donald Trump today escalated his attacks against the lawmaker leading the impeachment inquiry against him, suggesting that Representative Adam Schiff be arrested for “treason.”

The comment is likely to inflame criticism of Trump’s handling of the scandal engulfing his presidency, stemming from a a telephone call in which Trump asked Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son.

The telephone call was included in an intelligence officer’s whistleblower complaint that raised concerns about whether the president sought to leverage U.S. aid to Ukraine for a political favor. “Rep. Adam Schiff illegally made up a FAKE & terrible statement, pretended it to be mine as the most important part of my call to the Ukrainian President, and read it aloud to Congress and the American people. It bore NO relationship to what I said on the call. Arrest for Treason?” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter.(Reuters)…[+]

Gasparillo grandmother Chanday Lalloo was no match for the criminal/s who attacked her on Saturday night, when she was knifed to death. Her killing takes the murder toll to 401, compared to 400 for the same period last year.

None of her neighbouring relatives and friends heard her cry for help, nor were there signs of a struggle in the house at King Street. Lalloo was discovered dead yesterday morning in a pool of blood on the floor of a spare bedroom…[+]

A 12-year-old African-American girl has accused three white classmates of pinning her down and cutting off her dreadlocks with scissors. Amari Allen says the assault happened during break time at her private school in Springfield, Virginia, on Monday.

She alleges that the boys held her down on a slide and called her hair “ugly” and “nappy” and cut some off. The alleged attack took place at the Immanuel Christian School, where the US Vice-President’s wife teaches. The school and local police both confirmed they were investigating the incident.

“The boys came up to me and they ambushed me sort of, like caged me in,” Ms Allen told local media. “And so they put their hands over my mouth. They put my hands behind my back and they started cutting my hair and told me that I was ugly.”(BBC)…[+]

Guyana has requested that the United Nations Secretary General place this country’s border controversy with Venezuela on the Agenda of the General Assembly under the Item “Peace Building and Sustaining Peace” and that it also be brought to the attention of the Security Council.

This is according to a statement yesterday from the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana which expressed its continued support for the pursuit of a judicial course of action as the means through which the border controversy can be permanently resolved.

The statement was issued after a meeting held yesterday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Group welcomed the update that the Inter-national Court of Justice (ICJ) has notified Guyana that hearings on the jurisdiction of the Court will be held in The Hague, The Netherlands, from 23-27 March 2020.

It was noted that Foreign Secretary Carl Greenidge delivered a briefing during which he advised that Venezuela continues to assert that the ICJ has no jurisdiction in the matter, notwithstanding the Geneva Agreement and the United Nations Secretary General’s choice of it, as a means of conclusive settlement.(Stabroeknews)…[+]

ST JOHNS, Antigua – The Canadian government-funded Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean (IMPACT Justice) Project met with the Steadroy Benjamin and others within the ministry of legal affairs to review a draft Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill and Sexual Offences (National Sex Offender Register) Regulations.

The meeting was held on September 19, 2019, at the ministry of legal affairs; the second held by the parties to discuss the amendments to the bill.

Recommendations for amending the Antigua and Barbuda Sexual Offences Act were made by the JURIST Project (also funded by the government of Canada and is being implemented from within the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), came on the heels of the launch in January of the Antigua and Barbuda Sexual Offences Court which was established with financial assistance from the JURIST Project. The work of establishing the court by JURIST and on the amendments to the Sexual Offences Act by IMPACT Justice are evidence of the collaboration between these two Canadian government-funded projects…[+]

UNITED NATIONS– The United States said yesterday it will provide $52 million in funding to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, an escalation of support even as his push to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro stalls.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a statement that the funding would go toward independent media, civil society, the health sector and the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which is led by Guaido.

Guaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival presidency, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate. Guaido has been recognized as Venezuela’s rightful leader by more than 50 countries, including the United States. But Maduro remains in power with the backing of the armed forces and countries like Cuba, Russia and China.

Maduro, a socialist who has overseen an economic collapse and is accused of corruption and rights abuses, calls Guaido a coup-mongering U.S. puppet, an accusation likely to be bolstered by USAID’s announcement.In a statement posted on Twitter, Guaido’s office thanked USAID for the aid but said it would not administer any of the funds itself, given that it has not yet appointed a comptroller.(Reuters)…[+]