Qatar could face further sanctions by Arab states as a deadline to accept a series of demands from its Gulf neighbours, including closing down the television network al-Jazeera, passes on Sunday night. Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, was working the phones to see whether a compromise could be reached but Qatari leaders have effectively rejected the 13 demands tabled 10 days ago by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain.

Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said on Saturday that the demands to shut down al-Jazeera, close a Turkish military base and cut relations with Iran had been framed to be rejected. The demands were made by the Saudi-led allies over allegations of Qatari support for terrorism, which it denies. It has called the demands an attack on its sovereignty. The four anti-Qatar states have only hinted at how they will respond if their ultimatum is spurned and not detailed any immediate penalties.(theguardian)…[+]

Theresa May’s proposal to protect the rights of EU citizens after Brexit is so poor, it will badly damage the rights of Britons living in Europe, campaign groups have told the European commission. In an official response to the EU Brexit negotiating team, British in Europe and the3million have said that if May’s proposal is adopted it would represent a “severe reduction of the current rights” enjoyed by Britons in Europe.

Last week they expressed fears that Britons would be the “sacrifical lambs” in the Conservatives’ mission to reduce immigration. The groups say May’s offer looks to curtail citizens’ rights to pensions and to move around the EU to work. They say that, if adopted, the UK proposal would also prevent them from returning to Britain for work or retirement with their EU spouses or to have an elderly parent move in with them in Europe.(theguardian)…[+]

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.  1^st July, 2017. “Even though the number of cases of Zika have significantly declined from the outbreak of 2016, there is still need for continued vigilance and action on mosquito borne diseases, which pose a health security threat, a tourism threat, and an economic threat,” stated Dr C. James Hospedales, Executive Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

These statistics were revealed as part of an information package disseminated to Member States in observation of Caribbean Public Health day 2017.

The package profiles Zika since its arrival in the CARPHA Member States and addresses the epidemic and its impact on health, the economy and the tourism sector.  It also highlights actions of member states and partners, new technologies and approaches, and what CARPHA is doing to help its member states.

This newest mosquito borne disease to the Region, came on the heels of chikungunya which affected the health and economic structure of most countries and territories.  In late 2015, the Caribbean confirmed its first case of the Zika virus, followed by a dramatic increase in 2016.  The number of laboratory requests and confirmed tests peaked in August, then began a steady decline to December.  The Zika epidemic has shown signs of a significant slow-down, and the risk to residents and visitors is deemed much lower. However, the region continues to struggle and fight against the Aedes aegypti mosquito responsible for its transmission.

Zika has been associated with an increase in Guillian Barre syndromes (GBS) in five CARPHA member states (CMS).  A Zika-associated case of microcephaly has also been reported in one country. No reports of sexually transmitted Zika cases in CMS have been documented. These associated complications can have a marked impact on the people affected and their communities.

Dr Hospedales said “The Region has seen dengue, Chikungunya, and now Zika which is transmitted by the same mosquito, and the key to tackling them is prevention and control.  We must continue to literally wage war on them. But we need to be smarter. We need new approaches and technologies and partners against this threat, which is present throughout most of the tropical world.” CARPHA revealed that its reference laboratory received thousands of requests for testing, and as of April 2017, 24 Members States reported locally transmitted cases of the virus.(CARPHA)…[+]