Dominican Republic plans to swiftly complete a 250-mile border wall
The Dominican Republic has plans to swiftly complete a 250-mile border wall along its shared boundary with Haiti on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, an attempt to protect the country as its land neighbor falls into further chaos.
Dominican President Luis Abinader is surging soldiers and construction resources to seal off the border as conditions on the west side of the island have slid into a state of anarchy in recent weeks as gangs and warlords have further clenched control of Haiti.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal the Dominican president said “We are ensuring that this destabilizing situation stops right at the border,” end quote
The border wall project commenced three years ago and is based on Israel’s wall.
Abinader is running for reelection in May, and if he is successful, he will move quickly on carrying out a $120 million plan to install a barrier along the border.
Stage one of the plan is standing up a 12-foot wall made of concrete, topped with a metal fence and razor wire. That barrier would stretch along 30 miles of the most populated area along the border’s Massacre River.
The Dominican government has already erected sentry towers that include solar-powered cameras, and it has deployed drones to monitor where Haitians might cross out of sight.
Marijuana Campaigners in Germany lit celebratory joints
Marijuana campaigners in Germany lit celebratory joints on Monday as the country legalized possession of small amounts of cannabis for recreational use - a step that hasn't ended the debate over the drug.
The German Cannabis Association, which campaigned for the new law, staged a “smoke-in” at Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate when the law took effect at midnight.
Other public consumption events were scheduled throughout the country, including one in front of the Cologne cathedral and others in Hamburg, Regensburg and Dortmund.
Germany becomes the third European Union country to legalize cannabis for personal use after Malta and Luxembourg. The government argued that legalization would undermine criminal trade in the drug, guard against harmful impurities, and free police to pursue more serious crimes while providing for protections against use by under-18s.
The new law legalizes possession by adults of up to 25 grams (nearly 1 ounce) of marijuana for recreational purposes and allows individuals to grow up to three plants on their own.
Use is prohibited within 100 meters (109 yards) of the entrance to a playground or school. That part of the legislation took effect Monday.
German residents age 18 and older will be allowed to join nonprofit “cannabis clubs” with a maximum 500 members each starting July 1.
Individuals will be allowed to buy up to 25 grams per day, or a maximum 50 grams per month — a figure limited to 30 grams for people under age 21. Membership in multiple clubs won’t be allowed.
The clubs’ costs will be covered by membership fees, which are to be staggered according to how much marijuana members use.
The legislation also calls for an amnesty under which sentences for cannabis-related offenses that will no longer be illegal are to be reviewed and in many cases reversed. Regional authorities worry that the judicial system will be overburdened by thousands of cases.
Dua Lipa named one of TIME100's most influential people in the world
Dua Lipa has been named as one of TIME100's most influential people in the world for 2024.
The singer graces one of the issue’s covers, and in the accompanying interview discusses her new album, Radical Optimism, her recently established media and management company Radical22, and the importance of her Albanian heritage, among other things.
Of her upcoming album, Dua says that as a whole, the record is “more mature” than what she’s done in the past.
“I'm definitely not the same person I was when I wrote my first album,” she says. “I've evolved and learned so much… taking it as it comes, not seeing anything as bad or something as a setback. That involves a lot of growing and understanding myself, knowing my worth, whether it be in business, love, or friendship.”
She says she was dreaming of her third album even while making her first and considers manifesting a big part of her success.
“Since I was very little, I've jotted down things I dreamt for myself…I’ve always planned ahead,” Dua says. “Although surprises arise that I evaluate in the moment, there’s always a long-term goal … Subconsciously, you just work towards them. Nothing’s ever too big.”
The full 2024 TIME100 list comes out on Wednesday, April 17.
Source-ABC
UK competition watchdog has 'concerns' over big tech AI dominance
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking into a new breed of powerful AI tools - foundation models.
They include text and image generators, such as ChatGPT.
The CMA found an "interconnected web" of AI partnerships involving the same firms: Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and chip-maker Nvidia.
"When we started this work, we were curious. Now, with a deeper understanding and having watched developments very closely, we have real concerns," Sarah Cardell, the chief executive of the CMA said.
"The essential challenge we face is how to harness this immensely exciting technology for the benefit of all, while safeguarding against potential exploitation of market power and unintended consequences."
Ms Cardell delivered the warning in a speech on Thursday in Washington.
The CMA said that a small number of incumbent technology firms - already powerful in the most important digital markets - were also now taking the lead with foundation models.
Trained on vast amounts of data, they underpin tools that are transforming workplaces and other aspects of modern life.
The big tech firms have strong positions in terms of computing power, and access to skilled employees, the CMA said, and can influence access to the market through apps and platforms.
This could profoundly impact fair competition "ultimately harming businesses and consumers, for example through reduced choice, lower quality, and higher prices, as well as stunting the flow of potentially unprecedented innovation and wider economic benefits from AI", the CMA argued.
The CMA said it wanted to learn from previous experience in digital markets where "winner takes all dynamics" led to the rise of a small number of powerful platforms.
It said it was "determined to apply the lessons of history" at what it termed a "pivotal moment in the emergence of a new, potentially transformative technology."
A new paper, it found more than 90 connected investments and partnerships involving the same small number of tech giants.
The watchdog is already undertaking a review of Microsoft's multi-billion dollar partnership with OpenAI.
But it said it recognized "the huge wealth of resources, expertise, and innovation capability these large firms can bring to bear".
However, these should not "insulate" powerful firms from competition.
Source-BBC
TCI Social Development observes Child Abuse Prevention Month
The Department of Social Development and Welfare in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Transportation, and Telecommunications joins the rest of the world in recognizing the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
During this time, a commitment is made to re-examine strategies to support children and families' well-being in raising awareness for preventing child abuse and neglect. This year, as we seek to raise awareness and consciousness in protecting and securing the welfare of all children in the TCI and around the world, we join in promoting the theme, “Building A Hopeful Future, Together”.
What does this look like? Reaffirming our commitment to collaborating with our partners, stakeholders, and community members to make sure all children and families have the tools and assistance they need to reach their full potential. Acknowledging the vital connection that exists between every child's safety and reaching a happy and bright future.
The Honorable Minister with responsibility for Social Development and Welfare, Honorable Otis Morris remarked, that the theme “Building A Hopeful Future, Together” emphasizes the crucial need of our TCI communities, stakeholders, partners, and well-wishers to collaborate in support of our children and families to promote nurturing, stable environments that will ignite the catalyst in preventing child abuse and neglect and build bridges to a prosperous, sustainable future.
The month of April is dedicated to raising awareness about child abuse prevention and providing a platform for people to unite in support of the goal that all children have safe and healthy homes to thrive. As the Minister, I am leading the charge in taking a stand against child abuse and neglect and also providing the resources, manpower, and sustenance to continue community awareness against child abuse and neglect.
I applaud the Department of Social Development and Welfare for the progress they have made in child abuse prevention and for the undying passion they have displayed in the fight against child abuse and neglect. As a community, we all have a part to play in preventing child abuse and neglect. Child Abuse is everybody’s business, let us do our part in preventing child abuse and neglect.
TCI Labour Tribunal visits the Employment and Labour Relations Tribunal, Bermuda
A three-member delegation from the Turks & Caicos Islands Labour Tribunal made a six-day visit to the Employment and Labour Relations Tribunal, Bermuda.
The delegation included the Labour Tribunal Secretary, Lucille Campbell, Tribunal Administrative Officer, Winifred Stubbs and Tribunal Officer, Alice Williams.
This visit was organized by President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Labour Tribunal, Doreen Quelch Missick-Stubbs.
The objective of the week-long visit was for staff of the Turks and Caicos Labour Tribunal to collaborate with their counterparts in Bermuda and observe the operations of the Employment and Labour Relations Tribunal.
They were privileged to meet the Cabinet Minister responsible for Economy and Labour, the Hon. Jason Hayward; the Chairman of Employment and Labour Relations Tribunal, Mr. Edward Ball; the Acting Director of Labour Relations, Mrs. Gabrielle Cann; the Human Rights Commission Chairman, Mrs. Lisa Reed along with two of the HR Commission members, Ms. Elaine Butterfield and Legal Adviser, Mr. Mapp; Labour Relations Officers and Investigators of the Labour Relations Department; other Chairpersons and the Director and members of the Workforce Development Department.
The delegation not only engaged in discussions on the Bermuda Employment Act 2000 and the Employment Amendment Act 2021 but were able to share comparisons to the Turks & Caicos Islands Employment Ordinance 2004, amended 2018. These pieces of legislation govern the operations and procedures of the Labour Tribunals.
It was very enlightening and educational for the TCI Labour Tribunal staff to observe various hearings – a Non-compliance Hearing; Directions Hearing and a Substantive Hearing which were presided over by different Chairman and Arbitrators; after which a debriefing of each Hearing was held to include the Chairman, the Tribunal panel and the three-member delegation.
There were some shared similarities of the processes and operations between the two Islands Tribunals.
The overall visit was not only beneficial but also very rewarding for the delegation as the experiences and information shared could help both Tribunals.
Tesla Model 2 scrapped in favour of robotaxis
Tesla has scrapped plans for a new ‘Model 2’ entry-level electric car, Reuters reports.
The long-promised new model line, which boss Elon Musk recently suggested could enter production late next year, was tipped to come to market at less than £25,000 as a rival to the likes of the Volkswagen ID 2, Renault 5 and MG 4 EV.
Citing three sources familiar with the matter and internal company messages, Reuters says the project has been scrapped and the platform that was to underpin the EV will now be used for a line of autonomous robotaxis, produced at much lower volumes.
esla refused to comment when approached by Autocar and Musk responded to the report with a post on his social media platform, X, that read simply: “Reuters is dying”.
Tesla has long hinted at plans for a cut-price new car to sit beneath the Model 3 saloon and Model Y crossover but has only given limited indications of its positioning over the past few years.
Most recently, the firm released a shadowy teaser image of its silhouette, suggesting it would effectively be a downsized take on the Model 3.
The American firm spoke of ambitious plans to sell an astonishing 700 million examples of the car, codenamed Project Redwood, over its lifetime.
Tesla's move away from the cheaper end of the EV market comes at a time when affordable Chinese cars, such as the BYD Dolphin, are arriving in the UK.
Crucial to the Model 2’s viability was a new production process called Unboxed, which essentially revolves around reducing the amount of work done at each stage of the production line, avoiding any unnecessary movement or disassembly of the car or its components during its journey down the production line.
For example, the seats would be mounted directly to the underfloor battery pack, with the entire unit then raised into a bodyshell that has been painted in sections to avoid the need for door removal and reinstallation.
Initial production for the Model 2 was tipped for Germany. The car's platform was thought to be unrelated to other Teslas.
Reuters suggests this production process and the platform to which it applies will instead be deployed for Tesla's long-mooted autonomous ride-hailing vehicle - which won't be produced in the same colossal volumes.
t quotes a source as saying "Elon's directive is to go all in on Robotaxi".
Source-Auto Car
RBC Bank says new measures are aimed at protecting customers from fraud
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has confirmed the imposition of a US$500 daily automated teller machine (ATM) withdrawal limit saying it is intended to protect customers from fraud.
In a statement, the financial institution aid also that it was imposing a maximum four “free” monthly ATM withdrawals per client and that this would only impact clinets of the Finance Corporation of The Bahamas (FINCO).
“At RBC, our priority is safeguarding the security and financial wellbeing of all our clients. In line with keeping this commitment, we implemented an adjustment to the daily ATM limit for our RBC FINCO clients.
“It is important to highlight that this adjustment only affects our FINCO clients and does not apply to all our RBC clientele. RBC FINCO is the mortgage subsidiary of RBC. We have proactively made efforts to notify our FINCO clients about these changes,” the bank said.
RBC had in a letter dated April 2, 2024, informed FINCO customers of the limits noting that the changes were intended “to ensure your banking experience is not only convenient but also secure”.
It said if clients need to access more than the US$500 ATM daily limit, they will now have to physically visit a branch and conduct an over-the-counter withdrawal.
“At RBC FINCO, we are continually evolving to ensure your banking experience is not only convenient but also secure. As part of these ongoing efforts, we have decided to adjust our daily ATM withdrawal limits,” said FINCO’s managing director, Deverson Warner,.
“Effective Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the new daily withdrawal limit will be set at US$500. This adjustment is a proactive step towards enhancing the security measures that safeguard your accounts and personal information.
“While we understand this may mean a change to your banking routine, we want to assure you that this decision was made with careful consideration to ensure that your funds remain safe and protected.
“If you require a daily withdrawal amount exceeding the $500 limit, we encourage you to come visit any of our branches to conduct an over-the-counter withdrawal transaction. Please note that RBC FINCO savings account holders will now enjoy four free ATM withdrawals per month,” the RBS said in its letter.
It also advised clients to “actively monitor accounts for any suspicious activity” and to be wary of sharing PIN (personal identification number) or password information with third parties.
“As part of taking care of your financial well-being, we encourage all clients to actively monitor their accounts for any suspicious activity. Please remember that you should never share your PIN with a third party”.
RBC FINCO said it would never reach out to customers asking them to provide the bank with their PIN or password.
“If you notice any transactions that seem unfamiliar, or if you suspect any fraudulent activity please contact us immediately,” the RBC said.
Source-CMC
Source-CMC
4-minute Total Solar Eclipse
Eclipse fever is building. Millions in North America are hoping to spend around four minutes of total darkness as the Moon blocks the Sun's light on Monday.
For some, those precious minutes will be an opportunity for often impossible science experiments - a chance to unravel the secrets of our universe.
Researchers will fly rockets into the path of the eclipse, stand in zoos watching animals, send radio signals across the globe, and peer into space with massive cameras.
And you don't need to be a scientist to take part.
But it could still go wrong. A solar flare or even some humble clouds could throw those plans into turmoil.
When darkness falls on parts of North America, one part of the Sun will peek out that people have been trying to study for centuries - its atmosphere, or corona.
This mysterious part of the Sun is made up of magnetized plasma and measures more than a million degrees Celsius.
Normally the Sun's incredible brightness makes the corona impossible to see, but on Monday scientists in Dallas, Texas, will be able to point instruments at it and take images.
Scientists with Aberystwyth University in Wales and from Nasa hope for an insight into solar wind, which is the plasma thrown from the Sun's surface. Another puzzle is why the corona seems to be much hotter than the Sun's surface, despite being on its edge.
They might even see what is called a coronal mass ejection when huge plasma clouds are thrown from the atmosphere into Space. Ejections can cause problems for satellites we use on Earth.
A lot of money, time, and logistics have gone into that four-minute window, says Huw Morgan, professor of Physics at Aberystwyth University.
The Sun's activity can disrupt almost all our communications, including the humble long-wave radio.
Energy from the Sun charges a region in the upper atmosphere called the ionosphere, which helps radio transmissions whizz around the planet. But when the Moon blocks the Sun, the ionosphere is affected.
To test what that does to radio, hundreds of amateur radio operators will join a listening party and send signals to each other across the world, competing for the most connections. They might communicate in Morse code or even speak.
The results could help scientists better understand radio communications used by emergency workers, airplanes, and ships, as well as GPS, according to Nathaniel Frissell at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, who is running the party.
Thomas Pisano, an electric engineering student with Dr Frissell, plans to compete. Sitting at desks with radio equipment, he'll send out signals and try to connect with as many operators as possible worldwide.
"There's a strong sense of community," he says. "We're all excited to get this data."
Most of the communications are formal - station name and location - but each one signs off with "73", a code for best wishes.
"It's our radio way of saying farewell and take care," he says.
While the eclipse will barely be visible in the UK, radio operators across the country will still tune into messages sent from the other side of the Atlantic. Radio operator Gwyn Griffiths plans to both send and receive long-wave signals across the ocean to gauge how far they travel.
US space agency Nasa will fly WB-57 jets along the eclipse path to take pictures from 50,000 feet (15,240m) above Earth.
Flying above the clouds means there is no chance they will miss the eclipse. And the jets' cameras should take clearer pictures because they will capture wavelengths that don't normally make it all the way to Earth.
Source-BBC
Tens of thousands rally in Tel Aviv demanding Gaza hostage deal
Opponents of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu say 100,000 people have rallied against the government and to demand a Gaza hostage deal.
The rallies in Tel Aviv and other cities came after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) recovered the body of hostage Elad Katzir.
Protesters chanted "Elections now", and "Elad, we're sorry", local media said. Both Israelis and Palestinians are preparing to mark six months of war on Sunday.
Anti-government protesters were joined by families of hostages held in Gaza. Demonstrators expressed their frustration with the government's inability to free the around 130 hostages who remain in Gaza, held by Hamas and its allies.
Earlier on Saturday the IDF recovered the body of Elad Katzir, who was seized and taken to Gaza during the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on 7 October. He appeared alive in a hostage video released in January.
"Elad Katzir managed to survive three months in captivity. He should have been with us today. He could have been with us today," protester Noam Peri told a BBC reporter.
Organizers said the protesters had rallied in around 50 locations across Israel. These were the latest of a series of huge anti-government protests demanding that Prime Minister Netanyahu step down, amid fury that he has failed to free the remaining hostages.
A car ploughed into crowds at the protest in Tel Aviv, injuring five. The cause of the incident was unclear.
On Sunday - exactly six months since the Hamas attacks triggered the war in Gaza - negotiators plan to meet in Cairo to attempt to reach a ceasefire in the brutal war.
According to some media reports, CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will join negotiators from Egypt, Israel and Hamas.
Mr Katzir's sister, Carmit Palty Katzir, blamed Israeli authorities for her brother's death in a post on social media, saying he would have returned alive had they agreed a new truce deal.
"Our leadership is cowardly and driven by political consideration, which is why this deal has not happened yet," she wrote on Facebook.
"Prime Minister, war cabinet, and coalition members: Look at yourself in the mirror and say if your hands didn't spill blood."
The 7 October Hamas attacks killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
Over 33,000 people have been killed during Israel's offensive in Gaza since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says - many of them women and children.
According to Israeli counts, 253 Israelis and foreigners were taken during the Hamas attacks.
About 129 hostages remain unaccounted for after being kidnapped - at least 34 of them are presumed dead. The IDF has recovered 12 bodies.
Source-BBC