Criminal armed gangs claim power In Haiti
A coalition of wanted criminal armed gangs has claimed power in Haiti, blocking Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry from returning home after he had traveled to Kenya to sign an agreement allowing for a United Nations Security Council-sanctioned international force to restore peace and security in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
In addition, the gangs are threatening to gun down any aircraft flying him back to the troubled Caribbean country, where a three-member presidential council would be installed as an acting executive branch.
Outspoken and leftist political leader, Jean-Charles Moise, said the new government would soon be installed with a judge, Durin Duret Jr., as chairman assisted by former rebel leader and former police commissioner Guy Philippe, and Francoise Saint-Vil Villier, from the religious sector, a close ally to Moise.
“PM Henry and all the other members of the government must resign or they will face the consequences,” Moise told journalists on Tuesday.
“Many ministers and other government officials have gone into hiding, because they are nowhere to be found,” Moise said, promising that members of government who would cooperate would have nothing to fear.
But, he warned, “those who would remain faithful to Ariel Henry would have to face the population’s anger and would be sought after and chased.”
Moise has also warned foreign diplomats not to interfere with the countries’ internal matters, under the penalty of being kicked out of the country.
” Any good help from cooperating countries will be welcome, but everything should be done according to terms that take into account our interests and dignity,” Moise told reporters.
Bursts of automatic weapons were fired, until late Monday night, from outside the international airport towards the landing runway, with gunmen simulating taking down an aircraft.
Footage obtained by Haitian-Caribbean News Network (HCNN) shows a man standing on the roof of a sports utility vehicle and firing a machine gun toward the runway, as to show what could happen to Henry tries to enter the country by air on Tuesday night.
And many of the gunmen came from nearby slums part of the larger gang coalition.
Members of the group appeared on Tuesday very determined to install a new regime to effectively lead the country unless a firm and resolute decision by the United States or other big international players – such as Canada, France or Europe – to compel actors to do otherwise.
The gang members seem ready to start the takeover process immediately with political observers noting that “they now control the country; there’s absolutely no challenge to their efforts to establish themselves as Haiti’s new masters.”
Approximately 5,000 detainees have fled Haiti’s prison and the bodies of at least 14 people have been counted on the streets in different neighborhoods of the capital Port-au-Prince, several rights groups told HCNN.
“At the national penitentiary, six or seven detainees were killed. Three were found dead in the immediate surroundings of the prison, while two or three were killed inside the facility,” said Pierre Rene Francois, Haitian police inspector general, in charge of the country’s jails.
Source- CMC
Americans vote on Super Tuesday
US voters head to the polls in 15 states spanning the breadth of the continent on Tuesday, from Maine to California and Alaska to Alabama.
At stake are more than a third of the delegates to this summer's Democratic and Republican conventions, which will determine the two major parties' presidential candidates.
It is the biggest one-day prize of the presidential nomination calendar, conducted in states (and American Samoa) with a total population of more than 134 million.
This year's Super Tuesday is not expected to generate many surprises, with Joe Biden and Donald Trump continuing their march towards a rematch of the 2020 election in November.
As the results roll in throughout the evening, however, there will still be plenty to watch out for. Here are four key things to keep in mind.
1. A Trump rout in the making?
Republicans have held 10 nomination contests so far. In all but one - Sunday's primary in Washington DC - Donald Trump has been victorious.
Polls indicate that the former president will run the table on Super Tuesday, carrying the 15 states by a comfortable margin. If he does so, he will build up a near-insurmountable lead in convention delegates, given that many of the states allocate their entire slate of delegates to whoever wins a majority of the vote.
While Mr Trump may not be able to mathematically guarantee that he is the Republican Party nominee, a strong Super Tuesday should eliminate whatever shadow of doubt there was remaining even after his early successes.
Behind what should be formidable top-line numbers, however, keep an eye on exit polls that may reveal continued disaffection with the former president among some primary voters. Earlier surveys indicated a not insignificant minority would not support Mr Trump in November - or could turn on him if he were to be found guilty in one of his trials.
2. Nikki Haley's exit plan
The former South Carolina governor, Mr Trump's sole remaining Republican opponent, has benefitted from the support of many of those anti-Trump primary voters, but it hasn't been nearly enough. She has doggedly stayed in the race despite a streak of bad results (Washington DC, notwithstanding).
Weeks ago she pledged to stick it out through Super Tuesday, hoping to add to her delegate totals, particularly in the 11 states holding primaries that are open to non-Republican voters, an area of relative strength for her. Already, however, rumors are floating that she is preparing to end her campaign in the days ahead.
A particularly thorough drubbing on Tuesday may accelerate those plans or even lead her to throw in the towel that evening. Assuming she doesn't do that, look for hints in her speech on Tuesday night as to her plans in the coming days.
Will she ultimately endorse Mr Trump, as her fellow non-Trump presidential rivals have? Would she reconsider an independent presidential bid? Is she already positioning for a 2028 presidential run?
At 53, Ms Haley is still young (for a national politician). But the decisions she makes after Super Tuesday could go a long way in determining what doors open and which are slammed shut.
3. A Biden protest vote
If there's little drama in the Republican primary race at this point, there's practically none on the Democratic side.
Joe Biden has rolled to comfortable victories against token opposition in South Carolina and Michigan (as well as a nonbinding vote in New Hampshire). He appears poised to continue his march on Tuesday.
The most consequential obstacle to the president so far has come from those who oppose his Gaza policy. They accuse him of turning a blind eye to what critics regard as Palestinian genocide, an accusation which Israel vehemently denies, saying it is focused on destroying Hamas.
In Michigan last week, more than 100,000 voters - 12% of the total - turned out to cast ballots for "uncommitted" instead of for Mr. Biden, as part of an organized Gaza war protest
While there do not seem to be similar efforts in the 14 states that hold Democratic votes on Tuesday (Republicans are also voting in Alaska), watch the results to see if there are any significant non-Biden surprises.
With its largest-in-the-nation Muslim and Arab population, Michigan's results may be the high water mark for the Gaza protest. But turnout levels across the US, as well as opinions registered in exit polls by Democratic voters, could provide indications of the strength (or weakness) of Mr Biden's campaign efforts so far.
Suriname defeats the TCI but El Salvador advances
Suriname thrashed our Turks and Caicos Islands but El Salvador edged Antigua and Barbuda to top Group B and secure qualification for the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship.
Behind braces from Robinio Pinas (14th, 31st) and Djaier Prijor (20th, 31st), Suriname appeared en route to qualification when they stormed to a 7-2 victory at the ABFA Technical Centre on Saturday.
However, El Salvador beat the hosts 1-0 in the second game of the doubleheader, courtesy of Christopher Guardado’s 58th-minute strike, to return to the top on 10 points – a single point clear of the Surinamese.
Entering the final round game knowing only a win would keep alive their chances of qualification, Suriname went ahead as early as the fifth minute when Yamano Olfers scored with a bullet-header at the far post from a right-sided cross.
Pinas added the second in the 14th with a glancing header from the center of the box before Donagay Misidjang wriggled past the advancing goalkeeper Leishawn Green to net from close range three minutes later.
Prijor got his first in the 20th before both he and Pinas both scored their second in the 31st minute, as Suriname pumped in all seven goals in the first half.
For the losers, Cory Williams (28th) and Hency Gedeon (87th) responded.
In Manugua, Belize whipped Anguilla 4-1 to earn their first points of Group A with Felix Martinez (3rd, 10th, 24th) banging in a first-half hat-trick, while Barbados earned a 1-1 draw with Aruba in Guatemala City in Group C.
Also in Group C, Curacao went down 1-0 to group winners Guatemala.
Criminal armed gangs claim power In Haiti
A coalition of wanted criminal armed gangs has claimed power in Haiti, blocking Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry from returning home after he had traveled to Kenya to sign an agreement allowing for a United Nations Security Council-sanctioned international force to restore peace and security in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
In addition, the gangs are threatening to gun down any aircraft flying him back to the troubled Caribbean country, where a three-member presidential council would be installed as an acting executive branch.
Outspoken and leftist political leader, Jean-Charles Moise, said the new government would soon be installed with a judge, Durin Duret Jr., as chairman assisted by former rebel leader and former police commissioner Guy Philippe, and Francoise Saint-Vil Villier, from the religious sector, a close ally to Moise.
“PM Henry and all the other members of the government must resign or they will face the consequences,” Moise told journalists on Tuesday.
“Many ministers and other government officials have gone into hiding, because they are nowhere to be found,” Moise said, promising that members of government who would cooperate would have nothing to fear.
But, he warned, “those who would remain faithful to Ariel Henry would have to face the population’s anger and would be sought after and chased.”
Moise has also warned foreign diplomats not to interfere with the countries’ internal matters, under the penalty of being kicked out of the country.
” Any good help from cooperating countries will be welcome, but everything should be done according to terms that take into account our interests and dignity,” Moise told reporters.
Bursts of automatic weapons were fired, until late Monday night, from outside the international airport towards the landing runway, with gunmen simulating taking down an aircraft.
Footage obtained by Haitian-Caribbean News Network (HCNN) shows a man standing on the roof of a sports utility vehicle and firing a machine gun toward the runway, to show what could happen to Henry tries to enter the country by air on Tuesday night.
And many of the gunmen came from nearby slums part of the larger gang coalition.
Members of the group appeared on Tuesday very determined to install a new regime to effectively lead the country unless a firm and resolute decision by the United States or other big international players – such as Canada, France or Europe – to compel actors to do otherwise.
The gang members seem ready to start the takeover process immediately with political observers noting “They now control the country; there’s absolutely no challenge to their efforts to establish themselves as Haiti’s new masters.”
Approximately 5,000 detainees have fled Haiti’s prison and the bodies of at least 14 people have been counted on the streets in different neighborhoods of the capital Port-au-Prince, several rights groups told HCNN.
“At the national penitentiary, six or seven detainees were killed. Three were found dead in the immediate surroundings of the prison, while two or three were killed inside the facility,” said Pierre Rene Francois, Haitian police inspector general, in charge of the country’s jails.
Source- CMC
Facebook and Instagram restored after outages
Meta says it has resolved a "technical issue" which caused Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram to go down.
Hundreds of thousands of users worldwide were unable to access them for around two hours on Tuesday.
People trying to log onto the websites and apps were finding error messages and were unable to refresh their feeds as normal.
Meta also apologized to those who had been affected, saying it resolved the problem as quickly as it could.
Tracking website Downdetector indicated the outages had affected multiple countries.
Meta's platforms are some of the most popular in the world. Facebook has three billion active monthly users, while Instagram is expected to hit 1.4 billion worldwide later this year.
Threads, its rival to Twitter, which was launched in 2023, also reported outages. WhatsApp - which Meta also owns - was unaffected.
The biggest outage Meta experienced was in 2021 when founder Mark Zuckerberg apologised for the disruption caused.
On that occasion, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram services went down for almost six hours.
Source- BBC
Usher and Ludacris celebrate their hit topping 1 billion streams, 13 million in sales
"Yeah!," the 2004 #1 hit by Usher, Ludacris, and Lil Jon, recently hit some new milestones, both before and after the Super Bowl.
On X, formerly Twitter, Luda showed off a Spotify plaque marking 1 billion streams for "Yeah!" and also a February 9 certification by the Recording Industry Association of America showing sales of 13 million units of the song. The certification came two days before the Super Bowl, during which Usher performed the song. It's not clear when the 1 billion mark was hit.
"That DAMN SUPER BOWL EFFECT Was The Cherry On Top," Luda wrote. "CONGRATS to my brothers @usher @liljon, [writer] @seangarrettpen & ALL THE FANS THAT MADE THIS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SONGS IN HISTORY!!!!"
Usher reposted Luda's message and added, "We did that bro. Thank U to everyone who ever pressed play!!"
Billboard reports that "Yeah!," which spent 12 weeks at #1 upon its release, is the first Spotify billion-stream song for all three artists. It also won the Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
Billboard also notes that after Usher's halftime show performance, "Yeah!" saw the biggest increase in streams of all the songs in his catalog: it experienced a 105% boost.
Philadelphia Eagles' Jason Kelce announces NFL retirement after 13 seasons
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce announced his retirement on Monday after 13 seasons in the NFL.
The Super Bowl champion and seven-time Pro Bowler held a press conference at the Eagles facility to share the announcement.
In an emotional speech, Kelce highlighted the many highs and lows of his time in the NFL and his college years, explaining what drew him to the game.
"I've been asked many times: Why did I choose football? What drew me to the game? And I never have an answer that gets it right," he said. "The best way I could explain it is what draws you to your favorite song ... your favorite book. It's what it makes you feel. The seriousness of it. The intensity of it. Stepping on the field was the most alive and free I had ever felt."
He also looked back on his 13-year career with the Eagles, which he recounted as "filled with ups and downs."
"This all brings us here to today, where I announce ... I am retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles," he said.
In addition to thanking his coaches, support staff, college trainers and loved ones for their support through the years, Jason gave a special shout-out to his wife, Kylie Kelce, with whom he shares three children.
Jason also took time to recognize his brother, Travis Kelce, for his role in shaping the man and player he became.
"There is no chance I'd be here without the bond Travis and I share. It made me stronger, tougher, smarter, and it taught me the values of cooperation, loyalty, patience and understanding. It's only too poetic that I found my career being fulfilled in the City of Brotherly Love. I knew that relationship all too well," he said.
Source-ABC
3-DAY PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST
GENERAL SITUATION: THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS REMAIN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A SURFACE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING FROM THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION IN ATLANTIC WATERS DUE TO MODERATE NORTHEAST TO EASTERLY SWELLS.
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, WARM, AND BREEZY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS POSSIBLE. MOSTLY FAIR AND BREEZY AT NIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IS IN EFFECT FOR NEARSHORE WHILE AN ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ATLANTIC EXPOSURES
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET NEARSHORE BUILDING UP TO 6 TO 8 FEET OFFSHORE ALONG ATLANTIC EXPOSURES
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 82°F 28°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 73°F 23°C
SUNSET: 05:54 PM
NEXT HIGH TIDE: 02:44 PM (2.0 FT)
NEXT LOW TIDE: 08:50 PM (0.7 FT)
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS: HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING WILL PERSIST OVER THE AREA SUPPORTING FAIR WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS.
FORECAST FOR TUESDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, WARM AND BREEZY. MOSTLY FAIR AND BREEZY AT NIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR ATLANTIC EXPOSURES.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 6 TO 8 FEET IN NORTHEASTERLY TO EASTERLY SWELL
SUNRISE: 06:05 AM
SUNSET: 05:54 PM
HIGH TIDE: 03:44 AM (2.6 FT)
LOW TIDE: 10:21 AM (1.0 FT)
FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, WARM, AND BREEZY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS POSSIBLE. MOSTLY FAIR AND BREEZY AT NIGHT
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION WILL BE IN EFFECT.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 5 TO 7 FEET IN NORTHEASTERLY TO EASTERLY SWELL
SUNRISE: 06:04 AM
SUNSET: 05:54 PM
HIGH TIDE: 04:44 AM (3.0 FT)
LOW TIDE: 11:18 AM (1.0 FT)
NSC speaks on TCI's National Security
Acting Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams, and Premier Honourable Charles Washington Misick co-chaired an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, on Monday 4 March 2024, to discuss the escalating volatility and unrest in Haiti with key frontline agencies to proactively address the situation and to activate comprehensive contingency plans.
The primary objective of these measures is to fortify and ensure the safety of our borders and to protect the citizens, residents, and visitors of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Immigration and Border Services the Honourable Arlington Musgrove; the Permanent Secretary of Immigration and Border Services; the Director General of the Border Force; the Commissioner, Deputy, and Assistant Commissioners of Police; the Colonel of the TCI Regiment; and other strategic national agencies.
Recognizing the potentially far-reaching impact of the situation in Haiti on the Turks and Caicos Islands, the National Security Council is working to ensure that effort is undertaken to implement robust measures that will protect the islands from potential threats.
Collaborating closely with our international partners in the Bahamas, the United States, and the United Kingdom, the Turks and Caicos Islands is reinforcing its collective efforts to address the evolving circumstances.
In an immediate response to the developing situation, the National Security Council has activated a Strategic Coordinating Group (SGC) as of today 4 March 2024. This group will be responsible for coordinating and operationalizing a comprehensive strategy on land, air, and sea. This includes the deployment of marine assets, the co-opting of air support, and additional land patrols.
The Council further agreed on the continuation of Operation Shepherd, a joint operation between the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and the TCI Regiment. This joint operation seeks to tackle serious and organized crime and provide reassurance to our communities through stepped-up patrols and other operations.
Additionally, contact has been made with the TCI Airports Authority and local air carriers regarding the discontinuation of normal flight operations into Haiti. InterCaribbean has suspended operations into Port-Au-Prince and Caicos Express has suspended their flight operations in Cap-Haitien. Flight operations into Haiti will continue to be monitored.
The National Security Council remains steadfast in its commitment to prioritizing the protection and safety of our islands. As the situation unfolds, we will continue to keep the public informed and ensure that every necessary step is taken to secure our borders and maintain the safety of our communities.
Fire in North Caicos destroys a church
Just after 7 am on Sunday, March 3rd, officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force responded to a fire report in Kew, North Caicos.
At the scene, police officers and their fire-fighting colleagues saw a section of the structure. The Grace Temple Church of God in Christ is in flames.
Officers and firefighters took immediate steps to ensure public safety, ascertained that no one was within the building, and evacuated nearby properties as a precautionary action.
The RTCIPF is conscious of the concern that the community will feel at the loss of such an important local institution.
This remains an active investigation, with the RTCIPF officers working alongside fire officers to determine the cause.
At this stage, nothing suggests that the cause of the fire was suspicious.