Chelsea complete British record £107m fee for Benfica midfielder
Chelsea has signed Benfica's Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez for a British record 121m euro (£107m) transfer fee.
The deal eclipses the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish in 2021.
Fernandez, who only joined Benfica for a reported £10m in August, was named young player of the tournament during Argentina's World Cup triumph in Qatar.
The 22-year-old's arrival takes Chelsea's January spending to £289m, according to transfer website Transfermarkt.
He has signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
The deal follows an outlay of £270m in the summer - a record for a British club in the summer window - taking their total spend under new American owner Todd Boehly to more than £550m on 17 new players.
It is the joint-sixth most expensive signing of all-time, equalling the 120m euros Barcelona paid for France forward Antoine Griezmann in 2019.
Fernandez, signed by Benfica from Argentine side River Plate, has scored four goals in 29 appearances for the Primeira Liga side.
Benfica confirmed on Tuesday night that River Plate will earn 25% of the transfer fee, around 30m euros.
He scored once during the World Cup, netting Argentina's second goal in their 2-0 group-stage win over Mexico.
"The spending now from Chelsea is a staggering, eye-watering amount of money," said BBC Radio 5 Live senior football reporter Ian Dennis.
"What an excellent bit of business from Benfica, who held their nerve because Chelsea has pursued him throughout the whole window. Bit of brinkmanship and they've got their rewards."
European football expert Guillem Balague added: "He didn't start the World Cup but he was absolutely crucial to Argentina winning it. It is down to his reading of the game.
"You look at what he did during the World Cup and you think 'really? Is that 121m euros?' but the answer is no - you didn't see the full picture. He is much more than that.
"He can play in any place in the midfield. He can be a holding midfielder, on the right, on the left, the stats show he increases the quality on the move, he gives the last pass and the one before last - and he's been scoring as well.
"It's not easy to find that kind of player that when the game goes into a really high intensity he still displays good football."
Source - BBC
Governor and Premier make official visit to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas
On 4th to 8th December 2022, a delegation led by His Excellency the Governor, Nigel Dakin and the Premier, Honorable Charles W. Missick made an official visit to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The delegation also included officials from the National Security Secretariat, Police, TCI Regiment and the Office of the Premier.
Day one of the three-day visit included meetings with: the Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Phillip Davis; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service, Hon. Frederick Mitchell; the Ministry of National Security, Hon. Wayne Monroe; the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Commodore Raymond King and the British High Commission.
The agenda for the second day involved a courtesy call with H.E. Governor General, Sir Cornelius Smith, followed by detailed meetings with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, led by its Commander, Dr Raymond King and the Royal Bahamas Police Force led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Leamond Deleveaux. This included a tour of the Defence Force base at Coral Harbour. The second day ended with a meeting with the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Michael Pintard.
On the third day, the TCI delegation was hosted by the United States Embassy led by Mrs. Usha Pitts, Charge d’ Affaires, and the United States Coast Guard led by Captain Benjamin Golightly. That evening a reception was held by the Charge d’ Affaires and, on the previous evening, a formal Dinner by the Governor General.
The focus of the visit was threefold - to say thank you to the Government of the Bahamas for their support over the last year – particularly the deployment of twenty-four Bahamian Police Officers to TCI and the operationalizing of the Bahamas/TCI Ship-Rider Agreement. TCI also noted and welcomed the decentralization of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force which brought naval assets closer to the TCI borders and opportunities to further fuse and co-ordinate our collective surveillance assets, including TCI being invited to provide Liaison Officers in the Bahamas Defense Force Command Centre to better fuse maritime intelligence.
Secondly, to brief on and discuss matters of shared National Security interests and threats. Thematic areas of mutual interest included: Operation Bahamas and Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) including the next OPBAT conference, scheduled for March 2023; maritime security (future ratification of jurisdictional boundaries between the TCI and Bahamas); expansion of coastal radar networks; decentralization of Defence Force naval assets; expanding the Bahamas/TCI Ship-Rider program; and sharing of resources, information and intelligence which will be aided by TCI’s new legal intercept provisions.
Additionally, through discussions with Bahamian colleagues, it was evident that TCI and the Bahamas face similar threats individually and collectively in the region including trans-national gangs, smuggling of people, illicit drugs and weapons and the continued destabilization of Haiti – which if left unchecked - could lead to a mass migration event that could have significant implications for the Lucayan Island chain (TCI and Bahamas).
Thirdly, the delegation from TCI sought to explore areas to deepen and strengthen TCI’s friendship with the Bahamas – now and in the future. TCI advised of its intention to seek full membership of CARICOM - for which a letter of entrustment that allows for this negotiation has been provided by the United Kingdom. Deliberations consisted of a request to extend the Bahamian Police contingent in TCI – since agreed - and strengthening the: National Security-to-National Security, Police-to-Police and Military–to-Military relationships including information sharing, improved collaboration and training.
Moreover, the unanimous resolve is to establish and strengthen a relationship between our national security functions on all matters of national security. In this first instance, both countries will seek to learn from each other on two key common challenges: informal settlements and causes of crime.
Furthermore, the TCI offered the Royal Bahamas Defence Force an opportunity to host and deploy their naval assets in Grand Turk, to jointly task the aerial surveillance aircraft that is being procured by the United Kingdom, for TCI, and to share – in real time, TCI’s coastal radar network with the Maritime Operations Center in the Bahamas. This mutually beneficial arrangement will expand the Bahamian southern border of protection while allowing for increased coverage of TCI’s waters.
Also, the Premier, in communicating his intention to open an official TCIG office in Nassau in February 2023 had this to say:
“As part of the Turks and Caicos development goals it is important to leverage the broad contribution that our kin and kind offer to the homeland. While we are reaching out to our global diaspora family it is generally believed that the largest proportion of Turks and Caicos Islanders live through-out the Bahamas: for that reason it is only fitting that we start by establishing an office there. The office will not have consular status but will with deference to the Governor’s office liaise with the British High Commission in Nassau where and when required to do so.
Additionally, the Bahamas is our closest neighbour. The people of our countries share similar cultures, close family ties and perform important roles in each other countries. We also enjoy a high level of informal co-operation in many fields including security, medicine law and politics. Additionally, we share leadership of several church and civic organisations. The Bahamas has been a friend to the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is only fitting that we formally recognise our friendship and a commitment to work closely together in our mutual interest. An office in the Nassau will help us to do just that. We also welcome the expressed intention of the Bahamas to establish a consular office in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
H.E Nigel Dakin said:
“The Bahamas could not have made us feel more welcome or valued. The regional and trans-national threats we face are too large for TCI to face alone. Indeed, because criminals and smugglers so easily cross borders, they are too large for the Bahamas, or even the US, to face alone. We are stronger together - and our individual security needs to be increasingly thought of in terms of our collective security.
We have worked diligently over recent years to strengthen OPBAT. We can feel the difference at sea, and the Bahamas support to our Policing effort has helped demonstrate that very clearly to our population on land.
But there is so much more we can do together - particularly in the area of intelligence sharing, where TCI is developing, and will develop further strength, that our allies can draw on. While the threat won’t diminish, I’m confident our collective response will only now accelerate, and we can disrupt and arrest those that believe they can operate between and against our jurisdictions. I look forward to the OPBAT Conference in March to continue this engagement and I’m grateful that the Bahama’s have chosen to continue their Tactical Firearms Officer Support to us as we enter 2023”.
(Turks and Caicos Islands Government Delegation with the leadership of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force)
Government Dental Services - Dentist to visit South Caicos
The General Public is hereby informed, that the Government Dentist will be visiting the Island of SOUTH CAICOS on Thursday January 26, 2023.
ALL persons requiring dental treatment, should visit the South Caicos Primary Health Clinic, during normal working hours.
The Government Dentist will be doing regular visits on the Second and Last Thursday of every month.
Please ensure that you wear your mask/face covering to attend the clinic, practice social distancing and follow the Ministry of Health Protocols as it relates to Covid-19. Persons with symptoms of Covid-19 are reminded to stay home and call the Health/Coronavirus Hotlines (649) 333-0911 OR (649) 232-9444.
For more information, Please Contact the Dental Clinic in South Caicos on Telephone – 232-3216
US accuses Google of 'driving out' ad rivals
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and eight US states have filed a case against Google alleging it has too much power over the online ad market.
Its anti-competitive actions had "weakened if not destroyed competition in the ad tech industry", US Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
Google accused the DOJ of "doubling down on a flawed argument".
The case attempted to "pick winners and losers" in a competitive industry, the firm said.
Online advertising accounts for the lion's share of Google's multibillion dollar revenue.
Google is the market leader, but its slice of total US digital ad income has fallen from 36.7% in 2016 to 28.8% in 2022, according to market research firm Insider Intelligence.
Mr Garland alleged that Google's anti-competitive conduct extended into three key areas:
It controls the technology used by nearly all major website publishers to offer ad space for sale.
It controls the leading tool used by advertisers to buy ad space.
It controls the largest ad exchange that matches publishers and advertisers.
As a result of Google's scheme, "website creators earn less and advertisers pay more", Mr Garland said.
It meant that fewer publishers were able to offer content without subscriptions, paywalls, or other forms of monetisation.
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter alleged that the firm's actions over 15 years had the effect of "driving out rivals, diminishing competition, inflating advertising costs, reducing website publisher revenues, stymieing innovation and flattening our public marketplace of ideas".
But in a statement to the BBC Google said the legal action "attempts to pick winners and losers in the highly competitive advertising technology sector.
"It largely duplicates an unfounded lawsuit by the Texas Attorney General, much of which was recently dismissed by a federal court.
"DOJ is doubling down on a flawed argument that would slow innovation, raise advertising fees, and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow."
In a blog post Dan Taylor, vice president of global ads said the DOJ's action would "reverse years of innovation, harming the broader advertising sector".
The almost 150-page complaint accuses Google of breaches of US antitrust law and aims to "halt Google's anti-competitive scheme, unwind Google's monopolistic grip on the market, and restore competition to digital advertising".
It could lead to the break-up of the firm's advertising business if the courts side with the US government. The Justice Department complaint asks the court to compel Google to divest parts of its ad business.
The US states of Connecticut, California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia are also joining the legal action.
This latest case follows a 2020 action launched during the Trump presidency against the tech giant over its dominance in search.
Source-BBC
Classified documents found at former vice-president's home
Classified files have been found at ex-US Vice-President Mike Pence's home in the latest discovery of secret papers at the homes of officials who have served in the top ranks of government.
The documents, discovered by a lawyer last week for Mr Pence at his Indiana home, have been handed over to the FBI.
Investigators are already looking into President Joe Biden and ex-President Donald Trump's possession of files.
Mr Trump faces a criminal investigation for allegedly mishandling papers.
Representatives for Mr Pence sent a letter to the National Archives alerting them to the documents.
The FBI came to the former vice-president's home to collect the documents, bypassing "standard procedures" and requesting "direct possession" of them, lawyers added in a separate letter.
Under the Presidential Records Act, White House records are supposed to go to the National Archives once an administration ends. Regulations require such files to be stored securely.
A "small number of documents bearing classified markings" were "inadvertently boxed and transported" to Mr Pence's home at the end of Mr Trump's presidency, his lawyer wrote in a letter shared with US media.
The latest development emerged after Mr Pence sought legal help from specialists in handling classified documents "out of an abundance of caution".
He asked for help "after it became public that documents with classified markings were found in President Joe Biden's Wilmington residence", the letter read.
Lawyers found "a small number of documents that could potentially contain sensitive or classified information", which were locked by the former vice-president in a safe.
After the letter became public, Mr Trump came to Mr Pence's defence, taking to his Truth Social social media platform to say that he is "an innocent man".
"He never did anything knowingly dishonest in his life," Mr Trump wrote. "Leave him alone!!!"
Mr Pence had repeatedly said over the last months that he did not believe he was in possession of classified documents.
Earlier this month, he told the BBC's US partner CBS that he was confident reviews of documents in his home were done "in a thorough and careful way".
Mr Biden previously said he had "no regrets" over not going public before the midterm elections with the news that classified documents had been discovered in his private office.
Six more classified files were found during a 13-hour search of President Biden's home in Delaware on Friday, his lawyer Bob Bauer said in a statement on Saturday.
The documents unearthed so far are believed to be related to Mr Biden's eight-year tenure as vice-president under former President Barack Obama.
Mr Biden offered access "to his home to allow DoJ [the Department of Justice] to conduct a search of the entire premises for potential vice-presidential records and potential classified material", Mr Bauer added.
Earlier this month, Mr Biden's lawyers said a first batch of classified documents had been found on 2 November at the Penn Biden Center, a think tank that the president founded in Washington DC.
A second batch of records was found on 20 December in the garage at his Wilmington home, while another document was found in a storage space at the house on 12 January, his lawyers said.
The discoveries at the homes of Mr Pence and Mr Biden come as Mr Trump faces a special counsel inquiry over his alleged mishandling of documents.
Hundred of classified records were found at Mr Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago residence - Mr Trump and his lawyers resisted handing over the documents until the FBI raided the Florida holiday home last August.
He denied any wrongdoing, alleging that President Biden was being treated more favourably by the FBI.
Source-BBC
Babyface, Sheryl Lee Ralph tapped to perform at Super Bowl LVII pregame show
Babyface and Sheryl Lee Ralph will warm up the crowd ahead of Super Bowl LVII. The stars have been tapped as entertainment for the event's pregame show.
According to a press release, Babyface will sing "America the Beautiful." Sheryl, who recently won an Emmy for her role in Abbott Elementary, will showcase her singing during a performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
Also taking the stage is Chris Stapleton, who will sing the national anthem.
Super Bowl LVII will take place at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona on Sunday, February 12. The game will air on FOX and will feature a halftime show headlined by Rihanna.
Source- ABC
Academy Award Nominees Revealed
All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fablemans, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick, Triangle of Sadness, and Women Talking are the Best Picture nominees for the 95th annual Academy Awards, announced Tuesday morning by Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams.
The 95th annual Academy Awards Oscars will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
The ceremony will also stream on ABC.com and Hulu Live TV.
Over $1M in marijuana at Trinidad PoS port
Over $1 million worth of marijuana was seized at the Port of Port of Spain on Monday.
It was found during a joint intelligence-led, anti-crime exercise conducted by a team of officers from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the Customs and Excise Division and Port Authority Police.
Around 1.45 p.m. on Monday, the team went to a shed at the port, where a shipping crate was checked and searched. They found 18 black plastic packages, each containing quantities of marijuana which amounted to 28.8 kilogrammes, with a street value of $1,077,120.
The evidence was processed by crime scene investigation officers, who were able to find and process workable prints.
The exercise was supervised by Senior Superintendent Subhash Ramkhelawan and Superintendent Parriman of the Port of Spain Criminal Investigations Department/ Criminal Records Office (CID/CRO), and conducted by Sgt Bhagwandeen, acting Cpls Neaves, Forgenie and Holloway and constables Greene and Daniel. Supervisor Ramdath led the contingent from the Custom and Excise Division, while Superintendent Ali supervised the officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Port Authority Police.
Investigations are being conducted by acting Cpl Holloway of the Port of Spain CID/CRO, and Customs Officer II Augustus, of the Customs and Excise Division.
Source-TNT Express
Ukraine expects to receive 100 leopard 2 tanks from 12 countries - as long as Germany green lights
Twelve countries have agreed to supply Ukraine with a total of around 100 Leopard 2 tanks if the German government gives its consent, according to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke exclusively to ABC News.
Those agreements, the source said, were made at Friday’s summit at Ramstein US Air Force Base in Germany when allied nations discussed military support for Ukraine. Countries such as Poland and Finland have already indicated publicly that they are willing to provide a number of their Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian official with knowledge of the matter said Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark were also willing to provide some of their tanks, however Germany’s consent was still necessary for the coalition of countries to proceed on the matter. The catch is that since it's the country where the military hardware is manufactured, Germany has to approve the export license.
Earlier this month the UK made a symbolic gesture by pledging to supply Ukraine with 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks. The move was a blatant attempt by the UK government to convince Berlin to move on its Leopards.
Source-ABC
TCI 3 Day Weather Forecast
A SURFACE RIDGE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE AREA AND FAIR WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST TODAY.
ALL AREAS WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND A BIT BREEZY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS POSSIBLE
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS, FALLING TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN, DIMINISHING TO 2 TO 4 FEET BY AFTERNOON
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 83°F 28°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 70°F 21°C
SUNSET: 5:31 PM
TIDES
NEXT LOW TIDE: 3:48 PM (0.7 FT)
NEXT HIGH TIDE: 9:35 PM (2.6 FT)
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS: THE HIGH PRESSURE WILL SHIFT NORTHEAST AS A COLD FRONT MOVES OFF THE FLORIDA COAST THIS EVENING MOVING THROUGH THE BAHAMA ARCHIPELAGO. A HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BEHIND THE FRONT, GENERATING BREEZY CONDITIONS THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
FORECAST FOR TUESDAY
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY AND BREEZY WITH FEW PASSING SHOWERS POSSIBLE.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET, BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FEET
SUNRISE: 6:28 AM
SUNSET: 5:32 PM
LOW TIDE: 3:48 AM (0.3 FT) 4:34 PM (0.7 FT)
HIGH TIDE: 10:10 AM (3.0 FT) 10:29 PM (2.6 FT)
FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND BREEZY WITH FEW PASSING SHOWERS POSSIBLE.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
SUNRISE: 6:28 AM
SUNSET: 5:33 PM
LOW TIDE: 4:44 AM (0.7 FT) 5:21 PM (0.7 FT)
HIGH TIDE: 10:59 AM (2.6 FT) 11:26 PM (2.6 FT)