Premier Missick -“We are devastated by the tragedy on November 1st"
Yesterday was a very sad day in the TCI as we saw a family murdered within the community of Dock Yard….
The Hon. Premier Charles Washington Missick issued a statement late yesterday on the tragic loss… stating “We are devastated by the tragedy that occurred on November 1st, the latest incident to shake our country. I share my deepest sympathies with the friends and loved ones of those who lost their lives, especially the child who must now navigate life without the love, guidance, and protection of her siblings and parents.”
We have seen a severe increase in violent crimes in the last few months, with our murder rate climbing to 30 for the year. This is as mentioned yesterday a record number for the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Turks and Caicos have received assistance from the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, and beyond in trying to combat this issue, however, residents are still afraid.
The Premier added that the Police Force along with their resources are capable of putting an end to this violent streak.
“The situation may feel dire, but we have a strong, capable team that is making great strides to end this dark chapter. I thank our Parliament for recently passing legislation that will further empower this team to identify and bring justice to criminals on our islands.”
The government has recently introduced The Firearms Amendment Bill 2022 which sought to introduce higher penalties for the possession of unlicensed firearms, or possession of a prohibited weapon or ammunition. Any person found in possession of an unlicensed firearm will now face a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 12 years and those in possession of a high-powered weapon or ammunition will serve no less than 18 years.
Individuals with any knowledge of illegal immigration activity, or knowledge regarding a crime can contact Crimestoppers anonymously at 1-800-346-8477, the Immigration Intelligence Unit at 649-338-4415 or tciintel@gov.tc
Elon Musk says $8 monthly fee for Twitter blue tick
Elon Musk has said Twitter will charge $8 (£7) monthly to Twitter users who want a blue tick by their name indicating a verified account.
As part of changes after a $44bn (£38bn) takeover of the social media site, Mr. Musk said it was "essential to defeat spam/scam".
A blue tick symbol next to a username - normally for high-profile figures - is currently free.
The move could make it harder to identify reliable sources, say critics.
Mr. Musk, the world's richest person, added that paid users would have priority in replies and searches, and half as many advertisements.
"Power to the people! Blue for $8/month," the billionaire said on Twitter, criticizing the old method of blue tick verification as a "lords and peasants system".
But Nu Wexler, former Twitter Head of Global Policy Communications, warned that introducing a fee for blue ticks could make it harder to spot disinformation.
Twitter's former method of verifying users for a blue tick included a short online application form and was reserved for those whose identities were targets for impersonation, such as celebrities, politicians, and journalists.
The company introduced the system in 2009 after it faced a lawsuit accusing it of not doing enough to prevent imposter accounts. According to reports in the Guardian newspaper, there were about 400,000 verified users on Twitter as of 2021.
But Mr. Musk is still facing a hefty challenge as he works to overhaul Twitter's business, which has not posted a profit in years.
He has said he wants to reduce Twitter's reliance on advertising, even as some companies have grown concerned about advertising on the site under his leadership.
General Motors - a rival of Mr. Musk's electric car company Tesla - said last week it was suspending advertising on the site.
Source- BBC
Wednesday's Weather forecast for the Turks & Caicos Islands
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS FROM WEDNESDAY, 02 NOVEMBER 2022
GENERAL SITUATION: HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC WILL MAINTAIN MOSTLY STABLE CONDITIONS WHILE SUPPORTING MODERATE TO FRESH WINDS ACROSS THE AREA TODAY.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BEACHGOERS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG EAST COAST BEACHES.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY, WARM, AND A BIT BREEZY WITH FEW PASSING SHOWERS TODAY. MOSTLY FAIR AND MILD TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN... SEAS SLIGHTLY HIGHER IN NORTHEASTERLY SWELLS ALONG ATLANTIC EXPOSURES.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 90 °F 32 °C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE: 73 °F 23 °C
SUNSET: 6:11 PM
TIDES (Height over chart datum)
NEXT HIGH TIDE: 3:06 PM (2.6 FT)
NEXT LOW TIDE: 9:39 PM (1.0 FT)
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:
FORECAST FOR THURSDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND A BIT BREEZY WITH FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS. ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 3 TO 5 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
SUNRISE: 6:54 AM
SUNSET: 6:11 PM
HIGH TIDE: 3:26 AM (2.3 FT) 4:07 PM (2.6 FT)
LOW TIDE: 9:37 AM (0.7 FT) 10:35 PM (0.7 FT)
FORECAST FOR FRIDAY
WEATHER: VARIABLE CLOUDINESS, WARM AND BREEZY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
SUNRISE: 6:54 AM
SUNSET: 6:11 PM
HIGH TIDE: 4:34 AM (2.3 FT) 5:04 PM (2.6 FT)
LOW TIDE: 10:48 AM (0.7 FT) 11:27 PM (0.7 FT)
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK:
1. AT 700 AM CDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE LISA IS ABOUT 60 MILES NORTH OF ROATAN ISLAND, HONDURAS, AND HAS MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 75 MPH. LISA IS MOVING WEST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR.
2. AT 500 AM AST, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM MARTIN IS ABOUT IS ABOUT 755 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF BERMUDA WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 65 MILES PER HOUR. MARTIN IS MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR. A TURN NORTHEASTWARD AND RAPID ACCELERATION ARE EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS.
3. A COMPLEX, BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS WEEKEND NEAR THE GREATER ANTILLES OR OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC. THE SYSTEM HAS A LOW OR 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF FORMATION THROUGH THE NEXT FIVE DAYS.
Ford’s October sales slide 10%
Ford Motor U.S. sales last month declined by 10% as the automaker battled through supply chain issues that delayed shipments to dealers.
The Detroit automaker on Wednesday reported sales of 158,327 new vehicles in October, which was off from nearly 176,000 units sold during the same month a year earlier. It was the second-straight month of year-over-year declines after two months of double-digit increases over subdued sales constrained by semiconductor shortages.
Ford’s October sales were far lower than the overall industry. Edmunds reports overall auto sales increased 9.1% compared with a year earlier to nearly 1.2 million vehicles sold.
Ford has experienced unique supply chain issues lately, including sourcing of its blue oval badges for highly profitable pickup trucks and SUVs. The automaker had roughly 40,000 vehicles awaiting parts by to end of the third quarter. It said last week it expects to complete and ship those vehicles to dealers by the end of the year.
Andrew Frick, Ford's vice president of sales, distribution & trucks, said the automaker “continues to see strong demand for its vehicles” amid rising interest rates, record inflation, and recessionary fears.
Ford said orders for 2023 model-year vehicles totaled 255,000. Roughly half of those were retail sales from previously placed orders, according to the company.
Sales of Ford’s profitable F-Series pickups were off by 17.4% last month from October 2021, contributing to a roughly 13% year-to-date decline heading into the last two months of the year. The company sold 11,196 models of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup through October, including 2,436 vehicles last month.
Ford’s 2022 all-electric vehicle sales totaled roughly 47,500 units through October, accounting for about 3% of the automaker’s sales. A majority of those sales were Mustang Mach-E crossovers, which have increased 44% compared with last year to more than 31,000 units.
Source-CNBC
CLEMENT HOWELL wins the 2022 boys football tournament
Clement Howell High school won the 2022 high school boys' tournament over the weekend for the second time. Additionally, Marjorie Basden High is the girl's champion.
More on this story later.
South Korea probes Halloween crowd surge as nation mourns
South Korean police investigated on Monday what caused a crowd surge that killed more than 150 people including 26 foreigners during Halloween festivities in Seoul in the country’s worst disaster in years, as President Yoon Suk Yeol and tens of thousands of others paid respects to the dead at special mourning sites.
Saturday’s disaster was concentrated in a sloped, narrow alley in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood, a popular nightlife district, with witnesses and survivors recalling a “hell-like” chaos with people falling on each other like dominoes. They said the entire Itaewon area was jammed with slow-moving vehicles and partygoers clad in Halloween costumes, making it impossible for rescuers and ambulances to reach the crammed alleys in time.
Police said they’ve launched a 475-member task force to investigate the crush.
Officers have obtained videos taken by about 50 security cameras in the area and are also analyzing video clips posted on social media. They have interviewed more than 40 witnesses and survivors so far, senior police officer Nam Gu-Jun told reporters Monday.
Other police officers said they are trying to find exactly when and where the crowd surge started and how it developed. They said a team of police officers and government forensic experts searched the Itaewon area on Monday.
“The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and do its best to make necessary improvements of systems to prevent a similar accident from recurring,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at the start of a government meeting on the disaster.
The dead included 26 foreign nationals.
Source-AP
US mortgage rates top 7% for first time in two decades
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate topped 7% for the first time in more than two decades this week, a result of the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes intended to tame inflation not seen in some 40 years.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the key 30-year rate jumped to 7.08% from 6.94% last week. The last time the average rate was above 7% was April 2002, a time when the U.S. was still reeling from the September 11 terrorist attacks, but six years away from the 2008 housing market collapse that triggered the Great Recession.
Fighting in Ukraine intensifies as Putin says he won’t use nuclear bombs
Ukrainian forces surrounded the city of Kherson Thursday as they sought to retake it amid reports that Russian-appointed officials had fled.
The counteroffensive happened as Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a foreign policy conference, saying that Moscow has no intention of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
“We see no need for that,” he said. Putin also doubled down on his accusation that the US and its allies of using Ukraine to secure domination.
Source-ABC
MURDER & WOUNDING
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force officers are investigating a shooting that resulted in one man being killed and another seriously injured.
Initial reports state at around 6.05 pm today (October 26th, 2022), multiple calls were placed to the Police Control Room, and gunshots were being heard in the vicinity of the James Stubbs building along Leeward Highway. Additional calls to the Police Control Room reported that the body of a male was lying near Monica Bar bleeding.
Upon arrival, RTCIPF officers saw the bleeding bodies of two males at the scene.
The first victim was conscious with a gunshot wound to the left side of his body, while the second victim was lifeless.
The public is being advised to notify the closest police station or to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 and give any information about these incidents anonymously.
Rihanna releases emotional "Lift Me Up" music video, featuring scenes from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Rihanna not only released her first song in six years, "Lift Me Up," she also followed up with its music video on Friday.
The clip features Rihanna standing before a bonfire on the beach as the sun sets over the tranquil ocean. Interspersed between Rihanna performing the song are clips from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Each scene shows one of the main characters looking solemn, starting with Letitia Wright's Shuri at what appears to be a celebration of life. Another scene shows Angela Bassett's Queen Ramonda sitting at her throne as Danai Gurira's Okoye cries, while the final glimpse is of Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia wearing armor and staring at the ocean.
"Lift Me Up" is the lead single off the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever -- Music From and Inspired By soundtrack. The track is also a tribute and send-off to Chadwick Boseman, who starred as T'Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Boseman died in 2020 after a silent battle with colon cancer at age 43.
Rihanna penned the track alongside Nigerian artist Tems, Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson, and director Ryan Coogler.
Tems spoke about the track's significance in a Wednesday statement: "After speaking with Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I've lost in my life. I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens November 11 from Marvel Studios, which is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
Source-ABC