CDB’s 52nd Annual Meeting Starts Today
The on-island activities as part of the final leg of the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) 52nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors here in the Turks & Caicos Islands begun this morning, with some 200 delegates meeting at the Shore Club in Providenciales. Activities will continue to take place over the next few days until Thursday, 16th June.
The meeting, held under the chairmanship of the Premier of the TCI and CDB Governor for the British Overseas Territories, Honourable Charles Washington Misick, will see discussions on key development challenges facing the region and innovative solutions. A delegation from the African Development Bank is also expected, with the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, being the featured speaker of the William G. Demas Memorial Lecture, hosted at Beaches Turks & Caicos on Tuesday, 14 June. The on-island activities will be the climax of the series of events as part of the 52nd Annual Meeting.
Premier Misick expressed that the TCI is happy to host the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the CDB under the theme Measure Better to Target Better: Adaptation and Resilience.
He said that working with the staff of the CDB, the country has shaped an exciting series of activities to make this annual meeting memorable and impactful. The meetings, seminars, and other events promise to enrich and enlighten.
Radio Turks & Caicos will be bringing live coverage of various CDB events throughout the week, including the official opening ceremony on Wednesday.
Crime on the Rise in TCI
From April 2021 to March 2022, overall crime in the country rose by 10%, says Commissioner of Police, Trevor Botting, in releasing some of the latest crime stats today.
The figures show that crime increased by an additional 157, for a total of 1738 over the 12-month period.
What’s more concerning is that the rise of serious crime is outpacing that of overall crime, rising 13%, with some 355 recorded incidents. This figure is also considerably higher than the five-year average from 2021 to 2022.
Commenting on the rise in crime, Commissioner Botting says that whilst overall crime and the number of serious crimes have risen by 10% and 13 % respectively, the Turks and Caicos suffered a very significant surge in crime during the months of January and February 2022.
This surge accounted for 68 additional serious crimes when compared to the year before and in relation to overall crime, the same two months saw an additional 121 crimes when compared with January and February 2021. Police believe these additional crimes were carried out by a very small number of prolific offenders who are no longer active.
Examining the crime stats further, there were 286 burglaries between April 2021 and March 2022, the same number of offences as the same period the year before. There was a rise in aggravated burglaries of 19 offences compared to the year before with a total of 53 and also a rise in Firearms Offences with an additional 37 crimes compared to the same period the year before.
Despite the concerning rises, there were some reductions with a slight reduction 1% in the number of robberies and a 20% reduction in the number of murders from 20murders in 2020 – 2021 to 16 in 2021 – 2022.
Botting says that the officers and staff of the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force remain committed to the prevention and detection of crime and to keeping communities safe. He says that the force’s response to the surge in crime in the first three months of this year had a positive impact and the targeted operations have continued into the first half of this year.
Botting added that whilst policing is at the forefront of crime prevention and detection through enforcement and the officers and staff within the force have worked very hard to tackle the surge in crime committed by prolific and dangerous criminals, the societal issues that are the causes of crime must be tackled to see a sustained reduction in crime, especially serious crime.
According to the commissioner, the force will be further developing its community policing teams across the TCI over the coming year as well as working with itspartner agencies and communities to tackle crime together and build safer communities.
In more updates from the force.
As of today, 13 June, the force’s Police Records Department in Providenciales will only be open Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 8:30am and 3pm for the collection of Police Certificates of Character. The force says that this is to facilitate the processing of backlogs and will be temporary.
However, they note that in cases of emergency, applications for certificates will be accepted and processed.
The police say that they do understand the challenges the public has encountered in obtaining a police certificate in a timely manner and has apologized for this.
Is Will Smith planning return with an I Am Legend sequel?
According to a report in the UK Sun, a post-Oscars-slap Will Smith is planning to bring his Hollywood career back from the dead with a sequel to his 2007 zombie hit I Am Legend.
The publication reports "the script is being worked on" and is being seen as a comeback vehicle for the actor, who would reprise as scientist Robert Neville.
Smith has stayed out of the public eye since the infamous on-camera incident last March.
A source tells the paper, "The concept is still to be signed off by Warner Brothers, but there has been no indication that Will is off the project."
Smith's Westbrook Entertainment still creatively has the reins at this stage, the source notes. "The reality is that Will will make a comeback at some point and it will be simply down to which studio will be the one to take a chance on him."
Will's career has been put on ice since the incident, which began with a joke by presenter Chris Rock at the expense of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and culminated with the night's eventual Oscar winner slapping the comic across the face, and cursing him out from his seat.
Smith was banned from all Motion Picture Academy events for a decade, and several high-profile projects on which he was working were delayed.
However, a fourth Bad Boys movie is still in the works, according to Sony Pictures head Tom Rothman. He told Deadline, "There weren't any brakes to pump because the car wasn't moving."
Incidentally, Jada addressed the slap on her most recent Red Table Talk, noting of Smith and Rock, "My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile."
Source-ABC
31 arrested with shields, riot gear near Pride parade in Idaho
Police in a small Idaho city arrested 31 people allegedly affiliated with a white nationalist group near a Pride parade, authorities announced on Saturday.
People associated with the group “Patriot Front” allegedly had shields, shin guards, and other riot gear with them, including at least one smoke grenade, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Police Chief Lee White said. They were charged with conspiracy to commit a riot.
The individuals were arrested after a citizen called police to alert them that at least 20 men were seen getting out of a U-Haul van wearing masks and carrying shields, White said. The group, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, has white nationalist ideologies that was founded shortly after the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The arrests come as the Department of Homeland Security warned last week the summer could be a “dynamic” threat landscape, and extremists could target public gatherings, faith-based institutions, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media and perceived ideological opponents.
Source-ABC
Central Bank says recent high international energy prices have boosted local economy
The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT) Monday said signs of a fairly broad-based economic recovery became more evident during the fourth quarter of 2021 and that economic activity in the non-energy sector will continue to recover as the full effect of the re-opening of the country takes root
In its Monetary Policy Report for May, the CBTT said recent high international energy prices have boosted the public finances and external accounts, creating a welcome space for financing further adjustment to the lingering effects of the pandemic.
“In the very uncertain global setting however, the situation can change rapidly and care must therefore be taken to avoid considering this ‘windfall’ as permanent. Much needed structural reforms should also be accelerated to reduce bureaucracy and strengthen Trinidad and Tobago’s dynamism and attractiveness in tourism, financial and other service markets,” the CBTT warned.
It said domestically, higher crude oil and petrochemical production spearheaded a return to positive growth in energy sector activity during the fourth quarter of 2021 and that the rollback of the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions boosted business operations in some non-energy sectors while inflation, though rising, remains relatively contained.
The CBTT noted that export earnings are estimated to have more than doubled, rising by 101 per cent to US$3,384.4 million over the final quarter of 2021, mainly reflecting higher energy exports. “Buoyed by climbing energy commodity prices, energy exports increased by US$1,723.7 million to US$2,839.1 million. In particular, crude oil prices averaged US$77.34 per barrel over the last three months of 2021, compared to US$42.56 per barrel in the comparative period of 2020.
“On a year-on-year basis, increases were recorded across all energy commodity exports – petrochemicals (199.5 per cent), gas (140.8 per cent), and petroleum crude and refined products (98.6 per cent).
“Concurrently, non-energy exports registered a modest decrease of 4.1 per cent to reach US$545.3 million. Notably, the lower non-energy export earnings corresponded to a decline in machinery and transport equipment exports. “
The CBTT said at the same time, total imports grew by 20.8 per cent to US$1,700.6 million, in line with elevated international commodity prices and the reopening of particular sectors in the domestic economy through the implementation of the ‘TT Safe Zones’ initiative, which included restaurants, bars, casinos and cinemas, among others.
t said the value of fuel imports grew by 85.5 per cent to US$377.6 million, largely owing to the upward trajectory in fuel prices. Non-energy imports were marginally higher at US$1,323.0 million as domestic demand recovered at a measured pace.
Trinidad and Tobago’s main trading partner, the US, remained the main source market for imports, followed by China and the European Union – other traditional import markets,’ the CBTT noted.
The CBTT said that bank financing has supported private sector business activity, as evidenced by the pickup in business lending.
“Sluggish employment conditions may have adversely impacted consumer lending, which continued to decline. The Central Bank maintained an accommodative policy stance, in the context of relatively low, supply-side inflation impulses and an incipient economic recovery.”
The CBTT said that production data point to an uptick in energy sector activity in the final months of 2021. In addition, the continued rollback of restrictions on movement led to a gradual resumption in output in many non-energy sector businesses, including distribution, manufacturing and construction. However, supply-side factors are contributing to increases in inflation. The surge in international prices for food staples such as sugar, wheat and vegetable oils, higher
The bank said core inflation, which excludes the food component, also rose with the lowering of the subsidy on domestic gasoline prices, and the pass-through of increases in global costs of construction materials, such as cement, to domestic consumers.
The CBTT said financial system liquidity declined but remained adequate, while interest rate differentials narrowed.
It said excess liquidity, as measured by commercial banks’ reserves held at the Central Bank in excess of the required levels, declined from TT$7.7 billion (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) in November 2021 to TT$3.9 billion in April 2022.
“A rebound in business lending in October 2021, and a continued rise in real estate mortgage lending, contributed to the increase in consolidated system credit. However, consumer lending remains stymied. Credit conditions allowed for a small reduction in bank’s lending rates, from 7.04 per cent to 6.93 per cent on average between September 2021 and March 2022,” the CBTT said.
It said external monetary policy tightening has resulted in the TT/US short-term interest rate differential moving from 27 basis points to -42 basis points below from November 2021 to April 2022; the differentials on the longer term end moved from 356 to 209 basis points.
In this context, the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago kept its monetary policy stance unchanged. The bank kept the short-term rate on its overnight collateralised financing to commercial banks, the Repo rate, at 3.50 per cent following its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meetings in December 2021 and March 2022.
“The MPC focussed on the early signs of domestic economic recovery, boosted by modest business credit expansion and relatively contained cost-push inflation. Nonetheless, the MPC took note of the rising importance of foreign inflationary influences and the fact that higher interest rates abroad could lead to some incentive to capital outflows,” the CBTT added.
Source-CMC
3-DAY PUBLIC FORECAST
GENERAL SITUATION: SURFACE RIDGING CONTINUES TO SUPPORT MODERATE TO LOCALLY
FRESH WINDS ACROSS THE BAHAMAS THROUGH TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: THERE REMAINS A SLIGHT THREAT FOR POSSIBLE WATERSPOUT OR FUNNEL CLOUD ACTIVITY. BEACHGOERS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION ALONG EAST AND SOUTH COAST BEACHES DUE TO THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. THE PUBLIC SHOULD REMAIN HYDRATED AND LIMIT PROLONGED DIRECT SUN EXPOSURE DUE TO TRIPLE DIGIT HEAT INDICES.
AREA—FOR THE TCI ISLANDS & THE BAHAMAS:
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY, HOT AND A BIT HAZY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS. BECOMING MOSTLY FAIR AND WARM TONIGHT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS IN THE TCI PLUS CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. 4 TO 7 FEET OVER THE OCEAN ELSEWHERE.
MONDAY’S HIGH TEMPERATURE: 90°F / 32°C
HEAT INDEX: 101°F / 38°C
TONIGHT’S LOW TEMPERATURE: 80°F / 27°C
SUNRISE: 6:19 AM
SUNSET: 8:00 PM
MOONRISE: 7:27 PM
MOONSET: 6:11 AM
HIGH TIDE: 7:13 AM
LOW TIDE: 1:21 PM
HIGH TIDE: 7:49 PM
LOW TIDE: 2:21 AM TUE.
EXTENDED FORECAST (FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS): HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MODERATE BREEZES AROUND THE NATION. MEANWHILE, AN INTRUDING PLUME OF SAHARAN DUST WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE ISLANDS OF THE BAHAMAS REDUCING AIR QUALITY AND CREATING HAZY SKIES.
FORECAST FOR TUESDAY:
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, HOT AND HAZY BUT BREEZY IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WITH THE CHANCE OF FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS OR AN OFFSHORE THUNDERSTORM. BECOMING MOSTLY FAIR AT NIGHT.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS ELSEWHERE.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 7 FEET ELSEWHERE.
FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY:
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY AND HOT WITH THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF A LIGHT STRAY SHOWER.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS ELSEWHERE.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 7 FEET ELSEWHERE.
St. Lucia, Puerto Rico promoted to League B in Nations League after decisive wins
St. Lucia comfortably defeated Anguilla 2-0 before a home crowd at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground on Sunday night, securing promotion back up to Concacaf Nations League B and a place in the 2023 Gold Cup Prelims.
The first half of the game which was played in League C did not prove to be so easy for the hosts. Anguilla did what they have proven to do throughout this competition – defend well. They were well-organized and their no-nonsense approach was able to keep them in the game.
But the breakthrough came right before halftime. In the 44th minute, a very high cross came towards the Anguillan goal, and goalkeeper Danniell Bailey was unable to punch it away.
Andrus Remy quickly received the failed clearance and coolly finished to put St. Lucia up 1-0 and kick off the party in the crowd.
The hopes for an Anguillan comeback were crushed in the 60th minute when St. Lucia captain Kurt Frederick lined up over the ball on a free-kick from the corner of the 18-yard box and curled one around Bailey to double the lead.
From there, St. Lucia held firm to secure the victory and all the rewards that come with it.
Puerto Rico was also promoted and clinched a 2023 Gold Cup Prelims spot with a 6-0 victory at home over the British Virgin Islands.
The hosts got off to a roaring start at the Estadio Centroamericano de Mayaguez, taking the lead after 12 minutes courtesy of a neatly placed right-footed shot into the corner from Darren Rios. Ricardo Rivera’s low cross earned him the assist.
Jaden Servania was brought down in the box in the 14th minute, and Rivera would join in on the scoring himself, converting the penalty to put Puerto Rico ahead 2-0.
In the 31st minute, the hosts further added to their tally with a beautiful team goal. Kevin Hernandez passed to Nicolas Cardona, who made a one-touch feed to Gerald Diaz, who poked it past British Virgin Islands goalkeeper Daniel Gilford.
Thirty-nine minutes had gone when Wilfredo Rivera’s chip over Gilford bounced just ever slightly too high, but Ricardo Rivera was there to collect the rebound off the crossbar to tap in for his second goal of the night. In the second half, the home side kept up the attack. This time it was Rios who found Ricardo Rivera at the end of his run and Rivera tapped in for his hat trick in the 49th minute.
Soon after that, a crafty no-look pass from Ian Silva found Ricardo Rivera again down the middle in the 51st minute for his fourth goal of the game.
Puerto Rico would hold steady for the rest of the match and see things out for the 6-0 win.
Meantime, St. Kitts and Nevis maintained their unbeaten record in Group B of League C with a 1-1 draw against Saint Martin after a dramatic late equalizer at Warner Park.
The result means that St. Kitts and Aruba sit tied atop Group B with four points each (Aruba currently leads on goal differential), while Saint Martin are third with two points.
Cuba extended their longest-ever Concacaf Nations League winning streak to three matches with a 3-1 victory over Antigua and Barbuda.
Both sides have a March date with Barbados and another against Guadeloupe left on the calendar, with promotion and a 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup stop still in play for each.
Results of the latest matches in the CONCACAF Nations League on Sunday:
LEAGUE A
(Group B)
At Pierre-Aliker Stadium, Fort-de-France:
Martinique drew with Panama 0-0
LEAGUE B
(GROUP A)
At Stade Rene Serge Nabajoth, Guadeloupe:
Guadeloupe beat Barbados 2-1
At Estadio Antonio Maceo, Santiago:
Cuba beat Antigua 3-1
LEAGUE C
(GROUP C)
At Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, Gros Islet:
St. Lucia beat Anguilla 2-0
(GROUP B)
At Warner Park, Basseterre:
St. Kitts & Nevis drew with Saint Martin 1-1
(GROUP D)
At Estadio Centroamericano, Mayaguez
Puerto Rico beat British Virgin Islands 6-0
IMF managing director to visit the Caribbean
The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, is to participate in a panel discussion on capacity building partnerships for a more resilient Caribbean later this week.
According to a statement posted on the website of the Washington-based financial institution, the event will take place on June 16 as part of Georgieva’s vfirst ever visit to Barbados.
She will be joined on the panel by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, and the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Timothy Antoine, who is also chairperson of the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) Steering Committee.
The discussion will be moderated by Ilan Goldfajn, the Director of the IMF Western Hemisphere Department.
According to the Washington-based financial institution, since the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Caribbean policymakers have had to respond to the immediate and enormous challenges posed by the pandemic, while continuing to implement structural transformations to make the region more prosperous, inclusive, and resilient to natural disasters, the climate crisis, and fiscal risks.
It said that over the past 20 years, the IMF, Caribbean countries, and global partners have teamed up through the Barbados-based CARTAC) to provide tailored and locally-delivered capacity development support to the region.
“This support has proved particularly helpful to ensure that Caribbean economic institutions are well equipped to address short- to long-term economic challenges, with a particular focus on capacity building at central banks, tax and customs administrations, ministries of finances, and statistical offices,” the IMF added.
Meanwhile, Georgieva will participate in a one-on-one conversation with Dr. Simon Naitram, lecturer in Economics at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill (UWI) and President of Barbados Economics Society, on June 16.
The conversation will be followed by a discussion with students of UWI to be moderated by Dr. Naitram.
The IMF managing director will also participate in an IMF High-Level Panel Discussion on Building Resilience and Sustainability in the Caribbean on June 17.
She will be joined during the one-hour discussion by Prime Minister Mottley, and Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland.
The discussion will be moderated by Jamaica’s Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Nigel Clarke.
Prime Minister Mottley and Georgieva will host a joint news conference on Friday.
Source-CMC
Temporary Suspension of Providenciales Mobile Clinic
The Ministry of Health and Human Services wishes to advise the public of the suspension of mobile clinic services from June 13th to June 16th2022. Services will resume on Friday, June 17th2022, at its usual time at the National Stadium parking lot.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
National Internship and Apprenticeship Programme to be Launched
The Ministry of Education, Labour, Employment and Customer Services is launching its pilot National Internship and Apprenticeship Programme for all Turks and Caicos Islands tertiary students studying locally or abroad.
The ministry says that the aim of the programme is to allow students to gain significant experience in their field. They are asking students to register for the programme as soon as possible.
For more information, you may contact the Ministry of Education & Labour.