Putin puts nuclear forces on high alert
Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's military to put its deterrence forces, which include nuclear weapons, on "special alert".
He told defence chiefs it was because of "aggressive statements" by the West, amid widespread condemnation of his invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement does not mean Russia intends to use the weapons.
The US immediately condemned his decision calling it an "unacceptable escalation".
Last week, Mr Putin had warned that "whoever tries to hinder us" in Ukraine would see consequences "you have never seen in your history".
Those words were widely interpreted as signalling a threat to use nuclear weapons if the West stood in his way.
That warning became sharper on Sunday when he ordered the Russian defence minister and the chief of the military's general staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces on a "special regime of combat duty".
After Mr Putin's announcement, the EU announced an unprecedented new raft of sanctions and actions against Russia, including:
The financing of weapons for Ukraine
A total ban on Russian planes using EU airspace
Barring state media outlets Sputnik and Russia Today from EU territory.
These measures come on top of other sanctions already imposed by Western nations, which include asset freezes on major banks and wealthy individuals, including Mr Putin himself.
The US ambassador to the United Nations said Mr Putin's nuclear deterrent order showed he was escalating the Ukraine conflict in an unacceptable manner.
The White House said Russia had not been under threat from Nato at any point, while Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described Mr Putin's comments as "dangerous rhetoric".
The very public shift to high alert status is a way for Moscow to send a warning.
Moving to alert status likely makes it easier to launch weapons more quickly. But it does not mean there is a current intent to use them.
Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world but also knows that Nato also has enough to destroy Russia if they were used.
But Vladimir Putin's aim is likely to try and deter Nato support for Ukraine by creating fears over how far he is willing to go - and creating ambiguity over what kind of support for Ukraine he would consider to be too much.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian presidency says it has agreed to hold negotiations with Russia at a location on the border between Ukraine and Belarus.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that in a conversation with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, the Ukrainian side had agreed to meet the Russians without preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River.
Mr Zelensky said Mr Lukashenko had taken responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarusian territory remained on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation's travel, talks and return.
Neither Russia nor Belarus have issued any statements about potential talks.
Russia's defence ministry has now acknowledged that its military personnel have been killed and wounded in Ukraine, though it claims the losses are much less than those of Ukraine.
The UN said that by Saturday, at least 134 Ukrainian military had been killed. Ukraine, meanwhile, says there have been 4,300 casualties among Russian servicemen, but even Ukrainian officials say those figures are not clear.
Ukraine's human rights commissioner says 210 civilians have been killed.
Among the dead are children - one when a children's hospital was shelled in Kyiv and one in a Russian attack on a kindergarten that claimed six lives near the northern border at Okhtyrka.
Nine civilians have been killed in Kyiv, while 10 ethnic Greek Ukrainians died in air strikes on villages in the south-east, Greek officials say.
So far, the UN has recorded 64 confirmed civilian deaths and many more wounded, and it expects the true number to be much higher.
In other developments, as the Russian invasion entered its fourth day:
Thousands of Ukrainians travelled towards neighbouring countries to escape the war, with UN estimating refugee numbers have reached 368,000 and rising
Russian airliners turned round in mid-air as dozens of European nations banned flights from the country amid rising pressure on Moscow
Russian police have detained more than 900 people protesting against the invasion of Ukraine in widespread protests on Sunday, according to an independent monitoring group
The governor of Kharkiv says Ukrainian forces have reasserted full control over Ukraine's second city, as residents describe a barrage of shelling
Source-BBC
NAACP Image Awards: Issa Rae, Will Smith, Angela Bassett win big; Jennifer Hudson takes Entertainer of the Year
At the 53rd NAACP Image Awards, airing Saturday on BET, singer and actress Jennifer Hudson took home the biggest award of the night: Entertainer of the Year.
The 40-year-old American Idol alumna accepted the award in person and thanked the NAACP for recognizing her work. The Respect star also nabbed the award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
“I did not see this coming by any means, but Lord knows I’m grateful,” she said in her acceptance speech.
Joining her in the winner’s circle for top awards of the night was actor, producer and writer Issa Rae, who won Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for Insecure. The show, which was created by Rae, took home the award for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Will Smith accepted the Outstanding Actor Award for his role as Richard Williams in the biographical drama, King Richard. The film, which is based on the life story of Serena and Venus Williams’ father, is also a six-time Oscar nominee.
Host Anthony Anderson, who nabbed his eighth win for the show Black-ish, introduced Mary J. Blige who serenaded the virtual audience in a mid-show performance.
Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, presented the most prestigious accolade of the night, The President’s Award, to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said they were “humbled to be here” after accepting the award on stage.
Other honorary awards, such as the Chairman’s Award, went to actor Samuel L. Jackson. The New York Times’ award-winning investigative reporter, Nikole Hannah-Jones, proudly accepted the Social Justice Impact Award.
The night rounded out with the coveted Outstanding Motion Picture Award, won by the Black Western film, The Harder They Fall.
Below is a list of the night’s winners. For a full list of winners, visit NAACPImageAwards.net.
Outstanding Actor in Drama Series
Sterling K Brown, This Is Us
Outstanding Actress in Drama Series
Angela Bassett, 9-1-1
Chairman’s Award
Samuel L. Jackson
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Issa Rae, Insecure
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Social Justice Impact Award
Nikole Hannah-Jones
Outstanding Comedy Series
Insecure
President’s Award
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Jennifer Hudson, Respect
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Will Smith, King Richard
Outstanding Motion Picture
The Harder They Fall
Entertainer of the Year
Jennifer Hudson
Citizen Inflation Adjustment Stimulus programme to commence on 2nd March 2022.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government wishes to advise that the first payments under the Citizen Inflation Adjustment Stimulus programme will commence on 2nd March 2022. Approved applicants are asked to take not of the following payout dates:
Ø Applicants approved by 14th February, 2022 will be paid on 2nd March 2022;
Ø Applicants approved by 21st February, 2022 will be paid on 4th March 2022); and
Ø Applicants approved by 28th February, 2022 will be paid on 11th March 2022.
Note that a single payment will be made by the Government Treasury for successful applicants directly to the applicant via cheque. The approved applicant will be required to present photo identification showing either BOTC or Turks & Caicos Islands Status. Cheques will be valid for six (6) months post the printed date.
The list of approved applicants is attached or can be viewed on TCIG’s website at www.gov.tc.
Applicants are asked to continuously check the email address provided with their application for correspondence from noreply@gov.tc. Should applicants not receive correspondence from the aforementioned email address by the close of business on 1st March, 2022, kindly email tciassistance@gov.tc with your 1) full name 2) approved reference no. and 3) alternate email contact.
The Turks & Caicos Islands Government also wishes for eligible citizens to note the following important dates:
Ø Any further information/documentation that is requested from the applicant must be submitted no later than 4th March 2022. Failure to adhere to this date will result in the application being declined;
Ø The stimulus will be closed off and including the addressing of appeals by applicants on or before 31st March 2022; and
Ø All uncollected cheques will be voided and cancelled on 11th September 2022. (Lost cheques or stale dated cheques will not be reissued).
Questions concerning this application may be directed to the Turks & Caicos Islands Government via email:tciassitance@gov.tc.
The application online portal can be accessed via the Turks & Caicos Islands Government website at web link: https://tciassistance.gov.tc.
Powell ‘disappointed’ but not ‘surprised’ by snub of West Indies
Left-handed opener Kieran Powell says he is “disappointed” but not “surprised” by his non-selection to the West Indies squad for the first Test against England next month.
The Leeward Islands Hurricanes stroke-maker was overlooked as the Desmond Haynes-led panel this week recalled Jamaica Scorpions left-hander John Campbell to partner captain Kraigg Brathwaite at the top of the order.
Powell, who has played 44 Tests but only four inside the last three-and-a-half years – all coming last year – said he believed he had done enough in the opening rounds of the Regional Four-Day Championship to at least make the Cricket West Indies President’s XI squad for that four-day game next week in Antigua.
“Surprised? I can’t be surprised anymore. Disappointed, yes, but I wouldn’t say surprised,” said Powell, who has in the past criticised CWI over his treatment by selectors.
“I definitely thought that if I didn’t make the Test squad then [at least] the President’s XI squad based on the performances.
“But I saw Devon Thomas batted the way no one else in the Caribbean batted in those first two games [of the Regional Four-Day Championship].
“And if the team is going to be selected on performances, the way he has played it’s second to none, so you would like to think that he would’ve gotten into the squad as well so it’s just interesting. But it is what it is unfortunately.”
Powell averaged 48 from three innings in opening two rounds, including a half-century against Guyana Harpy Eagles last week.
He managed a half-century in the second Test against South Africa last June but scored 32 runs from his next four Tests innings and was subsequently dropped for the tour of Sri Lanka towards the end of the year.
The 31-year-old, who holds the distinction of having scored a hundred in each innings of a Test against Bangladesh back ten years ago, said managing the form he did recently had come against the odds, especially having to deal with illness in the family.
“Obviously I could have done better but I think from what preparation I did have going into the series [I am pleased],” he told Starcom Radio’s Mason and Guests cricket show.
“Before the series I was out in Sri Lanka with my wife’s family. My mother-in-law almost passed away. She had life-saving surgery which kind of took my focus away from preparation.
“And then my wife and I actually contracted COVID. I think I tested negative three days before the Leeward Islands’ final two days of preparation.
“And having to fly all the way from Sri Lanka to the Caribbean – I hadn’t touched a bat for three-and-a-half weeks before the season. So I only had two, three days of practice and I think I’m number seven on the runs chart [in the four-day tournament] at the moment.
“To have been able to do that with three days of practice and the turmoil obviously – almost losing my mother-in-law who is [now] on a six-month rehab process in terms of getting better – it was a lot so I’m pretty happy with where I was able to get to.”
With no chance to impress selectors again with the first class season now on break, Powell said the wait to resume competitive cricket again would be frustrating.
“[I’m] obviously very disappointed the season was halted after two matches because if you would’ve seen cricket not being played for two years and guys were so excited to get back out on the park,” he said.
“And the level of cricket the Leeward Islands played in those two matches. I think we had a few tough decisions against Barbados … and I had a tough decision in that match as well.”
West Indies face England in the first Test in Antigua from March 8-12.
Source-CMC
Who is not on the UK sanctions list in the Ukraine Invasions?
The UK government has announced more individuals and companies that it is sanctioning following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But there are still several Russian individuals who have been sanctioned by the US or the EU but not by the UK.
Their names appeared on a list of 35 people who Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny suggested should be sanctioned, which was read out in parliament by Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran.
An industrialist with close ties to President Putin, Mr Deripaska has been sanctioned in the US since April 2018, with the US Treasury saying he had been "investigated for money laundering, and has been accused of threatening the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, and taking part in extortion and racketeering. There are also allegations that Deripaska bribed a government official, ordered the murder of a businessman, and had links to a Russian organized crime group."
He owns 45% of the aluminium company EN+, which listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2017, raising $1.5bn (£1.1bn), and currently has former Conservative energy minister Lord Barker as its executive chairman.
The US introduced sanctions against EN+ in April 2018, but these were lifted the following year after Mr Deripaska reduced his holding in the company.
We have contacted Mr Deripaska for comment.
There are five other individuals named by Mr Navalny who appear on the EU or the US sanctions list but not on the UK's.
Andrey Kostin, president of the Russian state-owned VTB bank, is currently only on the US list of sanctioned individuals.
The UK has added VTB Capital - listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) - to the list of sanctioned entities. The LSE suspended the bank on 25 February.
Alexander Kalashnikov, added by the EU to their list of human rights violators, was sacked as director of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service in 2021, after a scandal concerning the widespread practice of torture in Russian prisons.
Victor Zolotov, also on the EU list but not on the UK's, leads Russia's National Guard. His family is one of the richest in Russia in the real estate sector.
Alexei Miller, chairman of the management committee of Gazprom, and Igor Sechin, president of Rosneft (and former deputy Russian prime minister), both appear on the US list but not the UK's.
Another prominent name that features on Mr Navalny's list is Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich. Mr Abramovich is not under any sanctions by the UK, the EU or the US.
The Russian billionaire made a vast fortune in oil following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
He now owns a large property portfolio, including a mansion in Kensington, London.
Several MPs in the UK have called for Mr Abramovich's assets to be sanctioned, alleging close ties to the Kremlin which the billionaire denies.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had to correct himself after he mistakenly told parliament Mr Abramovich was facing sanctions, and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has refused to say if the government was considering sanctioning the Russian oligarch.
Labour MP Chris Bryant has quoted a leaked Home Office document from 2019, which he said showed that Mr Abramovich was a potential target for sanctions by the UK government back then.
The document quoted in parliament said this was "due to his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices… An example of this is Abramovich admitting in court proceedings that he paid for political influence."
Mr Bryant added: "That's nearly three years ago. And yet remarkably little has been done."
Mr Abramovich has previously denied having close financial ties with Vladimir Putin or the Kremlin. We have contacted him for a response on the latest comments.
In addition to individuals there have been questions in parliament about why action has not been taken against some Russian companies.
Gazprom is one of the world's biggest natural gas companies and is partly state-owned.
The US has sanctions against Gazprom but the UK does not.
The same is true of Rosneft, the Russian oil company, which is 40% owned by the Russian state, and 20% owned by British oil giant BP.
In the House of Commons on 24 February, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey referred to Rosneft and asked: "Will the prime minister commit to banning UK investment in Russian oil and gas companies, with immediate effect?"
Boris Johnson replied that the UK "must move away from all our dependencies on Russian oil and gas, and that is the objective of the UK government" but did not address Mr Davey's point directly.
On Friday, members of the House of Lords questioned why Rosneft and Gazprom were not on the government's sanctions list.
In his statement to the House of Commons on Thursday, Boris Johnson said "we will be imposing asset freezes on more than 100 new entities and individuals, on top of the hundreds that we have already announced".
But the government's sanctions list only named six companies and five individuals with new sanctions against them. We have asked the government to clarify the names of the rest of those sanctioned.
Source-BBC
President Biden will nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the US Supreme Court
President Joe Biden will nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Supreme Court, elevating an African American woman for the first time to a seat on the high court bench, ABC News has learned.
Judge Jackson, 51, currently sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, to which she was appointed by Biden and confirmed by the Senate last year with Republican support.
Her historic nomination fulfills a promise Biden made during the 2020 campaign ahead of the South Carolina primary, when he relied heavily on support from the state's Black voters. It's also the first opportunity for Biden, a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to help shape a Court that has grown sharply more conservative in recent years, even if his appointment will not alter the current ideological balance.
Jackson, a former clerk to retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, has more than eight years experience on the federal bench, following a path through the judiciary traveled by many nominees before her. She also would be the first federal public defender to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and the first justice since Thurgood Marshall to have criminal defense experience.
Democrats have the votes to confirm Jackson without Republican support, but President Biden has said he hopes to win over some members of the other party.
Source-ABC
Search continues for missing divers in Trinidad – one found
As the search continues for divers for four members of an underwater team, the Paria Trading Company in a statement late Friday, said one member of the team has been found and was admitted to hospital in stable condition.
According to Paria, five employees of LMSC Ltd, a private contractor, were conducting an underwater maintenance exercise at No 36 Sealine riser, berth six, when “an incident occurred.”
It resulted in “the loss of sight” of the five-member team who were being monitored from the shore.
It’s reported that the dive team was installing a riser to a 36 inch pipe used to get oil out, when a valve either was opened or blew causing a vacuum pulling in the team.
Paria said the cause and extent of damage are still being determined.
The company said an incident management protocol team was immediately contacted, and the Coast Guard is now assisting with the rescue.
Source-CMC
Russia restricts social media access
Russia has limited Twitter in parts of Russia, Twitter has confirmed.
In a statement, the company said "We're aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our services safe and accessible".
On Friday Russia restricted Facebook after a clash over "censorship".
Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor accused Facebook of violating "the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens".
Facebook said it had refused to stop fact-checking and labelling content from state-owned news organisations.
Internet connectivity watchers at NetBlocks say there is a total or near-total restriction on Twitter in Russia.
NetBlocks said Facebook and Instagram weren't "observably restricted per our metrics, certainly not to the extent Twitter is at present".
The actions follow Russia's attack on Ukraine with many videos and images of the invasion going viral on social media.
Circumvention for those in Russia is currently possible using VPN services, which can work around government-imposed restrictions.
NetBlocks Director Alp Toker told the BBC: "Russia's restriction of
Twitter will significantly limit the free flow of information at a time of crisis when the public most need to stay informed."
Roskomnadzor has not announced actions against Twitter.
It is unclear what the Facebook restrictions could mean if implemented or if other Meta-owned platforms - like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram - will be hit.
The Russian regulator had demanded Facebook lift the restrictions it placed on Thursday on state news agency RIA, state TV channel Zvezda, and pro-Kremlin news sites Lenta.Ru and Gazeta.Ru.
It said that Meta had "ignored" these requests.
Sir Nick Clegg, vice-president of global affairs at Meta, said Russian authorities "ordered us to stop the independent fact-checking and labelling" the outlets' content.
"We refused," he said.
But he made clear he wanted Russians to continue to use Meta's platforms.
"Ordinary Russians are using our apps to express themselves and organise for action", Sir Nick said, and the company wants "them to continue to make their voices heard".
Many state-owned media outlets in Russia have painted a largely positive picture of Russian military advances in Ukraine, calling the invasion a "special military operation" that had been forced on Moscow.
On Thursday Meta said it had set up a "special operations centre" to monitor content about the conflict in Ukraine.
Source-BBC
Barbados unhappy at its continued presence on OECD grey list
Barbados is awaiting the visit of a delegation from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as the island continues to express its disappointment at being placed on the organisations grey list of countries considered un co-operative jurisdictions.
Energy and Business Development Minister, Kerrie Symmonds, speaking during the Appropriations Bill 2022, said the island still remains on the list through no fault of its own and that Bridgetown has made the required changes as requested.
Up to October last year, Anguilla, Barbados, Botswana, Costa Rica, Dominica, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Jordan, Malaysia, North Macedonia, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, Turkey and Uruguay were placed on the OECD grey list.
The grey list, or state-of-play-document, includes jurisdictions that do not yet comply with all international tax standards but have made sufficient commitments to implement good governance principles.
Symmonds told legislators that Barbados is now awaiting the arrival of a team from the OECD’s Global Forum to do an onsite inspection, after which he expects the island to be removed from the grey list.
He said that the team was originally due to have arrived here in January but had the date had to be reviewed because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The grey list, or state-of-play-document, includes jurisdictions that do not yet comply with all international tax standards but have made sufficient commitments to implement good governance principles.
“I must say to you that we anticipated that we would by now have gone through the onsite inspection with respect to the OECD placing us on the grey list,” Symmonds said.
“I want to assure the public that everything that needed to have been done with respect to our domestic activity to make sure that whether it is at the Financial Services Commission, the Barbados Revenue Authority, or wherever else concerns would have been raised or red-flagged, we had done those things that we needed to do. All of the due diligence has been done.
What has not been done, however, is for the OECD’s Global Forum representatives to come here as they were anticipating to do in January of this year in order to do the onsite inspection. That onsite inspection, not having taken place, is now going to take place during the month of April, I believe April 11,” he added.
“Suffice to say they did not come because borders in France were closed due to COVID restrictions and I have indicated to the Director of International Business and he has in turn directed to the attention of the OECD, Barbados’ desire to dispense with this matter as quickly as possible”.
Symmonds said he had also asked to indicate Barbados’ “unhappiness that we are dealing in a virtual world and in a virtual space very often, but we still have to treat to a question of physical presence for an inspection which if it does not take place has serious consequences for the reputation of this country.
“And it cannot and will not be that Barbados’ reputation is tarnished as a result of inspectors not being able to come here because that is no fault of ours. The reputational hit, however, will be ours and that is a very candid conversation we have had to have with that level of authority,’ Symmonds told legislators.
Source-CMC
Megan Thee Stallion wants her film career to go beyond acting: "I also really want to be a director"
2021 was the year of Megan Thee Stallion as she won numerous honors, including being named one of Glamour's Women of the Year. Now, the 27-year-old rapper is looking to go beyond music, with a Netflix production deal, and making her film debut in the movie musical F****** Identical Twins.
"I definitely want to be an actress, but I also really want to be a director. I love movies and I'm definitely a film buff," the "Hot Girl Summer" star tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I like to create. Not only do I like to write music, I like to write stories. I definitely want to see these stories come to life."
The Identical Twins, as described by THR, "follows two business adversaries who realize they're identical twin brothers and decide to switch places in order to reunite their divorced parents and become a family again."
On social media, Megan shared a screenshot of the exciting news of her film debut, and wrote, "HOTTIES THIS IS OUR FIRST MOVIEEEE/ MUSICAL! WITH SOME MOVIE LEGENDS."
The Houston MC continued, "I'm so excited i feel so blessed i feel anxious lol i feel a bunch of s***...I really have been quietly putting in this work and i just cant wait for the hotties to see everything."
Meanwhile, as Megan plans her first project for Netflix, she tells THR that her favorite TV series is Euphoria.
"They got me wanting to cry, wanting to scream and everybody is giving the best performances right now," Megan says. "I know these are characters and the show is not real, but they got me yelling at the TV like, 'Girl, get it together! What are you doing?!'"
Regarding Euphoria's star, her friend Zendaya, Megan says, "She's the best actress, and perfectly cast."
Source-ABC