Boris Johnson accused of not taking online fraud seriously
Boris Johnson has insisted his government takes online fraud seriously, after he failed to include it in crime statistics.
The prime minister was last week rebuked by a watchdog for claiming crime had fallen by 14%, which is only correct if fraud is excluded.
He was accused by Sir Keir Starmer of "turning a blind eye to scammers" at Prime Minister's Questions.
Mr Johnson said the government "hates online fraud" and was tackling it.
But he rejected a call by Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey to "correct the record on crime figures and apologise".
Sir Ed said Janet, a 74-year-old woman, had told the BBC she had £25,000 stolen by fraudsters.
"For Janet, and for the four million people who fell victim to fraudsters and scammers last year, fraud is a crime," he said.
He asked the prime minister if he and his ministers understand the "hurt" they cause fraud victims when they "write them out of the crime figures and dismiss fraud as something people don't experience in their day-to-day lives".
Janet was one of 69 known victims of a scam which has seen criminals steal £3.9m since 2018 - but only one of their cases has been investigated, an investigation by BBC Radio 4's Money Box discovered.
The prime minister said Sir Ed "knows very very well that this government hates fraud, it hates online fraud."
He added,"We are tackling the scammers by helping people to come forward when they get an email, when they get duped, of course we are helping them in any way that we can.
"But we are also cutting the crime that affects people up and down our country, the neighbourhood crime, dealing with the county lines drugs gangs."
In last Monday's Commons debate on Sue Gray's report on lockdown parties in Downing Street, Mr Johnson said crime had come down by 14%.
But watchdog UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) said the PM "did not make clear" the figure excluded fraud.
SOURCE - BBC
Bob Saget died from head trauma, family says
Bob Saget, who was found unresponsive in a hotel room last month, died from head trauma, his family said in a statement on Wednesday.
The comedian and actor, who was most famous for his role as Danny Tanner in the sitcom Full House, was found dead in his room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida, on January 9, authorities said.
"They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep," his family said in a statement obtained by ABC News. "No drugs or alcohol were involved."
A police report revealed that Saget, 65, was found "unresponsive and not breathing" during a wellness check conducted after he failed to check out of his hotel room and his family was unable to reach him.
Saget was discovered "in a supine [face upward] position on his bed. His left arm was across his chest while his right arm was resting on the bed. No signs of trauma were seen," according to the report. He was already "cold to the touch, yellow and clammy."
The chief medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties had said a preliminary autopsy showed "no evidence of drug use or foul play."
HIs family said they wanted Saget's fans to hear the "final conclusions" from the authorities' investigation "directly from us."
"As we continue to mourn together, we ask everyone to remember the love and laughter that Bob brought to this world, and the lessons he taught us all: to be kind to everyone, to let the people you love know you love them, and to face difficult times with hugs and laughter," his family said.
SOURCE - ABC
Agriculture Forum- Launch of the Agro- Grant Incentive Programme 2022
Following Cabinet's approval on 26th January 2022, the Minister of Tourism, Honourable Josephine O. Connolly and her team, along with members of Invest TCI and the Department of Agriculture, held the first Forum in the communities of North and Middle Caicos on Thursday 3rd February 2022.
The Hon. Minister responsible for Agriculture in her remarks noted how important the Grant was for the country and especially for the people of North and Middle Caicos. Hon. Connolly reiterated that this grant along with those of Invest TCI should encourage potential and registered farmers in the sector. The Government is committed to empowering locals in the movement towards food security. The Agro- Grant Incentive Programme is one of many programmes to achieve the overall goal of this industry.
The Invest TCI team along with the Department of Agriculture spoke to the Farming Community of North and Middle Caicos on the importance of the farm registration process which is a prerequisite for accessing the Agro- Grant and how we can simplify the process to better assist farmers.
The Ministry of Tourism team led by Hon. Connolly included, Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Cheryl Jones; Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ronlee James; and Roneta Huntley Thomas of the Department of Agriculture. Joining the Ministry of Tourism was Ms Angela Musgrove and Mrs Anissa Adderly of Invest TCI, to introduce the Agro- Grant Incentive Programme.
In North Caicos, the team was joined by the District Commissioner (DC) of Middle Caicos, Commissioner Delancy, Hon. Matthew J. Stubbs and Hon. Arlington Musgrove the Minister of Immigration and MP for North and Middle Caicos.
Remarks were made by the Hon. Stubbs and Hon. Musgrove. Hon. Connolly introduced the Agro-Grant Incentive Programme to the farmers present and Mrs Huntley Thomas outlined the criteria for accessing the Agro -Grant Incentive Programme.
Mrs. Adderley presented the farmers with an outline of the Incentive programmes offered by Invest TCI and how they can access the available programmes.
Farmers were given the opportunity to ask questions. The farmers who spoke informed the panel of the need for farm machinery to assist with land clearing, the need for labour and the difficulty in receiving governments clearance to hire the needed labour. Training in new and improve technologies was also asked for by the farming community.
After the presentations and the remarks by the teams, the farmers were given the opportunity to start the process of filling the Application for Farm Registration, the Agro Grant Incentive programme and the MSME programmes.
The team went to Middle Caicos and addressed the gathering. The farmers at Middle Caicos were interested in the Farm Registration and MSME programmes.
They asked about making the process being simpler for them and making available personnel from the various Departments to assist them instead of them coming to Providenciales and visiting the various Departments to obtain clearance letters for farm registrations. It was brought to the attention of the panel the need to know the zones of lands in Middle Caicos area so that farmers can have their land titles or know where they can engage in agricultural activities. District Commissioner Delancy told the farmers that the information is available and promised to assist them with this.
Also, the need to establish community groups was stated by the farmers who were given the support of Hon. Connolly, Hon. Musgrove and D. C. Delancy.
Thirty-nine (39) farmers attended the meeting at North Caicos and twenty-one (21) farmers attending the meeting at Middle Caicos.
For information regarding the Agro- Grant Incentive contact the Department of Agriculture via:
Telephone - (649) 946 5802 EXT 338 - 5262/ 338 5268
Email - agriculture@gov.tc
Website - https:/www.gov.tc/agriculture
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORTS AUTHORITY NOTICE
The TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORTS AUTHORITY invites quotations for the following Contract:
- REPAIR WORKS TO PERIMETER FENCING - SOUTH CAICOS AIRPORT, TR 21/44
Additional information for this Contract may be obtained from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government’s website at https://www.gov.tc/other-procurement-notices.
Quotations are to be submitted in a sealed envelope by 4:00 P.M. on Thursday, 17 February 2022 directly to:
The Secretary to the Procurement Board
Office of the Deputy Governor
Waterloo Plaza
Waterloo Road
Grand Turk
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority is not bound to accept any tender, and reserves the right to annul the tender process at any time prior to award of Contract.
TENDER NOTICE FOR VARIOUS MINISTRIES
Due to requests for an extension of time and changes to the Procurement Board meeting schedule, the closing date for the following Contracts has been extended to Wednesday, 9 February 2022:
Ministry of Finance, Investment and Trade
- FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT FOR OFFICE BLOCK – SOUTH CAICOS, TR 21/38
Ministry of Immigration and Border Services
- BELLEFIELD LANDING CIVILIAN SAFETY PROJECT – SAFE BOAT SLIPS, TR 21/37
Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development
- CONSTRUCTION OF RETENTION POND IN FIVE CAYS – PROVIDENCIALES, TR 21/29
Turks and Caicos Islands Financial Services Commission
- FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT FOR TCIFSC NEW OFFICE – PROVIDENCIALES, TR 21/39
Turks and Caicos Islands National Health Insurance Board
- FURNITURE FOR NHIB OFFICE – PROVIDENCIALES, TR 21/40
The TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT invites open tenders for the following Contract, closing on Wednesday, 23 February 2022:
Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority
- CONSULTANCY FOR THE PROVIDENCIALES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT, TR 21/43
Due to requests for an extension of time, the closing date for the following Contract has been extended toWednesday, 23 February 2022:
Ministry of Immigration and Border Services
- SOUTH DOCK PORT REDEVELOPMENT – CONSTRUCTION OF PORT OFFICE BUILDING, PROVIDENCIALES, TR 21/36
The TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT invites open tenders for the following Contract, closing on Wednesday, 9 March 2022:
Ministry of Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries, Heritage, Religious Affairs and the Environment
- AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT – UPGRADES TO THE NURSERY AT KEW FARM, NORTH CAICOS, TR 21/26
Additional information for these Contracts may be obtained from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government’s website at http://www.gov.tc/government-tenders.
The tenders are to be submitted in a sealed envelope by 10:00 A.M. on the respective dates, directly to:
The Secretary to the Procurement Board
Office of the Deputy Governor
Waterloo Plaza
Waterloo Road
Grand Turk
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government is not bound to accept any tender, and reserves the right to annul the tender process at any time prior to award of Contract.
PPID LAUNCHES WORKERS EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM
The Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, through the Public Works Department, is pleased to announce the establishment and implementation of the Workers Employment Program.
This program, will run for six-weeks, in the various communities of the Turks and Caicos Islands, will provide temporary employment for a number of persons in the areas of verge cutting, street and beach cleaning and any other duties as assigned by the management team within the Public Works Department.
Hon Akierra Missick, Minister of PPID commenting on the program said, "the Workers Employment Program was developed to respond to the needs of persons who are finding it difficult to obtain sustainable employment in the construction and works industries. Despite the Ministry of PPID’s Covid Works Program best efforts, there is still a need to assist persons who may not be able to obtain and or access the resources to be able to competitively bid for TCIG’s Covid Works. This Program is another avenue to provide opportunity to those who are seeking employment during this time.”
The Workers Employment Program is now opened for enrollment for Turks and Caicos Islanders and British Overseas Territory Citizens. Persons who are interested in the Program should visit their nearest Public Works Department and/or District Commissioner office on their respective Island to register.
This program shall end on 31st March, 2022.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND MINISTRY OF EDUCATION LAUNCHES SPECIAL NEEDS TRAINING & PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
On Monday, February 28th 2022, the Department of Mental Health & Substance Dependence in partnership with the Ministry of Education will commence a series of training sessions for parents of children with autism and related disabilities. The first training module will be delivered face to face over a four-day period (Feb 28th - March 3rd) at the Department of Planning’s Conference Room in Providenciales.
The aim of the training is to empower parents of children with special needs and equip them with skills to become effective interventionists in their home. Participants can expect to gain support from experts in the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) who will not only teach concepts of ABA, but also demonstrate to participants how to apply the concepts in order to address specific needs that their child may have.
The 15-module course will be delivered in intervals across the entire year using a hybrid model. At the end of the training period, participants would have obtained well over 40 hours of training and would have been exposed to various topics such as; introduction to ABA, Behaviour and the Environment, Reinforcement, Stimulus Control and Treating Social skill deficits.
The expert team of speakers, Theo Gossou and Sheryl Patterson, possess more than 20 years of combined experiences with children with developmental disabilities. As special educators and behaviour analysts they have extensive experience in designing and implementing early intensive behavioural interventions (EIBI) to teach language and social skills to children with autism, as well as developing and monitoring individualized education programs (IEP). Parents can rest assured that this training will be holistic, as Mr. Gossou and Mrs. Patterson are parent trainers and also have experience in the treatment of challenging behaviours (physical aggression, tantrums, property destruction, self-injurious behaviours).
Persons interested in attending the workshop should contact the Department of Mental Health & Substance Dependence on 649-338-3613 or email mmsimmons@gov.tc to register as soon as possible as space is limited.
At the White House: "There's nothing new about that"
Returning to the White House Sunday afternoon from his weekend in Wilmington, President Joe Biden spoke with the press, brushing off concerns about Russia and China's relationship getting "too close."
"There’s nothing new about that," he said. When asked if he would consider sending more troops to Poland and other NATO countries if Putin does not de-escalate, Biden said "I’m not gonna speculate on that."
Earlier in the day Sunday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day,” launching a conflict that would come at an “enormous human cost.” Sullivan offered the stark warning one day after U.S. officials confirmed that Russia has assembled at least 70% of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“If war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well,” Sullivan said.
Source-ABC
Minister of Tourism, Invest TCI and the Department of Agriculture, hold its first Forum in North and Middle Caicos
Following Cabinet's approval on 26th January 2022, the Minister of Tourism, Honourable Josephine O. Connolly and her team, along with members of Invest TCI and the Department of Agriculture, held the first Forum in the communities of North and Middle Caicos on Thursday 3rd February 2022.
The Hon. Minister responsible for Agriculture in her remarks noted how important the Grant was for the country and especially for the people of North and Middle Caicos. Hon. Connolly reiterated that this grant along with those of Invest TCI should encourage potential and registered farmers in the sector. The Government is committed to empowering locals in the movement towards food security. The Agro- Grant Incentive Programme is one of many programmes to achieve the overall goal of this industry.
The Invest TCI team along with the Department of Agriculture spoke to the Farming Community of North and Middle Caicos on the importance of the farm registration process which is a prerequisite for accessing the Agro- Grant and how we can simplify the process to better assist farmers.
The Ministry of Tourism team led by Hon. Connolly included, Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Cheryl Jones; Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ronlee James; and Roneta Huntley Thomas of the Department of Agriculture. Joining the Ministry of Tourism was Ms Angela Musgrove and Mrs Anissa Adderly of Invest TCI, to introduce the Agro- Grant Incentive Programme.
In North Caicos, the team was joined by the District Commissioner (DC) of Middle Caicos, Commissioner Delancy, Hon. Matthew J. Stubbs and Hon. Arlington Musgrove the Minister of Immigration and MP for North and Middle Caicos.
Remarks were made by the Hon. Stubbs and Hon. Musgrove. Hon. Connolly introduced the Agro-Grant Incentive Programme to the farmers present and Mrs Huntley Thomas outlined the criteria for accessing the Agro -Grant Incentive Programme.
Mrs. Adderley presented the farmers with an outline of the Incentive programmes offered by Invest TCI and how they can access the available programmes.
Farmers were given the opportunity to ask questions. The farmers who spoke informed the panel of the need for farm machinery to assist with land clearing, the need for labour and the difficulty in receiving governments clearance to hire the needed labour. Training in new and improve technologies was also asked for by the farming community.
After the presentations and the remarks by the teams, the farmers were given the opportunity to start the process of filling the Application for Farm Registration, the Agro Grant Incentive programme and the MSME programmes.
The team went to Middle Caicos and addressed the gathering. The farmers at Middle Caicos were interested in the Farm Registration and MSME programmes. The asked about making the process simpler for them and making available personnel from the various Departments to assist them instead of them coming to Providenciales and visiting the various Departments to obtain clearance letters for farm registrations.
It was brought to the attention of the panel the need to know the zones of lands in Middle Caicos area so that farmers can have their land titles or know where they can engage in agricultural activities. District Commissioner Delancy told the farmers that the information is available and promised to assist them with this.
Also, the need to establish community groups was stated by the farmers who were given the support of Hon. Connolly, Hon. Musgrove and D. C. Delancy.
Thirty-nine (39) farmers attended the meeting at North Caicos and twenty-one (21) farmers attending the meeting at Middle Caicos.
Bomb threats targeted at black universities during Black History Month
Six children are suspected of orchestrating a nationwide campaign of bomb threats against black colleges, law enforcement officials have said. More than a dozen universities and places of worship have been targeted by hoax calls, which spiked on the first day of Black History Month on Tuesday. The suspects reportedly used sophisticated methods of technology to disguise the origin of their calls.
The FBI is investigating the incidents as racially motivated hate crimes. No explosives were found at any of the sites. In a statement on Wednesday, the agency said that the FBI Joint. Terrorism Task Forces was conducting the investigation with "the highest priority" and that more than 20 FBI field offices were involved.
"Although at this time no explosive devices have been found at any of the locations, the FBI takes all threats with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating these threats," the FBI statement said. The threats "are being investigated as racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes", the FBI statement adds. According to US media, six children have been identified as persons of interest in the case.
One unnamed official told NBC News that the group appeared to be "tech savvy".
Investigators were searching their homes and conducting interviews, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding that it was not known if any arrests had been made.
More than a dozen historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) received threatening calls on 1 February, the first day of Black History Month in the US, as well as the day beforehand. Dozens of campuses and places of worship, including black-affiliated churches and Jewish synagogues, have received similar calls since the beginning of 2022.
The universities that received the threatening calls were forced to close doors and send out shelter-in-place alerts. Many moved to online learning as bomb squads combed campuses for suspicious objects.
In Daytona Beach, the caller claimed to be affiliated with a neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division and threatened to open fire in addition to the bomb threat, according to the local police chief. "He advised that there were seven explosives that were disguised in duffel bags and backpacks and they were all C-4 [explosive]," said Police Chief Jakari Young. "There was a secondary threat of an active shooter, an active shooting that was supposed to occur," he continued. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the threats "disturbing" on Tuesday, adding that White House officials "take these threats seriously". "It is scary, it is horrifying, it is terrible that these students, these faculty, these institutions are feeling under threat," she said. "A lot of us feel like this is political," a 19-year-old student of Spelman College in Atlanta told the New York Times.
The FBI has previously warned of a rise in white supremacist-fuelled domestic extremism.
Source - BBC