Dr. Timothy Harris Tuesday announced the payment of a double salary to civil servants
Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris Tuesday announced the payment of a double salary to civil servants before the end of the month.
Harris announced the package as he delivered his administration’s national budget to Parliament,
“Mr. Speaker, we do so for a number of reasons. But importantly, we are a compassionate government. We understand that even as we speak or we meet here, thousands of persons are still suffering, thousands of persons are still not fully engaged in our hotels and our restaurants.
“We appreciate that, and they need some help. We appreciate that although we have been unique in protecting the jobs of 10,000 people or the income, our civil servants, our GAE workers and our pensioners, protecting their flow by not laying off persons and many of our civil servants have now become the sole income earner in their families and extended families,” he told parliament.
Harris said that another reason behind his government’s decision to pay the extra-month salary is that it will generate much needed economic activity and help the country’s economy get back on track.
“We are hoping that by this generosity, by putting more monies into circulation, some EC$35 million plus in circulation, that we will see the impact of this new wave of aggregate demand in the restaurants, in the supermarkets leading to higher demand for labour and for putting our people at work,” said Harris, who is also the Finance Minister.
The government said that more than 3,000 workers under the Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) are also expected to benefit from the payment of the double salary this month.
Prime Minister Harris has also urged the boards and management of the statutory bodies, where they have the means to do so, to pay a double salary or bonuses to their staff.
Source - Cananewsonline
Artic Heat & Antarctic Ice Melts equals Drastic Climatic Challenges
The WMO said the 38C temperature was measured at a meteorological station during "an exceptional and prolonged Siberian heatwave".
While relatively common in summer months, high temperatures and strong winds made the fires unusually severe.
Last year's extreme heat in the region contributed to the spread of wildfires, which swept across the forests and peatlands of northern Russia releasing record amounts of carbon.
While relatively common in summer months, high temperatures and strong winds made the fires unusually severe.
The high temperatures across Siberia led to "massive sea ice loss" and played a major role in 2020 being one of the three warmest years on record, the WMO said.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Scientists are warning of dramatic changes at one of the biggest glaciers in Antarctica, potentially within the next five to 10 years.
They say a floating section at the front of Thwaites Glacier that until now has been relatively stable could "shatter like a car windscreen".
US and UK researchers are currently engaged in an intense study programme at Thwaites because of its melt rate.
Already it is dumping 50 billion tonnes of ice into the ocean each year.
This is having limited impact on global sea-levels today, but there is sufficient ice held upstream in the glacier's drainage basin to raise the height of the oceans by 65cm - were it all to melt.
Such a "doomsday" scenario is unlikely to come about for many centuries, but the study team says Thwaites is now responding to a warming world in really quite rapid ways.
"There is going to be dramatic change in the front of the glacier, probably in less than a decade. Both published and unpublished studies point in that direction," said glaciologist Prof Ted Scambos, US lead coordinator for the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC).
"This will accelerate the pace (of Thwaites) and widen, effectively, the dangerous part of the glacier," he told BBC News.
Thwaites is a colossus. It's roughly the size of Great Britain, or Florida, and its outflow speed has doubled in the past 30 years.
The ITGC has established how this is happening. It is the result of warm ocean water getting under - and melting - Thwaites's floating front, or ice shelf as it's known.
The warm water is thinning and weakening this ice, making it run faster and pushing back the zone where the main glacier body becomes buoyant.
At the moment, the leading edge of the eastern ice shelf is pinned in place by an offshore underwater ridge, which means its flow speed is a third of that seen in the ice shelf's western sector which has no such constraint.
The affected area is very small when considered in the context of the glacier as a whole, but it is the shift to a new regime and what this means for further ice loss that is the real significance.
At present, the eastern shelf, which has a width of about 40km, moves forward at about 600m per year. The coming change in status will probably see the following ice jump in speed to about 2km per year - the same as the current velocity recorded in the 80km-wide western sector.
Jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation and the UK's Natural Environment Research Council, the five-year ITGC project is putting Thwaites under unprecedented scrutiny.
Source-BBC
Stephen Curry needing 10 more to surpass Ray Allen's all-time leading tally of 2,973
Stephen Curry was made to wait to break the NBA three-point record as the Golden State Warriors lost at the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
Needing 10 more to surpass Ray Allen's all-time leading tally of 2,973, Curry landed three from 14 attempts.
Matisse Thybulle limited Curry while Joel Embiid scored a game-high 26 points as the 76ers won 102-93.
Curry, 33, looks certain to create NBA history, with his next opportunity coming on Monday at the Indiana Pacers.
Meanwhile, Reggie Jackson scored with 2.2 seconds left to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 106-104 win over the Orlando Magic.
Jackson finished with a 25-point haul as the Clippers earned their third straight win, despite leading scorer Paul George missing his second consecutive game with a sprained right elbow.
Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points as the Utah Jazz won 123-98 at the Washington Wizards, the visitors' seventh straight victory.
After building an early advantage, the Memphis Grizzlies held on to beat the Houston Rockets 113-106. Dillon Brooks scored a game-high 25 points while Desmond Bane supported with 19 points.
Saturday's results: LA Clippers 106-104 Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards 98-123 Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers 117-103 Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat 118-92 Chicago Bulls, Memphis Grizzlies 113-106 Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers 102-93 Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs 112-127 Denver Nuggets.
Source - BBC
Government says four parties interested in oil refinery
The Trinidad and Tobago government Monday said at least “four interested parties” have shown interest in acquiring the oil refinery of the state-owned Petrotrin company, a few months after it announced a decision to return to the open market to seek a buyer for the refinery that ceased operations two years ago.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, speaking in Parliament said that there is an “ongoing request for proposal process for the refinery and it has been narrowed down to four interested parties, which he did not identify.
“These parties have had access to the data room information and some have already visited the refinery,’ Rowley said, adding that the four parties are to put in their proposals by December 15 this year.
“Following such submissions there will be an evaluation process and we anticipate thereafter an evaluation will be done”.
Earlier this year, Finance minister Colm Imbert said the local group, Patriotic Energies, a subsidiary of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU), which represents oil workers, could not provide any credible offer of financing for the Petrotrin oil refinery.
He said the government had decided to “return to the open market to see if there is anybody else interested in the plant…and explore all options for the utilization of the refinery”.
The government shut down the state-run oil company and ceased operations two years ago at its only refinery, which then had the capacity to process about 140,000 barrels per day of crude, to curtail losses of over one billion US dollars in the previous five years.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rowley told legislators that the government was aware of the decision by the US-based oil giant, ExxonMobil, to move all of its supply chain services from Trinidad and Tobago to Guyana.
“This move by ExxonMobil was to be expected as the source of their exploration and production of oil and possibly gas is in Guyana. Currently the production levels there are over 100,000 barrels a day and the projections for the medium term is over a million barrels a day, so that is not surprising that Exxon shifts its business there,” Rowley said.
“Trinidad and Tobago service providers have been working and operating and providing services in Guyana in joint venture arrangements and they will continue to do so,” he said, adding that the services will be in the hydrocarbon industry and the government “will continue to do its part to promote our services in Guyana and elsewhere”.
Rowley dismissed a call by opposition legislators for his administration to enter into talks with the US oil giant so as to secure employment for locals in Guyana, saying “the employment of staff at ExxonMobil is not a government matter.
“That is a matter to be handled by ExxonMobil who carry their staff as they see fit. But Trinidad and Tobago remains a place that is welcoming to international oil production and we will also seek out opportunities …for our business and our nationals to participate in the economy of Guyana, it being a CARICOM country”.
Source - Cananewsonline
Amazon is facing questions over health and safety policies at a warehouse after 6 deaths
Amazon is facing questions over health and safety policies at a warehouse in the US state of Illinois after six workers died when the building was destroyed by a tornado.
"This never would have happened if they cared about lives over productivity," the sister of one of the victims commented on social media.
The company says its team had "worked quickly" in response to the tornado.
The roof collapsed as the storm hit the warehouse on Friday.
Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement the company is "deeply saddened" by the deaths.
One of those who died, Clayton Cope, 29, spoke to his family on the phone shortly before the building in the town of Edwardsville, Illinois was struck.
Clayton's mother Carla, said she had called her son to warn him of the tornado's approach.
"We told him it looked like the storm was heading that way and that he needed to get to shelter," Carla told NBC affiliated television station KSDK.
Clayton, who had previously trained in the Navy, told his mother he would first warn his co-workers.
Now, questions are being raised over whether adequate shelter was available, whether workers were advised to go there immediately, and whether the shifts should have gone ahead that evening at all, given the warnings of severe weather.
The Edwardsville site received tornado warnings between 20:06 and 20:16 local time (01:06 and 01:16 GMT) before the tornado struck the building at 20:27, Amazon said in a statement when contacted by the BBC, with events "happening incredibly fast".
The company said that the team worked "incredibly quickly" to ensure as many employees and partners could reach the "shelter in place" site.
One cargo driver, Austin J McEwen, 26, died in the bathroom, where many workers said they had been directed to shelter after receiving emergency alerts on their mobile phones.
"I was just getting in the building and they started screaming, "Shelter in place!'" said David Kosiak, 26, who has worked at the facility for three months. "We were in the bathrooms. That's where they sent us."
"It sounded like a train came through the building. The ceiling tiles came flying down. It was very loud. They made us shelter in place 'til we left - it was at least two-and-a-half hours in there," Mr Kosiak said.
Amazon said following a tornado warning company procedure was for all employees to be "notified and directed to move to a designated and marked shelter in place location".
The majority of the team had taken shelter at "the primary designated location", the firm said, but a small group had taken shelter in a part of the building that was hit by the tornado. "This is where most of the tragic loss of life occurred," Amazon said.
But Clayton's sister Rachel told the BBC that she understood from the conversation between her brother and her parents that he and the other workers were not immediately told to shelter after the first warning siren sounded.
She posted an comment on Facebook calling for publicity around the firm's approach to health and safety.
"Everyone knows that all Amazon cares about is productivity," she wrote.
She said she didn't believe her brother would have died if the company "got them [the employees] to safety after the storm started to get bad and took it seriously".
"No-one would have been frantically getting to the shelter last minute and my brother wouldn't have had to help people get to the shelter and put his life at risk," she wrote.
"I want them to answer for this, I want this to be a starting point of places taking the lives of their employees seriously and treating them as more than a number."
The deadly storms swept through six US states on Friday evening causing the deaths of almost 100 people and damaging homes and businesses over a 200 mile (322 km) area. In Mayfield, Kentucky eight deaths were confirmed at a candle factory.
The National Weather Service said the storm had intensified rapidly as it struck the Amazon warehouse with winds peaking at 150 miles per hour (241 km-per-hour), ripping the roof off the football field-sized structure. The 11-inch (28-cm) thick concrete walls fell in on themselves.
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which is trying to unionise Amazon workers in different parts of the US, said it was "inexcusable" that the company required people to work despite the tornado warning.
On Monday, US Department of Labor said an investigation into the building collapse has been opened by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Source - BBC
Bored Ape NFT accidentally sells for $3,000 instead of $300,000
An in-demand non-fungible token (NFT) has been accidentally sold for a little more than $3,000 (£2,270) - one-hundredth of its market price.
The Bored Ape Yacht Club is limited run of 10,000 pieces of digital art, each with minor variations.
But the owner of Bored Ape number 3,547 made a "fat fingered" typing error when listing the item for sale online.
The NFT was instantly snapped up by an automated account - and put back on sale at nearly $250,000.
The seller, maxnaut, told CNet he had meant to list Bored Ape number 3,547 for sale at 75 ethereum (ETH), the crypto-currency used for many NFT trades.
But a "lapse of concentration" - during one of the many trades he lists online every day - had caused him to instead type in "0.75 ETH" ($2,989).
"I instantly saw the error as my finger clicked the mouse but… it was instantly sniped before I could click 'Cancel' - and just like that, $250,000 was gone," he said.
The suspected-bot buyer also paid very high "gas" fees - which determine how quickly the Ethereum network processes a transaction - of 8 ETH ($32,000), to ensure the sale went through almost instantly.
In traditional banking transactions, such errors are usually reversed easily if the bank facilitating them is told about the mistake quickly.
But in the unregulated crypto-trading market, there is usually no way to reverse such a sale.
Source - BBC
US Senate committee criticises oversight of Boeing
A powerful US Senate committee has warned of serious weaknesses in the way new aircraft have been built by Boeing.
It also criticised how the company's aircraft were certified as safe to fly by the regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation report was based on the testimony of seven whistleblowers from the industry.
It came in response to two Boeing 737 Max crashes, which killed 346 people.
Boeing said it was reviewing the report: "Boeing teammates are encouraged to speak up whenever they have safety or quality concerns," the planemaker said.
It also said that many issues in the report "have been previously publicized, and Boeing has worked to address them with oversight" by the FAA.
On Monday, the FAA said it "takes all whistleblower allegations seriously and does not tolerate retaliation against those who raise safety concerns."
Source - BBC
"Never Give Up" Kim Kardashian says as she passed her Baby Bar exam
Kim Kardashian has announced to her more than 269 million Instagram followers that she passed California's "Baby Bar" exam on the fourth try.
The First-Year Law Students' Examination helps assess the preparation of lawyers-to-be for a given state's Bar exam. Despite its "baby" descriptive -- it covers three subjects as opposed to the Bar's full 15 -- it's a bear.
Kim broke the good news, naturally, with a stunning picture posted to social media.
"...I am really proud of the woman looking back today," Kim posted. "For anyone who doesn't know my law school journey, know this wasn't easy or handed to me. I failed this exam 3 times in 2 years, but I got back up each time and studied harder and tried again until I did it!!!"
Her third attempt was hampered by having COVID and a 104-degree fever, Kim explained, adding she's "not making excuses."
"I was told by top lawyers that this was a close to impossible journey," Kim said: "[I]t feels so so sooooo good to be...on my way to achieving my goals."
The daughter of famed O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Kardashian also noted her dad "would be so proud" if "so shocked to know that this is my path now."
"He would have been my best study partner," Kim said. "I am told he was notorious for making fun of people who didn't pass on their first attempt like he did, but he would have been my biggest cheerleader!"
Kim closed with, "Bottom line is don’t ever give up even when you are holding on by a thread, you can do it!!!!! Set your mind to it and get it done because it feels soooooo good once you get to the other side!"
Source - ABC
WRITE OFF OF BUSINESS LICENCE ARREARS (PENALTIES) MOTION 2021 SPEECH
During the House of Assembly the Deputy Premier & Minister of Finance, Investment & Trade, the Hon. E.Jay Saunders spoke on the written off business licence arrears given in a previous sitting.
Mr. Speaker,
I would like to start my presentation off with a quote by Mr. Rob Cohen. He stated that: “no one should go their entire lives saddled with unmanageable debts. It’s OK to ask for help once you’ve run out of options.”
In November, our Government, the people’s Government, launched, what we called the “Cruise Tourism Sector Assistance Programme”. We did this because we recognize that the tourism sector here in the nation’s Capital needs economic assistance, as a result of it being severely impacted due to the cruise port being shut down due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. This was not their fault Mr. Speaker. And our Government feel their pain!!!
As a caring Government Mr. Speaker, we knew that we had to approve “a limited” stimulus in order to:
1. maintain the industry, and mostly importantly
2. to help existing vendors prepare for the revival of the cruise-ship industry, which as we all know, started today.
And Mr. Speaker, to qualify for this stimulus, the Applicant must be a Turks and Caicos Islander or British Overseas Territory Citizen, or the business must be majority owned by Turks and Caicos Islander(s).
Let me be clear Mr. Speaker, this Motion is to help Turk & Caicos owned business get back on their feet and to go from surviving to thriving.
Mr. Speaker, this stimulus programme was launched on the 15th November 2021 and it ran until the 26th November 2021, with applicants having until the 13th December 2021 to submit all outstanding documentation. Mr. Speaker, for yours and the public’s consumption, I want to say that out of the 135 applications received, only 12 (or 9%) were declined, with 74 (or 55%) having already receive their approvals. Mr. Speaker, that’s money in the bank for those businesses!!!
Notwithstanding everything I said previously Mr. Speaker, in looking at the Programme, it was found that while many businesses were able to pay up their business license fees, unfortunately, a significant number of businesses were and are still unable to do so. As a result, Mr. Speaker, penalties have been accruing on a monthly basis at a rate of ten percent (10%) for each month, or part of each month, business license fees remain not paid up. In addition Mr. Speaker, those businesses faced an additional hardship, as their outstanding business license renewal restricted them from applying for the Cruise Tourism Sector Assistance Programme, due to one of the criteria being that businesses show proof that their licenses were paid up. To help these businesses, and Mr. Speaker it is the right thing to do, the People’s Government, our Government has seen it fit to wave the business license fee penalties.
Mr. Speaker, before a Bill (or Motion in this case) makes its way to this Honorable House for debate, it must pass through Cabinet, and before it gets to Cabinet, it is sent out for comments from various Heads of Departments. I would like to read one of the comments, which states that:
“There is a burden that comes with insurmountable debt, particularly during times of financial struggles. If approved, the write off can serve as an incentive to businesses and afford them the opportunity to start afresh.” .
Mr. Speaker, I agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly. By bringing this Motion to this Honorable House today, our caring Government, the People’s Government, is giving businesses a fresh start, which as Minister of Finance, I am honored and am happy to do. As the guardian of the Public’s Purse, Mr. Speaker, it is also my moral obligation to always look out for the people of the Turks & Caicos Islands. With that Mr. Speaker:
I beg leave to lay on the Table of this Honourable House in accordance with S.O. 32, and S.O. 49.1 (b):THE GOVERNMENT OF THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS MOTION NO. 3 OF 2021
· WRITE OFF OF BUSINESS LICENSE ARREARS (PENALTIES)
Thank you.
Dune,' 'Licorice Pizza,' 'Ted Lasso' among 2022 Golden Globes nominees
Nominations for the 79th Golden Globes were announced on Monday morning at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, with Snoop Dogg doing the honors -- not that they're being televised on NBC this year.
A blistering racial controversy behind the scenes at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) led its longtime broadcast partner drop the annual show.
A press release notes, "The HFPA will recognize the best in film and television on Sunday, January 9, 2022." However, two big questions remain: Where will they be broadcast, and, even more importantly, will any celebs show up?
In February of this year, a Los Angeles Times exposé revealed the HFPA hadn't included a Black member in 20 years. Following the controversy -- and the ouster of one of its heads over racially insensitive emails -- Hollywood shunned the organization.Tom Cruise even went so far as to return his three trophies in protest.
In August, the HFPA announced reforms to its bylaws and membership rules with the intention of bringing diversity to its ranks.
That said, here are this year's nominees:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Brian Cox - Succession
Lee Jung-jae - Squid Game
Billy Porter - Pose
Jeremy Strong - Succession
Omar Sy - Lupin
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio - Don't Look Up
Peter Dinklage - Cyrano
Andrew Garfield - Tick, Tick... Boom!
Cooper Hoffman - Licorice Pizza
Anthony Ramos - In the Heights
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Marion Cotillard - Annette
Alana Haim - Licorice Pizza
Jennifer Lawrence - Don’t Look Up
Emma Stone - Cruella
Rachel Zegler - West Side Story
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Mahershala Ali - Swan Song
Javier Bardem - Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog
Will Smith - King Richard
Denzel Washington - The Tragedy of Macbeth
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
The Great
Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
Reservation Dogs
Ted Lasso
Best Television Series, Drama
Lupin
The Morning Show
Pose
Squid Game
Succession
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Uzo Aduba - In Treatment
Jennifer Aniston - The Morning Show
Christine Baranski - The Good Fight
Elisabeth Moss - The Handmaid’s Tale
MJ Rodriguez - Pose
Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture made for Television
Paul Bettany - WandaVision
Oscar Isaac - Scenes From a Marriage
Michael Keaton - Dopesick
Ewan McGregor - Halston
Tahar Rahim - The Serpent
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Kristen Stewart - Spencer
Olivia Colman - The Lost Daughter
Lady Gaga - House of Gucci
Nicole Kidman - Being the Ricardos
Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
Dopesick
American Crime Story: Impeachment
Maid
Mare of Easttown
The Underground Railroad
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy
Cyrano
Don’t Look Up
Licorice Pizza
Tick, Tick... Boom!
West Side Story
Best Motion Picture, Drama
Belfast
CODA
Dune
King Richard
The Power of the Dog
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture
Caitriona Balfe - Belfast
Ariana Debose - West Side Story
Kirsten Dunst - The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis - King Richard
Ruth Negga - Passing
Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
Ben Affleck - The Tender Bar
Jamie Dornan - Belfast
Ciarán Hinds - Belfast
Troy Kotsur - CODA
Kodi Smit-McPhee - The Power of the Dog
Best Director, Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh - Belfast
Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog
Maggie Gyllenhaal - The Lost Daughter
Steven Spielberg - West Side Story
Denis Villeneuve - Dune
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Licorice Pizza
Belfast
The Power of the Dog
Don’t Look Up
Being the Ricardos
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat - The French Dispatch
Germaine Franco - Encanto
Jonny Greenwood - The Power of the Dog
Alberto Iglesias - Parallel Mothers
Hans Zimmer - Dune
Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Hannah Einbinder - Hacks
Elle Fanning - The Great
Issa Rae - Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross - Black-ish
Jean Smart - Hacks
Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Anthony Anderson - Black-ish
Nicholas Hoult - The Great
Steve Martin - Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short - Only Murders in the Building
Jason Sudeikis - Ted Lasso
Best Supporting Actress, Television
Jennifer Coolidge - The White Lotus
Kaitlyn Dever - Dopesick
Andie MacDowell - Maid
Sarah Snook - Succession
Hannah Waddingham - Ted Lasso
Best Supporting Actor, Television
Billy Crudup - The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin - Succession
Mark Duplass - The Morning Show
Brett Goldstein - Ted Lasso
O Yeong-su - Squid Game
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
"Be Alive" from King Richard
"Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto
"Down To Joy" from Belfast
"Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)" from RESPECT
"No Time To Die" from No Time To Die
Best Picture, Foreign Language
Compartment No. 6
Drive My Car
The Hand of God
A Hero
Parallel Mothers