SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka vs West Indies – 1st day, 2nd Test
Scoreboard on the opening day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and West Indies at Galle International Stadium here Monday:
SRI LANKA 1st Innings
P Nissanka not out 61
*D Karunaratne c & b Chase 42
O Fernando not out 2
Extras (lb7, nb1) 8
TOTAL (1 wkt, 34.4 overs) 113
To bat: A Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, +D Chandimal, R Mendis, S Lakmal, C Asalanka, L Embuldeniya, P Jayawickrama
Fall of wickets: 1-106
Bowling: Roach 6-2-12-0, Holder 8-2-23-0, Mayers 2-0-13-0, Permaul 5-0-18-0, Chase 7.4-0-33-1, Warrican 6-3-7-0.
WEST INDIES – Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Shai Hope, Nkrumah Bonner, Roston Chase, Jermaine Blackwood, Kyle Mayers, Joshua da Silva, Jason Holder, Kemar Roach, Veerasammy Permaul, Jomel Warrican
Toss: Sri Lanka.
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Ruchira Palliyaguruge; TV – Lyndon Hannibal.
OECS launches TECHIE programme
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission has launched its entrepreneurs incubation and acceleration programme welcoming its first cohort of entrepreneurs.
The Technology Competitiveness Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (TECHIE) is funded by the Barbados-based Compete Caribbean Partnership facility and is being implemented by the Trinidad-based GBest Limited.
The Commission said 167 applications were received for the programme and through a rigorous evaluation process, 14 startups were selected to participate in the virtual business incubator, while 32 existing companies were selected to participate in the accelerator.
It said participants in both components of the TECHIE programme will benefit from training, mentoring, coaching, consultancy services, support to access finance, seed capital and networking opportunities over the next six months.
The participants were selected from the six independent OECS member states namely; Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Commission said while the programme targets technology-based entrepreneurs, the participants operate in various sectors such as manufacturing, tourism, health and wellness, agriculture/agro-processing and creative industries.
Director of the Economic Affairs and Regional Integration Division at the OECS Commission, Mrs. Jacqueline Emmanuel-Flood expressed support for the work being done to strengthen the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem by building key partnerships with national and global business service organisations.
OECS Director General, Dr. Didacus Jules, commended the entrepreneurs for taking the step to participate in this programme and encouraged them to take advantage of the networking, training and coaching opportunities being offered.
He reminded the participants that they have a critical role to play in the transformation of the region, especially in the current economic realities, and was pleased with the recent acceleration of digitisation seen by many businesses in response to the demands of the market.
The Commission said that the objective of the programme is to strengthen the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems of the six member states participating in the project.
“Overall, the incubator and accelerator programme is expected to support at least 80 OECS entrepreneurs over 18 months, with the second cohort starting in the first quarter of 2022. The third component of the project involves promoting the adoption of digital financial technology solutions by small businesses in the OECS and is also expected to commence in early 2022,” it added.
Source-CMC
Omicron triggers TT travel restrictions
The government of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has imposed travel restrictions on travellers from eight countries over concerns of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant.
The nine countries include Botswana, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
More on this story as details are revealed.
Source-CMC
Deliveries for the BMW i4 to Begin Three Months Early
The Munich-based automaker held an event over the weekend at BMW Welt in its home city, handing over the first examples of the fully electric BMW i4 to new owners, three months earlier than expected. The battery-electric Gran Coupe entered production just a month ago, with the first examples rolling out of a plant nearing the 100-year mark, and that currently produces the BMW 3-Series sedan and Touring models, the BMW M3 and the BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe.
Aimed at the Tesla Model 3 and the Polestar 2, the BMW i4 will make it stateside early next year in two main flavors at launch: the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive i4 eDrive40 will be the entry model, starting at $56,395, while the dual-motor all-wheel-drive i4 M50 will be the sportier performance version with 469 hp and 538 lb-ft of torque on tap, starting at $66,895.
The base model will serve up about 300 miles of range, BMW has indicated, though concrete EPA numbers won't be known until a few weeks before its US launch.
"It is a very special moment for us when we hand over brand new models to customers for the first time," said Bernhard Kuhnt, senior vice president BMW Group Market Germany. "The BMW i4 shows in an emotional way how well fully electric mobility and sporty driving dynamics fit together. For us, it is therefore clear: the BMW i4 will offer our customers a whole new dimension of driving pleasure."
BMW is in slightly uncharted territory here with the i4, and could face an uphill battle against Tesla in its home market where the American sedan has become an unexpected hit, just ahead of the start of production at new Tesla plant outside Berlin. So the first deliveries of the i4 are happening against the kind of backdrop that would have been difficult to imagine even five years ago—German automakers having to catch up to an American import sedan.
The i4 will face an admittedly small cast of competitors at launch, as for now only Tesla and Polestar offer vehicles that could be considered vaguely similar, with BMW's offering landing a bit north of both cars in price even given the recent (of several) price hikes of the Model 3. The Tesla Model 3 currently starts at $46,190 for the base, rear-wheel-drive single-motor version, while the Polestar 2 starts at $47,200 for the long-range, single-motor version.
It will be some time before more midsize premium or luxury electric sedans arrive, as most of the competition has focused on fielding crossovers and SUVs in this particular price range, in addition to luxury sedans priced much higher. This is also the reason why it took so long for competitors to the Model 3 to actually arrive on the market: Automakers saw greener pastures in other segments, and with good cause.
Speaking of those other segments, deliveries of another electric BMW model are not far behind.
"With the BMW i4, we have absolutely struck a chord," Kuhnt added. "You can see this from the very high demand for this car. We are delighted to be expanding our electrified product lineup with this sporty, fully electric Gran Coupé at exactly the right time and to present the first vehicles to our customers today—three months earlier than originally planned. The first delivery of a BMW i4 today, and the first BMW iX in about a week, are further milestones for the BMW Group on the road to electromobility."
Source- Auto Week
Facial recognition firm faces possible £17m privacy fine
An Australian firm which claims to have a database of more than 10 billion facial images is facing a potential £17m fine over its handling of personal data in the UK.
The Information Commissioner's Office said it had significant concerns about Clearview AI, whose facial recognition software is used by police forces.
It has told the firm to stop processing UK personal data and delete any it has.
Clearview said the regulator's claims were "factually and legally incorrect".
The company - which has been invited to make representations - said it was considering an appeal and "further action".
It has already been found to have broken Australian privacy law but is seeking a review of that ruling.
Clearview AI's system allows a user - for example, a police officer seeking to identify a suspect - to upload a photo of a face and find matches in a database of billions of images it has collected from the internet and social media.
The system then provides links to where matching images appeared online.
The firm has promoted its service to police as resembling a "Google search for faces".
But in a statement, the UK's Information Commissioner said that Clearview's database was likely to include "a substantial number of people from the UK" whose data may have been gathered without people's knowledge.
The firm's services are understood to have been trialled by a number of UK law enforcement agencies, but that was discontinued and Clearview AI does not have any UK customers.
The ICO said its "preliminary view" was that the firm appeared to have failed to comply with UK data protection laws by:
Failing to process the information of UK citizens fairly
Failing to have a process in place to stop the data being retained indefinitely
Failing to have a lawful reason for collecting the information
And failing to inform people in the UK about what is happening to their data.
The UK Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, said: "I have significant concerns that personal data was processed in a way that nobody in the UK will have expected.
"UK data protection legislation does not stop the effective use of technology to fight crime. But to enjoy public trust and confidence in their products, technology providers must ensure people's legal protections are respected and complied with."
The decision is provisional and the ICO said any representations by Clearview AI will be carefully considered before a final ruling is made in the middle of next year.
Hoan Ton-That, chief executive of Clearview AI, said: "I am deeply disappointed that the UK Information Commissioner has misinterpreted my technology and intentions.
"My company and I have acted in the best interests of the UK and their people by assisting law enforcement in solving heinous crimes against children, seniors, and other victims of unscrupulous acts.... We collect only public data from the open internet and comply with all standards of privacy and law."
There are some signs that big tech companies are growing wary of face recognition.
Earlier in November, Facebook announced that it would no longer use facial recognition software to identify faces in photographs and videos.
But online tools, and search engines, using facial recognition technology continue to operate, privacy campaigners warn.
Source-BBC
Trey Songz involved in sexual assault investigation in Las Vegas
An alleged sexual assault incident involving Trey Songz is currently being investigated by Las Vegas Metro Police Department.
In a statement to ABC News, LVMPD says that on Sunday they "received a report of a sexual assault incident alleged to have occurred at a hotel in the 3700 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard" involving the 37-year-old singer, who was born Tremaine Neverson.
The incident is currently being investigated by detectives and Songz is "cooperating with the investigation," the statement adds. "At this time, no arrests have been made."
The "Bottoms Up" singer apparently was in Sin City to ring in his 37th birthday at Drai's Nightclub on Saturday night. The party then continued at the Cosmopolitan hotel where a TMZ source said that Songz and his entourage brought back a group of women.
Songz has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Source-ABC
PUBLIC FORECAST 29TH NOVEMBER 2021
GENERAL SITUATION: A WEAK REINFORCING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA LATER TODAY WHILE HIGH PRESSURE WILL START TO BUILD BEHIND THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY
FOR ALL AREAS
WEATHER:VARIABLY CLOUDY AND A BIT BREEZY WITH A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY BECOMING FAIR AND COOL TONIGHT WITH THE CHANCE OF ISOLATED SHOWERS
ADVISORY:A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS THIS MORNING…..EXPECT GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: NORTHWEST TO NORTH AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS THIS MORNING FALLING TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS BY THE AFTERNOON IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, NORTHWEST TO NORTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS FALLING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT TIMES IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
SEAS:4 TO 6 FEET DIMINISHING TO 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
HIGH TEMP TODAY: 79 °F 26°C LOW TEMP TONIGHT: 61°F 16°C
SUN
SUNRISE: 6:37AM SUNSET: 5:18PM
MOON
MOONSET: 2:05 PM MOONRISE: 2:29 AM TUE
TIDES
LOW TIDE: 9:04AM HIGH TIDE: 3:06PM
LOW TIDE: 9:29 PM HIGH TIDE: 3:47 AM TUE
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS:THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO STALL ACROSS THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS BY WEDNESDAY AS IT SLOWLY DISSIPATES WHILE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE ISLANDS AFTER THE FRONT
FORECAST FOR TUESDAY
WEATHER:PARTLY CLOUDY WITH THE CHANCE OF A PASSING SHOWER BECOMING BREEZY AT NIGHT IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
WINDS:NORTH TO NORTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS, INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AT NIGHT
SEAS:2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS AT NIGHT
FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY
WEATHER:VARIABLY CLOUDY AND BREEZY WITH THE CHANCE OF A PASSING ISOLATED SHOWER
WINDS:NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OCCASIONALLY FALLING TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS
SEAS:4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: THE TROPICS REMAIN QUIET AND TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT FIVE DAYS. THE 2021 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE TOMORROW, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH 2021.
CLOSE OF NASSAU GROUPER (EPINEPHELUS STRIATUS) SEASON, 01 DECEMBER 2021
The Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources Management (FMRM) is reminding the public that the 2021 Nassau Grouper Season will be close on Wednesday, December 1st, 2021.
The Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Amendment) Regulation 12(1A) states: “The close season in relation to Nassau grouper shall be from the first day of December 2021 to the twenty-eight day of February 20222(inclusive) in each year or such other dates as may, from time to time, be appointed by the Governor in the Gazette”.
During the closed season, any person who fishes for, purchases or is in possession of a Nassau grouper will be committing an offence that is punishable by a fine of $5,000 or six-months imprisonment or both.
The FMRM is urging all fishers, restaurant owners, private residents and plant owners to ensure that no Nassau grouper remains in their possession as of Wednesday, December 1st, 2021.
Please report any contravention of the Fisheries Protection Ordinance Regulations to the FMRM at 338-4179 or emailed to hwilson@gov.tc.
Survey shows COVID pandemic has severely affected Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries have suffered significantly as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with at least 50 per cent of households not being able to recover the income levels before the pandemic that has also seriously affected, education, health among other sectors.
A survey released by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday analysed the current state of the region in six crucial areas, namely labour markets, income and food security, education, gender, health and digital and finance.
The “Phase 2 of the 2021 LAC High-Frequency Phone Survey” described as “An uneven Recovery: taking the pulse of the Latin America and Caribbean following the pandemic,” also included Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Guyana.
Overall, the survey found that in LAC, while the employment situation had been showing signs of recovery over the past two years of the pandemic, the jobs were mainly generated by micro companies and those engaged in self-employment.
“There has been a huge employment as a consequence and one in every four persons across the region has not been to get their jobs back,” said Luis Felipe López-Calva, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP, adding that Colombia, Panama, Honduras and Haiti had been the most severely affected countries in the LAC.
He said women more than men had been more affected by the situation, particularly mothers of very small children and people “in vulnerable ages …and those with less levels of schooling.
“Regionwise, there is still a long way to recover….(and) the quality of employment has degraded across the region in all countries… it has deteriorated significantly”.
He said that the survey had shown that the formal employment “has diminished almost by five per cent region wide (and) …we see people had to resort to self-employment.
According to the data, 50 per cent of households have not been able to recover income levels before the pandemic whether through the labour market or even remittances and emergency transfers, leading to a situation of food security in the region.
The data showed that all countries had recorded a drop in access to food and that the countries that were already facing poverty levels before the pandemic “are the ones suffering the most”.
In the field of education, while countries such as Guyana, Belize had recorded 12 percentage points higher before the pandemic, other countries were now recording as high as 22 per cent of children not being able to attend classes.
“This is one of the big challenges of the pandemic,” said the panellists during a webinar on Monday when the results of the survey was released, with the data showing that virtual learning in some countries was so bad due to the lack of access to the internet, available technology and even children not wanting to participate in the new environment.
World Bank Vice President for Latin America and Caribbean, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, described as “silent crisis” the events brought about by the pandemic in the field of education especially for primary and secondary education.
“Schools have been mostly closed. In some countries they have not re-opened yet, at least not totally, and I think that is something that we said is that the alternatives that have been used are far from ideal.
“I think some countries have used education through the internet, some countries have used more traditional mechanisms such as education through TV and the radio, but the effectiveness of these alternatives is not very positive …and we are worried that there is not a system good enough so that most students can truly have an effective educational experience.
“The World Bank officials said “this is going to leave a very deep scar on this generation and we have to think about how countries can deal with what they have lost in terms of two years of learning.
‘Two years of silent crisis in education,” he added.
The study also found that while vaccination had become available in many LAC countries and would in the future contribute to students returning to their classrooms. In places like Haiti, vaccination is non-existent.
Also it was discovered that in the LAC one-fifth of unvaccinated people do not want to be vaccinated and that situation could be found in rural areas, the elderly and people who just do not believe in vaccines.
The survey found that the pandemic had allowed for an increase in digital and financing with technology making a leap as much as 50 per cent, many homes were now using digital platforms to carry out their tasks such as banking and using mobile wallets.
Jaramillo told the webinar that going forward, LAC must deal with the digital gap, adding “the pandemic has made it clear that this is extremely serious and this has deepen social gaps.
“I think this is also responsible for some of the…inequalities because those who had resources could work from home or go to school through the internet. However those who did not have access through the internet…have been very limited in their possibilities.
“I think the figures we have gained through the survey clearly show this and I think this is an urgent investment and it is not very costly. We need to give access to the internet to the 20 per cent of the poorest population. This is actually not a huge investment for most countries and it is urgent,” Jaramillo added.
Source-CMC
The Phoenix Suns beats the Brooklyn Nets increasing their streak and chance of overcoming their franchise record.
The Phoenix Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-107 to stretch their winning streak to 16 games, one away from their franchise record.
The Suns were led by Devin Booker's 30 points, with Chris Paul adding 22 and registering his 5,000th career rebound.
The Nets' Kevin Durant was the game's top scorer with 39 points, while James Harden made a triple-double.
"Obviously, everybody knows the ultimate goal is to win a championship," said Paul.
"But if you don't enjoy the small victories throughout the regular season, then what the hell are you doing?"
The Suns, last season's beaten finalists, had led by as many as 22 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter and survived a late charge by the Eastern Conference leaders to extend their record to 17-3 for the season.
They can equal their record winning streak when they face the NBA's top team the Golden State Warriors (17-2) on Tuesday.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Booker. "Obviously not a make it or break-it game, not a play-off game, but we know it's going to be high-energy, the two best records in the NBA. It's going to a high-intensity, fun game."
Source - BBC