TCI Government signs an agreement for the extension of the Dock Facility with Carnival
Grand Turk Cruise Center reopens to the public in early December 2021 and the Government signs an agreement for the extension of the Dock Facility and Improvements to the Reception Facility worth $25M.
Grand Turk residents anxiously await the berthing of ships at its cruise port.
After twenty-one months, the Grand Turk Cruise Center will receive cruise ships at its facility starting in early December 2021, which is welcomed news to the inhabitants of the island of Grand Turk who have experienced prolonged economic inactivity in the cruise sector, which employs some 30% of the resident population and supports small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Additionally, the Government of the Turks and Caicos, under the leadership of the Honourable Premier C. Washington Misick, on Wednesday, 13th October 2021 signed an agreement with Carnival Corporation, highlighted by a $25 million new investment in the Grand Turk Cruise Center. This investment will include the extension of the dock facility to accommodate larger ships and improvements to the reception facilities.
The Government – being acutely aware of the plight of taxi and ground transportation operators, shore excursions, restaurants and bars, local craft and souvenir shops, jewelers and many more businesses, all of whom benefit from the cruise sector either directly or indirectly – expressed its commitment to prepare the sector for an imminent reopening. This agreement, including the investment in the cruise center, follows the Government’s efforts to accelerate negotiations that began when Hon. Premier Misick came into office in February 2021, at a time that marked approximately one year since the pause of cruise tourism arrivals to Grand Turk.
Since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, many economies of the world have been thrown into a state of flux as forced lockdowns saw economies dwindle. Among the many sectors, the travel industry worldwide and the cruise tourism industry more specifically were disproportionately affected. However, with wider acceptance of a vaccine, the cruise industry foresees a rebound of the sector.
The cruise sector is the private sector’s lifeblood of Grand Turk. It is estimated that in March 2020 when the cruise port closed, over 1,450 persons were employed in cruise tourism with employee wage income totaling over $26.8 million per annum. The sector was on a growth trajectory with direct cruise tourism expenditure expected to surpass $86.5 million and estimated passenger and crew arrivals to Grand Turk expecting to exceed 1.2 million annually. The halt of the sector was a major negative economic impact for Turks and Caicos, and news of the
reopening is a significant positive development to aid the recovery of tourism and the larger economy.
As the cruise industry resumes operations in Grand Turk, the Government of Turks and Caicos is focused on working with the community to deliver an exceptional overall experience for cruise guests, and ensure the safety and security of both visitors and residents in Grand Turk.
“As part of our overall restart efforts, we are very excited to be returning to Turks and Caicos later this year, and to once again be able to treat our guests to the beauty and wonder surrounding our home in Grand Turk,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. “We continue to be grateful for our long-standing partnership with Turks and Caicos, and look forward to working together on the expansion of the Grand Turk Cruise Center, which will bring more guests to one of our most popular destinations while providing ongoing positive economic impact to the people of Turks and Caicos and the communities in which they live.”
Hon. Premier Misick added: “As a community, we welcome the long-awaited resumption of cruising in Turks and Caicos, and we are delighted to be working closely with Carnival Corporation to continue to invest in the future of the Grand Turk Cruise Center. We look forward to long-lasting strategic alliances and joint initiatives with partners that will foster the economic growth of the Turks and Caicos Islands, creating opportunities for households across the country, making it possible for individual workers and entrepreneurs to earn more, and to achieve a higher standard of living and where businesses thrive and grow.”
Microsoft shutting down LinkedIn in China
Microsoft is shutting down its social network, LinkedIn, in China, saying having to comply with the Chinese state has become increasingly challenging.
It comes after the career-networking site faced questions for blocking the profiles of some journalists.
LinkedIn will launch a jobs-only version of the site, called InJobs, later this year.
But this will not include a social feed or the ability to share or post articles.
LinkedIn senior vice-president Mohak Shroff blogged: "We're facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China."
And the firm said in a statement: "While we are going to sunset the localised version of LinkedIn in China later this year, we will continue to have a strong presence in China to drive our new strategy and are excited to launch the new InJobs app later this year."
LinkedIn had been the only major Western social-media platform operating in China.
When it launched there, in 2014, it had agreed to adhere to the requirements of the Chinese government in order to operate there, but also promised to be transparent about how it conducted business in the country and said it disagreed with government censorship.
Recently, LinkedIn blacklisted several journalist accounts, including those of Melissa Chan and Greg Bruno, from its China-based website.
Mr Bruno, who has written a book documenting China's treatment of Tibetan refugees, told Verdict he was not surprised the Chinese Communist Party did not like it but was "dismayed that an American tech company is caving into the demands of a foreign government".
US senator Rick Scott called the move a "gross appeasement and an act of submission to Communist China", in a letter to LinkedIn chief executive Ryan Roslansky and Microsoft boss Satya Nadella.
It's hard to pinpoint whether LinkedIn's move was driven by the pressure from China, or that from the US. It could be both, as the Chinese government has been tightening its grip over the internet, and meanwhile, LinkedIn has drawn growing criticism in America for bowing to Beijing's censorship rules.
LinkedIn launched its Chinese version in 2014, hoping to tap into the country's huge market.
Seven years on, it has struggled against local competitors and run into regulatory problems. In March, LinkedIn was reportedly punished by the Chinese regulator for failing to censor political content, resulting in a suspension of new user registration for 30 days. Other than controversy over censorships, the platform has been used by Chinese intelligence agencies as a recruitment tool.
In a letter to the platform's users in China today, President of LinkedIn China Lu Jian pledges that the site will continue to "connect global business opportunities".
But LinkedIn's shutdown in China shows an opposite trend. The country's heavily controlled internet has drifted further away from the rest of the world, and it's increasingly challenging for global business operating in China to bridge the deep divide.
Source-BBC
Chase eyes anchor role in Windies powerful batting line-up
Roston Chase said he was ready to play the anchor role in the swashbuckling West Indies batting order during the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup, starting this Sunday in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Chase admitted his game was not built around the raw power of many of the other batsmen in the Windies top order, so he could play a role like what he does for St Lucia Kings in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which helped him to earn a place in the 15-member squad.
“I see myself playing a similar role,” Chase said during a virtual media conference from the West Indies training base in Dubai on Thursday.
“I played for the St Lucia franchise for the past two years where I come in mostly after the Powerplay and knock it around and pick up the ones and twos and the occasional boundary when the ball is in my area to score so it’s an easy role for me.
“I like that role and with the power-hitting guys that we have, my role is just to give them the strike and let them do their thing but if the ball is in my area I will put it away.”
Chase was among the leading scorers in this year’s CPL in St Kitts with 446 runs at an average of 49.55 and strike rate of 144.33.
“Early on in this year’s CPL, the pitches were a bit difficult,” he said. “They had a lot of grass, but the grass was kind of spongy. It wasn’t like even grass for the ball to slide on.
“The ball was bouncing a bit; that was a bit hard, so I just thought that after the first couple of matches I was trying to go at the ball a bit too hard. It was a pitch that you needed time to get in first and then it became easier.
“So that is what I told myself after the first couple of games, just give myself a bit of time at the crease and then let my stroke play take over from there.”
Chase said he might have to make similar adjustments for the pitches in the UAE.
“We’ve had three training sessions so far, and basically, the pitches have been coming on pretty good,” he said.
“The only issue I see with the pitches is that they’re keeping low, so you probably have to stay low when you’re executing your shots and that should work, but the pitches are coming on a lot nicer than the ones we usually get in the CPL, so it should be a bit easier to get some runs.”
Two-time champions West Indies open their title defence against England on October 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in a rematch of the 2016 final.
They have been drawn in Group 1 and will also play group matches against recent opponents South Africa and Australia, as well as two teams that advance from qualifying round in the first week of the tournament.
Source-CMC
PM welcomes move to acquire operations of CIBC FirstCaribbean
The St. Vincent and the Grenadines government has welcomed the announcement by a consortium of banks in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the branches and banking operations of the CIBC FirstCaribbean in four Caribbean islands.
The four members of the consortium – The Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ltd., The National Bank of Dominica Limited; Grenada Co-operative Bank Limited; and St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank Limited, said that the agreement is subjected to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.
According to its website, CIBC FirstCaribbean was formed in 2002 with the merger of CIBC West Indies Holdings and Barclays Bank PLC Caribbean operations. In December 2006, CIBC acquired Barclays stake and became the majority shareholder in FirstCaribbean.
“Our clients and our employees across the Caribbean will continue to benefit from the long-term investment that CIBC is making in the Caribbean – a history that dates back to our first branches opened in 1920,” the bank said.
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, speaking on a radio programme of his ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) on Tuesday night, said the local bank will benefit significantly from the acquisition.
“The current market share in terms of loans and advances for Bank of St. Vincent is 52 per cent, but when we add, after the acquisition of CIBC we will be almost about 67 per cent moving from EC$670 million to over EC$832 million and so they will add about EC$160 million in loans and advances.
“In deposits, our current share is about 49 per cent , when you add the CIBC it will be nearly 72 per cent to approximately EC$1.6 billion. So you are going to have total assets there of what is now 51 per cent market share for Bank of St. Vincent that would rise to 67 per cent or EC$1.8 billion.
Gonsalves said that he was pleased with the restricting exercise undertaken at the local bank prior to the acquisition adding “we would not have been able to grab some of CIBC”.
He said the deposit customers at the Bank of St. Vincent is just over 40,000 and the estimated amount for CIBC is between 15 and 20,000.
“That means combined the estimates would be between 55 and 60, 000 deposit customers which basically by this acquisition will be touching the lives of practically every Vincentian in the country,” he added.
“This is a huge issue and you notice we kept it quite confidential and quiet,” he said, praising the teams involved in the negotiations.
The acquisition expands the consortium’s loan base by more than EC$600 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) net, the deposit portfolio by EC$1.5 billion, and provides the additional scale to better service the consortium’s respective communities and contribute to the region’s economic and social advancement, according to a statement issued here.
It said that the consortium looks forward to working with CIBC FirstCaribbean to finalise the transaction over the coming months with both working diligently to ensure the transition is seamless for all stakeholders.
Until regulatory approvals are obtained and the transaction closes, operations at all institutions will continue as they currently do.
“The consortium members are committed to recruiting staff of CIBCFirstCaribbean, as required, to maintain and even improve the level and quality of service that CIBCFirstCaribbean customers are accustomed to.”
“As at June 30, 2021, the consortium members held an aggregate deposit base of EC$6.4 billion representing a 53 per cent market share in their combined markets.
Source-CMC
Guyana emerges top in the region in CXC CAPE results
Guyana has emerged at the top of this year’s Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), Director of Operations at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Dr. Nicole Manning announced Thursday.
The examination body made the official announcement of the 2021 CAPE and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
“Overall, Guyana’s (CAPE) performance was marginally higher compared to the rest of the region,” Dr. Manning said. “We had 16 units of which 100 per cent candidates received Grades One to Five.”
Grades One to Five are considered passes in CAPE, while in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, Grades One to Three are considered passes.
Guyana also received high pass rates in the latter exams. Dr. Manning indicated that 70 per cent of students were able to attain Grades One to Three passes.
For 2021, there were two sittings of examinations – June/July for the region and a separate sitting for the St. Vincent and the Grenadines cohort due to the unexpected eruption of the La Soufrière volcano on the island.
As some of the measures aimed at reducing the pressure on students, Dr. Manning indicated that there also a reduction in School-Based Assessments (SBAs) requirements by as much as 50 per cent in some instances. CXC had also reduced the requirements for specific subjects given COVID-19 restrictions such as oral examinations.
“For the first time we would have introduced a facility known as deferral who might have felt as if they were not ready to sit exams in 2021. They had the opportunity to defer all or some of the subjects. We had also given them an opportunity, also for the first time ever, for students to deter submitting their SBAs until 2022,” Dr. Manning articulated.
Meanwhile, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand congratulated the students for their remarkable achievements, despite the unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If we are honest, and we should be, the pandemic caught us at widely different levels of readiness for the unprecedented demands and new modes o education of delivery. Equally notable is the fact that our systems responded to the disruptions with varying degrees of alacrity,” she said.
Going forward, the Education Minister pointed out that it is vital that the region examine strategies to advance education and pay equal attention to address systemic barriers that hinder participation and benefiting in this critical sector.
“To all the students in Guyana and the region, I commend your reliance and efforts in face of such daunting challenges over the past year and a half. You should be extremely proud of yourself and should use this experience to propel you into even greater achievements in the future,” she said.
Source-CMC
US investigating reported cases of 'Havana syndrome' in Colombia ahead of Blinken visit
A "few" U.S. personnel at the embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, have reported symptoms consistent with "Havana syndrome," a source familiar with the cases confirmed to ABC News.
Colombia is now the latest country where American officials have reported incidents of the mysterious neurological affliction that has confounded the U.S. government for years now, but the reports are particularly notable because Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Bogotá this month, the Colombian Foreign Ministry announced last week.
Symptoms include headaches, dizziness, cognitive difficulties, tinnitus, vertigo and trouble with seeing, hearing or balancing. Many officials have suffered symptoms years after reporting an incident, while some have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.
It's unclear how many U.S. officials have confirmed medical symptoms.
American diplomats, spies and other officials have reported strange experiences and debilitating symptoms in several countries now, starting with Cuba in late 2016 and expanding to China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Germany, Austria and elsewhere.
In a similar episode in August, Vice President Kamala Harris's trip to Vietnam was delayed for a few hours after an unconfirmed case of "Havana syndrome" was reported by a staffer at the U.S. mission there.
Source-ABC
Cardi B will not be sanctioned by court for traveling to Paris Fashion Week
After celebrating her 29th birthday with a massive blowout on Monday attended by Megan Thee Stallion, Normani, Lizzo and more, Cardi B has won a court fight over the trial date for a copyright-infringement lawsuit filed by a photographer.
Kevin Michael Brophy is suing the "Rumors" rapper for at least five million dollars, accusing her of illegally using his tattoo of a tiger and a snake for the cover of her 2016 debut mixtape, Gangsta B Music, Vol. 1, according to RadarOnline.
The trial was originally scheduled to begin later this month, then was pushed to next year because Cardi claimed she needed extra time to travel from New York City to California where the trial would be held.
Her lawyer wrote, "For medical reasons, it is inadvisable for her to travel from her present residence on the East Coast to Southern California."
Cardi's attorney continued, "Being in the immediate post-natal period and nursing her newborn child, it would be an unreasonable imposition upon her to require her to actively be present for and participate in pretrial preparation and attendance at the trial itself."
However, when the Grammy winner flew to Paris for Fashion Week in September, Brophy demanded that the trial be moved up to December, and that Cardi should be sanctioned and fined $8,130 for lying under oath.
On Wednesday, a judge ruled in Cardi's favor. "In short, the court sees no reason to advance the trial date or issue an order to show cause regarding sanctions at this time," ruled Judge Cormac Carney, according to AllHipHop.com.
Brophy and Cardi B's court trial is scheduled for February 1, 2022.
Source-ABC
Brooklyn Nets won't select Irving until he is eligible
Brooklyn Nets say point guard Kyrie Irving will not play for the team until he is eligible to become "a full participant" under New York City Covid-19 vaccine rules.
Irving is unvaccinated but regulations state all athletes who play or practice in the city have to be vaccinated.
The 29-year-old can play in away games but Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks has ruled that out as an option.
"We respect his individual right to choose," Marks said.
"Currently the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability."
Marks added: "Given the evolving nature of the situation and after thorough deliberation, we have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant."
Irving is a seven-time All-Star who played in 54 regular-season games for the Nets last season.
The NBA said recently that any player who chooses not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for the games they miss.
Source-BBC
Tyga arrested for Domestic violence
Tyga has been arrested on felony domestic violence charges following allegations of abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Camaryn Swanson.
In a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department to ABC News, authorities say that Tyga, born Michael Stevenson, turned himself in on Tuesday morning "around 9:00 am where he was arrested and booked for felony domestic violence."
Tyga's bail was listed at $50,000, although it's reported that by Tuesday afternoon, the rapper had quickly bailed himself out.
As previously reported, Tyga's arrest comes after Swanson took to social media on Monday evening to share photos of the alleged injuries she suffered as a result of what she says was an altercation with the rapper.
In an Instagram Story where she appears to have a black eye, Camaryn tagged TMZ and wrote, "I've been emotionally, mentally, and physically abused and I'm not hiding it anymore."
According to TMZ, the incident occurred after Swanson arrived at Tyga's home uninvited. There, she reportedly argued and yelled at the rapper until she was picked up by her mother. Swanson, however, disputes claims that she was told not to show up at Tyga's home.
Tyga and Swanson have been reportedly dating since the beginning of the 2021.
Source-ABC
Global Solidarity is missing in action says General Guterres
The Coronavirus Pandemic has forced 100 million into poverty as global solidarity is 'missing in action', this according to the UN chief.
The United Nations chief says the pandemic has forced more than 100 million people into poverty and left over four billion people with little or no social support, health care or income protection.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres told an International Monetary Fund panel Monday that global solidarity "is missing in action" and people living in conflict-affected and poor countries are suffering most of all.
In Guterres's words, "Vaccine inequality is a moral outrage that is condemning the world to millions more deaths and prolonging an economic slowdown that could cost trillions of dollars, hitting the poorest countries hardest of all."
Guterres says indications the world is in a substantial economic recovery mask the huge divergence between the situations in rich countries and in the least-developed nations.As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 238.5 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus-tracking tool. The reported global death toll stood at more than 4.8 million.
In Asia, Pakistani authorities on Tuesday reported less than 700 coronavirus cases for the first time since June amid a steady decline in infections due to coronavirus. The development comes weeks after Pakistan said unvaccinated people won't be allowed to work in offices, enter shopping malls or attend schools. It forced many people to get vaccinated to avoid punitive measures. The country is offering free shots to teens and adults.
India is recommending emergency use of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 shot in children under 12 years of age, making the vaccine maker the first in the country to get such an approval after a review of its trial data for the 2-18 age group. The decision comes as India shifts its focus to vaccinating children, having already rolled out more than 950 million doses to adults among its population of nearly 1.4 billion.
In Oceania, Sydney's COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest in two months on Tuesday. Meanwhile, New Zealand expects to administer a record 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses in a single day during a mass immunization drive on Oct. 16.
In Europe, Russia reported 973 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday, its highest single-day toll since the start of the pandemic, and the government voiced concern at the pace and intensity of new infections.
Romania also reported its highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 17,000 COVID-19 infections were confirmed Tuesday along with 442 deaths, the first time the European Union country of 19 million has surpassed 400 virus deaths in a single day.
In Africa, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa are being considered as potential locations for Moderna's planned vaccine factory in Africa, the U.S. drugmaker's co-founder and chairman said, as the company steps up its search for a site on the continent.
Source-CBC