Statement on motor vehicle accident from the Ministry of Health and Human Services
The Ministry of Health and Human Services and the National Emergency Medical Services Department of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government wishes to extend heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the individual who died on August 28th, 2021.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to you at this time. The Ministry of Health has noted speculation which has circulated on various media forums over the weekend. The N.E.M.S, TCI wishes to advise the general public that there was no delay in the dispatch of the ambulance to the scene. A review of call logs clearly demonstrated that the team was dispatched in a prompt manner when the call was received from 911 to the scene in order to render assistance.
The National Emergency Medical Services Department encourages all motorist to safely move to the left when an ambulance is approaching to assist us in responding to emergencies in a timely manner.
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT
WEATHER:PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY AND HOT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS.
ADVISORY: GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS ARE EXPECTED IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 3 TO 5 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
HIGH TEMP TODAY 91°F 33°C
HEAT INDEX 105°F 40°C
LOW TEMP TONIGHT 77°F 25°C
SUNRISE: 6:46 AM
MOONRISE: 5:51 PM
LOW TIDE: 11:45 AM & 12:46 AM FRI
HIGH TIDE: 6:16 PM & 6:36 AM FRI
WEATHER OUTLOOK: HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL REMAIN OVER THE BAHAMAS.
FORECAST FOR FRIDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS BUT MOSTLY CLOUDY IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 KNOTS FALLING LIGHT AND VARIABLE OVER THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 1 TO 3 FEET OVER THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 7 FEET OVER THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
Government sends condolences to Haiti following 7.2 magnitude earthquake
The Bahamas Government joining the Caribbean community in expressing sadness at the loss of life and significant damage following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti Saturday morning.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in statement saying a message of condolence has been sent to the Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Haiti, adding that The Bahamas stands ready with the Caribbean community to render whatever assistance possible to our sister member of CARICOM, adding that the prayers and thoughts of the government and people of The Bahamas are with the government and people of Haiti at this very painful time.
Heartfelt condolences go out to those who lost loved ones, and we pray for the swift recovery of those who were injured and the prompt reappearance of those missing.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirming that the diplomatic staff of The Bahamas embassy were not in Haiti at the time of the earthquake.
Contact has been made with the local staff of the embassy, and they are all reported to be well. Contact has been made as well with the Bahamians who are in Haiti, and they are also reported to be well. The Bahamas stands in solidarity and prayer with its friend and neighbor, Haiti, in the recovery efforts during this most difficult period.
Source-ZNS
Azeem Rafiq accuses Yorkshire of downplaying racism
Former player Azeem Rafiq has accused Yorkshire of downplaying racism by calling him the victim of "inappropriate behaviour".
Rafiq, 30, claimed last year that "institutional racism" at the club left him close to taking his own life.
Yorkshire have offered him their "profound apologies" after "several of the allegations" were upheld in an independent investigation.
"I'm frustrated and pretty angry," Rafiq said.
The independent investigation into allegations commenced in September, with the ECB writing to the club this week to ask for a copy of the findings. The club responded by saying "several of the allegations" were upheld.
Yorkshire have yet to publish the report or the recommendations though they have responded to an ECB request for a timeline of publication by stating an aim to disclose the information "in the coming weeks".
The club said the scope of the investigation - carried out by law firm Squire Patton Boggs - went beyond solely examining Rafiq's allegations, also considering whether they were institutionally racist.
"The investigation has been in depth and far from easy," the club said. "Sadly, historically, Azeem was the victim of inappropriate behaviour."
Rafiq said: "To try and say that these are historical things, yes there are things that are 10 years ago but predominantly most of my allegations relate to people that are still there in leadership positions.
"It's like saying 'we're going to punch you, knock you down and then pick you back up'. To be honest I'm absolutely sick and tired.
"I'm sick and tired of giving these people, the game, Yorkshire Cricket Club, the ECB, everyone, an opportunity to the detriment of myself.
"The damage that this last 12 months has caused me… I don't know when I will actually know that."
Rafiq also reiterated his anger at the pace of the investigation, saying he had given Yorkshire "countless opportunities to do the right thing".
In May, he said he had "lost faith", stating the process was flawed and that key supporting witnesses had not been approached to give evidence.
Yorkshire said "many witnesses" including Rafiq, current and former players, coaching staff and management, "willingly came forward" to contribute to the investigation.
In a separate process in June, Yorkshire and Rafiq failed to find a resolution in an employment tribunal case.
In that legal claim, the former England Under-19 captain alleged discrimination and harassment on the grounds of race, as well as victimisation detriment to his efforts in addressing racism at the club he told the BBC.
Source-BBC
Hackers steal nearly $100m in Japan crypto heist
Leading Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid has been hit by hackers, with almost $100m (£73m) estimated to have been stolen.
The company announced that some of its digital currency wallets have been "compromised."
It is the second major theft of cryptocurrencies to take place in recent days.
Last week, digital token platform Poly Network was at the centre of a $600m heist.
"We are sorry to announce that #LiquidGlobal warm wallets were compromised, we are moving assets into the cold wallet," the company said on Twitter.
So-called 'warm' or 'hot' digital wallets are usually based online and designed to allow users to access their cryptocurrencies more easily, while 'cold' wallets are offline and harder to access and therefore usually more secure.
Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic said its analysis showed that around $97m in cryptocurrencies had been taken, with Bitcoin and Ethereum tokens amongst the haul.
Liquid has said that it was tracing the movement of the stolen cryptocurrencies and working with other exchanges to freeze and recover the assets.
Founded in 2014, Liquid operates in over 100 countries and serves millions of customers around the world.
It is one of the world's top 20 biggest cryptocurrency exchanges by daily trading volumes, according to CoinMarketCap data.
Last week, $600m was stolen from blockchain site Poly Network after a hacker exploited a vulnerability in its system.
"The amount of money you have hacked is one of the biggest in defi [decentralised finance] history," Poly Network said.
Since then the hacker, who goes under the name of Mr White Hat, has returned around $427m of the assets.
Liquid is not the only Japanese cryptocurrency platform to be hit by a major heist.
In 2014, Tokyo-based exchange MtGox collapsed after almost half a billion dollars of bitcoin went missing, while Coincheck was hacked in a $530m heist in 2018.
Source-BBC
US troops will stay until all Americans are out of Afghanistan, even if past Aug. 31 deadline
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, President Joe Biden said the U.S. is committed to getting every American out of Afghanistan -- even if it means potentially extending the mission beyond his August 31 deadline for a total withdrawal.
The president cautioned that his focus is on completing the mission by August 31, but when pressed, he conceded the mission could take longer.
President Biden told ABC News that in addition to the 10,000 to 15,000 Americans who need to be evacuated, there are between 50,000 and 65,000 Afghans and their families the U.S. also wants to get out.
The administration has come under fire for the chaos unfolding on the ground in Afghanistan as control of the country quickly fell to the Taliban while the deadline for the final U.S. withdrawal approached.
The Taliban's rapid recapture of the country, the administration acknowledged, happened more quickly than they had expected, and led to chaos at the Kabul airport. As the Taliban continues to block access for desperate Afghan allies who aided the United States during the 20 years war, they now fear retribution for their efforts.
Source-ABC
Is Destiny's Child reuniting? Why fans are convinced new music is coming
Is Destiny's Child gearing up for a reunion?
Fans almost lost their breath on Wednesday after social media pages for the group, which is comprised of Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, updated their profile photos. The simple act sent Twitter into a frenzy, making Destiny's Child a trending topic due to speculation of what it all meant.
Some believe it means new music is on the horizon from the R&B group -- a belief that was fueled by a rare interview that Beyoncé did with Harper's Bazaar. After explaining that she's been in the studio for a year and a half, the Ivy Park founder revealed, "Yes, the music is coming!"
Whether or not that music will be solo or with the trio was not specified.
Destiny's Child split in 2006. Their final album, Destiny Fulfilled, which gave birth to hits "Soldier" and "Lose My Breath" was released in 2004. They famously reunited in 2018 for a set during Beyoncé's headlining performance at the Coachella festival.
Source-ABC
Director of the Disaster Management Dr. Virginia Clerveaux, has been deployed to Haiti
Director of the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies, Dr. Virginia Clerveaux, has been officially deployed to Haiti by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Coordinating Unit (CU) to assist authorities in Haiti affected by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred in the Southern Region of the country on Saturday, 14 August.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government renders support to CARICOM nationals through the Regional Response Mechanism, which is in accordance with the CDEMA Agreement of 2009 and the Regional Disaster Response Support Doctrine.
Dr. Clerveaux’s deployment commenced on Wednesday, 18 August. She will spend the next seven days supporting the Government of the Republic of Haiti, through the Department of Civil Protection as the team leader of CDEMA’s CARICOM Operational Support Team, also known as COST.
The COST team provides direct surge support to augment the Emergency Operations Centre capacity during this crisis period. Dr Clerveaux’s training, technical expertise, and deployment experience are among the factors informing her deployment to support crisis operations like this in Haiti. She was previously deployed to Haiti during the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed 200,000 people.
Dr Clerveaux stated that she is humbled to be selected as one of the persons to respond to our sister country that is in need, as it gives her a sense of pride in the regional collaboration to support Haiti in its time of need.
She went on to say that although this deployment is occurring during the Hurricane Season, she is confident that her experienced team at the DDME will continue to monitor and update the public of any potential threat and that she urge the public to continue their preparedness and to remain vigilant.
Clerveaux says that she will be in constant contact with the staff of the DDME and the Governor to ensure that national emergency operations are in no way jeopardized.
Commenting on the deployment of Dr. Clerveaux, Minister with responsibility for Disaster Management, Honourable Arlington Musgrove said that it is important that the residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands recognize that we live in a region that is prone to multiple hazards. While the country is familiar with hurricanes, other hazards can impact us just as our neighbours in Haiti.
Musgrove continued, saying that this deployment is an opportunity for Dr Clerveaux to lend her expertise and leadership skills to our neighbours in need. Her exposure and experience in this deployment will benefit the Turks and Caicos Islands in the long run, and that he met with the team at DDME on Monday and in the absence of Dr Clerveaux, he is confident that they are competent and ready to facilitate our preparedness and response in the event that the country is impacted by any disaster.
The Turks and Caicos Islands wishes Dr Clerveaux safe travels during herdeployment.
TEMPORARY CLOSURE: COURT BUILDINGS, PROVIDENCIALES
The Supreme Court and Magistrate’s Court No. 3 located at 1288 Leeward Highway, Providenciales and Magistrate’s Court No. 4 located at Old Airport Road, Providenciales will be closed today Thursday 19thAugust, 2021 to facilitate sanitization of the Court’s offices.
The Courts will reopen for regular business at 9:00am on Friday 20thAugust, 2021.
For urgent matters or to make any enquiry please contact us:
-
Supreme Court at email address supremecourttci@gov.tc
The court apologizes for any inconvenience caused.
Tropical storm feeds growing anger in quake-stricken Haiti
Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Grace forced a temporary halt yesterday to the Haitian Government's response to the deadly weekend earthquake, feeding the growing anger and frustration among thousands who were left homeless.
Grace battered south-western Haiti, which was hit hardest by Saturday's quake, and officials warned some areas could get 15 inches (38 centimetres) of rain before the storm moved on. Heavy rain also drenched the capital of Port-au-Prince.
The storm hit Haiti late Monday, the same day that the country's Civil Protection Agency raised the death toll from the earthquake to 1,419 and the number of injured to 6,000, many of whom have had to wait for medical help lying outside in wilting heat.
As rains soaked the earthquake-damaged city of Les Cayes yesterday, patience was running out in the western hemisphere's poorest nation. Haitians were already struggling with the novel coronavirus, gang violence, worsening poverty, and the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse when the quake hit.
Bodies continued to be pulled from the rubble, and the smell of death hung heavily over a pancaked, three-storey apartment building. A simple bed sheet covered the body of a three-year-old girl that firefighters had found an hour earlier.
Neighbour Joseph Boyer, 53, said he knew the girl's family.
“The mother and father are in the hospital, but all three kids died,” he said. The bodies of the other two siblings were found earlier.
Source-AP