Conor McGregor tops 2020 sporting rich list
Mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor was the sporting world's highest-paid athlete in 2020, raking in around US$180 million with earnings boosted by commercial ventures, a Forbes report showed Wednesday.
The 32-year-old Irishman only fought once in 2020, earning around $22 million from his victory over Donald Cerrone in January.
The bulk of the former plumber's pay packet — an estimated US$158 million — came via his successful business activities, which included the sale of his Proper Twelve whiskey brand.
McGregor was one of only four athletes to earn more than US$100 million in 2020, according to the Forbes annual list of sport's highest earners.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi was second on the list with US$130 million in earnings, followed by Juventus idol Cristiano Ronaldo with US$120 million.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was ranked fourth on the list with US$107.5 million.
Source-Forbes
DJ Khaled, H.E.R. and Migos to perform at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards
DJ Khaled, H.E.R. and Migos are taking the stage at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards to perform their collaboration, "We Going Crazy."
Billboard shared the exciting news Friday, as part of their "Daily Countdown" to reveal the lineup of performers before the big show later this month. Previously announced performers include The Weeknd and Icon Award recipient Pink.
"We Going Crazy" is one of the many anthems from Khaled’s latest #1 album, Khaled, Khaled. The song's video finds Khaled, Migos and H.E.R. on a tropical island rapping and singing about their appreciation for life and their success in music.
Khaled, Khaled topped the all-genre Billboard 200 chart with an extended list of more chart-topping artists including Jay-Z, Post Malone, DaBaby, Cardi B, and Billboard Artist of the Decade: Drake.
The 2021 Billboard Music Awards will also honor Houston rapper Trae tha Truth with the Billboard Change Maker Award for his philanthropic work and advocacy in his community. The show airs live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles Sunday, May 23, on NBC at 8 p.m. ET.
Source-ABC
TCI confirms close to 20,000 vaccinated
The Ministry of Health and Human Services on Tuesday confirmed that as of May 9 2021, a total of 19,515 persons in the TCI have now received their 1st dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.
This represents roughly 56% of the adult population. The ministry says that it marks a tremendous milestone for the ongoing vaccination campaign which commenced in January of this year. Additionally, significant to note is that 42% of the adult population or 14803 persons are now fully vaccinated having received both doses of the vaccine.
Commenting on the government’s achievements, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Human Services, the Honourable Erwin Saunders, congratulated his team within the Ministry of Health on getting the 28-day positivity rate down below 3%. He said that this was an amazing achievement and milestone.
The minister noted that combined with achieving 56% uptake of the vaccine, 42% being fully vaccinated, and the increased vaccination rate, would allow the TCI to get a 4th batch of the vaccine.
Honourable Saunders went on to say that with the support of the public, the government was looking forward to building on these achievements so that the TCI can begin to return to normal.
The number of active COVID-19 cases locally peaked to over 600 in February and has consistently declined since then, including the number of COVID-19 related admissions to the hospital.
The TCI’s 28 positivity rate is now 2.7%, when considering PCR tests only; and it is 2.3% when considering both PCR and antigen tests. This is the lowest positivity rate the TCI has recorded for a 28-day period since early December.
The ministry says that the numbers give supportive evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign considering the country has remained open since July 2020.
Health officials have also stated that in order to build on this progress as well as the continued reopening of the TCIs economy, continued support of the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign is needed.
As such, the ministry is encouraging unvaccinated persons to strongly consider taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Studies have shown that the vaccine on offer in the TCI, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, is 95% effective and is safe.
Persons are encouraged to contact their health care provider for vaccination appointments; but they can also access the vaccine through community events held by the Primary Health Care Department which is available at no cost to all residents.
St Kitts/Nevis PM appeals for vaccine for regional countries
Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris Friday called on the United States and other vaccine producing countries to ensure the equitable distribution of the vaccine needed to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) that has killed thousands of people in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping.
Harris, who also has lead responsibility for health within the quasi-Caricom cabinet, said greater effort is needed from larger countries with greater resources, like the United States, to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines globally, and particular within Caricom.
“The US is the most important partner to the Caricom member states, and St Kitts and Nevis in particular. It supplies us with the largest intake of tourists, and it is the market for most of what we export,” Harris said on the US based Bloomberg QuickTake, a global streaming news network.
“What we really would have loved to see is that the US would have shown early leadership in terms of support to the region as we fight a most dangerous pandemic. The US at this moment has excess vaccines.
“The Caribbean region needs vaccines desperately and in the short term, we would require the United States of America to make a portion of those excess vaccines available to Caricom member states, including St Kitts and Nevis,” Prime Minister Harris said during the programme.
Harris told the programme that his twin island Federation's vaccination process is progressing reasonably well, despite some levels of vaccine hesitancy amongst the population.
“We have about 42 per cent of our target population covered; covered meaning they at least had their first shot of the vaccine. The vaccine of choice here is the AstraZeneca vaccine and that is of course a two-dose regime.
Source-CMC
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT THIS AFTERNOON WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS…A BIT BREEZY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN ISLANDS. PARTLY CLOUDY AND WARM TONIGHT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IS IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS & CAICOS…EXPECT GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE TURKS & CAICOS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS; 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE TURKS & CAICOS.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 91°F 33 °C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 75°F 24°C
SUNSET: 7:44PM SUNRISE: 6:26AM
MOONSET: 9:36PM MOONRISE: 7:39AM
LOW TIDE: 3:37PM & 4:29AM
HIGH TIDE:9:59PM & 10:15AM .
WEATHER OUTLOOK: VARIABLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS.
Deputy Governors International Nurses Day Message
Today we join with the rest of the world in recognizing and celebrating all nurses in the Turks and Caicos Islands and elsewhere on this International Nurses Day.
International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12th every year, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, a famed British nurse known as the founder of nursing, and serves to bring appreciation and awareness to the occupation of nursing.
The theme for the 2021 International Nurses Day is: “Nurses: A Voice to Lead - A vision for future healthcare”.
This follows on from previous themes in 2017 - Nurse A Voice to Lead - Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals; 2018 - Nurses A Voice to Lead - Health is a Human Right; 2019 - Nurses A Voice to Lead - Health for All; 2020 - Nurses A Voice to Lead - Nursing the World to Health.
Previously themes focused on Being A Force for Change and on Closing the Gap.
The contribution and importance of nurses cannot be overstated as serving humanity is one of the greatest professions in life.
Nurses are the backbone of health care systems and help to play vital roles in helping to save and to preserve lives.
During the last year the nurses have played key roles on the front line in helping to respond to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. It has been a selfless, tireless year for the medical profession and we owe them a debt of gratitude and appreciation for the work that they have and continue to do, so nurses across the TCI and elsewhere today and always we recognize, celebrate and appreciate you.
Continue to lead and to chart a new way forward as we work to develop a new vision and plan for healthcare here and elsewhere.
Happy International Nurses Day 2021!
Deputy Governor and Head of the TCI Public Service
Leader of Opposition, Hon. Edwin Astwood Responds to Outrageous Claims of Board Corruption.
Response to Outrageous Claims of Board Corruption.
I want to address the recent allegations made by the Hon. Premier Misick and his Administration, towards Board members previously appointed by the immediate past PDM administration. These comments were disingenuous, very reckless, and is only being used to justify an end.
The Hon. Premier has recently accused persons previously appointed to Boards as being corrupted, unqualified, and incompetent.
He has also stated that former members were on boards for the sole purpose of collecting a paycheck, even though the majority of Boards pays a very minute amount to its members and some Boards do not pay anything.
The Hon. Premier also stated that persons are now having to submit a C.V before being approved to serve on Boards. This is nothing new, or maybe just new to the current Government. It has been the previously established protocol for the appointment of Board members during my tenure as a Cabinet Minister. I know for a fact that all persons serving on Boards during the immediate past PDM Administration were required to submit a C.V to be presented in Cabinet.
In addition, the responsible Minister for the particular Boards was the one who solicited suitable persons’ willingness to serve on a Board, not persons looking for a paycheck. We had actively recruited qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders to serve, matching knowledge, skills, experience, and abilities with Board functioning.
I challenge the Hon. Premier to go back and review the Members appointed to the various Government and Statutory Boards under the PDM Administration. It would rightly show that all persons appointed were suitable, qualified, and experienced to serve on their respective Boards.
The Premier’s intent is to create a one-sided narrative about persons serving on Boards appointed under the immediate past PDM administration, A narrative that is clearly in all respects untrue.
This mischaracterization of the truth, has the effect of smearing the character of persons that were serving on Boards.
It is discouraging for our people to see this shameful action by a newly elected Government to be on this rampage of spreading Baseless Claims of Corruption and Mismanagement on Boards, and moving in such a way to permanently tarnish the reputations of Board serving Turks & Caicos Islanders.
I state this disclaimer, that I fully support the notion that an elected Government should have the ability to appoint Board members after winning a general election, and that the Board appointments should have the same life of the Administration appointing them, four years, with substitutions being made when situations call for it. However, our current system does not allow for the removal of sitting members from Boards, before the expiration of their appointment time, without having just cause.
During my time as a Cabinet Minister, advice was given that it is unconstitutional to action the removal of sitting members from Boards who have not violated any law or code of conduct. In addition, we were strongly cautioned that pursuing these actions will enact serious repercussions to ourselves and the Turks & Caicos Government.
Therefore, in order for the new PNP Administration to legally remove persons from Boards, a plan was incorporated to perpetuate false and unproven narratives about the conduct or Board Members, in order to justify the removing all PDM appointees from Boards.
It is with some concern that I note how this purge of Sitting Board members is being allowed to pass through Cabinet, and the willingness to allow this unjustified removal to take place by Non-Elected Government Officials.
I am not aware, or have been informed, of any Independent review or Inquiry conducted on allegations of corruption of the aforementioned Boards. Nor am I aware of any investigations being carried out into the conduct of members previously serving on Boards. Also, I am not aware of any findings of mismanagement or corruption being published in any forum.
This tactic is clearly only being used as a justification for termination of PDM Board members.
This is a sad day at this time in the history of the Turks & Caicos Islands, to witness what this New PNP administration is doing. The Government claims that they are fighting against corruption, but in actuality are applying corrupt tactics as their modus operandi. They have exposed their hypocrisy and their true motives. The removal of Board members has nothing to do with eliminating any perceived corruption or mismanagement, it has everything to do with getting more Power to further their sleazy campaigns.
Our country is witnessing a shameful act of disenfranchising our citizens, by using the tactic of labelling our law-abiding sitting members as being corrupt, unskilled, and unqualified, so that they can be replaced by PNP supporters that have been promised positions for rewarding their supporters.
If it is now the desire to have the particular Laws changed, to allow for the constitutional removal of sitting persons serving on Boards without having just cause, then the proper procedure should be followed by making amendments in the House of Assembly, and not by destroying the reputation of our citizens, who have patriotically accepted to serve on Boards, and showing a complete disregard for damaging their lives and livelihoods.
Actions such as this by new PNP Administration, can have the effect of rapidly moving our country from Democracy to Tyranny, by tying to use the force of law to punish their political opponents and non-supporters.
These actions are also seen as a Government turning its back on the rule of Law and poisoning the democratic system of a country. We have to also be able to trust that our leaders will not spew something out there that is wrong, unproven, and not verified.
It appears the Hon. Premier and his Administration are looking to find a fall guy, they want to find a scapegoat to justifying their actions. If this was not the aim, then they would have only target the Boards, or a particular Board member, in question.
It is important for leaders to tell the truth at all times, and not spread unproven falsehoods. We need to discontinue living in this nonfactual political reality.
As a country we need to be focused on getting things done for our people right now, and not engaging in this extreme Partisan rhetoric.
We have to focus our attention on what is best for our nation on a whole.
We have to stick to standards and facts, and not stand with things that are damaging for the country, damaging for our people, and damaging for our future.
We need to love our People more than we love our Party.
Over 1 million Honda Accords may have a steering problem
Federal safety regulators are investigating reports that more than 1 million Honda Accords have a steering problem that can a cause a car to veer out of its lane.
The investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, disclosed late last week, involves Accords from model year 2013 to 2015. There have been 107 incidents involving steering reported to the agency or Honda, according to NHTSA, including two incidents which involved crashes and injuries. No deaths have yet been reported.
This is only an investigation at this point — not a recall of the possibly affected vehicles.
"Honda takes all safety-related concerns seriously and will continue to cooperate with the NHTSA through the investigation process, as we also continue our own internal review of the available information," Honda said in a statement Monday.
Despite US car buyers shifting preference away from sedans and towards SUVs, the Honda Accord is still one of the best-selling vehicles in the country.
There are an estimated 1.1 million of these vehicles on US roads, according to the agency.
Source-CNN
A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM IS BUILDING
PARTLY SUNNY, HOT AND BREEZY WITH A PASSING SHOWER, BECOMING FAIR AND WARM WITH A LIGHT SHOWER TONIGHT
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION CONTINUES
WINDS:EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET
TEMPERATURE:
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 88F 31C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 73F 23C
SUNLIGHT:
SUNSET: 7:42 PM SUNRISE: 6:28 TUE AM
MOON:
MOONSET: 6:05 PM MOONRISE:5:52 AM TUES
TIDES
LOW TIDE: 1:19 PM 1:55 TUE AM
HIGH TIDE: 7:34 PM 7:47 TUE AM
OUTLOOK: THE HIGH PRESSURE WILL GENERATE WARM, BREEZY AND PLEASANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE BAHAMAS & TCI THROUGH MID WEEK.
Ministry of Tourism hosts high-level meeting on Grand Turk Master Plan
The Cruise Steering Committee and the Ministry of Tourism under the patronage of the Hon. Charles W. Misick, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) hosted a daylong high-level discussion on the Grand Turk Master Plan and the way forward, in particular as it relates to the Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG)/Carnival Infrastructure Fund. The master plan provides an adaptable blueprint to control, coordinate, and direct change on the island that comes from development and improvements to infrastructure. This plan integrates with the vision and planning initiatives improved lifestyle and preservation of the island's cultural and natural heritage.
Premier Misick was joined by Hon. E. Jay Saunders, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health; Hon. Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism; Hon. Akiera Missick, Minister of Infrastructure; Hon. Otis Morris, Minister of Home Affairs; and the Hon. Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Immigration. Other attendees included members of the House of Assembly headed by the Hon. Speaker, Hon. Gordon, Permanent Secretaries and support team along with the Cruise Steering Committee with others joining virtually. Issues pertinent to the holistic enhancement of Grand Turk were discussed and not limited to cruise tourism.
Sessions were facilitated by Permanent Secretary, Cheryl Ann Jones and Tourism Risk Manager, Mr. Brian Been of the Ministry of Tourism alongside Infrastructure Officer, Mr. Bradley Coalbrooke. Partners such as the Grand Turk Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Services Providers and others discussed the prioritization of high impact projects for Grand Turk and TCIG's commitment to providing a unique and high-quality environment on Grand Turk.
Mrs. Cheryl Ann Jones, stated; "this session is evident of the Ministry of Tourism's commitment, ensuring an integrated approach is taken with clear goals and objectives that are measurable. She further commented, 'that the plan is a live document, we will all benefit from in the long-term but must ensure planning and policy is reflective of sustainability; whilst being proactive."
In solidifying the partnership, the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Josephine Connelly stated her ministry's commitment to the initiative and thanked all participants for their support since the start of the programme in 2016. She expressed gratitude to organizers for guidance in hosting the session and said this project will surely benefit the TCI in general and Grand Turk in particular from a development standpoint.
Premier Misick stated that God has been good to us. And we must use the opportunity to leverage development especially as it relates to the rich, architectural history of the country and align it with the good ratings the country receives. He stressed that there is a need to focus on product development. With corridors in now economically depressed communities holding immense historical wealth such as Middle Street there is a huge opportunity to convert this into potentially millions of dollars in sustainable livelihoods, thus creating a paradigm shift. These areas are posed to be great tourism clusters, with buildings such as the Old Constabulary being converted in art houses and museums. Sustainability will monetize these areas but a collective decision-making approach is needed to accomplish such. The focus is to preserve what we have and enhance it through incentives, whilst having a community tourism approach where everybody benefits.