Tourism Minister visits Pine Cay
Hon. Josephine Connolly along with members of her Ministry namely, Permanent Secretary Cherylann Jones, Deputy Permanent Secretary Arthur Been and Executive Administrator Leandrea Missick were invited to the beautiful and tranquil island of Pine Cay to present the Pine Cay Meridian Club staff with a very eminent achievement.
The Pine Cay Meridian Club has gone from a 2.5-star hotel to a now 5-star luxury hotel. The hotel received confirmation on Friday, April 30, 2021 of it being accredited under the Relais & Chateaux Flag. With only six hotels previously under this prestigious title, Pine Cay Meridian Club has now become the 7th hotel in the Caribbean and the 1st hotel and restaurant in the Turks and Caicos to achieve Relais & Chateaux title.
About Relais & Châteaux: Relais & Chateaux is a worldwide association of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants representing many of the finest resorts in the world. It offers an introduction to a lifestyle inspired by local culture and a unique dip into human history. Its members have a driving desire to protect and promote the richness and diversity of the world's cuisine and traditions of hospitality.
Hon. Connolly in her comments to management and staff stated, "Tourism as we know, is the breadbasket of these islands, and though the pandemic may have changed the way we do business, one thing that remains untouchable is our Tourism product. Heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Kirk Aulin and his amazingly small, but mighty team on this huge achievement. To now be one of 7 countries to hold such a prestigious title is certainly a big deal. I am immensely proud of each and every one of you and I encourage you to continue striving for excellence for you will indeed reap the fruits of your Labour".
The day ended with touring of the property with management. The Minister and her team were able to sample meal offerings prepared by the talented chef and kitchen staff.
Pine Cay Meridian Club is open for business and ready to be of service to you!
Musk's SpaceX to launch dogecoin moon mission
Elon Musk has said his rocket company SpaceX will now accept the meme-inspired cryptocurrency dogecoin as payment.
In a tweet he said the commercial space exploration firm will launch the "DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon" early next year.
It came as dogecoin continued to fall after the technology billionaire said on television that it was a "hustle".
Last month, he tweeted that SpaceX was going to put a "literal Dogecoin on the literal moon".
Canada's Geometric Energy Corporation announced the dogecoin-funded mission earlier on Sunday, although the statement did not reveal its financial value.
"This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce", SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero was quoted as saying in the statement.
Mr Musk's tweets in recent months have helped to turn the once-obscure digital currency, which was started as a social media joke, into the world's fourth-biggest cryptocurrency.
It has soared by more than 800% over the last month, with its total market value rising above $70bn, according to cryptocurrency data tracker CoinGecko.com.
However, dogecoin lost more than a third of its price on Sunday, after Mr Musk called it a "hustle" while he was hosting the Saturday Night Live comedy sketch television show.
In February, electric carmaker Tesla, where Mr Musk is chief executive, said it bought $1.5bn worth of bitcoin and was planning to accept the cryptocurrency as payment for its vehicles.
The announcement was seen as another major step towards the mainstream acceptance of bitcoin and helped to boost the price of the cryptocurrency to a fresh record high of nearly $62,000.
Last month, Tesla announced that its profits for the first three months of the year were $438m, up from $16m last year, ,bolstered by sales of Bitcoin and environmental credits.
Mr Musk also revealed on Saturday Night Live that he has Asperger's syndrome.
People with Asperger's interpret the environment around them differently to other people.
It is thought to be the first time Mr Musk has spoken about his condition.
Source-BBC
Ransomware cyberattack shuts down major US pipeline
A cyberattack has forced the shutdown of a major gas pipeline in the U.S. that supplies 45 percent of all fuel consumed on the East Coast.
The cyberattack against Colonial Pipeline, which runs from Houston to Linden, New Jersey, began 7 p.m. on Friday night, according to a Federal Emergency Management Agency report reviewed by ABC News.
Colonial Pipeline said in an update Saturday the attack involved ransomware.
Colonial's network supplies fuel from U.S. refiners on the Gulf Coast to the eastern and southern U.S. and transports 2.5 million barrels a day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products through 5,500 miles of pipelines, the company said.
It's not clear how long the pipelines would be shut down. The shutdown will affect other pipeline operations such as the Buckeye and Twin Oaks Pipeline, which runs through the New York City-Long Island area and Maine, FEMA said.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation, according to a White House spokesperson.
Preliminary results of the investigation at this point suggest the attack was the handiwork of the so-called DarkSide criminal organization that operates in Eastern Europe, according to two officials briefed on the probe. Federal officials are continuing to firm up their findings and are actively trying to determine whether a foreign nation could either be behind the attack or working together with the criminals.
Source-ABC
NBA fines New Orleans Pelicans Executive
The NBA fined New Orleans Pelicans executive David Griffin $50,000 on Sunday for publicly criticizing officiating over how star Zion Williamson is handled and making comments the league considered detrimental
The decision came two days after Griffin, the Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations, spoke out strongly about his concerns on the amount of contact NBA referees allow Williamson to endure.
Williamson is currently out indefinitely with a broken left index finger, an injury that occurred on a play where he did not appear to be fouled. Griffin said the Pelicans have told league officials many times that they feared Williamson was being exposed to injury because of the way defenders are allowed to play against the 6-foot-7, 284-pound forward.
''He's injured now because of the open season there's been on Zion Williamson in the paint,'' Griffin said Friday. ''He's been absolutely mauled in the paint on a regular basis.''
Williamson is averaging 27.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season. The Pelicans began Sunday two games behind San Antonio for 10th place and the final play-in tournament berth in the Western Conference.
Source-AP
Mariah Carey's reaction to rapper sampling her work has Twitter abuzz
Mariah Carey's response to a viral clip of Baltimore rapper YTK's sampling of her hit song "Shake It Off" has many people wondering if she's being serious or just kidding around.
On Friday RNB Radar CEO Tommy Banks tweeted a snippet YTK's new track "Let It Off," which samples her 2005 hit, along with the caption, "Mariah Carey has 24 hours to respond."
Mimi answered his challenge and replied, "How about y'all have 24 hours to respond to my lawyers."
However, the Twitter feud seems to be a big joke.
"Hey I want to reiterate that Mariah was joking, please stop saying rude stuff to her," RNB Radar wrote alongside a screenshot of what appears to be a DM with he Roots drummer Questlove about clearing the sample.
"She told that same joke to Quest Love hours before she responded to the tweet and put us in contact with the people who can help us clear it! so it’s not a problem on her end," the tweet continued.
Questlove also responded by recalling a similar situation in which Erykah Badu needed Paul McCartney's permission to sample a Wings track on her song "Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long."
"I’m DYIN. I helped with the Mariah sample cause 11 years ago we were in the same situation in which Erykah has 24 hours to clear 'Gone Baby Don’t Be Long' which Paul McCartney & Lenny Kravitz saw the tweet & hit up Stella to hit her pops & the song was saved!" Questlove tweeted, along with the hashtag #PayItForward.
Whatever the case, YTK's "Let It Off" is blowing up Twitter. "In 24 hours: I was able to get YTK 5 million impressions Almost 1 million views 100’s of celebrities retweeting it and Mariah herself responded," Banks claims.
Source-ABC
Sandals to employ 500 Vincentians
Sandals Resorts International (SRI) says it will employ 500 Vincentians when the company begins its recruitment drive in the next few weeks for a planned Beaches Resort on that island, which has been hard hit by explosive eruptions at La Soufrière volcano.
“In light of the displacement many are experiencing due to the volcanic eruption, we are fast-tracking our plans for employment and training opportunities,” a company news release quoted Executive Chairman Adam Stewart as saying.
“We are committed to supporting the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, especially during these challenging times, and we remain even more committed to delivering on this exciting Beaches project,” stated Stewart, who is also executive chairman of this newspaper.
Last year, Sandals announced plans to bring its Beaches brand to St Vincent, a move which promises expansive economic growth for the Eastern Caribbean island. According to Stewart, the recruitment drive ahead of the resort's opening represents only the first move towards fulfilling this promise.
“Increased employment, which will continue throughout construction and beyond, is only one aspect of the massive economic footprint the Beaches brand will bring to St Vincent and the Grenadines,” Stewart said. “The economic benefits will be significant — from increased airlift benefiting all surrounding islands, to direct and indirect linkages to critical sectors such as transportation, tours and excursions, agriculture and manufacturing.”
Sandals said the upcoming recruitment drive is a manifestation of its continued commitment to providing Caribbean nationals with training and employment opportunities across the region under its Team Member Exchange Programme.
“Qualified Vincentians will be encouraged to apply for a raft of positions across the region which will be advertised in the coming week, ranging from bartenders and cooks to concierge and front desk agents and restaurant managers. Applications will be accepted by e-mail and, thereafter, shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview with successful candidates placed at various resorts across the region,” SRI explained.
“We are very excited to get this programme under way,” Stewart said. “The successful applicants will be the very ones who will come back to lead and train other Vincentians when we officially open Beaches St Vincent and, as a company built on training and development, we look forward to what will definitely be a full-circle moment for these team members.”
In addition to this recruitment drive, the company has also supported post-eruption relief efforts through its philanthropic arm, Sandals Foundation, which has been working closely with local authorities to provide support.
Beaches St Vincent is just one of several exciting new projects announced by Sandals Resorts in 2021.
Turks & Caicos Tourist Board Hosts 17TH Annual TACC
The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board hosted its 17th annual Turks and Caicos Conference (TACC) from May 5 to 6, 2021. The event which is the signature tourism conference for the destination, was presented with a hybrid of virtual and in-person events for the first time.
This year’s conference had 117 registrants which included wholesalers, airline representatives, hoteliers and local government officials. The Turks and Caicos Conference is typically a three-day event which sees major industry representatives assemble in the islands to receive updates on the destination, network and conduct meetings. In order to comply with current public health protocols, this year’s conference format was revised to a two-day event inclusive of an Opening Ceremony at Amanyara on May 5th and the main conference session at Beaches Resort on May 6th. Additionally, interactive virtual events were hosted courtesy of Grace Bay Resorts and The Hartling Group.
During the Opening Ceremony at Amanyara, the attendees were addressed by the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands Hon. Charles Washington Misick, Minister of Tourism Hon. Josephine Connolly, Chairman of the Board of Directors Beverly Howell, Director of Tourism Pamela Ewing and President of the TCHTA Trevor Musgrove.
The main conference session at Beaches Resort saw several dignitaries in attendance including Her Excellency Deputy Governor Anya Williams, Deputy Premier Hon. Erwin Jay Saunders, Minister of Tourism Hon. Connolly, Junior Minister of Tourism Hon. Stubbs and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Mrs. Cherylann Jones.
The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Rediscover Turks & Caicos: Resilience, Innovation and Sustainability’. The guest speakers included Senior VP of Investor Services at Invest Turks & Caicos Angela Musgrove, National Trust Executive Director Winema Saunders-Penn, TCHTA President Trevor Musgrove, and an industry presentation by Director of Tourism Pamela Ewing.
The keynote speech was delivered by Turks and Caicos Islands Deputy Governor Her Excellency Anya Williams who provided an overview on the growth of tourism over the years, the impact of the recent pandemic, and the way forward toward a full recovery of the economy and tourism industry.
In the address, which focused on the resilience of the destination and highlighted the strategy to re-opening the tourism industry, she stated, “As we were the only overseas territory to do so at the time, there were lots of fears, but recognizing that tourism is the major source of revenue to our economy, we had to balance health and safety with the need to ensure that persons were able to maintain some form of livelihood and that businesses were able to earn some source of direct income.
The Turks and Caicos currently offers one of the safest travel experiences to its guests. Our COVID-19 position here in the islands has significantly improved where at the moment we only have 33 active cases and a localized positivity rate of just over 3%, which we hope to further improve. The positivity rate amongst guests tested prior to their return to their home destination sits at below 1% which means that the large majority of the guests that come to our islands are able to enjoy their visits here without the significant fear of contracting the virus on island.
The pandemic is not over, but we are certainly working towards our exit strategy and 2021 has brought with it, new hopes, a refined focus and renewed strategy.”
This year’s wholesaler segment provided hoteliers with industry updates featuring presentations from Apple Leisure Group, American Airlines and Classic Vacations which are among the top producing wholesalers for the destination.
The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board is committed to its mandate to promote the ‘Beautiful by Nature’ islands as well as continue to build and strengthen strategic industry partnerships through events such as TACC.
Tourist Board representatives anticipate that TACC will return to the shores of the Turks and Caicos Islands with its traditional format in 2022.
Subaru recalls 877,000 SUVs and sedans
The Subaru Forester, Crosstrek and Impreza are all included in two new recalls for stalling issues and suspension woes.
Subaru issued two recalls for a handful of popular models it sells this past week, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The first covers 408,271 vehicles for bad rear stabilizer bracket bolts; the second deals with faulty ECM software that could cause a stall for 466,205 cars.
The models included in the stabilizer bracket bolt recall are the 2018-2019 Crosstrek, 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid and 2019 Forester. The bracket bolts may loosen over time and detach, which may increase the risk of a crash. All owners will need to do is bring the car to a dealership where a technician will inspect the problem area. A tech will torque the bolts to their proper spec, or replace the bolt if it's missing.
The second recall for ECM software is for 2017-2019 Impreza vehicles and 2018-2019 Crosstrek crossovers. According to the company, the software may continue to power the ignition coil after a driver shuts off the car. If this happens, the vehicle may stall while driving, which increases the risk of a crash. Subaru will update the ECM software for vehicles with the problem and replace the ignition coil if necessary. Owners may also receive a new front exhaust pipe if needed. Owners should also note this recall covers all vehicles included in a previously issued recall for an identical problem.
Subaru is not aware of any incidents involving either of the recalls and started mailing notices to owners this past week
PUBLIC FORECAST 6 AM MONDAY 3 MAY 2021
SUNNY, HOT, AND A BIT BREEZY WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW PASSING SHOWERS OR AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM BECOMING FAIR, WARM, AND A BIT BREEZY TONIGHT WITH THE CHANCE OF A PASSING ISOLATED SHOWER
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IS IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS & CAICOS.
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS, EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE TURKS & CAICOS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS, 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
HIGH TEMPERATURE 91°F 33°C LOW TEMPERATURE : 72°F 22°C
SUN
SUNRISE: 6:33 AM SUNSET: 7:39 PM
MOON
MOONSET: 12:41PM MOONRISE: 2:33 AM TUE
TIDES
LOW TIDE: 8:21 AM HIGH TIDE: 2:19 PM
LOW TIDE: 8:25 PM HIGH TIDE: 2:49 AM TUE
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS: HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD ACROSS THE ISLANDS WITH FRESH TO MODERATE BREEZES
Margaritaville TCI goes a year without revenue
On Friday, RTC news carried a story that the CDC has given the green light for cruise ships to begin in July with stipulation, good news for ports such as the one at the Grand Turk Cruise Center. With no cruise ships arriving at the Grand Turk Cruise port in over a year, the port with many shops,stores & the famous Margaritaville (Turks), MTL is reporting that it incurred a third-quarter US$261,014 or ($39.2 million) in losses, with its cumulative loss for the nine months to February 28 totalling US$1.1 million or ($159.9 million).
MTL which provides food, beverage, and entertainment services — has been one of the businesses most impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The absence of the cruise ship industry and lack of general tourism have left the island of Grand Turk at a stand still & Margaritaville business to only record its inventory at cost to avert spoilage. As a result, MTL has only been recording expenses with no revenue to its name. Even with expenses being a fraction of their normal levels, the operating loss for the nine months that stood at US$1.1 million, compared to the operating profit of US$617,831 generated before the pandemic.
With no incoming cash from normal business, MTL's parent company Margaritaville Caribbean Limited has fully repaid a related party balance of US$815,457 ($122.3 million) and advanced US$12,567 as MTL explores suitable financing options. MTL had US$9,612 of cash with no bank overdraft nor external debt at the end of the quarter RTC is learning.
Even with the increased levels of vaccinations and relative reopening of global markets, the report, which was signed by Ian Dear and John Byles, stated: “The location is in standby mode for commencement of cruising activities. All remedial work necessary has been identified and work plans prepared. According to Byles & Dear, they are awaiting timelines when cruise companies will announce their call dates into Grand Turk either befoer or after July based on the CDC's new announcement."
While RTC News did not obtain a profit or loss update from other businesses at the the port, the total assets registered declined by 22 per cent to US$4.2 million or ($627.3 million) as MTL's current assets shrunk by 47 per cent to US$1.1 million. Total liabilities fell by eight per cent to US$953,959 while equity decreased by 25 per cent to US$3.2 million according to a report publised recently.
Source-JO