Major Cycling event during Heroes day weekend
The third annual IGA National Heroes Day Cycling Classic took place on Sunday 26th May 2019 from the IGA Supermarket Parking Lot.
There were four races split over four categories, though the rains delayed the start of the races, the weather did not discourage the cyclists who showed up in record numbers. This race is always one of the most anticipated races of the year for the Federation, mainly because of the bragging rights for cyclist to have their name on the prestigious Clive Stanbrook floating Trophy.
All eyes were on defending champion Tyrone Bishop, who won in 2018.
The Winner of the Cadets (kids) race was Ethan Gardiner one of our most promising young cyclist, he was followed in second by new comer Renardo Palmer and Kymani Ewing who held his own against the older boys, in third.
The 41-mile female category was won by Gabriella Hedegus. Though she was the lone cyclist in her category, she made it her mission to surpass her personal performance in last year’s race.
The Masters and Elite categories both rode a distance of 51-miles. Masters was topped by Shanwell Gardiner followed by Dan Redmond and Fred Registre. Elite was bested by Tyrone Bishop, with Anthony Plunkett in second and Reno Palmer in third.
The honour of being named the IGA National Heroes Day Classics champion and being awarded the Clive Stanbrook Memorial Floating trophy was bestowed on the first rider from the Masters or Elite category to cross the finish line. Tyrone Bishop, the first recipient of this prestigious honour, was unable to hold on to the title for a second year. He was bested in the final sprint by Shanwell Gardiner.
June will begin the 2019 championship races beginning with the Grand Turk Classic on June 15th. There will be a championship race in Providenciales and North and Middle Caicos, leading up to the ultimate championship The Tour of the Turks and Caicos in October. The tour will include 5 stages over 4 islands. In mid-July a team will represent the Turks and Caicos Islands for the third year at the John T Memorial Classic in Anguilla.
The Turks and Caicos Cycling Federation wishes to thank our sponsor: IGA, the public who came out to support the event, the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force who kept us safe during the event. A special thank you also to the race committee and volunteers who assisted in making this event a success.
Former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Edward Seaga dies at 89
Former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Hon.Edward Seaga has died.
Seaga, who turned 89 today, is Jamaica's fifth prime minister, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the JLP from 1974 to 2005 when he retired from active politics.
Since his retirement he has been an honorary distinguished fellow at the professorial level at The University of the West Indies, and also serves as chancellor of the University of Technology, Jamaica.
He fell ill earlier this month and was being treated in Miami, Florida.
Current Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Hon. Andrew Holness wrote on twitter today that " It is with great sadness that I inform the nation of the passing of the Most Honorable Edward Phillip George Seaga, the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica." Prime Minister Holness added that Mr. Seaga transitioned on 28th May 2019 at 1pm.
Source-Jamaica Observer
Antiguan gov't says Canadian banks want to withdraw from the island
The Antigua and Barbuda government is defending its position regarding the sale of Soctiabank operations here even as it announced that all the Canadian banks operating here have expressed a desire to leave the country.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne, speaking on his private radio station, told listeners that “the Canadian banks have indicated their desire to leave, all of them, and I would expect that as they leave, that they will give local entities the first right for refusal and again we make no apologies about that”.
Browne did not name the Canadian banks desirous of leaving here, but apart from Scotiabank the other Canadian entities operating here are the Royal bank of Canada and the Canadian Imperial bank of Commerce.
Last November, the Trinidad-based Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) announced that it was seeking to acquire Scotiabank operations in several Caribbean countries.
Antigua and Barbuda and Guyana had initially expressed reservations about the proposed acquisition, with St John's indicating that it would not be issuing a vesting order to facilitate the move.
The RFHL statement said that the banks being acquired are located in Guyana, St Maarten, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
It said that the purchase price is US$123 million, which represents US$25 million consideration for total shareholding of Scotiabank Anguilla Limited; and a premium of US$98 million over net asset value for operations in the remaining eight countries.
Antigua and Barbuda has said that it wants assurances that local banks will be given priority to purchase Scotiabank's operations on the island and that local persons' investments and savings will be protected.
Browne told radio listeners that his administration's policy regarding the sale of the bank is “not anti-capitalist, it is not anti-investment (but) it is just about protecting and growing the domestic economy.
“Our domestic banks are so small that generally speaking they are not quite bankable for corresponding banking services,” said Browne, a former senior banking executive, adding that the departure of the Canadian banks presents an opportunity for local banks to expand.
“The only how are banks are going to get to the stage where they are large enough is through inorganic growth, through acquisitions. So whereas the Canadian banks have signalled their intention to leave it is quite an opportunity for the local banks to build capacity and grow rapidly so that they can become more resilient,” Browne said, adding that the growth would ensure the maintenance of existing corresponding banking relations.
Source-CMC
France and Germany differ on Brussels' top job
Signs of disagreement have emerged between France and Germany as EU leaders meet following elections that shifted the balance in parliament.
The talks are a chance to assess the new political landscape and consider candidates for the EU's top jobs.
But the leaders of France and Germany have already suggested different figures to take over the key role of EU Commission president.
The vote saw the big centrist blocs lose their majority for the first time.
Nationalists, liberals and Greens all gained ground, leaving the EU more fragmented and the possibility of finding consensus more distant.
The talks over dinner on Tuesday may not even result in a shortlist of candidates and the haggling is likely to take months.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May is participating, but Brussels sources say there will be little or no discussion of Brexit.
It is far too early to say. Negotiations are likely to be long and tricky, with several candidates in the mix.
The role of Commission president, the body that enforces EU rules and drafts EU law, is currently held by Jean-Claude Juncker, who is at the end of his five-year term.
In 2014 Mr Juncker was chosen to head the Commission as the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) candidate, after the EPP had won the election.
But it is a much tougher challenge this time for the EPP's candidate Manfred Weber - a German - after his bloc shrank from 217 seats to 180 in the 751-seat parliament.
Arriving in Brussels, Mrs Merkel said she "of course" backed Mr Weber, with her domestic party one of those in the EPP grouping
But French President Emmanuel Macron did not even mention Mr Weber as a possible candidate, instead naming chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, who is French, Danish liberal Margrethe Vestager and Dutch centre-left candidate Frans Timmermans as having the right "skills".
Mr Timmermans has described the nomination process as like the brutal TV fantasy drama Game of Thrones.
Among other EU members, the leaders of Ireland and Croatia have backed Mr Weber, Spain and Sweden support Mr Timmermans while Luxembourg has spoken for Ms Vestager.
Source-BBC
Johnson & Johnson faces trial over opioid crisis
Johnson & Johnson, one of the world's largest drug manufacturers, has gone on trial in a multi-billion dollar lawsuit by the US state of Oklahoma.
Prosecutors accuse the firm of deceptively marketing painkillers and downplaying addiction risks, fuelling a so-called "opioid epidemic".
Johnson & Johnson denies wrongdoing and says it marketed products responsibly.
It is the first of 2,000 cases brought by state, local and tribal governments against pharmaceutical firms in the US.
On average, 130 Americans die from an opioid overdose every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Johnson & Johnson produces a fentanyl patch which can be prescribed for severe pain.
Fentanyl belongs to a class of drugs known as opioid analgesics, which change how the body feels and responds to pain. It is also used as a recreational drug, often mixed with heroin and cocaine.
In its court filing, Oklahoma alleged that Johnson & Johnson was the "kingpin" behind "the worst man-made public health crisis in [the] state's history," growing and importing raw materials which other drug-makers used for their own products.
In its opening statements to the court in the city of Norman on Tuesday, the state said that Johnson & Johnson along with Purdue Pharma - which produces the prescription painkiller OxyContin - and Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals had pushed doctors to prescribe more opioids in the 1990s by using misleading marketing.
State lawyer Brad Beckworth said Johnson & Johnson did so by marketing opioids as "safe and effective for everyday pain" but downplayed addictive qualities and thus helped to create a drug oversupply.
"If you have an oversupply, people will die," he said.
Mike Hunter, Oklahoma's attorney general, told the court that it was time to hold the companies "responsible for their actions".
"This is the worst manmade public health crisis in our state's history. To put it bluntly, this crisis is devastating Oklahoma," he said.
For Johnson & Johnson, lawyer Larry Ottaway said the company's marketing statements were no different to those made by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2009 which said painkillers, when properly managed, rarely caused addictions.
"We're not mocking anyone, but facts are stubborn things," he said.
The state argues that Johnson & Johnson created a public nuisance which will cost between $12.7bn (£10.02bn) and $17.5bn (£13.8bn) to remedy over the next 20 to 30 years.
But Johnson & Johnson argues that the public nuisance law does not apply in this instance.
This is the latest in a string of legal cases against painkiller manufacturers over prescription drugs.
Source-BBC
Nude Photo leaked of Iggy
Iggy Azalea has deactivated her social media accounts, after her topless photos were leaked online.
The pictures were taken during a photoshoot for GQ magazine in 2016, but never intended for publication.
The Australian rapper said she felt "blindsided, embarrassed, violated [and] angry" by the leak.
But it was the "vicious" and "vile" reactions to the photos, including men sharing sexual fantasises, that led her to erase her accounts.
"A lot of the comments I see, from men in particular, sharing their thoughts and fantasises in regards to my body has honestly disturbed me," she wrote.
"The outright wicked things people say is overwhelming and makes me feel like throwing up.
"If you've ever been humiliated before in front of family and those you care about, maybe you can relate to what I'm going through."
The photographer who took the pictures, Nino Muñoz, said on Instagram that Azalea's images were "stolen and published without my permission".
He added: "My heart goes out to anyone this situation has affected. I'm utterly outraged and will not rest until justice is served."
The images that leaked over the weekend were outtakes from a 2016 photoshoot, which were more explicit than the images published in GQ.
Azalea said she had "never consented" to their release, explaining that 'it was my understanding [that] GQ do not print topless pictures."
She wrote: "A lot of high profile women have shot covers for GQ with a strategically placed hand, etc, covering their breasts.
"I always felt they were very beautiful covers, so I jumped at the opportunity.
"I hadn't seen other women's covers leak so I felt comfortable (on a closed set) to model for such a reputable magazine knowing only the images with my hands covering [my breasts] would be considered for print."
Officially-sanctioned images from the photoshoot are still available on GQ's website, along with a story explaining how the topless photos were not intended for publication but were a "birthday gift" for her plastic surgeon Dr Ashkan Ghavami.
However, Azalea said, "There was no reason for anyone to have kept the outtakes from the shoot.
"I'm surprised and angry that they were not immediately deleted after the final images were selected."
The star said she would "press criminal charges" over the leak, and told fans she would be taking a break from social media.
"I have seen some really vicious [expletive] written in the last 24 hours and it is too much negativity for me to handle," said the 28-year-old.
"For now it's best to keep my accounts deactivated."
Source-BBC
1ST NATIONAL HERO MEMORIAL 2019
JOIN THE COUNTRY ON MONDAY AS WE CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF OUR FIRST NATIONAL HERO LIVE ON RTC89FM AT 10AM.
National Trust hosts two Community College interns
The Turks and Caicos National Trust through its “Power of Partnership” initiative launched since 2014, highlighted the concept as one of its key programme strategies for the immediate past institutional year, and has seen fit to continue with the concept in achieving goals in the current year.
Building on achievements accomplished last year, and focusing on the objectives of its Youth Empowerment Programme, the National Trust will be hosting two interns from the Community College on a six week stint commencing May 20th, 2019. The interns are pursuing a course in Hospitality and Tourism Management and represent both the Grand Turk and Providenciales campuses.
The interns will engage in an opportunity to learn policies and procedures deployed by the Trust in managing heritage tourism sites, learn the significance of operational statistics in relation to the work of the organisation and the importance of reaching for excellence in customer service.
The Trust is no stranger to accommodating interns, having hosted interns from the British West Indies Collegiate and US Colleges, but is looking forward to this new experience with the TCI Community College and strengthening of the partnership through other initiatives.
For almost a decade, the Turks and Caicos National Trust has methodically developed a brand that would show case eco- tourism through the programmes of the Trust, whilst simultaneously protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural, historical and natural heritage of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Johnny Depp accuses Amber Heard of domestic abuse
Hollywood star Johnny Depp has denied physically abusing ex-wife Amber Heard, arguing that it was she who abused him during their relationship.
In newly filed court documents as part of his $50m (£39m) defamation case against her, Depp accused Heard of having "painted-on bruises".
"I have denied Ms Heard's allegations vehemently since she first made them in May 2016," he said.
A lawyer for Heard denied the allegations against his client.
Depp launched the defamation case against Heard after the actress described herself as the victim of domestic abuse in a piece in the Washington Post in December.
Heard asked a judge in Virginia to dismiss the lawsuit, prompting the new declaration from Depp.
"I have denied Ms Heard's allegations vehemently since she first made them in May 2016 when she walked into court to obtain a temporary restraining order with painted-on bruises that witnesses and surveillance footage show she did not possess each day of the preceding week.
Depp added: "I never abused Ms Heard or any other woman.
"She was the perpetrator, and I was the victim. While mixing prescription amphetamines and non-prescription drugs with alcohol, Ms Heard committed innumerable acts of domestic violence against me, often in the presence of a third-party witness, which in some instances caused me serious bodily harm."
In a statement to People magazine, Heard's lawyer Eric George said: "The evidence in this case is clear: Johnny Depp repeatedly beat Amber Heard.
"In light of the important work done by the #TimesUp movement highlighting the tactics abusers use to continue to traumatise survivors, neither the creative community nor the public will be gaslit by Mr Depp's baseless blame-the-victim conspiracy theories."
A spokesperson for Depp, in a statement given to the BBC, accused Heard of an "infamous hoax" which he said had been "obliterated", adding: "Amber Heard's lawyer says 'the evidence in this case is clear,' and then presents none."
Depp and Heard started dating after meeting on the set of 2011 comedy The Rum Diary. They married in Los Angeles in February 2015.
The BBC has contacted Depp and Heard's representatives for comment.
Heard obtained a restraining order against Depp after accusing him of abuse in May 2016, which he denied.
The couple settled their divorce out of court in 2016 and both actors signed non-disclosure agreements barring them from discussing their relationship publicly.
In a joint statement issued at the time, they said their relationship was "intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love".
They added: "Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm."
Source-BBC
'One last chance' to get Brexit done says May
Theresa May has told MPs they have "one last chance" to deliver Brexit, as she set out a "new Brexit deal".
MPs will get a vote on whether to hold another referendum if they back the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill, she said.
The bill also contains new guarantees on workers' rights, environmental protections and the Irish backstop as well a customs "compromise".
If MPs reject the bill, she warned them a negotiated exit would be "dead in the water" and Brexit could be stopped.
MPs have rejected the withdrawal agreement negotiated with the EU three times.
In what is seen as a last roll of the dice, Mrs May is now bringing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - legislation required to bring the agreement into UK law - to Parliament in early June.
In a speech in London, the prime minister said the deadlock over Brexit was having a "corrosive" impact on British politics and stopping progress in other areas.
"We are making a new offer to find common ground in Parliament," she said. "That is the only way to deliver Brexit."
She said MPs would have the chance to vote on whether to hold another referendum before the exit agreement was ratified and, if MPs backed it, the government would make the necessary arrangements.
While she personally opposed another referendum on the terms of Brexit, the PM said she recognised the "genuine and sincere" feelings on the issue in Parliament,
She urged MPs to back the Withdrawal Agreement Bill at its first parliamentary hurdle in and then "make the case" for another public vote when the bill was examined in detail.
Mrs May also said there would be new legislation to ensure UK workers' rights were "no less favourable" than within the EU and guarantees that there would no dilution in environmental standards.
In a move to reassure Tory Brexiteers, she said there would be a legal obligation on the government to find alternative arrangements to maintain an open border in Northern Ireland by the end of 2020 to ensure the controversial backstop plan never had to come into force.
Northern Ireland would remain aligned with the rest of the UK, in terms of regulation, after Brexit and would not be part of a separate customs territory.
Appealing to MPs to back her plan, she said it would honour the 2016 referendum result, adding: "I have compromised, now I ask you to compromise too."
Source-BBC