COLD FRONT ON THE WAY FOR THE TCI
GENERAL SITUATION: HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE AREA CONTINUES TO SHIFT EASTWARDS AHEAD A COLD FRONT THAT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO NORTHWEST BAHAMAS THIS AFTERNOON.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BEACHGOERS AND MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT DUE TO THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS.
AREA: TURKS & CAICOS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY, WARM AND BREEZY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS THROUGH TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT.
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS, FALLING TO 15 TO 20 KNOTS THIS AFTERNOON OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 5 TO 8 FEET, DECREASING TO 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
HIGH TEMPERATURE: 81°F 27°C
LOW TEMPERATURE: 20°F 68°C
SUNRISE: 6:46 AM MOONRISE: 12:15 PM
SUNSET: 6:01 PM MOONSET: 1:53 AM THU.
LOW TIDE: 7:51 AM & 7:55 PM
HIGH TIDE: 1:39 PM & 2:28 AM THU.
EXTENDED FORECAST THE NEXT TWO DAYS: THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE CENTRAL, SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS & THE TURKS & CAICOS ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.
BACK TO OUR ROOTS” CAMPAIGN TURNS 1
The National Museum in Grand Turk came alive on February 2, 2019 as the Department of Culture under the remit of the Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services hosted another “Back to Our Roots” event to commemorate the inaugural year of the initiative.
The event saw in attendance a wide cross section of people from the community of Grand Turk. The crowd moved to the sweet sounds of the Helena Jones Robinson High Band as they played a number of spiritual and local songs. Also giving an exciting performance were the members of the Ona Glinton Primary School Rip-Saw Band under the leadership of Teacher, Miss Jacquelyn Henry.
As the evening progressed the children and adults alike were able to engage in a range of activities such as horseback riding, face painting, hula hoop and three-legged race. Attendees were able to sample a variety of finger licking Local Cuisine served during the event.
Director of Culture, Miss Ludwina Fulford, commented on the event stating; “As we celebrate the first anniversary of the “Back to our Roots” campaign, I am pleased at how much our children have been able to learn and participate in over the past year. We have hosted a number of workshops and events which have been free to the general public. Particular mention must be made of the Boat Building Workshops and A day to Create, which brought much excitement to the participants. Today, as we commemorate the first anniversary of this program, as a Department we encourage the public to stay abreast to all that we are doing so that you can play an active role in the promotion and preservation of our culture.”
Bringing remarks on the event, Hon Karen Malcolm, Minister of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services stated; “I am extremely pleased with the work being undertaking by the Director and her team. I encourage each of you to continue to support their efforts. The “Back to our Roots” program is one that offers us, especially our young people, the opportunity to learn the things that were done in yesteryears. It helps to give residents the opportunity to learn of our traditions and customs, and to come to appreciate why we do the things that we do. Take full advantage of the resources available to you from the Department of Culture.”
The event ended to the sweet sounds of local Ripsaw Band Nish and the Boyz. The Department will continue to host activities throughout the islands, which will be open for all to attend.
Batting collapse sends Windies Women to series defeat
Stafanie Taylor struck her 33rd one-day half-century but West Indies produced another dodgy batting effort to crash to a four-wicket defeat to Pakistan and concede the three-match ICC Championship series 2-1 here Monday.
Opting to bat first in the series decider at the ICC Academy, West Indies were dismissed for 159 in the 48th over, with skipper Taylor top-scoring with 52, opener Deandra Dottin getting 28 and Shemaine Campbelle, 26.
They were 87 for two at one stage but lost their last eight wickets for 72 runs as left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu (3-21) and new ball seamer Diana Baig (3-42) ran through the innings with three-wicket hauls.
In reply, Pakistan overhauled their target in the 48th over, with opener Sidra Ameen top-scoring with 52, Nida Dar hitting 26 and Javeria Khan chipping in with 24.
The defeat came on the heels of Saturday's 34-run loss at the same venue, after West Indies had convincingly won the series opener by 146 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
West Indies were off to a dodgy start when Kycia Knight was bowled without scoring off the third ball of the innings from Baig with just one on the board.
And further disappointment followed when Dottin, who had sent warning signs with a couple of fours and sixes in a 20-ball cameo, was run out in the eighth over with the score on 35.
Taylor faced 95 deliveries and struck four fours in notching her second half-century in three innings while Campbelle hit a single boundary in a 43-ball knock.
Once Nashra had Campbelle stumped in the 20th over, however, the innings declined quickly, and only Afy Fletcher, with an unbeaten 21 at number eight, showed any resistance thereafter.
Taylor was seventh over in the 37th over, caught and bowled by Baig.
Ameen then gave Pakistan the strong start to their run chase they needed, posting 32 for the first wicket with Nahida Khan (15) and a further 44 for the second wicket with Javeria.
The right-handed Ameen, with scores of 96 and 52 already in the series, punched five fours off 107 deliveries, also posted 46 for the fourth wicket with Dar, after Javeria and captain Bismah Maroof (5) fell in quick succession to leave Pakistan on 82 for three in the 25th over.
Ameen eventually perished in the 39th over in a slide which saw three wickets tumble for 11 runs but Pakistan steadied themselves to turn back the Windies' late bid.
Source- The Observer
German auto jobs at risk from hard Brexit
The UK leaving the European Union without an exit deal would jeopardize 100,000 jobs in Germany, many of them in the auto industry, according to a study by Halle IWH, one of the country's leading economic institutes.
The most affected areas would be Volkswagen Group's hometown of Wolfsburg, and Dingolfing-Landau, the site of BMW's largest German factory, according to Welt am Sonntag, which published the study.
"The employment effect of a hard Brexit would be felt above all in the automotive" industry, Oliver Holtemoeller, one of the study's authors, told the newspaper.
Because of Germany's reliance on exports, no other country in the EU would be more affected, according to Holtemoeller.
In total, the worldwide effect of a no-deal Brexit could hit 612,000 jobs, the study said, with 179,000 of those from the EU.
Source- Bloomberg/Auto News
Amazon reconsidering move to New York according to reports
Amazon is rethinking its decision to create an additional headquarters in New York City amid opposition from key political leaders and protests in the community, the Washington Post reported Friday.
The Post, which is owned by Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos, cited two sources familiar with the company who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The report comes after the appointment of an Amazon critic to an oversight board with the potential to veto the deal for one of two locations selected by Amazon for its “HQ2” along with a site near Washington, DC.
Several local officials and newly elected Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district borders the proposed Amazon site, opposed the Amazon deal over concerns that the promised 25,000 jobs could worsen an already overpriced housing market and strain local infrastructure.
The plan announced last year was backed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the city's Mayor Bill de Blasio, but has been the object of demonstrations in the following weeks.
Critics claim the deal offers too many subsidies to one of the world's largest companies which is led by the richest man in the world.
Amazon did not immediately respond to an AFP query.
Source-AFP
Russia is considering 'unplugging' from the internet
The draft law, called the Digital Economy National Program, requires Russia's ISPs to ensure that it can operate in the event of foreign powers acting to isolate the country online.
Nato and its allies have threatened to sanction Russia over the cyber-attacks and other online interference which it is regularly accused of instigating.
The measures outlined in the law include Russia building its own version of the net's address system, known as DNS, so it can operate if links to these internationally-located servers are cut.
Currently, 12 organisations oversee the root servers for DNS and none of them are in Russia. However many copies of the net's core address book do already exist inside Russia suggesting its net systems could keep working even if punitive action was taken to cut it off.
The test is also expected to involve ISPs demonstrating that they can direct data to government-controlled routing points. These will filter traffic so that data sent between Russians reaches its destination, but any destined for foreign computers is discarded.
Eventually the Russian government wants all domestic traffic to pass through these routing points. This is believed to be part of an effort to set up a mass censorship system akin to that seen in China, which tries to scrub out prohibited traffic.
Russian news organisations reported that the nation's ISPs are broadly backing the aims of the draft law but are divided on how to do it. They believe the test will cause "major disruption" to Russian internet traffic, reports tech news website ZDNet.
The Russian government is providing cash for ISPs to modify their infrastructure so the redirection effort can be properly tested.
Source-BBC
MARJORIE BASDEN HIGH SCHOOL GETS VICE PRINCIPAL
Following on from the appointment of former Vice Principal Rodney Cox to the post of Principal of the Marjorie Basden High School, the Turks and Caicos Islands Civil Service is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Kishma Mills-Lamour to the post of Vice Principal of the MBHS.
Mrs. Mills-Lamour is herself a graduate of the Marjorie Basden High School and holds a Certificate in Hospitality Studies from the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College (1995).
After teaching and gaining experience in a Government Primary School in 1996, with encouragement from mentors, she followed the call to pursue teaching and went on to obtain a Diploma in Secondary Education, Home Economics from Shortwood Teachers' College in Jamaica in 2001 and upon completion joined the Raymond Gardiner High School where she served for a total of 10 years as a Home Economics Teacher and later as the Head of the Technical Vocational Department.
In 2012 she took up employment at her Alma matter the Marjorie Basden High School, teaching in all aspects of her discipline and in 2013 went to receive a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Teacher Education in Human Ecology from the University of the West Indies through Shortwood Teachers' College in Kingston, Jamaica (2013).
Commenting on her appointment Mrs. Mills-Lamour said; “I am indeed honoured and privileged to be given the opportunity as Vice Principal of this noble institution to work with other brilliant minds in the industry to make a meaningful impact on our education sector. It has been a great experience working with this organization over the past years and the experience gained has really helped me to evolve professionally and personally. I wish to express my immense happiness and gratitude to the Ministry of Education that deemed me be capable of fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of this role and will strive to continue with the utmost pride and dignity as we quicken to Improve the Standards in Education.”
Deputy Governor and Head of the Public Service Anya Williams in congratulating Mrs. Mills-Lamour said; “We extend our sincerest congratulations to Kishma on her successful appointment. She has dedicated invaluable service to our education sector over the past two decades and certainly deserves this promotion in a sector and school that she is most passionate about. We will her well in her new role, which has had the experience of acting in for some time and know that she will continue to do well.”
Crime prediction software 'adopted by 14 UK police forces'
At least 14 UK police forces have made use of crime-prediction software or plan to do so, according to Liberty.
The human rights group said it had sent a total of 90 Freedom of Information requests out last year to discover which forces used the technology.
It believes the programs involved can lead to biased policing strategies that unfairly focus on ethnic minorities and lower-income communities.
And it said there had been a "severe lack of transparency" about the matter.
Defenders of the technology say it can provide new insights into gun and knife crime, sex trafficking and other potentially life-threatening offences at a time when police budgets are under pressure.
One of the named forces - Avon and Somerset Police - said it had invited members of the press in to see the Qlik system it used in action, to raise public awareness.
"We make every effort to prevent bias in data models," said a spokeswoman.
"For this reason the data... does not include ethnicity, gender, address location or demographics."
But Liberty said the technologies lacked proper oversight, and moreover there was no clear evidence that they had led to safer communities.
"These opaque computer programs use algorithms to analyse hordes of biased police data, identifying patterns and embedding an approach to policing which relies on discriminatory profiling," its report said.
Liberty's report focuses on two types of software, which are sometimes used side-by-side.
The first is "predictive mapping", in which crime "hotspots" are mapped out, leading to more patrols in the area.
The second is called "individual risk assessment", which attempts to predict how likely an individual is to commit an offence or be a victim of a crime.
The report says the following forces had already used one or both types or were planning to do so:
Avon and Somerset
Cheshire
Durham
Dyfed Powys
Greater Manchester
Kent
Lancashire
Merseyside
The Met
Norfolk
Northamptonshire
Warwickshire and West Mercia
West Midlands
West Yorkshire
Companies that develop such applications include IBM, Microsoft, Predpol and Palantir and there are efforts to create bespoke solutions.
"The launch of a new policing model that places victims and witnesses at its centre has led Kent Police to evaluate alternative options which will support a focus on both traditional and emerging crime types," a spokeswoman said.
Several forces, however, are involved in a £4.5m "proof-of-concept project", called the National Data Analytics Solution (NDAS), which is funded by the Home Office.
It draws on information already held by the police about roughly five million people, including incident logs, custody records and conviction histories.
Using machine-learning techniques, the aim is to calculate a risk score for individuals as to their likelihood of committing crimes in the future.
In addition, the police hope to use the system to identify which members of their own workforce need support to help reduce illness.
Source-BBC
Tech Contributor-Leo Kelion
UK approves Vijay Mallya extradition to India
UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid has approved the extradition of Indian business tycoon Vijay Mallya, who faces fraud charges back home.
The move comes two months after a London court ruled that he should be sent back for trial.
Mr Mallya, whose business empire once included Kingfisher beer, left India in March 2016 after defaulting on debts of more than $1bn (£785m).
He now has 14 days to appeal against the decision.
He denies "fleeing" from India and says he made an "unconditional" offer to pay back the sum in full in July last year.
Mr Mallya built his fortune from Kingfisher beer before branching out into Indian cricket and Formula 1 racing. He set up the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines in 2005.
He faces a raft of charges relating to financial irregularities at Kingfisher Airlines. His monetary affairs are being investigated by India's Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, which handles financial crimes.
In 2012, Mr Mallya sold a majority stake in his United Spirits group to UK drinks giant Diageo. The deal was supposed to help Mr Mallya reduce United Spirits' debts and free up funds for Kingfisher Airlines.
But the airline, which was grounded in 2012, lost its flying permit the following year. It made annual losses for five years in a row and finally collapsed after lenders refused to give it fresh loans.
Mr Mallya's total debts, including unpaid wages and operating costs, are estimated to exceed $1bn.
He is a high-profile figure who has in the past been called "India's Richard Branson" and the "King of Good Times" for his lavish lifestyle.
Source-BBC
Nissan £60m in doubt after investment U-turn
Nissan will be forced to reapply for nearly £60m of taxpayer support after backtracking on a promise to build its X-Trail SUV in Sunderland.
A letter from the government to Nissan, written in 2016, revealed that the Japanese carmaker would only get the money if it made the car in the UK.
The government clarified that Nissan had received just £2.6m of the funds, but would have to reapply for the rest.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said the X-Trail would have created 741 UK jobs.
But he told the House of Commons that Nissan had committed to building its Qashqai, Juke and Leaf models in Sunderland, where it employs 7,000 workers.
Mr Clark also said: "While the decision was made on broader business grounds, Nissan commented on the need for us to come together and resolve the question of our future trading relationship with the EU. I believe their advice should be listened to and acted upon."
In the 2016 letter from Mr Clark to Nissan's then boss, Carlos Ghosn, he said the funding was contingent "on a positive decision by the Nissan board to allocate production of the Qashqai and X-Trail models to the Sunderland plant".
Mr Ghosn has since been sacked as Nissan's chairman and is in detention in Japan following claims of financial misconduct.
Source-BBC