RTCIPF acknowledges Safer Internet Day
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is this year supporting Safer Internet Day 2019.
Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, the celebration sees hundreds of organizations get involved and join a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively.
Safer Internet Day 2019 will be celebrated globally on Tuesday 5th February under the theme: 'Together for a better Internet'.
The Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force is undertaking a roadshow, visiting primary schools throughout the Territory, beginning Monday 4th February.
Safer Internet Day offers the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology and to explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online community.
Speaking on the Initiative Deputy Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said, "We are happy to be a part of Safer Internet Day this year. It important that we raise awareness within our communities, especially our young people to create a safer internet and a safer community. We will be discussing topics such as cyberbullying, cybercrime and online personal safety. Our strategy is to reach six graders; this age-group will clearly understand the importance of how to use technology in a responsible and safe way."
Meanwhile, Hon. Karen Malcolm, Minister of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services, in expressing support to bringing awareness about safer internet said, "The Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services is happy for a program of this nature, facilitated by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The program supports the ICT policy recently approved by Cabinet. It is important that we teach our children to think about their activities online as they can be easy targets for criminals. I want to also use this opportunity to encourage parents to pay attention to our children's online activity and to talk with them about their online experiences."
The UK Safer Internet Centre invites everyone to join Safer Internet Day supporters across the globe to help create a better internet on Tuesday 5th February 2019, and throughout the whole year!
THE HOTEL AND RESTAURANT SERVICE CHARGE
The business community is reminded that the Hotel and Restaurant (Service Charge) Ordinance 2018 and the Hotel and Restaurant (Service Charge) (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 will take effect as of February 8, 2019. The Employment Services Department urges business establishments to register at our offices in Providenciales and/or Grand Turk.
Registrants are encouraged to register their Service Charge Distribution schemes with the Employment Services Department as early as possible during the month of February 2019. Forms are available at our office and staff will be available if you have any questions.
Thank you in advance for your prompt registration of your business and your payment scheme.
Charles Hubert James Primary School Wins Tourist Board’s Cleanest School Competition
The Turks & Caicos Islands Tourist Board coordinated a ‘Cleanest School Competition’ and has announced Charles Hubert James Primary School as the winner. The competition was lunched during Tourism Environmental Awareness Month (TEAM) in November 2018 and was among public primary schools on the islands of Providenciales, Middle Caicos and North Caicos. Each school was judged on thirteen (13) criteria in five (5) areas which consisted of Entrance, Buildings, Bathrooms, Grounds and Classrooms.
The competition was judged by officials from the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board and Public Health Department who made unannounced inspections at each school. The Charles Hubert James Primary School in Kew, North Caicos emerged victorious and was presented with a prize of $1,000 from the Turks & Caicos Islands Tourist Board.
The prize presentation was made on Tuesday January 22, 2019 by members of the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board team to the forty student population, teachers and principal. Hon. Ralph Higgs, Minister of Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Maritime and Gaming was also in attendance and expressed congratulatory remarks to the student body and commended them for being recognized for their cleanliness and discipline.
Mr. A. Donjae Lewis, Quality Assurance Officer at the Tourist Board and coordinator of the Cleanest School Competition stated, “The purpose of the competition was to encourage local students to not only keep their school surroundings clean but in doing so, consider the impact of pollution on the environment and the responsibility they have in keeping our islands clean”.
Ms. Campbell, Principal of the Charles Hubert James Primary School, on receiving the check thanked the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board and stated that the funds would be used to invest in improvements to the grounds of the school. Ms. Campbell stated, “It is also important to note that our school does not have a grounds keeper, this is a team effort of students and teachers combining our efforts to keep our surroundings clean. We take great pride in it and this award means a lot to us”.
The Cleanest School Competition is set to be an annual undertaking by the Tourist Board with plans to expand to additional islands.
Roma and The Favourite lead 91st Academy Awards nominations
The 2019 Oscar nominations were announced this morning by Tracee Ellis Ross and Kumail Nanjiani, live from from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. Alfonso Cuarón's Roma and Yorgos Lanthimos' period piece The Favourite led the pack with 10 nominations apiece.
Black Panther also surprised, with seven nominations, including Marvel Studios' first-ever Best Picture nomination. Indeed, it's the first superhero EVER to have a Best Picture nomination. Another first: Roma is the first Best Picture nod from Netflix.
And Spike Lee also logged a first: his first nomination for Best Director, for the multiply-nominated BlacKkKlansman.
The Best Picture field had eight nominees; it could have had as many as 10. In addition to Black Panther, the field includes Roma, Green Book, Vice, A Star Is Born, Bohemian Rhapson, BlacKkKlansman and The Favourite.
Here are the main nominees:
Best Actor:
Christian Bale, Vice
Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen, Green Book
Best Actress:
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Glenn Close, The Wife
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Supporting Actor:
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell, Vice
Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, Vice
Marina de Tavira, Roma
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite
Best Director:
Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Adam McKay, Vice
Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
BlacKkKlansman, Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee
Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
If Beale Street Could Talk, Barry Jenkins
A Star Is Born, Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters
Original Screenplay:
The Favourite, Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
First Reformed, Paul Schrader
Green Book, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly
Roma, Alfonso Cuarón
Vice, Adam McKay
Best Animated Feature:
Incredibles 2, Brad Bird
Isle of Dogs, Wes Anderson
Mirai, Mamoru Hosoda
Ralph Breaks the Internet, Rich Moore, Phil Johnston
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Best Original Song
"All the Stars" from Black Panther
"Shallow" from A Star Is Born
"I'll Fight" from RBG
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns
"When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Best Animated Short:
Animal Behaviour, Alison Snowden, David Fine
Bao, Domee Shi
Late Afternoon, Louise Bagnall
One Small Step, Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas
Weekends, Trevor Jimenez
Operation Drive Safe and Positive Ticket Launched
With the general lack of compliance with the road traffic legislation, The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force on Monday January 21st, 2019, launched "Operation Drive Safe".
Effective January 28th, 2019, Police Officers throughout the territory will be targeting the main behaviours that contribute to death and serious injury on the roadways – not wearing your seatbelt, driving impaired (by drugs, or alcohol); careless and dangerous driving (such as using a cell phone), and speeding. Officers will also be targeting road users with unlicensed and uninsured vehicles and those vehicles without a license plate.
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force will also be introducing the "Positive Ticket" in the coming weeks. This initiative will reward road users who are compliant with road traffic laws.
The rewards on offer include coupons and freebies, all of which have been donated by local businesses.
Speaking on the "Positive Ticket" initiative Commissioner James Smith said, "With Operation Drive Safe almost into effect, we thought that instead of handing out tickets for violations, we would also like to start off 2019 on a positive note. It's not about how many tickets are redeemed but building a better relationship with the community."
The "Positive Ticket" initiative will not only improve the community policing strategy but also promote the law. The tickets will feature the road traffic legislation and a promotional message from the participating sponsor.
Participating Sponsors includes:
Patti Place
Outback TCI
Shay Cafe
IGA
Wingz and Things (Grand Turk)
Digicel
World AIDS Day Cocktail Party
REVENUE DEPARTMENT VISITS NORTH & SOUTH CAICOS
Officers of the Revenue Department will be visiting the Communities of North Caicos November 14th through the 16th and South Caicos November 21st through the 23rd. The visiting Officers will maintain the standard hours of 8 am to 4:30 pm daily.
During their visit, the Officers will be based primarily at the District Commissioner's Offices in the respective islands and will be facilitating Revenue Department activities, strengthening service delivery of the District Commissioner's Office and engaging tax registrants in efforts to improve voluntary compliance.
For more information, please visit the Revenue Department in Grand Turk & Providenciales or the District Commissioner's Offices in the family Islands.
Phase 1 of Blue Hills New Road Works completed
Traffic out of Blue Hills flowed smoothly this morning, Thursday, September 27th, following road works that erected a dedicated left turn lane onto Leeward Highway and a mini round-a-bout at Walter Cox Drive.
Before the road works, traffic congestion was a regular occurrence along Millenium Highway during morning and afternoon rush hours.
Road engineers identified the round-a-bout at the junction between Millenium Highway and Leeward Highway as the main cause of traffic congestion in this area.
By creating a dedicated left turn lane, drivers seeking to head East can turn left onto Leeward Highway without interruption while those heading
right can access the round-a-bout as usual.
Additionally, a mini round-a-bout has been placed at Walter Cox Drive so that drivers heading South on Millenium Highway will be forced to give way to those merging in from Walter Cox Drive.
These changes will help to ease congestion and create a better flow of traffic in the area.
Road engineers have also inserted a pedestrian crossing on Millenium Highway to increase safety for pedestrians. The crossing is raised with ramps on either side to increase visibility and to force drivers to slow down.
Sergeant Damien Mitchell, Head of Traffic for the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force, explained the rules of these new roadways during RTC’s morning newscast and added that the new path is working beautifully..
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ian Astwood, was on site this morning to observe the public’s interaction with the new road ways. He was joined by Public Works Project Manager, Mark McCabe and representatives from Herzog.
The Public Works Department is eager to hear feedback from the public on the new roads ways as this is only Phase 1 of the road works in the Blue Hills area.
In Phase 2, government has plans to make Millenium Highway a dual carriageway much like Leeward Highway.
The pedestrian crossings in the downtown area will also be raised, repainted and ramped to match the crossing that is now in Millenium Highway, very soon.
Source: Allie Capron (RTC News)
Dozens feared trapped under Indonesian quake rubble
Dozens of people are thought to be trapped under the rubble of buildings in the Indonesian city of Palu following an earthquake and tsunami.
Rescuers are awaiting heavy machinery to search the ruins of a hotel and a shopping centre as aftershocks made it unsafe for them to go in.
They have been getting water and food to some of those trapped, who have been screaming for help to get out.
The quake and tsunami killed at least 832 people, officials say.
The national disaster agency has announced plans for mass graves and one that was being dug on Sunday night is expected to hold at least 300 bodies.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the region to urge a "day and night" effort to rescue survivors.
Survivors of the disaster have been sleeping in the open, wary of returning to their homes, even if they are still intact.
With hospitals damaged, injured people have been treated in the open and at least one military field hospital has been set up.
The military has taken over the airport to fly aid in, and injured people and other evacuees out.
"What you'll see, you know, as the days go by and people don't have access to adequate hygiene supplies, shelter, you'll see the situation deteriorate if they don't get that access so, we've sent shelter kits," Tom Howells, programme director for Save The Children, said on Sunday.
The 7.5 magnitude quake occurred at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) just off the central island of Sulawesi at 18:03 (10:03 GMT) on Friday, setting off a tsunami, US monitors say.
Many people were on the beach in Palu, preparing for a festival, and were caught when the waves swept in.
The earthquake was powerful but shallow and with more lateral than vertical movement, not typically the kind of tremor that sets off tsunamis.
Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has said the final death toll could be in the thousands while the Red Cross estimates that more than 1.6 million people have been affected.
Source-BBC
PUBLIC FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
GENERAL SITUATION: A BROAD MID TO UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MAINTAIN UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WHILE A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE NORTH OF THE AREA CONTINUES TO SUPPORT BREEZY CONDITIONS OVER THE ISLANDS TODAY.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS AND BEACHGOERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO ROUGH SURF AND THE HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT EAST COAST BEACHES GENERATED FROM SWELLS.
BAHAMAS & TURKS & CAICOS
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, HOT AND BREEZY WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THE CHANCE OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL ISLANDS THIS AFTERNOON. VARIABLE CLOUDINESS AND BREEZY WITH A FEW LATE NIGHT SHOWERS AND THE CHANCE OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT AND BOATERS SHOULD ALSO BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS
SEAS: 4 TO 7 FEET BUT UP TO 11 FEET IN MODERATE NORTHEASTERLY SWELLS OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 91°F 33°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE: 77°F 25°C
HEAT INDEX: 105°F 41°C
SUNSET: 06:56PM MOONSET: 12:05PM LOW TIDE: 05:39PM
SUNRISE: 07:02AM MON. MOONRISE: 11:16PM HIGH TIDE: 11:32PM
LOW TIDE: 05:42AM MON.
HIGH TIDE: 12:08PM MON.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: ..LESLIE EXPECTED TO SLOWLY STRENGTHEN WHILE IT MEANDERS OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC...
AT 11AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM LESLIE WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 33.6°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 52.6° WEST OR ABOUT 710 MILES EAST OF BERMUDA.
LESLIE IS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST NEAR 3 MPH. A SLOW SOUTHWESTWARD OR SOUTH-SOUTHWESTWARD MOTION IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME GRADUAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 72 HOURS.