WENDERA SEYMOUR, KIA SWANN AND TARINA PARKER APPOINTED AS NEW STATISTICIANS
As the government continues to strengthen its resources within the civil service, the Office of the Deputy Governor is pleased to announce the appointments of Ms. Wendera Seymour, Mrs. Kia Swann and Ms. Tarina Parker as Statisticians in the Department of Statistics within the Ministry of Finance, Investment and Trade.
Ms. Seymour, who is a former graduate of the Marjorie Basden High School on South Caicos, holds an Associate Degree in Business Administration; a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Howard University and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Economic Policy from the University of London. Ms. Seymour previously worked at Grace Bay Medical Center and then Saunders and Co. as Legal Assistant. During her time at Saunders and Co. she served as the Secretary for the Turks and Caicos Islands Bar Council Association.
Since joining the Statistics Department in 2017, Ms. Seymour has been afforded opportunities to engage in a number of regional trainings/workshops/attachment in areas of Statistics such as External Debt, Preparation for Census, Data Dissemination, ICP (International Comparison Programme), Consumer Price Index (CPI), Enhanced Country Poverty Assessment and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) to help develop her skills as a Statistician.
Mrs. Swann is pursuing an online dual degree in BS ORM/MSL from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She comes with many years of professional experience, having held several management positions in the United States before relocating to the Turks and Caicos Islands with her husband Mr. Rex Swann. Mrs. Swann prides herself as being hardworking, highly-motivated and ambitious. Known for her efficiency, leadership, organizational skills, commitment and creativity towards any task.
Ms. Parker graduated as Valedictorian of the Class of 2006 of the Helena Jones Robinson High School with Fourteen (14) external passes and is also a recipient of a special Certificate award from CXC as an outstanding Business Science Student and served as the Junior Minister of Tourism 2005-2006. After attending the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College for one year, she then transitioned into the University of Tampa (UT) where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts, Biology degree.
While at UT, she was selected to serve as the Ambassador for the Turks and Caicos Islands and was voted in as Vice President of the Black Student Union. Miss Parker also worked temporarily at the Department of Statistics before transitioning to Scotiabank(TCI) Ltd. where she served for over 5 years as Teller, Customer Service Representative, Business Banking Officer (Acting) and Assistant Manager Services & Support (Acting).
Mrs. Seymour stated; "I am very pleased to have been appointed as a Statistician within the Statistics Department. I am very confident that I have made a positive contribution since joining the Department and look forward to new challenges and opportunities ahead. Special thanks is extended to the Government of the TCI for affording me this opportunity to make a contribution and to the Chief Statistician Mr. Shirlen Forbes, as it is through his leadership and guidance I am able to participate in the necessary trainings to build my skills and contribute to the overall development of my well-being in order to help with the continuing success of the department and the country."
Mrs. Swann commented; "I am excited to start a new challenge within the TCI Government sector. I am very grateful to have been afforded this opportunity and confident that I will be able to make a positive contribution within the Department of Statistics."
Ms. Parker added; "I am elated to be afforded the opportunity to serve in such an important capacity in TCIG. This area has always been one of my passions and I intend to utilize all the experience and skills I gained during my temporary tenure in previous years within this department . I am open to all opportunities presented to perfect all the skills needed to carry out my duties to make a positive and notable impact within the Department of Statistics."
Commenting on the new appointments, Director of the Department Mr. Shirlen Forbes stated; "I welcome the new members to the Department of Statistics and would like to thank the Government and the public sector management for providing this much needed human resource which will help in ensuring that statistics is available to the public in a timely manner."
Deputy Governor Anya Williams elated with the new appointments added; "The pleasure is mine to welcome these three ladies to the Turks and Caicos Islands civil service and to congratulate them on their new appointments. The Statistics Department continues to play a valuable role on the part of the government in providing valuable advice and statistics to the government and people of these islands.
"The addition of these new staff members will continue to assist in building capacity within the department and will help in delivering the vital services to all policy and decision makers. I trust that they will find their time within the department to most engaging and encourage them to take full advantage of the training and other opportunities provided to them."
Weather for the Bahamas & the TCI
GENERAL SITUATION: LOW LEVEL TROUGHING ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS CONTINUES TO SUPPORT SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVITY ACROSS THE ISLANDS WHILE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN ISLANDS.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY.
AREA: NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TURNING VARIABLY CLOUDY AND MILD TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS CAN BE EXPECTED IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS
SEAS: LESS THAN 3 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
AREA: SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, WARM AND BREEZY WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW PASSING SHOWERS TURNING FAIR AND MILD TONIGHT.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
HIGH TEMPERATURE 91°F 32°C
LOW TEMPERATURE 76°F 24°C
SUNRISE 6:22AM SUNSET 8:01 PM
MOONSET: 5:55AM MOONRISE: 7:43PM
HIGH TIDE: 7:02AM & 7:28PM LOW TIDE: 1:04PM & 1:56AM THU
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS: LOW LEVEL TROUGH REMAINS NEAR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND WILL CONTINUE TO TRIGGER SOME SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WHILE WEAK HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
FORECAST FOR THURSDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, TURNING FAIR AND WARM AT NIGHT.
WINDS: SOUTHERLY AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS IN THE NORHTWEST BAHAMAS AND EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 3 FEET OR LESS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
FORECAST FOR FRIDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS, TURNING FAIR AND WARM AT NIGHT.
WINDS: SOUTHEASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: A weak, non-tropical low pressure system located just offshore of the southeastern coast of North Carolina is producing a small area of disorganized cloudiness and showers. Environmental conditions are expected to be only marginally conducive for some limited development of this system during the next day or two before the low moves northeastward away from the United States. Formation chance through 5 days is low at 10%.
Supreme Court upholds Trump's travel ban
The Supreme Court Tuesday upheld President Donald Trump's travel ban in one the most highly anticipated decisions of this year, saying the ban is "squarely within" the president's authority.
The Court's 5-4 ruling that the third iteration of Trump's controversial proposal, Travel Ban 3.0, is constitutional comes after two previous attempts by the administration to bar immigration to the United States from certain foreign countries.
President Trump reacted quickly, tweeting "SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN. Wow!"
That newest iteration of the travel ban is a presidential proclamation signed on Sept. 24, 2017, that indefinitely restricted most travel from the countries of Chad, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, linking the restrictions to those countries' purported vetting deficiencies. In April, The U.S. lifted travel restrictions on Chad.
Some of those countries have a majority-Muslim population, leading to accusations that the administration was unfairly targeting Muslims. Federal judges in Maryland and Hawaii issued injunctions shortly afterward that blocked the ban for the majority-Muslim countries but allowed restrictions from North Korea and Venezuela to go into effect.
Trump said in a statement the ruling is a "tremendous victory" for the American people.
In the case, Trump v. Hawaii, the state of Hawaii argues that the ban hurts its university system by banning potential students and scholars from entering the country. Individual plaintiffs who joined the case with Hawaii also say it separates them from family members who applied for visas to enter the country.
The administration argued that Travel Ban 3.0 was vetted by multiple agencies and was based on a review of foreign policy, not religion. Hawaii and the other plaintiffs challenged the proclamation, asking the court to rule on whether it was a lawful use of the president's authority, was too broad, or improperly targeted countries with a large Muslim population.
The court ruled in favor of the administration, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing "..the Government has set forth a sufficient national security justification to survive rational basis review. We express no view on the soundness of the policy. We simply hold today that plaintiffs have not demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of their constitutional claim."
"The proclamation is squarely within the scope of Presidential authority under the INA," Roberts wrote in the court's decision, also saying that neither dissent "even attempts a serious argument to the contrary." INA is an acronym for the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Source-ABC
Former Haitian president, coup leader dies
Former Haitian coup leader, Lieutenant General Henri Namphy is dead.
Namphy died on Tuesday in the neighbouring Dominican Republic following a battle with lung cancer.
Namphy, who lived in exile in the Dominican Republic, headed Haiti's military-dominated government after the fall of the Duvalier family dictatorship.
He became head of the interim National Council of Government that took charge of Haiti in 1986 when Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier fled into exile in France.
He also served as president before he was ousted in a coup in 1988.
His presidency lasted only last three months, and after being ousted he fled to the Dominican Republic.
He was 85.
Source-CMC
Patriarch of Jackson family dies at age 89
Joe Jackson, patriarch of the Jackson family, including Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, has died, ABC News has confirmed. He was 89. He had been been hospitalized with cancer earlier this month. Over the last few years, he'd also suffered a stroke and a number of heart attacks.
Joe Jackson was one of the most prolific talent managers in the entertainment business. At one time or another, he managed the careers of all of his 10 children and took the reins in launching others too, most notably R&B vocalist Miki Howard.
On of Joe's many grandchildren, Randy Jackson Jr., tweeted, "RIP to the king that made everything possible!!! I love you grandpa."
Joseph Jackson groomed his sons, The Jackson 5, to become one of Motown Records’ biggest hit acts, followed by the later success of The Jacksons and Jermaine Jackson's solo career.. And of course, he played a major hand Michael Jackson’s solo career at Motown Records and, later, at Epic Records.
Jackson was also instrumental in molding his daughters -- Rebbie, LaToya and Janet - into household names. But the title track of Janet’s breakthrough album Control -- the first her father didn’t oversee as her manager -- referenced the heavy hand her father played in her early career.
Born in Fountain Hill, Arkansas on July 26, 1928, Jackson was the eldest of five children of a schoolteacher father. After his parents divorced when he was twelve, he lived with his father in Oakland, California for a few years before settling in East Chicago, Illinois with his mother and other siblings.
He pursued a boxing career and was already married when he meet 17-year Katherine Scruse, whom he married in 1949. Within the next year, the young couple settled into a two-bedroom home in Gary, Indiana where they started their family.
Joe Jackson gained the reputation of being tough on his kids, which is believed to be what brought out the best of them. There have been allegations from some from his children -- especially LaToya -- that he was abusive. He was notoriously known for making his children call him “Joseph.”
Jackson also reportedly had a rocky marriage to Katherine Jackson, to whom he was still married at the time of his death. While Joe allegedly had extramarital affairs and other offspring, it's thought that Katherine remained married to him because of their Jehovah’s Witness faith.
In his later years, the couple lived separate lives; Joseph Jackson settled in Las Vegas and served at times as an official Jackson family spokesperson.
Source-ABC
Fox-Disney merger cleared
US regulators have cleared Walt Disney Co's plan to buy most of 21st Century Fox, removing a final barrier to the $71.3bn (£54.2bn) deal.
The approval requires the sale of Fox's regional sports networks in the US, due to competition concerns, the Justice Department's antitrust division said.
Disney, which had signalled willingness to sell the sports networks, said it was "pleased" with the decision.
The deal still needs approval in other countries to go forward.
Disney is planning to buy Fox's entertainment assets in the hope of beefing up the range of content it can offer, as it plans services to compete with streaming companies such as Netflix.
Fox, which is led by Rupert Murdoch and his family, plans to retain its news and sports divisions, creating a new company for those holdings, which include the flagship Fox News Channel.
The Justice Department said without the sale of the 22 regional sports networks, the deal may have led to higher prices for cable sports watchers in local markets, where Fox and Disney currently compete.
Currently, Fox's regional sports networks have more than 60 million subscribers and local rights to a majority of baseball and basketball teams.
Disney is the owner of ESPN and other local channels.
However, shareholders must still sign off on the plan, which has been complicated by a rival interest from Comcast in buying the Fox assets. Earlier this month, Comcast outbid Disney's original $52.4bn bid, offering $65bn.
But Fox said it planned to proceed with Disney, after the firm raised its own offer to $71bn.
Defending Champions knocked out of the World Cup
Defending champions Germany have been eliminated from the World Cup at the group stage following defeat by South Korea, in one of the biggest shocks in the competition's history.
The four-time winners crashed out in ignominious fashion - conceding twice in injury time as they pressed for the goal which would have sent them through.
In an astonishing and enthralling end to the match, Kim Young-gwon's 92nd-minute goal - which was initially ruled out for offside before being awarded after a video assistant referee decision - left Germany on the brink of elimination.
Worse was to come for the world's number one ranked side, however, when deep into stoppage time and appearing increasingly desperate, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer lost possession in the opponents' half.
Ju Se-jong launched it forward where Son Heung-min tapped into an empty net to score the second.
That prompted jubilant celebrations from the South Koreans, while some Germany fans inside the shocked stadium were left in tears four years after watching their national team lift the trophy in Rio; a competition in which they beat the hosts Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals.
It is the first time since 1938 that West Germany or the unified Germany team has not advanced beyond the first stage of the tournament - Joachim Low's side finishing bottom of Group F in this edition.
Wednesday's defeat followed their opening loss against Mexico, while it took a dramatic late winner from Toni Kroos to earn them their only points of the group stage against eventual group winners Sweden.
Manager Low, who led Germany to World Cup glory four years ago, will face strong questions over his selections both before and during this tournament.
Source-BBC
MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS HOST BLOCK-LAYING CEREMONY FOR THE NEW POST OFFICE IN PROVIDENCIALES
Hon. Vaden Delroy Williams participated in the block laying for construction of the new $1.5 million post office here in Downtown Providenciales.
The ceremony which was attended by Her Excellency, Acting Governor Anya Williams; Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson; Hon. Goldray Ewing Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning, Hon. Edwin Astwood Minister of Health, Agriculture, Sports and Human Services and the Postmaster General Mrs. Elizabeth James.
As a culturally historical site, this block laying marks a new and exciting chapter in this very important institution. This new facility will represent a significant investment in the Downtown area, continuing the commitment of the Government to develop the Downtown area, as an important and central hub for business and government activity.
Hon. Williams outlined the importance of Government updating and enhancing the Post office facilities by stating; "We should be in a position to capitalize on the lucrative and rapidly growing e-commerce industry. If other large developed countries have not abandoned post offices, why should we?
"It is also very important to know that although many private delivery services are operating in the Turks and Caicos, there is still a very strong demand for post office boxes and the postal services in this country. We have seen this from the activity at the temporary location in the Town Centre Mall and the boxes in Grace Bay. We cannot run away from technology. We must embrace it."
The construction of this new post office, will integrate the latest technology and new features that are available in postal services around the world.
The Post Office will be full computerization, a sorting room with mail sorting facilities, credit card machine service, a stamp shop, and up to 3,000 more mail boxes. There are also plans for a stamp machine which will make postal services accessible after working hours.
Hon. Williams also took the time to thank the staff of the post office for the work that they have been doing, especially under the present conditions and reminded them that better days are ahead.
He assured the public that in addition to the excellent facilities, they are committed to offering quality customer service and ensuring that the post office remains relevant, reliable and competitive.
This project launches one of the many new capital projects which this government will be embarking on during the next few months and years. These plans embodies an ambitious development plan for the entire Turks and Caicos Islands as we continue to modernize this beautiful by nature country.
CDB and PAHO sign agreement to support mental health in aftermath of natural disasters
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have signed an agreement to enhance capacity for mental health and psychosocial support in disaster management in the Caribbean.
“Despite the high vulnerability of the Region to these types of events, too often we have approached recovery and rehabilitation efforts by focusing on infrastructure and physical mitigation plans only. While ‘building back better’ is indeed necessary and critical, there is also a need to prepare populations to better cope with natural hazards by focusing on mental and psychosocial well-being. Strengthening social and individual resilience is—and always should be—a key component of any response to disasters,” said Monica La Bennett, Vice-President (Operations), CDB.
“As we begin the 2018 hurricane season, we are pleased to launch this project and partnership with CDB,” said Jessie Schutt-Aine, PAHO’s Subregional Program Coordinator for the Caribbean. “It is imperative that we support our Member States’ preparedness and response efforts. Mental health and psychosocial support needs to be a key part of this process.” Experiences and lessons learnt by the PAHO Health Emergencies team and key stakeholders from last year’s hurricanes Irma and Maria will be incorporated in project implementation to ensure better preparedness.
The project aims to build capacity for mental health and psychosocial support within the health sector through regional and in-country training within the sector, as well as with agencies outside the sector, and the broader community. In addition, the project is expected to lead to the establishment of a roster of mental health professionals in the Caribbean, who can be mobilised to affected countries in the event of an emergency.
Other project components include strengthening countries’ competencies to conduct mental health and psychosocial support needs assessments and create action plans for mental health care and psychosocial support in disaster management. A communications campaign will also be developed for rollout during the Atlantic Hurricane Season, to increase awareness and acceptance of the need for mental health services in the aftermath of a disaster.
Special attention will be paid to emphasizing the different needs of various groups that are often at greater risk during a disaster situation, such as children and adolescents; women; the elderly; indigenous people; those with pre-existing mental disorders; migrants; the disabled; homeless persons; and those living in shelters.
PAHO’s sub-regional programme coordination office in Barbados will be responsible for the overall management and coordination of the project. It will be implemented over an 18-month period on a regional scale and also in five of CDB’s Borrowing Member Countries, some of which were affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
CDB and PAHO will contribute a combined total of approximately USD470,000 towards the project.
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
GENERAL SITUATION: AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IN THE GULF OF MEXICO COMBINED WITH A LOW LEVEL TROUGH NEAR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS CONTINUES TO PRODUCE POCKETS OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE ENTIRE BAHAMAS THROUGH TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: MARINERS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS ARE URGED TO BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY AND TAKE ALL NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID HEAVY SHOWERS AND STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS/TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY, BREEZY AND WARM WITH FEW PASSING SHOWERS OR A POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 90F 32C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE: 76F 25C
SUNSET: 7:59PM SUNRISE: 6:20AM FRI.
MOONSET: 9:04PM MOONRISE: 8:12AM FRI.
LOW TIDE: 1:52PM HIGH TIDE: 8:17PM
LOW TIDE: 2:47AM FRI. HIGH TIDE: 8:39AM FRI.
OUTLOOK FOR FRIDAY: AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE NORTHEAST GULF OF MEXICO WILL WEAKEN AS IT GRADUALLY SHIFTS NORTH-EASTWARD WHILE TROPICAL MOISTURE FROM THE CARIBBEAN SEA IS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE TO LINGER OVER THE AREA GENERATING SOME CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE AT THE SURFACE.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: A SURFACE TROUGH OVERR THE YUCATAN PENINSULA IS PRODUCING DISORGANIZED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THIS ACTIVITY IS LIKELY TO MOVE WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE
YUCATAN PENINSULA AND OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO TODAY AND SATURDAY. DEVELOPMENT, IF ANY, OF THIS DISTURBANCE SHOULD BE SLOW TO OCCUR DUE TO STRONG UPPER-LEVEL WINDS. FORMATION
CHANCE OF THIS SYSTEM THROUGH 5 DAYS IS LOW, ABOUT 10 PERCENT.