Maxwell releases ominous new single, “We Never Saw It Coming”
After teasing new music over the past few weeks, Maxwell released his new single, “We Never Saw It Coming,” Wednesday.
The song is accompanied by a short film called The Glass House featuring Nigerian model/journalist Yomi Abiola. The three-time Grammy Award winner tweeted clips from the mini-movie as he appears with her in a spacious home atop a mountain. She’s pregnant, and obviously angry as she slams a coffee cup in the kitchen.
As the couple sit across from each other at a table, she says, “What are you saying, I don’t understand.”
Later, as she holds a baby in her arms, they stand at a window, holding hands, and witness an explosion from afar as a mushroom cloud forms over the city.
In the song, Maxwell sings, “We never been so divided, scattered and spread among/Like useful ashes the phoenix overcomes/And what can I do I know it’s so uncontrollable/We never saw it, like the bombs that’s blasting, religious clashing, the world is asking/We never saw this, we never never saw this coming, coming.”
The film was directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, who shot the short film Kill Jay-Z for JAY-Z’s 2017 album 4:44.
Maxwell’s most recent album, blackSummers’night, was released July 1, 2016. No word yet on the release date of his next album.
Source- ABCNews
13th POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
Her Excellency the Acting Governor, Anya Williams, chaired the 13th meeting of Cabinet on Wednesday, 6 June 2018, at the Hon. Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
All Ministers were present except the Hon. Minister of Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Approved a business licence application by Griffiths and Partners Attorneys to operate business in an area of restricted business activity in accordance with the Business Licensing Regulations;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve, with amendments being made, the draft TCIG Contributions Policy Paper governing cash grant contributions by government departments to organisations promoting the interests of TCI;
· Approved the appointment of Mrs Noreane Beatrice Williams-McKoy as the Chair of the South Caicos District Board in accordance with Section 4 of the Caicos District Boards Ordinance 1945;
· Received an information paper from the Hon. Premier, as Minister of Finance, Trade and Investment, updating Cabinet on the ongoing work into the review of the Service Charges (Hotels and Restaurants) Ordinance (2004);
· Approved the draft Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2018 and Immigration (Amendment) Regulations 2018 for forwarding to the House of Assembly for approval;
· Approved the draft Companies (Amendment) Bill 2018 for forwarding to the House of Assembly for approval;
· Discussed a proposal by InterHealth Canada (TCI) to refresh the IT systems at its hospitals in TCI. Cabinet agreed, in principle, that the IT systems should be refreshed subject to further information being provided to Cabinet;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve, subject to clarifications and amendments being made, the 2018/19 Draft Revenue and Expenditure Budget Estimates of the Self-Financing Statutory Bodies for tabling at the next sitting of the House of Assembly in accordance with Section 52 of the Public Finance Management Ordinance 2012;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve, subject to clarifications and amendments being made, the 2018/19 TCI Government Draft Revenue and Expenditure Budget Estimates for forwarding to the House of Assembly once approval of the Fiscal Strategic Policy Statement 2018/2022 has been received from the UK Government;
· Was advised by the Hon. Premier of her intention to attend the Pre Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) meeting being held in London from 12-15 June;
· Was advised by the Hon. Premier that the House of Assembly would reopen on 18 June;
· Was advised by the Hon. Deputy Premier and Minister of Border Control of his ongoing dialogue with the UK Border Force Team and their intention to submit their findings by 11 June;
· Was advised by Her Excellency the Acting Governor of the outcome of the 4th State of Preparedness Meeting which she co-chaired with the Hon. Acting Premier and the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs on 30 May on Grand Turk to discuss TCI's state of preparedness for this year's hurricane season;
· Received an update from the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs on his tour of hurricane shelters around the islands and the completion of visits to North, Middle and South Caicos and his intended visit to Salt Cay;
· Was advised by Her Excellency the Acting Governor of the receipt of three vector control vehicles from the UK Government Agency, Public Health England, which would be officially handed over to the Hon. Minister of Health and his Ministry for deployment as part of a wider package of vector control assistance for TCI being funded by the UK Government.
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.
Trump says Russia should be part of summit
US President Donald Trump says Russia should be attending a summit of the G7 group of key industrialised nations.
Russia was expelled in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea, but Mr Trump said he wanted them there.
The build-up to the meeting has been marred by clashes between the US president and other nations over his imposition of trade tariffs.
There are also likely to be disagreements with Mr Trump over Iran and climate change.
The G7 summit, which groups Canada, the US, the UK, France, Italy, Japan and Germany, is being held in the town of La Malbaie in Quebec, Canada.
The leaders of the nations, which represent more than 60% of global net worth, meet annually. Economics tops the agenda, although the meetings now always branch off to cover major global issues.
Arriving at the summit, Mr Trump said he regretted the meeting had shrunk in size - potentially putting him at odds with other members on another issue.
"You know, whether you like it or - and it may not be politically correct - but we have a world to run and in the G7, which used to be the G8 they threw Russia out, they should let Russia come back in," he said.
Although much has been made of the bonhomie between the US president and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, the latter was pulling no punches ahead of the talks.
In a tweet, Mr Macron said if Mr Trump wanted to be isolated, the six other nations would sign their own agreement if need be "because these six countries represent values, they represent an economic market which has the weight of history behind it and which is now a true international force".
Host leader Justin Trudeau has also flirted with a "bromance" approach to Mr Trump but has appeared far more confrontational recently, particularly with the stalling of talks over the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).
He described Mr Trump's citing of national security to defend his steel and aluminium tariffs as "laughable".
Never one to back down, Mr Trump fired off defiant tweets, accusing Mr Trudeau of being "indignant" and the European Union and Canada of erecting "massive trade tariffs and non-monetary trade barriers against the US" for years.
"Take down your tariffs and barriers or we will more than match you," he wrote.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May appeared to take a more conciliatory approach, saying she wanted the EU to act with restraint and proportion in retaliating to the US tariffs.
It is likely that Brexit, in particular trade deals following the UK's exit from the EU, will also be on her agenda.
Unlike Mr Macron and Mr Trudeau, she won't be having a bilateral meeting with Mr Trump, but insisted on Friday it was not a snub.
Mr Trump will apparently be the last to arrive and the White House said he would fly out early, on Saturday morning, to head to Singapore for his landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Source-CNN
Celebrity chef found dead at 61
US celebrity chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain has been found dead in his hotel room, aged 61, of a suspected suicide, CNN reports.
The culinary enfant terrible was in Strasbourg, France, working on a shoot for his series, Parts Unknown, on CNN.
"It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the cable network said in a statement on Friday.
Bourdain was a best-selling food, fiction and nonfiction author.
CNN's statement continued: "His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller.
"His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time."
He shot to fame in 2000 with a best-selling book called Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, a behind-the-scenes expose on the world of haute cuisine.
In the book he wrote candidly about his abuse of drugs, including cocaine, heroin and LSD.
Bourdain travelled more than 250 days of the year to film his show, he told the Wall Street Journal in March.
Bourdian's death comes days after the suicide of another much-loved celebrity, 55-year-old fashion designer Kate Spade, in New York.
On Thursday, US government health officials said US suicides had risen by 30% since 1999, and that the crisis presented a growing problem. Nearly 45,000 Americans died by suicide in 2016.
US President Donald Trump said as he left the White House for the G7 summit: "I want to extend to his family my heartfelt condolences."
"That was a shock when I woke up this morning: Anthony Bourdain is dead! I enjoyed his show, he was quite a character."
He added that he also wished to give condolences to the family of Kate Spade.
Tributes have been pouring in from fellow foodies, celebrities, entertainers, and broadcasters.
Source- CNN
Scotia Bank to close two primary offices in the TCI
It started out as a rumour, but was later realised to be factual! Shocking news reaching RTC News that one of the oldest banking institutions will be closing two of its prime offices in Leeward and in the Capital Grand Turk.
The news was not welcoming, particularly for residents in the capital! Since the release, Premier Robinson has issued a statement to RTC News:
'Today, the Deputy Premier, Hon Sean Astwood and I met with the Managing Director and the Regional Compliance Head to discuss the Bank's upcoming initiatives. We were informed that the Bank intends to consolidate its operations into one Center which is located on Leeward Highway. This meant that the Branches at Grand Turk and in Grace Bay will be consolidated to this location. On receiving this News, I contacted the Leader of the Opposition who was given the opportunity to also speak with the Bank's Representatives at the same time.
We were informed that this is a continuation of what has already happened in the Bahamas and now Cayman Islands, BVI and the Turks and Caicos Islands and was the Bank's direction to direct its customers more to use the heavily invested technological systems while allowing staff to focus on strategic goals.
We outlined our concerns to the Bank for its staff, its customers in light of the recovery and challenging internet services, the message being sent to the general public of these Islands and the Nation's Capital specifically. We also requested of the Bank that its representatives meet with the public of Grand Turk and allow them to share its concerns and to advise on how the services will continue. This request has gone forward for consideration.
We do understand that this is a corporate decision and are grateful that the dates were staggered. We are aware of the staff challenges and the fact that the decision has been made from the highest office in Canada. However we believe that this is a rather unfortunate decision that could not come at a worse time.
I am aware that the Bank would have also today met with the Acting Governor and the Labour Commissioner today. We will continue our discussions with the Bank and critical stakeholders on this issue to see how we are able to avert this, failing which, how we might assist with minimizing the impact of this closure on the communities in Grand Turk.'
An unofficial correspondence was sent to RTC News late Thursday evening of the banks decision by a resident of Grand Turk.
REMARKS DELIVERED BY THE HON PREMIER, On the Opening of the 4th Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies (CCAICACB)
Today I am indeed honored to stand here on this historic occasion to greet each of you in your respective places and in support of critical work for a noble Institution. Whilst this is only the 4th Annual Meeting of gatherings in this type forum, I commend this Body for its formation, the great strides being made across the region and then I wish to assure you of my support and my Government's support.
I must congratulate our very own Director of TCI's Integrity Commission Mr Eugene Otonye on his election as Chair and on our hosting this year's gathering. Along with the reputation and work of TCI's Integrity Commission, the high compliance rates for filings for person in public life, this statement of hosting this Conference in our country sends the best messageat the right time: One that says we welcome standards, we support standards and will enforce standards for the good of our country. We have in our short time, have been able to become established leaders in the critical work of ensuring integrity in public life and have been an example for others to pattern and in fact are doing just that. We are proud of this body of work and we want the region and the world to know that we are taking a stance to ensure that we enjoy and practice the highest practices of integrity in public life and that corruption fizzles.
Whilst our work in this area is recognized and whilst regional governments continues to see the important work, much is left to be done locally and regionally in terms of education. This Conference's Theme, ""Counting the Real Cost of Corruption – Engaging Everyone in the Fight" though inspirational is our greatest challenge that requires our greatest effort otherwise the goal/objectives of our Agencies or this regional body willnot being realized.
It requires the connecting of dots that shows how it affects you as a country and even as an individual. It requires individual, civic organization notably the Church, local governmental, regional and global partners.
My Government has already demonstrated in a tangible way our support in the fight against corruption through the passage of the Bribery Ordinance very early in our Administration. We have accepted that corruption cost more than we can afford or are willing to pay. We have accepted and believe that the Government is critical in this fight and must lead the way. We have seen how corruption cost financially as well as reputationally and as the guardians and stewards of our country's name and resources, we are resolute in our stance. It is important that we educate even the smallest child on the importance of integrity and make connections in the simplest form as to how it adversely affects systems, governments and countries. We recognize that because of corruption, we can be made to pay more than value for goods and services thereby robbing critical areas of much needed resources; it of course can attract unsavory characters while discouraging the entry of good wholesome investors; it can cost in loss of critical experience and manpower when persons are recruited corruptly and certainly it can cost us in reputation all around. These are but a few but hard connections that must be taught. When this message is captured in a package for all audiences, then and only then will be able to celebrate the achievement of this theme and we must note that this is a continuous goal to be reached.
I note your distinguished Panel of Presenters and know that you will have a productive few days. It is my hope that literature will continue to be forthcoming and that awareness campaigns will only increase.
I welcome those who have travelled to this Conference to our beautiful country: I wish for you a wonderful experience among one time internationally acclaimed Best Island and multiple awards for World's Best Beach. Congratulations you are on a piece of that exclusive pie. I especially welcome my former Lecturer Dr Trevor Munroe, I am one of thousands who have passed through his hands at Mona Campus UWI and am certainly better and sometimes a little more radical for it.
I say to you as I close, Be steadfast in your work and do not stop for you are doing a great work and these Islands of the Sea will be better for it.
NO BLACKLISTING FOR TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
Turks and Caicos Islands is a small developing country with its many challenges but have to meet all the international transparency and compliancy standards in the area of international taxation and reporting in the same manner applicable to developed jurisdictions. Good governance, fiscal stability, tax transparency and effective legislations are matters of significant importance to assessing compliance with the global financial systems.
The European Union is one of the many organizations on an annual basis publishing a list of Non-cooperative jurisdictions (Blacklist) that fails to meet their tax transparency rules and standards. Turks and Caicos Islands was one of the 8 jurisdictions placed on a gray list, partly as a result of the 2017 storms. The Hon. Premier along with several senior Government Officials with private sector partnership engaged the EU Code of Conduct Group in February 2018 in Brussels to start the dialogue and conversation of matters of mutual interest. The dialogue with the EU Code of Conduct Group responsible for the compilation of the Non-cooperate list continued with the Ministry of Finance, Exchange of Information Unit, Attorney General Chambers, Financial Services Commission and Private Sector Representative and led to a Commitment Letter to examine the impact of proposed changes to TCI business models, particularly in the Financial Services sector.
Turks and Caicos Islands Government was able to demonstrate to the EU Code of Conduct Group significant legal and operational reforms implemented in the area of tax transparency and reporting. The three main criteria identified by the Code of Conduct Group: Tax Transparency, Fair Taxation and Anti-BEPS measures saw TCI as participatory and compliant.
The Chair of the Code of Conduct Group communicated with the Hon. Premier by email on June 7th, 2018 indicating that Turks and Caicos Islands will not be included in the 2018 List of Non-cooperative Jurisdictions.
As Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, I want to thank and recognized the hard work of the Ministry of Finance, Exchange of Information Unit, Attorney General Chambers, Financial Services Commission and the Private Sector who partner with us to achieve this successful outcome. This is just the beginning and there is much more to come by way of monitoring, therefore you continued cooperation is welcome and appreciated.
Prime Minister Holness to address G7 meeting in Canada
PRIME Minister Andrew Holness left Jamaica yesterday afternoon for Canada, where he will fulfil a number of official engagements, including attending a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit.
The G7 Summit is set for June 8-9 in La Malbaie, in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada. Prime Minister Holness will make a special presentation to the global leaders at the G7 Outreach Session. He will also participate in an exchange with the leaders at the summit.
Holness was specially invited to attend the Summit by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is hosting the event. Canada assumed the G7 presidency on January 1.
The invitation to Prime Minister Holness will make him the first Jamaican prime minister to speak at the summit with the leaders of the seven most developed countries in the world.
The summit will focus on issues such as building resilient coasts and communities, ocean knowledge and science, and sustainable oceans and fisheries.
The leaders will also explore how to best address pressing challenges, including plastic in oceans and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and the leaders of all seven nations are expected to be represented by the head of government.
Source-JO
TCI Hospital announce winners of 'The Diamond Challenge'
Eight teams of health care professionals showcased their best quality initiatives in a unique competition held on Wednesday May 30th inside the main foyer at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre for a prize pool of US$3,000 sponsored by InterHealth Canada Corporate, the private health care management company.
'The Diamond Challenge' spanned five months of team preparation, and last week's finale featured a poster and oral presentation by each team leader before a panel of external judges. Each initiative submitted must have been implemented between the years 2015 – 2018 and reflect measurable impact or evidence of improvement in the practice environment. The judges were Dr. Hamlet Nation - Acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Board, Mrs. Ruth Forbes – Senior Vice President of Fortis TCI and Dr. Marcella Malcolm of Carolina Private Clinic.
The Best Quality Improvement Initiative for building a Culture of Safety recorded a tie between the Baby Friendly Initiative and the Competency Mandatory Training Initiative. The first initiative was led by Dr. Dawn Perry – Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Mikette Been – Chief of Clinical Services. The latter Initiative was led by Jacqueline Moe-Cox and Lurline Barnett of the Hospital's Education Department.
The top award for the categories of Best Quality Improvement Initiative towards Safe Medication Practices and Best Overall Quality Improvement Initiative, were captured by the Medication Reconciliation Project, which secured a double win. The project comprised of Dr. Sani Amatti – Head of Pediatrics, Dr. Ravindra Gajendragadkar – General Internist, Detorrie Tennant – Hospital Information Systems Manager and Tony Wilton – Pharmacy Manager.
The title of the overall competition was derived from the hospital's quest to receive diamond status once again. Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital will undergo a third accreditation assessment next week June 11th – 15th 2018. A full-site survey is carried out every three years by independent overseas assessors. The acute-secondary health care facility has been accredited at the Diamond level since March 2012, which is the highest level achievable under the ACI Qmentum International Accreditation Program. Accreditation is an independent assessment of a health care organization's performance against internationally recognized standards of best practice.
TCI Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Gaston Levac commented on the internal competition. Levac said: "The excellent work presented by Diamond Challenge team members is a reflection of the quality work delivered by all hospital personnel. It bodes well for the TCI Hospital receiving an unprecedented third straight Diamond Accreditation award. To obtain a Diamond Award from Accreditation Canada International demonstrates that the hospital is in compliance with the world's most rigorous standards of care, service and performance."
Johnson 'warns of Brexit meltdown'
Boris Johnson reportedly warned there may be a Brexit "meltdown" in comments made at a private dinner this week.
The foreign secretary also referred to the Treasury as the "heart of Remain", according to a report by Buzzfeed.
In recorded comments to the campaign group Conservative Way Forward he also reportedly said he was "increasingly admiring of Donald Trump".
Friends of Mr Johnson said they were disappointed remarks made at a private event had been covertly recorded.
The foreign secretary was apparently speaking to a group in a private room after an Institute of Directors reception on Wednesday night.
According to Buzzfeed, he said that the prime minister was "going to go into a phase where we are much more combative with Brussels".
He reportedly added: "You've got to face the fact there may now be a meltdown. OK? I don't want anybody to panic during the meltdown. No panic. Pro bono publico, no bloody panic. It's going to be all right in the end."
He was said to have described concerns over the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic as "pure millennium bug stuff" and suggested Chancellor Philip Hammond's department was "basically the heart of Remain".
On the US president, who is preparing for an historic summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, Mr Johnson reportedly said: "I have become more and more convinced that there is method in his madness."
He added: "He'd go in bloody hard... There'd be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos. Everyone would think he'd gone mad. But actually you might get somewhere.
"It's a very, very good thought."
Source-BBC