PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT
GENERAL SITUATION: A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE BAHAMAS GRADUALLY WEAKENS AND SHIFTS EASTWARD AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: MARINERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE ALERT FOR THE POTENTIAL OF WATERSPOUTS.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW STRAY SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS...TURNING PARTLY CLOUDY TONIGHT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS.
ADVISORY: EXPECT GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS...& EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL & SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 88 °F 31 °C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE 73 °F 23 °C
SUNRISE: 7:13AM
SUNSET: 6:35PM
MOONRISE: 11:16AM
MOONSET: 10:21PM
HIGH TIDE: 11:28AM & 11:48PM
LOW TIDE: 5:57PM & 5:50AM WED
EXTENDED FORECAST:THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO DRIFT ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS EARLY ON WEDNESDAY WITH WIDESPREAD CLOUDINESS, INCREASED SHOWER CHANCES AND COOLER TEMPERATURES...THE FRONT WILL MOVE OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS ON THURSDAY AND WEAKEN.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY
WEATHER: MOSTLY CLOUDY AND BREEZY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM MAINLY IN VICINITY OF THE FRONT IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS...PARTLY SUNNY AND WARM WITH A FEW SHOWERS ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE BAHAMAS.
WINDS: SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS AHEAD OF THE FRONT...SHIFTING NORTHWEST TO NORTH AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS BEHIND THE FRONT IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS...SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL & SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET AHEAD OF THE FRONT, INCREASING 5 TO 8 FEET BEHIND THE FRONT IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS...2 TO 4 FEET IN THE CENTRAL & SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
FORECAST FOR THURSDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY AND A BREEZY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS.
WINDS: SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS AHEAD OF THE FRONT...& NORTH TO NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS BEHIND THE FRONT.
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST & CENTRAL BAHAMAS...2 TO 4 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: AN ELONGATED LOW PRESSURE AREA LOCATED OVER THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA, NEAR THE NORTHEASTERN COAST OF NICARAGUA, IS BEING MONITORED FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT...THIS SYSTEM HAS A 50% FORMATION CHANCE THROUGH THE NEXT 5 DAYS.
Steph Curry consoles opponent's 9-year-old nephew whose father was killed
Beloved NBA star Steph Curry took a moment before his game against the Dallas Mavericks Monday night to console a young boy who had just lost his father in a car accident.
In fact, the boy was the nephew of one of his opponents from Monday night, Mavericks guard Devin Harris.
In video posted to Twitter Monday night, you see the Warriors superstar hug and speak with the boy prior to the game. The 9-year-old boy, Brayden, has his head down, still grieving.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Curry explained what he told the boy.
"It's obviously ... hard to find the right words to say in that situation, because it's such a tough blow to the family," Curry said. "At that age, I can't imagine what he's going through. But best thing I could say was to lean on his family to give him that strength to get through this tough time."
The NBA champ added that his brother told Curry of the situation in the locker room.
"Him being here and being a big fan of me and our team [I did it] to try and lift his spirits the best we can," Curry said. "There's no right thing to say in that situation, but you just try to show him that there are a lot of people thinking about him."
Harris, who did not play Monday night, addressed his brother's death last Thursday.
"It's been a tough week," Harris said. "The family is taking it pretty hard, as you would expect them to. Probably the toughest thing I've had to deal with, dealing with myself, trying to explain it to his kids, my kids - it's just been tough."
Harris added about his brother, "He touched a lot of people, whether it was here in Dallas or Milwaukee. He had a big heart and was a great father and a great brother. I think we'll try to display that when we remember his name."
Source-ABC
Emmy-winning Benson star Robert Guillaume, dead at 89
Robert Guillaume [gee-OHM, "gee" as in "ski"], who won Emmys for playing the dry-witted butler Benson Du Bois on the TV shows Soap and Benson, has died due to complications from prostate cancer. He was 89. In a statement provided to ABC News, his wife says she is "deeply saddened by his passing."
Guillaume created the character of Benson on the 1977 series Soap, which won him a supporting actor Emmy. The character was spun off onto his own show in 1979, which earned Guillaume a lead actor Emmy in 1985, the first black actor ever to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy.
Benson went off the air in 1986. Guillaume starred in another sitcom, 1989's The Robert Guillaume Show, but that only lasted four months.
Guillaume, born Robert Peter Williams, also provided the voice of Rafiki in The Lion King, and appeared on the 1998 ABC series Sports Night as producer Isaac Jaffe. After being sidelined by a stroke, he eventually returned to the show, which incorporated the stroke into his character's storyline.
Guillame appeared in films like Spy Hard, First Kid, Big Fish, Columbus Circle and Satin. His other TV appearances in recent years included guest roles in 8 Simple Rules and CSI, but he also lent his distinctive deep baritone voice for animated children's movies and video games.
Robert Guillaume's survived by his wife, TV producer Donna Brown Guillaume, a son and three daughters.
Source-ABC
Kelly Clarkson denies she "contemplated suicide" because she was forced to be thin
Kelly Clarkson is denying that she felt suicidal because she was forced to be skinny.
In the British magazine Attitude, Kelly was quoted as saying, "When I was really skinny, I wanted to kill myself. I was miserable, like inside and out, for four years of my life. But no one cared, because aesthetically you make sense.”
The magazine also quoted her as saying, "It was a very dark time for me. I thought the only way out was quitting. I wrecked my knees and my feet because all I would do is put in headphones and run. I was at the gym all the time."
But Kelly is now explaining that her weight was a result of her unhappiness -- it wasn't the cause of it.
"Just to clear something up. I wasn’t ever miserable because I had to be thin. I said I was miserable & as a result I became thin," she tweeted.
She quoted a headline saying she wanted to kill herself because she was forced into being thin, and wrote, "NOT TRUE. I’ve never contemplated suicide because of my weight. I said people had no idea I was unhappy oddly enough because I appeared healthy."
Source-ABC
Saudis plan to build $500bn mega city and business zone
Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans to build a new city and business zone - a project that will be backed up by more than $500bn (£381bn) in investment.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says the 26,500 sq km (10,232 sq mile) NEOM zone will be developed in the north-west, extending to Egypt and Jordan.
It will focus on nine sectors including food technology and, energy and water.
The crown prince has been leading a drive to move Saudi Arabia away from its dependence on oil revenues.
Is Saudi Arabia on the cusp of change?
In August, the Gulf kingdom launched a massive tourism development project to turn 50 islands and other sites on the Red Sea into luxury resorts.
However, the extremely ambitious nature of Mohammed bin Salman's vision is sure to raise questions about how realistic it is, the BBC's economics correspondent Andrew Walker says.
Saudi officials said NEOM would be financed "over the coming years" by the state as well as local and international investors.
"NEOM's contribution to the kingdom's GDP is projected to reach at least $100bn by 2030, in addition to its per capita GDP - projected to become the highest in the world," a statement said.
"It is set to become a new vibrant destination" on the coast of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, linking Asia, Africa and Europe.
The announcement came at an international business conference in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh.
Egypt and Jordan are yet to comment on the new project.
Source-BBC
Kurds freeze independence result
Iraqi Kurds have frozen the results of a recent disputed independence referendum, offering a ceasefire and dialogue with Baghdad.
The Kurdistan Regional Government said in a statement that it was "obliged to act responsibly in order to prevent further violence and clashes".
The statement proposes an end to "all military operations" in the region.
It comes after a landmark vote last month on independence for the region from Baghdad.
"Continued fighting does not lead any side to victory, but it will drive the country towards disarray and chaos," the government statement adds.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi last month demanded that the Kurdistan Regional Government "cancel" the outcome of the referendum on independence.
He said the vote was a threat to the "peaceful co-existence among Iraqis, and is a danger to the region", adding that he would "impose Iraq's rule" in the area.
People living in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence for the Kurdistan Region in the controversial referendum.
The electoral commission said 92% of the 3.3 million Kurds and non-Kurds who cast their ballots supported secession.
Source-BBC
Puerto Rico to audit power contract for Montana firm
Storm-ravaged Puerto Rico has promised a full audit of a $300m (£227m) deal won by a small electrical firm with Trump administration connections.
A US House of Representatives committee is also scrutinising the contract.
The chief executive of Whitefish Energy Holdings in Montana knows US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, while one of its investors has donated to Donald Trump.
More than 80% of Puerto Ricans remain without power more than a month after Hurricane Maria struck.
Governor Ricardo Rossello's announcement came late on Tuesday as questions mounted about the deal with Whitefish Energy Holdings, a two-year-old company that has seemingly little experience with work on this scale.
The contract, inked by Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (Prepa) in the immediate aftermath of the storm, will be paid for by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), Puerto Rican authorities have said.
A Fema spokeswoman said their organisation "had no involvement" in the deal-making process between Whitefish and Prepa.
"Fema has received the project from Prepa and it is under review to ensure it is in compliance with established procurement guidelines," she said.
Congressman Darren Soto, a Florida Democrat of Puerto Rican descent, told the BBC he will be requesting an investigation from the Department of the Interior's Inspector General.
"It is concerning that the task of rebuilding Puerto Rico's energy grid - the biggest infrastructural rebuilt in the United States since Hurricane Katrina - is being contracted solely with Whitefish Energy," he said in an email.
The House Natural Resources Committee is scrutinising the agreement.
"The size and unknown details of this contract raises numerous questions," committee spokesman Parish Braden told the BBC on Tuesday.
"This is one of many things the committee is taking a close look at as it continues to work with the resident commissioner, governor's office, and oversight board to ensure Puerto Rico's recovery is robust, effective and sustained."
Puerto Rico, a US territory whose 3.4 million residents are US citizens, was struck by two hurricanes in September - Irma and, later, the more-destructive Maria. The second storm all but wiped out the island's power grid.
Source-BBC
TCIG completes Pre-Assessment Training in preparation for its Mutual Evaluation Assessment by the CFATF
The Turks and Caicos Islands has undertaken Pre-Assessment Training in preparation for its Mutual Evaluation Assessment by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) in line with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) procedures that requires each country's money laundering and terrorist financing risks to be assessed. The mutual evaluations process is the mechanism used to conduct assessments. The Pre-Assessment Training is a requirement in the mutual evaluation process.
The assessment of the effectiveness of the legislative and regulatory infrastructure of the Turks and Caicos Islands' financial sector has started by the delivery of a Technical Compliance Questionnaire which was received July 20, 2017 and to which the TCI responded on October 17, 2017. Another desk-based assessment whereby the TCI will have to provide to CFTAF Secretariat responses on the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering and combating of terrorism framework (AML/CFT) will have to be submitted. This will be followed by a two-week On-site evaluation by a CFATF assessment team early next year which will be followed by the publication of the Mutual Evaluation Report.
Around fifty stakeholders and representatives from both the public and private sectors convened for a three-day workshop at the Sands Resort in Providenciales on 18-20th of October 2017. The workshop facilitated provision of comprehensive information needed for the country to prepare for all the stages of the assessment process.
The training was divided into two sections with the first two days being geared towards the public sector and the last day for the private sector.
Announcing the completion of the Pre-Assessment Training, Chair of the lead agency, the Anti-money laundering Committee (AMLC), Attorney General Hon. Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles OBE said: "National cooperation and coordination are the keys to a successful outcome. This is major step in the preparation process here in the Turks and Caicos Islands which provides stakeholders with the necessary understanding of the Mutual Evaluation process, particularly the On-site visit. It will assist the country in being prepared to receive the Assessment Team and create awareness of the demands of the process."
The Hon. Attorney General also expressed special thanks to CFATF Deputy Executive Director Mr. Carlos Acosta and Legal Advisor Mr. Rommel St. Hill who led the training sessions. The TCI is also very grateful to the Government of Canada that facilitated the CFATF's attendance and conduct of this training.
For more information on the Mutual Evaluation Assessment process, please contact the TCI Attorney General's Chamber.
FIRST RESPONDERS RECEIVE TRAINING IN PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID
Disasters such as hurricanes can have serious mental health consequences which can take the form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress, Grief or Depression. First Responders in particular, typically operate on the front lines and often work under severely stressful conditions during disasters.
To assist the country in providing mental health support to affected communities, the Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services (MHAHS) along with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence, welcomes Dr Claudina Cayetano, Mental Health Regional Advisor of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington DC. Dr. Cayetano has extensive experience assisting countries in developing strategies to improve national emergency responses and will be conducting Psychological First Aid training with first responders and other health professionals starting today October 25th – 26th.
This training is designed to increase competence and skills necessary to improve the mental health of adults and children who may be struggling to cope after a natural disaster. Participants of this training include Emergency Health Responders, Mental Health Department, Primary Health Care, TCI Red Cross and 911 Call Centre.
The Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services is grateful to PAHO for its offer to assist, and sees this as a great opportunity to support and further strengthen TCI's mental health services within the national emergency response.
Guyana bank directors in fraud case offered bail
Eight directors with the Guyana Bank For Trade Industry were released when they appeared in Court on Monday.
They are all charged with failing to comply with an order of the High Court, in relation to providing information about the movement of US$500 million in the account of the Guyana Rice Development Board.
Attorney Nigel Hughes who represented the eight accused – Chairman Robin Stoby and Directors, Edward A Beharry, Suresh Beharry, Kathryn Eytle-McLean, Richard Isava, Carlton James, Basil Mahadeo and acting Chief Executive Officer Shaleeza Shaw, said the stance taken by the court was nothing more than an abuse of prosecutorial power.
The accused denied the allegation which stated that on the 7th of September, they failed to comply with a Court order made by the Chief Justice.
According to Hughes, his clients were following the Court order and were last Friday granted an extension by the Chief Justice to turn over all the relevant information to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
SOCU recently launched an investigation into tracking down over US$500M that the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) handled as far back as 2010.
During the investigation, GBTI and SOCU battled over information concerning the GRDB accounts. SOCU believes the documents could possibly point to major fraud taking place at the GRDB under the previous government.
Source-CMC