Quiet Weekend for TCI in Weather
MARINE FORECAST FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS FROM 6PM, FRIDAY, 20TH OCTOBER, 2017, ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY AT 2100 UTC.
WARNINGS: BOATERS AND BEACHGOERS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO ROUGH SURF AND THE HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG NORTH AND EAST COAST BEACHES.
GENERAL SITUATION: REMNANTS OF A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING ACROSS THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS WILL SUPPORT SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY NEAR THE BOUNDARY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING BEHIND THE FRONT GENERATES BREEZY CONDITIONS TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW.
FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT.
WINDS: NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 5 TO 8 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
WEATHER: A FEW QUICK PASSING SHOWERS.
FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
WEATHER: CHANCE OF A FEW PASSING SHOWERS OR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
MOONSET: 7:33PM MOONRISE: 8:42AM SAT
HIGH TIDE: 9:07PM LOW TIDE: 3:15AM SAT
HIGH TIDE: 9:29AM SAT LOW TIDE: 3:51PM SAT
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: THE TROPICS REMAIN QUIET AND TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS.
Tech firms to remove extremist posts within hours
Tech giants Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Google have agreed to do more to remove extremist content within hours of it being posted.
The accord was decided at a two-day meeting between the G7 nations and the tech firms, hosted on the Italian island of Ischia.
The aim, according to officials, is to remove jihadist content from the internet within two hours.
In a tweet, Twitter said the talks had been "important and productive".
Twitter and Google declined to give further comment.
Italy's interior minister Marco Minniti said they were "important first steps".
In a statement issued after the meeting, the G7 said: "We underscore the challenge to industry and we urge it... to develop solutions to identify and remove terrorist content within one to two hours of upload, to the extent it is technically feasible, without compromising human rights and fundamental freedoms."
It also urged the companies to develop better detection tools and to ensure all removed material is reported to authorities.
In September, UK prime minister Theresa May said technology companies must go "further and faster" in removing extremist content. She said then that she wanted such content removed within two hours.
MI5 head Andrew Parker said that allowing extremists "safe spaces online" made threats harder to detect.
It is the first time that representatives from Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter have taken part in G7 talks.
The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US
Source-BBC
NFL commissioner says players "not being disrespectful" by kneeling; wants to "get back to football"
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that he and other team owners "believe everyone should stand for the national anthem" but left the league's policy about asking players to do so unchanged.
Goodell made the comments in a press conference Wednesday, one day after an annual meeting in which owners and players met at NFL headquarters in New York City. The NFL owners met separately Wednesday morning, where they "spent a great deal of time talking" about the issue and why the players should stand for the anthem, calling it an "important part" of the game.
"It's also important for us to honor our flag and our country, and we think our fans expect us to do that, so that is something we continue to focus on this morning," Goodell said.
Earlier, Goodell said owners at the meeting "did not ask" players to stand during the anthem, instead focusing on ways they could make communities better.
"We spent today talking about the issues that players have been trying to bring attention to –- issues to make our communities better," Goodell said." I think we all agree there’s nothing more important than trying to give back to our communities and make them better. That was the entire focus of today."
President Donald Trump took to Twitter Wednesday morning to lash out at the National Football League's decision not to force players to stand for the national anthem.
Goodell defended the league in response to Trump's criticism, saying that "players are not being disrespectful" when they protest, but emphasized that he wants to "get back to football" and "stay out of politics."
Source- ABC
The Avengers assemble to save Puerto Rico
ABC Radio has learned that Scarlett Johansson will assemble her Avengers teammates Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Mark Ruffalo to help save Puerto Rico, in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
The actors, along with some of Scarlett's other famous friends, will reportedly take part in a staged reading of Thornton Wilder's Our Town at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia to raise money for hurricane relief.
The actress noted in a statement, "The struggle faced by Puerto Rican residents since their island was ravaged by Hurricane Maria is terribly heartbreaking and has left many feeling hopeless and helpless. It is a great privilege to be able to participate in whatever way I can, to provide some relief to those that are struggling to access even the most basic of human needs in the aftermath of this disastrous event."
The show will be directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon, who is one of the most respected directors on Broadway.
Ticket for what she's calling, "an extraordinary, one-time-only evening" go on sale Monday, October 23 at
10:00AM ET and can be purchased in person at the Fox Theatre Box Office, online at FoxTheatre.org, or by phone at (855) 285-8499.
Tickets start at $89, though a number of VIP packages, which include premium seats, meet-and-greets, a signed poster, and the like will be available starting at $1,000. All proceeds will benefit the Hurricane Maria Community Relief & Recovery Fund.
Source-ABC
Blac Chyna's mother sues Wendy Williams for $1 million
Blac Chyna's mother, Tokyo Toni, is suing Wendy Williams for $1 million, saying the talk show host slandered her name.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Toni, whose real name is Shalana Jones-Hunter, filed a hand-written defamation of character lawsuit which claims Williams' ongoing comments caused her "stress and depression," loss of sleep and affected her personal relationships.
“I am highly depressed and my blood pressure is up,” she writes in the lawsuit adding that Williams has caused her a “lifetime of pain and suffering.” As a result, Toni says she had to quit her jobs as an Uber and Lyft driver because of Wendy's "lies."
Toni, who says she has repeatedly asked Williams to stop talking about her on the show via social media, is set to represent herself in the lawsuit that was filed earlier this month in Maryland.
Toni's lawsuit comes just days after her daughter Blac Chyna filed a lawsuit against her ex, Rob Kardashian and the Kardashian-Jenner family over claims of domestic violence, harassment and the cancellation of her E! reality series, Rob & Chyna.
Source-ABC
112 releases new single “Both of Us” featuring Jagged Edge
112 is showing Atlanta unity with their new single featuring another male vocal group from the A-T-L.
The Grammy Award winning group is teaming with Jagged Edge for their brand new single, “Both Of Us.” The mid tempo track is from their first new album in 12 years, Q Mike Slim Daron, named after the group members, which drops October 27th.
112 performed the first release from the album, “Dangerous Games,” plus a medley of their hits today during a visit to The Wendy Williams Show.
BMW headquarters searched by EU investigators
BMW has confirmed its head office was searched this week by European Union officials investigating an alleged cartel among five German carmakers.
EU investigators are looking into allegations that BMW, Daimler, VW, Audi and Porsche colluded to limit their spending on emissions technology.
BMW said EU staff had inspected its Munich offices, adding that it was assisting the regulators in their work.
Also on Friday, Daimler said it had filed an application for leniency.
The firm, which owns Mercedes-Benz, also has no current plans to set aside funds for possible fines, according to chief financial officer Bodo Uebber.
EU and German regulators are looking at allegations that the companies collaborated for decades on many aspects of development and production, disadvantaging customers and suppliers.
BMW said it wanted to make clear the distinction between potential violations of EU antitrust law, and the illegal manipulation of exhaust emissions, which it denies.
In July, Volkswagen defended its record after allegations that it teamed up with other German car giants to breach EU cartel rules.
VW said it was normal for manufacturers to exchange technical information to speed up innovation.
However, it declined to comment on specific allegations that the five carmakers colluded on price and technology.
Canada to host crisis talks on Venezuela
Canada will host ministers from a dozen Latin American and Caribbean nations next week for crisis talks aimed at ratcheting up pressure on the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday the October 26 meeting will explore ways to bring an end to the drawn-out political and economic crisis in the oil-rich nation.
"Together with our like-minded partners, we will continue to increase pressure on the Maduro regime," Freeland said.
"Our objective is clear: a peaceful solution to the crisis and the restoration of democracy and human rights for all Venezuelans."
The ministerial meeting will include representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia.
A fierce power struggle has been raging for months between Maduro's left-wing nationalist government and the center-right opposition.
Almost 130 people have died in the unrest since the beginning of April, according to data from human rights activists, and more than 5,000 people have been arrested.
Canada and the United States have imposed sanctions against Venezuela's leadership, calling out its "anti-democratic behavior" following the installation of a loyalist assembly that supersedes the country's opposition-controlled National Assembly.
On Tuesday, Freeland further criticised Venezuela's recent gubernatorial elections, saying the process was characterised by "irregularities."
Maduro responded with an expletive-laced verbal attack on the "insolent" and "stupid government of Canada."
Source-AFP
CRFM wants risk insurance for fisheries sector in the Caribbean
The Belize-based Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Friday said the destruction by Hurricanes Irma and Maria underscores the need for regional countries to press forward with risk insurance for the fisheries sector.
The hurricanes, which swept through the Lesser Antilles last month, killed several people and left billions of dollars in damage. Most affected were Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands.
CRFM said that risk insurance scheme is being developed by the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility Segregated Portfolio Company (CCRIF SPC), formerly known as the CCRIF) in collaboration with the World Bank.
It said this initiative to develop risk insurance for the fisheries sector in Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries is supported by the United States government under the Caribbean Ocean and Aquaculture Sustainability Facility (COAST).
CRFM said that at its seventh Ministerial Council meeting in Guyana earlier this month, policy-makers underscored the need for CARICOM member countries to move ahead with adopting risk insurance that would enable the fisheries sector and fishers to bounce back more quickly after a hurricane strikes.
It said so far, there has been no pay-out provided specifically for the rehabilitation and recovery of the fisheries sector, although there have been other pay-outs under the broader umbrella of the CCRIF scheme.
Since its establishment in 2007, the CCRIF SPC has paid an estimated US$100 million to 12 of its 17 member countries – all within 14 days of the disaster event.
“Having such an insurance scheme is one of the good things we can do to help fishers get back on their feet as soon as possible after a disaster,” said CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton.
He said the development and implementation of the livelihood protection policy for individual small-scale operators and the sovereign parametric policy for states that the CCRIF SPC is working on, now assumes greater urgency for the sector.
Haughton said he is hopeful that in light of the destruction and devastation which the recent hurricanes have caused in CRFM member states such as Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Haiti, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, and Turks and Caicos, that all parties will redouble their efforts to get the risk insurance facilities for the sector established as soon as possible and certainly before the next hurricane season.
He said that the insurance policies are being designed to provide quick relief to those fishers who experience distress as a result of disasters such as hurricanes.
Source-CMC
OVERSEAS PRISON OFFICERS RECEIVE COURTESY VISIT FROM PREMIER AND MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS
Following the challenges experienced following the Passage of Hurricanes Irma/Maria, the Government received an offer of assistance from the UK Prison Service for the provision of 20 Prison Officers. This support has come at the UK's expense and we are again delighted for the UK's continued support in this period.
In welcoming the Officers, Premier Robinson thanked the group of men and women for their service that was already helping to make a difference and of course extended welcome to the Islands. She continued by inviting them to serve with excellence and touted their presence as a perfect training opportunity for the resident Prison Officers. She further remarked that the role of Prison Officers is critical to the country's need to have individuals return to society as productive citizens hence her continued strong push for rehabilitation of offenders. She wished them well on their sojourn and committed support their endeavors.
"We must ensure that there is a transference of knowledge and skill at the end of this period and that the Prison is better for the experience," said Premier Robinson.
Premier Robinson and Hon Delroy Williams also took the opportunity to benefit from a Meeting with the Superintendent of the Prison and the Head of the UK Team.