Cydireo Smith of Kew Town sentenced to 7 years
20-year-old Cydireo Smith of Kew Town was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment after he plead guilty to the charge of ‘Wounding with intent’ in connection with a report made on Friday 6th January 2017.
Around 10:30 PM that date, the male complainant contacted station and reported that he had an altercation with Smith earlier that night where Smith tried to stab him but was unsuccessful. Smith left and returned with a gun and fired three shots at him. The victim received a gunshot wound to the right shoulder. Police launched an investigation.
Acting on information, on Saturday 7th January 2017, Detectives saw and arrested Cydireo Smith on suspicion of attempted murder.
He was later charged with the offense mentioned above. During his court appearance in the Supreme Court, he plead guilty to the charge.
The firearm was not recovered.
Taylor Swift & team triumphant; jury sides with her against deejay
It's over, and Taylor Swift has come out the winner.
A jury in Colorado has unanimously rejected former deejay David Mueller's claim that Taylor's mother Andrea Swift and her manager Frank Bell were responsible for him losing his job, after Taylor said he groped her backstage during a 2013 meet-and-greet.
In addition, the jury has found for Taylor in her counter claim of sexual assault and battery against Mueller. They have agreed to award her $1 in nominal damages.
After the verdict was announced, Taylor released a statement saying, "I want to thank Judge William J. Martinez and the jury for their careful consideration, my attorneys Doug Baldridge, Danielle Foley, Jay Schaudies and Katie Wright for fighting for me and anyone who feels silenced by a sexual assault, and especially anyone who offered their support throughout this four-year ordeal and two-year long trial process."
She added, "I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this. My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves."
The trial, which began last week, pitted Taylor's claims that Mueller lifted her skirt and grabbed her bare butt, against his claims that he'd been falsely accused, and was owed the remainder of the money left on his contract when he was terminated from his job at a Denver radio station.
Initially, Mueller sued Taylor, her mom and her manager, but the judge threw out the suit against Taylor last week, saying there was no evidence to show she was involved in his termination. Taylor counter-sued, claiming assault and battery for "offensive and harmful physical contact."
During her testimony, a defiant Taylor told Mueller's attorney, "I’m not going to allow you or your client to make me feel like this was my fault, because it isn’t. I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are a product of his decisions. Not mine.”
Source-ABC
Bermuda keeping eye on Hurricane Gert
Bermuda is keeping an eye on Hurricane Gert that could begin affecting the British Overseas Territory over the next few days with “life threatening surf and rip current”.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said that the hurricane, packing winds of 75 miles per hour was located at 450 miles west of Bermuda.
The NHC said that while there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, the hurricane is moving is moving toward the north near 12 mph and a turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected later on Tuesday.
It said maximum sustained winds remain near 75 mph with higher gusts.
“Gert has the opportunity to gather some strength later today or Wednesday,” the NHC said, noting that hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles.
“Swells generated by Gert will spread northward along the east coast of the United States from North Carolina northward to Long Island during the next couple of days. Swells are also expected to affect Bermuda during the next couple of days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the NHC added.
Source-CMC
Thousands Left Homeless after Sierra Leone Mudslide
Thousands of people in Sierra Leone left homeless by a mudslide which killed at least 270 people urgently need food, shelter and healthcare, aid agencies said on Tuesday, as they raced to prevent outbreaks of fatal diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
A mountainside collapsed on the outskirts of the capital Freetown on Monday morning, burying dozens of homes as people slept in one of Africa's deadliest mudslides in decades.
Rescue workers have recovered 270 bodies so far in the mountain town of Regent and the search continues for more, Freetown mayor Sam Gibson said on Tuesday.
"We estimate that at least 3,000 people are homeless ... they need shelter, medical assistance and food," Sierra Red Cross Society spokesman Abu Bakarr Tarawallie said by phone.
"We are also fearful of outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and typhoid," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Freetown. "We can only hope that this does not happen."
Contaminated water and water-logging often unleash potentially deadly diseases like cholera and diarrhea after floods and mudslides.
Torrential flooding has also destroyed buildings and covered homes in low-lying areas of Freetown, agencies said.
"Houses have been totally submerged and washed away," said Ramatu Jalloh, advocacy director at Save the Children. "Families are trying to gather their lives together but they have lost their homes, all of their possessions, their whole livelihoods."
President Ernest Bai Koroma on Monday evening told residents of Regent and other flooded areas to evacuate immediately so that military personnel and rescue workers could continue to search for survivors that might be buried underneath debris.
The United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) is providing trauma counseling and therapy to families and children in the dozen-odd communities struck by the mudslide.
"You can see people openly grieving ... there is a lot of hurt to address," said UNICEF spokesman John James.
Britain's aid department said it is sending assistance, having invested in disaster preparedness and emergency response since the Ebola outbreak which ravaged the former British colony from 2014 to 2016, infecting 14,000 people and killing 4,000.
"From stopping the Ebola outbreak in its tracks to helping the country rebuild after this deadly event - the UK continues to stand by the people of Sierra Leone," said Priti Patel, the minister of the Department for International Development.
Several aid agencies told the Thomson Reuters Foundation they were bracing for more heavy rainfall in the coming days.
Source-VOA
Governor Welcomes New Financial Adviser
His Excellency the Governor, Dr John Freeman, has welcomed the arrival in TCI of Mr Alex Mills who has been appointed as Financial Adviser to the Governor following the decision by the UK government to abolish the position of Chief Financial Officer at the end of March 2017. Mr Mills will work closely with the Ministry of Finance and other government departments and financial institutions to advise the Governor on economic developments in TCI.
Before coming to TCI, Mr Mills held the position of Chief Accountant in the UK House of Commons where he has worked in several financial roles since 2005.
Unlike the Chief Financial Officer, the Financial Adviser to the Governor has no executive role in or powers over the TCI government’s financial decisions. It is a purely advisory position which is being funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Commenting on Mr Mills’ appointment the Governor said “I am delighted to welcome Alex Mills to TCI to take up his appointment as my Financial Adviser. I regard this as a key position which I believe will be of benefit not only to me in the exercise of my responsibilities as Governor but also to the TCI government as we work together to build on the economic success of the country.”
Invest Turks & Caicos Launches New Website
Invest Turks and Caicos is inviting visitors to explore its new website www.investturksandcaicos.tc. The new site is the main promotional and informational tool used to give Invest Turks and Caicos visibility in domestic, regional and international investment markets.
The scope of the new design was focused on promoting Invest TCI’s primary function and services, Investment and business opportunities in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and incorporated several critical components of a good promotional website, including branding; clarity of navigation; and effective search engine marketing.
The new website means that customers can now benefit from richer online content, improved navigation and functionality and easy access to information such as statistical data. The site is expected to assist in maintaining the Invest Turks and Caicos brand; communicating the competitive advantages of the islands; and providing relevant, quality and timely information to users.
Vice President for Marketing and Promotion, Trina Adams-Smith stated – “The Agency needed a website that can compete on an international level. One that is professional, informative and visually appealing and that is in line with the company’s brand”. Mrs. Smith further stated that “visitors tend to spend more time browsing a company’s site when there is valuable content.
The more informative the website is with quality information; the more time an investor will spend researching the region for opportunities which can generate a lead for the Agency ”.
Mrs. Smith encourages persons to visit the new website and give their feedback by posting a comment on Invest TCI’s Facebook page -investtci.
Sean Spicer resigns as White House press secretary
ABC News has confirmed that Sean Spicer has resigned as White House press secretary.
Senior White House sources confirmed the move to ABC News, who noted that President Donald Trump did not ask for Spicer's resignation.
This comes shortly after it was reported that Anthony Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier, was named as the new White House communications director.
Spicer has spent much less time in the briefing room in recent weeks, with principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders handling more of the daily briefings.
Spicer did brief the press off camera on Monday of this week, his first time doing so in three weeks.
Spicer, 45, worked as the communications director for the Republican National Committee before being named as Trump's press secretary during the transition.
His tenure got off to a rocky start when he made his first appearance in the White House briefing room the day after Trump took office and read a statement to the press about the size of the crowd at the inauguration, citing numbers that were widely disputed.
The resignation comes the day after the Trump administration marked its first six months in office.
About ninety minutes after the news broke, Spicer tweeted, "It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August."
FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FRIDAY 21st JULY
THE PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FRIDAY 21ST JULY 2017 ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY AT 12 PM.
GENERAL SITUATION: UNSTABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE ISLANDS DUE IN PART TO A TROUGH NEAR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND AN UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS AND BEACH-GOERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE RISK OF WATERSPOUTS. WHILE MARINERS AND BEACH-GOERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT BEACHES MAINLY ALONG THE EASTERN SHORELINES IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: VARIABLE CLOUDINESS AND HOT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS TONIGHT WITH A FEW SHOWERS OR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS. SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS, FALLING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT TIMES OVER THE NORTHWESTERN ISLANDS AND EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 91°F 33°C
LOW TEMPERATURE TONIGHT 77°F 25°C
SUNSET: 8:00 PM
SUNRISE 6:33 AM SAT
MOONSET: 6:25 PM
MOONRISE: 5:39 AM SAT.
LOW TIDE: 12:31 PM & 1:27 AM SAT
HIGH TIDE: 6:58 PM & 7:18 AM SAT
WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR TOMORROW: PARTLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: THE TROPICS REMAINS QUIET AND TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS.
TCI 18th POST CABINET STATEMENT
Her Excellency the Acting Governor, Anya Williams, chaired the 18th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, 19 July 2017, at the Hon. Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
All Ministers were present except the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication and the Hon. Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve amendments to the Public Finance Management Ordinance, the Public Finance Management Regulations, the Invest Turks and Caicos Islands Ordinance and the Tourist Board Ordinance to insert claw-back clauses to enable unexpended subventions and excess revenues to be remitted to the Consolidated Fund prior to or at the end of any financial year to bring them into in line with other Statutory Bodies;
· Noted the financial performance of the TCI Government as submitted in the Monthly Financial Report for May 2017 by the Accountant General. Cabinet noted that the Caribbean Development Bank loan of $1 million in relation to loans for Invest TCI had been repaid. Cabinet further noted that the Consolidated Fund recorded a surplus of $5.8 million during May and that recurrent revenue for the month amounted to $25.7 million which was $0.3 million ahead of budgeted revenue forecast;
· Received an information paper from the Hon. Minister of Finance, Investment and Trade on implementation of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF11) in TCI. Cabinet noted that the EDF11 budget stood at €14.6 million in support of education sector reform which would be disbursed in several tranches between 2017-2019;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve a technical assistance loan of $441,000 from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and a grant of $50,000 from the European Investment Bank which complemented the CDB loan for consultancy services to conduct a feasibility study and prepare designs for climate resilient coastal protection on the islands of Grand Turk, Salt Cay and Providenciales and to prepare a shoreline management plan for TCI. Cabinet further approved the Loan Agreement with the CDB be forwarded to the House of Assembly for approval;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2017 for forwarding to the House of Assembly for approval;
· Received an information paper from the Hon. Minister of Finance, Investment and Trade up-dating Cabinet on the closure of Salt Cay Airport and on steps being taken by the TCI Airports Authority to address current issues;
· Noted the appointment of Mr Eric Floyd Seymour as CEO of Invest Turks and Caicos for a period of 2 years with effect from 14 August 2017;
· Advised Her Excellency the Governor to approve the re-appointment of Mr Thomas Swann as CEO of the TCI Civil Aviation Authority for a period of 1 year with effect from 1 October 2017;
· Following extensive public consultation which concluded in favour of change, agreed to the reintroduction in TCI of Daylight Saving Time (DST) during the summer months and Standard Time, also known as Local Time, during the winter months with effect from April 2018 to allow sufficient time to notify the public and relevant local and international organisations of the change;
· Received an information paper from the Hon. Minister of Finance, Investment and Trade up-dating Cabinet on progress on the Vision 2040 Document and Medium-Term Development Strategy project;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve for public tender approximately 0.63 acres of Crown Land on Parcel 10409/184 at East Suburbs on Grand Turk for the purpose of commercial development in accordance with the Crown Land Ordinance;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve the Tobacco Control Regulations to enable full implementation of the Tobacco Control Ordinance 2016;
· Requested the Hon. Minister of Health to ensure that the Board, as a matter of urgency, undertakes the recruitment process to fill the positions of CEO and CFO of the National Health Insurance Board on a substantive basis;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve an online public consultation on the introduction of a public transport system to improve transport services across TCI which would be considered further by Cabinet following the consultation;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve dates for the 2017/18 crawfish season to run from 15 August 2017 – 31 March 2018 and for the Ministry to notify the public of the dates;
· Received an information paper from the Hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning up-dating Cabinet on the proposal to use the Green Door on Grand Turk as temporary accommodation for low-risk prisoners to enable essential works to be carried out on prisoner accommodation blocks at HM Prison. Cabinet noted the results of the recently concluded consultation on the temporary change of use of the Green Door and agreed to issue a new notice to address the concerns initially raised;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to grant approval for the Ministry of Finance, Investment and Trade to begin discussions with AirBnB on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enable the collection of the Government’s revenue from operators in the vacation villa rental accommodation sector and to support the regulation of vacation villa rental accommodation in TCI;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve the re-establishment of the National Lottery Board in accordance with the TCI National Lottery Ordinance subject to budgetary provision being made;
· Received a briefing by Her Excellency the Acting Governor on a series of workshops carried out across TCI in July by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning and the Procurement Unit to raise awareness of the TCI capital works programme, how to bid for projects and the procurement process for awarding contracts.
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.
Stars react to the death of Chester Bennington of Linkin Park
Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington has died, according to the L.A. County Coroner. The musician was found dead in his Los Angeles home Thursday. He was 41.
Bennington joined Linkin Park in 1999. A year later, the band released their debut album Hybrid Theory, which became a massive commercial success, and helped launch the rap-metal scene of the early 2000s. Hybrid Theory has since been certified diamond for 10 million copies sold.
In 2004, Linkin Park recorded a collaborative EP with rapper JAY-Z, which spawned the hit mash-up "Numb/Encore."
After Hybrid Theory and its follow-up, 2003's Meteora, Linkin Park began to move away from their initial rap-rock sound. Their seventh and most recent album, One More Light, which was released this past May, took a more pop-oriented approach. The band is scheduled to kick off a tour in support of the album on July 27 in Boston.
In between his work with Linkin Park, Bennington also fronted Stone Temple Pilots between 2013 and 2015.
Bennington had struggled with drug addiction throughout his life. He appeared very affected by the death of Chris Cornell, who committed suicide by hanging in May. Thursday, perhaps not coincidentally, would've been Cornell's 53rd birthday.
At Cornell's funeral service, Bennington sang Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." The night of Cornell's death, Linkin Park performed the One More Light title track in honor of the late Soundgarden frontman.
In May, Linkin Park performed on a New York City subway for an Good Morning America segment on ABC. They were scheduled to play GMA's concert series in Central Park on August 4.
Meanwhile, many of Chester's famous fans took to Twitter to express their condolences. Here's a roundup of some of their reactions:
Chainsmokers: RIP The legend Chester. You were were and will continue to be a huge inspiration to us.
Rihanna: Literally the most impressive talent I've ever seen live! Vocal beast! #RIPChester #LinkinPark
Nick Jonas: This is heartbreaking. RIP Chester. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends.
OneRepublic: Oh dear God. Massive R.I.P to Chester Bennington of @linkinpark this BREAKS OUR HEART. Suicide is the devil on earth walking amongst us
Imagine Dragons: no words. so heartbroken. RIP Chester Bennington.
Matchbox Twenty's Paul Doucette: So sad to hear about Chester Bennington. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and fans.
Josh Groban: Label mate and all around nice cool talented guy. We came up at the same time at [Warner Bros. Records]. F**k. RIP Chester.
Hayley Williams from Paramore: artists are ppl compelled to bring beauty into a world that can be so dark. makes sense then that artists are always conscious of darkness.. & maybe at times made more vulnerable by it? i don't know. life can be relentless. heart hurts for Chester's family/band/friends/fans.
American Authors: Chester Bennington thank you for your music and incredible voice. Another legendary singer gone. Sending our hearts
Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz: Mental health is no joke. We have to destigmatize the conversation around it.
Dwayne The Rock Johnson: So sorry to hear the news about Chester Bennington. Sending so much luv, strength & light to his family, kids & @linkinpark ohana.
Jimmy Kimmel: Chester was one of the kindest men I've had on my show. My heart breaks for his family and friends. He will be missed terribly.
Joss Whedon: "A Thousand Suns" got me through a horribly dark time. I'm indebted. Thank you and RIP Chester Bennington, wish you were here.
Bennington is survived by his wife and 6 children.