Simpson Miller, Davies to leave Parliament on June 29
Former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and south St Andrew Member of Parliament Dr Omar Davies have served notice to officially resign from the House on June 29. Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Parliament, Phillip Paulwell, today said that both members have indicated their decision through letters of intent.
In accordance with our laws, such resignations once handed to the Speaker become immediately effective, hence today's letters of intent and not resignations, a release from the People's National Party this afternoon said.
“Today we are witnessing the beginning of a historical changing of the guard when two sitting members of adjoining constituencies shall simultaneously take their bow on June 29, 2017, and so we wish them good health and strength in their retirement years,” Paulwell, Member of Parliament for Kingston East and Port Royal, said.
"At a future date, the Parliament will pay tribute to both members for their services to the people, the Parliament and Jamaica," he added.
Source-Jamaica Observer
Sessions says 'Nothing Improper About 2016 Meetings With Russian Ambassador'
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday he did nothing improper in meeting twice last year with Russia's ambassador to Washington, and that any suggestion he colluded with Moscow officials in last year's presidential election campaign is an "appalling and detestable lie."
Sessions, in opening remarks before the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the election to help President Donald Trump win, said he decided to remove himself from oversight of the criminal investigation of the Russian interference because of rules at the Justice Department prohibiting his involvement because he was a key campaign adviser to Trump.
The attorney general said he now has "no knowledge" of the criminal investigation being headed by Robert Mueller, a former director of the FBI who was named as special counsel in the case by Sessions' Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who assumed oversight of the Russia probe after Sessions recused himself.
"I have confidence in Mr. Mueller," Sessions said, but added he had no idea whether Trump does, even as news accounts circulate that Trump is considering firing Mueller, who was appointed less than a month ago.
Sessions declined repeatedly to discuss his talks with the president, saying they were private.
Sessions said he met twice with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, once at last year's Republican National Convention and later in his Senate office, but neither time about Trump's campaign, but rather in his capacity as a U.S. senator at the time before Trump nominated him as the country's top law enforcement official.
Source-VOA
US Issues Rare Alert Against North Korean Cyberattacks
The U.S. government issued a rare alert Tuesday, blaming North Korea for a raft of cyberattacks stretching back to 2009, and warning that more are likely.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security identified IP addresses associated with a malware known as DeltaCharlie that targeted media, aerospace, financial and critical infrastructure sectors in the United States and globally.
The alert called for institutions to come forward with any information they might have about the nation's cyberactivity, which the U.S. government refers to as "Hidden Cobra."
"If users or administrators detect the custom tools indicative of HIDDEN COBRA, these tools should be immediately flagged, reported to the DHS National Cybersecurity Communications and Integration Center or the FBI Cyber Watch, and given highest priority for enhanced mitigation," the alert says.
North Korea has routinely denied involvement in cyberattacks against other countries.
World Ocean Day LEARN TO SWIM Initiative
The Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR), together with a number of partners celebrated World Oceans Day with a Learn to Swim Initiative and a beach clean-up.
The third annual 'Learn to Swim' initiative was again hosted by the DECR, who were assisted by the Turks & Caicos Swimming Federation and the Edward C. Gartland Youth Centre on Thursday 8 June 2017.
"To be a part of this year's World Ocean's Day is real privilege. Members of the centre were able to take advantage of this great opportunity and had an amazing time whilst being educated on the importance of World Oceans Day. Huge thanks to Amy Avenant, DECR and TCI Swim Federation and all of the instructors for taking the time to do this program," said Roxann Wake-Forbes, Director at the Youth Centre.
14 students took the opportunity to learn basic swimming skills to ensure that they can enjoy swimming in both the pool and the sea.
Whilst, in the Nation's Capital celebrated World Oceans Day by joining the DECR in giving back to the ocean through a beach and in-water clean-up. The DECR provided garbage bags and gloves while participants took to the beach and waters to ensure that no trash was left behind.
40 participants from the public and private organizations took to Governor's beach area to assist the DECR staff in the clean-up, during which 109 garbage bags were filled and disposed of.
"It was really exciting to celebrate World Oceans Day and to see the overwhelming support from the public and local businesses. We look forward to continuing these partnerships, in order to keep the Ocean and shoreline free of waste," said Ethan Griesbach, Deputy Director, DECR.
The DECR would like to thank the volunteers from the TCI Swimming Federation, including SurfSide Ocean Academy and Beaches Resort, Blue Water Divers, Bohio Dive Resort, Oasis Divers, Chukka, Papa J Tours, the Department of Culture and all individuals that participated, for taking time out of their busy schedules to assist, and would also like to thank the swimmers for being brave and enthusiastic to learn a new skill!
If you, your school or organisation would like more information on how you can learn to swim, or why the ocean is in need of serious conservation, please contact Amy Avenant, at 338-4176 or environment@gov.tc.
Man accused of shooting his girlfriend walks free
LEIAL Missick is now a free man after his girlfriend and alleged victim refused to testify against him during his trial.
On Thursday (June 8), in the Grand Turk Supreme Court, Judge Robert Shuster directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty after Missick's lawyer, Keith James made a no case submission application to the court.
The no case submission was upheld and the jury was directed to enter not guilty verdicts on all charges.
Missick was charged with causing grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm and discharging said firearm.
The 22-year-old man was arrested and charged last December with allegedly shooting his girlfriend in Blue Hills, Providenciales.
However, the young lady gave differing testimony when she appeared in the witness box, instead testifying on behalf of the defendant.
Man in bar fight appeals 10 year conviction
EMANJOE Forbes has had his day in court, again; this time appealing a conviction that he grievously harmed Andrew Parker aka 'Lumps' in 2014.
Forbes was convicted by a jury in Grand Turk Supreme Court and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the offence.
The incident occurred at Club 2005 on December 27, 2014, at the same time and place where young Kentley Walters was knifed to death.
Walters was one of many injured in a violent fight which broke out at the Downtown night club.
In the appellate court this past week, the three justices heard the submissions by Forbes' lawyer and the Crown.
While the justices were not too keen on the appeal against the conviction, they were quite interested in the sentence appeal.
Justice Elliot Mottley expressed that he did not approve of the sentencing judge saying he was sending a message out with the sentence.
The justices also accepted that the ten-year sentence for the offence is long for the TCI jurisdiction.
They are expected to hand down their decision on the matter next week.
Bolt cites poor execution in farewell race
Usain Bolt has described Saturday's 100 metre performance at the Racers Grand Prix as one of his worst ever. Bolt clocked 10.03 seconds to beat Jevaughn Minzie 10.15 and Nickel Ashmeade 10.18 in his final race on Jamaican soil. But the 30 year old world record holder for both the 100 and 200 metres says the objective was met.
“My execution was poor, my start was poor as always, I think in the last part I sort a lost it a little bit. It’s my first race since January so I didn’t expect anything spectacular so I just wanted to come out here, stay injury free, put on a show for the crowd and tell them thanks for the support over the years,” said Bolt.
Bolt is scheduled to race again on June 28 in Ostrava in the Czech Republic.
Warriors beat Cavs to win second NBA title
The Golden State Warriors are 2016-2017 NBA champions. After blowing a 3-1 NBA Finals lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, the Warriors made sure history didn’t repeat.
Led by Finals MVP Kevin Durant, the Warriors defeated the Cavs 129-120on Monday night at Oracle Arena in Game 5 of the Finals to win the best-of-seven series 4-1 and their second NBA championship in three seasons.
Unlike last season, the Warriors led this series 3-0 before falling Friday night to the Cavs, who needed a record-setting offensive performance to push the Finals back to the Bay Area.
Durant finished with 39 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Steph Curry rebounded from his Game 4 meltdown with 34 points and 10 assists. With the victory, Golden State wrapped up a 16-1 postseason run after finishing the regular season 67-15.
Lebron James led the way for the Cavs with 41 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists while Kyrie Irving supported with 26 points and 6 assists.
DIGICEL CALLS FOR GOVTS TO PROTECT CONSUMERS AND TAX REVENUE
With many more countries around the world getting on board with efforts to ensure that online giants like Facebook, Google and WhatsApp obey the law and pay their fair share of taxes, Digicel is once again urging governments in the region to do the same. This time, the call comes with greater need for policy-makers to protect consumers, as well as revenues for governments, while ensuring a level playing field for telecoms operators that have continuously invested billions in building out world-class network infrastructure throughout the Caribbean.
Speaking at a Telecommunications and Media Forum hosted by the International Institute of Communications (IIC) recently, David Geary, General Counsel for the Caribbean at Digicel Group noted; “The online players have argued that the internet provides them with a ‘cloak of regulatory invisibility’ and that the law of the land does not apply to them because they are on the internet. What we are witnessing is a world-wide realisation among policy-makers that law and regulation must apply to the online world.”
In his presentation to a group of industry experts, Geary observed that unregulated online players pose a number of challenges for the local economies in which they operate. He also noted that online players have not only been eating away at revenues for the government through avoidance of taxes and fees for institutions like the Universal Service Fund, but also have helped to facilitate communications between criminals by failing to assist the police with tracking calls and messages sent online.
“We now see countries like EU, Germany, Ireland and the UK proposing regulation in a bid to prevent the transmission of harmful content including hate speech and support for terrorist causes. These issues are also relevant in the Caribbean, so we need to get on board too with the right policies and legislation and do everything we can to protect our citizens and the economies of the Caribbean,” said Geary.
He continued; “The online players are a growing part of the economies where they deliver services, and when it comes to contributing to these economies, they must abide by the same rules as everyone else. Simply because you provide a service online shouldn’t mean that you can avoid contributing to the country where you are earning your revenue. Collection of taxes is very important to countries in the developing world, as these rules are designed to protect consumers and to prevent abuse.
The 2017 IIC Telecommunications and Media Forum, which was hosted in Miami in May focused on discussions around OTT services and content, with a debate around regulatory frameworks, fiscal arrangements and consumer protection.
Man discovers invasive lizard species in his backyard
A BIGHT resident, Keno Clarke discovered a Cuban knight anole lizard in his backyard attempting to attack his pet cat.
The species of lizard is indigenous to Cuba. It was first brought to the country hidden in imported plants and is classified as an invasive species by the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR).
Clarke said he thought the animal was an invasive species that was either brought to the country as a pet and escaped, or was released into the TCI's natural environment.
He added that his first instinct was to protect his pet, but was intrigued by the look of the animal as he had never seen one like it before.
Bryan Naqqi Manco, a DECR expert on invasive species, explained that the animal was introduced to the TCI a few years ago before agricultural laws were strictly enforced.
He said: "Anyone who is importing plants or animal commodities is required to go through a process with the Department of Agriculture; with exotic species like lizards and snakes or small animals.
"This is often reviewed by the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources too.
"We now have in place a lot more restrictions on imported plants and the Department of Agriculture is a lot more vigilant now that they have the capacity to inspect shipments.
"These lizards made it here before the department was functional and active."
Naqqi Manco explained that the lizards are a major threat to the Islands because of their large appetites and lack of fear.
"They are not animals that are too much bothered by predators in their native environment. They do not have much fear of anything," he said.
"They will eat other lizards, small mammals, birds; including nestlings and eggs. They will eat some vegetation, but mostly other animals.
"They are a threat to our native lizards and snakes, to other birds and they can be a small threat to people, just in the manner that they will bite very hard."
The DECR is urging anyone who comes across a plant or animal that seems unfamiliar to the TCI, to take a picture of it and contact the office immediately.
The public is advised to not try to catch, trap or touch unfamiliar plants or animals because they may be poisonous or aggressive.
The knight anole is a species of lizard in the Polychrotidae family, and the largest species of anole. Other common names include Cuban knight anole.
It grows to a length of 13 to 20 inches including the tail. A few specimens have reached up to 24 inches.