Exciting Playoff between the church’s in Softball
Who would had thought that the 2017 Playoff would be this exciting!!
In the first game of the night between the second place Global United Vs the Champs Jericho Baptist, it was all about defense.
In the bottom second, Global scored one (1) run, in the top of the fourth Jericho scored three (3); in the bottom of fourth, Global scored two (2) - tying the game.
Both teams scoreless in the fifth inning, sending the game into overtime. Jericho went up one (1) in the top of sixth inning, but Global came storming in the bottom, scoring three (3) to beat the Champs to take the first game of the playoff. (Best out of three (3).
In the second game of the night - the first place Roman Catholic Vs Prophecy, this was also about defense. Roman score two (2) with a home run in the first inning, but in the third, prophecy got on the board, scoring one (1). In the fourth, Prophecy scored two, (2), going up three (3); but the Romans came back, scoring one (1) to tie game. In fifth innings, Prophecy scored one (1) to go up one.
The first place team tried to make a come-back in the bottom of the fifth, but Prophecy give them a 1,2,3 all out, to take game one, beating the first place team.
The second game of the playoff will be held on Monday night and RTC will of course have highlights.
Liberia's former leader's ex-wife charged with torture
The ex-wife of Liberia's former president has been charged with torture, the Metropolitan Police said.
Agnes Reeves Taylor, who was married to Charles Taylor, is to appear in court in London on Saturday.
Ms Reeves Taylor, 51, faces charges related to alleged crimes committed during the first Liberian civil war, between 1989 and 1991.
Some 250,000 people are believed to have been killed in the wars, which ended in 2003.
Ms Reeves Taylor, of east London, has not commented on the charges, three of which relate to alleged torture which is said to have taken place at Gbarnga, Liberia - the headquarters of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front during the conflict.
Taylor became president of Liberia following a peace agreement in 1997.
A second civil war broke out in 1999 and Taylor was forced into exile in 2003.
Taylor is currently serving a 50-year sentence in a British prison for supporting rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone.
An act of parliament was passed to allow for Taylor to serve his sentence in the UK, at the cost of the British government, following his conviction in a UN-backed court.
Child-killer Karla Homolka volunteered at Montreal school
One of Canada's most notorious child-killers has been told she can no longer volunteer at a primary school, amid nationwide uproar at news of her role.
Karla Homolka served a 12-year sentence for the rape and murder of two schoolgirls in a case that horrified the country.
It emerged this week that she was helping out at her children's private school in Montreal.
Homolka, 47, was freed from a maximum security prison in Quebec in 2005.
CityNews reported this week that she had been helping supervise kindergarten students at Greaves Adventist Academy.
The Christian school has received a flood of complaints from parents and the public.
Homolka and her ex-husband, Paul Bernardo, killed Ontario schoolgirls Kristen French, 15, and Leslie Mahaffy, 14, in the early 1990s.
Homolka also played a part in the 1990 rape and murder of her 15-year-old sister Tammy.
But she was given a relatively light sentence in 1993 after agreeing to testify against Bernardo.
He received a life sentence for murder, kidnapping, forcible confinement and aggravated sexual assault, and remains in jail in Ontario.
After her release from prison, Homolka married her lawyer's brother and they have three children together.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church, which runs the Montreal school, announced on Thursday it had changed its policy on volunteers to exclude anyone with a criminal record.
"We have heard and listened to the concerns of parents and members of the community uncomfortable with recent reports in the media," the church said in a statement.
Earlier in the week, a spokesman for the church said they had been aware of Homolka's crimes.
A centre-left political leader, Thomas Mulcair of the New Democrats, was lambasted in the press for even daring to raise the question of whether Homolka deserved forgiveness.
Relatives of the victims do not believe she has paid her debt to society.
Tim Danson, a lawyer for the French and Mahaffy families, said on Friday that Homolka has not shown a "scintilla of remorse or contrition".
He said the school had neglected its responsibility to inform parents of her presence.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church operates 43 schools in Canada with 4,362 students in Canada.
After No-Confidence Motion Passes, T&T’s Lawyers Call on Chief Justice to Resign
All eyes are on Trinidad and Tobago’s Chief Justice Ivor Archie after the country’s law association strongly endorsed several no-confidence motions against him and the Judicial and legal Services Commission (JLSC).
More than 500 members of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) called on Archie and the JLSC to resign following a meeting at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain yesterday.
At that meeting, five motions passed:
• To resolve that the LATT express its loss of confidence in the honourable Chief Justice Ivor Archie as the Chief Justice of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
• To resolve that the LATT express its loss of confidence in the honourable Chief Justice Ivor Archie as Chairman of the JLSC.
• To resolve that the LATT express its loss of confidence in the Justice Hamel Smith , Ms Maureen Manchouch, Justice Humphrey Stollmeyer as members of the JLSC
• The LATT do call upon the Chief Justice Ivor Archie to resign forthwith as Chief Justice of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
• The LATT do call upon Justice Hamel Smith, Ms Maureen Man-chouch, Justice Humphrey Stoll-meyer, to resign as members of the Judicial and legal Services Commission – the JLSC.
The vote has no binding effect on Archie and the JLSC, but the association maintains they should do the “honourable thing” and resign.
Archie lost favour with the legal fraternity over his handling of the appointment of former Chief Magistrate Ayers-Caesar.
Back in April, after serving only two weeks as a High Court judge, Ayers-Caesar resigned amid concerns over her backlog of unfinished cases in the lower court.
In a statement, she admitted she never informed JLSC of the full state of her list and requested further time to bring matters to completion before confirming her readiness to assume duties as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
Ayers-Caesar said upon “mature reflection” she realized it would have been “preferable” to advise the JLSC of her list.
Senior Counsel Martin Daly said the vote was a victory for accountability in public office and that both the Chief Justice and the JLSC should resign.
“If people lose confidence in you, it does not mean that you have committed a constitutional wrong, but rather that you have conducted yourself in such a way that you’ve destroyed people’s confidence in you and you cannot continue to preside,” he contended.
WEATHER FORECAST 09th, 2017
Partly cloudy to cloudy, hot and humid with scattered showers or isolated thunderstorms mainly across the NW Bahamas through nightfall.
Maximum temperature 90°F and minimum temperature 77°F. Winds S to SW at 10 to 15 knots with stronger gusts near 20 knots in the NW Bahamas and ESE to SSE at 10 to 15 knots, falling light and variable in the Central and SE Bahamas.
Seas 2 to 4 feet over the entire Bahamas but building up to 6 feet in gusts across the NW Bahamas.
Police Investigates Robbery and Discharging of Firearm incident
Police in Providenciales are investigating an incident where some 5 thieves held up a man and demanded his pin number to his account.
In this latest criminal act, Police told RTC News that on Thursday 1st June 2017 at 11:34pm, officers were dispatched to the Sibonne Beach access, located on Gracebay Providenciales, after receiving a Robbery report.
Upon arrival there, the victim told officers that it was around 10:45pm he went to the location and whilst there, he was approached by five (5) males; two pointed firearms at him and demanded his property. He handed to them his wallet containing bank cards and six hundred dollars in cash. They also took his silver Rolex watch, a Silver Bulgari bracelet and one I-phone 6s.
The culprits also demanded the pin to his ATM card and once it was received, three of the men drove away in the complainant’s Orange Suzuki Swift car with an unknown plate number, while the other two (2) remained at the location, pointing the guns at him. He told officers that he managed to escape into the water and while doing so the culprits fired shots at him.
While officers were on the scene they heard what sounded like gun-shots coming from The Regent Village area and upon making checks they were informed that that an unknown male with dreadlocks dressed in all dark clothing discharged three rounds of bullets from a silver hand gun.
No one was injured during these incidents.
Investigations are ongoing.
Police are urging anyone with information about this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1-800-8477 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: www.crimestoppers.tc or the Chalk Sound Police Station 338-5901. As always, Police assure persons that the information they provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence and remind persons that they should not report any crime information via the Police Facebook and Twitter Accounts.
NIB tries to recoup thousands of dollars in contribution
The NIB had a few matters that were heard in Wednesday’s sitting of the Magistrates’ Court #1, on Old Airport Road, Providenciales.
Brendalee Oladimeji appeared for failing to pay national insurance contributions and additional charges as an employer and self-employed person in the amount of US$3,973.68. The matter was adjourned to August 3, 2017 pending settlement. The defendant was bound over to return on the adjourned date.
Richard Danis was before the magistrate for failing to pay contributions and additional charges to NIB as an employer and self-employed person in the amount of $14,342.59. The matter was adjourned to August 3, 2017 pending settlement. The defendant was bound over to return to court.
In the NIB v Rhynie Campbell matter on an application for Judgment Summons in the amount of $233,028.63; that matter was adjourned to September 14, 2017 pending settlement. The defendant was bound over to return to court on that date.
Nine traffic collisions over bank holiday weekend -Police stress 'know how to use the road'
An astounding nine road traffic collisions were reported to police over the recent bank holiday weekend.
In response to the incidents, traffic officer Damian Mitchell has issued several safety tips for road users.
Mitchell explained that although all accidents cannot be avoided, there are a number of guidelines that can be followed to decrease the chances of them happening.
He encouraged road users to learn and watch the rules of the road so that there are no second guesses when driving.
"...you will be driving because you know how to drive and you can get to and from your destination safely, thus causing us to have a safer community and allowing our tourists and other visitors to enjoy this 'Beautiful by Nature, Clean by Choice' Turks and Caicos," he said.
Mitchell explained that people have a major responsibility when they decide to take a vehicle on the road.
"You will not buy a machine and not have a manual for using it, so you must know how to use the road.
"If you do not know how to be on the road, you should not be on the road,” he said.
"You also have to ensure that your vehicle is properly safe to be on the road."
"No one knows what happens under the hood of a vehicle when you drive it, these are man-made things so let us be guided by that," Mitchell added.
Meanwhile, Police press officer Kevin Clarke provided some safety tips for road users, explaining that it is important to be distraction-free when on the road.
He encouraged the public to ensure that they use a pedestrian crossing when crossing the street.
He said: "To be more alert please avoid distractions such as headphones and texting while walking, especially at night.
"If you are at a pedestrian crossing, please make eye contact with the driver before crossing because sometimes you may be under the impression that the driver saw you, but sometimes they do not," Clarke cautioned.
Spotlight on money laundering and terrorist financing
THE TURKS and Caicos Islands is gearing up to complete its first money laundering and terrorist financing National Risk Assessment this June.
About 50 stakeholders and representatives from both the public and private sectors are expected to convene for a two-day workshop at the Blue Haven Resort in Providenciales.
The workshop is aimed at putting together comprehensive action plans to decrease the levels of risks and strengthen controls and supervisory oversight in each sector.
"This is a major initiative here in the Turks and Caicos Islands which will enable us to develop an effective framework to prevent money laundering and combat terrorist financing," said the Hon Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles OBE, chair of the national Anti-Money Laundering Committee, in announcing the launch of the National Risk Assessment.
World Bank experts Emily Ade-leke and Roberto Biel will lead the various workshop sessions, which will take place on June 26 and 27, with a closed half day workshop for policy makers on June 28.
The initial phase began in October 2014, with a workshop which identified the approach to gathering supporting data.
Understanding the money laundering and terrorist financing risks is crucial to developing and implementing national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.
This month’s workshop is being run in line with the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) recommendations, where each country assesses its own money laundering and terrorist financing risks.
With increasing globalisation and liberalisation, money laundering and terrorist financing have become a global phenomenon.
They pose real and significant threats to nations, their people, their financial systems and their security apparatus - no matter the makeup of the economy or the size of the country.
All nations, particularly small and developing jurisdictions are susceptible to disruption from criminal and terrorist activities.
Corruption, money laundering and its associated economic and financial crimes tend to impact and undermine good governance and rule of law, which are core values of regional constitutions.
A risk assessment allows countries to identify, assess and understand its money laundering and terrorist financing risks.
Once these risks are properly understood, countries can apply AML/CFT measures that correspond to the level of risk.
The risk-based approach, which is central to the FATF recommendations, enables countries to prioritise their resources and allocate them efficiently.
The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) has blacklisted countries such as Guyana for failing to approve legislation to combat money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.
The CFATF pursues the objective of achieving effective compliance with and implementation of the FATF standards to prevent and control money laundering and to combat the financing of terrorism.
In that regard, the Anti-Money Laundering Committee in conjunction with the CFATF are preparing the national framework for the upcoming fourth mutual evaluation of the AML/CFT system of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The FATF 40 recommendations are widely accepted as one of the most useful international countermeasures designed against money laundering and terrorist financing: their implementation increase transparency and enable countries to successfully take action against illicit use of their financial system.
Countries have diverse legal, administrative and operational frameworks and different financial systems, and so cannot all take identical measures to counter these threats.
The FATF recommendations, therefore, set an international standard, which countries should implement through measures adapted to their particular circumstances.
Automakers Move Toward Automatic Braking at Different Speeds
Big automakers are rushing to launch self-driving cars as early as 2021, but the industry's major players are moving slowly when it comes to widespread deployment of a less expensive crash prevention technology that regulators say could prevent thousands of deaths and injuries every year.
Nissan said on Thursday it would make automatic braking systems standard on an estimated 1 million 2018 model cars and light trucks sold in the United States, compact sport utility vehicles, the Altima sedan, Murano and Pathfinder SUVs, Leaf electric car, Maxima sedan and Sentra small car.
Nissan sold about 1.6 million vehicles in the United States last year.
Rival Toyota has said it will make automatic emergency braking standard on nearly all its U.S. models by the end of this year.
Overall, however, most automakers are not rushing to make automatic brake systems part of the base cost of mainstream vehicles sold in the competitive U.S. market. The industry has come under pressure from regulators, lawmakers and safety advocates to adopt the technology, which can slow or stop a vehicle even if the driver fails to act.
So far, only about 17 percent of models tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offered standard collision-avoiding braking. Many of the models with standard collision-avoiding brake systems are luxury vehicles made by European or Japanese manufacturers.
The systems require more sensors and software than conventional brakes, and automakers said they need time to engineer the systems into vehicles as part of more comprehensive makeovers.
Last year, 20 automakers reached a voluntary agreement with U.S. auto safety regulators to make collision-avoiding braking systems standard equipment by 2022.
Source-VOA