Bar Brawl sends two persons to the hospital
Police responded to a bar on Aviation Drive, Providenciales over the weekend after receiving reports of multiple fights that left two persons who were in separate fights, a 23year old male injured with multiple major stab wounds and a 23year old female with non-life-threatening stab wounds.
When officers arrived on the scene, there were persons on the outside throwing bottles and rocks at each other. Upon seeing the police, they ran away.
The injured man and woman were taken to the Cheshire Medical Centre where they were and seen and kept overnight.
No one has been arrested; the investigation is on-going.
Police have yet to determine the cause of the fights, or who were all persons involved, if you were at the bar during that time, we ask you to contact us with any information you may have at Chalk Sound Police Station 338-5901.
To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1- 800 8477 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: www.crimestoppers.tc. The information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
POLICE QUELL RUMOR
A scary and thought provoking message has been making its way around social media and the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police are looking at the source.
Many persons across the islands have been requesting information about this post circulating through Whatsapp about individuals pretending to be electrical or water company employees robbing people.
The warning which reads:
‘Please. Take note: 3 or 4 guys may visit your home claiming they are from Water Company, to install shower caps, to save water. Or they will claim they are from Electricity Company to change energy-saving electric bulbs for free as part of government lay down program. They have been spotted in so many areas. Please. Do NOT let them in. They are Robbers, robbing people at gun-point. Please alert all your contacts, as you may save lives. Make sure doors are locked at all times and please do not open door to strangers. Please forward immediately to save lives and property!!!’
This warning has begun to cause major concern for people’s safety.
In a release to RTC News, the Police are quelling this malicious rumor and stated that at this time, there are no known reports of robbery surrounding the Modus Operandi mentioned in the circulated post reported to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police.
Another malicious rumour sent to RTC News was also questioned in which the Police also condemned this post which states:
'There is a syndicate of criminals selling beautiful key holders at Public Places, Airports, Petrol Stations. They sometimes parade themselves as sales promoters giving out free key holders. Please do not buy or accept these key holders no matter how beautiful they look.
The key holders have inbuilt tracking device chip which allows them to track you to your home or wherever your car is parked. The key holders are very beautiful to resist. Accepting same may endanger your life. All are therefore requested to pass this message to colleagues, family members and loved ones. Be on guard.
Alert everyone.'
The Police also stated that the following is a rumour and urged everyone to exercise caution and alertness every day. If you did not contact the Water or power company to come to your home to do any repairs, then you should not allow anyone inside or unless you are sure of who they are. Ask for identification if necessary or call the police if you are unsure.
Ministry of Tourism welcomes the Governor General’s Cup - Caribbean Air Rally
The Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture and the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board is pleased to announce a partnership with the Governor General’s Cup - Caribbean Air Rally 2016 which bagan yesterday April 11, 2016 the JAGS McCartney International Airport came alive as aircraft enthusiasts from around the globe bare down on its runway. It is expected that an air armada of 35 aircrafts with 80 crew members will visit the islands.
The Governor General’s Cup Air Rally is an annual event covered by major international aviation and travel magazines. Since its inception in 2001 the International Air Rally team has put together one of the largest International Air Rallies on the region. To date, over 500 pilots and aviation enthusiasts have travelled across Canada, USA, the Caribbean and Latin America in what is usually 13 days of adventure.
For the fourth time, the Air Rally will launch from the shores of Grand Turk, where a number of students from various primary institutions will enjoy a tour of the aircrafts. The International Air Rally’s goal is to facilitate, encourage and increase the movement of private aircraft to various destinations whilst promoting the destination.
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Porsha Stubbs-Smith commented “I am proud to be a part of this event which not only promotes and celebrates the art of aviation but also our beautiful shores. The island of Grand Turk has played a vital part in the race for space during the 1960’s and today this only reaffirms its strategic location as a spring board to new trends. My Ministry is pleased to be a part of such an initiative that is now gaining momentum regionally.”
This year, the Air Rally is being covered by the most popular aviation show: ‘The Aviators TV’, who will broadcast a full episode to over 60 million viewers globally.
The delegation will depart the Beautiful by Nature Turks and Caicos Islands on April 13th 2016 enroute to St. Croix, US Virgin Islands; as they race for the Governor General’s Cup.
CXC to allow for electronic testing
The Barbados-based Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) says it will soon implement electronic testing to allow learners to take their CXC examinations on a computer or electronic device.
“This exciting, new initiative is in keeping with CXC’s commitment to observe global quality standards in the delivery of examination services and deliver enhanced learner experiences through the consistent use of technology,” the region’s premier examination body said in a statement on its website.
It said that electronic testing will bring regional learners up to speed with worldwide test-taking practices and provide them with the flexibility to interact with images, video, audio, and other resources during their examinations.
“CXC’s electronic testing format will adhere to world-class security standards which will guarantee the integrity of the test taking. The Council will launch this platform for all January 2017 Caribbean Secondary Education Certification (CSEC) multiple choice exams,” said CXC, which is the examining body that provides educational certifications in 16 English-speaking Commonwealth Caribbean countries.
It said that it will pilot its electronic testing platform during the week of April 25, adding “this is an excellent opportunity for candidates who are registered for the May/June 2016 CSEC and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) to practice ahead of their exams”.
The CXC, established in 1972, said that for both CSEC and CAPE, candidates selected to participate in electronic pre-test must be registered for the May/June 2016 examinations.
Dominica’s First Chief Minister passes away
Franklyn Andrew Baron, 93, who was the first Chief Minister of Dominica, has died.
Baron, who was a politician and businessman, died on Saturday 9 April 2016.
He leaves to mourn his wife Sybil Baron and children including the Minister for Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Francine Baron and Frederick Baron, among others.
It is anticipated that Mr Baron will be afforded an official funeral in recognition of his service to the state.
Federal Reclassification of Marijuana Could Have Major Impact on Medical Uses
Federal authorities have announced that they are reviewing the possibility of loosening the classification of marijuana, and if this happens, it could have a far-reaching impact on how the substance is used in medical settings, experts said. Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning it is listed alongside heroin and LSD as among the "most dangerous drugs" and has "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."
The Drug Enforcement Agency announced last week that it is reviewing the possibility of reclassifying it as a Schedule II drug, which would put it in the same category as Ritalin, Adderall and oxycodone. Medical experts are welcoming the review, saying it could ease restrictions for researchers, so that they can better understand which compounds in marijuana could be used to help patients.
The American Medical Association told ABC News that the group supports the review "to help facilitate scientific research and the development of cannabinoid-based medicines." "The Drug Enforcement Administration should work with other federal regulatory agencies to develop a special schedule for marijuana to facilitate study of its potential medical utility in prescription drug products," AMA officials told ABC News in a statement. "Current standards for approval of prescription drug products require rigorous scientific study.
While studies related to a limited number of medical conditions have shown promise for new cannabinoid-based prescription products, the scope of rigorous research needs to be expanded to a broader range of medical conditions for such products," the AMA added.
A Secretary or a General? UN Seeks New Chief
While much of the world is watching the U.S. presidential race play out, another contest is taking shape that, while not as contentious, could have significant international implications. It is the election of the next U.N. secretary-general.
Eight governments have put forward candidates since the nomination process officially opened in December. For the first time, half of them are women.
In the past, secretaries general were chosen behind closed doors, but this year, in another first, the process will be open to public scrutiny.
This week, the candidates will be publicly questioned by member states about their qualifications for the top post and their vision for the organization, during two-hour "informal dialogues" in the U.N. General Assembly.
Starting Tuesday, each candidate will have 10 minutes to explain his or her vision for the 70-year-old institution and then take questions from member states. There also will be a chance for civil society groups to ask questions via short videos they have already submitted to the president of the General Assembly.
Traditionally, the role of world’s top diplomat is rotated regionally. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is from Asia; his predecessor, Kofi Annan, was from Africa.
Eastern Europe is hoping it will be its turn this year and has so far nominated six candidates - from Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro and Slovenia.
“There is nothing in writing, there is nothing set in stone that says the candidate and next secretary-general has to come from any specific region,” cautioned Dan Thomas, spokesman for the president of the General Assembly.
With the world facing serious challenges -- including the largest displacement of civilians since World War II, the growing threat of global terrorism and effects of climate change – many diplomats say the organization needs a strong leader at the helm.
Source-Voice of America
US Presidential Race Down to Battle for Delegates
The U.S. contests for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominations have turned into contentious fights for delegates to the parties' national conventions, where the candidates for November's national election will be picked.
Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump is the Republican front-runner, but he complained Monday that party officials have created a "crooked, crooked system" to keep him from winning a first-ballot victory at the party's July convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
While Trump has won the most state-by-state nominating contests, he is well short of a majority of convention delegates needed to claim the nomination.
"The system, folks, is rigged," Trump told a rally in New York, where both parties are holding primary elections April 19. "It's a rigged, disgusting, dirty system."
U.S. political analysts are widely suggesting that if Trump does not win a first-ballot victory at the national convention, he will not win the nomination at all, with many of his delegates abandoning him in subsequent ballots, possibly handing the nomination to Cruz, a conservative firebrand in the halls of Congress in Washington.
Some Republican delegates say they are concerned that numerous national polls in the U.S. show both Trump and Cruz losing the November election to the leading Democratic contender, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, although Cruz fares better against her.
Delegates pledged to Trump based on the voting in the state contests are generally committed to vote for him on the first convention ballot, but can change their mind and vote for another candidate on the second and later ballots until someone reaches the 1,237 figure.
Some Republican figures say they want their national convention to nominate someone other than the three remaining candidates.
One possible alternative choice, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, called a news conference for later in the day to rule himself out. Ryan was the party's losing vice presidential candidate in 2012.
Clinton, the country's top diplomat from 2009 to 2013, has a wide convention delegate lead over her sole challenger, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, but also has yet to reach a majority.
She has 1,786 convention delegates of the 2,383 she needs to claim the nomination, compared to 1,107 for Sanders. But Sanders, who waged a tough campaign against Clinton's connections to Wall Street financiers, has won seven of the last eight state contests, giving him some momentum heading into the New York contest.
Source-Voice of America
Advanced MRI May Reveal More NFL Head Injuries than Previously Thought
An advanced MRI screening found brain damage in more retired NFL players than did normal MRI scans, according to a presentation Monday.
For the study, 40 retired NFL players went through advanced neuro-imaging with a special type of MRI called a diffusion tensor MRI (DTI), which looks for damage in the neural pathways of the brain rather than examining just the structure of the brain itself. Players also underwent neuro-psychological testing to measure their attention and concentration, researchers said.
The findings from the small study were presented Monday at the annual meeting for the American Academy of Neurology, but they have not yet been published, and ABC News was provided only with an abstract rather than a full study. The lead author of the study, Dr. Francis Conidi, is with the Florida Center for Headache and Sport Neurology.
The retired players ranged between 27 to 56 years old, and played for an average of seven years. On average, the players had 8.1 concussions during their careers and 12 players reported multiple sub-concussive hits, which were not diagnosed as full concussions.
By examining how players' brains appeared under the specialized MRI, the researchers found evidence that more of them had suffered severe head injuries than previously believed. While the conventional MRI detected evidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in just 30 percent of the players, the advanced MRI showed evidence of TBI in approximately 42 percent of players.
The study also showed that the longer a player’s career, the higher the likelihood that the DTI revealed brain damage.
“This technology has been around for quite some time, about fifteen years,” said Lenox Hill Hospital neurologist Dr. Gayatri Devi of the DTI, noting that it looks at "connections between neurons, and is more precise in terms of looking for disruptions in those connections.”
While it is notable that this DTI method detected injuries in more retired players, Devi advised approaching these findings with caution.
For one thing, the study was performed in a very small number of players, meaning more research will be needed to make broader conclusions, said Devi, who was not involved in the study presented Monday.
Source-ABC
Murray gets to the 3rd round
Andy Murray reached the Monte Carlo Masters third round with a 6-2 4-6 6-3 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
After comfortably winning the first set against the French qualifier, Murray made some unforced errors in the second before breaking early in the third.
The British number one faces Frenchman Benoit Paire or Portugal's Joao Sousa next as he begins his claycourt campaign before May's French Open.
British number two Aljaz Bedene plays Rafael Nadal in his second-round match.
Murray, 28, is also competing in the men's doubles, where he and partner Dom Inglot progressed to the second round by beating Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers 6-3 6-4 on Monday.
Source-BBC