Tropical depression 11 forms in Atlantic
An eleventh tropical depression has formed in the Atlantic but the Meteorological (Met) Service of the Bahamas says the system is no threat to the territory at this time.
According to a release from the Met Service this morning, the tropical depression remains poorly organized with maximum sustained winds near 55 kilometres per hour with higher gusts.
Some strengthening is possible during the next couple of days, and the cyclone could become a tropical storm by Friday, it added.
JOAQUIN is moving westward with no change in strength, at 5am the center of Tropical of Tropical Storm JOAQUIN was located near latitude 26.6°North and longitude 70.6°West or about 385 miles northeast of the central Bahamas.
JOAQUIN is moving toward the West moving toward the west near 5mph and this general motion is expected to continue through Wednesday. A decrease in forward speed and a turn toward the the west-northwest are forecast Wednesday night.
Maximum sustained winds are near 40mph with higher gusts. Slow strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.
The depression is moving toward the west near 4 km/h and meteorologists predict a gradual turn toward the northwest by Tuesday morning. This general motion should continue through Wednesday, the release said.
British PM comes today, Japanese tomorrow
British Prime Minister David Cameron is scheduled to arrive in the island this afternoon for a one-day official visit during which he will engage in a flurry of State-planned activities in the nation’s capital, Kingston.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller will hold bilateral talks with Cameron at Jamaica House shortly after his arrival, following which a joint press statement will be issued. Simpson Miller will also host the British prime minister at a reception at Vale Royal later in the evening.
Tomorrow Prime Minister Cameron will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the cenotaph at the National Heroes Park, followed by a special joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament, where he will make a statement, after which he will depart the island.
Shortly after Cameron’s departure, Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe will arrive at the Norman Manley International Airport, and will inspect a guard of honour before leaving for National Heroes Park where he will also participate in a wreath-laying ceremony.
He, too, will have bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Simpson Miller at Jamaica House, where a joint statement will be issued to the press. Prime Minister Abe is also scheduled to tour the world-famous Bob Marley Museum.
He will depart on Thursday October 1. Political historian Troy Caine told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that Prime Minister Cameron's visit is of “supreme importance” to Jamaica at this time for its impact on foreign affairs, trade, and other socio-economic factors.
“It's always interesting and important when the prime minister of a First World country and member of the G8 visits Jamaica,” he remarked.
Caine said what he finds particularly interesting is that Cameron, who leads a conservative party, which would be the equivalent of the Jamaica Labour Party is coming to Jamaica as the guest of the Government which is formed by a socialist party, or the UK's centre-left Labour Party equivalent.
“We look forward to the trip,” he said. The most recent sitting UK prime minister to visit the island was Tony Blair in July 2001.
Source-Jamaica Observer
Obama and Putin's First Formal Meeting in Two Years Described as "Businesslike" Despite Tensions
President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin met Monday for their first formal meeting in two years amid new tensions in recent weeks between the already-adversarial world leaders.
While the meeting was reportedly scheduled for only an hour, it dragged on more than 30 minutes longer than expected. Putin emerged, telling reporters that it was constructive and "businesslike," while Obama offered no immediate comments. A senior White House official told reporters after the meeting that it was "businesslike," "productive" and "focused," though the two leaders still fundamentally disagreed on the role Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would play in solving the conflict in the war-torn country.
While the world won’t likely be privy to all of details of their conversation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, the international community received a short preview in the leaders' dueling speeches earlier Monday. Obama generated shaking heads from the Russian delegation after blaming the country for helping to prop up the “butchery” by Assad against his people.
He also defended the heavy package of sanctions still being levied against Russia for its annexation of Crimea and involvement in the Ukraine conflict. As for Putin, he dismissed the United States’ program to train Syrian rebels as both illegal in nature and ineffective, claiming that the only military presence actually battling against ISIS are Assad’s forces.
Source-ABC
Fifa corruption: Jack Warner extradition proceedings approved
US extradition proceedings against Jack Warner, a former vice-president of football's world governing body Fifa, are to go ahead after being approved by Trinidad's attorney general.
The US wants to try Mr Warner, 72, a Trinidadian national, on corruption charges. He is accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes.
He and 13 other current or former Fifa officials were indicted in May.
He denies the charges and is currently fighting the extradition attempt.
Last week, Switzerland approved the extradition of ex-Fifa Vice-President Eugenio Figueredo to the US.
Mr Figueredo, from Uruguay, was arrested in May while in Switzerland for a Fifa congress.
So far, only one arrested official - former Fifa Vice-President Jeffrey Webb, from the Cayman Islands - has agreed to be extradited.
After being extradited from Switzerland to the US, Mr Webb pleaded not guilty to accepting bribes worth millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights.
He was placed under house arrest on $10m (£6.4m) bail by a New York judge.
Source-BBC
Coca-Cola Says IRS Demanding $3.3B in Taxes
Coca-Cola Co. says it has received notice from the Internal Revenue Service that it owes about $3.3 billion in extra taxes, plus interest.
In a securities filing, the soft drink giant said Friday that it was fighting the huge bill.
Coke said the dispute relates to how it reports income from foreign licensing of manufacturing, distribution, sale, marketing and promotion of products in overseas markets.
The company said it had followed the methodology for the licenses outlined in a 1996 agreement with the IRS.
It said the IRS had given little warning of the claim before issuing it, and had already told Coca-Cola it was weighing going to court to collect the funds.
"The company firmly believes that the assessments are without merit and plans to pursue all administrative and judicial remedies necessary to resolve this matter," Coke said in the filing.
Skype Glitch Prevents Some Users From Making Calls
Skype, Microsoft Corp's online telephone and video service, said some users are unable to make calls on Monday because their settings show they and their contacts are off line, even when they are logged in.
In an updated blog post, Skype also said some messages to group chats are not being delivered and that users who are not already signed in may face difficulty while accessing their accounts.
Skype added that users could experience delays in seeing changes made to their accounts, such as credit balance and profile details.
Users also may face difficulty loading web pages on the Skype Community, the company said in a blog post. In an earlier post, Skype had said its instant messaging and Skype for Web services were not facing technical issues.
US to Raise Quotas for Refugees in FY 2016
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States will resettle at least 85,000 refugees in fiscal 2016, which begins October 1, including a minimum of 10,000 Syrians. Kerry also warned Russia its military presence in Syria risks attracting more extremists and hinders the potential for a resolution to the nearly five-year conflict.
Speaking Sunday in Berlin, Kerry said the United States will significantly increase the numbers for refugee resettlement in the course of the next year, and the following year. Kerry said the number will go up from about 70,000 in the year ending September 30 to at least 85,000 in fiscal 2016, including a minimum of 10,000 from Syria, and to 100,000 in 2017, with the possibility of doing even more.
"One of the reasons it’s difficult is that, post-9/11, we have new laws and new requirements with respect to security background checks and vetting, so it takes longer than one would like and we cannot cut corners with respect to those security requirements. But, this step that I am announcing today, I believe, is in keeping with the best tradition of America as a land of second chances and a beacon of hope, and it will be accompanied by additional financial contributions to the humanitarian effort not only from our government, but from the American people. And, that will become more specific in the next days," said Kerry.
Last week more than 20 former senior U.S. officials, including some who served in the Obama Administration, urged the White House to accept 100,000 Syrian refugees in fiscal 2016, citing past U.S. efforts that allowed tens of thousands of Cubans and Vietnamese into the country. Kerry said the administration does not have the money allocated by Congress to hire the people necessary to do the job of expediting and expanding the process.
"Now, this will be a debate, obviously, a discussion in Congress in the next days. We’re doing what we know we can manage immediately, what we feel we can do by working within the system we have and within the challenges that we have budget-wise. But, as soon as we have an opportunity to try to up that, we’re welcome because America has always welcomed bringing more people in, in these kinds of circumstances. And, we want to live up to that. But it’s a very different place, different time, different set of challenges than what we faced bringing boat people in from Vietnam," he said.
Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton Sunday said on U.S. television the United States should allow 65,000 Syrians in, in fiscal 2016, calling the announced 10,000 a good start.
"Looking to really emphasize those who are the most vulnerable, a lot of the persecuted religious minorities, including Christians and some who have been brutalized, like the Yazidi women. But I also want the United States to lead the world, and I’ve recommended that at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly that there be an international meeting called by the Secretary-General and literally get people to commit to putting money in, helping the front-line states like Jordan and Turkey and Lebanon who have absorbed a lot of refugees working with the E.U. and the European countries, but getting everybody to make a contribution," said Clinton.
But, two influential Republican lawmakers, Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Congressman Bob Goodlatte, House Judiciary Committee chairman, issued a statement Sunday warning that terrorist groups, like the Islamic State, “have made it abundantly clear that they will use the refugee crisis to try to enter the United States.”
“Now,” they say, “the Obama Administration wants to bring in an additional 10,000 Syrians without a concrete and foolproof plan to ensure that terrorists won’t be able to enter the country. The administration has essentially given the American people a ‘trust me.’ That isn’t good enough.”
In his Berlin remarks, Kerry said he and his German counterpart, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, were also determined to attack the root causes of the Syrian refugee crisis, and repeated that there is no military solution to the conflict. He said they agreed continued military support for the Syrian regime by Russia or any other country risks the possibility of attracting more extremists and entrenching President Bashar al-Assad, which would hinder the potential for a resolution to the nearly five-year conflict.
Source-VOA
UK AMBASSADOR FROM HAITI CHARGE D’AFFAIRES TO VISIT TCI
The British Ambassador to The Dominican Republic and Haiti, Mr Steven Fisher, and the UK's Charge D'Affaires in Port Au Prince, Mr Rick Shearn, visited Turks and Caicos Islands from 14-16 September. The purpose of their visit was to see the links between the DR, Haiti and TCI, and to consider ways to enhance relations. In addition to the Governor, Premier and Minister of Border Control, they met and visited representatives from the Haitian community and Haitian Consulate, the radar detection station, and the Department of Border Control.
The Governor said after the visit: "I'm pleased that the senior members of our team in Santo Domingo and Port au Prince have now seen for themselves the importance of the relationships between our three countries. A priority was to understand the difficulties created by irregular migration, and our Charge D'Affaires will be underlining again to the Haitian Government the need to do everything possible to prevent it. The Premier and I agreed that we should look to build upon recent discussions with Haiti on health exchanges by exploring other areas for cooperation which could benefit both countries."
The visitors also discussed with the Governor, Premier and Minister of Border Control a range of issues involving the DR, including illegal fishing and people trafficking. The British Ambassador, Steven Fisher, also updated the Minister of Border Control on the dispute over the TCI-DR maritime border. He said that the British Government continues to use diplomatic channels to reject the DR's position, and to request an explanation for it. The Ambassador agreed to raise some of these issues at official level with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the DR.
Commenting on his visit the Ambassador said: "There are understandable concerns in Turks and Caicos, which I heard very clearly, about illegal fishing, the maritime border dispute, and the exploitation of women. These are issues which it is appropriate to discuss with the Ministry, and I will commence a dialogue at official level – which subsequently the Governor and TCIG might take forward - which will underline some of the concerns I heard in Turks and Caicos. I hope too that, as a result of the visit, our Embassy might bear in mind tourism, agricultural and business investment from DR or Haiti to Turks and Caicos. It is evidently a country which has big opportunities for high end tourism."
TURKS AND CAICOS AUTHORITIES INTERCEPT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ATTEMPT
A sloop carrying 44 would be illegal migrants (41 Males, 1 Minor and 2 Females) was intercepted by the marine division, Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) at 2:55pm, Sunday, 20th September 2015.
At 10:15am the Marine Police were alerted by immigration staff at the government's coastal radar station of a suspicious vessel being tracked, they deployed shortly after.
All Marine Branch assets and officers have since returned Safely to the Marine Base.
All 44 individuals have been processed by health and immigration officials and will be repatriated at the earliest opportunity. All appear to be of Haitian origin.
The Police can be contacted anonymously on 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1-800-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously in English, French or Spanish on either www.crimestoppers.tc or on Facebook as a fan of Crime Stoppers Turks & Caicos. Crime Stoppers tips are received in the USA.
CARICOM expresses sympathy to earthquake-hit Chile
CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has sent a message of condolence to the President of Chile, Her Excellency Michelle Bachelet for the loss of life and destruction of property from the earthquake which hit the country on 16 September.
The Secretary-General said the Caribbean Community is thankful that due in large measure to the level of preparedness, casualties were limited in number despite the strength of the earthquake.
The 8.3 magnitude quake left at least 11 people dead and forced more than a million people living along the coastline to evacuate their homes after the quake triggered a tsunami.
Chileans are a resolute and determined people who will rise and overcome this challenge and rebuild their lives, and the areas devastated by this natural disaster, the Secretary-General said.
"The Caribbean Community stands in support of the people of Chile at this time," he added.