Below average 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season predicted
The Caribbean Region can breathe a little easier as we approach the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
The Hurricane Season starts on June 1 and ends on November 30.
The 2015 predictions released on April 9 by Drs. William Gray and Phillip Klotzbach indicates that we can expect a below average season with seven (7) named storms, three (3) Hurricanes and one (1) major Hurricane of Categories 3, 4 or 5.
The release from the renowned scientists states, “We anticipate that the 2015 Atlantic basin hurricane season will be one of the least active seasons since the middle of the 20th century”.
It continued, “It appears quite likely that an El Niño of at least moderate strength will develop this summer and fall and the tropical and subtropical Atlantic are also quite cool at present”.
According to the Gray/Klotzbach prediction, we can anticipate a below-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the United States coastline and in the Caribbean.
Despite the forecast for below-average activity, residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them.
Residents are therefore advised to prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted.
The 2015 Hurricane names are Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor and Wanda.
The team did not release their predictions at the Hurricane Conference indicating that they wanted to factor in data obtained during the month of March in their analysis.
The 2015 Hurricane Conference can be described as having been very successful. The 2016 National Hurricane Conference will be held in the Florida city of Orlando in March.
By: Cecil P Shillingford Disaster Risk Management Specialist/Consultant
T&T robbery suspects caught on flight to Jamaica
One of the two women detained on Wednesday night at Piarco International Airport onboard a flight to Jamaica has admitted to removing a box containing cash shortly after Chinese businessman Hi Hong Huang was fatally shot outside his establishment in Curepe on Tuesday.
Speaking to the Express yesterday, police sources disclosed that both women had been questioned overnight and one of them admitted to removing the box from the scene.
However, sources were quick to clarify that this act was not necessarily a confession of joint enterprise into the incident which claimed the life of the 35-year-old businessman.
“With certain utterances, one would have to be careful and realise that while something may have happened within the same time frame as another incident, that does not necessarily mean that there is a direct link with the two. Now, one of the women said they took a box of money, but further inquiries will have to be conducted to establish direct links, or even joint enterprise,” explained a senior official close to the investigation.
The two women were detained at the airport on Wednesday night with a large sum of money that they could not properly account for.
They have since been questioned for any potential involvement in Huang’s murder.
Police also confirmed they had received information that two men who were involved in the incident were Jamaicans and it was believed that they had already fled this country on a flight earlier that day.
However, sources emphasised that information was not evidence and that further inquiries were taking place to corroborate the report.
Huang was shot just seconds after he arrived at his business place, Happiness Supermarket, along Southern Main Road, and died a short time later at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope.
The incident, which was captured on CCTV cameras, showed Huang exiting his white panel van with a cardboard box, before he was attacked by one of the robbers, who attempted to get a hold of the box which contained a sum of money.
As both men struggled, another robber appeared before Huang was seen clutching his chest area and running into the supermarket.
The men escaped with some of the money, but the box, still containing a quantity of cash, was left behind.
Two women were then observed removing the box from the scene.
Source-Trinidad Express
Venezuela reiterates commitment to PetroCaribe
Venezuela has again restated its commitment to PetroCaribe, the Caracas’ oil initiative with several Latin American and Caribbean countries that sees them purchasing fuel on terms of preferential payment, with some of the funds going to social development programme in participating nations.
President of PetroCaribe and the ALBA Bank, Bernado Alvarez, restated the commitment to the initiative on Tuesday at the inauguration of a US$31.6 million 34,000-barrel fuel storage facility in Lowmans Bay, built with PetroCaribe funds.
The fuel depot will increase from 10 to 40 days the national storage of fuel for all purposes.
Alternately, the fuel can meet the country’s electricity generation needs for three months, triple the previous capacity.
Alvarez said that amidst “all this campaign against” PetroCaribe, Venezuela, and its president, Nicolas Maduro, the depot “is the proof that PetroCaribe is here to stay, and, as President Maduro said recently, to expand and we wish PetroCaribe the best future”.
There have been concerns about whether PetroCaribe will continue amidst growing economic strain in Venezuela that some observers have blamed on poor fiscal policy, while other have claimed an attempt to undermine the Maduro administration.
Alvarez noted PetroCaribe’s objectives: energy security, social and economic development, and regional integration.
“As you see, we have done a lot and we have a huge task ahead,” he said of the initiative, which will be a decade old in June.
“… and if you see what we have done and you see the challenges ahead, there is a bright future for us. It is the right moment to enhance, to support PetroCaribe. And for that, I think we have to thank first, the vision of President Chavez, second the vision of PM Ralph [Gonsalves], and of course, the persistence, the hard work, the patience of all of us that have been involved in the project,” he said.
Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves and Vice President of Venezuela Jorge Arreaza also attended the event.
“PM we are here, vice President, we are here, we are happy to be inaugurating this plant, this is a much more strong PetroCaribe for St Vincent and the Grenadines, for the Hemisphere, for the Eastern Caribbean countries, and for regional integration,” Alvarez said.
He lauded the name of the fuel depot – The Hugo Chavez Fuel Storage and Distribution Plant, as the best name for the facility.
“We are here because of his (Chavez’s) vision and his persistence. And, in a way, PM, we are starting over, because the whole idea of the PetroCaribe agreement at the beginning was to give countries energy security. And part of the energy security was to have its own capabilities in storage. And this is what we are achieving today.
“So, in a way, PM, we can say we are starting over,” Alvarez said.
PetroCaribe was started under the presidency of Chavez, who died in March 2013.
Obama and Castro Meets
U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro have begun a highly anticipated meeting on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas.
The two met shortly after their back-to-back speeches to leaders at the regional summit, which opened Friday.
In his address, Castro delved into a long, impassioned history of Cuban grievances against the United States, but stopped to apologize to the U.S. leader, calling him an "honest man" and absolving him of responsibility for the longstanding U.S. embargo on Cuba and other actions taken under previous administrations.
I have told President Obama myself that I am very emotional when I talk about the revolution," he said. "I apologize because President Obama had no responsibility for this."
The two leaders' informal meeting is the first since Obama announced in December his intention to normalize relations with Havana. There has been no face-to-face discussion between the two countries' top leaders in more than five decades.
In their speeches earlier Saturday, the U.S. and Cuban presidents both indicated a willingness to open a new chapter to end more than 50 years of icy relations.
Obama said he is focused on the future and is not, in his words, caught up in ideology.
"The Cold War has been over for a long time and I’m not interested in having battles that, frankly, started before I was born," he said.
Obama said he has called on the U.S. Congress to begin work to end the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, a move Castro welcomed.
The Cuban president spoke for 48 minutes, much of that time delivering a stinging indictment of what he said was U.S. intervention in the island nation and the rest of Latin America.
But he praised Obama’s efforts to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, which he said should have never included his country.
The terrorists, Castro said, are those like the C.I.A. operative who participated in the capture and interrogation of executed leftist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who died in 1967 in Bolivia in a failed attempt to lead a guerrilla uprising.
Addressing the regional gathering of leaders just before Castro, Obama said re-establishing diplomatic ties with Cuba would enhance opportunities for the island nation, the United States and beyond.
"This shift in U.S. policy represents a turning point for our entire region," he said.
Appealing to other Latin American leaders, Castro said "we have to continue striving and supporting President Obama in his intentions to remove the blockade."
The Cuban leader said he welcomes as "a positive step" Obama's announcement that he soon will decide whether to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, which also includes Iran, Sudan and Syria.
There is speculation that move could come within hours, when the two leaders meet. Cuba's demand to be taken off the list has been an obstacle in negotiations on restoring diplomatic ties.
As the two-day summit opened Friday evening, Obama and Castro shook hands, a gesture widely seen as symbolic of their effort to bury decades of animosity.
It has been two years since their first handshake at the memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press and Reuters.
Violence Mars State Elections in Nigeria; 7 Killed
Sporadic political violence erupted Saturday in Nigeria, with seven people killed as voters went to the polls to elect governors and other state representatives.
Voters were electing 36 state governors, with 29 of the races contested. Turnout appeared to be weaker than in the national presidential election two weeks ago, when Muhammadu Buhari ousted incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.
Election monitors said the seven deaths occurred in Rivers state. An office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Buguma was dynamited, and other violence was reported in Lagos, Delta, Ebonyi and Akwa states.
"These killings form part of a wider pattern of politically motivated violence, arson and hijacking of electoral materials that our observers have noted,” the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room said in a statement. It added that electoral regulations at many polling stations were "flagrantly flouted."
Saturday's violence contrasted with the relatively peaceful ballot that Buhari won outright last month, without any need for a runoff. Modern Nigeria's political history has been marred by coups, and Jonathan became the first head of state voted out of office in a peaceful change of power.
Nigeria's 36 state governors are among the most powerful political figures in the nation that is Africa's biggest oil producer and top economy. Analysts say the influence wielded by governors has often prompted previous candidates to try dirty electoral tactics, such as snatching ballot boxes, manipulating voter turnout, and engaging in thuggery and intimidation.
Voters in Lagos state were choosing between two main candidates: Jimi Agbaje of Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party and Akinwunmi Ambode of Buhari's All Progressives Congress, or APC.
Across Lagos, many voters said they expected whoever won to deliver jobs, reliable electricity and prosperity.
Source-VOA
US Capitol Briefly Locked Down After Suspected Suicide
Law enforcement officials say the U.S. Capitol building was locked down for a few hours as a precaution after shots were fired when a man killed himself outside the building.
Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider described the suspected shooter as "neutralized" after a self-inflicted gunshot. Officials later confirmed the man was dead.
She said police are also investigating a suspicious package on one of the building's terraces.
During the lockdown, no one was allowed to enter or exit the U.S. Capitol Building.
The incident comes during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, one of Washington's busiest tourist events.
Source-VOA
PREMIER EWING’S VISION FOR TCI YOUNG PROFESSIONALS BECOMES A REALITY
“It is my Government’s vision for you to be the next middle class of the Turks and Caicos Islands. To accomplish that, there are things that we, as a Government, must do, and there are things that you as a united group must do, and we are depending on your support in this initiative, to the benefit of the future of our country.
This group of individuals gathered here, represents a very important sector of our society and we remain cognizant that any policy decisions that my Government makes, will largely impact you as the future leaders of our country. So I invite you to share in a common voice the concerns that you have and the challenges that you face as entrepreneurs, employees and scholars to ensure that these obstacles are negated and that you are empowered to realize your dreams and potential to be successful small and medium business owners and managers. You must hold us accountable and likewise we will hold you accountable for displaying characteristics of integrity and honesty, in the work force to ensure that you are positioned to apply for and occupy the top management positions in our large businesses as well as believing in yourself to make the bold move towards owning your own businesses and your own homes someday soon. This all begins with networking.”
Those were the words spoken by the Premier, Dr. the Hon. Rufus W. Ewing, one year ago, on January 27, 2014 at the sunset cocktail event which brought together the young energetic group of Turks and Caicos Islanders, who last week officially launched as the Young Corporate Alliance (YCA).
Last Thursday’s launch took place at The Regent Palms Resort in Grace Bay, and although long awaited it was well worth the meetings, planning and effort it took to get the group to this stage.
Among the well-wishers at the corporate-chic event were some of the highest political offices in the Turks and Caicos Islands, including the Minister of Finance, Investment and Trade, Hon. C. Washington Misick, the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson as well as the Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament, Hon. Josephine Connolly, and of course, also present was the man behind the initiative himself, the Premier, Dr. Ewing and the First Lady, Dr. Dawn Perry.
The initial meeting of January last year, took place at the Crackpot Kitchen and was originally planned for about thirty persons, but was attended by some seventy-odd vibrant and energetic young men and women, who were overcome with gratitude and appreciation for the bold and refreshing direction the Ewing Administration took by focusing on this very powerful, but largely overlooked, sector of the community.
The then attendees were all registered in a database at the event and the group conveyed their enthusiasm and gratitude by hosting their first elections that very night for the offices of Chairman and other executives and it was there that Mr. Kyle Smith emerged as the group’s leader and Chairman and his other elected officers were Mr. Jerrel Lowe, Ms. Angie Toussaint, Mr. Sean Bassett, Mr. Dominic Rolle and Ms. Crystal Charles.
Like all newly embarked endeavours, the infancy stage was met with minor set-backs, but through the efforts of the staff of the Office of the Premier and the determination of Mr. Smith and his team, progress meetings and pep talks kept the dream alive and not to be side-tracked, the Young Corporate Alliance overcame the nursery challenges of time and commitment and over the past thirteen months remained steadfast to achieving the challenge issued to them by the Premier.
It is therefore with pride that the Office of the Premier and the entire Government extends congratulations to the Chairman, Mr. Smith, the executive officers and the entire YCA on the occasion of your launch and we further extend our profound gratitude for being bold enough to see and believe the dream, shared with you months ago and for making it a reality today.
The Making of a Hero
It has been about two months since the late Hon. Dr. Rosita B. Butterfield was laid to rest on the 5th February, 2015 following a State Funeral, and it is with great humility that I write this article after a long layoff, not as her Grandson, but an engaged Turks and Caicos Islander. I write to make the case, or should I say state the obvious, that Dr. Butterfield should be the Turks and Caicos Islands next National Hero. Many have had the thought but few have voiced it publicly, save for Dr. Lillian Boyce in her closing remarks at the memorial service held in Dr. Butterfield’s honor.
Looking at this case, neither emotionally nor politically biased, but critically, there is no doubt that she is worthy of such an honor. By any measure, real, imagined or even yet to be imagined, she passes the litmus test. In my view the following are some of the qualities which should be displayed by a National Hero: Leadership; Integrity; Courage; Honor; Longevity; Service to country; and lastly he/she should be someone whom most people would themselves aspire to be like or have as a role model for their children. Dr. Butterfield possessed all of these qualities.
As speaker of the House of Assembly, she ruled with integrity and impartiality, to the point where some of the more junior members of her very own party treated her with disdain at house sittings. She would end her tenure as speaker early rather than compromise her moral standing because of others. Also, under her leadership as chairman of the select committee on the Employment Bill from 1987 to 1988, she and her team would shape positive employment trends still having its impact today.
Both locally and internationally, Dr. Butterfield represented the spirit of her country on numerous occasions, be it in Bermuda where she presented on “Migration and Immigration in the Turks and Caicos Islands” or in the House of Lords or the Isle of Man as a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Her Leadership qualities were well recognized and unquestionable.
Want someone who illustrated their belief in education? She maximized all education opportunities afforded her and won numerous nursing awards such as the Surgeons’ Prize for the most efficient operating theatre surgical student nurse. She would not only use her time to develop education within the TCI but also to put her money where her mouth was by sponsoring our National Spelling Bee for many many years plus giving financial help to numerous families. Besides, Dr. Butterfield and her husband’s role in the development of Providenciales and wider TCI by extension, has been far reaching and can easily be verified.
So much has already been written about Dr. Butterfield’s tremendous contribution in service to our country that I need not repeat it here. Click: www.sppdtci.com for more documentation. To emphasize my point about how special and rare this lady was, not even her husband, Dr. A. V. Butterfield, will be afforded a State Funeral which is reserved Heads of Government or a Speakers of the House, despite his equally devoted service in the development of our country.
So I conclude with one question to all the members of the National Awards Committee: if not the Hon. Dr. Rosita Beatrice Missick-Butterfield, then whom?
By: Jamell R. Robinson
Beyonce releases surprise song on Tidal
Pop star Beyonce has surprised fans with a new single and video, released on Saturday to the Tidal streaming service, in which she is a co-owner.
Die With You is a simple ballad, which the superstar performs alone, seated behind a black baby grand piano.
"I wake up just to sleep with you," she sings to the cameraman who, at the end of the video, is revealed to be her husband, Jay Z.
The couple celebrate their seventh anniversary this weekend.
Both of them are co-owners in Tidal, which was relaunched last week in a star-studded New York ceremony.
Artists including Arcade Fire, Daft Punk, Jack White, Kanye West, Madonna, Rihanna and Usher all appeared at the event, signing a declaration that promised to "re-establish the value of music" and protect "the sustainability of the music industry".
The paid-for service pitches itself as "the first artist-owned global music and entertainment platform" and promises musicians a greater share of royalties when their music is streamed on the site.
Key to attracting consumers away from rivals like Spotify, Deezer and Rdio is the promise of exclusive content, of which the Beyonce track is the first high-profile example.
Other exclusives include footage of The White Stripes' first ever TV appearance, on Detroit public television, and Daft Punk's feature film Electroma.
Beyonce's shook up the music industry in 2014 when she released her fifth album on iTunes overnight.
The "stealth release" strategy broke iTunes sales records - in just 48 hours, it sold 68,000 copies in the UK, charting at number five in its debut week.
Several artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Drake and U2, have since released "surprise" albums.
Source-BBC
Chrysler ordered to pay $149m for Jeep crash death
A US jury has awarded $150m (£100m) to the family of a four-year old boy that died in a crash involving a Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2012.
Remington Walden died after the Jeep he was travelling was struck from behind by a truck, which ruptured its rear fuel tank causing it to ignite.
Chrysler will pay 99% of the sum and the driver of the other vehicle 1%.
In 2013 Chrysler recalled 1.56 million Jeep SUVs built between 1993-98 with similar rear fuel tanks.
The model Remington died in was built in 1999 and was therefore not among those recalled.
Chrysler said that the 1999 model was not defective and dangerous.
But jurors said the car giant was liable for the death and the company had failed to warn customers that the tank's position could increase the risk of a fire.
The family claimed their son would have been better protected if the tank was placed further forward in the car.
Source-BBC