Dominican Republic to attend Caribbean Energy Security Summit
The White House announced that US Vice President Joseph Biden will host the first ever Caribbean Energy Security Summit in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 26, and the Dominican Republic is expected to attend.
Biden's office said the prime ministers or cabinet ministers from Jamaica, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago are also attending the Summit, whose goal is to promote a cleaner and more sustainable energy future in the Caribbean through improved energy governance and greater access to finance.
According to the White House, the Summit is a key component of the Caribbean Energy Security Initiative that the vice president announced in June 2014. It will be hosted by the White House and the State Department in partnership with the Atlantic Council and the Council of the Americas.
EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI AWARENESS WEEK OBSERVED IN THE TCI
The Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) will observe Earthquake and Tsunami Awareness Week from January 11th -18th, 2015 themed around having the residents of TCI prepared for the next earthquake through a process of learning, planning and preparing.
The main objective of the week is to strengthen the earthquake and tsunami preparedness and response capacity of the disaster management system in the TCI by building resilience to earthquake impacts at the community level. The overall goal is to have the TCI more resilient to earthquake impacts by implementing the necessary safeguards at the personal, community and national levels to save lives and protect property.
Several activities have been planned to mark the week, which is primarily aimed at increasing the awareness of the general public to the importance of preparing for an earthquake and tsunami event. The events began with a Church Service at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Grand Turk on Sunday. The special service was conducted in English and Haitian Creole, and was dedicated to remembering the victims of the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti on January 12th 2010.
The Magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck at 14:53 (2:53 p.m.) on Tuesday January 12, causing an estimated 250,000 residential buildings and 30,000 commercial buildings to either totally collapse or sustain substantial damage. Following the devastating earthquake at least 52 aftershocks, measuring 4.5 in magnitude, shook the country. The number of deaths caused by the earthquake, vary from an estimated 220,000 lives at the lower end of the scale to 316,000 at the upper end of the scale. The Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment (PDNA) published by the Haitian Government in March 2010, estimated the cost of the damage at US$7.9 billion. The reconstruction cost was originally estimated at US11.5 billion.
As Haiti and the rest of the world commemorate the fifth anniversary of that fateful day in Haiti’s history, it is fitting the TCI pause to reflect, share expertise and pledge to do whatever needs to be done to ensure that all persons in TCI are as prepared and ready if this was to ever happen in the TCI. The question is can this happen in the TCI.
To answer that question, it is important to put the Caribbean seismicity into perspective. The Caribbean is a very active seismic region, with three live volcanoes, and where over a thousand earthquakes happen every year, though most of them are too small to feel. The area between the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands average more than a dozen measurable earthquakes every week.
According to CCRIF’s Country Risk Profile for the TCI, the islands risk profile indicate that the TCI islands are vulnerable to earthquake and tsunami risks, but at a low to moderate level. The report also indicates that the TCI is vulnerable to tsunami events generated along the Northern Caribbean Plate, presenting an additional hazard to a multi-island country like TCI. The USGS Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Programme (GSHAP) concurs with CCRIF’s assessment in its report where it states that there is a low to moderate level of susceptibility in the Turks and Caicos Islands to seismic activity, based on a 2013 seismic analysis, undertaken as part of the process of developing the TCI Building Code under the Hurricane Ike Recovery and Rehabilitation Project.
In terms of tsunami events, the northern Caribbean has seen some 40 confirmed tsunami events over the last five hundred years. From 1842 -1998, an estimated 3,510 persons have lost their lives from tsunami events (Caribbean Tsunami: A 500 Year History from 1498-1998 by Karen Fay O’Loughlin and James F. Lander).
Earthquakes cannot be predicted with any level of accuracy and we can’t stop them from happening. However, we can be prepared to respond to an earthquake event if and when it happens. This theme of preparedness will be the ethos of the activities planned to mark this year’s second annual Earthquake and Tsunami Awareness Week by DDME. The department is seeking to raise awareness of what can be done to ensure that you survive the next earthquake. As a little preparation can possibly save your life and that of your family, Make sure you have a family plan to deal with any emergency.
DDME is also encouraging the residents to visit its Facebook Page to obtain tips on earthquake and tsunami preparedness and ways in which you can make yourself, your family and your community more resilient to the impacts of earthquakes and tsunamis.
Permanent Secretary of Border Control and Labour receives an OBE from Her Majesty The Queen
The Governor’s Office today Tuesday 13th January, announced that Mrs. Clara Gardiner, the Permanent Secretary of Border Control and Labour, received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in Her Majesty the Queen’s New Year Honours this month. The Award was for Mrs. Gardiner’s services to immigration issues in the Overseas Territories, and Turks and Caicos in particular.
Speaking about the Award His Excellency the Governor Peter Beckingham commented…. “I was delighted to read in the New Year’s Awards that Clara Gardiner was honoured with an OBE. I have seen a good deal of Clara’s work, not least when there have been the threats of illegal immigration from chartered sloops arriving in TCI. She is evidently a dedicated and resourceful member of the Public Service. Her Award is a tremendous recognition of the work that she, and many members of the Immigration service, do for Turks and Caicos.”
The Minister of Border Control and Labour, The Hon Don Hue Gardiner, has joined the Governor in welcoming this Award. The Minister said: “I am thrilled that my Permanent Secretary has received this distinction. It is a great honour to her, the Department and TCI, and a mark of her hard work and perseverance in a challenging environment,” the Minister said.
Mrs. Gardiner will be invited later this year to Buckingham Palace to receive the Award from Her Majesty the Queen or another member of the Royal Family.
The Governor and his wife, Mrs. Jill Beckingham received a private Audience with Her Majesty The Queen last December.
PROVO RUNNERS CLUB MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN MARATHON BAHAMAS
A group of 13 Provo Roadrunners departing Providenciales between the 14th and 16th of January will participate in Marathon Bahamas to be held on this coming Sunday, January 18, 2015 in Nassau, Bahamas. After several weeks of training the group will embark upon the half marathon completing 13.1 miles.
The Marathon is in its sixth year and has been publicized as one of the top and more popular marathons within the Caribbean. It has attracted hundreds of runners from around the world and locally in the Bahamas. Members of the Provo Roadrunners are no strangers to participating in international full marathons and half marathons in the US and Canada including the New York and Boston marathons but this is the first regional participation of the group.
The group is excited to participate in a regional half marathon held by one of our neighbors such as the Bahamas.
UNICEF Sponsored Early Childhood Education Workshop
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Turks and Caicos Islands Ministry of Education, Youth Sports and Library Services hosted an Intervention seminar for early childhood practitioners throughout the Islands, from January 12 -14th at the Regent Palms, Providenciales. The workshop was being facilitated by both regional and local educators and expertise within the field of Early Childhood Development (ECD).
The main goal of this workshop was to expose participants to the key features of designing an effective screening and early intervention system for children at risk.
At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Ø Understand the importance of the Early Childhood period and its impact on later development
Ø Describe normal physical, cognitive, language, sensory and socio-emotional development in the early years
Ø Describe deviations in normal development in the early years
Ø Understand the importance of screening and early identification of children with developmental and behavioural disabilities and disorders
Ø Understand the difference between screening and diagnostic tests
Additionally, the early childhood sector is one such area that the Ministry of Education has committed to strengthening both from a human capital development standpoint and infrastructure wise. The Education Sector Plan, 2013-2017, Strategic Imperative 6, clearly outlined key pointers that the ministry has adopted. The central tenet would be to:
Ø review guidelines to allow all children an opportunity to enroll at ages 2 and 3 year.
Ø register and supervise a sufficient number of schools to allow all children the opportunity to enroll
Ø review the curriculum guidelines to ensure that they are appropriate for use in the Turks and Caicos
Ø Provide both pre-service and professional teacher development opportunities for early childhood teachers
Ø provide professional and technical assistance to the early Childhood Centres
In closing, the Ministry thanked UNICEF, the local educators, and participants who have, and continue to contribute to the high education standards established here in the TCI.
THE PDM EXPRESSES ITS DISAPPOINTMENT REGARDING THE PLIGHT OF BAFSL
We remain committed to work towards the attainment of all of these goals."
Google cuts back on Android security fixes
Millions of Android users could be at risk as Google cuts back on security updates for older versions of its smartphone operating system.
The risk arises because Google has stopped producing security updates for parts of those older versions.
About 60% of all Android users, those on Android 4.3 or older, will be affected by the change.
The researchers who uncovered the policy change said it was "great news for criminals".
The shift was brought to light by security experts who found vulnerabilities in the webview component of Android 4.3 aka Jelly Bean. Webview is used to display webpages on an Android device.
Tod Beardsley and Joe Vennix from security firm Rapid7 and independent vulnerability finder Rafay Baloch contacted Google to let it know about the loophole. They expected to hear about the work Google was doing to patch the bug but instead were told that it was now only fixing bugs found in the two most recent versions of Android known as Kitkat (4.4) and Lollipop (5.0).
In a blogpost, Mr Beardsley said Google's Android security team told him it would "welcome" a patch from the researchers if they produced one but would not be making one itself. It added that it would tell its Android partners about the bug even though no fix would be forthcoming.
Mr Beardsley said the response was so "bizarre" that he contacted Google for clarification and was told again that many components of Android in earlier versions of the OS would not be getting fixes.
Over the last year, Mr Vennix and Mr Baloch have uncovered 11 separate vulnerabilities in the webview component.
Mr Beardsley questioned the wisdom of the decision because Google's own statistics show that the majority of Android users, 60%, are still using the older, vulnerable versions of Android.
"It would appear that over 930 million Android phones are now out of official Google security patch support," wrote Mr Beardsley.
Mr Beardsley did point out that it was not all bad news for Android users as some elements of the older versions, such as the multimedia player, will still be updated. In addition, Google regularly changes the requirements apps must meet to head off some security problems.
However, he added: "Any new bug discovered in 'legacy' Android is going to last as a mass-market exploit vector for a long, long time."
A spokesperson for Google declined to comment on its policy change.
Source-BBC
Ford stuns onlookers in Detroit with GT
June 2016 will mark 50 years since Ford prevailed against the Ferrari juggernaut in the premier Le Mans endurance-race category.
To commemorate that feat, the company will build a new, 600-plus horsepower GT road car and race it at the legendary French event in 2016.
This road-going, carbon-fibre wonder features a race-rated version of the company's signature EcoBoost turbocharged engine technology, with a mid-mounted 3.5-litre V6 matched to a seven-speed dual-clutch automated transmission driving the rear wheels.
For the company's 100th anniversary in 2003, it introduced a GT whose styling was a tribute to that of the '60s racer. This new car, however, looks resolutely forward, with contemporary styling that eschews so-called retro-futurism, a design language championed by J Mays, Ford’s former chief designer.
The bodywork looks shrink-wrapped over the cockpit and powertrain in the manner of the latest sports prototype racers, lending it a focused, track-ready look.
As the car that proved Ford’s ability against the world's established sports car companies the GT holds a special place in Ford history.
"For students of racing, this seems to me the coolest story to come along in years," said AJ Baime, author of Go Like Hell, an account of Ford's attack on Le Mans, in a telephone interview. "It's got everything in it: history, a hugely important brand, American pride and the most important sports car race on earth, all wrapped up in a new car. The stakes are huge."
The original Ford GT enjoyed association with drivers who are icons of the sport. "The Ford GT at Le Mans in the 1960s is the story of Henry Ford II, Carroll Shelby, Bruce McLaren, Lee Iacocca, Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt, among so many others," Baime added, noting just some of the drivers and craftsmen who helped stoke the car’s legend. "This new programme will be the impetus to celebrate it all again, on the 50th anniversary of Ford's first Le Mans victory."
Indeed, the GT is a halo car, the kind of machine that casts its glow down the product line. And Jim Farley, Ford of Europe's leader, expects to see a "GT effect".
"Even if people don't buy a GT, they would be talking about it as they buy their ST," he said, referencing initials bolted on a higher-performance Fiesta whose pricing begins around $21,000. It is safe to say that pricing will be significantly higher for the GT, though the final figure will not be announced until closer to the car's June sale date.
Source-BBC
' Taken 3' topples 'Hobbit ' at the box office
After three weeks atop the box office, "The Hobbit" has been taken down by Liam Neeson.
"Taken 3" nabbed the top spot at the weekend box office in North America with $40.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The third installment of the 20th Century Fox thriller series stars Neeson as a vengeance-seeking retired CIA operative with "a very particular set of skills."
The original "Taken," which also features Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen, debuted in 2009 with $24.7 million, while "Taken 2" launched in 2012 with $49.5 million. "Taken 3" also earned $41 million in 36 international territories this weekend.
"For Neeson to be at this stage in his career and be considered one of the premier action heroes is certainly unexpected, but it's really cool and lucrative," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box-office tracker Rentrak. "I don't think Neeson expected back in '09 that 'Taken' would take off the way it has. It's really enhanced his box-office appeal."
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" slid to fourth place with $9.4 million following three straight weeks in first place. The total domestic take for filmmaker Peter Jackson's Middle-earth finale now stands at $236.5 million. "The Hobbit" also earned $21.8 million internationally this weekend, pushing the worldwide total to $545.3 million.
"Into the Woods" milked $9.7 million in third place in its third week at the box office, bringing the total haul of Disney's Broadway musical adaptation to $105.3 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Taken 3," $40.4 million ($41 million international).
2. "Selma," $11.2 million.
3. "Into the Woods," $9.7 million ($7.6. million international).
4. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," $9.4 million ($21.8 million international).
5. "Unbroken," $8.7 million ($5.7 million international).
6. "The Imitation Game," $7.6 million ($5.5 international).
7. "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb," $6.7 million ($46.2 million international).
8. "Annie," $4.9 million ($14 million international).
9. "The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death," $4.8 million ($1.5 million international).
10. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1," $3.7 million.
Source-AP
Haiti marks earthquake anniversary
Haiti yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the powerful earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 people and left more than a million others homeless, with the Organisation of American States (OAS) pledging its commitment to help the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country rebuild its battered economy and infrastructure.
But even as the government continues to seek assistance from the international community, hundreds of opposition supporters took to the streets Sunday demanding the resignation of President Michel Martelly, who is seeking to resolve a standoff over elections.
Late last month, President Martelly may have averted a political crisis in the French-speaking Caribbean Community country after reaching a tentative agreement with the heads of the two houses of Parliament.
The accord was expected to have resulted in the approval of a "consensus" government that could include Evans Paul, the president's new choice for prime minister to replace Laurent Lamothe, who resigned in December.
The agreement would also extend the terms of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, due to run out on January 12, but only if an electoral law is passed first.
In recent weeks, Martelly has been meeting with several social and political groups in a bid to pave the way for the holding of the long-delayed election to renew two-thirds of the 30-member Senate, the entire Lower Chamber and hundreds of local government bodies.
Out of the 30 senate members, only 20 remain in office, and amendments to an existing electoral law are required to facilitate the vote.
The new agreement could extend the terms of the deputies until April 24 next year and senators until September 9.
But political observers say the new agreement is likely to be favourably received by Haiti's foreign donors, particularly the United States and the United Nations, who had expressed concern that the impoverished Caribbean nation was on the brink of political chaos again.
Martelly's critics have accused him of stalling the elections, and the Senate is yet to vote on the proposal.
Meanwhile, the OAS has reiterated its commitment to Haiti with Secretary General Jose Miquel Insulza indicating that "our sincere thoughts go out to the 230,000 victims, their families and friends and all those who were injured or left homeless.
"The commemoration of this sad anniversary is an opportunity to honour the courage and perseverance of the Haitian people, as well as the efforts of their government to improve the living conditions of the population," he added.
OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin, who is also chairman of the Group of Friends of Haiti, recalled that, since 2010, at least 94 per cent of the households displaced as a result of the earthquake have been relocated.
He said the removal of debris has given way to reconstruction, improvement of infrastructure, economic growth and the creation of jobs.
"More children now attend school than before and health indicators are improving. The hard work that has been done in recent years has produced concrete results, which should be celebrated, while, at the same time, we must not lose sight of all that remains to be done in unity," Ramdin said.
Insulza said that "for the benefit of the population, it is imperative that all the actors of the Haitian nation unite in their efforts to make the agreements necessary to preserve the achievements that have been made and to ensure sustainable development in Haiti".
He added that "this is all the more urgent as the deadline for resolving the political crisis afflicting the country´s democratic institutions approaches".
In this regard, Insulza said the OAS applauds the intensive efforts from President Martelly and the Parliament over the past weeks to agree on a way forward.
He, however, urged all political actors to "work together to create the necessary conditions for the holding of free and transparent elections in 2015 that are essential to the preservation of the democratic gains that have been made and the political stability of the country.
"The best way to honour the thousands of victims of this catastrophe is to overcome the political and other forms of difficulties with courage and in unity, in order to continue without delay the work needed to allow Haiti and its people to reach their full potential," the OAS Secretary General said.
Source-CMC