TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the meeting of the Cabinet on Thursday 6 November 2014 at the Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
All Ministers were present except the Deputy Premier.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Reviewed and approved the Invest Turks and Caicos Islands Agency Bill (2014) and the Encouragement of Development Ordinance (Amendment) 2014 for onward submission to the Clerk of the Legislative House of Assembly to be included in the order paper for the next sitting of the House;
· Advised the Governor to approve the introduction of the Companies (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2014 Non-Profit Organisations (Amendment) Regulations Bill at the next meeting of the House of Assembly;
· Noted the positive financial performance of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government for the second quarter of the financial year 2014-2015 for the period July to September 2014. Year to date results showed an operating surplus of $43.9 million, this result is a positive variance of $27.9 million over the budgeted surplus of $16.0 million and $32.6 million over the last year's surplus of $11.3 million. Year to date recurrent revenue outturn was $122.4 million, which was $18.4 million or 18% above the budgeted outturn of $93.7 and $28.7 million or 31% above the results of the same quarter last year. Year to date recurrent expenditure outturn totalled $76.8 million, which resulted in a favourable variance of $8.6 million or 10% when compared to budgeted outturn of $85.4 million and $2.8 million or 4% above the results of the same quarter last year. Cabinet also approved the publication of the said financial report as required by Section 46 of the Public Finance Management Ordinance 2012.
· Agreed in principle to the introduction of container scanners at TCI ports, and noted they would consider a range of technologies subject to cost / benefit analysis of proposals;
· Hear a presentation from the Head of the TCI Airports Authority on the Providenciales Airport master plan and its provisions for the medium term growth of the facility. Cabinet noted the importance of ensuring the Airports Authority continued to consider how the needs of the airport will change in the longer term;
· Considered and approved the appointment of Mr. Lloyd Stubbs as a member of the Tourist Board.
Marley fifth on Forbes dead celebrities top-earning list
Reggae legend Bob Marley is listed at fifth among the highest-earning dead celebrities by Forbes magazine.
Marley, who died of cancer at age 36 in 1981, is said to have earned US$20 million year-to-date for his fifth place.
The list is topped by King of Pop Michael Jackson, who is estimated to be raking in some US$140 million since the start of the year.
Elvis Presley took second place with US$55 million, cartoonist and comic strip creator Charles Schulz was third with US$40 million, and fourth was actress Elizabeth Taylor with US$25 million.
Forbes said it compiled the list by talking to estate managers, lawyers and licensors and analyzing estimated posthumous earnings between October 2013-14.
Joan Rivers: Clinic cited for multiple failings
The New York clinic where Joan Rivers suffered a cardiac arrest during a medical procedure failed to follow standard protocols while treating her, state health investigators have said.
The comedian died on 4 September, aged 81, a week after she stopped breathing at the Yorkville Endoscopy centre.
A report released by the Department of Health cited multiple errors, including failing to detect Rivers' deteriorating vital signs during the procedure.
Negligence has not been alleged.
The New York medical examiner's office ruled Rivers died of brain damage due to lack of oxygen during the procedure examining the back of her throat and vocal cords
The death was classified as a "therapeutic complication", meaning it was a known risk.
The comic had been sedated with the anaesthetic propofol, however the report said there there were inconsistencies recorded in its dosage.
It added there was no record staff at the clinic weighed Rivers before administering the drug.
'Misconduct and mismanagement'
Hypoxia - brain damage caused by lack of oxygen - and cardiac arrest are rare side effects of propofol, but patients usually sign a waiver before surgery to confirm they understand the risks.
But the report said there were no records of medical consent for all the procedures performed.
Investigators said the clinic "failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention" in Rivers' case.
They also noted a staff member took pictures of the comic without her consent while she was under anaesthesia, in violation of the clinic's mobile phone policy.
Rivers daughter Melissa said she was "outraged by the misconduct and mismanagement" that occurred and wanted to ensure it does not happen again with any other patient.
Her lawyers are investigating the circumstances surrounding her mother's death.
As a result of the state investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services has given Yorkville Endoscopy until 7 January to correct deficiencies to avoid losing accreditation to the government's Medicare programme covering the elderly.
The clinic told NBC it had submitted a plan to officials addressing all the issues raised. It added the physicians referenced in the report no longer provided services there.
Guyana president suspends parliament
The president of Guyana has suspended the national parliament to avoid MPs passing a vote of no confidence in his government.
Donald Ramotar invoked an obscure constitutional procedure to carry out the manoeuvre.
He said in a statement he was disbanding the legislature with the hope that it might eventually "benefit our people".
But his opponents accused the president of undermining democracy.
Mr Ramotar executed his decision as MPs returned for their first day of work after a two-month recess.
Under a constitutional tool known as "proroguing", he said he would be able to suspend parliament for a maximum of six months.
The measure would allow the president's administration to work with an opposition-controlled parliament without calling early elections, according to the Associated Press news agency.
"Fellow Guyanese," the president said in a statement, "my decision to exercise this constitutional option was not taken lightly, but it was the sole recourse that was left to me to ensure that the life of the 10th Parliament was preserved."
However opposition politician, Moses Nagamootoo - whose party filed the September no confidence vote - accused the administration of being "a recalcitrant and renegade government".
Source-BBC
Ferry captain sentenced to 36 years in jail
The captain of the South Korean ferry which sank in April has been found guilty of gross negligence and sentenced to 36 years in prison.
The Sewol ferry was carrying 476 people when it went down. More than 300 died, most of them school students.
Lee Joon-seok was among 15 crew members on trial over the sinking, one of South Korea's worst maritime disasters.
Prosecutors charged him with homicide and called for the death penalty, but judges acquitted him on that charge.
Lee is in his late 60s, and he accepted in court that he would spend the rest of his days in jail, according to the BBC's Steve Evans in Gwangju.
The judges said that he was clearly not the only person responsible for the tragedy and they accepted that his negligence did not amount to an intent to kill.
The disaster was blamed on a combination of illegal redesigns, the overloading of cargo and the inexperience of the crew member steering the vessel.
Crew members did not secure cargo which moved when the vessel took a tight corner, toppling the ferry, and Lee was filmed leaving the sinking ship while many passengers remained inside.
The chief engineer of the ferry, identified by his surname Park, was found guilty of murder and jailed for 30 years.
Thirteen other crew members were given jail sentences of up to 20 years on charges including abandonment and violating maritime law.
Relatives of victims were distraught at the verdict, with some weeping.
The AFP news agency reported that one woman screamed in the courtroom: "It's not fair. What about the lives of our children? They (the defendants) deserve worse than death."
WI Women in big clash with Australia
West Indies Women will square off with Australia Women today in a top-of-the-table clash in round two of the ICC Women's Championship.
The early pace-setters are seeking to cement their advantage in what is set to be a thrilling series opening in Sydney and continuing at the same venue on Thursday, before moving to Bowral on Sunday.
"Our previous trip to Australia was for the ICC Women's World Cup five years ago, and we did not have much success, so we want to continue working hard and making progress to leave a lasting impression," said Merissa Aguilleira, the West Indies captain.
"We need to remain focused because it will be a tough contest. We top the standings right now and want to be there when the series is finished."
Australia, the reigning world champions, and the West Indies are on equal points after the first round, but the Caribbean women occupy the top spot due to their better net run-rate.
On a mission
Australia blanked out Paki-stan, while the West Indies brushed aside New Zealand in first-round matches.
"During the series against New Zealand, we had a mission; we wanted to win every game and we accomplished it. We gave evidence that we were maturing as a team," said Aguilleira.
"We had players coming out in every match and putting their hands up and performing. There is still room for improvement, however, and we are looking forward to this new challenge against Australia."
The matches will count towards the ICC Women's Championship, a qualifying tournament for the ICC Women's World Cup.
Later this month, India will host South Africa in another second-round fixture, while the schedule of Pakistan-Sri Lanka and England-New Zealand matches will be announced in due course.
"We are looking forward to the second round of the ICC Women's Championship when we take on the West Indies, whom we currently share top position on the points table," said Meg Lanning, the captain of Australia.
"We are expecting a fierce contest for the top spot on the ladder and we have a squad that is well equipped to prevail."
The Australia-West Indies series will be livestreamed via the Cricket Australia website.
Source-CMC
Jamaica to export more banana to the UK
Jamaica will be supplying more bananas to the United Kingdom (UK), while Trinidad and Tobago has given clearance for the produce to enter its territory.
Agriculture Minister Derrick Kellier said last week that on October 16, a contract was signed with a UK entity for the supply of one container of bananas per week, which is expected to increase to 10 containers over time.
He said further that last month, "the authorities in Trinidad and Tobago gave Jamaica phyto-sanitary clearance to export our bananas to their country".
In June, Jamaica resumed banana shipments to the UK after a six-year absence from that market because of the devastating effects of several hurricanes on the sector and changes in the preferential agreement with the UK.
The weekly shipments of the fruit, weighing 2,000 pounds, continued up to the end of August, and the ministry had said that a UK buyer would arrive in Jamaica to negotiate long-term contracts for importing Jamaican bananas into Britain.
Kellier, who was delivering the keynote address at the launch of the 'Eat Jamaican Month' campaign last Wednesday at the Jamaica Agricultural Society's (JAS) downtown Kingston offices, said the ministry continued to seek new export markets for local produce through the Fresh Produce Consortium.
Earlier this year, a team from the ministry, along with farmers and exporters, attended the London Produce Show as guests of the Fresh Produce Consortium, resulting in transactions to supply sweet potato, yam, Julie mangoes, ginger, Moringa, castor oil, a variety of herbs and spices, and a range of fruits to that market.
Source-JIS
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY 11TH NOVEMBER 2014
THIS IS THE FORECAST FOR TODAY TUESDAY 11TH NOVEMBER 2014
GENERAL SITUATION: A WEAK STATIONARY FRONT REMAINS ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHWEST BAHAMAS , MEANWHILE A MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS IS CREATING SOME UNSETTLED WEATHER OVER THAT AREA
FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND WARM WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY, TURNING FAIR AND MILD TONIGHT
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: NORTHWEST TO NORTH AT 10-15 KNOTS
SEAS RUNNING: 2-4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY WITH WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY, TURNING PARTLY CLOUDY AND MILD TONIGHT
WINDS: LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS
SEAS RUNNING: 3 FEET OR LESS OVER THE OCEAN
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE IN NASSAU 84F 29C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE IN NASSAU 66F 19C
SUNRISE AT 6.24 AM AND SUNSET AT 5.24 PM
MOONRISE AT 9.45PM AND MOONSET AT 10.27 AM
HIGH TIDE AT 10.39 AM AND LOW TIDE AT 5.10 PM AND HIGH AGAIN AT 11.04 PM
WEATHER FORECAST FOR MONDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 2014
PUBLIC FORECAST
WEATHER FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT MONDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 2014
GENERAL SITUATION: A FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS CONTINUES TO SAG EASTWARDS THIS AFTERNOON WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
FOR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON….GRADUAL CLEARING BEHIND THE FRONT THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT
ADVISORY: GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS CAN BE EXPECTED IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: SOUTHWEST TO WEST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS AHEAD OF THE FRONT VEERING NORTHWEST TO NORTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS BEHINDS THE FRONT
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY AND WARM TODAY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS…..INCREASING CLOUDS WITH SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS TONIGHT
ADVISORY: GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS CAN BE EXPECTED IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS
SEAS: 1 TO 3 FEET OVER THE OCEAN
DAYTIME HIGH REMP: 81F 27C OVERNIGHT LOW TEMP: 65F 18C
SUNSET: 5:24PM SUNRISE: 6:24AM TUE
MOONSET: 8:53PM MOONRISE: 9:45AM TUE
LOW TIDE: 4:22PM HIGH TIDE: 10:15 PM
LOW TIDE: 4:19AM TUE HIGH TIDE: 10:39AM TUE
WEATHER OUTLOOK: THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL DRIFT INTO THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS TONIGHT AND ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS TOMORROW WHILE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BEHIND THE FRONT
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: THE TROPICS REMAIN QUIET AND TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT FIVE DAYS
Myles Munroe Dies in Plane Crash
Myles Munroe, an internationally known minister and motivational preacher, died in a plane crash Sunday in the Bahamas, according to news reports.
His wife Ruth and several other people were killed along with him when a Learjet 36 crashed while making an approach at Grand Bahama International Airport.
Myles Munroe was a prominent Christian preacher who frequently appeared before massive audiences at Christian events with other widely known ministers.
He was the head of the Bahamas Faith Ministries, and wrote or co-wrote more than 100 motivational books focused on strengthening the role of men in Christian life.
The plane was heading to Freeport for the Global Leadership Forum, a gathering organized by Munroe's ministry, which was scheduled to run through Thursday.
The ministry said the conference would go on, albeit in a shortened form, despite the tragedy because "this is what Dr. Munroe would have wanted."