January 12-17 is Earthquake and Tsunami Awareness Week in the TCI
On January 12, 2014, Haiti and the world will mark the anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which hit the island of Haiti on January 12, 2010. The devastating earthquake was followed by at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5. About three million people were affected by the quake, 316,000 of them lost their lives. 300,000 were left wounded and over a million people were made homeless. According to the Haitian government, it is estimated that 250,000 residence buildings and 30,000 commercial buildings collapsed or were severely damaged.
Today the Turks and Caicos Islands will join the world to commemorate the event by declaring January 12-17 as Earthquake and Tsunami Awareness Week.
The Turks and Caicos Islands lie on the North American plate, approximately 150 kilometres to the north of the Puerto Rico Trench. The Puerto Rico Trench is an active plate boundary that marks the plate boundary between the North American and Caribbean Plates. This region has experienced major earthquakes and is the source of several Caribbean tsunamis the most notable being Haiti in 2010.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Haiti Earthquake was felt in Cockburn Town and Cockburn Harbour. During this period, the DDME seizes the opportunity to recall that initially after the Haiti earthquake many persons in the TCI felt a few of the aftershocks and the TCI was placed on a tsunami watch. Chaos ensued as many persons were not sure how to respond, some took to the streets, the DDME office phones were constantly ringing with persons seeking pertinent information etc. In this regard, we would like to increase our public awareness for these specific hazards in order to ensure that in the event that there is another earthquake that as a country our people will be better prepared to respond.
Based on 2013 seismic analysis undertaken as part of the of the TCI Building Code under the Hurricane Ike Recovery and Rehabilitation Project, the USGS’ Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Programme (GSHAP) states that there is a low to moderate level of susceptibility in the Turks and Caicos Islands to seismic activity. This is contrary to the view shared by the populace that the Turks and Caicos Islands’ susceptibility to earthquakes is low.
Based on this finding, the seismic coefficients which have been incorporated into the new Building Code reflect the higher levels of susceptibility. In summary, based on the information available the assumption is that the whole of the TCI islands fall into Site Class D. Following the International Building Code standards this means that buildings in the TCI fall into Seismic Design Category D, which prohibits unreinforced masonry and concrete walls without “special” ductile detailing. This design category also gives height limits on other forms of construction e.g. light weight timber frames.
The updated Building Code will be released by the Planning Department in early February and design professionals and contractors are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the new building code and the improved seismic safety criteria and requirements it contains.
In order to mark the anniversary of the Haiti earthquake DDME will be undertaking the following activities:
a. Promotion of Earthquake and Tsunami Education in schools
b. Distribution of Earthquake and Tsunami pamphlets, posters and brochures in the community
c. Special prayer in church for the people of Haiti who are still recovering following the event in 2010
d. Carry out an earthquake drill in a community
e. Secondment of the Public and Information Officer to Jamaica to observe and participate in their yearly earthquake and tsunami campaign as a means of skills transfer.
The DDME is also encouraging the residents to visit our Facebook Page to garner tips on earthquakes and tsunamis and ways in which you may protect you and your family.
CONTESTANTS IN PREPARATION TO COMPETE FOR THE NATION’S MOST COVETED TITLE
A beautiful bevy of ladies are in preparation to compete in the nation’s leading and most anticipated national competition of all time, the Miss Universe Turks and Caicos Pageant. Ranging from age 18 to 24, the contestants label themselves as beautiful, clever, affable and having the willpower to become a beauty ambassador.
Commencing Sunday, January 12th at Rock It Hot Fitness Studios, the soon to be unveiled contestants enrolled in a sixteen weeks coaching programme facilitated by the Miss Universe Turks and Caicos Beauty Org. (MTCUBO) with former Miss Universe Turks and Caicos Titleholders Wenieka Ewing and Shaveena Been as instructors. Ewing and Been are also officials of the MTCUBO.
“Training and coaching are key elements. It is our goal to not only produce a Miss Turks and Caicos Beauty Queen, but a Miss Universe title winner. We want the finest beauty ambassador to represent us on the international scene. There is an abundance of benefits to be gained from the pageant’s overall experience other than winning prizes and making fabulous appearances”, said Wenieka Ewing.
“We are not only grooming young ladies for a pageant but developing and empowering respectable young ladies of our society. There are six beautiful young caterpillars that will blossom into six beautiful butterflies. This is a journey that will change their lives forever” Ewing added.
The unveiling of the ‘Sassy Six’ will take place at 10:00am, January 27th, at a Meet the Press event at Beaches TCI Resort Villages and Spa.
March 26th – 29th, the pageant calendar will see the addition of Turks and Caicos Islands Fashion Week; a stage for cultural expression already dubbed the premiere fashion, design and style event of the country. TCIFW celebrates the work of fashion artists, craftspeople and other creators with an effervescence all of its own. All contestants are required to walk the runway for designers’ presentations at TCIFW’s Grand Runway Fashion Show “the grand finale” on March 29th hosted by America’s Next Top Model star Bianca Golden at Brayton Hall, Providenciales. www.TCIFW.com.
Miss Turks and Caicos Beauty Pageant National Events of 2014 will take place April 24th – 26th with a grand contestants’ and partners’ motorcade on the Thursday the 24th, and an exciting two nights of competitions on Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th at Brayton Hall, Providenciales. In lead up to the coronation of the new Miss Universe Turks and Caicos Titleholder, there will be a number of promotional and community happenings, cocktail parties and appearances to showcase the contestants.
A ‘Denim and Diamonds’ fundraising party is schedule for January 31st at Zanzi Bar and Restaurant where attendees will enjoy all the evening has to offer whilst giving support to the production of the MTCUBO calendar of events. Tickets are only $25.00. To view the Miss Turks and Caicos Universe Beauty Organization full calendar of events and for ticket information visit www.MissTCI.org.
To date, the Miss Turks and Caicos 2014 Pageant partners are the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board, Saint George Fashion House, Digicel TCI, Beaches Resort Villages and Spa., interCaribbean Airways, Rock It Hot Fitness Center, Power 92.5FM, Kiss 102.5FM, SUN TCI Newspaper, TCI Weekly Newspaper, Everything TCI, Gilley’s Enterprises Ltd., Zanzi Bar and Restaurant, Villa Del Mar and The Regent Palms Resort.
Woman robbed by two men on Bible Street in Provo
Detectives of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) are appealing for witnesses after a 26-year-old woman was robbed at knifepoint in Blue Hills.
About 6:25PM yesterday (Thursday 09th January 2014), a 26-year-old woman was robbed on Bible Street, Blue Hills.
Two men, armed with knives, approached her. They threatened the woman and demanded her bag. The 26-year-old woman gave them her bag and they fled. The bag, which was brown in color, contained a sum of cash, various ID cards and a Samsung cellphone.
Police responded to the location of the incident and established a crime scene, which was examined by specialist forensic officers.
The two Black males were wearing a navy blue shirt, black pants with a red shirt covering his face and the other was dressed in a red shirt and black pants with a black shirt covering his face.
Detectives from the RTCIPF are investigating this incident and urge anyone with information about those responsible for the robbery to contact police.
Police are urging anyone with information about this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1-800-8477 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: www.crimestoppers.tc. Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
2013 ends with weakest job growth in years
The job market suddenly looks a lot weaker than economists' had thought.
Hiring slumped sharply in December, as the economy added only 74,000 jobs, according to the government. This was the weakest month for job growth since January 2011 and came as a huge surprise to economists, who were expecting an addition of 193,000 jobs.
For all of 2013, the economy added 2.2 million jobs -- on par with 2012's gains.
Some economists believe December's weak job gains could be a fluke, given other solid data recently. They expect the government to revise the numbers higher in the months ahead.
"Just about every other measure of job growth suggests that employers are either hiring or intending to hire, extending hours and laying off fewer people," said Tim Hopper, chief economist for TIAA-CREF.
"Let's not panic," said Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, adding that "it's not a horrible year, all things considered."
The government also noted that "unusually cold weather in parts of the country" could have had some impact on construction jobs for example. That sector lost 16,000 jobs in December.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 6.7% in December, but the drop came mainly from workers leaving the labor force.
Job market dropouts could be doing other things, like retiring, enrolling in educational programs or taking care of relatives. But many have simply given up hope of finding work.
Only 62.8% of the adult population is participating in the labor market now -- meaning they either have a job or are looking for one. That matches the lowest level since 1978.
In the job market's 2007 heyday, unemployment was under 5%, but in the two years that followed, the recession wiped out 8.7 million jobs. To this day, not all those jobs have returned.
Source-CNNMoney
EU leaders hail Latvia’s euro membership
European Union leaders say Latvia’s inclusion in the euro bloc has shown that countries can emerge from economic crises stronger and that fears of the common currency’s decline were exaggerated.
During his first visit to the country since its accession, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the Baltic state is a “shining example” of how an economy can reap benefits from painful reforms. It is currently the EU’s fastest-growing economy. Barroso said Latvia’s joining the eurozone on January 1 was the best demonstration of the currency zone’s resilience despite recent predications it would implode due to high debts and recessions in several member states.
European Council President Herman van Rompuy said he expects another Baltic state, Lithuania, to become the 19th member of the eurozone in 2015.
Source-AP
T&T must diversify to be relevant
The recent oil spill in parts of south Trinidad shows the weak infrastructure of T&T’s oil industry, said Gregory Hill, president of the Securities Dealers’ Association of T&T (SDATT). “They (the Government) need to diversify if we are to be relevant in the context of our uncompetitive natural gas prices,” he said.
“The declining oil production locally, our weak oil infrastructure as can be seen by the recent oil spill, the competition from shale gas, competition from other competing energy plants from around the world—our energy sector is in a precarious position as our economy is dependent on those.” Hill spoke yesterday at the signing of the protocol ceremony between the SDATT and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He said the agreement will work in favour of the Securities Industry and the economy as a whole.
“Today the role of SDATT is a heightened one in the T&T economy. As we see the outlook for our economy to be fairly mixed. Our energy sector still accounts for 45 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that level of dependence is a risk factor to our industry and our economy as a whole,” he said. He said because of this, SDATT sees development of the capital market as critical for the economic diversification paradigm of the country. Hill said the development of the country lies at the “heart of the securities business.”
“We must include our sector’s contribution from the low teens to at least a third of the economy. The only way to do that is to develop our securities services. We need more IPO’s and we thank Finance Minister Howai for the FCB IPO. We also need to privatise the non-core state entities of T&T and by doing this create more listings on the market and by doing so create a society that is more open to risk taking,” he said.
Source-Guardian Media
Volkswagen plans $7bn North America investment
German carmaker Volkswagen has said it will invest $7bn (£4bn) in North America over the next five years as it looks to boost its sales in the region.
The firm will also launch a new sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the US - one of its biggest markets - in 2016.
It also reiterated its goal of selling a million Volkswagens and Audis - its luxury brand - in the US by 2018.
Volkswagen has set its sights on becoming the world's biggest carmaker by then.
It is currently the world's third-biggest manufacturer, behind Japan's Toyota and US carmaker General Motors.
"As a group, we will be investing over $7bn in North America over the next five years," said Martin Winterkorn, chief executive of Volkswagen.
Volkswagen's plans to boost investment in the region come at a time when the US car market has been recovering from the slump seen in the years after the global financial crisis.
Analysts expect 2013 to be the best year for the US auto market since 2007, with total annual sales expected to reach nearly 15.6 million units.
If that figure is met, it would mark a strong recovery from 2009, when sales fell to 10.4 million.
Global carmakers, including Volkswagen, have benefited from the continuing recovery.
Last week, Volkswagen reported record sales for its luxury brands - Audi, Porsche and Bentley - in 2013.
A rise in deliveries in the US market was a key contributor to their sales during the period.
Audi's sales jumped 13.5% in the US during the period, from a year ago, while Porsche saw growth of 21% and Bentley deliveries rose 28%.
Source-BBC
BP loses bid over Gulf oil payouts
BP has lost an appeal to cancel the terms of its multi-billion-dollar settlement with businesses over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster.
A US federal appeals court on Saturday upheld the terms of the original 2012 settlement.
The UK oil giant has supported compensation for businesses harmed by the disaster.
But it argued that the terms of the existing deal meant that some huge sums were being paid for false claims.
In 2012, BP agreed to make payments to those who suffered economic losses as a result of the disaster aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which triggered the worst offshore oil spill in US history.
The blast killed 11 workers and released an estimated four million barrels of oil into the gulf.
However, BP complained that the payout formula worked out by court-appointed claims administrator Patrick Juneau was too generous and meant that people and businesses were being paid huge sums for false claims.
On Friday, the US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the original judge, Carl Barbier, did not err by failing to determine whether the class of eligible claimants included individuals who haven't actually suffered any injury.
It means that the UK oil giant may have to pay out much more than it originally thought it would have to.
BP originally projected that the settlement would cost $7.8bn (£4.8bn) but last year increased its estimate to $9.6bn.
BP has faced about $42.4bn in criminal and civil charges since the disaster.
Golden Globes 2014 winners
Here are the winners and nominees for the 71st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best film and TV in 2013.
MOVIES
DRAMA
Winner: 12 Years a Slave
Nominees: 12 Years a Slave; Captain Phillips; Gravity; Philomena; Rush
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MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Winner: American Hustle
Nominees: American Hustle; Her; Inside Llewyn Davis; Nebraska; The Wolf of Wall Street
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ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Winner: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club as Ron Woodroof)
Nominees: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave as Solomon Northup); Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom as Nelson Mandela); Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips as Captain Richard Phillips); Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club as Ron Woodroof); Robert Redford (All Is Lost as Our Man)
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ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Winner: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine as Jasmine Francis)
Nominees: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine as Jasmine Francis); Sandra Bullock (Gravity as Dr. Ryan Stone); Judi Dench (Philomena as Philomena Lee); Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks as P. L. Travers); Kate Winslet (Labor Day as Adele Wheeler)
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ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street as Jordan Belfort)
Nominees: Christian Bale (American Hustle as Irving Rosenfeld); Bruce Dern (Nebraska as Woody Grant); Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street as Jordan Belfort); Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis as Llewyn Davis); Joaquin Phoenix (Her as Theodore Twombly)
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ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Winner: Amy Adams (American Hustle as Sydney Prosser)
Nominees: Amy Adams (American Hustle as Sydney Prosser); Julie Delpy (Before Midnight as Céline Wallace); Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha as Frances Halladay); Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Enough Said as Eva); Meryl Streep (August: Osage County as Violet Weston)
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SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Winner: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club as Rayon)
Nominees: Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips as Abduwali Muse); Daniel Brühl (Rush as Niki Lauda); Bradley Cooper (American Hustle as Richie DiMaso); Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave as Edwin Epps); Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club as Rayon)
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SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Winner: Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle as Rosalyn Rosenfeld)
Nominees: Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine as Ginger); Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle as Rosalyn Rosenfeld); Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave as Patsey); Julia Roberts (August: Osage County as Barbara Weston-Fordham); June Squibb (Nebraska as Kate Grant)
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DIRECTOR
Winner: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Nominees: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity); Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips); Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave); Alexander Payne (Nebraska); David O. Russell (American Hustle)
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SCREENPLAY
Winner: Spike Jonze (Her)
Nominees: Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope (Philomena); Spike Jonze (Her); Bob Nelson (Nebraska); John Ridley (12 Years a Slave); Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell (American Hustle)
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ORIGINAL SCORE
Winner: Alex Ebert (All Is Lost)
Nominees: Alex Ebert (All Is Lost); Alex Heffes (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom); Steven Price (Gravity); John Williams (The Book Thief); Hans Zimmer (12 Years a Slave)
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ORIGINAL SONG
Winner: Ordinary Love by U2 and Danger Mouse (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
Nominees: Atlas by Coldplay (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire); Let It Go by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Frozen); Ordinary Love by U2 and Danger Mouse (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom); Please Mr. Kennedy by Ed Rush, George Cromarty, T Bone Burnett, Justin Timberlake, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (Inside Llewyn Davis); Sweeter Than Fiction by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff (One Chance)
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ANIMATED FILM
Winner: Frozen
Nominees: The Croods; Despicable Me 2; Frozen
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner: The Great Beauty
Nominees: Blue Is the Warmest Color; The Great Beauty; The Hunt; The Past; The Wind Rises
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TELEVISION
DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Breaking Bad
Nominees: Breaking Bad; Downton Abbey; The Good Wife; House of Cards; Masters of Sex
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MUSICAL OR COMEDY SERIES
Winner: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Nominees: The Big Bang Theory; Brooklyn Nine-Nine; Girls; Modern Family; Parks and Recreation
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ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad as Walter White)
Nominees: Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad as Walter White); Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex as Bill Masters); Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan as Ray Donovan); Kevin Spacey (House of Cards as Frank Underwood); James Spader (The Blacklist as Raymond Reddington)
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ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Robin Wright (House of Cards as Claire Underwood)
Nominees: Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife as Alicia Florrick); Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black as various characters); Taylor Schilling (Orange Is the New Black as Piper Chapman); Kerry Washington (Scandal as Olivia Pope); Robin Wright (House of Cards as Claire Underwood)
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ACTOR, MUSICAL OR COMEDY SERIES
Winner: Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Jake Peralta)
Nominees: Jason Bateman (Arrested Development as Michael Bluth); Don Cheadle (House of Lies as Marty Kaan); Michael J. Fox (The Michael J. Fox Show as Mike Henry); Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory as Sheldon Cooper); Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Jake Peralta)
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ACTRESS, MUSICAL OR COMEDY SERIES
Winner: Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation as Leslie Knope)
Nominees: Zooey Deschanel (New Girl as Jessica Day), Lena Dunham (Girls as Hannah Horvath), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie as Jackie Peyton); Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep as Vice President Selina Meyer); Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation as Leslie Knope)
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ACTOR, MINISERIES OR TV FILM
Winner: Michael Douglas (Behind the Candelabra as Liberace)
Nominees: Matt Damon (Behind the Candelabra as Scott Thorson); Michael Douglas (Behind the Candelabra as Liberace); Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dancing on the Edge as Louis Lester); Idris Elba (Luther as John Luther); Al Pacino (Phil Spector as Phil Spector)
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ACTRESS, MINISERIES OR TV FILM
Winner: Elisabeth Moss (Top of the Lake as Robin Griffin)
Nominees: Helena Bonham Carter (Burton & Taylor as Elizabeth Taylor); Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen as Elizabeth Woodville); Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Coven as Fiona Goode); Helen Mirren (Phil Spector as Linda Kenney Baden); Elisabeth Moss (Top of the Lake as Robin Griffin)
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SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Jon Voight (Ray Donovan as Mickey Donovan)
Nominees: Josh Charles (The Good Wife as Will Gardner); Rob Lowe (Behind the Candelabra as Dr. Jack Startz); Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad as Jesse Pinkman); Corey Stoll (House of Cards as Peter Russo); Jon Voight (Ray Donovan as Mickey Donovan)
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SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Jacqueline Bisset (Dancing on the Edge as Lady Livinia Cremone)
Nominees: Jacqueline Bisset (Dancing on the Edge as Lady Livinia Cremone); Janet McTeer (The White Queen as Jacquetta of Luxembourg); Hayden Panettiere (Nashville as Juliette Barnes); Monica Potter (Parenthood as Kristina Braverman); Sofía Vergara (Modern Family as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett)
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MINISERIES OR TV FILM
Winner: Behind the Candelabra
Nominees: American Horror Story: Coven; Behind the Candelabra; Dancing on the Edge; Top of the Lake; The White Queen
Source-USA Today
American Hustle wins three awards at Golden Globes
American Hustle has been honoured at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles, winning three awards.
The 1970s-set crime movie was named best film, comedy or musical, while its stars Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence also won prizes for their roles.
Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto picked up the best actor and supporting actor in a drama prizes for the biographical Dallas Buyers Club.
Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave was named best film drama.
However, it was the only award the movie picked up, after going into evening with seven nominations.
Both McQueen and stars Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor had received nods.
Cate Blanchett collected the best actress in a drama trophy for Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine, while Alfonso Cuaron was named best director for space movie Gravity.
Jacqueline Bisset was the only British actor to win an award for her part in BBC drama Dancing on the Edge.
The TV categories featured a number of double award winners.
Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra was named best TV movie/mini-series, with Michael Douglas picking up the best actor in a TV movie, series or mini-series.
Breaking Bad also came away with two awards including best drama series and best actor in a drama for its star Bryan Cranston.
It was the first Golden Globe for Cranston, having been nominated for the same award every year since 2011. He was also nominated in 2003 for his role in comedy Malcolm in the Middle.
Police caper Brooklyn Nine-Nine also collected two prizes including best comedy or musical TV series and best actor in a comedy for Andy Samberg.
Amy Poehler won best actress in a TV comedy or musical for her role in Parks and Recreation, while Robin Wright was named best actress in a drama series.
Source-BBC