BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS PUBLIC FORECAST 21ST AUGUST, 2018
GENERAL SITUATION: A WESTWARD MOVING SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY AROUND THE ISLANDS.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT AS THERE REMAINS THE POTENTIAL FOR FUNNEL CLOUD AND WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY.
AREA: ALL AREAS
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY, HOT AND HUMID WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS….GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS CAN BE EXPECTED IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
HIGH TEMPERATURE 93°F 34°C
HEAT INDEX 106°F 41°C
LOW TEMPERATURE TONIGHT 78°F 26°C
SUNRISE: 6:46 AM SUNSET: 7:37PM
MOONRISE: 4:25PM MOONSET: 3:24AM WED
LOW TIDE: 9:59AM & 10:55PM HIGH TIDE: 4:26PM & 4:42AM WED
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS: MID TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGHING IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA AND WILL CONTINUE TO ENHANCE SHOWERY ACTIVITY OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS.
Simone Biles wins record fifth US all-around title as comeback continues
Olympic champion Simone Biles became the first woman to win five US Women's Gymnastics Championships all-around titles and wore an outfit to show her support for survivors of sexual abuse.
The 21-year-old American is continuing her comeback after a two-year break.
In January she was among more than 100 gymnasts to say they were abused by ex-United States team doctor Larry Nassar.
Nassar received a prison sentence of up to 175 years after pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct.
Biles said the teal leotard she wore during Sunday's event was the designated colour for survivors of sexual abuse.
"It is for the survivors," she told ESPN. "I stand with all of them, and I think it's kind of special to unite."
On Sunday, less than a month after returning to competition, she became the first woman since 1994 to win all four disciplines on her way to the overall prize.
Biles' total of 119.850 gave her a 6.55-point margin of victory over nearest challenger and reigning world champion Morgan Hurd.
"I've been back for only nine months. I'm so proud of myself," said Biles on Twitter
Virus outbreak affects hundreds at Sandals Bahamas resort
A debilitating stomach virus has spread like wildfire through the Sandals Royal Bahamian resort in Nassau, blitzing guests and staff members alike with severe vomiting, abdominal pains and diarrhea, in what some have described as the worst viral outbreak to occur on cruise ship or resort facility in The Bahamas to date.
According to the ministry of health, some 100 guests and visitors were admitted to hospital, experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
The ministry of health and the Department of Environmental Health were dispatched to the property in an attempt to determine the exact cause of the illness and how to contain the spread to others guests and staff members.
The BHMAWU said it is working overtime to assist staff and visitors alike during the outbreak.
“The union is willing to assist with anything the management at Sandals wishes them to help coordinate during this crisis to ensure that the workers are safe, visitors are happy and that we can mitigate against issues like this in the future,” Ferguson said.
Anguilla to launch residency by investment programme
The government of Anguilla is to implement a “Residency by Investment” programme as part of its medium-term agenda. It will allow foreign nationals to acquire permanent residency status in Anguilla by making a financial contribution to the island and after proving to be of good health and good character.
The government of the British Overseas Territory is to host an information session on the subject on August 23, 2018, which will show the purpose and benefits of the programme, give a preview of the proposed residency by investment programme, the application process and fees, and its plans for implementation.
In 2014, a claim by promoters of a resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands, that investors are eligible to apply for a permanent residency certificate and British Overseas Territory Citizen (BOTC) passport, was refuted by the British government.
According to Tom Lawrence, at the Home Office Communications Directorate in London:
- Eligibility for British Overseas Territory Citizenship ((BOTC) is governed by the British Nationality Act 1981. Citizenship is granted by the governor of the territory and Overseas Territories are not able to grant BOTC status other than in accordance with that Act.
- Residency and other requirements for BOTC status apply, so anyone who has not lived lawfully in the territory for a number of years is unlikely to qualify.
- Criteria for the grant of BOTC include residence requirements, a good character requirement and an intention to make the principal home within the relevant territory.
- Generally, the residency requirements are for a minimum of five years residence immediately preceding the application, during which total absences must not exceed 450 days with a maximum of 90 days absence in the last year. The applicant must not have been in breach of immigration rules at any time during those five years and the last year of residence must have been free of any immigration control.
- BOTCs do not have the right of abode in the UK unless they later become British citizens.
“There is no direct route to BOTC and the investor will have to meet the eligibility requirements as noted,” the TCI governor’s spokesman confirmed at the time.
Pope on Pennsylvania sex abuse report: We abandoned the little ones
Pope Francis has acknowledged "with shame and repentance" the Catholic Church's failure to act over sexual abuse by clerics against minors, writing "we showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them."
In a letter released by the Vatican on Monday, the Pope wrote, "I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons”.
"Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated."
His letter comes in the wake of a Pennsylvania grand jury report that detailed decades of sexual abuses by priests and cover-ups by bishops. Pope Francis's letter, which was addressed to all the world's Catholics, directly referred to the Pennsylvania report which "detailed the experiences of at least 1,000 survivors, victims of sexual abuse, the abuse of power and of conscience at the hands of priests over a period of approximately 70 years."Even though it can be said that most of these cases belong to the past, nonetheless as time goes on we have come to know the pain of many of the victims. We have realized that these wounds never disappear and that they require us forcefully to condemn these atrocities and join forces in uprooting this culture of death; these wounds never go away," the Pope wrote.
Knife attacker shot by police near Barcelona
A man wielding a knife and shouting in Arabic was shot dead as he entered a police station south of Barcelona, Spanish authorities said on Monday.
The attacker, said to be 29 and of Algerian origin, had gone into the building at 05:52 (03:52 GMT) and was shot by an officer on duty.
Catalan police said the attacker had targeted officers.
He had shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest), reports said
The attacker lived in the town of Cornellà de Llobregat, just south of Barcelona. He had been living in Spain for several years and had a foreigners' identity number, reports said.
The attacker had walked through the building's entrance where he was immediately challenged by a woman officer with the Catalan force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, and by a sergeant on duty, police sources told the Efe news agency. When the man rushed forward, he was shot.
Greece emerges from eurozone bailout programme
Greece has successfully completed a three-year eurozone emergency loan programme worth €61.9bn (£55bn; $70.8bn) to tackle its debt crisis.
It was part of the biggest bailout in global financial history, totaling some €289bn, which will take the country decades to repay.
Deeply unpopular cuts to public spending, a condition of the bailout, are set to continue.
But for the first time in eight years, Greece can borrow at market rates.
The economy has grown slowly in recent years and is still 25% smaller than when the crisis began.
"From today, Greece will be treated like any other Europe area country," the EU's Commissioner on Economic and Financial Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, said on Monday.
Its reforms had, he said, "laid the foundation for a sustainable recovery" but he also cautioned that its recovery was "not an event, it is a process".
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), only four countries have shrunk economically more than Greece in the past decade: Yemen, Libya, Venezuela and Equatorial Guinea.
BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS PUBLIC FORECAST 20TH AUGUST, 2018
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT MONDAY 20TH AUGUST 2018
GENERAL SITUATION: A BROAD SURFACE TROUGH WILL MOVE WESTWARD ACROSS THE BAHAMAS GENERATING SOME CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD BE VIGILANT FOR WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS EARLY BECOMING SUNNY AND HOT BY MID-MORNING WITH A FEW BRIEF PASSING ISOLATED SHOWERS POSSIBLE.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDUNG THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. BOATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 93°F 34°C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE 79°F 26°C
HEAT INDEX 106°F 41°C
SUNRISE: 6:46AM
SUNSET: 7:38PM
MOONRISE: 3:35PM
MOONSET: 2:36AM TUE
LOW TIDE: 9:05AM 10:03PM
HIGH TIDE: 3:34PM 3:50AM TUE
EXTENDED FORECAST: IN THE WAKE A BROAD WEAK TROUGH, A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MEANDER AND DOMINATE THE WEATHER ACROSS THE AREA.
POLICE INVESTIGATE STRING OF GUN-RELATED INCIDENTS
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is investigating the circumstances surrounding a shooting incident which occurred near the Blue Hills roundabout shortly after 4:00 a.m., Sunday, August 19th, 2018.
According to police media relations officer Takara Bain, a 25-year-old male received multiple gunshot wounds, while the 19-year-old female escaped serious injuries.
Bain said a second shooting that took place after 12:00 a.m., on Monday, August 20th, 2018 is also being investigated by Police. This incident took place near the Kew Town Kids Park. A 21-year-old female in a parked car received a gunshot wound. The second passenger, a 22-year-old man was unharmed.
An armed robbery occurred Sunday, August 19th, 2018 in Grace Bay. Shortly after 2:00 a.m., a man was approached by two armed men, who robbed him of personal items. There were no reports of shots fired and injuries.
Acting Commissioner of Police Mr. Trevor Botting, said: "The weekend has seen three incidents which involved a firearm, none of which appear to be directly linked. These matters are of great concern to the RT&CIPF, as they should be to all the communities on the Turks and Caicos, given the levels of violence used."
He added: "Detectives are investigating these incidents but we need the help of local communities in bringing those persons responsible to justice and to make the TCI a safer place. There is no place for these such incidents in our communities and I am asking for your help in these investigations; we must work together to make our communities safer. My officers will be actively pursuing leads and you will see an increase in policing activity in areas of Providenciales over the coming days.”
If you have any information into these incidents please contact the Chalk Sound Police Station at 338-5901, 941-8082, 911 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-8477.
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TCI CADETS ATTEND BIENNIAL CARIBBEAN CADET CAMP IN BARBADOS
On Sunday, August 5, 2018, three instructors, along with a cohort of 16 cadets, left the Turks and Caicos Islands to join other cadets from across the Caribbean region in Barbados for the Biennial Caribbean Cadet Camp held this year, 5-19 August 2018, for a time of adventurous training, competition and cultural immersion.
The Premier, along with the Speaker of the House and the Minister of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services, had the opportunity to pray with the cadets and their instructors at the Providenciales Airport just before their departure.
The camp is held every year for cadets across the Caribbean region and a major objective is to widen and deepen understanding among the youth groups in the different territories. It allows for the cadets to undergo training in disciplines such as air and sea, weapons management and environmental awareness along with training in leadership.
Mr. Nixon Dickenson, acting Director of the Youth Department who is responsible for the Cadets Corps Programme stated, "I firmly believe that if given the opportunity, the youth of our society will maximize their potential to become productive citizens and members of our society. It may seem difficult at times, but eventually the youth will reap the benefits of the programme. The aim of the Turks & Caicos Islands Cadet Corps is to build discipline and character while instilling in our youth positive values and attitudes, and the ideal of civic responsibility to community and country".
The instructors and cadets will return to the island on Sunday, August 19, 2018.
END