Warren, Sanders introduce debt relief bill to benefit Puerto Rico
A number of potential 2020 Democratic presidential contenders are behind a bill that would allow Puerto Rico to terminate its $73 billion in debt.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, introduced a bill Wednesday that would give the US territory a way out of its crushing debt crisis exacerbated by the damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-New York -- the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the House -- plans to introduce companion legislation in the House.
The relief act aims to allow US territories to "terminate their public, unsecured debt" if they meet two of the following criteria: population decrease of 5% over 10 years, received major federal disaster assistance and per capita debt going beyond $15,000. Puerto Rico qualifies under these criteria.
The senators propose that Puerto Rico's governor and Legislature approve the debt relief, since Puerto Rico is a self-governing territory. The bill would then designate a "special master" to allocate $15 billion to creditors Puerto Rico owed. The bill would not extend to bond insurers, large financial firms and hedge fund investors.
Under the bill, eligible US territories would be allowed the option to terminate their debt only once every seven years. The Caribbean island has been in an economic recession for over a decade and in May 2017 it filed for bankruptcy the biggest municipal bankruptcy filing ever in the US.
Four months after filing for bankruptcy, Puerto Rico was hit by the strongest storm the island has seen in 85 years: Hurricane Maria.
When he was a candidate, Donald Trump said he would not "bail out" Puerto Rico, but as President and following Hurricane Maria, Trump floated the prospect of wiping out Puerto Rico's debt burden.
Nissan's new audible warning reminds parents not to leave kids in hot cars
So far this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 29 children have died of heatstroke after being left in a hot car. That number will only climb — on average, 1 child dies every 10 days due to in-car heatstroke. And it doesn't always have to be stifling hot outside for tragedy to strike. NHTSA says the interior of a car can soar to 110 degrees even with an exterior temperature of only 60 degrees.
To combat this very real problem, Nissan introduced Rear Door Alert technology in its 2018 Pathfinder that reminds owners to check the rear seat upon exiting their vehicle. Instead of a simple warning text on the dash, Nissan's system includes "a series of distinctive honks as the driver walks away from the vehicle." RDA monitors use of a car's rear door, and if it's opened at the beginning of a trip but remains closed at the end, the warning system activates.
RDA was developed by two engineers at Nissan who are also mothers. For 2019, Nissan has spread RDA across much of its lineup, including the Altima and Rogue. And by 2022, RDA will be standard across all four-door Nissan vehicles, including pickup trucks.
A homeless man handing out resumes in Silicon Valley gets more than 200 offers
After standing on a street corner and asking strangers for employment, one homeless man in Silicon Valley has been overwhelmed by job offers.
David Casarez, a college graduate in his 20s, was spotted holding a sign that read, "Homeless hungry 4 success take a resume." He was handing out his resume to motorists in Mountain View, California.
Casarez moved to California several months ago, seeking a job in the tech industry. He recently ran out of money and said he had to get creative to get noticed.
"I wanted to be in the Bay Area with all of the other tech companies. If you want to compete and play with the big dogs, you'd better come out here," he told KRON. "I was like, 'Let me try something to stand out.'"
The sign and perseverance paid off. After a woman shared a photo of Casarez with his sign, as well as his resume, on social media, he has been inundated with people trying to help.
When asked how many job offers he's received, Casarez said he's lost track.
"I would say it's way more than 200 at this point. Lost track as my inbox has been flooded," Casarez said.
Carr Fire in California is so hot it's creating its own weather system
The Carr Fire raging in Northern California is so large and hot that it is creating its own localized weather system with variable strong winds, making it difficult for experts to predict which way the blaze will spread.
At least 19 people were still reported missing in Shasta County, California, officials said after shifting winds, dry fuel and steep terrain helped the monstrous fire engulf more than 103,000 acres.
The fire has claimed six lives, including a firefighter and bulldozer operator working to extinguish the blaze. Authorities have received 48 missing person reports but 29 people have since been found safe, according to Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko.
The fire, which started a week ago, has burned 103,772 acres and is just 23% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It has scorched an area bigger than the size of Denver.
Flames have destroyed at least 966 structures in the area, making it one of the top 10 most destructive wildfires in California history. In fact, seven of the 12 most destructive fires have happened since 2015.
"We are seeing more destructive, larger fires burning at rates that we have historically never seen," said Jonathan Cox, Cal Fire regional battalion chief.
More than 3,300 fire personnel are battling the flames with more than 330 engines and 17 helicopters, Cal Fire reported.
Police Arrive At French Montana's Home After Armed Robbery
South Bronx rapper French Montana became the victim of a home invasion, TMZ reports, on Tuesday morning (July 31) after two armed assailants broke into his home in Calabasas residence.
Thankfully, TMZ further reports that no one was hospitalized. But considering that the 33-year-old’s home is in a gated community, the break-in could raise many eyebrows.
The invasion reportedly occurred hours beforehand, but for an undetailed reason, was reported later on. There is currently no information as to whether anyone was held at gunpoint or injured, but the site adds that French and “an unknown number of people” were in the house during the incident.
an investigation is currently underway, but there are no leads or suspects just yet. The home, which formerly belonged to 26-year-old pop singer Selena Gomez, has a history of sketchy activity, though. The site concludes that when Gomez resided there she’d dealt with a stalker who “made his way to her home” shortly after she moved in and despite the home being located in a gated community.
Sexual abuse 'endemic' in international aid sector, damning report finds
Sexual abuse of vulnerable women and girls by international aid workers is "endemic" and has been happening for years, with perpetrators easily moving around the sector undetected, according to a UK government report published Tuesday.
The report by the House of Commons International Development Committee comes after historical allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct by employees of several top NGOs, including Oxfam and Save the Children, surfaced earlier this year. Those allegations prompted the Committee to launch an inquiry into abuse in the aid sector in February.
Tuesday's report found sexual abuse and exploitation to be "endemic across the international aid sector" and targeted at both locals and staff members. Abuses ranged from unwanted sexual comments to rape.
"The power imbalance is predominantly, although not exclusively, men abusing women and girls," said the report, which warned that the cases that had come to light were likely just the "tip of the iceberg
A cause of "deep concern and alarm" was the ease with which individuals known to be predatory or potentially dangerous were able to move undetected from one aid organization to another, the report added.
The committee criticized aid groups for failing to tackle the problem despite being aware of reports of abuse for years. Chair of the committee, MP Stephen Twigg, said that the report set out "the collective failure over period of at least 16 years by the aid sector to address sexual exploitation and abuse."
He said that in effect, organizations had often put "their reputation ahead of women, children and other victims of sexual exploitation and abuse."
BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS PUBLIC FORECAST 31st JULY, 2018
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT TUESDAY 31ST JULY 2018
GENERAL SITUATION: AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE BAHAMAS EXTENDS FROM A LOW OVER THE GREATER ANTILLES WHILE A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE GENERATING BREEZY CONDITIONS OVER THE ISLANDS.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY. LOCALLY HAZARDOUS WINDS AND SEAS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE HEAVY SHOWERS AND STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS. BEACHGOERS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO THE HIGH RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS AT EAST COAST BEACHES.
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY, HUMID AND BREEZY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
NORTHWEST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY TO OCCASIONALLY CLOUDY, HOT AND HUMID WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION COMES IN EFFECT BY AFTERNOON. BOATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING 15 TO 20 KNOTS BY AFTERNOON OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET BUILDING 4 TO 6 FEET BY AFTERNOON OVER THE OCEAN.
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 91°F 33°C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE 77°F 25°C
HEAT INDEX 102°F 39°C
SUNRISE: 6:37AM
SUNSET: 7:53PM
MOONSET: 9:44AM
MOONRISE: 10:32PM
HIGH TIDE: 9:53AM 10:07PM
LOW TIDE: 3:57PM 4:31AM WED
EXTENDED FORECAST: A LARGE UPPER-LEVEL LOW, CURRENTLY CENTERED JUST SOUTH OF EASTERN CUBA, MIGRATES FURTHER WESTWARD DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WHILE A STRONG SURFACE ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT FEATURE GENERATE FRESH TO OCCASIONALLY STRONG BREEZES THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
Hon. Vaden Delroy Williams on Restoration of Radio Station
Hon. Vaden Delroy Williams, Minister with responsibility for Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication is pleased to inform our listeners that Radio Turks & Caicos (Broadcast 89.1 FM) services have been restored throughout the islands. He takes this opportunity to extend his sincerest apologies to you for the system outages that took place over the past weeks.
Since the problem with the system was first discovered, we have been working around the clock to methodically examine and test each component of the system to ensure it is safe and working properly.
As a Ministry, we are fully aware that our service is essential to many here in the Turks & Caicos Islands and earning your trust through the operation of a reliable service will always be our highest priority.
We deeply regret this incident and apologize to you, and to everyone who relies on us for their primary information needs.
The said outages, came at the most inopportune time during the House of Assembly Budget Session, which we assure you will be replayed in its entirety for your listening convenience.
To ensure that this issue does not reoccur, our engineers worked to address the situation through the purchase of additional necessary equipment.
We would like to thank you our loyal listeners for your patience and understanding as we continue work to modernize our station Radio Turks & Caicos (RTC Broadcast 89.1).
For more information and updates you can listen to us at www.rtc89fm.com.
Hon. Vaden Delroy Williams
Thirteen (13) Immigration Officers Appointed
Thirteen (13) Immigration Officers Appointed
A total of 13 officers were promoted and appointed within the Immigration Department through a series of recruitment exercises throughout the 2017/2018 financial year.
Deputy Governor, Hon. Anya Williams in meeting with the new officers on Monday July 23rd, 2018 to congratulate them on their recent promotions and appointments to the civil service and to discuss with them their new roles, had this to say; "It was a pleasure to meet with the new Immigration Department team to congratulate them on their recent success and to discuss with them the responsibilities of their new roles. The addition of these 13 new appointments through a combination of internal promotions and new appointments is a part our efforts to strengthen the manpower capacity within the department in order to improve customer service delivery and to strengthen our law enforcement capabilities."
"As we seek to restructure and to refocus the department, the post of Assistant Immigration Officer is gradually being phased out so that staff can be recruited at a much higher level and of a much higher caliber. Through this mechanism, a number of officers in the department underwent a testing program on the roles and responsibilities of Immigration Officers and the laws, policies and procedures guiding them, in order to be considered for promotion. While the new officers underwent an open recruitment process which included a testing and interview process."
"The officers recently appointed have been assigned across a range of functions within the department including the Airport; Intelligence Unit and Task Force and will continue to be rotated on as needed basis to enhance their training and full understanding of the wide range of responsibilities within the Immigration Department."
"Theirs is a task which is not easy as Immigration continues to be an area of heavy demand at the airport where there has been the addition of new flights and additional arrivals in the last year, coupled with improved mandatory procedures for passenger processing; the Intelligence Unit where we continue to focus on the detection of fraudulent and other documents; and on the Task Force where there has been a significant increase in activity due to the increase of sloop landings in the last year and the efforts of Operation Guardian."
"As a result of this we will aim to provide continuous training to staff to provide them with the skills and tools that are necessary to carry out their duties, while at the same time ensuring that there are continuous reviews in their terms and conditions and in ensuring their safety."
"Congratulations to all on your recent success and I encourage you to take full advantage of the opportunities provided to you in the civil service, including those that will assist in your upward mobility."
Listing of recent appointments:
Promotion from Assistant Immigration Officer to Immigration Officer:
- Bridgette Adams
- Veleika Brooks
- Donovan Francis
- Jeno Gardiner
- Alva K Lawrence
- Lakito Williams
- Teresa Samuels
New appointments – Immigration Officer
- Curtis Lightbourne
- Crystal Gardiner
- Doniesha Capron
- Reinaldo Forbes
- Valdez Thomas
- Arzsa Fulford