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
ITC and CDB announce scaled-up partnership
PREVENT MOSQUITO BREEDING DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Ministry of Health, Agriculture, Sports and Human Services urges persons to help prevent mosquito breeding during the summer months
Dengue, chikungunya and zika are all vector borne diseases primarily spread by the bite of an infected aedes aegypti mosquito. The symptoms of the three diseases vary slightly but can all include fever, headache, muscle pain, joint paint and rash. Persons experiencing these symptoms, which typically last several days to a week, are urged to consult a physician.
Over the last few years all three vector borne diseases have emerged in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). In response to these vector borne diseases, the Ministry has implemented a number of measures including increased public education, enhanced vector control measures and surveillance which have been successful in reducing the disease burden. The good news emanating from these strategies is that the last case of chikungunya was confirmed on October 28th 2014 and the last case of zika on January 3rd 2017 in the TCI. Thus, the TCI has not seen a positive case of chikungunya in nearly 4 years and has not seen a positive case of zika in about 18 months.Even dengue, which is more common in the TCI, has been on the decline in recent months.
One particular concern when it comes to zika is its ability to also spread during sexual intercourse and from mother to fetus during pregnancy. Scientists suspect that zika transmission during pregnancy can increase the risk of fetal brain defects such as microcephaly. In the TCI, there has been one case of zika in a pregnant woman in 2016. The mother delivered without complications and both mother and infant are doing well.
Despite this positive news, the Ministry of Health, Agriculture, Sports and Human Services (MHASHS) would like to take this opportunity to remind the general public not to be complacent. With the summer months, come conditions where mosquitoes thrive, grow and reproduce. Visitors and residents alike are reminded to take the following preventative measures:
- Keep your environment clean and free from standing water where mosquitos breed: including tires, bottles, cans, gutters, tree stumps, pets' bowls, flower pots, etc.
- Avoid being bitten by wearing loose long sleeved shirts and long pants
- Apply insect repellent to exposed skin
- Use mosquito nets when sleeping
- Use safe household insecticides indoor
- Have intact window and door screens in dwellings
- Use condoms to prevent the spread of zika during sex
The MHASHS is also doing its part to prevent the spread of mosquito borne diseases, including:
- Mosquito control exercises such as fogging, larvaciding and treatment of active swamps.
- Premises inspections to find sources of mosquito breeding and target for removal/remediation. Notices are issued to those who fail to comply.
- Removal of derelict vehicles and old appliances, which can serve as breeding sites.
- Clean-up campaigns to mobilize communities to take the lead in keeping their environments clean and free from breeding sites.
- Public awareness campaigns to educate residents on what they can do to prevent vector borne disease.
- A series of vector borne disease workshops to update stakeholders on the latest prevention/ control techniques and to brainstorm methods of enhancing the national strategy.
- Enhanced surveillance to monitor and detect clusters of vector borne disease for the purpose of timely intervention and response.
For further information, kindly contact the Health Promotion and Advocacy Unit on 338 5231 or the Environmental Health Department on 3382143/44.
Google executive warns of face ID bias
Facial recognition technology does not yet have "the diversity it needs” and has “inherent biases”, a top Google executive has warned.
The remarks, from the firm’s director of cloud computing, Diane Greene, came after rival Amazon’s software wrongly identified 28 members of Congress, disproportionately people of colour, as police suspects.
Google, which has not opened its facial recognition technology to public use, was working on gathering vast sums of data to improve reliability, Ms Greene said.
However, she refused to discuss the company’s controversial work with the military.
“Bad things happen when I talk about Maven,” Ms Greene said, referring to a soon-to-be abandoned project with the US military to develop artificial intelligence technology for drones.
After considerable employee pressure, including resignations, Google said it would not renew its contract with the Pentagon after it lapses some time in 2019.
The firm has not commented on the deal since, only to release a set of “AI principles” that stated it would not use artificial intelligence or machine learning to create weapons.
Vibeke Skofterud: Former Olympic champion dies in jet-skiing accident
Olympic cross-country skiing gold medallist Vibeke Skofterud has died in a jet-skiing accident at the age of 38.
The Norwegian won 4x5km relay gold at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010 and was also a two-time world champion in the discipline.
Skofterud was reported missing on Saturday, and her body was found by rescuers near the island of St Helena, southern Norway on Sunday.
The Norwegian Ski Federation said her death was an "inconceivable tragedy".
"Our life-loving Vibeke is gone. Our thoughts go to Vibeke's family and her closest," said national team director Vidar Lofshus.
As well as her titles, Skofterud won silver and bronze at World Championship level, and finished on the podium 15 times at World Cup events.