Donald Trump backtracks on 'video of Iran payment'
US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has backtracked on a claim that he saw video footage of a US cash payment to Iran. He made the claim at a rally. His team admitted it was incorrect, only for Mr Trump to repeat it at another rally. The money was paid at the same time US hostages were freed, but the president said it was a payment linked to the landmark Iranian nuclear agreement. Mr Trump said the video he saw was of the hostage transfer, not the payment. The White House announced in January it was making payments to Iran - a total of $1.7bn (£1.3bn) to settle a decades-old dispute over a failed military equipment deal - as part of the nuclear accord. A newspaper this week revealed that $400m of that was delivered in cash, flown to Iran at roughly the same time as four Americans were released in a prisoner exchange.
EARL RAPIDLY WEAKENS
NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL STORM EARL ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, AT 12:00PM THURSDAY 04TH AUGUST 2016
EARL RAPIDLY WEAKENING OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN OF NORTHERN GUATEMALA
AT 11:00AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM EARL WAS LOCATED WELL INLAND NEAR LATITUDE 17.2° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 89.9° WEST OR ABOUT 115 MILES WEST OF BELIZE CITY.
EARL IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AT 12 MPH, AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, EARL WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN GUATEMALA AND SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 50 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AS THE CENTER MOVES OVER HIGH TERRAIN, AND EARL IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION BY TONIGHT.
THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 6PM
PREPARED BY FORECASTER: ORSON NIXON
08/04/2016 1600UTC
Weather Forecast
THIS IS A PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT THURSDAY 04TH AUGUST 2016 ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY AT 6AM
GENERAL SITUATION: A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TODAY.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BEACHGOERS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO THE THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS AT BEACHES MAINLY ALONG THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN SHORELINES.
ALL AREAS:
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY AND HOT BUT A BIT BREEZY IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS. WARM AND BREEZY TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS…EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS…4 TO 7 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 93 °F 34 °C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE 79°F 26 °C
SUNRISE: 6:39AM MOONRISE: 8:15AM HIGH TIDE: 9:35AM & 9:56PM
SUNSET: 7:52PM MOONSET: 9:11PM LOW TIDE: 3:43PM
EXTENDED FORECAST: HIGH PRESSURE WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND.
FORECAST FOR FRIDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH THE CHANCE OF ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: SOUTHEASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS…EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS…4 TO 7 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
FORECAST FOR SATURDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS…EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS…4 TO 7 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: SEE LATEST NEWS ITEM ON EARL.
FORECASTER: IAN V. MCKENZIE/C.G.
LARGE EARL HEADING FOR BELIZE
NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL STORM EARL ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY, FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, ON WEDNESDAY 3RD AUGUST, 2016 AT 6 PM.
AT 5PM EDT, TROPICAL STORM EARL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.1° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 86.0° WEST OR ABOUT 70 MILES EAST OF ISLA ROATAN, HONDURAS AND ABOUT 150 MILES EAST OF BELIZE CITY.
EARL IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 14 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH SOME DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK, THE CORE OF EARL IS EXPECTED TO PASS NEAR THE HONDURAS BAY ISLANDS DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS, THEN MAKE LANDFALL IN BELIZE TONIGHT OR EARLY THURSDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 70 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS, HOWEVER, EARL IS EXPECTED TO BE A HURRICANE BY THE TIME IT REACHES BELIZE. WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AFTER THE CENTER OF EARL MOVES INLAND.
THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT MIDNIGHT.
PREPARED BY DUTY FORECASTER: SHEZELLE MATHER 3RD AUGUST 2016, 5:45 PM
EARL WEAKENS AS IT HEADS OVER BELIZE
NEWS ITEM ON HURRICANE EARL ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, AT 6AM THURSDAY 04TH AUGUST 2016.
EARL IS WEAKENING AS IT MOVES FARTHER INLAND OVER BELIZE
AT 5 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF EARLWAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 17.3°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 88.9° WEST OR ABOUT 50 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF BELIZE CITY.
EARL IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AT 15 MPH AND A TURN TOWARDS THE WEST-NORTHWEST AND A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF EARL IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN BELIZE THIS MORNING, MOVE ACROSS GUATEMALA AND THE SOUTHERN YUCATAN PENINSULA LATER TODAY, AND BE NEAR OR OVER THE SOUTHERN BAY OF CAMPECHE FRIDAY NIGHT.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MILES PER HOUR WITH HIGHER GUSTS, AND ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AS THE CENTER MOVES FARTHER INLAND. EARL IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN TO A TROPICAL STORM LATER THIS MORNING AND TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION BY FRIDAY MORNING.
THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT NOON.
PREPARED BY FORECASTER: IAN V. MCKENZIE
04@5:58AM
Vibrations bring still photos to life
Interactive photographs in which still objects can be manipulated have been developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT said its algorithm analysed video of a still object to detect "tiny, almost invisible vibrations" that determined how it moved. The technique, called interactive dynamic video (IDV), does not require any special cameras. It could be used to create special effects in video games or films.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel confirmed
Warner Bros has announced a sequel to upcoming Harry Potter spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The news comes three months before the first film, starring Eddie Redmayne, is due in cinemas. JK Rowling, who made her screenwriting debut on Fantastic Beasts, will also script the sequel. Warner Bros said the second film "moves deeper into an increasingly dark time for the wizarding world". David Yates - who directed the final four Harry Potter films - will return at the helm, having also directed Fantastic Beasts. Rowling previously said the Fantastic Beasts films - based on her book of the same name - would be a trilogy, but this is the first time Warner Bros has confirmed the plan. The first instalment will be released in the UK and US on 18 November.
US election 2016: Republican divisions grow over Trump
Republican donor Meg Whitman has endorsed his rival Hillary Clinton, saying Mr Trump's "demagoguery" had undermined the national fabric. Senior party activist Jan Halper-Hayes told the BBC she thought Mr Trump was "psychologically unbalanced". In the latest controversy, Mr Trump has refused to support two senior figures in his own party. In an interview for the Washington Post, he said he was "just not quite there yet" when asked if he would endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain. Both men, among the most senior elected Republicans in the country, face primary votes after challenges from within their own party ahead of their re-election bids in November. The two had both criticised Mr Trump's attacks on the bereaved parents of a US Muslim soldier killed in Iraq, but have both endorsed him for the presidency. The Republican presidential nominee's ongoing war of words with the parents of Capt Humayun Khan has intensified rifts within the party. US media report that Mr Trump has ignored pleas from his own advisers and senior Republican figures to end the feud with the Khan family. President Barack Obama has questioned why the Republicans have not disowned Mr Trump, saying the billionaire does not have the judgement or temperament to occupy the White House.
Ralph Higgs Resigns as Turks And Caicos’ Director of Tourism
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands (August 3, 2016) – The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board today announced that after 20 years of employment, Ralph Higgs has tenured his resignation as Director of Tourism, effective September 30, 2016.
Under Higgs’ directorship, the Turks and Caicos Islands received numerous accolades from the likes of TripAdvisor, CNN, Condé Nast, Forbes, and the World Travel Awards. The destination also experienced a steady increase in tourist arrivals annually. In 2014, Higgs became the first winner of the Caribbean Travel Award’s Tourism Director of the Year for taking the Turks and Caicos Tourism brand to new heights, helping to lead the destination to the best year-over-year improvement in tourist arrivals of any destination in the Caribbean.
During his tenure at the Tourist Board, Ralph Higgs steered the organization through several metamorphoses, including over staffing to understaffing, and over funding to insufficient budgets. However, the Tourist Board and the destination reinvented itself through a new marketing approach which sought the greatest return on investment and greater cooperation and collaboration with private sector partners.
“The fundamentals of TCI Tourism are strong. Our natural sites and attractions, while some may need a little attention, are in pristine condition. Our room inventory is first class. Other offerings including culinary and our weekly cultural extravaganza (Fish Fry) are the envy of the region. We have never had more flights from international and regional gateways as we do now, and traveling between our Sister Islands has never been easier. Certainly our people have never been more embracing of our visitors and our tourism sector,” Higgs said.
“This is a good time for TCI Tourism and the future holds as much promise as we may wish to extract from it. I am pleased and honored immensely to have led our Tourist Board and our country's tourism through some of its lowest and highest periods to date. I would like to sincerely thank the hardworking and dedicated staff of the Tourist Board, successive governments, successive Boards of Directors and the people of the Turks and Caicos for the opportunity to serve. I shall be around God’s willing, accessible and remain ready to assist where needed,” added Higgs.
Chairman of the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board, Don Gardiner, commended Higgs’ tenure as Director of Tourism, “The blocks Ralph laid and the challenges overcame in developing, building, and marketing the Turks and Caicos Islands as a world class destination is now the envy of many in the region.” Gardiner continues, “Ralph’s contribution as an ambassador has no doubt left an indelible impression on us all. His leadership, experience and sound judgment will be an asset to whomever and wherever his next journey takes him.”
The Board of Directors and Staff of the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board express their heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the many years of dedication, hard work and professional service Higgs has given to the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board and the tourism industry at large.
20 Police recruits begins training
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force has welcomed 20 new faces to the Department. The men and women who started initial training on Monday 1st August 2016, beginning a three-month journey to become officers.
Over the training period, the new recruits will undergo both classroom and situational training which includes, basic police procedures and duties, engage in swimming and lifesaving, customer service, firearm, self-defense, drill and physical training.
The officers are all sworn constables with full Police powers but will be based in and patrol main tourist areas once their training is complete.