Growth in US Economy
The US economy grew at an annualised pace of 2.3% in the three months to June, official figures have shown.
The figure - the first estimate of growth in the second quarter - followed an upwardly revised growth rate of 0.6% in the first three months of the year.
The Commerce Department said growth was boosted by increased consumer spending and cheaper fuel prices.
Analysts said the figure could make the US Federal Reserve more likely to raise interest rates in September.
The 2.3% annualised growth rate is equivalent to 0.6% growth quarter-on-quarter, as measured in most other countries. For example, on Tuesday, official figures showed that the UK economy grew by an estimated 0.7% in the April-to-June period from the previous quarter.
"Updated GDP numbers deliver a double-punch to US economy doom-mongers, painting a reassuringly bright picture of the health of the US economy so far this year and raising the odds of the Fed hiking interest rates in September," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at research firm Markit.
The 0.6% annualised growth rate for the first quarter of the year was an improvement on the previous estimate of a 0.2% contraction.
Consumer spending - a key driver of the US economy - grew at a rate of 2.9% in the second quarter, compared with 1.8% in the first three months of the year.
Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2015
The House of Assembly yesterday passed the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2015. This important piece of legislation has three main features as follows:
1. It amends the definition of “gainful occupation” to exclude from the definition (but only for the purposes of applying for a business license) persons who have invested in a business and who do not intend to work in that business and passive investors who are non-executive directors of the business and who are not involved in the day to day operation of that business.
The previous law required all such investors to possess a work permit in order for the business to be granted a business license. This amendment revised this provision. However, if the investor intends to be involved in the day to day operation of the business or intends to work in the business, he or she would still require a work permit.
2 The Bill also amends section 13(1) and section 30 of the Immigration Ordinance by deleting the phrase “living together with the Belonger” to be replaced by “and the holder of a Residence Permit”.
The effect of this amendment at section 13(1) is that a spouse of an Islander who holds a Residence Permit is free to work in the Islands, thereby requiring spouses of Islanders to get a residency permit in order to work, as opposed to just relying on their living together with their Islander spouse for their working rights.
The practical effect of this amendment is that so long as a spouse of an Islander is in possession of a Residence Permit, he or she may work in the Islands, even if they are no longer living together.
3. Persons who were married before the change of law on August 13, 2012, can benefit from the law as it was on that date, with the result of this amendment being that those persons will only be required to be married to and living with an Islander spouse for 5 years ending with the date of his or her application for Islander status, whereas everyone who would have gotten married on or after August 13, 2012, would have to continue to wait the 10 years, as prescribed in the 2012 amendment.
For any further questions regarding the Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2015, please contact the Office of the Minister for Border Control and Employment.
Final call for votes ahead of World Travel Awards Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony 2015
Members of the hospitality industry, consumers and tourism stakeholders from across the Caribbean and North America are being encouraged to cast their ballots ahead of the deadline for votes at the World Travel Awards Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony 2015.
The ceremony will take place in Sandals Emerald Bay, Bahamas, on October 17th, with voting scheduled to close on August 23rd.
Ahead of the Gala Ceremony 2015 World Travel Awards President Graham Cooke said: “With thousands of votes already cast, we have a few days left before we close the ballot ahead of our Gala Ceremony.
"This is one of the most highly anticipated events on our annual Grand Tour, with many fantastic organisations competing for recognition.
“Cast your ballot now on the World Travel Awards website."
A full list of nominees can be seen here, while interested parties are urged to visit the official World Travel Awards website and register to vote here.
World Travel Awards Gala Ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities within the travel and tourism industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries, and international print and broadcast media.
There is more information on the official website.
US urges DomRep to avoid mass deportation of Haitians
The United States has again urged the Dominican Republic to avoid mass deportations. The renewed call comes in the wake of emeriging reports of the resumption of the deportation of persons of Haitian decent from the Dominican Republic.
US Department of State spokesman Mark C Toner said Washington is “aware of the decision by the Dominican Republic to begin deporting persons who are deemed illegally present in the country.
He said in a statement that the US recognises the prerogative of the Dominican Republic to remove individuals from its territory who are present without authorisation, but at the same time, he urge the Dominican Republic to avoid mass deportations and to conduct any deportations in a transparent manner that fully respects the human rights of deportees. Toner said deportation procedures must adhere to clear, publicly available and verifiable protocols and procedures.
“Dominican nationality and migration policies and practices should be consistent with Dominican law and the Dominican Republic’s international obligations and commitments.
“We urge the Government of the Dominican Republic to permit the observation of deportation proceedings by civil society groups and international organisations, such as the International Organization for Migration and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, including at the borders,” Toner added.
Toner said the Obama administration remains “deeply concerned that individuals with a right to citizenship or otherwise eligible to remain in the Dominican Republic may not have had sufficient time and means to access the processes to regulate and formalise their status and have their claims adjudicated.
He said it is imperative that the Dominican Republic effectively screen people potentially subject to deportation, to determine if they are Dominican citizens, require international protection, or are eligible for naturalisation or regularisation.
In all cases, Toner urged the Dominican Republic to take adequate measures to prevent the risk of statelessness and the discriminatory confiscation of documents.
Additionally, the United States wants the Dominican Republic and Haiti to consult and collaborate with each other “to develop effective processes and procedures for the safe and orderly return of migrants across their shared border”.
According to Toner, the United States will continue to actively monitor developments in the Dominican Republic, and engage the Government of the Dominican Republic to ensure the protection of human rights.
On Saturday the Dominican Republic deported five people of Haitian descent under the controversial migration policy.
Drop in Profits for Walmart & ASDA
US supermarket giant Walmart has posted a fall in profits, missing analysts' expectations, and a drop in sales at its UK supermarket, Asda. Walmart reported net income of $3.48bn (£2.2bn) in the three months to July, down from $4.09bn a year earlier. Asda said like-for-like sales were down 4.7% in the period compared with last year, because of tougher competition. The quarterly report is the worst to date for Asda under Walmart's ownership.
Walmart sales at stores open for more than a year increased by 1.5% in the period, while revenue was $120.2bn, roughly unchanged compared with a year earlier. Chief executive Doug McMillon said: "We're pleased that the investments we've made are helping to improve our business. Even if it's not as fast as we would like."
Walmart said its fall in profit was due to increased investment in staffing - including more worker hours on the shop floor. It also cited weaker profit margins in its US pharmacy business.
Bitcoins could Split the Virtual Currency
A row over changing the software that produces bitcoins could split the virtual currency, core developers say.
Bitcoin XT, a new version, is currently being recommended by the currency's chief scientist, Gavin Andresen.
And its developer, Mike Hearn, says its adoption essential to ensure the currency can cope with growing demand.
But some, including a large number of bitcoin miners in China, are resisting XT because of how it might affect control over the currency.
Bitcoin's blockchain - a digital ledger of all transactions made with the currency - is currently made up of 1MB blocks.
Bitcoin XT would enable these blocks to grow to 8MB.
But this would mean XT was no longer compatible with existing Bitcoin software, creating, its detractors say, two separate currencies and eroding trust in both.
Mr Hearn told the BBC the Bitcoin community's reaction to the release of the XT software at the weekend had been mixed, but there were some encouraging signs.
"We've gone from zero people running the software to 10% of the network in 72 hours, which is really good," he said.
Source:BBC
Overfishing and Climate Change, Combined, Intensify Ocean Threats
The combination of overfishing and climate change may be putting the oceans' health--- and our own wellbeing--- at risk. As State of the World 2015 contributing author Katie Auth explains, protecting lives and livelihoods will require urgent and concerted action to improve the oceans' condition (www.worldwatch.org).
"Our sense of the oceans' power and omnipotence--- combined with scientific ignorance--- contributed to an assumption that nothing we did could ever possibly impact it," writes Auth. "Over the years, scientists and environmental leaders have worked tirelessly to demonstrate and communicate the fallacy of such arrogance."
Three billion people worldwide depend on fish as their main source of animal protein, essential micronutrients, and fatty acids. The livelihoods of millions of people in both developing and high-income countries rely on the multibillion-dollar fisheries industry--- a sector that accounted for 1.5 million jobs and more than $45 billion of income in the United States alone in 2010.
"As our negative impact on the oceans has grown, so has our understanding of the myriad ways in which the health of the marine environment determines our own," writes Auth. "The combined stresses of human activities like overfishing and climate change now pose distinct and intensified threats to marine systems."
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that the global share of marine stocks considered to be fished "within biologically sustainable levels" fell from 90 percent to 71 percent between 1974 and 2011. Of that 71 percent, a large majority (86 percent) of stocks are already fished to capacity. Rapid human population growth and rising incomes are increasing the demand for food fish and pushing wild fish populations to the brink.
Climate-related changes in the marine ecosystem are also affecting the oceans. Over the last 40 years, the upper 75 meters of the world's oceans have warmed by an average of more than 0.1 degrees Celsius per year. Temperate species are responding to this change and other stressors, such as pollution and fishing pressures, by moving toward the poles, possibly increasing competition with polar animals.
Further, increased carbon in the atmosphere is triggering ocean acidification. About a quarter of human-caused carbon dioxide from the atmosphere has been absorbed into seawater. This changes the chemistry of the water and makes it more difficult for some marine organisms (such as oysters and corals) to form shells and skeletons. Once these populations are affected, entire food webs are threatened.
"Marine ecosystems and individual organisms that already are weakened by overfishing become less resilient and more vulnerable to disruption, especially because environmental change is occurring so rapidly," writes Auth.
Yet Auth believes that there is still hope. "Conservation efforts aimed at improving system resiliency have proven effective in addressing the nexus between fishing and climate change," she writes. Changes in fishing policies, equipment, and techniques that result in less damage to ocean-bottom habitats and that reduce bycatch also would diminish fishing stresses. Finally, revamping the global energy system away from fossil fuels would curtail the rise in ocean temperatures and carbon dioxide levels.
Worldwatch's State of the World 2015 investigates hidden threats to sustainability, including economic, political, and environmental challenges that are often underreported in the media. State of the World 2015 highlights the need to develop resilience to looming shocks. For more information on the project, visit http://www.worldwatch.org/state-world-2015-confronting-hidden-threats-sustainability-0.
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS AIMS TO PROVIDE GREATER EDUCATION TO VOTERS
The Supervisor of Elections, Dudley Lewis has moved to provide an in depth experience in voter registration information.
Voter Registration in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) is a continuous process and current eligible voters or TCI Islanders who will become of voting age (18 years) before the production of the next Electors Register have the opportunity to register.
“The Register of Electors is generally up-dated on a regular basis to include those who have achieved voting age, who have gained TCI Status, who otherwise have become newly eligible (e.g. been released from prison) or who move from one electoral district to another,” stated Mr. Lewis
“The Register is also required to exclude formally eligible voters who have died or ceased to meet residential requirements or voter eligibility or persons serving a term of imprisonment for twelve months (12) or more or who has been certified to be insane or who has otherwise been judged to be of unsound mind.”
“The Electors List is produced and published 31st January in every year and the Register of Electors produced and published 31st March in each year.”
The qualifying date for persons to register as electors is November 30th in each year.
General Elections in the Turks and Caicos Islands is scheduled for 2016 and persons who want to exercise their democratic right to vote in this up-coming general election MUST apply to regulate their status with the Ministry of Border Control and register with the elections department by November 30, 2015 to have their names added to the 2016/17 Electors Register that will be used to conduct general elections.
Eligible voters on the present Register of Electors do not need to re-apply to be included in the 2016/17 Register. They will be automatically included unless they notify the elections office that they have change their name or place of residence, or no longer meet the eligibility criteria.
Persons who do not register before the qualifying date November 30th 2015 will NOT be permitted to vote in the 2016 General Elections.
Us Couple Who Fled By Boat To The Bahamas With Seven Kids Sentenced For Fraud
A TEXAS couple who fled by a sailing boat to the Bahamas with their seven children while facing trial for an online agriculture scam, were sentenced on Friday to more than seven years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal prosecutors said.
The Reuters news agency reported that Donald Winberg, 44, and his wife Karlien, 33, of Earth, Texas, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver in April 2014. But five months later, they fled to the Galveston area of Texas, where they bought a boat which they later grounded not far from shore.
Prosecutors said they were able to obtain another boat and travel to the Bahamas. They were arrested on a boat near the Staniel Cay Yacht Club in the Exuma Cays for failing to have proper identification and travel documents.
The US Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado said in a statement that the arrest was made by Bahamian authorities after a Louisiana family vacationing in the Bahamas recognised the family from a press story out of Galveston.
The Winbergs were deported to Miami and then transported by the US Marshals Service to Colorado. They pleaded guilty in April.
According to court documents, in 2010 the couple began advertising online that they owned extensive farmland in Idaho and Texas, had thousands of tons of hay, corn and other crops for sale, and a fleet of trucks to deliver them to buyers.
The US Attorney's Office said the defendants would then take the victims' money and not deliver the material that was advertised, purchased and promised.
While under pre-trial supervision, from May 2014 until they fled in October 2014, the statement said, the couple committed additional fraud involving hay sales.
Both Winbergs were ordered to pay restitution of about $1.54 million, and were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Philip Brimmer to 87 months in federal prison each, followed by three years on supervised release.
Cayman Airways employee suspected of smuggling Cubans into the US
A third female employee of Cayman Airways has been arrested in connection with the alleged smuggling of Cubans into the United States.
A statement issued by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) said the 30-year-old woman was held on suspicion of human smuggling, four days after two of her co-workers, aged 29 and 33, were taken into police custody on similar grounds.
The police had previously disclosed that under the alleged trafficking scheme, foreign nationals who were legitimately in the Cayman Islands were given false identifies to get into the US.
It is alleged that the three women were being paid to facilitate Cubans’ entry to the US where, under the administration’s wet-foot, dry-foot policy, they would be given preferential treatment and automatically get citizenship after a year.
Cayman Airways said it had initiated the investigation, identifying and reporting to the authorities “certain passenger movements which appeared to have been contrary to Immigration regulations”.
“Since that time, Cayman Airways has been fully cooperative and transparent with the relevant authorities as they conducted their investigations,” it added.
The airline employees have been suspended pending investigations.
The RCIPS said the investigation is complex and involves cooperation with other foreign and local partner agencies.
Human smuggling in the Cayman Islands carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison and a $50,000 fine.