Missick and Jean Competes at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
A Team comprising of two Athletes, Courtney Missick and Wadly Jean, along with Coach Darian Forbes left the island of Providenciales Wednesday for Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for The Pan Americian Junior Athletics Championships.
The Games will take place from July 31 to August 2, 2015. Courtney will be participating in the 100m and 200m, and Wadly will also participate in the 200m as well as the 400m.
Both Courtney and Wadly ran well, but unfortunately they didn't beat their personal best.
Trinidadians feel 4.6 magnitude earthquake as it shakes parts of the country
The seismic activity in the region continued this week, with Trinidad and Tobago experiencing a 4.6 magnitude quake Sunday afternoon.
Residents in the north and northwestern parts of the island, including Port of Spain, Petit Valley and Diego Martin, and communities in central Trinidad reported feeling the tremor which occurred 96 km west of the capital, 105 km west northwest of San Fernando and 96 km east of Carúpano, Venezuela around 2:57 p.m.
The UWI Seismic Research Centre said an initial depth of 97 km was recorded. There were no reports of damage or injuries.
The region has experienced several earthquakes in recent weeks, with dozens of events being recorded northeast of Barbados last month, several of them a few hours and even minutes apart.
EMANCIPATION DAY
Crowds congregated at the Methodist Church in Grand Turk on Sunday, August 2nd for the Ecumenical Service commemorating Emancipation Day – and event organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Culture & Heritage.
Minister responsible for that ministry Hon Portia Stubbs Smith in her remarks, announces that the Ecumenical Service commemorating Emancipation Day will be held at the Methodist Church in Grand Turk on Sunday, August 2nd, 2015 at 3:30pm. Officiating will be Rev. Julia Williams, Guest Speaker, Rev. Derek Hamilton of Bethany Baptist Church in Providenciales.
The Hon. Premier, Dr. Rufus Ewing and Hon. Portia Stubbs-Smith, Minister of Tourism, Environment, Culture & Heritage will be bringing remarks with performances by the All Male's Choir, Ms. Dixie Smith, Mr. Dudley Been and Ms. Ludwina Fulford.
The celebration continues on yesterday, August 3rd, 2014 at the Governor's Beach where an Emancipation Day, Family Fun Day will take place at 2:00pm. Come and bring the family to enjoy and participate in the cultural games and be entertained. Vendors will also be on hand to provide food and refreshments.
The entire community of Grand Turk is invited to attend these momentous occasions as we celebrate our history and freedom.
TCIG Makes New Senior Promotions
As a part of its 2015/2016 recruitment drive, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government today announced and congratulated several civil servants on their new senior promotions within Government.
Mr. Amin McCartney has been promoted from the post of Head of Secretariat within the Ministry of Home Affairs to Deputy Secretary within the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture. Amin has been a civil servant for 15 years and has a background in statistics, having attained certification in Social and Economic Statistics and Demography, as well as a Bachelors in Finance.
Mrs. Althea Malcolm-Been has been promoted from the post of Senior Press and Protocol Officer within the Office of the Premier to the post of Director within that office. Althea joined the civil service in August 2013 after having spent sixteen years with Lime Turks and Caicos where she held the post of Vice President of Retail Sales and Services.
Mrs. Tiffany Thomas-Brown has been promoted from Deputy Director to the role of Director in the Social Development Department. Tiffany holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Wilberforce University and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Florida International University and has been a member of the civil service since 1999, where she joined as a Clerical Officer and Welfare Assistant.
"Profound congratulations are extended to these three individuals on their new senior promotions. Having gone through a rigorous testing and interview exercise, they have emerged as the top candidates from a wide field of applicants and are most worthy of these new appointments" said Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service, Mrs. Anya Williams, Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service.
"I extend best wishes to them and look forward to positive results from their various portfolios," Deputy Governor Williams added.
Wire transfers of drug profits earned in US went directly to Panama banks
As more details emerge in Miami-Dade County, regarding a discredited undercover law enforcement operation that directly wired more than $70 million in narco-profits overseas, yet failed to arrest a single person, Panama's banks were the preferred destination of the traffickers involved.
A scandal involving officers of the Bal Harbour, Florida, Police Department, who have failed to account for large sums allegedly spent without any records or receipts, has revealed the specifics of the cash received by the undercover operation and promptly wired out to tax haven jurisdictions, zeroes in on Panama.
Of the 180 international wire transfers, 110 were sent to Panamanian financial institutions. This confirms that Panama remains a major, if not the principal gateway for narcotics profits earned in North America. There have been no prosecutions of financial institutions for money laundering for several years, let alone convictions or bank charter revocations. That is one of the reasons why Panama is the destination of choice.
In the year since the new reformist government came to office in Panama, no financial institutions have been charged, notwithstanding the massive Financial Pacific/Petaquilla Mining and PAN scandals, and widespread arrests for official corruption. It still appears to be business as usual for Panama's money laundering financial institutions.
Photo Journalist Ruben Espinosa's Murder Leaves Mexico In An Outrage
Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera has expressed his outrage over the murder of photo journalist Ruben Espinosa and four women in the city last week. Their bodies were found in Mr Espinosa's flat on Friday. They all had bullet wounds to the head.
Mr Espinosa, 31, worked for the investigative magazine Proceso. He had recently moved to Mexico City from the eastern state of Veracruz where he said he had been threatened and harassed. The photojournalist covered social movements in the city of Xalapa in Veracruz.He left the state for Mexico City after telling friends he had been followed and intimidated.
Veracruz is considered one of the most dangerous Mexican states for journalists - 17 have been killed there since 2000, rights group Article 19 says. Mayor Mancera said that there would be "no impunity in this matter". "No line of investigation will be discarded,'" he told reporters at a news conference on yesterday.
20 Wildfires in California Leaves 24 Homes Destroyed
Evacuation orders have been given to 13,000 people in California as firefighters struggle to contain some 20 wildfires.
Some 9,000 firefighters worked throughout yesterday in steep terrain and rugged conditions, officials said.
The biggest blaze - the so-called Rocky fire north of San Francisco - has already consumed more than 90 square miles (233 sq km) of land.
On yesterday afternoon the fire jumped a highway that had been containing it.
At least 24 homes were destroyed as the blaze was whipped up by winds that fuelled the flames, our correspondent says.
Source: BBC
MINISTER CONGRATULATES CLASS OF 1975 ON 40TH ANNIVERSARY
“As Deputy Premier and Minister of Education of the Turks and Caicos Islands, I would like to congratulate the Class of 1975 as they celebrate their 40th Anniversary as the first graduating class from the Helena Jones Robinson High School, (formally Turks and Caicos High)…..Continue to let your lives Shine.”
“As the class of many “firsts”, I challenge you to celebrate this 40th year anniversary as a year of new beginnings; 40 is a number of great significance. It signifies a new beginning, which can be seen mentioned over and over in the bible, from the forty days of rain to Jesus’s forty day Journey.”
“I wish you all the best as you reflect on the dynamic impact Turks and Caicos High School has had on your lives. No doubt I know that you all are excited about reuniting and reconnecting with other batch mates, sharing memories of years past, and look back and smile at the roads you have travelled.”
“On Behalf of the entire Ministry of Education, we wish you all the best for a rewarding and enjoyable reunion, and to all those who have travelled to be a part of the reunion, welcome back and congratulations, Class of 1975!”
New DEMA Director introduced to Turks and Caicos
For the past two weeks he has been mentioned in major news coming from the government’s arm for managing coastal resources. Officially, TCIG is now introducing the nation to Dr John Claydon who heads the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs, aka, DEMA.
Permanent Secretary Desiree Lewis said in a statement: “We are pleased to have Dr. Claydon as part of the team and look forward to a prosperous and sustainable future with him, his knowledge and professionalism will be an asset considering that the 14 British Overseas Territories account for 90% of the UK’s biodiversity.”
Dr. Claydon holds a Ph.D. from James Cook University, Australia and has 10 years industry experience with a background in Marine Biology & Ecology and strong familiarity with this region.
In fact, he has also spent six years on the island of South Caicos as a lecturer in tropical marine ecology and later as Director of the School for Field Studies.
Dr. Claydon joined the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture since July 4.
The IMF says the Bahamas faces challenge to further economic recovery
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says while the Bahamas economy is recovering, the outlook remains challenging. And even with the United States’ recovery and the opening of the Baha Mar mega resort, growth is expected to remain below pre-global crisis levels.
Against this backdrop, the Washington-based financial institution has called for structural reforms to strengthen competitiveness, raise potential growth, and lower unemployment; and for continued efforts to strengthen the fiscal position.
The advice was contained in the IMF Board’s full report, released yesterday, following the Article IV consultation with the Bahamas last month.
Real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by an estimated one per cent in 2014 on the back of increased tourist arrivals. Potential GDP growth is estimated at about 1.5 per cent over the medium term, which the IMF said was insufficient to generate a significant reduction in the high unemployment rate.
“Absent structural reforms, including in the labour market and the energy sector, significantly higher growth than currently projected will be required to absorb new entrants to the labour force and reduce the unemployment rate to single digits over the medium term,” it said.
“The full opening of Baha Mar and two smaller projects, together with the strengthening US economy could represent a major boost to exports in the near-term,” the IMF added, although stressing that, beyond 2016, growth would taper off as US growth decelerates and the base effects from the opening of Baha Mar fade.
The IMF directors therefore underscored the importance of finalizing and implementing the National Development Programme to accelerate medium-to-long-term economic and social development.
The Fund said that over the medium term, enhancing the efficiency of labour market regulations and institutions and greater investment in human capital would be essential to increasing productivity and competitiveness.
It also stressed the importance of stepping up reforms of the state-owned enterprises, in particular in the energy sector.
As they commended the authorities for the substantial progress on fiscal consolidation, and successful introduction of the VAT, the IMF directors urged government to steadfastly implement the planned fiscal consolidation in order to rebuild buffers and place public debt on a declining path.
“In this regard, they stressed the need for continued revenue reforms, including strengthening tax administration. They also recommended rationalization of current expenditures in the context of a medium-term budget framework,” the directors stated in a press release.
They also agreed that the exchange rate peg has continued to serve the Bahamas well. To support it going forward, they stressed the importance of structural reforms to improve competitiveness, noting that this would also avoid placing an excessive burden on fiscal policy.