T&T gearing up for more floods
Trinidad and Tobago still mopping up after heavy rains that caused widespread flooding and damage in the south and central parts of the island, is preparing for the passage of yet another inter-tropical conversion zone (ITCZ) over the next two days.
The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS) in a bulletin Wednesday said that a “Yellow Level” is in effect and that there is a “70 per cent chance of heavy showers or thunderstorms during the period, which may lead to street/flash flooding as well as landslides/landslips in areas so prone”.
TTMS said that gusty winds can also be experienced in the vicinity of heavy downpours, adding that rainfall accumulations of 35 – 50 millimetres (mm) can be expected, with higher amounts in isolated areas.
The TTMS said that the Yellow Level would remain in effect until Friday and that potential damage can be avoided if persons monitor conditions and reduce their level of exposure.
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), said it was urging all citizens to be extra vigilant “and to take the necessary steps to preserve life and property”.
It said that while it wanted to reiterate that *Trinidad and Tobago is not under tropical storm or hurricane watch, it is nonetheless necessary for the population to take precautions to lessen any injury or damage.
Earlier this month, heavy rains associated with an ICTZ caused various floods, landslide and damage to some of the country’s infrastructure.
The government has since said it would pay compensation to people affected by the floods.
Rumors are swirling that Hallmark Trust may be closing its doors
RTC is tracking two major stories this hour.
The first one concerns financial firm, Hallmark Trust Ltd.. Today, Wednesday, October 31st, 2018, rumors began to swirl that Hallmark Trust Ltd. may be closing its doors in the TCI and that account holders should remove their funds immediately.
It’s also being alleged in public forums that if this closure is in fact true, it may be the result of a Financial Services Commission (FSC) investigation.
Reliable sources at the FSC say that this notion is false. If Hallmark Trust is in fact closing its doors, it would be the decision of MasterCard, of which Hallmark is a principal member.
These rumors intensified after a poster was spotted at the Graceway IGA supermarket which reads:
HALLMARK CUSTOMERS
WE ARE CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING ANY MONEY FOR THE HALLMARK PREPAID CARD. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. PLEASE CONTACT OFFICE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
RTC made several attempts to contact Hallmark Trust Ltd. throughout the day but we were unsuccessful--our calls went unanswered. We have been informed though, that an official statement regarding the matter will be released soon.
Hallmark Trust Ltd. is a registered and licensed trust company based in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Hallmark is also a principal member of MasterCard Worldwide. Hallmark Trust Ltd. issues the Compass Prepaid Mastercard which is used widely by TCI residents.
We are unaware at this time whether or not there is any truth to the closure rumors. We are awaiting official confirmation and will share those details as soon as they become available.
Source: Allie Capron (RTC News)
Rumor Report: Herzog laying off Turks and Caicos Nationals?
Is Herzog Caribbean Ltd. laying off Turks and Caicos Nationals? According to reports reaching RTC, this is a hot topic making its ways through the rumor mill and it's the second major story RTC has been tracking throughout the day.
A privately owned construction and project management company, Herzog Caribbean Ltd. opened its doors in 2004.
Late yesterday, RTC received an unconfirmed statement which accused Herzog Caribbean Ltd. of targeted layoffs of its employees with belonger status in favor of work permit holders. The statement also alleged that the some of these employees may be working on expired permits.
Through a reliable source, RTC made contact with one of the directors of Herzog Caribbean Ltd. who indicated that mass layoffs are not at all unusual for the company. In fact, it’s protocol when major projects come to an end. Until another major project is in the works, extra hands are not needed.
RTC is working on obtaining an official comment from the company. We were hoping to obtain this comment for our afternoon report at 1:30 and then for this edition of the nation’s report but through no fault of our own, we were unsuccessful.
We will share more on this story as soon as details become available.
Source: Allie Capron (RTC News)
Today's weather: Wednesday, October 31st
IN THE GENERAL WEATHER SITUATION, A STATIONARY FRONT IN THE VICINITY OF THE TCI AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS CONTINUES TO WEAKEN.
AS A RESULT, TODAY’S WEATHER WILL INCLUDE VARIABLE CLOUDINESS, BREEZY AND WARM WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THE CHANCE OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE VICINITY OF THE WEAKENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY THROUGH TONIGHT.
WINDS ARE NORTHEASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS IN THE TCI AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS. SEAS ARE 4 TO 7 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
HERE AT HOME, WE’RE EXPECTING A DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE
86 °F OR 30 °C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE WILL BE 73 °F, that’s 23 ° in C
SUNRISE is at 7:17AM this morning.
For those looking to catch the sunset, it’s around 6:29 PM this evening in our beautiful by nature Turks and Caicos Islands.
Happy Halloween, TCI!
CDB announces $106-Million programme of assistance for The Bahamas
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has announced a USD106.5 million (mn) programme of assistance for The Bahamas, over the period 2018-2022. The programme is outlined in
a new Country Strategy Paper for the country, which was approved by CDB’s Board of
Directors on October 25.
“This Strategy has been designed in collaboration with the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, and aims to help the country achieve its medium-term development objectives. As such, we focus on areas that are considered critical to inclusive growth, such as the provision of quality climate resilient infrastructure, energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as governance and human capital improvement,” said Dr. Justin Ram, Director, Economics,
CDB.
The Strategy is built around three key pillars.
- Environmental Protection
and Infrastructure Enhancement CDB-supported interventions will build economic
resilience to weather-related shocks, with the aim of minimising post-disaster
spending and maintaining macroeconomic stability in the event of a natural disaster.
In addition, the Bank will focus on projects that increase energy efficiency and
renewable energy, to improve public-sector efficiency.
- Inclusive Social
Development Under this pillar, CDB will support interventions that target the
creation of a certified, skilled and employable workforce. Projects will complement
existing activities, and provide solutions to create an inclusive and effective
education system, which responds to the learning needs of all citizens.
- Improved Governance and Productivity
CDB support will focus on reform in areas such as public policy capacity and project implementation capacity. Additional interventions will address skills shortages, and improved access to finance for MSMEs, in order to improve productivity and competitiveness. Gender equality, energy security and citizen security will also be mainstreamed across all CDB interventions during the strategy implementation period.
This Country Strategy follows the previous Strategy for the period 2013-2017, which had a resource envelope of $80.7 million USD.
Under this new programme of assistance, individual projects which align with the Strategy will be presented to the Bank’s Board of Directors for approval. Once approved, funds will be disbursed on completion of specific conditions. The proposed Strategy is aligned with CDB’s strategic objectives of supporting inclusive and sustainable growth and development, and promoting good governance.
Boston Red Sox win 2018 World Series
The Boston Red Sox clinched the 2018 World Series Sunday night after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 in the best-of-seven series. It's their fourth World Series title in 15 years and ninth overall.
The champions are bringing home more than the Commissioner's Trophy. They will also earn a sizable bonus.
All players who compete in the postseason receive a playoff bonus, but the amount depends on how far their team advances. The further they make it, the bigger the share they earn. In 2017, players earned a record $84.5 million from postseason bonuses, and the winning Houston Astros team split a record $30.4 million. The World Series runner-up, the Los Angeles Dodgers, split $20.3 million.
"The players' pool" — which is divided among the 10 postseason clubs — "is formed from 50 percent of the gate receipts from the Wild Card Games; 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first three games of the Division Series; 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first four games of the League Championship Series; and 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first four games of the World Series," according to the MLB.
It's too soon to tell how big the postseason pot will be this year, but both the Red Sox and Dodgers can expect a hefty bonus. Here's a breakdown of the percentage of the pool that goes to each team:
World Series Champion: 36 percent
World Series Runner-Up: 24 percent
League Championship Series Runners-Up (2): 24 percent (12 percent each)
Division Series Runners-Up (4): 13 percent (3.2 percent each)
Wild Card Game Runners-Up (2): 3 percent (1.5 percent each)
Once the money has been divvied out to each club, it's up to the players to decide who gets a share of their team's winnings.
"Each year, as stipulated in the basic agreement between the players union and Major League Baseball, teams headed to the postseason hold a meeting to distribute shares," The New York Times reports. "The money is designated in 25 full shares, but the players may divide the shares to include those who played during the year but were not on the playoff roster, as well as coaches, trainers and strength coaches."
Plus, "other nonuniformed personnel, like clubhouse attendants, chefs, public relations staff, security guards, bus drivers and grounds crew members — a precedent set in 1903 — can be awarded some of the cash."
In 2017, the Astros split their winnings into 60 full shares worth $438,901 each, 9.2 partial shares and four cash awards. The Dodgers chose to split their winnings into 65 full shares worth $259,722 each, 12.8 partial shares and 14 cash awards
D’Angelo is back with new music after 3-year hiatus
D’Angelo is back with his first new music in three years.
The four-time Grammy winner has dropped “Unshaken,” from the soundtrack of the Red Dead Redemption 2 video game. The action-adventure game follow two outlaws in the Wild West in 1899.
D’Angelo released his most recent album, Black Messiah, in 2014, and released one single that year: “Really Love.” A second single, “Betray My Heart,” was released in 2015.
Black Messiah was D'Angelo's third studio project; it arrived 14 years after his 2000 album Voodoo.
Black Messiah won a Grammy for Best R&B Album, and “Really Love” was named Best R&B Song.
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj squash beef
(NOTE LANGUAGE) Following an ugly back-and-forth verbal bashing on Monday, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj are calling for a truce.
Nicki posted Monday on her Twitter, “Ok you guys, let’s focus on positive things only from here on out. We’re all so blessed. I know this stuff is entertaining & funny to a lot of people but I won’t be discussing this nonsense anymore. Thank you for the support & encouragement year after year. Love you."
Cardi reposted Nicki’s message on her own Instagram, and commented, “@Nickiminaj alright then! Let’s keep it positive and keep it pushing!”
All of this comes after Cardi and Nicki's feud heated up again Monday when Cardi’s sister, Hennessy Carolina, claimed that Nicki leaked Cardi's cell number to her fans, leading to death threats against Cardi’s baby, Kulture.
Nicki denied the accusation on her Beats 1 “Queen Radio” show, and offered $100,000 for surveillance video of their altercation at a New York Fashion Week show in September, where Cardi repeatedly threw a shoe at her.
Cardi quickly responded with ten expletive-filled videos on Instagram, saying "You lie so much you can't keep up with your f**ing lies.”
Now that there's a truce in place, Cardi's celebrating being named the People En Espanol Star of the Year. Cardi commented on Instagram, "Thank you so much @peopleenespanol! I love it!"
In the cover story, Cardi says of three-month-old Kulture, “She’s gonna be raised in a big mansion. She’s most likely gonna get whatever she wants from me and her dad, but I also want her to be humble.”
Cardi adds, “I want her at least to speak four languages: Spanish, English, French and I’m really loving Italian. I love how those people talk!”
Notorious mob boss, James "Whitey" Bulger, dead at 89
James "Whitey" Bulger, the notorious former Boston mob boss, died Tuesday after being found unresponsive at a West Virginia federal prison, authorities said. Bulger was 89.
"On Tuesday, October 30, 2018, at approximately 8:20 a.m., inmate James Bulger was found unresponsive at the United States Penitentiary Hazelton, in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia," reads an official statement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. "Life-saving measures were initiated immediately by responding staff. Mr. Bulger was subsequently pronounced dead by the Preston County Medical Examiner."
The statement continues: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified and an investigation has been initiated. No staff or other inmates were injured, and at no time was the public in danger."
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of West Virginia and the FBI will conduct the investigation into Bulger's death.
Bulger was convicted in 2013 of murdering 11 people. He was also found guilty of extortion, money laundering and weapons charges. He was sentenced to life in prison for the crimes.
Bulger's trial came nearly 20 years after he went on the run after being tipped off to a pending federal indictment by a corrupt FBI agent. He spent 16 years evading capture before he was arrested in 2011 in Santa Monica, California.
Prior to his capture, Bulger was second only to former Taliban leader Osama Bin Laden on the FBI's Most Wanted List.
TCHTA and Tourist Board address tourist murder
The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board and Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association are paying close attention to the recent
developments involving the death of Marie Khulna whilst visiting our shores.
We join with the Minister and Ministry responsible for Tourism, in extending deepest sympathy to the Khulna family and assure
them of our prayers and support as they go through this time of bereavement. We would like to take this opportunity to assure the travelling public that the Turks and Caicos Islands remains one of the safest
destination in the region if not the world. This was confirmed by a recent release from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police. The safety and security of residents and visitors remains our paramount interest and we are working closely with all of the relevant
authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of any crime against our guest and our people are brought to justice. In the interim we would like to confidently invite persons to continue to visit our islands. While visiting, be aware of your
environment. Please explore our sites and attractions and enjoy the warmth and friendly embrace of our embrace of our people;
be assured we are doing everything to ensure your safety.