EX-PREMIER'S STATEMENT: THE AUDACITY OF HOPELESSNESS, IGNORANCE AND INCOMPETENCE
Hon. Sean Astwood, will you ask the real PDM leader and the one who wrote this to please standup, because you are not "man enough" for the job or to have written that response without permission.
I never thought that you or any other from your team would bother to respond to my statement as you would be busy doing nothing, except for being on facebook, riding around in Tahoes or jet setting. But l guess if it hurts, you have to squeal and dash to try and defend the indefensible.
Your reference to the "failed PNP Leader" is a classic example of clueless, as you are unable recognize that you are "lying down" on a platform of success built by the former PNP administration and your government don't have a clue as to what to do other then demonstrating your incompetence.
In 1988 it was 11 to 2 and nothing to do, but now it is 10 to 5 and the people are barely alive, awaiting surpluses to be spent to the benefit of themselves and children. And don't even come back with we had surpluses and what did we do.
Because the people know of our restrictions and commitments beyond our control, which are now removed thanks to our Administration. We built the economy from austerity to rock solid prosperity. But all you have done so far is to execute a few projects of our conception, design and finance while others you stalled or terminate.
The removal of the former AG and the CFO by our administration should have made life easier for this government, but you have not capitalized on these successes claiming that your hands are tied. The least you should say for removal of the former AG is thank you, because you don't have the testicular fortitude to remove anyone other than take away earned contracts from well deserving Turks and Caicos Islanders.
Your stance with the British on the issue of the former AG and CFO is noted.
Your government was never known to be one where originality and innovativeness are key attributes but your copycat mentality is your signature. So no one would be surprised to note your tactics in the House of Assembly when it came to Motions. And for those who don't know and would be surprised and cry shame on you, let me enlighten them.
As an opposition you were very good at your job, that is why you should have stayed there, as it is obvious that you are not good at being the Government and she is not the "best man" for the job. Being good at your job as an opposition means that you were good at using inside operatives to gather information on what the government was doing from the conception stage, then use that information to form a motion to put before the House to deceive the public in thinking that it was your idea and you had to tell us what to do.
The consideration and plans to address the issue of Service Charge was conceptualized by my Government long before the "Hon. Selver's motion" (not the PDM Opposition's motion) came to the House. The then PDM Opposition reluctantly supported the Motion because of their obvious conflict of interest in trying to get campaign financing and their issue with Hon. Selver.
Our Government's position then as was reflected in our abstinence was that we would NOT pander to your tactics of deception and grand standing as we were advanced in addressing the issue of service charge. Even after we completed the survey and began to formulate options and all of the information of which you inherited, it still took your Government a year and a half to come up with a bill after all of the heavy lifting had been done.
Hon. Astwood, as Minister responsible for Immigration and Border Control you are desperately looking for someone to blame for your failure in securing our borders before and after Irma. You knew that the Radar parts needed scheduled replacement and you failed to get it fixed before Irma even after it was budgeted for by my Government. However, Irma presented you with an opportunity to get the parts during the period of state of emergency without need for tender but you failed to get that done and removed it from the supplementary budget thereby delaying the purchase of a critical radar part while illegal immigrants flooded our shores.
But no you did not care about the safety and well-being of the people in the constituency you now represent and the wider Turks and Caicos, so you had to be called out to get the problem fixed.
Hon. Astwood, you are the Government, act like the Government, it's no longer about what my government did or did not do, it's about you and your government and what you are not doing. One look in the rear view mirror to look back, you should be looking forward, not backwards. But then again that is where you are going and is taking this country, forward never, backward ever, and that is my concern. If you can't drive the vehicle then do the honorable thing and get out and let someone else who is certified competent as the best man for the job takeover.
I welcome and appreciate your reply to my posting, please do keep it up, at least you would now have something to do as you all are not doing anything else. But note that I will not be replying to any negative post in response to this by you, your government or your operatives, because unlike you I have important things to do that positively impact people's lives." End quote
Aretha Franklin funeral: Stars and fans gather to say goodbye
Musicians, politicians, friends and fans are saying goodbye to Aretha Franklin at her funeral in Detroit.
The gospel-infused service has featured performances from Ariana Grande, Chaka Khan and Faith Hill, with Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson still due to play.
The atmosphere is both mournful and celebratory, with the crowd breaking into a spontaneous dance of praise at one point.
Franklin died earlier this month of pancreatic cancer. She was 76.
Her big send-off involves 100 pink Cadillacs, a gold-plated coffin, three presidential tributes and eulogies by more than a dozen preachers.
They remembered her not just as the Queen of Soul, but as an aunt, grandmother, friend, civil rights activist and icon of black womanhood.
"Thank you, Lord, for Aretha," a local pastor, EL Branch, said in an opening prayer. "She was first Detroit's, then America's, then the world's."
"One of my longest friends has gone home," said Franklin's fellow soul legend Smokey Robinson.
"You're going to be one of the future voices in the choir of angels," he told the singer, before breaking into an a capella rendition of his song Really Gonna Miss You.
Franklin's son Edward sang Marvin Gaye's Mercy, Mercy Me; while her niece Cristal remembered the aunt who "taught me bad shopping habits" and "chartered a bus so our family could go to President Obama's inauguration".
Ariana Grande sang one Franklin's signature songs (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman but elsewhere, the service was like a Who's Who of gospel with powerful and uplifting performances from The Williams Brothers, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and The Clark Sisters.
President Clinton remarked on Franklin's work ethic, saying: "Yeah, she had the voice of a generation, maybe the voice of the century... but she also worked for years when nobody was paying particular attention."
"She lived with courage - not without fear but overcoming her fears.
"She lived with faith - not without failure but overcoming her failures.
"She lived with power - not without weakness, but overcoming her weaknesses.
"I just loved her."
Colin Kaepernick's collusion case against NFL team owners can go to trial
Colin Kaepernick first started the kneeling protests in 2016
Colin Kaepernick's 'collusion' case against NFL team owners can go to trial after a request by the league to dismiss the complaint was rejected.
The ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterback believes owners are conspiring not to hire him because of his protests against racial injustice in the USA.
Kaepernick started protests by kneeling during the USA national anthem.
The 30-year-old has been without a team since opting out of his 49ers contract in March 2017.
Kaepernick's lawyer Mark Geragos has posted a statement from system arbitrator Stephen B Burbank denying the league's request to dismiss the case.
The ruling means there is sufficient evidence to allow the case to go to trial.
Kaepernick first protested by sitting during the national anthem in August 2016, before opting to kneel instead.
The US Open women's draw has lost its top two seeds
The US Open women's draw has lost its top two seeds after Caroline Wozniacki suffered a shock second-round loss to Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko.
The world number two from Denmark has reached the US Open final twice but lost 6-4 6-2 to the world number 36.
World number one Simona Halep lost in the first round while Australian Open champion Wozniacki's defeat by Tsurenko was her third early exit this month.
"She played the game I was supposed to play," said Wozniacki, 28.
"This part of the season is usually a part of the season I really look forward to, one where I really play well."
Meanwhile, fourth seed and former champion Angelique Kerber overcame a second-set wobble against Sweden's Johanna Larsson to make the last 32.
The German, who had never lost a set in three previous matches with Larsson, eventually won 6-2 5-7 6-4.
President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw the US from the World Trade Organization (WTO), claiming it treats the country unfairly.
"If they don't shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO," Mr Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News.
The WTO was established to provide rules for global trade and resolve disputes between countries.
Mr Trump says the body too often rules against the US, although he concedes it has won some recent judgments.
He claimed on Fox News earlier this year that the WTO was set up "to benefit everybody but us", adding: "We lose the lawsuits, almost all of the lawsuits in the WTO."
However, some analysis shows the US wins about 90% when it is the complainant and loses about the same percentage when it is complained against.
Mr Trump's warning about a possible US pull-out from the organisation highlights the conflict between the president's protectionist trade policies and the open trade system that the WTO oversees
Australian Filmmaker Convicted of Spying in Cambodia, Sentenced to 6 Years
A judge in Cambodia has convicted Australian filmmaker James Ricketson of spying and sentenced him to 6 years in prison,
Ricketson faced a charge of violating national security, which carries up to 10 years in prison, when he arrived at a Cambodian court to hear his verdict Friday.
Cambodia has released almost two dozen jailed critics or opponents of Prime Minister Hun Sen's government in recent weeks, raising hopes that Ricketson may also be freed.
He arrived alone to the Phnom Penh court in a prison van, later telling The Associated Press from a waiting room, "I hope I am free today and I could go home."
Ricketson, 69, has been held since June last year when he was detained after flying a drone to photograph an opposition party political rally.
The charge against Ricketson is tantamount in legal terms to espionage, but prosecutors never specified which foreign power he allegedly spied for.
Russia Holds Up Release of Report on N. Korea Sanctions
ussia said Thursday that it was holding up release of a report by U.N. experts who said North Korea is violating U.N. sanctions by not stopping its nuclear and missile programs and by engineering "a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products.''
Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters after a closed Security Council meeting on the report that he was blocking its release "because we disagree on certain elements of the report.''
He said Russia also asked for an investigation into regular leaks of reports on North Korea to the media. The Associated Press and other news organizations reported the panel's latest findings in early August.
Nebenzia didn't disclose Russia's concerns, but diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations were private, said a key objection was the panel's mention of Russian ships being involved in illegal ship-to-ship transfers.
Britain's U.N. Ambassador Karen Pierce, the current Security Council president, said there would be informal consultations Friday to determine what Russia's objections are in hopes of finalizing and releasing the report.
Grenada man charged for posting nude photos of ex-lover online
A 25-year-old man became the first person to be charged for violating a section of the Electronic Crimes Act when he appeared in court earlier this week.
Yurber Phillip was charged with Violation of Privacy under the Electronic Crimes Act based on allegations that he published nude photos of a female person via a social media website.
Police confirmed that the female and Phillip had an intimate relationship.
The matter that was reported to the South St George's Police Station was also investigated by officers of that station and the Director of Public Prosecution gave guidance in laying the charges.
St. Kitts-Nevis high commissioner to Jamaica dies at 87
PRIME Minister of St Kitts and Nevis Dr Timothy Harris has extended "heartfelt condolences", on behalf of his Government and people, to the family and loved ones of the late Cedric Harper, who served as that island's high commissioner to Jamaica since 2001.
Harper has died at the age of 87.
Cedric Harper had a distinguished 35-year career as a diplomat who was highly regarded as an endearing and effective representative for St Kitts and Nevis. I am honoured to have learned at his feet, particularly when I served as minister of foreign affairs between 2001 and 2008. With dedication, dignity and diplomatic aplomb, he served his country well," the prime minister said in a statement Wednesday.
Harper joined the Consular Corps in Jamaica in the capacity of honorary consul general of St Kitts and Nevis, serving in that position from 1983 to 1999 and as consul general from 1999 to 2000 before being appointed high commissioner for St Kitts and Nevis to Jamaica in 2001. From 2001 to 2014, Harper also served as non-resident ambassador for St Kitts and Nevis to the Republic of Cuba.
Bitcoin wallet Bitfi withdraws 'unhackable' claim
Bitfi, a cryptocurrency wallet backed by anti-virus software entrepreneur John McAfee, has issued a statement saying it will no longer describe its service as "unhackable".
The announcement followed the release of evidence by a group of security researchers showing the wallet being compromised.
However, Mr McAfee maintains that the claim stands.
Bitfi had offered a $250,000 (£190,000) reward to anyone who hacked the wallet.
But it stated that the Bitcoin inside must be removed from the wallet - which was controversial among the cybersecurity community as often weaknesses are identified but not acted upon.
The group claimed to have hacked the wallet once before but Bitfi and Mr McAfee refused to accept their evidence.
They said it didn't qualify for the reward - known as a bug bounty - because none of the digital currency was actually removed.