Bahamian Government Remains Firm on August 10 Transition Date for Shanty Town Residents
The Government intends to “fulfil” its duty and make the eviction exercise for shanty town residents in New Providence as seamless as possible said Minister of Labour, Senator the Hon. Dion Foulkes.
He affirmed that the transition deadline of August 10, for all residents to leave shanty towns in New Providence is “firm” and “irrevocable” as he urged the residents to move by the deadline which was extended from July 31.
All of the land in the shanty towns is owned by the government and was previously leased for farming. “Most of the leases have expired,” said Minister Foulkes. “It is crown land; the people’s land and the government holds the land in the name of the Bahamian people.”
A utility disconnection exercise for Bahamas Power and Light, Cable Bahamas and Water and Sewerage will take place before August 10.
Furthermore, Minister Foulkes revealed that all animals including dogs, cats, and chickens in the shanty towns will be removed during an exercise on August 8 by the canine units of the Bahamas Humane Society and the Ministry of Agriculture. Pastor Jean Paul Charles, leader of the Haitian Pastors League, said his association is assisting 150-200 families who are willing to move but are experiencing challenges with finding sureties and funds for rental purposes.
Another challenge is that parents of children who reside in the shanty towns prefer them to attend schools in the neighbourhood where they are presently enrolled.
British minister visits BVI to review recovery efforts and hurricane preparedness
Britain’s Foreign Office Minister for the Overseas Territories, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, visited the British Virgin Islands this week to discuss hurricane preparedness and see progress on recovery from last year’s devastation.
On his two-day visit, the minister visited a number of public sites affected by last year’s hurricanes with Premier Dr Orlando Smith. He saw how UK support is helping recovery efforts, and officially handed over the new purpose-built temporary Court House to the government, which will allow the Supreme Court and Magistrates’ Court to function fully again whilst a permanent building is constructed.
Ahmad also visited RFA Mounts Bay, which will remain in the region throughout the hurricane season to provide rapid assistance to islands if needed. He met with the board of the Recovery and Development Agency to hear about their progress and efforts to deliver the six-month accelerated plan ahead of endorsement of the longer term recovery and development plan by the BVI House of Assembly.
Swedish royal jewels stolen by thieves who fled by speedboat
Thieves stole priceless royal artifacts in a daring raid on a Swedish cathedral before escaping by speedboat, police said.
The thieves made off with jewels belonging to former Swedish monarchs Karl IX and Kristina from the Strängnäs Cathedral to the west of the capital, Stockholm, on Tuesday.
Two crowns and a golden orb adorned with a crucifix were taken from the cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century, according to a police report. The items date from the early 17th century.
A witness told Swedish media that he was eating lunch when he saw two people running toward a boat, which they sped away in.
Police said several thieves were involved in the heist. They fled in an open-topped motorboat across the sea from the base of the church. Several police patrol boats as well as police helicopters joined a hunt for the perpetrators.
The cathedral was placed on lockdown, CNN affiliate Expressen reported, and the search for the thieves continued on Wednesday.
"To a limited extent we are still looking for (them) both on the ground and at sea. We have no new findings so far," said Tor Sevelius, commanding officer at the police's management center.
"From our point of view, the material value is less important than the cultural history of these items. I do not see this as a theft from Strängnäs cathedral assembly. This is part of the national cultural heritage, this is a theft of Swedish society," Lundgren said.
Arizona care worker accused of migrant shelter child abuse
A former youth worker at a shelter for migrant children in Arizona has pleaded not guilty to sexually abusing eight boys under his care.
Levian Pacheco, 25, is charged with committing 11 sex crimes between August 2016 and July 2017 at the privately operated housing centre. Records show he is HIV-positive, and some of the boys are undergoing testing for the sexually transmitted virus.
The news comes days after another care worker was charged with a sex crime. Prosecutors say the boys Mr Pacheco allegedly targeted at the Casa Kokopelli facility in Mesa were all between the ages of 15 to 17.
He was employed by Southwest Key, a Texas-based non-profit that is the largest organisation contracted by the US government to house undocumented immigrant children.
A number of the over 2,000 children who were separated from their parents after crossing the US-Mexico border without papers have been held at Southwest Key facilities.
Mr Pacheco's lawyer told US media the allegations include an "extraordinarily broad range of dates and lack of specificity". The allegations predate the Trump administration's since-reversed "zero tolerance" policy, which led to the separation of illegal immigrant families.
This is the third known arrest of a Southwest Key staff member related to allegations of child molestation at a housing facility, US media report.
Swedish police kill man with Down's syndrome carrying toy gun
A young man fatally shot by Swedish police while carrying a toy gun in Stockholm had Down's syndrome and a form of autism, local media report. Officers opened fire on Eric Torell, 20, in response to what they described as a "threatening situation" in the early hours of Thursday morning.
He was reported missing after leaving home hours earlier, his family said. Eric's mother, Katarina Söderberg, said the toy was a gift and she described her son as "the world's kindest man".
MS Soderberg said that Eric was severely disabled and struggled with his speech, only ever really using the word "mum".
She described the plastic toy he was carrying at the time of the shooting as "like a submachine gun". "It's impossible to understand. He wouldn't hurt a fly," Ms Söderberg said.
The incident occurred at about 04:00 local time in the Vasastan district of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, after police responded to reports of a man in possession of a gun.Three officers reportedly arrived at the scene and approached Eric before ordering him to discard what they believed to be a dangerous weapon. He was then shot after failing to comply and acting "threateningly", police said.
Eric was taken to hospital but was later confirmed dead from his injuries. Ms Söderberg said her son had left home a number of times previously but had always been found or returned.An investigation into possible police misconduct is now under way, Expressen reported.
Dengue fever outbreak stopped by special mosquitoes
Australian researchers say for the first time an entire city has been protected from viral disease dengue.
Captive-bred mosquitoes with a naturally occurring bacteria were released in the city of Townsville, where they mated with local mosquitoes.
By spreading the bacteria Wolbachia, which hinders dengue transmission, the city has been dengue-free since 2014.
Researchers from Monash University also believe their work could stop mosquito-borne diseases Zika and malaria.
"Nothing we've got is slowing these diseases down - they are getting worse," said Scott O'Neill, director of the World Mosquito Program, quoted by the Guardian.
"I think we've got something here that's going to have a significant impact and I think this study is the first indication that it's looking very promising."
"At a cost of around A$15 (£8.50) per person, the Townsville trial demonstrates the approach can be rolled out quickly, efficiently and cost effectively to help provide communities ongoing protection from mosquito-borne diseases," Professor O'Neill said.
The programme is currently working in 11 countries and aims to deploy the Wolbachia mosquitoes in larger and poorer parts around the world with a target of reducing the cost to just US$1 (75p) per person.
WWE star Glenn Jacobs, aka Kane, elected mayor in Tennessee
A WWE star who made his name playing "a monstrous abomination" in the ring has been elected mayor in Tennessee.
Glenn Jacobs, who wrestling fans will know better as Kane, won two-thirds of the vote in Knox County, beating Democrat Linda Haney.
The 51-year-old Republican ran on issues like keeping taxes low, improved infrastructure and "transparency".
He is the second WWE star to win public office in the US, following in Jesse Ventura's footsteps.
It is unclear if the wrestler now plans to hang up his mask for good, in order to allow him to focus on his political career. He last appeared as Kane just a few weeks ago, in June.
Mr Jacobs, who also owns an insurance business in Knoxville, will be sworn in as mayor on 1 September.
In the meantime, Knox County's reporters are no doubt scrambling for ideas on how best to interview the 6ft 8in mayor. Luckily, at least one of them had a crate on hand on Thursday.
FortisTCI Ltd. 'BBB' Credit Rating Affirmed with Negative Outlook
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (Thursday, August 2, 2018) – Global independent credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) announced on Friday, July 27, 2018, that it is maintaining a ‘BBB’ global corporate rating for FortisTCI Limited (the “Company”). However, the agency said, “We are revising our outlook to negative from stable on weaker financial metrics following Hurricane Irma last year.”
S&P reported in their rationale that, “FTCI’s 2017 cash flow measures fell after the hurricane, reflecting a 5% decline in electricity sales and increased debt to finance storm restoration costs.”
The response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, which resulted in a restoration cost of $32 million due to damages to the transmission and distribution network across all islands, weakened the Company’s financial position. Financial improvements will only happen over time and assuming the Company meets the financial metrics based on assumptions established in S&P’s base case scenario.
These assumptions are: a return to pre-storm electricity sales in 2018, electricity sales growth of 2% to 3% annually, a rate increase of 6% in 2019 to recover hurricane costs, timely recovery of fuel costs from customers, average annual capital spending of $30 million in 2018, and no common stock dividend payments until 2020.”
Having a ‘BBB’ Corporate Credit Rating provides for more favourable financing terms, and enabled FortisTCI to access the private debt market in the United States in 2015 and 2016. It was also because of the Company’s financial strength and stable outlook that FortisTCI was able to access the local debt market, closing on a $5M bond with the Turks and Caicos Islands National Insurance Board in 2016, providing a credit grade investment opportunity for the pensions of the people of this country. Maintaining an investment-grade credit rating is critical to the Company’s business model.
FortisTCI President and CEO Eddinton Powell said, “Considering the current business environment, we are pleased to have maintained our credit rating during this recent S&P review. We know that the Company must regain its financial footing to avoid a further downgrade and we are committed to restoring our financial health.”
Mr. Powell added, “FortisTCI operates in a highly capital intensive environment and must have access to the competitive capital markets locally and abroad. This access allows the Company to obtain the necessary funding for major investments in energy infrastructure that serve the people of Turks and Caicos Islands, and give the Company the ability to respond to disasters as we did last year following Hurricanes Irma and Maria.”
FortisTCI has filed a rate variation application, which if approved, will aid the Company in restoring its financial strength. A copy of the full S&P Global report is available on the FortisTCI website at www.fortistci.com/news
POLICE SEEK PUBLIC'S HELP IN SOLVING TCI'S LATEST HOMICIDE
Police on the Island of Providenciales are investigating the circumstances surrounding a shooting incident early Friday, August 3rd, 2018, which left an adult male dead.
At 1:52 a.m., Police responded to Aviation Drive, after receiving information that a male was shot in that area. Upon arrival, officers discovered an unconscious male, with multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics were called to the scene, attempted to revive the male, but were unsuccessful. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is asking the general public who may have any information that can assist in this investigation, to contact the Chalk Sound Police Station at 338-5901 or 941-8082 or anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477.
BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS PUBLIC FORECAST 3RD AUGUST, 2018
FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FRIDAY 3RD AUGUST 2018
GENERAL SITUATION: BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE ISLANDS COURTESY OF A ROBUST HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WHILE A STUBBORN UPPER LEVEL LOW TRIGGERS POCKETS OF SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THE RISK OF WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY AND BEACHGOERS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO ROUGH SURF AND THE HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT EAST COAST BEACHES.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY, HOT AND BREEZY WITH FEW SHOWERS AND THE CHANCE OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING MOSTLY FAIR AND BREEZY TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION CONTINUES. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD ASLO BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 4 TO 7 FEET
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 91F 33C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE: 79F 26C
HEAT INDEX: 100F 40C
SUNRISE: 6:38AM SUNSET: 7:51PM
MOONSET: 12:23PM MOONRISE: 12:20AM SAT.
HIGH TIDE: 12:04PM LOW TIDE: 6:18PM
HIGH TIDE: 12:16AM SAT. LOW TIDE: 6:37AM SAT.
FORECAST FOR SATURDAY
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY, HOT AND BREEZY WITH FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 4 TO 7 FEET
FORECAST FOR SUNDAY
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY, HOT AND BREEZY WITH FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 4 TO 7 FEET
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT FIVE DAYS.