Forecasters keep wary eye on Hurricane Philippe

Hurricane Philippe became a potential threat to Bermuda last night and local meteorologists said residents should keep a close eye on the storm. Philippe was packing winds of 65 knots with gusts to 80 knots and was 971 nautical miles south-southeast of the Island, moving north-northwest at six knots at 6 p.m. yesterday.

The Bermuda Weather Service said last night that the closest point of approach in the next 72 hours will be on Thursday at 6 p.m. some 377 nautical miles south-east of the Island.

Training forecaster, Khamla Smith said last night projections from the National Hurricane Centre in Miami suggests Philippe could become a Category Two storm on Friday afternoon, with winds of up to 90 knots less than 200 nautical miles to the east of the Island. She added that the public should keep a close eye on the storm?s movements over the next few days leading into the weekend.

She said the most likely track of the storm showed it moving well to the east of the Island because of a high pressure moving in from the north, but warned this could easily change.

Burgess refuses to talk about tenure

Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) president Derrick Burgess has refused to take questions about his future at the head of the Union.

Mr. Burgess returned to the Island yesterday and attended meetings at the BIU in the morning, however, refused to speak to concerning reports that he could be retiring in the next 12 months.

Last week, Shadow Labour Minister Maxwell Burgess said the BIU boss let it slip at the annual union banquet that it was the last he would be attending. The Shadow Minister said Mr. Burgess?s implication appeared to be clear ? that he would be moving on.

Island featured during Fashion Week

Bermuda shorts and the destination itself spent the past weekend at the centre of one of the largest, most influential gatherings of celebrities and members of the international media ? the Olympus Fashion Week in New York.

The Bermuda Department of Tourism partnered with acclaimed designer Johnson Hartig of Libertine to incorporate his interpretation of the venerable shorts in his runway show on Friday afternoon.

This marks the second year that Bermuda has tied-in with Olympus Fashion Week, which draws some 50,000 attendees upon completion. As part of the partnership celebration, Tourism and Transport Minister, Dr. Ewart Brown hosted a ?Tastemaker?s dinner? at Pampano, one of New York?s top restaurants and owned by Richard Sandoval ? who is attending this years? Culinary Arts Festival.

Ship unloading extended to midnight

St. George?s residents will have to put up with three more weekends of heavy activity out of Penno?s Wharf as deliveries of granite boulders weighing up to 60 tons are moved to the airport to reclaim land lost to Hurricane Fabian in 2003. The ship on which the boulders are imported must dock on Thursday evenings after the Old Town?s regular cruise ships depart and leave by Monday morning.

The Corporation of St. George?s has extended to midnight the wharf?s operating hours. Penno?s Wharf already sees a high traffic of industrial deliveries ? it is used for gravel shipments to the Island ? so residents are accustomed to noise and debris.

Mayor E. Michael Jones explained the boulders are being brought in by Government in order to reconstruct land around the airport and it has been found the movement of the granite is ?tremendously louder? and apologised for the ?inconvenience? the project has caused residents.