SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
VOLUME 8 No. 39
VAT WILL
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CFO defends VAT while TCI business community writes to UK Foreign Minister about it.
Most prices in the Turks and Caicos Islands should remain the same or even fall, with the introduction of the 11 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on April 1st next year, said Hugh McGarel-Groves, Chief Financial Officer. He stated: “If retail prices for basic goods rise then this is simply down to sharp practice. The only area where people may see price rises when VAT is introduced is in a limited range of service industries – mainly those who buy accountancy, legal or architectural services, for example. The Government has gone to great lengths to ensure that the range of VAT exempt and zero-rated items makes sure that the man in the street is not adversely affected by VAT… Indeed, we have actually expanded the range of exempted items to include essential fire and safety equipment, health supplies and, with one eye to the future, renewable energy equipment.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
RETRIAL ORDERED FOR KEISHA PARNELL MURDER CASE STORY ON PAGE 7
POLICE BEING TRAINED FOR RIOTS STORY ON PAGE 8
NATIONAL YOUTH DAY PARADE ACTIVITES
The National Youth Day activities climaxed on Providenciales with a parade from the CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank parking lot to the Downtown Ball Park, on Friday, September 28. The week began with a church service on Sunday, September 23, at the New Testament Church of God in Blue Hills. This was followed by a number of other activities, including a roundtable discussion with aspiring political leaders and a quiz competition. The Youth Day Parade also included a banner competition, athletics activities and performances. Photo shows students and teachers of the Ianthe Pratt Primary School taking part in the parade. At left is Porsha Stubbs Smith, the Progressive National Party (PNP) candidate for the Bight, also participating in the march.
TWO CANADIAN FRAUDSTERS SEEKING ASYLUM IN TCI - PG8
PASTORS BLAST EQUALITY BILL - PG15
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LOCAL NEWS
CFO defends VAT ...Cont’d Cont’d from PAGe 1
The CFO added that VAT is a replacement tax designed not to increase the government’s tax take, but simply to regularise its income and to allow the public sector to benefit from a positive cash flow in a similar way to private business. “We have taken great care to reduce import duties by the maximum amount. Quite simply, we have taken all reasonable measures to ensure that prices do not rise here in the Turks and Caicos Islands.” McGarel Groves was quoted in a Government press release which announced that the regulations which explain the detailed implementation of VAT in the Turks and Caicos were signed by His Excellency Governor Ric Todd on Wednesday, September 26th. The VAT Regulations follow on from the VAT Ordinance which was signed into law in July. They provide the detail of how VAT will work in practice when implemented from 1 Apr 2013. The details will be published in the Turks and Caicos Gazette on Mon, 01 Oct 2012. “The publication of the regulations draws to an end the consultation on the introduction of VAT,” said Hugh McGarel-Groves, Chief Financial Officer, TCI Government. “Their publication now provides certainty to businesses across the islands and allows them finalise their preparations over the next six months. But while the CFO was stoutly defending VAT, the Turks and Caicos Independent Business Council, an organization that represents the interests of virtually the entire spectrum of the TCI’s business community, was busy writing UK Foreign Secretary William Hague about the controversial tax. In a letter dated, September 26th, which was copied to newly-appointed Minister for Overseas Territories Mark Simmonds, the TCIBC, which is headed by prominent businessman Clive Stanbrook,QC, said: “VAT is the responsibility of those who govern and answer to the people. There should be no change in taxation without representation. VAT in TCI must be a matter for an elected Turks & Caicos government.” The letter added: “TCIG has clearly shown time and again that it cares little for the thoughts or concerns of the local population or political parties when it comes to the matter of VAT. Nothing TCIG officers have done during the VAT process can remotely be described as good governance. Significant changes in taxation policy are the remit of elected representatives who must then “live by” those decisions and who are answerable to voters and members of their community. These are the sort of decisions that should be made by an elected Government. TCIG has already deferred significant amendments of the
Planning Regulations to the soon to be elected Government. Surely a matter so central to the future well being of the country is also a matter that should be deferred. Now that the British Government has agreed to return power to a local government in just 6 weeks time, it is only appropriate that they should be trusted to decide how the TCI is to raise it’s own revenues.” The TCIBC said the current misconceived plans to introduce VAT into a small, single income (tourism) economy is “a disaster in the making; one that could come back to haunt the FCO and DFID in years to come”. The group noted that despite documented, widespread opposition from soon-to-be elected political leaders, all sectors of the business community and thousands of citizens, TCIG still refuses to provide any real, hard evidence or analysis showing how VAT will work in the TCI. The letter stated: “Throughout this whole VAT episode TCIG has – • Shown a complete lack of respect to the people of TCI with no major effective consultations. The public meetings that were held were not consultations and did not meet their goals of helping to educate the population at large. • Pushed through the legislation at such a pace that it resulted in the resignation of three members from the Advisory Council. • Failed to provide any data or financial modeling to support any of its statements that VAT will be beneficial to TCIG cash flow and revenues. • Failed to provide a single piece of data assessing the social impact of introducing VAT. • Failed to provide basic economic data with regards to the current state of the territory, including its physical infrastructure inventory and human resource inventory. • Failed to provide projected cash flows and revenues using the current system as compared to VAT. • Failed to provide any form of risk analysis or cost benefit analysis related to the introduction of VAT. • Failed to provide a detailed budget for the implementation of VAT both in regards to start up and implementation costs and the recurrent costs in a mature system. • Failed to provide a detailed analysis of the human resources required for both implementing VAT and managing the process moving forward. • Refused to provide the EU study that the CFO insists suggests that VAT is the way forward to ensure adequate government revenue. • Refusal of the CFO to provide any data at all. We find it reckless that the FCO and DFID are permitting such a wholesale change to the revenue
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system in Turks and Caicos without the proper analysis and explanation that any commercial bank would demand from even the smallest of enterprises.” The TCIBC said it fully agrees that VAT can work in a country that already has the necessary requirements for its administration and a broad-based economy that would benefit from lower import duties. “However, the TCI is not that country,” the TCIBC added. “Many emails, reports and messages have been sent to TCIG warning them of the unique problems faced with doing business in Turks and Caicos –with no response or acknowledgment. TCIG chooses to disregard our advice and provides no evidence that VAT is the right choice for our islands.” The effective rate of VAT to be charged in the Turks and Caicos Islands is 11% - the second lowest rate in the Caribbean region, after Haiti, and is the same level as Accommodation Tax currently charged in the TCI. The VAT registration threshold for businesses not already registered for Accommodation Tax will be set at a turnover of $200,000 in annual gross sales, which is the highest threshold in the Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda are the next highest at $110,000). This figure was determined on the planned number of registrants, values of imports, business license information and employee earnings data. It is anticipated that there will be 400 VAT registered businesses in the TCI at the $200,000 registration level, when VAT begins next year. The VAT registration threshold for businesses already registered for Accommodation Tax will be set at a lower threshold of $50,000 to mitigate against any loss of tax revenue from
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
businesses with turnovers between $50,000 and $200,000. Hotels and restaurants with turnovers below $50,000 will no longer be required to include taxes in their charges to their customers; however they will pay VAT on their imports and other inputs, which registered businesses can offset against their output VAT. There will be a deliberately large range of VAT exempt supplies, which are those goods and services that will not be directly subject to VAT. These have been chosen to protect consumers against price increases on essential goods and services. VAT exempt goods will include: basic food items including rice, flour, sugar, milk and eggs, chicken, fish and meat, fresh fruit and vegetables. In addition, infant supplies, personal hygiene products, hurricanes shutters, cement, steel, fuel, property leases and rents; property sales where stamp duty is applied, medical services, transportation, religious services and printed materials. There will also be a range of zero rated supplies, which are goods and services that will be taxable, but at a VAT rate of zero per cent, allowing a VAT registrant to claim input tax credit on inputs used in making the zero rated supplies, including the supply of water, electricity and exports. All accommodation units in resorts/condominiums will be required to join the resorts/condominiums rental pools and only rentals through the rental pool arrangements will be permitted. Only the rental pool business will be required to register for VAT, not the individual accommodation units. Strata fees allocated to owners of resorts/condominiums accommodation units will not be subject to VAT, as these represent a sharing of costs that are already subject to VAT, within a Strata company arrangement formed on behalf of the owners for cost sharing purposes.
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AUGUST 5TH6TH, - AUGUST 2011 JANUARY 13TH -- OCTOBER JANUARY 20TH, 2012 12TH, TURKS TURKS&&&CAICOS CAICOSSUN SUN SEPTEMBER 29TH 2012 FEBRUARY 17TH - FEBRUARY 24TH, 2012 TURKS CAICOS SUN AUGUST 5TH - AUGUST 12TH, 2011
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THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF DECADENCE It is becoming clearer every day, local advocates, is the person of especially those that were no other that the Human Rights instrumental in inviting the Commissioner is going around British in, that they are not promoting this too by telling getting what they bargained for. people that there are some good Remember what Floyd Seymour things in the bill, so accept the said at a meeting discussing the rest hook, line and sinker! That Constitution? In case you have is akin to telling you that the forgotten, he said that “We asked sandwich is poisoned, but eat it them to wash the car and hand it nonetheless, because initially it back to us. What they are doing will fill your stomach. I have is stripping out the engine”! never seen such utter nonsense Given what is currently taking displayed by an individual place, I can hardly fathom how he should know perfectly better. would describe the situation. Do not forget that the There is no nice way to put it pastors in this country agreed, than to say that Governor Todd is and it was put at the prominent continuing to push and promote place in our new Constitution, ROYAL ROBINSON his homosexual agenda that that comes fully into force on CONTRIBUTER surface at his previous posting in 15 October, 2012, clearly say Poland. This man is trying every that we are a Christian nation. trick in the book to destroy the social fabric of our If that is the case, then the enactment of laws that go country and impose, by legislation, a foreign norm on directly counter to those principles, must at the least us. be ultra virus the Constitution, but also is a total I told the Governor in a recent meeting, that imposition of foreign norms on our society. These growing up in Grand Turk, we knew all of the people have the gumption to tell us that giving back “sissies” on West Road and Middle Street. They didn’t the 10% salary cut to civil servants is something that bother us and we didn’t bother them. If we have go must be left to an elected government to address, but get any goods from them, we got them and went on they can make life changing decisions and laws that our merry way with the “message” our parents sent us are no way asked for by the people of this country. to buy. These things should not be allowed to go Is what the Governor doing part of the British unchallenged. We must, as a people vigorously protest Government’s design to “have a greater British against such imposition. These people are making it presence here after elected government”? Man, this conducive for their people to come here and live out cannot be right! We have been too tolerant a people, their lifestyle, but be damn with what we think. The which has led the infidel to take our kindness for Christian Council of Churches did a protest a few days weakness. They have thrust in the thin edge of the ago, but it cannot be a one off event, and it cannot be spear and they are now turning it in our chests. confined to the precincts of Providenciales and Turks What we have going on is that one of their chief and Caicos only, it MUST go international. Jamaica
EDITORIAL CARTOON
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
Turks and Caicos Sun Suite # 5, Airport Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands Tel: (649) 946-8542/ (649) 241-1510 Fax: (649) 941-3281 Email: sun@suntci.com Read us online at www.suntci.com
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Hayden Boyce Senior Editor: Vivian Tyson Journalist/Web Designer: Patrina Moore-Pierre Graphics Editor: Joleen Grant Office Manager: Dominique Rigby Distribution Manger: Kelano Howell Advertising and Marketing ManagerPatrina Moore-Pierre The Turks and Caicos SUN is a subsidiary of The SUN Media Group Ltd. We are committed to excellence in journalism, educating and informing our readers, serving and satisfying our advertisers and assisting in the overall development of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
has refused to accept British aid that was tied to enacting similar legislation. Barbados, which is sometimes called the “sissies capital” of the region, refrained from enacting similar legislation. Why should these people impose such on us? Remember, might is not always right. When we say enough is enough, we must draw that line, not in the sand, but in concrete. We have to push back with one voice against these people. Failing to do so will result in a Turks and Caicos Islands that we scantly know and recognize. Royal Robinson was a former Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Health in the Progressive National Party (PNP) Administration.
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN’S LETTERS POLICY
The Turks and Caicos SUN welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters containing libelous or defamatory charges, personal attacks or abusive language will not be considered for publication. We would prefer letters of 500 words or less, and we will not print anonymous letters or letters tagged with initials. All letters are subject to the final approval of the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, who reserves the right to accept or reject submissions and to edit letters and headlines to meet our established standards for grammar, clarity and length.
DONT BE A VICTIM OF CRIME 1. Stay alert: Keep your mind on your surroundings, who's in front of you and who's behind you. 2. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, leave.
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LOCAL NEWS Page 7
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LOCAL NEWS
Court of Appeal orders retrial in Keisha Parnell murder case BY VIVIAN TYSON SUN SENIOR EDITOR
The Court of Appeal has ordered a retrial for Jamaican Mark Thompson who was previously found guilty of killing his girlfriend Keisha Parnell on September 10th, 2008. In what was a landmark decision, the Court of Appeal, comprising President Edward Zacca and Justices of Appeal Elliott Mottley and Richard Ground, ruled that Thompson should have been tried by a jury of 12 persons and not seven. The ruling in this novel case also means that in future murder cases, the jury must always comprise 12 persons but for any other cases, a seven member jury panel is allowed. The Court heard arguments from Defence Keisha Parnell Counsel Courtenay Barnett, who represented Thompson, and Samantha Glinton, who appeared of the Jury Ordinance there had to be twelve jurors for the Crown. on the jury panel. The Court ruled in support of Barnett argued that by reference to section 22 Barnett’s submission.
Remodeled Consular Agency Office in the Turks and Caicos Islands
On Monday, October 1st, 2012, at 12:30 p.m., the U.S. Embassy in Nassau will hold a formal opening ceremony for its remodeled Consular Agency office in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (TCI). While Consular Agent Talisha Simons has been performing consular work in Providenciales since May 2011, the opening of the Consular Agency office marks the establishment of the first “brick-and-mortar” presence of the U.S. Embassy in TCI. A Consular Agency removes the need for TCI residents to make costly trips to Nassau to renew their U.S. passports or receive other Consular services such as notarizations and applications for Consular Reports of Birth Abroad for children. Persons will still have to travel to Nassau for US visa applications and renewals. U.S. Chargé d’Affaires John Dinkelman, as well as Rear Admiral William Baumgartner, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard District Seven and His Excellency Governor Ric Todd will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The official address of the new office is 2 Venture Ct., Grace Bay Suite 102E, Providenciales.
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When contacted by the SUN, Barnett said: “I am pleased that I did not have to argue all 20 grounds of the appeal and I am satisfied that in their interpretation of the law the honorable judges came to the correct decision.” Thompson has been remanded to prison until such time as a new date is set for his retrial. Thompson was sentenced to life imprisonment by then Chief Justice Gordon Ward in the Grand Turk Supreme Court after being found guilty by a seven member mixed jury. Parnell was stabbed to death hours before dawn on September 10, 2008, a few days after Hurricane Ike, at an apartment in Glass Shack, Providenciales, after a man who was later identified as Thompson, broke into the building shared between the deceased woman and her brother. She was killed while sleeping beside her two children.
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LOCAL NEWS
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
14 police force members graduate from public order and riots training By Vivian Tyson SUN SENIOR EDITOR
Preparing for any unseen eventuality this election cycle and beyond, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force has embarked on several preparedness steps, including two weeks of specialized training of its officers in Public Order management. The two-weeks of training which ended with a graduation ceremony on Wednesday, September 26, at the Police Canteen in Providenciales, was conducted by members of the Royal Bahamas Police force, headed by Superintendent Phillip Wilson and Inspector Kenton Rolle. All 14 participants, who started the grueling exercise graduated. “The Public Order team is to bring peace and tranquility and make sure that unruly persons disperse to
where they live. This is to ensure that law and order will be kept at all cost. These officers use less lethal force to carry out their work, to ensure that crowds are dispersed. In the event that they are attacked by persons with firearms, then we bring in the tactical team, with ballistic shields and firearms to that particular point,” Superintendent Wilson explained. He said that a public order unit was very essential in a society this day and age, since some persons had become aggressive towards the police. “The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force saw the need to boast its capability seeing that the election is going on, and if needed – it’s not that these persons are trained for that – they have the capability of dealing with any situation that arises
The Public Order team in training
during the election,” Wilson said. He reminded the graduates that residents of the TCI would be holding them to high expectations, and was banking on them to provide peace and maintain tranquility as they go about their daily lives. In the meantime, Assistant Commissioner of Police Rodney Adams indicated that the specialized training underwent by the 14, was a proactive measure geared at tackling the unseen that could come from future events, including the November 9 general election.
“We must always be proactive in preparing ourselves to deal with any form of incidents that may come our way,” Adams told the gathering. The Assistant Commissioner of Police also cautioned the graduates to treat the public with respect while they endeavor to maintain law and order, reminding them that their action towards the general public would be determined how they would be viewed by those who they engaged with and the wider community who may witness those treatments.
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LOCAL NEWS NEWS LOCAL
SEPTEMBER 29TH -6TH, OCTOBER SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 2012 6TH, 2012
Accused Canadians seek political asylum in Turks and Caicos Islands
Two accused Canadian fraudsters who are believed to have targeted political figures are seeking “political asylum” in the Caribbean Turks and Caicos Islands, alleging that the Canadian government plans to kill them. Cullen Johnson and Elaine White, who have been on the run since pleading not guilty to fraud charges in Newmarket, Ont., in 2009, told a magistrate in the resort community of Providenciales that they have contacted the United Nations. “They basically said in open court that they were making a petition to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for political asylum in the Turks and Caicos because they believe (the government) will murder them when they return to Canada,” said Neil Smith, a spokesman for the governor of the British Overseas Territory.
Johnson, a former Toronto police officer, and White, a former forensic accountant, are alleged to have defrauded a number of people through their former private detective agency, Internal Affairs. An Ontario Superior Court found that former Ontario provincial representative Eric Cunningham was victimized by the firm, finding that it produced “fraudulent” records that purported to show he had $2.3 million in offshore bank accounts as part of a messy divorce action. Police allege that the firm offered to find hidden offshore money for people engaged in divorces, then create records that showed accounts that did not exist. Johnson says that he is innocent and is the victim of a conspiracy by powerful Canadian politicians. The Ontario Provincial Police have been trying to track Johnson
and White since 2009, sources say, and helped immigration officials in the Turks and Caicos trace them to a condominium in La Vista Azul Resort, a posh waterfront development in Providenciales. Brad Sullivan, an RCMP officer who is Deputy Commissioner with the Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Force, said Thursday that his officers assisted in the arrest of the couple last month. The couple was charged with staying longer on the islands than allowed by law. White’s passport was expired. They have been remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison on Grand Turk pending deportation to Canada, where the OPP is waiting for them. But when Johnson and White told the magistrate that the Canadian government intended to kill them, and reported contacting the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, the deportation was apparently put on hold until the refugee agency decides whether the case has merit. “They could ask us to hold them for a period of time or they could throw it out,” said Smith. “There’s not a huge history of Canadians who have sought asylum in the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said one government official. In April, then-associate defence minister Julian Fantino complained to the RCMP after Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson was presented with documents that purported to show that Fantino had offshore bank accounts. Postmedia News showed the documents to banking experts who said they appeared to be forged. Fantino is one of the politicians about whom Johnson has made apparently unfounded allegations of conspiracy.
Scotiabank opens ATMs North Caicos and South Caicos
Residents of North Caicos and Middle Caicos will now have access to cash by using banking cards and credit cards, thanks to a new partnership between Scotiabank and the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. Scotianbank’s Automated Teller Machine banking services were launched on South Caicos on Friday, September 21st and on North Caicos on Tuesday September 25th 2012. The ATMs will provide service to residents as well as tourists visiting the islands. According to Neil Smith, spokesman in the Governor’s office, there will be a change to the financial lives of the islanders as they will be able to make payroll deposits, and pensioners would be able to automatically cash their cheques. Cecil Arnold, Managing Director, Scotiabank Turks and Caicos Ltd, said this partnership is emblematic of
the leadership example set by Scotiabank in supporting the communities it serves. He said the launch represents a milestone as Scotiabank celebrates 30 years of doing business in the Turk and Caicos Islands. Arnold said his bank is proud of the relationship and the great work that it has been able to do in collaboration with the Turks and Caicos Government. His Excellency Governor Ric Todd, who attended the opening ceremony, said that when the Government negotiated its new banking arrangements the improved provision of financial services on the family islands was a key part of what it set out to do. Governor Todd added that this new public-private partnership will support the communities on North, Middle and South Caicos and stop them needlessly having to travel at their own expense to conduct normal everyday essential business.
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$13.00 per hour TRADE WIND INDUSTRIES, LTD (TWI) Providenciales TWI is seeking an experienced Senior Conch Hatchery Technician for a position at the Caicos Conch Farm on Providenciales. A Senior Conch Hatchery Technician is responsible for the general operation of the conch hatchery as well as collection of conch egg masses, preparation of the metamorphosis facility, water testing and quality control, the training of hatchery staff, performance evaluations of subordinate staff, maintenance of hatchery equipment, hatchery record keeping and report submission and other related duties as assigned. The successful candidate must be a strong, competent and experienced swimmer & snorkeler. This is a physically demanding job in the outdoor environment and involves spending time wet in the sea or under the blistering TCI sun. Other staff duties include site maintenance, trash removal and assisting other employees. Persons interested in this position should submit their resume to tradewindconch@gmail.com . BELONGER PREFERRED
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Recession blamed for no trans-Atlantic flights and large airplanes coming to TCI
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LOCAL NEWS
The harsh economic conditions that have been dogging the world for the past four years is preventing the Turks and Caicos from welcoming its first direct commercial Trans Atlantic flight to our shores, according to Director of the Tourist Board Ralph Higgs. The $40 million lengthening of the Providenciales International Airport runway last year was geared towards attracting larger gets, especially those from Europe, but so far, the country has been unable to lure those jets. In an interview with The SUN, Higgs explained that the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board was not ruling out welcoming those airliners to our shores in the very near future. “Following the recent expansion of the Providenciales International Airport, the Tourist Board along with our partners, have been doubling our efforts to make the destination very visible in the marketplace. It doesn’t help however, that there is global recession. There is still tremendous interest in the Turks and Caicos from Europe, Asia and South America. And I want to assure the public that as soon as there is a sustainable interest that can justify flights from these destinations, you would see further airlift from Europe and airlift from South America,” Higgs said. He said that in recent months, travel agents from Europe had been
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expressing great interest in the TCI, with a team from the UK spending the whole of this week exploring brand Turks and Caicos. Higgs said on the heels of the current bunch’s departure, another team of travel agents from Italy, was scheduled to fly into the country, followed by a team from Russia. “This is a clear demonstration that the Turks and Caicos remains popular, but not having a flight on the ground (from Europe) at the moment, is, in part, due to the economic conditions globally. In the meantime, Higgs said that airlines from Europe could be on the ground next week had the Tourist Board being blessed with a budget that could provide subsidies to those airlines in a gesture of luring them to our shores. “We are taking steps to increase the awareness of the destination; educate travel professionals on selling the destination and grow the demand that way. I believe that once the demand is there, additional flights from Europe and additional flights from South America will be sustainable, and you would see it happening momentarily. Subsidies and grants are not sustainable. “I thing once we increase the awareness, that would be the most sustainable way of having additional flights from these Trans Atlantic destinations,” Higgs said. In the meantime, Higgs defended the original policy to sell the TCI as a
high-end destination, explaining that even in these tough economic times, the country was seeing an increase in tourist arrivals. “Having a boutique type or a luxury destination has helped us to weather the tough economic times, even better than many of our neighbours. So I think we are rightly priced. However, I am one who would like to see a little more diversity in the accommodation’s plank, and I think if we are able to achieve that, there would be room for even more growth in the tourism sector,” Higgs argued. In the meantime, Higgs said that the annual budget, which is a little under $3 million, was being used to run the entire operation of the board. That, he sad, included its overseas operations, human resources expenses and market and promotion campaigns. However, Higgs said that the small budget had enabled the Tourist Board to spend wisely and capitalize on marketing opportunities. “Three million dollars is small, but it forces you to be creative; it forces you to think outside the box; it forces you to pursue the greatest return on investment. And I am pleased, and I think the public is pleased that notwithstanding the challenges we have been able to show growth in the face of budget cutbacks,” Higgs said. The Tourist Board Director also said that the Turks and Caicos Islands had initiated plans to lure visitors from
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
China, but that plan was in the infancy stage. He said that the TCI had already been granted approval to advertise its tourism product in China, and it intends to build on that platform. “However, there are some logistical challenges for the region and for the Turks and Caicos now in growing the Chinese market. There are no direct flights from China to the Caribbean. And until there is a direct flight in place, you would find that most destinations cannot effectively grow the Chinese market. Chinese travelling through the United States, through Europe, may need transit visas to the Caribbean, and that in and of itself presents a challenge. “So, we will maintain relations with a number of Chinese Tour operators. We have a Chinese website for Turks and Caicos, and we are going to continue to make noise in that market, and hopefully when there is a flight from mainland China to the Caribbean – I hope it is certainly to Turks and Caicos – but if it isn’t to Turks and Caicos, we want to make sure that we would be able to piggy back on that flight. “Perhaps a double stop flight like we do with British Airways over in Nassau; perhaps a Chinese Flight into Jamaica continuing to Turks and Caicos or to Cuba continuing to Turks and Caicos. But the entire Caribbean is aware of the Chinese Market and they are taking steps to develop that market,” Higgs said.
NOTICE OF SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd., The Temple Financial Centre, Providenciales HEREBY GIVES NOTICE that it will cause to be sold by public auction the following properties pursuant to its power of sale as registered Chargee under the Registered Land Ordinance of the Turks & Caicos Islands: 1. Parcel No.20502/212, Ambergris & Fish Cay, Turks & Caicos Islands. This property Comprises of private residential land only. The property is an oceanfront lot located on the private island of Ambergris. Registered Proprietors: Jarrod Scott Benton & Sarah Jane Benton. 2. Parcel No.60602/133, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands. The property comprises of approximately 1 Acre of Land over looking the Providenciales International Airport. Registered Proprietor: Gilbert Fitzroy Selver 3. Parcel No.60717/99, Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands This is an Ocean view, lake front property with direct views of the south shore via Turtle Lake. This property is approximately 1 acre and is situated approximately 40 feet above sea level, with direct access to the Venetian Road and Leeward Highway. Registered Proprietor: Distinctive Properties Ltd. 4. Parcel No.60504/121, Blue Hills & Stamer Run, Providenciales. This property Comprises of two apartment buildings, a single storey building and a two storey building with approximately 8 units in total. Registered
Proprietor: Wellington Walkin The auction will be held at 11:45 a.m. Friday 12th October 2012 at the offices of Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd., Temple Financial Centre, Leeward Highway, Providenciales. Conditions of sale may be obtained from Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd., The Temple Financial Centre, Leeward Highway, Providenciales, telephone (649) 946-5293, fax (649) 946-5289. Interested persons may bid by way of sealed tender delivered not later than 4:00 p.m. Thursday, October 11, 2012 addressed to Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd., Temple Financial Centre, Leeward Highway, Providenciales clearly marked “ AUCTION BIDOCTOBER October 12TH 2012.” Should the bid meet the reserve price and constitute the highest offer, the property will be considered sold to the person making the bid. Note that a 10% deposit is required immediately from the successful bidder at the auction. Note that Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd. accepts no responsibility in respect of the receipt or otherwise of sealed bids and prospective purchasers are encouraged to ensure safe delivery of sealed bids to Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd. in good time and further to attend at the auction to ensure that the bid is properly made.
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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN TURKS & CAICOS SUN
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012 SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
LOCAL NEWS Page 11 LOCAL NEWS
PDM Leader Oswald Skippings refuses to apologise for inciting violence at a school
Leader of the People’s Democratic to create a hostile and untenable Movement (PDM) Oswald environment for the children and Skippings has been called upon staff of that institution,” Boyce said. to apologise to the people of the Up to press time, Skippings no Turks and Caicos Islands for apology was forthcoming from Mr. inciting violence by telling people Skippings, although several members to “block those bloody gates” at of his party have reprimanded him Clement Howell High School internally over his comments. because a foreign principal Saying that the statement issued was hired by the Public Service by Skippings over the weekend was TURKS AND CAICOS SUN SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012that in the Commission. inadequate, Boyce said The call came from Publisher final analysis, Mr. Skippings must and Editor-in-Chief of the Turks accept responsibility for inciting and Caicos SUN, Hayden Boyce, violence at a school and be man who said he is standing by the enough to apologise for it, instead position stated in an editorial in of trying to turn the tables on a which he accused Skippings of newspaper editor. inciting violence. “Just pause for a moment and “Journalists have an inherent imagine what would have happened responsibility to hold leaders in if people had heeded his advice any country accountable, and I and gone down to Clement Howell will forever maintain that for a High School and block the gates. It political leader to urge people to go is simply wrong to the core, and Mr. to a school and block those bloody Skippings, who is seeking to be the gates, is a clear-cut case of seeking next Premier of this country, must
never be allowed to get away with a statement like that. He owes the people of the TCI an apology for making such reckless remarks, which, in any event, he should withdraw.” The newspaper publisher said he received several telephone calls, texts, BBMs over the weekend from residents of the Turks and Caicos Page 11 Islands who praised the stance he took in the SUN editorial. He said many persons, including senior and influential members of the PDM, strongly criticised Mr. Skippings for his reckless words about blocking the school gates. Boyce maintained that Mr. Leader of the People’s Democratic Movement Skippings is well within his rights (PDM) Oswald Skippings to express his concerns about the appointment of a foreigner as principal if he believes that qualified was encouraging persons to attack locals were overlooked for the post. him and his wife on the internet by However, Boyce said the PDM leader wrongfully giving the impression should have taken up that matter that the editor of the SUN does not with the Public Service Commission like Turks and Caicos Islanders. Boyce, who has been the subject (PSC) or the Office of Public Sector of vicious personal attacks on a Management (OPSM), instead of advocating violence at the school to muck-racking anonymous blog called the TCI Post, said he is not prove his point. The SUN editor stressed that he fazed by what is written about him specifically said that local politicians there. “Encouraging people to go on such as Mr. Skippings have a right the internet and launch personal to stand up for Turks and Caicos attacks on me and my wife does not Islanders. defeat the principle of the argument,” Boyce added: “In the editorial I Boyce said. “You don’t have to like said, ‘Let it be at once understood that the right for a politician to the messenger. What is important advocate for the promotion of one’s is that you are mature enough to own people is not being challenged. sincerely appreciate and understand But it how you go about it’. I also the message.” He continued: “Mr. Skippings said, ‘This, of course, is not to say is wrong for making it appear as that natives should not be given their though I don’t like Turks and Caicos rightful place in their own country. 2 KITCHEN HELPERS Islanders. Nothing could be further They absolutely should. But a 1 WAITRESS sensible balance must be struck; from the truth. Anyone who knows can tell you that I have nothing LABOURER WORKER one that denies 1 unfair encroachment me but love and respect for the people of on territories and Salary areas that$5.00 are per hour justifiably reserved for locals, but the Turks and Caicos Islands. Contact 941-4653 This is my adopted home and I which also simultaneously confirms the existence of full tolerance and have cultivated some very strong and respect for foreigners and expatriates, deep friendships with people from all and most important of all, the walks of life throughout this country, granting of opportunities based on regardless of origin or political persuasion. merit.” I have some very close friends Boyce added that it is most in both the PDM and the PNP and regrettable thatTWO in an STORES effort to CLERK they respect my job as a journalist divert attention awayoffrom his poor Must have 5-10 years experience In aviation storeswe inventory, purchasing although may see things from political decision and proof there of. to make such different perspectives.” inappropriate remarks,with Mr.experience. Skippings Salary commensurate
LOCAL NEWS
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LOCAL NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
Page 12
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
LOCAL NEWS
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
South Dock Port needs to be upgraded, report says By Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Although seaport capacities are largely sufficient to handle current quantities of freight traffic, the Providenciales cargo port at South Dock needs to be upgraded to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of port services. According to a Transport study which was recently done by the Interim Government, the improvements should include dredging, paving the dockyard, improving drainage and replacing fencing. The report noted that increased cargo volumes are anticipated in the future and there is no room to expand the current port in Providenciales. “The feasibility of relocating the port so that it may handle larger cargo volumes, including fuel, requires further consideration,” the report stated. The Turks and Caicos Islands have three main ports capable of accommodating international ships. All are Government owned ports at
Providenciales South Dock, Grand Turk (South Base) and South Caicos (Cockburn Harbour). Of the three, Providenciales is the most important, handling about 85% of national port traffic. Most of the remaining 15% is handled at Grand Turk, with traffic at South Caicos being minimal. There is also a dock under construction at Bellefield, North Caicos; and there are small landings at Sandy Point, North Caicos and at Salt Cay. The main port at Providenciales has three major problems. First, the port is in very poor condition despite being only 22 years old. Secondly, its occupancy is high and increasing as TCI’s imports have been growing at an average rate of 10% p.a. over the last five years. Consequently, the ships often have to wait for berths. This is a serious problem as the TCI imports 98& of its requirements and many organisations operate on a ‘just in time’ basis. Thirdly, the port requires regular dredging. The existing depth of 11-12 feet limits ships capacities “Given the proximity to the
STAFF VACANCY – GIS MAPPING ADMINISTRATOR Applications are invited from interested and suitably qualified individuals for the position of GIS Mapping Administrator in our T&D Design Department on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. Objectives and Purpose of the Job: The role of the Mapping Administrator-GIS is to ensure end users are receiving the appropriate geographic information, facilities and asset management services. This includes coordinating all phases of the mapping system process to ensure the GIS mapping project is meeting the needs of the end users including engineering, finance and IT. Main Duties and Responsibilities: Key Responsibilities: • Ensure the timely and accurate development of the GIS Mapping data base including customized reports as required by stakeholders. • Managing the mapping system development and maintenance in such a manner as to ensure the mapping project delivers the required business solutions to the end user. • Developing and implementing mapping services and standards to deliver the required business solutions supported by the mapping project. • Prepare and deliver reports, recommendations or alternatives that address the existing issues and maximize the potential business benefits of the GIS mapping system. • Provide user training on GIS based mapping systems. • Provide on call technical support • Maintain the working relationship with Milsoft and other suppliers. • Review and analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of the mapping data base and the processes used to both support the data and business solutions delivered from the mapping data base. • Develop and deliver the asset management reports required by finance. • Develop and deliver a set of hurricane recovery books for use after a major storm. • Perform other duties as may be assigned from time to time. Monthly Duties
Grand Turk Cruise Centre, easy maritime access and with a draft of up to 22 feet, the placement of two dolphins (at) the Grand Turk Port could accommodate medium class size vessels such as Azamara and Celebrity. Such an investment would expand domestic economic activity and yield further income for the Ports Authority and Government. Cruise shipping activity during the day and stevedoring at night, as per the Cayman model, could also be achieved with minimal capital investment,” the document stated. It was also noted that the South Caicos port is ideally located to become a significant yacht sanctuary, but this requires formal study. The report said the inter-island shipping line is capable of using rudimentary facilities, even beaches, on the less populated islands at high tide. However, improved facilities are required for both passenger and cargo transportation on a number of the islands. With the construction of the North to Middle Caicos causeway,
domestic sea transport facilities are not required on Middle Caicos. The harbour breakwater on Salt Cay was recently refurbished and the availability of sheltered moorings has improved. However, further refurbishment of the dockside seawall and the provision of a roll on-roll off dock is still required. Similarly, domestic freight dock facilities on Grand Turk are also in need of upgrading and extending to improve operational efficiency and the capability to handle larger vessels. According to the report, other sea transport concerns are largely matters of adequate management including: (i) alternate docking, prolonged port visits, illegal sales of goods, illegal imports and illegal immigration resulting from vessels’ visiting from Haiti and the Dominica Republic; (ii) excessive freight pricing by private shipping companies; and (iii) repairs to the marine navigation light on Big Sand Cay
• Ensure the GIS mapping data base is up to date and accurate. • Provide reports as required by various stake holders throughout the company. • Provide a monthly report on the development of the mapping system data base. The report should include an assessment of the accuracy of the data and the satisfaction level of the stakeholders. • Complete daily or weekly timesheets accurately reflecting project being worked on. • Monitor and control mapping expenditures. Academic/Technical/Management: Experience and Qualifications: • Applicant should possess a College Diploma or University Degree in the field of Computer Science, Information Systems, or GIS technology. • A Bachelor of Technology Geographic Information Systems (BS GIS) or similar is preferred. • A minimum of 5-7years experience working on GIS applications and related mapping systems. • A working knowledge and work experience with SQL database, AutoCAD, Windows operating systems, ESRI, Milsoft, and related products. Abilities; Skills; Experience; Aptitude and Judgment: • Goal-oriented and self-motivated to apply needed initiative, attention to detail and appropriate sense of urgency to achieve desired results. • Staying current with GIS and other related mapping technologies is required. • Ability to deliver to strict deadlines and to work under pressure. • Excellent planning, organizing and team building skills. • Excellent written and oral communication skills. • Solid negotiating skills. • Proficient in the use of computers. External Contacts (Level): • Customers – At all levels. • Technical Support consultants and suppliers are critical. • Outside Business entities. Compensation Grade: 11 (Range US$45,290.00-US$56,610.00 per annum (based on qualifications and ability) Deadline for submission of applications is October 5,, 2012. Kindly submit applications stating qualifications and work experience to: Director, Human Resources FortisTCI Limited P. O. Box 132, Providenciales Email address: hrapplications@fortistci.com fax: 649-941-4304
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TURKS AND CAICOS TURKS & CAICOS SUN SUN
By Vivian Tyson
Radar Station officially up
Six years after it was conceptualized, the $2.8 million Coastal Radar Station, which is designed to detect illegal activities on our waters, was officially commissioned into service on Wednesday, September 26. And even though a sloop carrying illegal Haitians had slipped through earlier this week, the Authorities were confident that the short pulse, dual band, X-band frequencies would easier pinpoint and react to the number of activities in our waters, by detecting and tracking all types of marine objects in any weather condition. The commissioning of the facility - located at South Dock according to Governor Ric Todd, would be used to assist the Turks and Caicos Islands authorities in better tackling illegal immigration, the smuggling of goods, transshipment of drugs and weapons as well as human trafficking. The radar site was said to have been chosen due to its proximity to the waters around West Caicos and French Cay - the busiest waterways around the Islands - in addition to the location being Government-owned Crown Land. The radar system is set to comprise: • 40 meter (131 ft.) galvanized, lattice tower sitting on a specially designed foundation
• 5.5 meter (18 ft.) reflector antenna that sends and receives radar signals • Equipment cabin – houses the electronics specifically designed to operate in a marine environment. These units process radar signals and send them to the monitoring stations • Monitoring cabin – houses the monitoring stations. •Standby Generator – automatically provides power in event that the normal electrical power fails. The government said that the system was designed to provide a cost effective contribution to securing the country’s borders, boosting the work of immigration and customs officials, the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force marine unit and maritime patrol aircraft. Governor was one of the many persons who were impressed with the commissioning of the facility, stating that the country stand to benefit from the facility in a variety of ways. “The new radar station is an effective tool for assisting the TCI in many ways. And the UK is delighted that its $340,000 contribution to the costs of establishing this facility will be money well spent. Its data will support a wide range of government functions, from search and rescue operations, to environment
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LOCAL NEWS LOCAL NEWS
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SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 2012 6TH, 2012 29TH -6TH, OCTOBER
monitoring and disaster management. It will assist in improving the TCI’s ports management and operations too. “I am certain that our regional partners will appreciate our better integration and contribution to security with the Bahamian and US authorities, for example. With the TCI being an active contributing member of the international community in this way, I am certain that this nation’s influence can only expand,” Governor Todd said. Clara Gardiner, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Border Control and Labour, who chaired the event, told the audience that the facility was first conceived under the former administration, with Galmo ‘Gilley’ Williams as Minister of Labour and Border Control. She said the influx of Haitian migrants had triggered the site’s conceptualization. “The radar system was first conceived to help stop illegal sloops from landing in the TCI in 2006. At that time the Government was spending over $600,000 per year to repatriate illegal persons. We are confident that as word of our new capacity in detecting and monitoring vessels and their movements in and around our waters grows, that the system will see costs associated with such repatriations
reduce significantly,” she said. The initial radar station contract was signed in November 2007, but the project could not go ahead as a result of the financial collapse of the world’s economy. However, the government work on the site was able to begin and completed as a result of the country’s improving financial position and support from the UK. A number of persons representing various organizations were in attendance including top brass of all three political parties. The United States Coast Guard in the person of Director of Aviation Operation for Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos Islands (OPBAT), Commander Louis Parks, was also in attendance, as well as Fred Skovberg, who conceptualized the system, and also representatives of Easat, the contractors for the project. The Coastal Radar Station employs five Turks and Caicos Islanders as site supervisor and radar operators. Rodman Johnson is the station supervisor. Following the ceremony, the media was given a tour of the facility to gain firsthand knowledge as to how the system works.
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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
LOCAL NEWS
Issue #18
WITH LILLIAN BOYCE
Living by “e Golden Rule” “Do unto others as you would like done unto you.” This saying is one of the oldest notions known to man in that it is the basis of many of the ethical systems on which societies have been built. Many expressions of it in various versions have existed in the classic literature of Greece and Rome. The English 'do unto others...' version is the biblical expression of it, and this appears in Matthew 7:12. The importance of the belief was emphasised during the 17th century, when it began to be known as the Golden Law, or Golden Rule.: Many different sources claim the Golden Rule as a humanist principle and I will use the same concept as a Stepping Stone proposal. Some of you my readers may have heard and read the “block those bloody gates and nobody move”statement during the past few weeks. These are words coming from the mouth of a pastor; someone who wants to be the next leader of the Turks and Caicos Islands. While some may say it is time for this issue to die a natural death, I beg to differ and must use it as a stepping stone, as a lesson and a time for soul searching.
So let’s look at how we can try to live according to the Golden Rule. It would mean trying to empathize with other people, including those who may be very different from us and in this particular instance, those who are from other countries. First, I need to point out that we are all Belongers of the Caribbean, we live very close to the United States of America and we are one of the British overseas territories. We have over the many years, been an active part of a cosmopolitan world. We have lived in many countries- whether it is or was for educational purposes, familial connections or wherever it was necessary to ensure a prosperous livelihood. For many years we have educated our children in the United States, the UK and various islands in the Caribbean; and beyond education we have made it our goal to give birth to our children outside of the Turks and Caicos Islands for a variety of reasons. And yes, we have also become employees in other nations; the thrall of better opportunities, the thought of expanding our horizons, and the potential for career advancements, prompting us to respond positions advertised internationally. Empathy is at the root of kindness,
Caicos Television Holding Ltd
MAINTENANCE & CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR
(ACTIVATING, DESIGNING, SPLICING, ENGINEERING & TROUBLE SHOOTING) Primary objectives of the Job Duties: Utilize Computer Aided Design software to design plant extension and system rebuilds/upgrade projects. Prepare cost estimates for minor and major plant extensions. Activate and trouble shoot nodes, trouble shoot and correct internet system problems, splice and maintain the Fiber Optic system when necessary. Act as the company’s primary liaison with Residential, Commercial and Multi Dwelling Unit construction developers.
Roles and Responsibilities: • Understand and follow all company safety standard and practices including but not limited to: vehicles safety, proper placement of traffic signs and cones. Understand and follows accident reporting procedures. Understand and follows applicable Electric Safety Code rules and regulations • Have the ability to troubleshoot and maintain head-end equipment (fiber optic lasers, fiber optic splitters, modulators and RF combination network). • Supervise and train field technicians • Have the ability to read and interpret, organize, update and maintain complete set(s) of system prints • Related to repairs to optimize system faults when necessary. • Utilize Signal Level Dsam-3600b meters w/voip/Web Browser and path track field view • Must be willing and able to handle special projects • Perform all job functions with the appropriate safety measures
compassion, understanding and respect – qualities that we all appreciate being shown, whoever we are, however we think and wherever we come from. And although it isn’t possible to literally know what it really feels like to be a different person or live in different circumstances and have different life experiences, it isn’t difficult for most of us to imagine what would cause us suffering and to try to avoid causing suffering to others. For this reason many people find the Golden Rule’s corollary – “do not treat people in a way you would not wish to be treated yourself” an undeniable truth. The issue of the gentleman being hired in a position at Clement Howell that some Turks and Caicos Islanders can do is indeed disappointing, but we cannot treat that man with disrespect and put hundreds of teachers and students at risk. Remember he did not hire himself. When I served as Minister of Education, our Government- one that cared about the empowerment and advancement of our people had appointed and assigned the deputy principal to understudy the institution’s former principal. That deputy is an able and qualified Turks and Caicos Islander who has proven that he is capable to be the principal of our largest secondary school. I am very disappointed that he was not given the opportunity, but I am also aware that it is our own people who serve on the Civil Service Commission, those imbued with the authority to promote him to the position, bypassed him. The Ministry was well aware of his credentials experience and qualifications, and as next in line for the position, there was no need for the position to even be advertised.
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
The Golden Rule, phrased in one way or another is the single greatest, simplest, and most important moral axiom humanity has ever invented, one which reappears in the writings of almost every culture and religion throughout history. • Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you. • "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself." – Confucius (China) • “That which you hate to be done to you, do not do to another." (Ancient Egypt) • "Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others." – Isocrates (Ancient Greece) • “…by self-control and by making dharma (right conduct) your main focus, treat others as you treat yourself." – The Mahābhārata (India) ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ ”- The Holy Bible And there are many more. Moral directives do not need to be complex or obscure to be worthwhile, and in fact, it is precisely this rule's simplicity which makes it great. It is easy to come up with, easy to understand, and easy to apply, and these three things are the hallmarks of a strong and healthy moral system. Before performing an action which might harm another person, try to imagine yourself in their position, and consider whether you would want to be the recipient of that action. If you would not want to be in such a position, the other person probably would not either, and so you should not do it. It is the basic and fundamental human trait of empathy, the ability to vicariously experience how another is feeling, that makes this possible, and it is the principle of empathy by which we should live our lives.
• Must be capable of carrying heavy equipment and climbing 32ft ladders • Must be able to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays • Have a valid driver’s license and the ability to operate large vehicles in a safe manner • Liaise with Express High speed internet-TCT to troubleshoot internet problems • Inspect, test and repair cable and fiber equipment at WIV various locations. • Verify that repairs are made to the satisfaction of the customers’ and meet company’s standards. • Determine the serviceability of residences deemed not serviceable according to the company’s billing database. Communicate the status of serviceability to the customer service department. • Prepare costs estimates if construction is necessary to service a residence or commercial establishment • Responsible for the coordination of design information exchange and timeliness of construction activities between WIV and developers to ensure construction projects are designed and completed within a timely manner and within established cost guidelines. • Prepare bill of materials for supplies and materials required for construction related projects • Communicate with and assist field technicians with revisions to strand and design maps of existing cable facilities • Drive company vehicle and ensure vehicle is properly maintained • Perform other duties in keeping with the position Qualifications and requirements: Education: BSc in Electronics or equivalent Experience: Seven years experience related experience and /or training • Must have experience in general drafting and the ability to use tools, Instruments, and materials normally used in such activities. • Must have extensive knowledge of equipment characteristics, capabilities and limitations. Must have the ability to make sketched diagrams accurately. Contact: TCT Limited/Express High Speed Internet P.O. Box 679 Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands administrator@wiv.tc or Fax: 649-946-4790 No phone calls please
TURKS & CAICOS SUN TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
Page 15 Page 15
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
Pastors blast Equality Bill
Members of the clergy lead a march down town Providenciales on Monday immediately following an anti-gay rights rally
LOCAL LOCAL NEWS NEWS
Ministers of various churches across Providenciales joined in prayer against sections of the Equality Bill
Almost 400 persons led by church union can live in harmony and can the church in particular. law, you will not be able to preach on leaders staged a marched and teach their children to do the same. Johnson said that he stood ready homosexuality or certain portion of rally downtown Providenciales on The foundation of the human society to go to prison for the right to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will Monday, September 24, against a is the husband/wife; father/mother; the World of God in the Turks and seek to silence you. particular portion of the Equality male/female, and the continuity of Caicos Islands. Therefore, I stand here today to Bill, which bats for gay rights in the same remains resilient as the “We didn’t start this fight. The challenge any devil that God’s words the Turks and Caicos Islands. mandate given at creation,” Williams fight came to us. But as ministers stand assured and God’s word would All the church leaders who spoke urged. of the Gospel, we stand to defend stand throughout the ages of eternity,” at the event denounced that section Saying that the church accepted the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Johnson said. of the Bill, while hailing other parts, the role of the moral conscience Jesus Christ. For Christ we live and Following the rally, the church which sought to make provision for of society, Williams insisted that for Christ we die. And anything that leaders staged a march in the down equal rights for the disabled and it would not sit idly by and watch opposes the Gospel of Jesus Christ, town area of that island under the other interest groups to be fairly immorality, planted under the guise we will take a stand, comes what may. guidance of the Royal Turks and treated on the job and other areas of of human rights take root. “Once this Equality Bills becomes Caicos Islands Police Force. society. “Therefore we call on the The ministers urged Governor Governor Todd and the Interim Ric Todd not only to put the Bill Administration to proceed no further on hold, but also for that particular until our suggested recourse has Caicos Television provision to be struck out after being been addressed. To act in this regard Holding Ltd debated by an elected Government. is to invited the wrath of God, further The ministers also dispatched a maligns the church and hurry moral copy of their letter to the governor, decay to society,” Pastor Williams bearing their requests. continued. Primary Duties: 14. Must be able to perform physical Calling the Bill immoral, Head For his part, Rev. Dr. Conrad Installation and disconnection of labor including but not limited to kneeling of the Providenciales Ministerial Howell stated: “While the Equality Television Cable Services to subscriber’s for long periods of time Fellowship, Pastor Pedro Williams, Bill holds some good things in it, home or establishment. Respond to 15. Must be able to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays if argued that while the document may there are elements of it that do not customer service calls and request, in a prompt manner to resolve challenges required have its genesis in the European follow what we have demonstrated identify ways and solutions that will 16. Valid driver’s license and ability to Union, it was not the same culture as that we believe. There are those operate large vehicles in a safe manner increase customer’s satisfaction that of the Turks and Caicos Islands, portions that allow a contradiction of 17. Liaise with WIV Cable to Maintain and therefore, should not be forced scriptures and goes against the core Main Duties and Responsibilities and repair cable television transmission lines down the throats of the people, but of what God has ordered as the way 1. Able to trouble shoot and maintain 18. Communicating with other head-end (Fiber optic lasers, fiber optic instead seek their opinions. for society to live and behave.” modulators and RF combination employees to coordinate the preparation splitters, “It is obvious that the TCI Howell noted that while some network) equipment and completion of work assignments political status is a territory of the may argue that Bible scriptures were 2. Supervisor and train apprentice Repair 19. Inspecting, testing and repairing United Kingdom, which is a member written centuries ago and may not and Field Technicians cable and fiber equipment at TCT of the European community, and is apply to today’s society, argued that 3. Performs splicing operation in various location 20. Verifying that repairs are made to the cited on the legal ground on which such words were penned to stand the connection with installation, rearrangement and repair of outside satisfaction of the customers and meet the country is being forced to comply test of time, since they came from CHAM-B-GROCERIES plant facilities company standards. with the European Convention that God, who he said, was the same 21. Establish and maintain effective 4. Be able to read and interpret system SEEKS allows what we oppose. yesterday, today and tomorrow. relationships with those contacted in the maps, plans related repair to optimize “The Turks and Caicos Islands Meanwhile, Bishop Reuben system down time course of work is, and must continue to be a country Johnson described the attempt by the 5. Install, reconnect or disconnect aerial Qualifications: where the development of the family Interim Administration to include or underground cable service in homes or establishments in Bachelors Degree or Equivalent in customer through procreation is God-intended, rights in the Equality Bill as a Salary $5.00gay per hour accordance with company procedures Electrical Engineering is the order of theContact: day; where649-946-3422 a fight being waged against the people. and standards. 10 years of job related experience with 5 man’s spouse or a woman’s spouse He said that particular section of the 6. Install converter to TV sets and related years being in a Supervisory role is of the opposite sex, and where this Equality Bill was hatched to silence subscriber electronics, i.e. VCR and fine Computer skills (Excel, Word and tune using appropriate test equipment. Outlook a plus) 7. Use of Signal Level Meter and VOM Able to read and understand maps 8. Exhibit a positive image to subscribers WANTED 9. Report any accident, losses, injuries Salary: $35,000.00 - $45,000.00 per or property damage to supervisor as annum incurred. Contact: TCT Limited/Express High 10 Responsible for required paper work. Speed Internet 11. Must be willing to handle special P.O. Box 679 projects Providenciales $6.00 per hour 12. Perform all job functions with Turks and Caicos Islands Please contact Linda Malcolm on 231appropriate safety measures administrator@wiv.tc or Fax: 649-94613. Must be capable of carry/lift heavy 4790 3221 for more details equipment and climb 32ft ladder No phone calls please
SENIOR TECHNICIAN
1 CASHIER
DOMESTIC WORKER NEEDED
Page 16 Page 16 TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
Page 11
LOCAL NEWS NEWS LOCAL
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
NOTICE OF SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION
Scotiabank (Turks & Caicos) Ltd. of Cherokee Road, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands hereby gives notice of its intention to sell by Public Auction the following properties pursuant to its power of sale as registered Chargee under the Registered Land Ordinance of the Turks and Caicos Islands: 1. Parcel 10308/42 Central, Grand Turk, comprising of a two storey residence with a single one bedroom one bathroom guest unit located on the ground floor. The upper floor comprises of two bedrooms with two large walk in closets, one bathroom and a laundry closet. Registered Proprietor: Kendle Berdette Williams and Tanya Doreen Cox 2. Parcel 10104/42, Lighthouse Road, North Suburbs, Grand Turk, comprising of a single storey residence containing four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, living and dining room, and utility closet. Registered Proprietor: Lorraine Marcella Elizabeth –Ann Kenlock -Bovell and Weston Edward Livingston Bovell 3. Parcel 60604/17 Norway and Five Cays Providenciales, comprising of a single storey residence containing four bedrooms, two and a half baths, a kitchen, living and dining room. The house provides good elevation giving excellent views towards the ocean. Registered Proprietor: Timothy Moriah Nash and Delores Oleta RigbyNash 4. Parcel 10409/96 East Suburbs Grand Turk, comprising of a single storey residence containing three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, living and dining room. Registered Proprietor: Vanessa Denise Forbes 5. Parcel 60503/123 Blue Hills & Stamers Run Providenciales, comprising of a single storey residence containing four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living and dining room with exterior patio. Registered Proprietor: Vylma Patricia Scriven Williams 6. Parcel 60900/170 Leeward Going Through Providenciales, comprising of a single storey residential building with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living and dining room. There is a two car garage, fencing and an entrance gate to the front of the property. Registered Proprietor: Floyd Lyndon Ingham and Cherrie Romayne Ingham
The auction will be held at the offices of Scotiabank (Turks and Caicos) Limited, Grace Bay Branch, Providenciales at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday the 5th day of October 2012 A reserve price will be fixed on all parcels. A deposit of 10% is due immediately upon all accepted bids. Terms and Conditions of Sale by Auction are available by request from Scotiabank Collections Department (649) 946-4750 Ext 275.
LOCAL NEWS
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012 & CAICOS TURKS AND CAICOS SUN SEPTEMBER 29THTURKS - OCTOBER 6TH, SUN 2012
TCIPOST- A false and unjustified website Thank you very much editors who was once a daily contributor of for allowing me a space in your the TCIPOST by bashing the people newspaper or blog to say a few in Turks and Caicos Islands now words about the TCIPOST. running as a candidate in the next A few months ago I was general elections. How can you travelling to Miami when I met treat certain people so bad by your a Tourist who came to the Turks comments and now seek to have and Caicos Islands on vacation them vote for you, this is a joke or and have stayed for a week at one what? of our resorts. He made mention Future leaders and politicians of the beauty of our waters and the of the Turks and Caicos Islands softness of the sand. He also spoke how can you support a website about the service he received and that promotes libel, slander and that he also believes that the people defamation of character amongst of the Turks and Caicos Islands are certain individuals of the TCI? I some lovely people who are always noticed you send your Press Release smiling. to this website I am wondering if When I said to him we are the John Glasgow is a legit Journalist, nicest set of people in the Caribbean, of course he may not be because he he begin to argue with me in a is not going in accordance with the professional manner that he never National Union of Journalist Code read about a group of people who of Conduct. are tearing down each other on the John Glasgow might reply to internet in his entire life. this letter by way of his website and I was shocked as to what he was he might say it is free speech. Well if saying and where he was coming it is free speech why are you hiding. from. He told me about this website If it is free speech why do you only TCIPOST, that apparently he allow the negative comments to be discovered when he was goggling posted but not the positive ones. It the Turks and Caicos Islands. He is obvious that his mindset is to told me that the author of that blog destroy person's name and some of is sending the wrong message to the the people in the TCI are following world about the Turks and Caicos him. Islands and that the comments by I am hereby asking the the people who use pseudonyms are Politicians what will they do about even worse in fact he describe as this so-called TCIPOST website. I being ridiculous. also asked the Governor how long I then start visiting this website will he sit and allow people to hide while on my business trip in Miami behind their computers and not only and was surprised to read the degrade their own people but also comments coming from people telling the whole world that the who I believe are Turks and Caicos Turks and Caicos Islands people Islanders. a bunch of incompetent souls., 2 KITCHENareHELPERS Mr. Editor if Mr. John Glasgow Newspaper outlets such as the WAITRESS is a Turks Islander he 1 definitely SUNS, TCWEEKLY, FREEPRESS LABOURER doesn’t like the1Turks and Caicos howWORKER come you're not saying nothing Islands, the people Salary who support about thishour anonymous website? $5.00 per the website are even worst. I was Sincerely, Contact 941-4653 surprised also to read that Dr Eds ICITIZEN
T & C MINIATURE GOLF
InterIsland Aviation Services Group is seeking: TWO STORES CLERK
Must have 5-10 years of experience In aviation stores inventory, purchasing and proof there of. Salary commensurate with experience. This positions require the following: • Excellent command of the English language – reading, writing and speaking. • Good communication skills and team player • Detail oriented & organized individual • Ability to work shifts, early mornings, late nights, weekends and Holidays. • Clean police record • Able to work under pressure Belongers need only apply. Interested applicants should apply to HR@flyairtc.com or via fax to HR Department 649-946-4040. No phone calls please. Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview.
TURKS CAICOS SUNSUN TURKS&AND CAICOS
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LOCAL NEWS NEWS LOCAL
SEPTEMBER 29TH 6TH, - OCTOBER SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 2012 6TH, 2012
By Vivian Tyson SENIOR SUN EDITOR
Over 70 motorists caught without insurance
Asked if the number of persons charged with driving without insurance was normal for the police, More than 70 motorists were hauled Clarke emphasized the opposite. before Chief Magistrate Clifton He told reporters that as a result of Warner in the Providenciales campaign, in recent months, the Magistrate’s Court House on Old number of motorists caught without Airport Road on Friday, September a driver’s license hovers above 50 27, after they were caught driving per month. without motor vehicle insurance “There is no excuse for persons and other documents. driving without insurance; there is no Police spokesman Constable excuse for a person driving without a Kevin Clarke said that the individuals driver’s license,” Clarke emphasized. were caught by law enforcers on In the meantime, Clarke said that the roads of Providenciales driver he was not aware whether or not any without the proper documents. He vehicle was seized by the police as told reporters that the police were a result of driving without insurance. stepping up their efforts to rid the “I know cases where vehicles streets of illegal vehicles, and the last are seized from persons, who had few weeks the drive hit high gear. probably committed other offenses. “We have a lot of persons who are We also have cases where persons driving their vehicles, who probably may have been stopped by the police never had or renew their insurance, and they ran leaving their vehicles and the traffic department wants t behind. In the case of persons driving enforce that, and also send a message without insurance, they (motorists) out to everyone that their vehicles are asked to park their vehicles. It must be insured. It is important that is illegal to be on the road without your vehicles are insured because insurance, so the police may ask you in the event of an accident, you to park it, or get a tow truck to take it may want to ensure that you have from the scene,” Clarke said. insurance to cover liabilities that Clarke explained that on a number may have come out of it,” he said. of occasions persons caught driving Clarke said that the fines for without proper documentations and driving without insurance could go are issued with summonses to attend up to $1,000, and license could be court, go missing, and so the police suspended for up a year. had to go looking for them.
NEEDED
3 Sushi Master Cooks salary based on experience 2 Sushi Waiters/Waitress salary based on experience 2 Labourers - $5.00 per hour Contact Good Hands Agency 946-3437 or 244-0277
Lyndon Gardiner seeks
Butler
Must be able to tutor children, cook, clean etc. Must be able to speak Spanish, English and French. Must be able to read and write English. Salary commensurate with experience Send resume to Fax 946-4040 or email HR@flyairtc.com
HENRY WILSON Is seeking a PAINTER, wages $6.00 per hour. Interested person must be able to work long hours, weekends and holidays. If this job interests you please contact: (649)332-7196
Persons outside the courthouse
“Once the person has been served with a summons to come to court and they don’t show up, then the court sends out a warrant for them to come to court so they can explain as to why they did not show up, and the court would deal with them from there. Persons would normally be fined for
about $500, and their licenses would be suspended for about six months,” Clarke said. He added that persons, whose licenses have been suspended for indiscretion on the roads and are caught driver thereafter run the risk of being given a prison sentence.
RESTAURANT MANAGER HAB Management Limited is seeking an extroverted, bright, dynamic Assistant Restaurant Manager to assist with the management of our restaurant operations.
Main Duties • Assist restaurant owners with daily restaurant management. • Communicate to owners all matters relating to the restaurant. • Responsible for greeting guests in a warm and friendly manner. • Maintain a regular presence on the dining room floor and oversees the host stand. • Control the flow of work in the dining room by seating guests and handling the reservation book. • Assist with the training, scheduling and supervising of staffs. • Oversees the staff to ensure quality food and professional service is extended to all guest. • Must be a customer service advocate, maintaining a high level of customer service standards.
Requirements • Must be suitably qualified. • Must have five years or more experience in hotel food and beverage industry. • Must have a strong working knowledge of dining room procedures, policies and EPOS system. • Strong organizational skills required. • Excellent oral and written communication skills required. • Must be willing to work unsociable hours and a variety of split shifts. • Excellent people skills in order to communicate well with guests and staff. Salary for this position starts from $36,000.00 per annum, commensurate with experience, training and education.
Interested applicants should contact Veronica Rigby via email by October 1, 2012 at ronnie@habgroup.com or fax 649-946-5191. Position is available immediately. Only persons selected for an interview will be contacted by email or telephone to schedule an interview. Belongers preferred.
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SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
LOCAL NEWS
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
Why I want to go into politics
By Benneth Williams
Life is not easy, nor long lived. We must seize today, better tomorrow and secure the future for our forthcoming generations. We need to stand up and be counted, educate ourselves and fight for what is right. With my involvement with the democratic Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands I would help to make sure this happens. As a prospective administration member it is paramount you have a strong civil responsibility. All civilians have a duty to their nation. My sense of duty is exceptionally strong. A quality which will aid in the decisions which really matter to our nation. I have the sense of responsibility and duty to do things right, doing whatever is required. Our government is here to not only aid the nation, but to help those individuals within it. We need to help people, aid them and support them throughout everyday operations. Our nation needs the strength and support of its people. I can add strength to government and by helping people within this nation I believe I can contribute to their everyday lives. Everyday member of the administration is there because they want to make a difference, a difference for all within our nation. I feel confident, like all administration members, that I will make a difference, and will help everyone in our nation. I appreciate all decisions I make would have an affect upon many; I would do everything in my power to make sure these have positive and beneficial affects. Sometimes the smallest decisions can have the
By serving this nation I want to create an environment where the individual, as well as the nation, can excel. A nation where its members want to rise above their expectations, with ambition and drive to carry them beyond their goals. How do we create this – we don’t need to, it’s already there, but as the government administration we need to unlock every ones potential. It can simply be described as the ‘hope of islanders’ and it alive and radiant in their hearts. It is our responsibility to breed that hope and allow it to develop into more than hope, into reality for all and our children. By doing my civic duty, I want to give rise to Benneth Williams a better future for family, community and nation. largest affect, and in return sometimes the biggest Further founding a nation where personal belief and decisions can have the little affect. It is important to self determination are protected, where hard work remember that politics is about making decisions for is rewarded not demanded and where each person is the greater good – that greater good for the greater bestowed with the ability to better their life. number. I am in no position to say I am always right, I’ m determined to utilize my enthusiasm, but it is my responsibility to find out the facts before energy and professionalism to present the Turks and making these decisions. The decisions which will Caicos system of government and all Belongers in be for the greater good. next future government administration. My family Like many people within our nation, and and upbringing education and personal challenges indeed around the world I have had my share of and experience have fashioned me for this key role. personal struggles, affecting my family, friends Every nation needs a successful ruling body. and I. Life is not easy and certainly not long lived. We all want answers, results and achievement. I As an individual I have learnt to embrace these can provide this for government, the people and experiences, taken responsibility of my mistakes the nation. We all need an administration who can and moved on, a humbler and wiser man. propound them, I am confident I can be part of this Having recovered from a personal tragedy, by leader, part of a nation which is proud and strong standing up to be counted, I am confident I will and ready to seek out its goals. I am ready to be part inspire others that there is always hope and that they of this country Government administration. too can rise above adversity.
Rubis purchases Chevron in TCI and will invest $20million By Vivian Tyson SUN SENIOR EDITOR
French Oil Company Rubis is to pump more than $20 million in the Turks and Caicos Islands by the purchasing Chevron in the TCI and make further investing in a fuel terminal, oil distribution station and the establishment of a number of petrol stations across the country. Governor Ric Todd made the announcement during a post Advisory Council media briefing on Wednesday, September 19, at the Environment Centre in the Bight. In addition to purchasing Chevron in the Turks and Caicos, Cayman and the Bahamas, thereby taking control of the Texaco brand, Rubis, according to Governor Todd, also planned to support a number of social and educational programmes in the country. “When a company like Rubis comes, spending money, making investments into the islands, that
partly is jobs, its prosperity, but also it’s an important vote of confidence in how the economy is going and the prospects which this country has, and prospects are, I think, pretty good. They have made donation to the Wellness Centre on Grand Turk and they are working with a school here on Providenciales,” Governor Todd said. In the meanwhile, Spokesman for the Governor’s Office Neil Smith said that on top of the $20 million already invested, Rubis is to spend close to, or more than a million dollars rebranding Texaco Service Stations across the country. Smith said that Rubis would spend $70,000 to rebrand each Texaco station. “They (Rubis) buy the business (Chevron), and what you would see, the way it would manifest itself the most obvious way is, over the course of the next year or so, all the Texaco Service Station would be rebranded Rubis, and we reckon that they would spend in the region of $70,000 per
service station, bringing them up to their standard,” Smith said. The Governor’s Office spokesman also pointed out that Rubis was looking to make other investments in the TCI, including new and cost effective ways to ship petrol to the country. “They have a number of options for more efficient and potentially lower cost ways of bringing fuel into the country. They are still exploring that (options) themselves at the moment,” Smith said. In the meantime, Governor Todd pointed out that contrary to opinions in some circles, the investment by Rubis was a sign that companies here were willing to pump investments into the local economy. “The two key points I want to make here is, first, this is another sign of companies willingness to put money into TCI. Therefore, a company wouldn’t be willing to put more than $20 million into the economy if they believe it was in
freefall or collapsing or in recession or hopeless. “This is another sign – I have listed a number of them in the past few weeks, for example the FBO, the new airport terminal, the Amanyara investment, the Digicel Investment, the Parrot Cay investment, potential for new hotels here on TCI – all of these things show one after the other, the same thing, this is a place that is doing well, the economy is in reasonable shape, people see TCI as a place they want to invest. “And it is not just in the classic tourism sector, but also sectors which support that. Therefore, the Interim Government is trying very hard to develop the economy,” Governor Todd said. Governor Todd also expressed the hope that the gains made by the Interim Administrator would be augmented by the next elected Government, which would be formed after the November 9, elections.
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
THE IP/VAS MANAGER
JOB PROFILE
Primary Objective of the Job: The IP/VAS Manager will be responsible for the real-time management of all VAS and IP based networks which support the technical operations and services of Digicel TCI. They will assist in the design and implementation of all new Packet Core, Charging System and IP based systems, ensuring adherence to Group IP network security standards and policies. They will provide first-line identification and resolution of faults, and ensure that all required documentation is maintained in a timely basis. Main Duties & Responsibilities: • Responsible for the design, installation and support of all Packet Core and IP based systems to support the technical operations of the business. • Design IP Numbering an addressing schemes, Development, Configuration and Implementation of IP based systems • Perform dimensioning and capacity planning of IP network • Responsible for the operation and maintenance of all Packet Core systems which include, Ericsson SGSN-MME, Ericsson Mobile Packet Backbone Network (MPBN). • Responsible for operation and maintenance of all VAS Ericsson Charging Systems including Ericsson Charging Control Node (CCN), Service Data Point (SDP), Account Information and Refill (AIR) • Responsible for all IP based systems, which include Cisco network devices (Routers and Switches), SUN Solaris/Linux servers, Checkpoint Firewalls and Above Security IDS to ensure their high availability. • Responsible for the operation and maintenance of all IP based services, including Checkpoint firewall policy management, IP traffic management utilising VLANs and routing protocols (MPLS, BGP, RIP, OSPF, EIGRP), also DNS, Microsoft Forefront 2010 and NTP applications. • Perform all required software and hardware upgrades for above mentioned systems and services • Provide on-call support for after hour outages & planned works, including creation and submission of required forms • Develop and schedule preventative and corrective maintenance policies and
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procedures, such as regular backups, spares inventory, to ensure high availability of all VAS and IP based systems. • Manage and Support Veraz I-Gate equipment. • Ensure that Digicel TCI continue to operate on secure local and wide area networks with the implementation of VPN technologies and firewall policy management • Provide proactive support of WAN data and voice links (VSAT, leased lines) to provide 100% availability of all IP services, including VoIP, ITP (SS7 over IP) and internet, and to ensure continued connectivity to other Digicel locations and external parties • Ensure adherence with IP Security Group (Jamaica) standards and policies as they relate to new and existing LAN and WAN network infrastructure, IP traffic, and network configuration procedures • Ensure that network metrics are closely monitored and captured so as to provide proactive network management, as well as regular feedback on network performance in the form of reports to management • Provide IP Support to other departments and external parties as required Academic qualifications and experience required for the job • 4-5 years’ experience in VAS administration and IP based network design, implementation and administration • CCNA and Microsoft MCSE certification and Solid hands on experience with Cisco devices • In-depth knowledge of switching, routing, LAN and WAN technologies • Hands on experience with UNIX and/or Linux systems to support applications Splat and Solaris. • Design, implementation and operational knowledge of network security (VPN, firewall management, intrusion detection) • Minimum of a Bachelors Degree in Computer Sciences or equivalent field • Knowledge of Intelligent network setup and operation. • Knowledge of CAMEL and roaming configuration
Functional Skills: • Ability to work unsupervised and handle multiple priority assignments simultaneously • Good team player with excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills. • Excellent troubleshooting and analytical skills • Possess first rate organizational skills with the ability to effectively manage responsibilities in a high pressure environment • Demonstrated ability to work in cross-functional teams • Ability to meet deadlines while paying attention to detail • High degree of initiative and creativity Interested Applicants should forward their resumes to hrtci@digicelgroup.com before September 30, 2012
AMBERGRIS CAY FACILITIES LTD POSITION AVAILABLE
Ambergris Cay Facilities Ltd is seeking to employ someone to work ON A MONTH TO MONTH BASIS to fill a post on Ambergris Cay. The available post is for a:
PROJECT SUPERVISOR
To perform a variety of managerial and administrative tasks related to coordinating the overall operations and maintenance of Ambergris Cay and related facilities (in receivership), including its Airport to assure compliance with regulations related to airport operations including, but not limited to, fire rescue and airfield safety and security.
1. Your daily tasks will include, but will not be limited to the following: • Review and monitoring of development infrastructure, work efforts, schedule and quality; • Overseeing preservation and maintenance of Owner and Developer landscape design and installation; • Overseeing preservation of existing construction, observation during planning and any design implementation. • Overseeing of island cafeteria operation. • Overseeing of island housekeeping and guest services, if any. • Coordinate travel of employees/guests to and from Ambergris Cay. • Track guest tariffs whilst visiting Ambergris Cay. • Assists in the preparation of and administer the airport budget which includes but is not limited to ensuring that proper revenue and expenditure controls are followed. • Respond to inquiries and complaints related to airport operations or emergencies. • Coordinates airport operations and projects with local agencies, property owners, staff, entities and departments as is necessary. • Manage and monitor Airside Staff duties and performance. • Assists in preparation of manuals and procedures related to airport operations. Responsible for overseeing airport safety and security as required by regulations and adopted Ambergris Cay Airport policies to ensure compliance with operational standards and relevant legislation 2. Manages and is responsible for all facets of day-to-day maintenance operations of Ambergris Cay Facilities Ltd. Responsibilities are as follows, but
not limited to:
• Providing general and technical support and oversight to the Facilities Department in order to maintain the facilities of Ambergris Cay Facilities Ltd. • Working closely with all department staff and others to ensure all maintenance needs are met. • Defining all facility needs, develop and execute plans that will ensure a highly functioning maintenance/Facilities Department. • Analyzing cost and budget and establishing quality assurance. • Required to work and live on Ambergris Cay with rotated weekends off. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
• Coordinate and manage all activities in the maintenance department through clear expectations of the maintenance staff. Determine needed repairs and improvements. Establish project priorities and assign work tasks. Schedule work to most effectively meet facility needs. • Develop and coordinate a solid PM schedule program. • Develop and implement a training program for maintenance employees. • Utilize effective, logical troubleshooting skills to develop corrective action plans. • Document departmental activity through preparation of various reports, work orders, maintenance schedules and other incidental record keeping. • Prepare, implement and monitor departmental budget. • Develop and maintain inventory of spare and repair parts, materials and tools. • Operate hand tools, light machinery and other equipment to make repairs or improvements to the facilities.
BELONGERS ONLY NEED APPLY
Salary: Between US$70,000 to US$75,000 per annum.
Closing Date for Applications is Friday October 13th, 2012 Applications must be in writing addressed to: Ambergris Cay Services Ltd Unit 51, Salt Mills Plaza, Grace Bay Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands E-mail: heather.allen@ambergristci.com Tel: (649)-941-3777 Fax: (649)-941-3778
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SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
LOCAL NEWS
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
DOMINO tournament OCT 5-27, 2012
ROUND 1
North Caicos Qualifying
Friday, October 5th @ Miss Bee始s Restaurant 6:00pm to 9:00pm
ROUND 2
South Caicos Qualifying
Friday, October 12th @ Ocean Beach Hotel 6:00pm to 9:00pm
ROUND 3
FINAL ROUND Grand Turk Qualifying Round & Championship Saturday, October 27th @ Local Village 2:00pm to 9:00pm Music from V6 sponsored by
Providenciales Qualifying Saturday, October 20th @ Cactus Bar & Grill 5:00pm to 9:00pm Music from Qband Linkz
CALL FOR MORE INFO OR STOP BY A STORE OR AUTHORIZED DEALER TO REGISTER!
PRIZES TO BE WON!
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
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LOCAL NEWS
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
If Money Doesn't Grow on Trees, Why Do Fares FALL in AUTUMN? To celebrate our 20th Year of Service we're taking $20 off each way when you buy a round trip ticket to any of our destinations.
That's a total of $40.00!!! Just buy a round trip ticket to any of our destinations between Oct 1st and Nov 30th and complete travel by December 10th to enjoy $20 each way ($40 total) off the lowest applicable fare.
Available at our Customer Care Center on Old Airport Road
946-4999 • www.flyairtc.com
PIA offers a number of insurance coverage options to meet your needs: Property (Residential & Commercial) Liability Pecuniary Loss Life & Health Marine, Aviation, & Transport Personal Accident Risk Profiling P.O. Box 23, Grace Bay Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Contact Info: Telephone:649-946-4379 ext 132 Fax:649-946-4307 Email:pi@prestigiousproperties.com Agents for Turks and Caicos First Insurance Company Ltd.
If Money Doesn't G Why Do Fares FALL
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
(L) PNP candidate DonHue Gardiner and WIV News4 Anchor Takara Bain
(L) Akierra Misick and PNP Leader Rufus Ewing
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LOCAL NEWS
PNP Leader Rufus Ewing addresses the crowd
PNP wants NFL-style election result
and if elected, would work even harder. “I know a lot of you do not The Progressive National Party (PNP) says know me, but I will tell what it is gunning to sweep all 15 parliamentary Akierra Misick is, tonight. seats on the November 9 general election, a Akierra Misick is you, the hardterm it refers to as ‘touchdown’. working people of Long Bay, During last Saturday’s rally at Heaving Leeward, Flamingo Crossing, Down Rock, Leeward – the constituency that PNP standard-bearer attorney Akierra Misick Golf Course. Akierra Misick is is trying to wrest from Peoples Democratic a person who wants change, just Movement (PDM) Ezra Taylor – the majority like you. Akierra Misick is tired of candidates who spoke, as well recorded of the way we are living in this promos that punctuated the speakers’ delivery, country right now. explained to the large turnout that even if the “It is not right; we are not PNP takes majority of the seats, it would only used to this. Our voices have be considered a field goal, but a touchdown been silent for too long, it is time would be the desired result. for you to stand up and vote PNP. “If you share your votes it’s a field goal; if If we don’t take our country A view of the PNP supporters you vote straight down the line for PNP it’s a back though a PNP administration on November 9, to the box against their (candidates) names,” Ewing touchdown,” the promo said. in four years’ time I would be on this stage telling The speakers, who included the Five At Large urged. Candidates – Leader Dr. Rufus Ewing, Deputy He added: “I want you, the people to ensure that you, you should have voted for me,” she urged. Leader Carlos Simons, former chief minister this PNP government that has been dragged through the She told the gathering that the plans that she Washington Misick, former deputy premier mud by the Interim Administration, by the PDM and had for the constituency were reflective of the Royal Robinson and former MP Wayne Garland - everyone else, is returned to government to continue people’s desires, since the matters raised by them underscored the importance of the PNP winning the its good work in putting the country back on track and after visitation to their homes had been collated in election, telling the throng of supporters that their give your kids their rightful place in the Turks and her slate of plans for the area. plans were far superior than those of both the PDM Caicos. So I am looking for all of you to come out in Among the matters Misick said she would and new kids on the block - the People Progressive full force on Election Day.” address if elected were street lights, especially for Party (PPP). In the meantime, Misick, who entry onto the stage “We are not in the business of sharing; this Long Bay and Leeward; maintenance of roadways; was sparked by a short display of fireworks, said that election is too important for us not to win. Those the construction of recreational facilities in Leeward if given the chance to be their representative, the Long little ones (children) and their welfare are at stake. Bay residents would have a friend in her. She said in and Long Bay; the proper control of feral dogs; Too much is at stake this year. We have to make spite of her being young on the political front, she had the setting up of a community council to enable sure that we vote straight down the line for the PNP. long been a servant of the people in other capacities, residents to hold her accountable and also be part Look for the shell, look for the name and mark next of the solution on pressing issues affecting them in that constituency; and naming of streets and give sections of the constituency well-needed facelift. By Vivian Tyson
PNP candidate Royal Robinson
At Large PNP candidate and former chief minister Washington Misick
At Large PNP candidate Carlos Simons
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Politicians blown away by youth’s knowledge on country’s issues By Vivian Tyson
great deal of intellectuality, which he said should be Political leaders who participated in the Youth encouraged by the powers Department’s Round Table on Tuesday, September that be and afforded all the 25, were blown away by the students’ knowledge support possible. of the current social and political issues affecting “As far as the the Turks and Caicos Islands. children’s participation The students sought the solutions of the aspiring and their level of work, I government members of issues relating to politics, cannot be more satisfied at societal morality, health, sports, economics and the result that was real here governance. On most occasions, questions asked today. I think these young by the children evoked thunderous applause from children represent a bright the audience and jaw-dropping stare by the political future. I look forward to representatives and other adult members attending them being a part of my the event at the Felix Morley Community Centre in government some day, Five Cays, Providenciales. with the kind of intellect Leader of the Progressive National Party (PNP) that they are producing Dr. Rufus Ewing; Deputy Leader of the Peoples right now. What we need Democratic Movement (PDM) Sharlene Cartwright to now do is to continue Young people participate in the round table and Deputy Leader of the People Progressive Party to give them the support, are and how much they are aware of the issues that (PPP) Zhavargo Jolly expressed amazement at the the resources and the tools to not only perform at are affecting them and affecting this country. So, I students’ grasp of the issues and the fluency on which that level in the future, but like I said, to continue to am absolutely not surprised. It is a new group and I they spoke on them. They also quizzed the political perform and compete now,” Jolly said. was expecting that, because we are a very political aspirants as to what role and benefits they would be Educator and PPP politician Dr. Edward society, so they cannot escape the politics that is able to play and be recipient of in the bigger scheme Smith was equally impressed with the children’s going on around them,” Cartwright Robinson said. of things. performance. Cartwright Robinson’s PDM colleague Sean Ewing said that the children’s participation “I do have a PhD in leadership, and I can say Astwood, said he was overly impressed with the had surpassed his expectation, and based on the these youth made me feel as though I am also a knowledge the children displayed. knowledge that they had of the issues, he was student. I must admit that they did a wonderful job; “I am totally impressed with the kids. They are confident that the future of the country will be in they showed that they have the ability to not only way more advanced that we ever were at those ages. great hands. think about the issues but able to espouse their views, It shows that our school curriculum is working, and “First of all, this is an excellent event. It surpassed and that is a sign of good leadership,” Smith said. also shows that our children are being exposed at an my expectations. I don’t think I have been questioned Cartwright Robinson was not too surprised that early age. And we must recognize that, especially as as yet by any adult during my short political career the children were so much aware of the issues, since politicians and potential government. We can’t just in the political arena. Their questions were on point, she was part of last year’s round table, at the time wait until they get older, now, because the things sound, sensible questions that would boggle our they dealt with the matter of independence. minds in regards to the answers. And so, all we need “This is the second year in a row that I am a part that are on their minds and what they are doing are to do is to encourage them. This country is in great of the Round Table and I usually attend them. Last happening already. Government now needs to react hands, and so I am proud,” Dr. Ewing said. year we did the same thing, and we were engage on immediately to catch up and be proactive in moving Jolly told The SUN that the students displayed a independence, and it is amazing how far their minds forward,” Astwood said.
Politicians blast Youth Department $20,000 budget
in $500,000 into youth programmes, sum dispatched to that department maybe more, but we need to be to run its 2012/2013 affairs was way realistic about it and see what’s in below acceptable. “As far as the budgetary issues there. $20,000 is insufficient to do are concerned, it is the immediate the work in regards to the youth. Deputy Leader of the PDM responsibility of any elected Sharlene Cartwright Robinson government, most importantly the lauded the efforts of Angela elected Government – the PPP – to By Vivian Tyson Musgrove, the Director for Youth secure the finances through economic level of work that it was doing. He Affairs, in her efforts to stretch the development in immediately Politicians who participated in said that a Rufus Ewing Government meagre budget as far as possible to investing in our youth. What we Youth Department Round Table pump at least $500,000 into youth make things happen. need to do is to continue to give the discussion on Tuesday, September programmes across the country, in “I am very proud of the Youth youth the tool and support that they 25, at the Felix Morley Community order to achieve the desired results. Department. As you heard her need to support their intellect, to not “It (work that the Youth (Angela Musgrove – Director for only perform at the level they are Centre in Five Cays are taking the Government to task over its paltry Department does) surpasses my Youth Affairs) say, she has $20,000 today, but the future,” Jolly said. budgetary allocation to rung its expectation as a youth department, to her department for the entire year. Jolly’s colleague, Dr. Edward and I don’t know how much donors A lot of work she does is based on Smith, said that a PPP government raft of youth-run programmes. It was revealed that the Youth they have. But if we are going to volunteerism, and she does a lot of would reexamine the budgetary Department was allocated $20,000 take youth and education seriously, work, herself. So I want to applaud allocations with a view to ensuring to run its affairs for the entire year, we have to put out money where her efforts,” Cartwright Robinson that critical departments, such as the which, according to members of our mouths are. I think it is a shame asserted. Youth Department gets the amounts the Peoples Democratic Movement and a slap in the face to give them For his part, Deputy Leader of desired to ensure their effectiveness. (PDM), Progressive National Party a $20,000 budget towards running the PPP, Zhavargo Jolly asserted “As far as the budget is concerned, (PNP) and the newly-formed People youth programmes. that budget increase for the Youth it is a matter of reprogramming. Once “And so we need to put much more Department was one of the critical my party gets into government, that’s Progressive Party (PPP), was too small given the scope of work that it money into it. From government issues that an elected government a simple solution; what I would do is undertakes during one calendar year. standpoint, we are doing a budget must first looked at immediately after reprogramme and give them (Youth Leader of the PNP, Dr. Rufus even before we get in, and from my taking office. He declared that all Department) the necessary funding Ewing acknowledged that the budget government standpoint, I can say that efforts should be sought in investing that they need in order for them to was woefully inadequate for the we are almost committed to putting in the youth, while stressing that the carry out their mandate,” Smith said.
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Chris Brown fails drug test, faces probation hearing Chris Brown tested positive for marijuana use and faces a hearing to determine whether he violated his probation for the 2009 assault on thengirlfriend, singer Rihanna. The R&B singer was in court Monday for the first time in a year. Los
Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg was weighing the impact of his positive drug test and sorting through his community service and travel records to determine whether he has been complying with his five-year probation, according to The Associated
Press. Before he appeared in court, Rihanna sent him a tweet: "I'm praying for you and wishing u the best today!" Brown responded with, "Thank u so much." Because Brown provided the judge
Singer Andy Williams dies at age 84 Andy Williams, who charmed audiences with his mellow delivery of songs like "Moon River" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" in the 1950s and 60s, has died at his home in Branson, Missouri, his family said Wednesday. He was 84. The blue-eyed Williams, who continued touring and drawing crowds to his Moon River Theater in the music hub of Branson into his 80s, died on Tuesday evening after a yearlong battle with bladder cancer, his family said in a statement. Williams had 18 gold record and three platinum hits and in his peak years was a regular on television with his own variety series. President Ronald Reagan called his voice "a national treasure." Williams was born on December 3, 1927, in tiny Wall Lake, Iowa, and was singing professionally with three older brothers at age 8. The Williams Brothers had steady work on radio and even sang back-up on Bing Crosby's 1944 hit "Swinging on a Star." Williams went solo after the group broke up in 1951, drew attention with his appearances on "The Tonight Show" and began recording. His first No. 1 hit, "Butterfly," came in 1957. Later hits included "Born Free," "Days of Wine and Roses," "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Can't Get Used to Losing You," "Solitaire," "Music to Watch Girls By," "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and the theme from the 1970 movie hit "Love Story." He came upon his signature song when asked to sing “"Moon River" at the 1962 Academy Awards ceremony. Audrey Hepburn had performed the song in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's." "I still love it, as many times as I've done it," Williams told a British newspaper in 2007. "It has a great melody and wonderful lyrics. It's not a bad song to have. It could have been 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot
Bikini.' We forgot to do it one night and 27 people wanted their money back." Williams' first wife was Claudine Longet, a Folies Bergere dancer he married in 1961, and they had three children before divorcing. After their split, Williams supported Longet when she was charged with fatally shooting her boyfriend, skier Spider Sabich, in 1976 in Colorado. She was convicted of negligent homicide after claiming the gun went off accidentally. In 1992, Williams built his own 2,000-seat dinner theater in Branson, a city of 10,000 people that had become a regional entertainment center featuring more than 30 theaters, most of which cater to country music acts. He performed there about 20 weeks a year while also putting on a Christmas tour in the United States and occasional tour of Britain. Williams was a Christmas fixture on U.S. television, dressed casually in a trademark sweater, and he recorded several Christmas albums. In 2006 the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ranked his "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow" as the sixth most frequently performed Christmas song and "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" as No. 11. Williams had a strong following in Britain, where his career was revived in the late 1990s when “"Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and "Music to Watch Girls By" were used in television commercials. In 1991, Williams married Debbie Haas and they lived in Branson and La Quinta, California. Williams was a close friend of the powerful Kennedy political family and sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" at Robert F. Kennedy's funeral after the U.S. senator from New York was assassinated during the 1968 presidential campaign. Williams' love of golf was so intense that for several years he hosted a professional tournament that bore his name.
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with a medicinal marijuana prescription from California, Schnegg said the positive test result during a random drug screening in his hometown, Richmond, Va., where he had been ordered to complete his community service, may not have a major impact on his probation, AP reported. But, she warned Brown to be mindful of his public image and his impact on young fans. "You are not an average person who can sit in their living room and do what you want to do," Schnegg said, noting that Brown's mother was sitting in the courtroom. "You are not only in the public eye, but you are on probation. … which means that if you violate any laws or orders, then you're subject to a probation violation." Schnegg ordered a probation violation hearing for Nov. 1, when it will also be determined if Brown violated the travel provisions of his probation with a trip to Paris. The judge added that the community service logs from Virginia were "somewhat cryptic" and needed more review. The Richmond police chief sent a spreadsheet to the judge, indicating Brown had completed 1,402 hours of community service by picking up trash, washing cars, painting and tending stables. The judge ordered Brown to see his probation officer within the next three days and urged him to be careful. "You should be mindful of obeying all rules of the courts," Schnegg said. In June, the singer was at the center of a bottle-throwing brawl that erupted at a New York City nightclub between his entourage and a group accompanying singer Drake. Neither entertainer was charged in the incident. "A lot of people look up to you - a lot of kids. What you do and what you say impacts other people," Schnegg said. Asked for comment on Monday's hearing, Brown's rep referred ABCNews.com to the singer's attorney, Mark Geragos, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Whitney Houston Tribute Concert Announced: Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Usher Set to Perform Whitney Houston‘s legacy lives on through her family, friends, fans — and now, through a television tribute. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday that a tribute concert has been set for the late superstar. During the one-hour special — scheduled to air Nov. 16 at 10PM on CBS — Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson and Usher will honor Houston through performances. How else will the program remember the fallen pop icon? The CBS special, titled We Will
Always Love You: A Grammy Salute to Whitney Houston, will feature never-before-seen footage and interviews from the beloved singer. Houston was found dead in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11, on the eve of this year’s Grammy Awards. She was 48. According to the academy, the special will also air iconic performances Houston gave throughout her illustrious career, including several showstopping Grammy performances. The “I Will Always Love You” singer’s last appearance on the award show was
in 2009, when she presented Hudson with her first-ever Grammy for Best R&B Album. In other Houston news, Lifetime recently announced a premiere date for The Houstons: On Our Own, a 14episode reality series featuring the singer’s daughter Bobbi Kristina, sister-in-law Pat, brother Gary, motherCissy and family friend Nick Gordon. The series, which will premiere on Oct. 24, will be preceded by a one-hour special, Remembering Whitney, airing Oct. 17 at 9PM ET/PT on Lifetime.
Whitney Houston
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ENTERTAINMENT
Rowling's first novel for adults goes on sale LONDON- British bookshops opened their doors early Thursday and some grown-up Harry Potter fans lined up overnight as J.K. Rowling launched her long-anticipated first book for adults, "The Casual Vacancy." The lines were shorter and the wizard costumes missing, but the book was published to some of the same fanfare that greeted each Potter tome, with stores wheeling out crates of the books precisely at 8 a.m. as part of a finely honed marketing strategy. Published five years after the release of the last book in the boy wizard saga, "The Casual Vacancy" is already at No. 1 on Amazon's U.S. chart, and bookmaker William Hill put 2-1 odds on it outselling "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," which shifted 2.6 million copies in Britain on its first day. Many of the early buyers were Harry Potter fans who, like the author, have moved on to more adult fare. "I just like how much excitement there is about a book," said 23-year-old Grace Proctor, a "massive" Potter fan who was first to buy the book at one London store. "I think there are going to be people who will hate it just because they can hate it," she said. "But she's such an amazing writer, I don't think she can go wrong." A story of ambition, envy and rivalry set in the fictional English
Copies of the "The Casual Vacancy" by author J.K. Rowling are displayed on shelves at a book store in London, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012. British bookshops are opening their doors early as Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling launches her long anticipated first book for adults.
village of Pagford, the novel recounts the civic warfare sparked when the unexpected death of a town official leaves a vacancy on the governing body. Characters set on a collision course range from the affluent lawyer Miles Mollison to the Weedons, a ramshackle clan living in The Fields, the run-down housing project on the edge of town. Rowling has said she was aiming for Dickensian sweep in the multicharacter saga, whose doses of sex, satire and swearing mark a distinct departure from wholesome Harry. Reviews have been mixed. The
Associated Press judged it a challenging but rewarding read full of emotion and heart. AP's Deepti Hajela said that while its troubled characters mean "this isn't a book that's easy to fall in love with ... But what could have been an unreadable story becomes something else in Rowling's hands, thanks to her gift of being able to make her characters complex and really, just human." The New York Times' influential critic, Michiko Kakutani, was damning. "The real-life world she has limned in these pages is so willfully
banal, so depressingly cliched that 'The Casual Vacancy' is not only disappointing — it's dull," she said. The Guardian newspaper's reviewer, Theo Tait, said it was "no masterpiece, but it's not bad at all: intelligent, workmanlike, and often funny." The Independent's Boyd Tonkin found the sometimes "long-winded and laborious" writing soared when Rowling focused on her teenage characters. Others, though, felt the lack of likable characters might alienate readers, and Daily Mail reviewer Jan Moir slammed Rowling's stark focus on Pagford's haves and have-nots as the work of a "left-leaning demagogue" painting "a bleak and rather one-sided vision of life in modern England." It's likely nothing Rowling publishes will ever match the success of the Potter books, which have sold more than 450 million copies around the world. But booksellers are confident "The Casual Vacancy" will be one of the year's best-sellers, whatever reviewers say. "A lot of children have grown up with Harry Potter. They're now adults who love books," Susan Sinclair, divisional manager for the Foyles bookstore chain, said. "I think it's going to be a really big seller at Christmas. It'll be an easy gift — but also a good one."
Snoop Dogg defends smoking marijuana with 18-year-old son: ‘I wanna show him the proper way because he looks up to me’
A merged photo of Rapper Lil Wayne and the King of Rock and Roll- Elvis Presley
Lil Wayne surpasses Elvis Presley with most appearances on Billboard Hot 100 chart Weezy beats The King with his 109th appearance on the celebrated singles list The self-proclaimed “best rapper alive” can lay claim to a new mantle: Bigger than Elvis. Lil Wayne has surpassed Elvis Presley’s record of appearances on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, the magazine announced Thursday. The King of Rock and Roll held the record with 108 songs on the chart from its launch in 1958 to 2003. But with Lil Wayne’s appearance as a featured artist on the Game’s new jam, “Celebration,” the hip-hop star now has 109 songs on the list. Still, Billboard noted that Lil Wayne’s meteoric rise in the record
books is in part due to rappers’ tendency to share credit on tracks. Weezy is not listed as the lead artist on the majority of his tracks — unlike Presley who was the marquee singer on all of his songs. In an apples to apples comparison, The King still rules; Lil Wayne has just 42 singles on which he’s the main man, though not including his selfaggrandizing “Best Rapper Alive.” Still, Lil Wayne’s first Billboard hit was in 1999, giving him only 13 years to eclipse the hip-shaking, jumpsuit-wearing legend. It’s a fair bet the rapper will be celebrating the milestone along with one other in style Thursday — it’s his 30th birthday.
Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion) and his 18 year old son Corde
The family that smokes marijuana together, stays together? Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion as he now prefers to be called) is defending the controversial photo his 18-year-old son Corde tweeted on September 13 of himself lighting his father's bong. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the rapper says, "My kids can do whatever the hell they want. For me to say otherwise would be hypocritical. A lot of motherf--kers don't have a relationship with their kids, and that's when they get on drugs and have suicidal thoughts and drive drunk. Me and my son is mellow. I'm his father, so I wanna show him the proper way because he looks up to me. What better way to get it than from the master?" And it seems Corde is an apt pupil. When the THRreporter arrived at Snoop's home for the interview, the teen was sitting in the backyard rolling joints. But getting high isn't Corde's only pastime (although it seems like it, judging from his Twitter feed) — he wants to be a rapper like his famous father. Still, don't expect Snoop to just snap his fingers and make it happen. "He's getting there," Snoop says of his oldest child (he also has son Cordell, 15, and daughter Cori, 13), who has already written songs titled "Rollin, Rollin, Rollin … Stoned" and "Commemoration of Vaporization." "I see myself in him, but he needs to walk in his own shoes."
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• St Lucia Prime Minister paints dismal picture of economic situation in Caribbean sub-region READ MORE ON PAGE 34
St Lucia hotel industry calls off tourism shutdown over VAT CASTRIES, St Lucia – The St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) breathing a sigh of relief as the the National Workers Union (NWU) threatened shut down of the tourism sector over government plans to apply the Value Added Tax (VAT) to service charge on hospitality industry employees has been called off. The Dr Kenny Anthony administration issued a statement yesterday (September 26) informing hotel workers that they will not be asked to pay VAT on service charges. "The Government of St Lucia wishes to reassure workers throughout
the hotel industry that the service charge earned by workers will not attract VAT," stated the government. VAT goes into effect on October 1 this year and the NWU, the largest trade union here, had warned that the decision to implement of the tax on service charges would have a devastating impact on the tourism sector as some hotel workers depended on the service charge to improve their monthly salaries. NWU president Tyrone Maynard said last week that the union would have “no other option but to shut down the various hotels” adding “we have
Jamaica remittance inflows now over a billion dollars The Bank of Jamaica says remittance inflows into Jamaica, crossed the billion dollar mark in June despite global economic uncertainties and is set to grow further as global growth recover. Total inflows between January and June rose 4 percent to 1 billion and 26 million dollars. It was the first time remittances reached above the 1 billion dollar mark in the first six months of the year since 2008 and the second time on record. The higher remittances mean the inflows have now fully recovered from the downturn in 2008 and occured despite the economic downturn in Europe and slower pace of growth inthe United States in the June quarter. In June alone, 175 million U.S. dollars in revenues entered the country. The Bank of Jamaica says remittance inflows have exhibited a positive relationship with the rate of economic recovery in major source countries. As these economies recover, remittance flows are expected to improve over ensuing quarters. The ongoing sovereign debt crisis and recessionary pressures in Europe may have negative spill over effects on employment prospects and subsequently remittance flows from the Jamaican-UK Diaspora corridor.
communicated this decision to the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association”. The NWU received backing from the hotel association in its attempts to lobby government to change its mind. A statement issued by the SLTHA revealed that it held talks last week with Dr Anthony, who is also the Minister of Finance, at which time they urged him to reconsider taxing the service charge. “It is the SLHTA’s view that in the current economic climate, a VAT on service would be detrimental to business and employees alike. The SLHTA wishes to acknowledge the
concerns expressed by the National Workers Union …and invites dialogue with the NWU and other stakeholders in this regard,” read their statement. The hoteliers also said that their views and concerns on the service charge issue and several other VATrelated issues that affect hotels, restaurants, tours and attractions and many other segments of the SLHTA’s diverse membership, had been communicated to the VAT Office and the government and they hoped for a response from the authorities on these issues before the October 1 implementation date.
Cayman Islands Premier disputes UK’s Nov 9 timeline Premier McKeeva Bush on Moreover, Mr. Bush said no Wednesday accused UK date of 9 November had been officials of creating a given as a deadline for the “misleading picture” of what framework to be transposed into was discussed during a 20 law. September meeting with “Premier Bush did reassure Britain’s overseas territories Minister Simmonds that Cayman minister. will cooperate in putting the Mr. Bush’s comments, [framework] into law,” the sent to the Caymanian statement from the premier’s office Compass in a statement from read. “The premier did give an his press secretary Wednesday, assurance of the [framework] bill also left open to question going to the house by 5 November, exactly what fiscal but as to further timing of the requirements may be passed legislation he only indicated that it into law when Cayman ‘should take no more than a few lawmakers vote to include the days to have it passed and to have Premier McKeeva Bush UK’s Framework for Fiscal the [governor] give assent to it to Responsibility into law later bring it into effect’.” this year. One of four key principles required by the UK of A statement sent to the local press earlier this the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory, prior week from Governor Duncan Taylor’s office read: “In to its budget receiving approval from the UK earlier this a meeting with Minister Simmonds at the [UK] year was the enactment of the Framework for Fiscal Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 20 September, Responsibility document into law by September. the premier said that he would bring the Framework Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush and for Fiscal Responsibility to the next meeting of the former UK foreign office minister Henry Bellingham Legislative Assembly, which would not be until 5 signed the agreement in late 2011. November,” the statement read. “[Mr. Bush] also gave The framework is an agreement that sets out a the minister an undertaking that the [framework], as number of spending restrictions, management and audit signed in November 2011, would be transposed into requirements, as well as bidding processes for the law that same week, and by no later than 9 November, government to follow. It’s believed the conditions of 2012.” the framework will be embedded into the territory’s Mr. Bush’s statement Wednesday indicated that Public Management and Finance Law. he had made no promises to the UK with regard to the The document calls for controlling government entire framework being enacted into law. expenditure; limiting new borrowing; realigning the “Premier Bush…stressed that it was necessary, territory’s revenue base; improving the performance of and important, for the government to consult with the statutory authorities and government companies; and private sector on the [Framework for Fiscal reducing government costs by working in partnership Responsibility] prior to the bill going to the house,” with the private sector. the statement read. “At no point did the premier It outlines a number of requirements for indicate that the ‘entire [framework] as was signed in delivering value for money with regard to projects and 2011 would be enacted into law’. None of this is made to ensure the government’s procurement process is clear in the statement from the governor’s office.” handled above-board.
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CARIBBEAN NEWS
Questions over whether e Bahamas PM should drive new Mercedes There is heated debate in The Bahamas over whether Prime Minister Perry Christie should be driving a new Mercedes S500 which was bought by former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham just before the last elections. When asked yesterday if he would use the $185,000 2013 Mercedes Benz purchased by the former government for the office of the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Perry Christie said he is still weighing the option. He said, however, that his current official vehicle is inferior to even those of his cabinet ministers. Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, whose government purchased the Mercedes Benz, said The new Mercedes Benz S500 which was bought for the office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas during an interview with a local radio station yesterday that the vehicle was stretch car for the new Prime Minister having had a BMW.” Deputy Prime Minister Philip purchased out of necessity, as the – I was not going to be in office – Prime Minister’s vehicle had begun to never ridden in by me and was “Brave” Davis suggested to The available for Mr Christie when he Tribune recently that Mr Christie succumb to wear and tear. “When I came to office in 1992 became Prime Minister. And, of should do away with the 2012 Kia the Prime Minister of the Bahamas had course, that car continued in the Cadenza V6 that currently jets him a Mercedes Benz, a Jaguar and a system until 2007 when I came back to around town, in favour of the Benz. “Since it was bought for the office, BMW,” Ingraham said in the office. “(The Mercedes Benz) had I think he should use it,” said Mr interview. “After a while both of them nothing to do with me in terms of cost. Davis. gave problems and we bought a I made no decision about cost. It was According to the Nassau Tribune Lincoln Town Car – a compact one – determined that the Prime Minister newspaper, the new 2013 Mercedes is and that lasted until 2002. Before I left would get a Mercedes Benz having now in the possession of the police, office we bought a brand new Lincoln had a Lincoln, having had a Jaguar,
US Virgin Islands partners with Brand USA to reach Canadian market CHARLOTTE AMALIE, US Virgin Islands - The United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism is partnering with Brand USA on a campaign to increase visitation by Canadian residents. The partnership marks the first between Brand USA and one of the five U.S. Territories. Under the partnership, the United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism contributed more than $100,000. Brand USA intends to use the contribution to geo-target Canadian residents, the second largest international visitor arrival market for the Territory. "Through Brand USA's marketing efforts, the U.S. Virgin Islands will amplify its reach into the Canadian travel market," said Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty. "We are pleased to partner with the first entity to promote inbound travel to the United States and to help increase awareness and interest in travel to our islands." "Brand USA's partnership with the U.S. Virgin Islands will create benefits far beyond the immediate marketing campaign," said Caroline Beteta, Brand USA's interim CEO and incoming chair of the organization's board of directors. "Brand USA's inaugural campaign in Canada resulted in an increase in intent to visit the United States by 13 points, so we're confident this new collaboration will attract a growing number of visitors for the U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands too," Beteta added. The U.S. Virgin Islands maintains a dedicated sales and marketing presence in Canada. More than 39,000 Canadians have visited the Territory over the past five years, and the Department of Tourism's website, www.visitusvi.com, has attracted more than 27,000 unique visitors in Canada this year, with more than 80% of those representing first-time visitors to the website. Brand USA was established by the Travel Promotion Act in 2010 to spearhead the United States' first global marketing effort to promote the nation as a premier travel destination and communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion, the public-private entity, doing business as Brand USA, began operations in May 2011. Brand USA works in close partnership with the travel industry to maximize the economic and social benefits of travel. Through its call-to-action DiscoverAmerica.com - Brand USA inspires travelers to explore the United States of America's boundless possibilities, of which the U.S. Virgin Islands is an exceptional example
who have outfitted the vehicle with cameras and a police siren. The Tribune said it also learned from sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to sit in the car, that the interior “smells of fresh leather” and that it is outfitted with a wine cooler. The use of such a vehicle has raised eyebrows amongst some political observers who believe that it would be in poor taste for the PM to use such a vehicle during such tough economic times. In fact, it has been suggested that Prime Minister Christie should sell the vehicle at auction, and donate the monies raised to his much touted Urban Renewal programme. However, the Deputy Prime Minister believes that with the vehicle being purchased for the office of the Prime Minister Mr Christie should utilise it. “I have heard of a new Mercedes but I have not seen it yet. I think it was bought for the Prime Minister and I think the Prime Minister should use it. It was bought for that Prime Minister (Hubert Ingraham), whether our Prime Minister will use it, I don’t know. But since it was bought for the office, I think he should use it,” said Mr Davis.
St Kitts to seek extension on EPA implementation The St Kitts-Nevis government is seeking an extension in implementing certain measures under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) countries signed with Europe in 2008, Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas has said. In an interview broadcast on Winn FM radio, Douglas said the twin-island federation would be approaching the European authorities on the issue. CARIFORUM, which includes the 15-member Caribbean Community grouping and the Dominica Republic, signed the accord that allows for the removal of tariffs and import duties on goods traded between European and CARIFORUM countries. St Kitts and Nevis is among eight Caribbean countries that have not yet removed tariffs from goods coming into the country from the European Union under the agreement. "We would always be mindful of our international obligations and in bilateral and multilateral situations involving the EPA," Douglas said. He added, "What I would say is that before we can just simply and dramatically hurt ourselves, the appropriate economic analysis will have to be done." International Trade, Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Timothy Harris said recently that the government would have to deal with the loss of revenue as a result of the removal of the tariffs. "Naturally, we would be very concerned about the loss of revenue from the tariff that we would normally collect, and we make sure as we implement these we find other ways to make up the shortfall in revenue," Douglas said. "We just can't say we doing it and hurt ourselves without knowing how we are going to have the appropriate corrective measures introduced," he said, adding that he did not contemplate introducing any new taxes to make up the shortfall. "What we have to do is to plug leakages," the prime minister said. "One of the areas we have to look at is the concessions, for example. We have been giving a lot of concessions ... and we can't go on with this at all." With the exception of the Caribbean, six other regional blocs in the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group have yet to conclude full regional EPAs since discussions began in 2002. Countries have called for the resolution of various "contentious issues" before signing. Issues of concern include the 15-year time frame before ACP markets must be opened up to free trade with Europe, the extent of goods and services to be liberalised, rules and requirements for goods to enter Europe, and export taxes
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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
St Lucia Prime Minister paints dismal picture of economic situation in Caribbean sub-region CASTRIES, St. Lucia – Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony says St Lucia is single-handedly keeping the Eastern Caribbean economy afloat, and therefore has to exercise fiscal responsibility in the interest of monetary stability in the sub-regional currency union. Addressing the 51st annual general meeting of the St Lucia Employers Federation (SLEF), Anthony, who is also Finance Minister, said that a that several states of the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean (OECS) were in trouble in financial trouble with St Kitts and Nevis having to undertake major debt restructuring. Antigua said some local financial institutions had taken a “haircut on investments” while Antigua and Barbuda was forced into an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Anthony said St Vincent and the Grenadines had to provide financial assistance to Grenada through its facilities at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) to meet the salaries for public workers, while Dominica is also undergoing major restructuring. Anthony said, “The reality is the
St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony
two countries that are largely responsible for the foreign exchange reserves of the ECCB are St Lucia and Antigua. “St Lucia therefore remains critical to the continued viability of the OECS region. Whatever decisions that we make here we not only make it for ourselves, but the truth is we make it for the entire region. “It is a burden and responsibility that our government has, as indeed you have because the stability of the system going forward depends heavily on the decisions that we make. I do not have to tell you that in recent weeks the Central Bank as well
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Responsible for the efficient, effective and safe construction and installation of production assets of FortisTCI. MAIN DUTIES/KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• To provide detailed supervision of contractors involved in the construction and installation of large generation assets as determined by and normally under the general direction of the Vice President of Production & Engineering. • Responsible to see that all construction of civil, mechanical and electrical assets at the plant site is completed in a safe, efficient and effective manner. • Responsible for delivery of projects within budget and on time. • Ensure that plant site is secured at all times. This includes seeing that the plant and yard is prepared to deal with hurricane season and to develop and implement a plan for recovery of the plant site after a hurricane. • Accountable for the performance of all construction activities to best practice standards with special emphasis on safety, environment, quality, budgetary control and reporting.
as OECS governments have had to intervene to save two financial institutions. “Happily it appears that solutions are on the horizon, but the fragility of the situation cannot therefore be ignored. And so when I plead, when I cajole, when I explain; I hope that you too can understand that always there are larger issues that both of us need to understand,” the Prime Minister said. Regarding the OECS Economic Citizenship, Anthony reminded the employers that citizens of the subregion are now able to move freely and become employed as well as establish new businesses. But he acknowledged the apprehension and anxiety of members of the business community “over the practice of economic citizenship or citizenship by investment programmes” in St. Kitts and Dominica, adding that Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada may follow suit. He said the OECS leaders at the request of St. Lucia have agreed to undertake a study of “this emerging phenomenon” and that they will be in a better position to make policies regarding the programme once the
study has been completed and the report submitted. “In the interim we cannot repudiate a commitment to the thousands of other citizens of the Eastern Caribbean whose governments already allow St. Lucian citizens the rights of free movement,” he said, as he urged SLEF to concentrate on improving efficiency through the use of modern technology and training. He said that in other to remain competitive and to take advantage of wider markets through the OECS Economic Union, the workforce needed to be trained and re-skilled especially in the area of basic computer literacy. The Prime Minister noted that St Lucia has a workforce of 90,000, and out of a population of over 160,000, and that as much as 65 per cent are without formal qualifications. “So even with universal secondary education and proposed improvements to our education system it means that the greater challenges are training people on the job, getting people into the groove of lifelong learning and exposing the wider population to knowledge and new skills,” he told the employers.
• Be familiar with all company policies and procedures (including those established by past practice) relating to the position and to observe and enforce compliance with these policies and procedures. • Responsible for the creation and storage of statistical records required by FortisTCI with respect to building projects and maintenance as well as progress reports to senior management on plant construction projects. • Accountable for facilities management of FortisTCI assets. • Operate Company vehicles as required. • Perform other duties as may be assigned from time to time. ACADEMIC/WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
• Diploma in Electrical, Civil or Mechanical Technology (3 year program), or equivalent. • Extensive experience in Power Plant operation and construction. • Minimum of 20 to 25 years’ experience in the construction management field is required. • Mid-level management experience is required (minimum 10 years) CORE COMPETENCY SKILLS:
• The ability to write comprehensive reports as well as the ability to make verbal presentations in English is required. • Computer literacy is required (familiarity with Excel, Word, MS Project.) • Must to able to carry out the physical work of the classification. COMPENSATION
Grade 15 (US$79,000 - $98,750.00 per annum) (based on qualifications and ability) Deadline for submission of applications is October 5, 2012.
Kindly submit applications stating qualifications and work experience to: Director, Human Resources FortisTCI Limited P. O. Box 132, Providenciales Email address: hrapplications@fortistci.com fax: 649-941-4304
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
HIGHLIGHTS
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• Brazil judge orders arrest of Google president • Pakistan Islamist accuses Obama of religious war on Muslims
Obama leads in latest swing-state polls as first debate nears President Barack Obama leads Republican challenger Mitt Romney in the swing state of New Hampshire and runs narrowly ahead of him in the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Nevada, according to polls released last night in the run-up to next week’s first presidential debate. The latest results are in line with other recent surveys showing Obama with the edge in states that strategists in both parties say will decide who wins the White House on Nov. 6. The new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist College poll shows Obama ahead among likely voters in New Hampshire, 51 percent to 44
percent, and with two-point edges in Nevada, 49 percent to 47 percent, and North Carolina, 48 percent to 46 percent. The results for Nevada and North Carolina are within the margin of error for the surveys of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The three states together account for 25 of the 270 electoral votes required to win the White House. Romney “needs to change the whole dynamic,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute of Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie, New York. “Right now, the trends are not going his way.”
Man behind antiMuslim film ordered jailed LOS ANGELES — The surrounding mystery of the man behind the crudely produced antiIslamic video that sparked violence in the Middle East took a strange turn after he appeared in court and gave yet another name in a string of aliases. Arrested on Thursday after authorities said he violated his probation from a 2010 check fraud conviction, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula told a judge his real name was Mark Basseley Youseff. He said he'd been using that name since 2002, even though he went by Nakoula in his fraud case. The full story about Nakoula and the video "Innocence of Muslims" still isn't known more than two weeks after violence erupted in Egypt and Libya, where Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others were killed in Benghazi. Violence related to the film has since spread, killing dozens more. Citing a lengthy pattern of deception and the potential to flee, U.S. Central District Chief Magistrate Judge Suzanne Segal ordered Nakoula to remain in prison without bond until another judge can hold a hearing to determine if he broke the terms of his probation. "The court has a lack of trust in this defendant at this time," Segal said. Prosecutors noted Nakoula had eight probation violations, including lying to his probation officers and
using aliases. He could face new charges that carry a maximum twoyear prison term. After his 2010 conviction, Nakoula was sentenced to 21 months in prison and was barred from using computers or the Internet for five years without approval from his probation officer, though prosecutors said none of the violations involved the Internet. He also wasn't supposed to use any name other than his true legal name without the prior written approval of his probation officer. Three names, however, have been associated with Nakoula this month alone. The movie was made last year by a man who called himself Sam Bacile. After the violence erupted, a man who identified himself as Bacile spoke to media outlets including The Associated Press, took credit for the film and said it was meant to portray the truth about Muhammad and Islam, which he called a cancer. Nakoula, a Christian originally from Egypt, then went into hiding after he was identified as the man behind the trailer, which depicts Muhammad as a womanizer, religious fraud and child molester. He met with federal probation officials two weeks ago, led out of his home in suburban Cerritos in the middle of the night, flanked by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and cloaked in heavy clothing to protect his identity.
Obama has led in the nine swing states surveyed by the Marist Institute for NBC News and the Journal since the end of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier this month. In five of the nine -- Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin and now New Hampshire -- Obama’s support has been at 50 percent or more. Along with North Carolina and Nevada, the other states where the polling has shown him ahead with less than 50 percent support are Florida and Virginia. In Ohio, without which no Republican has won the White House, a CBS News/New York Times/Quinnipiac University poll taken Sept. 18-24 showed Obama ahead of Romney, 53 percent to 43 percent, among likely voters. The CBS/Times survey also put Obama ahead in Florida, the largest battleground state, 53 percent to 44 percent. In the latest Bloomberg National Poll, Obama leads Romney among likely voters, 49 percent to 43 percent, even as 60 percent of Americans say the nation is headed off on the wrong track as the president completes his first term. The Bloomberg poll found that 49 percent of likely voters consider Romney out of touch, compared with
40 percent who say that of Obama. The telephone survey of 1,007 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, was conducted Sept. 21-24. The president is at 50 percent in the daily Gallup tracking poll of registered voters for the period Sept. 20-26, leading Romney, 50 percent to 44 percent. The poll for the period Sept. 15-21 had the two candidates tied at 47 percent. Romney “needs to reverse his standing and the debates may be his last chance,” Miringoff said. The two candidates square off Oct. 3 in Denver at a debate that will focus on the economy. By the time of their third face- off on Oct. 22, early voting will be under way in six of nine battleground states. The polls show Romney struggling to convince swing-state voters that he can empathize with them. In the CBS/Times survey, 57 percent in Florida and 59 percent in Ohio said Obama “cares about the needs and problems of people like you.” For Romney, a former privateequity executive with an estimated net worth of as much as $250 million, the comparable numbers were 41 percent in Florida and 38 percent in Ohio. In both states, majorities said Romney’s tax proposals would favor the rich.
Rebel who helped catch Gaddafi dies after being captured and tortured MISRATA, Libya,- One of the Libyan rebels who helped capture Muammar Gaddafi in a drain pipe was buried early on Wednesday after his relatives said he had been shot and tortured in a rival town. The death of Omran Shaban on Monday again highlighted the struggle of Libya's new leaders to rein in armed groups and could further stoke tensions between the towns of Misrata and Bani Walid, which backed opposing sides in the 2011 conflict. Shaban shot to fame when he was seen in pictures grabbing Gaddafi on Oct. 20 before the former Libyan leader was killed in his home town of Sirte. According to his relatives, Shaban was kidnapped by armed men in July close to Bani Walid while on his way back to Misrata after he had been on government business in western Libya to calm clashes there. Bani Walid, a former Gaddafi stronghold, lies some 140 km (90 miles) from Misrata. "He was kidnapped on his way back by some criminal group," his brother Walid said. "The lower part of his body had gunshot wounds and he was tortured." Shaban was freed earlier this month after mediation efforts by Mohammed Magarief, leader of the ruling national congress. But he was in critical condition and died in Paris on Monday. While Misrata spent weeks under siege by Gaddafi's forces during last year's fighting, Bani Walid was one of the last towns to fall to the rebels.
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WORLD NEWS
Obama summons world leaders to reject extremism UNITED NATIONS — Confronting global tumult and Muslim anger, President Barack Obama exhorted world leaders Tuesday to stand fast against violence and extremism, arguing that protecting religious rights and free speech must be a universal responsibility and not just an American obligation. "The impulse towards intolerance and violence may initially be focused on the West, but over time it cannot be contained," Obama warned the U.N. General Assembly in an urgent call to action underscored by the high stakes for all nations. The gloomy backdrop for Obama's speech — a world riven by deadly protests against an anti-Islamic video, by war in Syria, by rising tension over a nuclear Iran and more — marked the dramatic shifts that have occurred in the year since the General Assembly's last ministerial meeting, when democratic uprisings in the Arab world created a sense of excitement and optimism. Obama had tough words for Iran and condemned anew the violence in Syria as Bashar al-Assad tries to retain power.
Six weeks before the U.S. presidential election, an unmistakable campaign element framed Obama's speech as well: The president's Republican rival, Mitt Romney, has tried to cast him as a weak leader on the world stage, too quick to apologize for American values. Romney, speaking at a Clinton Global Initiative forum just miles from the U.N., avoided direct criticism of Obama in deference to the apolitical settings of the day, but he said he hoped to return a year later "as president, having made substantial progress" on democratic reforms. Obama, likewise, avoided direct politicking in his speech but offered a pointed contrast to his GOP opponent's caught-on-tape comment that there is little hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. "Among Israelis and Palestinians," Obama said, "the future must not belong to those who turn their backs on a prospect of peace." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon's opening state-of-the-world speech to the General Assembly's
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presidents, prime ministers and monarchs sketched the current time as one when "too often, divisions are exploited for short-term political gain" and "too many people are ready to take small flames of indifference and turn them into a bonfire." The leaders are assembled here as anger still churns over a made-inAmerica video that mocked the Prophet Muhammad. The video helped touch off protests throughout the Muslim world that have left at least 40 people dead, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya. Obama, a onetime professor of constitutional law, delivered what amounted to a lecture on what he presented as the bedrock importance of free speech, even if it comes at a price. He stressed that just as the "cruel and disgusting" video did not reflect U.S. values, the backlash against it did not represent the views of most Muslims. Still, he said, "the events of the last two weeks speak to the need for all of us to address honestly the tensions between the West and the Arab world that is moving towards democracy." Obama said the notion of controlling information is obsolete in the Internet age, "when anyone with a cellphone can spread offensive views around the world with the click of a button." But he said leaders must be swift to respond to those who would answer hateful speech with violence and chaos. In his last international address before the November elections, the president had strong words for the leaders in Iran and Syria but broke no new ground on any actions the U.S. might take. He warned that while there is still hope of resolving the dispute over Iran's
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
nuclear program through diplomacy, "that time is not unlimited." Without laying out specifics, he added: "The United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." Obama's defense of free speech was respectfully received by world leaders. Yet it was clear that different understandings abound on the proper exercise of free expression. The foreign minister of Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, said Obama's speech was a "clarion call" for all nations to reject intolerance, calling it "an issue that galvanizes all of us." But Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa added that freedom of expression should be exercised with consideration to morality and public order. Dina Zakaria, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood's political party Freedom and Justice, said cultural differences between the U.S. and the Muslim and Arab world over the limitations of freedom of expression will persist. "No one can argue against freedom of expression, but the Western understanding of it is different from ours," she said. "Will this freedom allow for contempt of religion? For us it is different. For us it is a red line as Muslims and Christians as well." Obama did not hesitate to underline some of the hopeful developments in the world under his watch. "The war in Iraq is over, and our troops have come home," he said. "We have begun a transition in Afghanistan, and America and our allies will end our war on schedule in 2014. Al-Qaida has been weakened, and Osama bin Laden is no more. Nations have come together to lock down nuclear materials, and America and Russia are reducing our arsenals." In one lighter moment in a somber speech, Obama drew laughter from the Assembly with one comment in his remarks on free speech: "I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day."
Bacon shortage may sizzle consumers The U.K.'s National Pig Association is predicting that pork will get more pricey, warning that increased feed costs have caused a worldwide decline in the size of herds. Droughts this summer in the US Midwest damaged corn and soy harvests and contributed to the increase in feed costs. The NPA cites falling herd numbers in Denmark , Germany, Ireland, Spain, France , Italy , Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland and Sweden. They predict that the price of European pork products will double by the later part of next year. "British supermarkets know they have to raise the price they pay Britain's pig farmers or risk empty spaces on their shelves next year," said the NPA's chairman, Richard Longthorp, in a statement. He blames the competitive market for the reason why the prices haven't increased sooner: "But competition is so fierce in the high street at present, each is waiting for the other to move first." "I think it’s overblown for our situation," said economist Chris Hurt of Purdue University, "The one thing we don't want to do is scare consumers." Hurt points out that beef supply is more of the issue, as it takes minimum of 9 months for the industry to start producing more cattle. While bacon prices may increase the most, he predicts prices to increase a maximum of 4 percent next year. The U.K.'s NPA is recommending that shoppers purchase pork with a Red Tractor logo as part of their "Save Our Bacon" campaign. They are hoping it will persuade supermarkets to pay more for their pig products.
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
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SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
WORLD NEWS
Iran’s President Ahmadinejad shrugs off military strike threat UNITED NATIONS- Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shrugged off threats of a military strike on his country's nuclear facilities, showing defiance ahead of his final appearance at the UN General Assembly this week. In previous years, the Iranian leader has regularly sparked United Nations walkouts over his comments on Israel, and Israel's UN ambassador again marched out when Ahmadinejad appeared at a meeting on the rule of law on Monday. Ahmadinejad criticized Western powers for their sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program and for allowing filmmakers and cartoonists to lampoon the Prophet Mohammed in what he branded a "sacrilege" of Islam. Before arriving at UN headquarters in New York, the Iranian leader dismissed the threats he said had been made by "the Zionists" against his country, which is at the center of an international showdown over its nuclear program. "Uncultured Zionists that threaten the Iranian nation today are never counted and are never paid any attention in the equations of the Iranian nation," Ahmadinejad told Iranian expatriates in New York. "The Iranian nation has never hesitated to defend itself against
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
enemy threats and aggressions," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying on his personal website. "No bullying power has ever been successful in overcoming the Iranian nation." At a mmeeting later with American media editors, Ahmadinejad said Iran reiterated that it does not take speculation of an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities seriously. The United States and its European allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb and the UN Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions against Iran. Ahmadinejad's government insists it is seeking peaceful applications of
Brazil judge orders arrest of Google president RIO DE JANEIRO — A Brazilian judge ordered the arrest of the head of Google's operations in Brazil for failure to remove YouTube videos that attacked a mayoral candidate, which runs counter to the South American nation's strict pre-vote electoral laws. Google said in a Tuesday statement that it rejected the decision by Judge Flavio Peren of Mato Grosso do Sul state, which also included an order to remove the two videos in question and a statewide, 24-hour suspension of Google and You Tube. Police said they had not received an order to arrest Fabio Jose Silva Coelho. It was not clear if any suspension of Google's services occurred in Mato Grosso do Sul state. After hours calls to the court were not returned. "Google is appealing the decision that ordered the removal of the YouTube video because, in being a platform, Google is not responsible for the content posted on its site," the company said in an emailed statement from Sao Paulo. A spokesman said the company would not make any further statement on the case. The videos on YouTube make incendiary comments about an alleged paternity suit aimed at Alcides Bernal, who is running for mayor of the city of Campo Grande. Nationwide municipal elections will be held Oct. 7. It was not possible to reach Bernal for comment, or verify if any paternity lawsuits had been leveled against him. Brazil's electoral law has several restrictions on what opponents or critics can air on television and radio about candidates for office — even comedic needling of politicians is banned during electoral season. The Internet's role in these cases, until now, was not legally explored, as the government does not license the internet and was considered by most exempt from the law. However, candidates always have the right to contest before the nation's electoral courts such ads, and this year more than ever they are doing so. Google itself has faced similar cases in Brazil. Earlier this month a judge in Parana state in southern Brazil ordered that Google pay $500,000 for each day that it balked in fulfilling an order to remove videos from YouTube that attacked a candidate. In the northeastern state of Paraiba, a judge also ordered the imprisonment of another Google executive in Brazil earlier this month, also for not removing videos from YouTube attacking a mayoral candidate. That order was overruled by a higher court.
nuclear power in energy generation and medical research. "We believe the Zionists see themselves at a dead end and they want to find an adventure to get out of this dead end. While we are fully ready to defend ourselves, we do not take these threats seriously," the Iranian leader said. Ahmadinejad will make his eighth and final appearance before the General Assembly on Wednesday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned him about "the potentially harmful consequences of inflammatory rhetoric" in a meeting on Sunday. The Iranian leader has in the past described Israel as a "tumor" to be removed surgically and said it should be "wiped off the map". Iran and the tensions over its nuclear program are set to become a dominant topic at the weeklong UN assembly. Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- which have sought to negotiate a settlement with Iran -- are to meet on Thursday to discuss the showdown. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the assembly on the same day. At the UN meeting on Monday, Ahmadinejad did not name the
Western powers but attacked countries which he said "violate the basic rights and freedoms of other nations" and for defending Israel. "Some members of the Security Council with veto rights have chosen silence with regard to the nuclear warheads of a fake regime while at the same time they impede scientific progress of other nations," he said. Israel has an undeclared nuclear weapons program and has stepped up warnings against Iran in recent months. "Ahmadinejad heads a state that is the most systematic violator of international law and the world's greatest sponsor of terrorism," said Israel's UN ambassador, Ron Prosor. "It is shameful, disgraceful, and absurd that his voice was part of today's UN discussion on the rule of law." The Iranian president also attacked the West over the recent furor stirred when American Christian conservatives made a film attacking Islam and a French magazine printed cartoons mocking the prophet. "They themselves wrongly invoke the UN charter and misuse freedom of speech to justify their silence towards offending the sanctity of human communities and to divine prophets," he said.
Pakistan Islamist accuses Obama of religious war on Muslims ISLAMABAD - One of Pakistan's most feared Islamists accused President Barack Obama of starting a religious war against Muslims over his handling of a video that mocked the Prophet Mohammad. Hafiz Saeed, accused by India of masterminding the 2008 attack by Pakistani gunmen on India's financial capital Mumbai, said Obama should have ordered steps to remove the film from the Internet instead of defending freedom of expression in America. "Obama's statements have caused a religious war," Saeed told Reuters in an interview. "This is a very sensitive issue. This is not going to be resolved soon. Obama's statement has started a cultural war." The Obama administration has condemned the film, which ignited Muslim protests around the world as "disgusting". But Western countries remain determined to resist restrictions on freedom of speech and have already voiced disquiet about the repressive effect of blasphemy laws in Muslim countries such as Pakistan. "Obama has said he cannot block the film," said Saeed. "What does that say?" He said the United States should take tough action against the makers of the film. "If not, then hand them to us," he said, flanked by bodyguards. India has repeatedly called on Pakistan to bring Saeed to justice, an issue that has stood in the way of rebuilding relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors since the carnage in Mumbai, where gunmen killed 166 people over three days.
India is furious that Pakistan has not detained Saeed since it handed over evidence against him to Islamabad. Washington has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to Saeed's capture. Saeed founded Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in the 1990s, the militant group which India blames for the rampage in Mumbai, where six Americans were among the dead. He denies any wrongdoing and links to militants. After the reward was announced, Saeed taunted the United States by holding a press conference at a hotel 40 minutes' drive away from the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, calling the bounty laughable. On Wednesday, he again mocked the bounty, which has not led to Saeed's capture even though he openly moves around strategic U.S. ally Pakistan, fires up supporters at rallies and runs a huge charity. "I am wandering in my own country," he said with a chuckle at a hotel where he and other Islamists gathered for a conference on the short film, called 'Innocence of Muslims'. "So, what right does America have to put a bounty on my head? I have told America to start a case against me in court. So I can give my point of view. This is terrorism by putting a bounty on people's heads." A Pakistani minister offered $100,000 on Saturday to anyone who kills the maker of the online video. A spokesman for Pakistan's prime minister said the government dissociated itself from his statement.
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HIGHLIGHTS
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Apple’s iPhone 5 draws crowds as it launches in 22 more countries READ MORE ON PAGE 40
US Banks hit by Cyber-Attacks Major U.S. banks were hit by several cyber-attacks, leading to site outages, slow loading times, and other issues. Banks including Bank of America Corp., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo Co., PNC Financial Services Group Inc., and US Bancorp have all been affected over the past week of so. The attacks began on September 19th, with Bank of America, and on Thursday, PNC became the latest victim. PNC’s systems were operating largely as usual today, though some customers did report difficulty accessing PNC.com on their first try,” a PNC spokesman, Fred Solomon, said on Sept. 26. His bank was targeted a day later, on Sept. 27. As of 7 p.m. Thursday, PNC’s website was out of service. According to Security Info Watch,
a Web security website, the attacks were aimed at major U.S. financial institutions by unknown persons, in connection with recent anti-U.S. protests in the Middle East. One hacker group, which calls itself Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters announced in several Web blog entries that it had initiated the cyber-attacks. The attackers also encouraged others to join the effort and attack the systems of major U.S. banks and the New York Stock Exchange. Most of the attacks, including those affecting PNC and Wells Fargo, are denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, which prevent users from accessing the affected websites by flooding the servers with unusually high volume. DoS attacks do not typically give the cyber-
RIM narrows second quarter loss on higher BlackBerry sales Ailing smartphone maker Research in Motion (RIMM: 7.14, +0.14, +2.00%) narrowed its second-quarter loss on higher BlackBerry sales and said that it is on track to launch its latest-generation phone early next year. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company posted a net loss of $235 million, or 45 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $518 million, or 99 cents, topping average analyst estimates in a Thomson Reuters poll by a penny. The company posted an adjusted loss of just $142 million, or 27 cents, which includes the impact of $136 million in pre-tax charges related to its turnaround. Revenue for the three months ended Sept. 1 was $2.87 billion, down 3% from $4.17 billion a year ago, topping the Street’s view of $2.5 billion. "Despite the significant changes we are implementing across the organization, our second quarter results demonstrate that RIM is progressing on its financial and operational commitments during this major transition," RIM Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins said in a statement. “Make no mistake about it, we understand that we have much more work to do, but we are making the organizational changes to drive improvements across the company.” Shipments of BlackBerry smartphones grew by 7.4 million compared with 7.8 million in the first quarter, while the BlackBerry subscriber base increased by about 80 million customers globally. BlackBerry PlayBook tablet shipments reached 130,000 and RIM said hardware made up about 60% of its total revenue. The company, which has been struggling to regain some market share from now larger rivals Apple (AAPL: 681.32, +16.14, +2.43%) and Google (GOOG: 756.50, +3.04, +0.40%) is gearing up for its highlyanticipated launch of the BlackBerry 10 platform, which the company said is on track to launch in the first calendar quarter of 2013. Looking ahead, RIM said it anticipates continued pressure on operating results for the remainder of the fiscal year due to the increasing competitive environment, lower handset volumes and higher marketing expenses related with the BlackBerry 10 launch. RIM forecasts reporting an operating loss in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 as the company continues to move forward with its overhaul and launch the latest-generation BlackBerry, however it did not provide specific guidance figures.
attacker confidential information, so customers at affected banks should not be concerned regarding the integrity of their financial information. To carry out the cyberattacks, the attackers got hold of thousands of highpowered application servers and pointed them all at the targeted banks. That overwhelmed Bank of America and Chase's Web servers on Sept. 19, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank on Wednesday and PNC on Thursday. Fred Solomon, a spokesman for PNC, confirmed that a high volume of traffic on Thursday was affecting users' ability to access the website, but he declined to go into more detail. Denial of service attacks are an effective but unsophisticated tool that doesn't involve any actual hacking. No data was stolen from the banks, and their
transactional systems -- like their ATM networks -- remained unaffected. The aim of the attacks was simply to temporarily knock down the banks' public-facing websites. To get hold of all the servers necessary to launch such huge attacks, the organizers needed to plan for months, Alperovitch said. The servers had to be compromised and linked together into a network called a "botnet." That level of pre-planning is a deviation from the kinds of denial of service attacks launched at banks in the past by socalled "hacktivists." Typically, hacktivists use home PCs infected with malware to amass their botnets. Attacks on this scale would be impossible to carry out with home PCs -- users too frequently turn them off or disconnect them from the Internet.
Sony agrees to acquire stake in Olympus TOKYO — Sony is set to become the biggest shareholder in Olympus with an investment of 50 billion yen, or $645 million, investment, the two companies announced Friday. The deal could give struggling Sony a jump-start in the lucrative medical equipment business, while helping to bolster Olympus’s balance sheet following its $1.7 billion accounting scandal. Sony and Olympus will form a joint venture to develop and manufacture endoscopes and other medical devices, the companies said in a statement. Olympus controls about 70 percent of the world’s market for medical endoscopes. The two companies will also consider cooperating in digital cameras, they said. Sony, struggling after four years of losses because of its slumping TV business, has been looking for new sources of revenue. It entered the medical device field last year by acquiring the American medical diagnostics firm Micronics for an undisclosed sum. Sony’s president, Kazuo Hirai, has said medical businesses could one day be a major profit driver. Meanwhile, Olympus, which admitted last year to hiding losses for over a decade, is desperate to shore up its capital. It replaced its entire board, restated five years of earnings and took a $1.3 billion write-down after acknowledging that it obscured what it said were past investment losses in inflated mergers and acquisition payments. The deal announced on Friday calls for Sony to take a 11.5 percent stake in Olympus by buying new Olympus shares for 1,454 yen a share — a 4 percent discount to Friday’s closing price. The two companies will set up a joint company by the end of the year, of which Sony will hold 51 percent and Olympus will hold 49 percent, the companies said. Sony will also select a director to serve on Olympus’s board. In statements, Hiroyuki Sasa, the Olympus president, and Mr. Hirai of Sony both stressed that the deal would bring together Sony’s technological edge in digital imaging with Olympus’s already-dominant position in the medical field. ‘‘By accepting an investment from Sony, we will not only strengthen our financial base, but also combine our strengths and develop the kind of medical devices that we may not have been able to develop on our own,‘‘ Mr. Sasa said. Sony will position the medical field ‘‘as one of Sony’s future core businesses,’’ Mr. Hirai said.
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Apple’s iPhone 5 draws crowds as it launches in 22 more countries The iPhone 5 went on sale in 22 more countries on Friday, making it now available in a total of 31 nations around the world, in Apple's most aggressive launch schedule ever. The list of countries where the iPhone 5 launched on Friday is: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. They join the 9 countries where the iPhone 5 debuted a week ago: the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The handset features a taller 4-inch display, Apple's improved A6 processor, and the new, smaller Lightning connector
port. By December, the iPhone 5 will be available in a total of 100 countries with 240 carriers. The device is expected to become Apple's best selling product ever, and it already sold a record breaking 5 million units in its launch weekend alone. In addition to 22 new countries, the iPhone 5 also launched Friday on a number of regional carriers in the U.S. They include Cellcom, nTelos, Appalachian Wireless, C Spire, GCI, and Cricket Communications. A number of these carriers — Cellcom, nTelos and Appalachian — have cut $50 off the normal retail price, allowing on-contract buyers to obtain an iPhone 5 for $149 for the 16-gigabyte model, $249 for 32 gigabytes, and $349 for 64 gigabytes.
Customers and staff of Apple's Ginza store celebrate the start of sales of Apple's iPhone 5 on Friday morning.
US second quarter GDP growth revised down U.S. economic growth was much weaker than previously estimated in the second quarter as a drought cut into inventories, setting the platform for an
even more sluggish performance in the current quarter against the backdrop of slowing factory activity. Gross domestic product expanded
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at a 1.3 percent annual rate, the slowest pace since the third quarter of 2011 and down f r om last month's 1.7 percent estimate, the Commerce Department said in its final estimate on Thursday. Output was also revised down to reflect weaker rates of consumer and business spending than previously estimated. Outlays on residential construction export growth were also not as robust as had been previously estimated. Economists polled by Reuters had expected second-quarter GDP growth would be unrevised at a 1.7 percent pace. The economy grew at a 2.0 percent pace in the JanuaryMarch period. The worst drought in half a
century, which gripped large parts of the country in the summer, saw farm inventories dropping $5.3 billion in the second quarter after slipping $1 billion in the first three months of the year. Data in hand for the third-quarter suggest little improvement in the growth pace, even as the housing market digs out of a six-year slump. Manufacturing, the pillar of the recovery from the 2007-09 recession is cooling, hurt by fears of tighter U.S. fiscal policy in January and slower global demand. The GDP report also showed that after-tax corporate profits unexpectedly rose at a 2.2 percent rate instead of the previously reported 1.1 percent increase. After-tax profits fell 8.6 percent in the first quarter.
French president raises taxes on the rich President Francois Hollande’s first annual budget raised taxes on the rich and big companies and included a minimum of spending cuts to reduce the deficit. The 2013 blueprint relies on 20 billion euros ($26 billion) in tax increases, including a levy of 75 percent on incomes over 1 million euros, and eliminating limits on the wealth tax. Hollande aims to reduce spending by 10 billion euros, bringing the deficit to 3 percent of output from 4.5 percent in 2012. The budget predicts growth of 0.8 percent. It’s true we’re asking for an effort of the richest, the top 10 percent and the top 1 percent in particular,” Prime Minister JeanMarc Ayrault said today. “Big companies of the CAC 40 pay less than the small companies and sometimes don’t pay at all. So we’re asking them for an effort too.” France has a financing
requirement of 171.1 billion euros in 2013, down from 182.8 billion euros in 2012, Agence France Tresor said in a simultaneous release. The debt agency said bond issuance alone would total 170 billion euros next year, down from 178 billion euros this year. The announcement triggered a gain in French 10-year bonds, with the yield falling three basis points to 2.18 percent. French borrowing costs have tumbled since Hollande took office in May. Still, with growth stalled and unemployment at a 13-year high, bond-market quiescence is partly hiding the scale of the challenge facing Europe’s second-largest economy, investors and economists say. “This is the first big test of investor sentiment,” said Nicholas Spiro, managing director of Spiro Sovereign Strategy inLondon. “For the past four months the bond markets have given the Socialist government a free pass.”
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Intense women’s football preparation With the WFL soon approaching over forty girls are fighting for their places to represent AFC Strikers and AFC Hurricanes in the upcoming season. The girls have been training very hard in preparation for the 2012-2013 season and last weekend saw the teams face each other in another friendly game. Despite the fact that both teams are made up from players in the TCIFA Youth Academies and National Development Squad, when they compete against each other both sets of players try their hardest to claim the “bragging rights”. The game played last Sunday saw the Hurricanes record a 3-2 victory courtesy of goals from Sarah Cenary (2) and Jacinda Alfrena, although Yarileny De La Cruz had given the Strikers a 10 lead and Guerline Hall scored late on in the game to create a tense finish. De La Cruz’s goal came after the Strikers had enjoyed a lot of possession with Kadine Delphin and Jenny Fluerenvil working hard in the wide midfield positions. However, Ruth
Action from the Women’s Football
Francois, Gaya Smith and Vanessa Joseph managed to strengthen the Hurricanes’ defence and they soon got back into the game. Jacinda Alfrena’s speculative strike drew the game level before Sarah Cenary gave her the team the lead from the penalty spot. The Hurricanes
extended their lead when Cenary raced through on goal and calmly placed the ball in the bottom corner. Rather than capitulate, the young Strikers team fought back and created several chances before Hall’s volley flew into the goal. The Hurricanes had to defend resolutely for the remainder of the game
as the Strikers pushed hard for an equalizer, but despite their efforts they could not find a way through the Hurricanes defence. Hurricanes team captain Ruth Francois was pleased with her team’s performance. ”Our team are working hard but we are still missing a few key players, when they come back we will be even stronger”. Although her team lost, Strikers captain Kadine Delphin was full of praise for her team mates. “We have a young team but we are improving all the time, we have a great team spirit and we are excited about the season ahead”. Technical Director Matthew Green was equally full of praise for the players. “Its great to see to so many young female players enjoying the game, working hard and playing some attractive football. It is going to be tough for either of the teams to win the league this season as they are so young, but I guarantee that people will be impressed with their quality of play, temperament and commitment.”
Twenty-six attend referee course
Participants watch a demonstration on how to issue a card to a fouling player
Due to the continued expansion of its activities, the TCIFA conducted a Referee’s Course last weekend in an effort to recruit more individuals who are prepared to officiate in local leagues and tournaments. Twenty six participants were involved in two days of intense activities aimed at equipping them with the qualities needed to referee at all levels. The course focused on understanding and interpreting the laws of the game, professionalism, and practical methods to improve proficiency on the field. The course included representatives from teams in the Senior
Leagues ( Provo premier League, Women’s Football League and the United Soccer League) as well as many players from the TCIFA’s youth academies. As well as several theoretical presentations, the future referees were also given a chance to demonstrate their skills in a series of practical exercises that focused on refereeing technique and game management. However, it was not all hard work as the referees were given an opportunity to play in a series of small sided games whilst other referees were being assessed. The highlight of the course came on
Participants engage in discussions relating to football officiating
Saturday afternoon when the trainees had to step up and referee a game between the Center of Excellence Boys teams. All the referees were involved as either a referee, assistant referee or fourth official. TCIFA President Chris Bryan, was pleased with the weekend’s activities. "I was very encouraged by the enthusiasm shown by all the course participants. There was strong representation from our U17 developments programmes which was particularly pleasing. The United Soccer League was also reprensented by officials from Rozo FC and I commend them by taking the
initiative to train and educate themselves through TCIFA organised courses. All in all a very successful weekend". Technical Director Matthew Green echoed these words. “It was pleasing to see so many people interested in becoming referees for our leagues and development programmes. Refereeing football games is not an easy thing to do, but the candidates that attended the course showed a lot of enthusiasm and made a great start to their refereeing careers. I was particularly impressed with our young players who were very active during the discussions and group activities. This bodes well for the future”
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READ MORE BELOW
West Indies beat England A century opening stand between Chris Gayle and Johnson Charles powered West Indies to their first win of the 2012 World Twenty20 with a 16-run victory against England in their opening Super Eights match. Their top-order batsmen setting a daunting total of 179 for 5 and their quartet of slow bowlers suffocated the England batsmen as they started their reply. A remarkable fourth-wicket stand of 107 in 58 balls between Alex Hales, who scored 68 from 51 balls, and Eoin Morgan, who made a brilliant, unbeaten 71 from 36 balls, gave England an outside chance of victory, but the pair were left too much to do by another lacklustre performance from their top-order colleagues. This was England's second successive defeat following the 90-run
thrashing India inflicted in their final group game and leaves their hopes of retaining the World T20 trophy hanging by a thread. England will probably need to win both their remaining Super Eights matches, against New Zealand and Sri Lanka respectively, to progress to the semifinals. England were always behind in their run chase. Set a demading 180 to win - they have never chased more than 173 to win a T20I - they knew they required a good start. But, while they were expecting a challenge from the spinners, it was the seam of Ravi Rampaul that provided the killer punch. After three balls of England's reply, Rampaul was on a hat-trick after Craig Kieswetter, attempting to pull a
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delivery too full for the shot, top-edged to point and Luke Wright, attempting to withdraw his bat from a short delivery, guided the ball off the bat face to slip. A double-wicket maiden never represents a good start for a batting side; when they are chasing nine an over it is likely to prove fatal. Hales took legspinner Samuel Badree, in the side instead of the pace of Fidel Edwards, for consecutive boundaries skipping down the pitch to drill a drive through mid-off before cutting the next ball for four when the bowler compensated and cut Sunil Narine for another. But, at the end of their six Powerplay overs, England had scored just 29 for 2. West Indies, by comparison, had been 47 without loss. It was a gap that England could never completely close. Hales pulled Darren Sammy for one
six and then drove and pulled Samuels for a four followed by a six. But though Jonny Bairstow helped Hales add 55 in 9.3 overs for the third-wicket, Bairstow's struggles against the spin bowling - he made just 18 in 29 balls - put England even further behind the rate and left Morgan a vast amount of ground to make up. West Indies' selection policy was certainly vindicated. Not only did Charles, the 23-year-old from St Lucia who has little obvious pedigree as an opening batsman, fully justify his position, but the control offered by the quartet of spin bowlers Badree, Gayle and Narine, in particular ensured that England were always behind the run-rate and, despite Morgan slogging a Gayle full toss for six over square leg, driving Narine for another and then top-edging another off Rampaul, West Indies always had breathing space.
• Benchmark, analyze report on, and make recommendations for the improvement and growth of the IT infrastructure and IT systems. Oversee provision of end-user services, including help desk and technical support services. Work with stakeholders to define business and systems requirements for new technology implementations. • Prepare and deliver reports, recommendations, or alternatives that address existing and potential trouble areas in business systems or processes across the organization. • Liaise with vendors for efficient implementation of new application, hardware, and telecommunications. • Liaise with auditors to identify discrepancies/improvements in IT general controls and application controls and implement their recommendations as approved by the business. • Oversee the deployment of mobile technology and Microsoft’s suite of products within the organization. • Provide recommendations on future recruitment and terminations as required. • Any other duties as maybe assigned from time to time. Academic/Technical/Management: Experience and Qualifications: • Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science. • At least 10years experience. Abilities; Skills; Experience; Aptitude and Judgment: • Excellent team player and team building skills • Excellent written and oral communications skills • Ability to deliver to strict deadlines and to work under pressure • Goal-oriented • Self-motivated • Team Player External Contacts (Level): • Customers – At all levels • Outside Business entities
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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
SEPTEMBER 29TH - OCTOBER 6TH, 2012
HIGHLIGHTS
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Tiger has struggled at Ryder Cup READ MORE ON PAGE 44
NFL Commissioner apologises to fans over replacement refs NEW YORK -- The replacement officials are gone and the NFL is sorry it took so long. Now fans can go back to complaining about the calls made by the regular refs. The sport's experiment with replacements ends Thursday night when a veteran crew works the Browns-Ravens game. Commissioner Roger Goodell apologized to fans for the anxiety of the past three weeks while denying that using replacement officials increased the chances of flagrant mistakes. After two days of marathon negotiations -- and mounting frustration across the league -- the NFL and the officials' union announced at midnight Wednesday that a tentative eight-year agreement had been reached to end a lockout that began in June. The return of the regulars couldn't come soon enough for many players, coaches and fans. "Those guys might mess up every now and then, but we can live with that happening with professional guys out there," Detroit Lions receiver Calvin
Johnson said. Goodell insisted the timing of the deal was not a reaction to the outcry over Monday night's game, when a missed call cost Green Bay a win against the Seattle Seahawks. The two sides had been in "intensive negotiations" the last two weeks, he said, although he acknowledged Monday night "may have pushed the parties further along." For the Packers, Redskins, Lions and other teams who voiced their displeasure with calls that might have swayed games, the agreement doesn't change their records. "Obviously, when you go through something like this, it is painful for everybody," Goodell said. "Most importantly, it is painful for our fans. We are sorry to have to put our fans through that, but it is something that in the short term you sometimes have to do to make sure you get the right kind of deal for the long term and make sure you continue to grow the game." The commissioner was watching at
home Monday night. "You never want to see a game end like that," he said. But Goodell repeatedly reminded reporters that the regular officials have botched plenty of calls over the years. The players don't necessarily disagree on that point. "Everything is fine until there is a call that decides a game and then people -- players, fans, reporters -- are going to be complaining again," Lions receiver Nate Burleson said. "If you thought there was a microscope on the replacement refs, just wait until people start expecting the regular refs to be perfect." The new agreement will indeed improve officiating in the future, Goodell asserted, reducing mistakes like those made Monday and making the strains of the last three weeks NFL commissioner Roger Goodell apologized to worthwhile. Goodell acknowledged fans Thursday for the replacement referee debacle that saw multiple games affected over the first "you're always worried" about the three weeks of the season. perception of the league. "Obviously, this has gotten a lot of attention," he said. "It hasn't been positive, and it's something that you have to fight through and get to the long term. ... We always are going to have to work harder to make sure we get people's trust and confidence in us." The agreement hinged on working out pension and retirement benefits for the officials, who are part-time employees of the league. Goodell said the NFL's offer to increase the deal's length from five to eight years spurred some concessions from the officials. codes of conduct for the workplace. The tentative pact calls for their Nevertheless, Terry indicated through his agent that salaries to increase from an average of he might yet contest the four match ban and £220,000, or $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in $356,000, fine imposed by the F.A. 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019. The “Mr Terry is disappointed,” read a statement from current defined benefit pension plan will Elite Management on his behalf, “that the F.A. Regulatory remain in place for current officials Commission has reached a different conclusion to the through the 2016 season or until the clear not guilty verdict of a court of law. official earns 20 years' service. “He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the The defined benefit plan then will decision and will consider them carefully before deciding be frozen. Retirement benefits will be whether to lodge and appeal.” provided for new hires, and for all Terry, who quit the England national team on Sunday officials beginning in 2017, through a saying the F.A. had made his position untenable, is free to defined contribution arrangement. play while considering his right to appeal. He is expected Beginning with the 2013 season, the to start the game for Chelsea against Arsenal on Saturday. NFL will have the option to hire a The ramifications for him could be more than effects number of officials on a full-time basis on his reputation. to work year-round, including on the Chelsea says that it operates “zero tolerance” toward field. The NFL also will be able to retain racism on or off the field, by staff or spectators. additional officials for training and Lawyers were heatedly debating on radio and development and can assign those television Thursday evening whether the F.A. quasiofficials to work games. The number of judicial hearing was fair and reasonable, whether Terry was hard done by or leniently let off. additional officials will be determined His fine, some suggested, amounts to no more than by the league. one week of his salary. The tentative deal must be ratified His four-game ban is half the eight match penalty that by 51 percent of the union's 121 the Liverpool player Luis Suárez received last December members. for racially abusing Manchester United’s French left back Coaches and players began griping Patrice Evra. about the replacement officials in the There is, though, a changing climate, both in the sport preseason, but the tension seemed to and in society, concerning perceived racial slights. The boil over this past weekend. Scuffles anti-racist organizations have never been more vocal than after the whistle were frequent with they are today, and what passed as commonplace a few players appearing to test the limits of seasons ago is no longer tolerated around the stadiums the new officials, and coaches were today. fined for berating them.
Chelsea’s Terry suspended for racial abuse LONDON — John Terry, the former England captain and current captain of Chelsea, has been found guilty by a soccer tribunal of using racist language toward an opponent. Three months ago, he was cleared in a criminal court of racially abusing the same opponent in the same circumstance. There are many disturbing aspects to this, the second case of alleged racial abuse in the Premier League in the past year. But the apparent anomaly in the verdicts is not among them. The public prosecution in a Westminster court last July required proof beyond doubt that Terry intentionally insulted Anton Ferdinand, who is black. The private tribunal held this week at Wembley Stadium was concluded on the balance of probabilities. Furthermore, the tribunal panel of independent legal minds hired by the English Football Association did not have to decide whether Terry meant to racially abuse Ferdinand — it simply had to prove that he said the words at all. Given that Terry admitted, on oath in the court trial, that he used the words, guilty was always the likely verdict. Terry’s defense was that he was merely repeating the insult he thought Ferdinand was accusing him of. The spectacle in court implied that vile abuse, not necessarily racist, was regarded as mere banter between professional players in their public domain. Much has been made of the fact that the F.A. sets its own rules, in conjunction with the international body FIFA, and that 99.5 percent of all F.A. disciplinary hearings in the past year resulted with a conviction. This is actually no different from most trades. There is the law that lays down criminal charges, and there are
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NBA finalizing flopping procedures ELIZABETH, N.J. -- The NBA is about to act in hopes of stopping the floppers. Spokesman Tim Frank said Thursday the league is finalizing procedures to deal with flopping, the art of falling down when little or no contact was made in an effort to trick referees into calling a foul. Frank said the competition committee met two weeks ago and discussed plans that would go in place this season. Commissioner David Stern believes too many players are deceiving referees by flopping and has been seeking a way to properly penalize them.
The procedures likely will involve a postgame review of the play by the league office, rather than an official calling an infraction during the game, Frank said. Players likely would be fined if the league determined they flopped. The proposed plan mirrors a "postgame analysis" option Stern discussed after the competition committee met in June. The league already retroactively reviews flagrant fouls to determine if they need to be upgraded or downgraded. "If you continue to do this, you may you have to suffer some consequences," Stern said about flopping during the
NBA Finals. "What those exactly should be and what the progression is, is to be decided, because ... we just want to put a stake in the ground that says this is not something that we want to be part of our game, without coming down with a sledgehammer but just doing it in a minimalist way to begin stamping it out. And I think there are ways we can do that and we'll have to wait and see exactly what we come up with." The league's 62-person referee staff is holding its training camp, its first under the leadership of former NBA player and longtime league executive Mike Bantom. Bantom
Tiger has struggled at Ryder Cup MEDINAH, Ill. -- For the better part of his Ryder Cup career, Tiger Woods was the clear No. 1-ranked player in the world, his prowess in major championships looming over the sport. But that success never translated to the Ryder Cup. Woods, a 14-time major winner who makes his seventh Ryder Cup appearance for the United States this week at Medinah Country Club, has played on just one winning team, in 1999 -- when the U.S. made the biggest final-day comeback in the event's history. And he more or less took on the burden for the lack of American victories in the biennial competition against Europe. (Woods missed the only other U.S. victory during that period in 2008 because of a knee surgery.) "I certainly am responsible for that because I didn't earn the points that I was put out there for," Woods said Tuesday during a Ryder Cup news conference. "I believe I was out there for five sessions each time, and I didn't go 5-0 on our side. So I certainly am a part of that, and that's part of being a team. I needed to get my points for my team, and I didn't do that." Woods never has missed a Ryder Cup session for the events he has played dating to his first in 1997. His record is 13-14-2, with a 4-1-1 singles mark. In 2010, the event had just four sessions due to weather, and he went 3-1. The lack of Ryder Cup success is not limited to Woods. None of the eight players on the U.S. team with previous experience has a winning record. And the other veterans -- Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk -- also have not fared well. Mickelson played in his first Ryder Cup in 1995 and is 11-17-6. He lost all three of his team matches in Wales and captured just 1 out of 4 with two ties four years ago at Valhalla. Furyk is 8-15-4 in seven appearances with a brutal 1-8-1 record in four-ball. That puts their combined record at 32-46-12. In 2006, the trio went into the Ryder Cup ranked 12-3 in the world -- and the U.S. lost for the second straight time to Europe by a record margin, 18½ to 9½. "In order to win Cups, you have to earn points and we certainly have not earned points," Woods said. "And on top of that, I think that Phil, Jim and myself have been put out there a lot during those years. So if we are not earning points, it's hard to win Ryder Cups that way."
replaced Gen. Ron Johnson as executive vice president of referee operations earlier this month. "I think one of the things that I'd just like to focus on is I think there's a perception out there that kind of throws into question sometimes the competence of our officials and even the integrity of them at times, and I think that that's not true to begin with and unfair, and I want to try and change that perception," said Bantom, who had been the league's senior vice president of player development since 1999.
Field is wide open at Twenty20 Cricket Championship Tiger Woods
Starting in 1995, the U.S. has won just two Ryder Cups -- both at home. Twice, the Americans have been defeated by record margins in that span. "As dominant as he was through most of those years, I think anyone would be a little surprised to see .500," said Furyk of Woods' Ryder Cup record. "But also that has a lot to do with -- no one has an extremely good record on our team and that would be because we haven't won a lot of these matches." Former European Ryder Cup player and 2010 winning captain Colin Montgomerie said it typically gave his side a boost to knock off Woods, hence some extra motivation and yet a feeling of nothing to lose. "He's found a couple of partners now and I think it used to drag down the Americans when the momentum was wanting to be gathered by the fact that Tiger Woods was going to win," said Montgomerie, who is doing commentary this week for Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. "And it is amazing how he was going to that degree. I think that anybody playing Tiger Woods has just got to play his own game; that's all they can do." Graeme McDowell, who clinched the Ryder Cup for Europe at Celtic Manor two years ago when he defeated Hunter Mahan in the final singles match, believes his teammates have raised their games to take on Woods. "I liken it to playing Premiership football (soccer)," McDowell said. "Any lesser team that comes to play these guys, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal ... they have a tendency to raise their game, because it's a huge game for an underdog to play a Tiger Woods. "And they get up for it. They are not expected to win. When expectation levels drop, game tends to improve. A guy who plays Tiger Woods, or a player of that caliber, doesn't expect to win, so he lets it all go and he plays out of his skin and gets the upset." For all the talk of Woods' record in the Ryder Cup, he has not lost a singles match since his first appearance in 1997. And he is 6-3 in his past two Ryder Cups.
The only surprise so far in the World Twenty20 championship in Sri Lanka is that there has been no surprise. Although the shortest form of the game has the potential for upsets, there were none in the opening pool stage. The top eight teams duly took their appointed places in the second stage of the tournament — the Super Eights — which starts Thursday. Pakistan completed the lineup when it defeated Bangladesh in the final pool match Tuesday. Bangladesh produced the best batting performance by any of the eliminated teams when it scored 175 in its 20 six ball overs, with Shakib al Hasan striking a brilliant 84. But this was nowhere near enough to contain Pakistan’s batsmen, who reached their winning target with eight wickets and eight balls to spare. It completed a pool stage in which only Afghanistan, which worried India in its opening match, ever really threatened to upset the established order. “There are still a lot of areas we could improve on,” said Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore, who was concerned that some of his key bowlers were not at their best. “It is a work in progress all the time,” said Whatmore, an Australian. The decision to slot the two four-team groups in the Super Eight stage according to their pretournament seedings, rather than their pool stage performances, has produced a somewhat lopsided draw. All four pool winners — Australia, South Africa, India and Pakistan — are in Group 2, which starts on Friday in Colombo. The four runners-up — Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand and West Indies — start on Thursday in Pallekele. Each team will play the others in its group, with the top two progressing to the semifinals Oct. 4 and 5. The final will be held in Colombo on Oct. 7.
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