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tel: (649) 946-8542 fax: (649) 941-3281 VolumE 7 no. 05
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FEBRUARY 4TH - FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
By Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-chief
UNITED KINGDOM (UK) has agreed to grant and secure a US$260 million loan to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) as part of a muchneeded stimulus package that is designed to boost the flagging economy and return this British Overseas Territory to a path of sustainable economic growth and development. The $260million loan, which is the largest single financial injection to Government in the history of this country, is expected, among other things, to assist in paying off most, if not all, of Government’ staggering debts to local and international vendors, improve its cash-flow, and provide the necessary funds and assistance to ensure that the Turks and Caicos Islands ultimately will be in a position to at least achieve a balanced budget, or, at most, a surplus in a few years. HE
continued on Page 2
cHal misicK wins casE against BRits stoRy on PagE 7
dR. cEm Kinay suEd in nEw yoRK stoRy on PagE 11
RodnEy adams JnR. diEs in cRasH stoRy on PagE 11
Run-off ElEctions in Haiti stoRy on PagE 33
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UK to lend Turks and Caicos Islands $260m
LOCAL NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
Continued from Page 1
According to a press release from the office of His Excellency Governor Gordon Wetherell and a Departmental Minute to the UK Parliament that was sent out on Thursday, February 3rd, 2011, the Department for International Development (DFID) has received proposals from a number of commercial banks to provide lending to the TCI Government for an amount of up to US$260m (around £160m at the current exchange rate) for up to 5 years. “Securing commercial lending would be a vital step for the Turks and Caicos Islands. It would provide the time we need to rebuild financial stability and balance the budget. This guarantee would form an important step in our financial plan, and will help the achievement of key milestones that need to be reached before a date for elections can be set,” said His Excellency Governor Gordon Wetherell in a release. The Government press release also stated that the Department would guarantee this lending for the full amount of the capital outstanding plus any accrued interest. None of the banks will provide the funding without a UK Government guarantee. DFID’s total lending will be repaid in full from the proceeds of the bank lending. The statement said that the main risk associated with the guarantee is that the TCI Government cannot make capital repayments and interest payments as they fall due, adding that its ability to do so depends on its ability to implement measures so that it achieves fiscal balance by March 2013. “Consequently,” the press release stressed, “the guarantee will not be provided until DFID is satisfied that the TCI Government: has plans in place to raise revenue and cut costs so as to achieve fiscal surplus in the financial year ending March 2013; and is continuing to strengthen its capacity and systems to manage its public finances.”
His Excellency Governor Gordon Wetherell
The release issued a reminder that the UK Government has been providing support for these measures including through the appointment of a Chief Financial Officer (Carolyn Gardiner) in September 2010. It was further noted in the statement that it is normal practice to provide 14 parliamentary sitting days notice before taking on contingent liabilities. However, the release said, due to the need to provide sufficient time to take all the steps required to allow the TCI Government to have a budget, with its much needed fiscal measures, in place for the financial year starting 1 April 2011 the period of notice will end on 17 February. These steps include: completion of the commercial negotiations and legal documentation of the loan and guarantee arrangements; finalising a budget on the basis of the certainty that the loan and guarantee arrangements provide; and TCI Government approval of the budget. If the liability is called, provision for any payment will be sought through the normal Supply procedure. The UK Treasury has approved the proposal in principle. If, during the period of parliamentary notice beginning on the date on which this
Minute was laid before Parliament, a Member signifies an objection by giving notice of a Parliamentary Question or by otherwise raising the matter in Parliament, final approval to proceed with incurring the liability will be withheld pending an examination of the objection. On 1 July 2010, as an urgent initial response to Turks and Caicos Islands’ worsening financial difficulties, the UK’s Secretary of State for International Development published a Written Ministerial Statement announcing that through his
department, the UK Government would work to put in place a package of financial support together with commercial lenders as well as providing immediate short term lending. Since then, while seeking commercial bank proposals on the package of financial support, the UK Government has provided short-term financing totalling £27.3 million approximately $44 million. This vital support has allowed the TCI Government to meet unavoidable commitments including continuing to pay for public sector salaries for essential health, education and policing services. As UK Ministers said in their joint Written Ministerial Statement dated 9th December 2010 ‘It has become clear to UK Ministers that the fiscal picture in Turks and Caicos Islands represents an unacceptable collapse in the fiscal governance of the Territory, which needs urgently to be addressed. Whilst funding the immediate unavoidable costs of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, the Department for International Development has provided a Chief Financial Officer to the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, to meet the urgent task of addressing its structural deficit and putting it on a course towards a sustainable fiscal surplus in the financial year 2012/13’.
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FEBRUARY 4TH - FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
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FEBRUARY 4TH - FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
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CARICOM’s puzzling secrecy
LOCAL NEWS
By Ricky Singh
AS Trinidad and Tobago awaits the coming broadcast to the nation by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on new initiatives to curb the epidemic of criminality, I wish to focus on a regional issue of much concern at this time to our Caribbean Community (Caricom):It pertains to the evident secrecy over the official "search'' to select an appropriate candidate for appointment a new Secretary General of Caricom to succeed Edwin Carrington The 72-year-old Tobago-born Carrington, a former secretary general of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states, retired last year after faithfully serving in that post for 18 years. It is the norm for regional, hemispheric and international organisations, such as the United Nations, Organisation of American States, Commonwealth Secretariat and Pan-American Health Organisation, to indicate efforts to fill vacancies in their top posts and even provide names of nominees, as endorsed by their respective governments. This is not happening in Caricom where a tenmember search committee, under the chairmanship of Barbados' Foreign Minister Senator Maxine McLean was mandated by Community Heads of Government last August to help in short-listing potential suitable candidates for the post of Secretary General. The committee was established shortly after Carrington had officially announced on August 4, 2010, his decision to retire last year end after serving as Secretary General for 18 years. His surprised announcement had followed a special caucus of Heads of Government at last July's Caricom Summit in Montego Bay. But host Prime Minister Bruce Golding, had denied that Carrington may have been provoked into making that decision as a consequence of the nature of the deliberations at the Montego Bay caucus. Neither information on specific terms of reference to guide the work of the search committee nor qualification criteria required of potential candidates was forthcoming. Beyond, that is, a bland press announcement which followed a meeting that was scheduled to deal
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
with the broader and very pressing, but elusive issue of improved governance of an almost 34-year-old Caricom. The approach by the Community's leaders to create an effective governance architecture that's responsive to today's challenges, is itself proving to be politically humorous with their advocacy of a permanent committee of Caricom ambassadors located in their respective national jurisdictions and engaging in teleconferencing. However, to first complete the current situation in relation to the "search'' to present a shortlist of potential suitable candidates for the job of Secretary General. Having had an extension of time last year to continue their "search'', the committee found that none of the five candidates who were shortlisted for recommendation met the requirements being sought and details of which the public at large remain in the dark. Senator McLean's committee did not consider as suitable nominees the five who had presented themselves and whose name I prefer to ignore in preference for their respective countries — Belize, Dominica, St Lucia, Suriname and St Vincent and the Grenadines. There has also emerged a report that a member of the "search committee'', whose name was obtained, has signalled to his colleagues an interest in resigning in order to make himself available, if invited to be interviewed. What is really going on? From an amusing attempt at "improved governance'' — via a scattered committee of unempowered regional ambassadors — to a "search committee'' struggling to come up with even two potentially suitable candidates to choose from as Secretary General? A report from the search committee is expected to be officially submitted for consideration at the forthcoming inter-sessional meeting of Caricom leaders in Grenada later this month. Host Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, who had neither the benefit of an official conversation with either Carrington on demitting office at year end, or with Jamaica's Prime Minister Golding, who concluded his six-month stint as Caricom chairman, also on December 31, is due to receive on Friday his
Editorial Cartoon
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
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
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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.
first briefing by acting Secretary General Lolita Applewhaite. This briefing will extend to the status quo on both the "search'' for a new secretary general as well as activating the "work of the proposed stranding committee of Caricom ambassadors on governance issues''. It would be interesting to learn whether in the "search'' process for a new secretary general, the committee found time to benefit from the advice among others, notable Caricom personalities such as Sir Shridath Ramphal, former chairman of the West Indian Commission Sir George Alleyne, Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and former head of the Pan American Health Organisation, or any of the key representatives of the region's business sector, labour and cultural organisations? For that matter, did any Caricom leader consider the usefulness of such a consultation process to help inform their own thinking for the decisions yet to be made on both the functioning of a committee of ambassadors on governance,and the appointment of a successor to Carrington?
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.
Chal Misick wins court battle over land
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
FRONT DOOR HOLDING LTD., a holding company which acquires land for development, and was represented by attorney-at-law Chal Misick of Chalmers and Co., was successful in its land-confiscation appeal against the Attorney General Chambers, represented by renowned international law firm Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge (EAPD). The international law firm was contracted by the UK Government to work on behalf of the Civil Recovery Unit, to recoup Crown belongings which were said to have been given out illegally or had amounts outstanding go Government. High Court Judge Geoffrey Martin had earlier sided with EAPD in the Supreme Court, that Front Door Holdings had failed to make payments on a piece of land in Providenciales, further failing to respond to a writ of summons on August 10, 2010 issued by the Attorney General Chambers. The Attorney General Chambers, through EAPD was also successful in its application for the collection of arrears totaling $37,500 plus interest of $1,488.70 up to September 29, 2010. However, the Appeals Court, comprised of Queens Counsel Richard Ground, Elliot Mottley and Edward Zacca, not only sided with Misick, agreeing that the Supreme Court erred in its judgment against Front Door Holdings, but also that EAPD was operating in the TCI without a business license, and that its members practiced law here without being admitted to the local bar. Misick argued that the term under which the Attorney General Chambers sought to repossess the land and was granted by the Supreme Court was in error. He said that at the time when the notice was issued to Front Door Holdings, the company was one month in arrears, noting also that the time given to satisfy the payment was insufficient. According to Misick, the letter issued to Front Door Holdings by the EAPD used the terms – terminate, determine and forfeiture of the lease interchangeably which led to the conclusion that the sole letter was sufficient for all purposes, when it was rather clear from the RLO that each
Attorney-at-law Chal Misick of Chalmers and Co.
terminate the lease, but gave adequate time for the lessee to remedy the breach concluded that the judged erred in coming to his final decision. The attorney pointed out that the RLO proposes that a notice must specify the breach, and in the event that such breach can be remedied, the lessee should be given a reasonable period to make restitution. He noted also that in the event the
lessee failed to remedy the situation within that specified time, the letter cannot terminate the lease since forfeiture and determination had not yet occurred. “We submit that all three conditions have to be included in any notice of forfeiture. The letter therefore was defective in this respect and inadequate notice for purposes of the RLO,” Misick argued. He said the letter given to his client to remedy the breach was unreasonable, since it put the burden of reasonable diligence on applicant, when, as specified by the RLO, that the appellant is entitled to waiver where reasonable diligence was not exercise by the applicant. Misick also argued that amount awarded by the Supreme Court and calculation of interest was wrong. He noted that consideration should have only been paid to collection of outstanding arrears, future payments and interests. The Attorney General Chambers is to cover the legal cost of the defense. In the Appellate Court, the Attorney General Chambers was represented by David Phillips and Patrick Patterson.
CIVIL SERVICE ASSOCIATION SAYS TRANSFER OF POWERS FROM GOVERNOR TO MARK CAPES IS A BACKWARD STEP
THE NEW PUBLIC SERVICE (Delegation of Powers) Regulations 2011 comes into force on February 4, 2011. Under these new regulations the final decision (save for an appeals process) for the employment, discipline or termination of public officers now rests with the Chief Executive, Mark Capes instead of the Governor, Gordon Wetherell. In a press release, the Civil Service Association (CSA) said it views this decision to transfer such powers from the Governor to the Chief Executive as “retrogressive”. The CSA said the recently commenced Civil Service Reform with the intention to “right size” or make redundant an unknown number of Civil Servants is a priority objective of the present Administration. A statement from the association said: “During this process of Civil Service Reform the possibility exists that Civil Servants may be treated unfairly with respect to decisions of discipline or termination. TheChief Executive
LAMONT’S TAKE OUT
1 Restaurant Manager Is seeking:
Excellent leadership skills Excellent customer service skills Strong work ethics and team player Track record in successful time Excellent supervisory, organizational and management skills Excellent computer knowledge Excellent command of the English language – reading, writing and speaking.
LOCAL NEWS
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work has specific meaning. He said the letter should • give the lessee the right to forfeiture of the lease; • tell when a lease is determine; and • clearly define termination as an event occurring after forfeiture and determination of the lease. Misick argued that since the Supreme Court judge confirmed in his conclusion that the letter did not
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
Position require the following: Belongers need only apply. Interested person 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.
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straddles the boundaries from operations within the Office of Public Service Management (Executive Office of the Public Service Commission) to policy and executive decisions within the office of the Governor. This situation is conducive to conflict of interest, as the Chief Executive is directly involved with the day to day operations of the Public Service and may himself be directly involved in situations concerning misconduct or non-performance of a public officer. It is therefore unlikely that such individuals being disciplined or terminated will receive the benefit of justice due to conflict of interest in the final decision making process which now will rest with the Chief Executive.” The CSA said it is extremely disappointed with this decision of delegation of powers to the Chief Executive and is calling on the Administration to reverse its position as we enter this period of Civil Service Reform.
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Illegal Haitians on the loose
LOCAL NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
THE SPECIAL POLICE Immigration Customs Enforcement (SPICE) unit is stepping up their search for about 50 illegal Haitian nationals said to have landed undetected in the Five Cays area of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, early Sunday Morning. Assistant Commissioner of Police Sherman Clarke, who is also Head of the Maritime Division, told a news conference on Tuesday (February 1) that based on the police’s assessment of the situation, believed that about 80 persons came on the sloop. He said at the time of the news conference that the police had apprehended 30 of the illegal migrants who he said underwent medical examination and were beginning to take steps to have them repatriated. “Over the weekend there was one landing (of sloop carrying illegal Haitian nationals) in the Five Cays area. We estimate that about 80 persons came on that boat. So far, the police in Providenciales have captured about 30 of these persons. They are currently in the process now to see if they can capture all the persons that came on that sloop,” Clark said. The SUN understands that, residents woke up to find the empty abandoned boat in the area and summoned the authorities, and searches carried out in and around the area led to the apprehension of persons
50 illegal Haitian nationals said to have landed undetected in the Five Cays area . - File Photo
suspected to have been among the passengers of the abandoned boat. Assistant Commissioner Clarke said Sunday’s landing marks the second since 2011, as in January, a sloop with Haitian migrants docked on West Caicos. From that landing, Clark said 120 persons were captured. Some of the illegal migrants made their way on Providenciales before being apprehended by the authorities. He said that in 2010, there were two cases of sloops containing illegal Haitian Nationals being apprehended by the police, noting that on both instances the rickety vessels were intercepted before docking on TCI
shores. The authorities believe that with the completion of radar station, located in Five Cays, the police will have a better detection rate of illegal activities that have been taking place in our waters. The radar station is slated to commission this month. The police, in the meantime, are asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of the individuals who arrived here on Sunday to call SPICE at 231-6464 or Crime Stoppers at 1800-TIPS (8477). Crime Stopper's calls are answered at the Miami call center, and your identity will never be revealed.
Fire in Long Bay Hills
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT was called at 4am last Wednesday by the police to attend a fire at Long Bay Hills. When they arrived on the scene, firemen saw that the deck to the right of the house was on fire and was threatening to spread to the roof. The TCFRD extinguished the flames within 10 minutes and the property was declared safe again. Attending the fire was the following personnel: Chief Jennings, Sub Officer Felix, Leading FF Chris Forbes Leading FF Andy Chattel, FF Tumbalina Carter, FF T Carter and FF Ian Arthur. “Well done for all the volunteers who attended the fire at 4am despite having full time jobs to attend in the morning. Again this shows the level of commitment of the volunteers to the local community,” said Fire Fighter Ian Arthur, the press Officer for the Turks and Caicos Fire and Rescue Department.
TCITC PUBLIC NOTICE 2011- 2
RE. SPECTRUM PLAN 25 January 2011 Telecommunications Commission Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands Spectrum Plan/Table of Frequency Allocations.
WHEREAS, the Telecommunications. Commission pursuant to sections 30 and 39 of the Telecommunications Ordinance 2004 and section 4 of the Frequency Management Regulations 2005 is initiating the prc5ent consultation process on the Spectrum Plan of the Turks and Caicos Islands. NOW THEREFORE, the Commission announces the release for comments and consultation of the Turks and Caicos Islands Spectrum Plan/Table of Frequency Allocations document. At present this proposed plan will serve as the Interim Spectrum Plan for Turks and Caicos Islands; and will be used as a guide to the various operators for the use of the frequency bands. This proposed spectrum plan is based on the International Telecommunications union (ITU) recommendations, and it encompasses most of the decisions adopted by the ITU at the World Radio Conference 2007 (WRC-2007). The Turks and Caicos Islands Spectrum Plan/Table of Frequency Allocations allocates frequency bands to radio stations within the scope of the International Table and as required to meet Turks and Caicos Islands’ needs. The footnotes provide the particular provisions and conditions for use of these radio services in the Turks and Caicos Islands. ACCORDINGLY, the Commission invites comments from interested parties on this revised Interim Spectrum Plan which will be taken into consideration for the adoption of a Final Spectrum Plan for the Turks and Caicos Islands. In your comments please respond to the following: I. Comment on the Turks and Caicos Islands Table of Frequency Allocations including, the ITU footnotes identified as applicable to the Turks and Caicos
Islands. 2. Comment on the specific Turks and Caicos Islands Footnotes, and in particular, on the frequency bands identified for specific services. 3. Please indicate any additional frequency bands that could be identified in a footnote for future public telecommunications services. 4. Please indicate any additional frequency bands that could be identified in a Footnote for license- exempt use. 5. Please indicate any specific frequency bands that could be identified for other uses. 6. Comment on the channeling plans provided for the 8550,900, 1800, 1900 and 2000 MHz .Public Telecommunications Services. 7. Please identify any additional frequency bands for which a band plan could be required.
Comments should be submitted to the Commission within 5 weeks of the publication or this notice, and should reach the Commission by Monday, February 28 2011 at their office at the Business Solution Complex, Leeward Highway, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, or by mail to P.O Box 203, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, or electronically by email at consultation@tcitelecommission.tc All submissions should be filed electronically even if also filed in paper form. FURTHER, the present consultation process also permits any party to Submit reply comments in reply to any matters contained in another party’s comments filed with the Commission in the same manner as described above and must be received by the commission on or before 3:30pm on Monday, March 7, 2011. Obtaining Copies Copies of the Turks and Caicos Islands Spectrum Plan/Table of Frequency Allocation are available electronically on the Turks and Caicos Telecommunications Commission website at http://www.tcitelecommission.tc
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Assistant CommissionerRodney Adams’ son killed in traffic accident
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT reconstruction specialists spent the better part of Wednesday morning analyzing the death scene along Airport Road in Providenciales in the vicinity of the Cameo’s Night Club, where Rodney Adams Jr., 23, was killed after allegedly knocked from his bike and crushed by two motorists. Adams’, the first son for Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, Rodney Adams,- has become the country’s first road fatality since the start of the year. The accident,
TURQUOISE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY LTD
is looking for qualified and experienced applicants for the following positions .all interested applicants should please leave their resumes at Turquoise Construction front Desk. Only short listed individuals will be notified by phone. For more information: Tel: 941-7376/ 941-7376 Fax: 941-7397 E-MAIL: tccltc@gmail.com
GENERAL MANAGER
Description: • Reporting directly to the CEO, this is a key position where you will be heading the whole construction and engineering team. • Independently supervise all existing portfolio through Manager construction of each project • This role will includes responsibility for management of the existing portfolio and the identification of new ventures, growth of the company across construction projects and contracts, overall management of the portfolio ensuring timely execution within the budget. Experience: • 10 years or more of experience managing construction projects of increasing complexity. • Ability to work under pressure and coordinate numerous activities and groups of people who need to cooperate to achieve maximum efficiency. • Good oral and written communication skills. Academic qualifications: Bsc. Civil Engineering, Business administration. Salary: $36,000.00 per annum
FOREMEN
• Requires the individual to direct lead
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
according to official police report, took place at about 12:09 a.m., on Saturday. The death of the popular motor cyclist sent shockwaves thought the country, and created high energy buzz on several social websites, including Facebook, where relatives and friends posted a raft of condolences to his immediate family. The fatal accident has also hit home in the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force. At news Conference on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police, Edward Hall expressed sadness and regret at young
people and projects and meeting standards set out by the management. • Ability to work independently with minimum supervision • Ability to work in cooperation with other crews and contractors. • Ability to read and layout construction and drawing to site conditions. • Assist the manager of construction in producing purchasing documents, assisting in study of spreadsheets such as fuel usage ,hours etc Experience: 10 years Salary: $24000.00 per annum
CIVIL ENGINEER
Required an individual with knowledge of the principles and practices of Civil Engineering and the ability to apply them to the planning, design, construction and maintenance of facilities. The individual should be able to prepare correspondence and reports, analyze facts and exercise independent judgment; establish and maintain effective working relations; deal effectively with representatives of other organizations and the public. Experience: 5 – 10 years Salary: $36000.00 per annum
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
Looking for an experienced individual to manage and supervise the planning, coordination, reviewing and evaluation of financial and /or administrative programs activities for a major construction company within the country and perform related tasks Qualifications: CPA / University Degree in accounts / Finance Experience: 10-20yrs as a Financial Controller in construction Companies, familiar with US GAAP Salary: 36000 per annum
All applicants should be prepared to work on weekends and overtime. A detailed job description will be provided at the office to qualified individuals.
Adams’ passing, telling the news conference that he could imagine how it felt to lost one’s first son, while sympathising with Adams who was also present at the head table. According to report from the Police Press Officer, Sergeant Calvin Chase, Adams was killed on the spot after the motor cycling he was riding collided with two vehicles – gold Ford Expedition XL registered 19589 and a burgundy Lincoln MR2 registered 08125. The police did not give the names of the individuals who owned the vehicles or who were behind the wheels at the time of the accident. Sergeant Chase stated that the black Honda motor-bike that Adams was riding received extensive damage. He said the Ford Expedition sustained damage to left drivers' side while the Lincoln received frontal damage.
LOCAL NEWS
Rodney Adams Jr., 23
Eyewitnesses to the scene told The SUN that the bike that Adams was riding was crunched as a result of the accident. He was reported to have sustained severe head and bodily injuries, and as a result, when paramedics arrived on the scene, could only pronounce him dead. The Police noted that their investigations so far as to the cause of the accident were inconclusive and was being further carried out by traffic investigators.
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SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
Pursuant to the provisions of the Registered Land Ordinance, Temple Mortgage Fund Ltd., The Temple Financial Centre, Providenciales HEREBY GIVES NOTICE that it will cause to be sold by public auction the following properties:
10401/279 East Suburbs Grand Turk
Residential property with4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. The Carolyn A. Sturrup property consists of approximately 2000 sq. ft. of living space with views of the western shores of the Island.
50200/40 Sandy Point North Caicos
Ocean Front luxury residence with 4 bedrooms, 2 Maverick Holdings Ltd. bathrooms, Guest House & a Pool with over 5000 sq. ft. of living space
10406/86 East Suburbs Grand Turk
A single-storey apartment building with two, 2 bedroom Laureen Williams 1 bathroom units. Approximately 2,184 sq. ft living space and approx 525 sq ft of covered porches.
10102/35 North East Suburbs Grand Turk
Private Ocean Front Residence withGuest House comprising of 3 bedrooms, 3 bathroomswith over 2000 sq. ft of living space
Wealthy A. Saunders
60702/81 A two-storey development complex with seven upper Cheshire Hall floor apartments and four ground level offices with an estimated gross area of approx 7,500 sq feet. & Richmond Hill, Providenciales
Eden Courts Ltd.
60602/133 pprox 0.70 acres of undeveloped land located north of Norway & Five the Provo Airport withview of the Southern and Western part of the Island. Cays Providenciales
Gilbert Selver
60905/105 Approx 1.09 acres of undeveloped commercial property Leeward Going situatedimmediately behind the Salt Mills Shopping/Office development. Through Providenciales
AMYCS Limited
10204/224 Northwest Suburbs Grand Turk
Two, 2-storey ocean front condominium buildings comprising of two, 2 bedroom condos with an approximate gross floor area of 1,700 sq ft each and approximately 140 feet of Beachfront access.
60716/319 Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill Providenciales
The parcel is located on a canal, directly on the access HDOSG Ltd. road to Discovery Bay. The development comprises of three partially complete town house buildings and three communal pools. Building A omprises of eight, three bedroom town houses and both building B and building C have four,two bedroom town homes. The approximate acreage of the property is 3.98.
60718/109 & 110 Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill Providenciales
Erwin Jones
Lot 109 has frontage to Venetian Road at its junction Herbert Swann with Sailfish Lane. It supports a partially complete single-storey residential building on approx. 1.04 acres of land. Lot 110 approx. 1.07 acres, is located immediately to the east of 109 with frontage to Sailfish Lane only. Parcel 110 is vacant and covered in dense vegetation. Either property can be purchased separately.
61113/237 Located in the Long Bay Hills sub-division close to the Carla Cartwright Long Bay Hills Provo Miniature Golf Course. The property comprises of Providenciales a two-storey, Four bedroom, three bathroom residential development with a balcony on the upper floor. The approximate total square footage is 2,040, on 0.40 acres. 60720/58&59 Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill Providenciales
Approximately 2.54 acres of undeveloped land, with a Albray V. Butterfield Jr top ridge view of approx 80 feet above sea level, which in turn gives good views of the south side of the island & the new Cooper Jack Marina. Either parcel can be purchased separately.
61112/34 Two-storey apartment building comprising of two, one Long Bay Hills bedroom apartments on the lower floor, and a two Providenciales bedroom apartment on the upper floor with approximately 1850 sq. ft of living space. The property has direct access onto Long Bay Highway.
Albray V. Butterfield Jr.
The auction will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday 18th February 2011 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 no later than 4:00 p.m. Thursday, February 17, 2011 addressed to Temple Mortgage Corporation Ltd., Temple Financial Centre, Leeward Highway, Providenciales clearly marked “ AUCTION BID-FEBRUARY 18, 2011.” 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.
Increase cocaine activities major concern for police
Over the past few months, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police seized almost 40 kilo (88 pounds) of cocaine in the TCI. - File Photo
THE RISE IN cocaine trafficking with the Turks and Caicos Islands is not only of generally concern to members of the public but also so the police, who declared that in recent months they have made a series of drugrelated arrests. While it has been reported that the TCI, in recent months have seen an increase in cocaine trafficking, the Islands of South Caicos is said to be the focal point for such activities, which causes some members of the public to remark that “it is snowing in South Caicos” – using the current trend reference to a past incident when bales of cocaine falling from a plane burst over the island causing a clouds of dust. The SUN has learnt that over the past few months, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police seized almost 40 kilo (88 pounds) of cocaine in the TCI. Cocaine said to have been acquired in the TCI by smugglers was also seized by overseas anti-drug enforcement organisations, as it was reported in the Bahamas press that two men travelling on a private plane from Providenciales were arrested by that country’s law enforcement officers, shortly after they landed. At a news conference on Tuesday, February 1, the local police hierarchy acknowledged the burgeoning of the local cocaine trade, indicating that they were on top of the situation, pointing to the number of seizures which had taken place. But while pointing to the success in cocaine seizure so far, Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Rodney Adams, noted that a great deal of investigations relating to other drug-related activities were on-going, but resisted into being drawn in making comments on them at this time. “We have had some increases in drug arrest during last year. The amount of controlled drugs that were was seized last year was over that of 2009, and basically, we have started on the same track for the calendar year of 2011,” he said Among the persons who the police said they have arrested for cocaine in recent t time is Kendre Wilson, 30, of Providenciales. He was apprehended in Providenciales by the police on Saturday, January 22; in possession of cocaine which the authorities said boast wholesale value of approximately US $90,348.00 and a street value of approximately US $271,044.00. Wilson was granted bail in the sum $120,000 when he appeared in Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, January 25. The condition of his bail was predicated on the condition that he provided three sureties; surrender of all travel documents, and also to report to the Providenciales Police Station twice weekly between the hours of 12noon and 2pm. Wilson, who the police described as a “30 year old Turks & Caicos Islander living in Providenciales”, was charged with unlawful possession of cocaine and unlawful possession of cocaine with intent to supply, after members of the Providenciales Division of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force reportedly nabbed him with eight kilos or 18 pounds of cocaine at The Providenciales International Airport Providenciales. ACP Adams resisted the temptation in saying whether or not the island of South Caicos was the hotbed for cocaine activities as being banded about in the public arena, saying rather that the police was concerned about cocaine activities in the TCI as a whole. “There are a number of on-going investigations in terms of drug trafficking within the TCI, and I would limit my comments to that, at this stage. But the long and short answer is ‘yes’, we have seen increased (drug-related) activities around here,” ACP Adams said.
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Multi-million dollar lawsuit filed against Dellis Cay in NY
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
TWENTY INVESTORS WHO told a Manhattan Federal Court they were ripped off of millions after being lured to invest in the luxurious Dellis Cay resort development in the TCI are suing the project’s principal Cem Kinay, its financiers Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corp and a number of other individuals and entities for $50 million. The Dellis Cay project was taken into receivership about almost two years ago after its Trinidad and Tobago lenders slashed its financial feeding tube because it faltered on its monthly payments to that institution. At the time of the takeover, the developers said the project was more than fifty percent completed. The investors, who are represented by Todd Soloway of Pryor Cashman LLP in New York, said explained through a 79-page complaint document, that they thought they were buying luxury villas in the Turks and Caicos Islands, but ended up being fleeced of about $50 million. The plaintiffs are seeking actual damages of at least $50 million, punitive damages, prejudgment interest and court costs for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, breach of good faith and fair dealing, conversion, negligence, aiding and abetting fraud,
LOCAL NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
Dr. Cem Kinay
and commercial bad faith. The investors claimed that developer, instead of using the money on the project; they spent it on multimillion-dollar homes for himself and his co-conspirators as well as bribing public officials in order to keep the so-called scam going. They told the federal court through their attorney that Kinay and Oguz Serim, another partner in the project, lured them to invest in the project through what they termed "a web of alter-ego entities." The complaint stated in part: "Of the nearly $100 million that the project took in from sales, less than a third was spent on construction. And of the
approximately $75 million in villa purchaser funds that went into the project, over $50 million of which came from plaintiffs, less than $7 million was spent on constructing the villas. The rest was stolen." Soloway noted that the developers spent what he described as “their suckers' money on among other things, an $8 million Miami Beach home, bribes to government officials, unrelated real estate ventures, payments to related entities without consideration and globe-trotting on private planes." According to complaint, Kinay bought 209 acres on Dellis Cay in 2005, and then he and Serim marketed the land as a soon-to-be developed luxury mixed-use property. The complaint further stated: "The scheme was simple: • induce purchasers to pay over $50 million to purchase lots and to have villas developed on those lots, falsely proclaim that Kinay and his alter-ego entities had obtained sufficient construction financing to complete the project - when they secretly knew that they had no such financing; • obtain the lending institution's cooperation in fraudulently inducing purchasers to continue to make installment payments towards the development of their respective villas (because it was in both the lender's and
Kinay's interest for purchasers to continue to make payments); • make specific misrepresentations as to the status and schedule of development to insure that purchasers' money kept flowing; • use purchasers' monies and what money they could siphon from the bank loan to lavish themselves with worldly material possessions including multimillion-dollar homes, private planes, and to (literally) bribe public officials in connection with attempts to expand the project; and when they finished extracting as much money as they could - walk away from the project." The defendants in the case are: O Property Collection USA Inc.; O Property Collection GmbH; O Property Collection TCI Ltd.; Turks Development LP; Turks General Partners Ltd.; Turks (BVI) Holdings Ltd.; Turks Ltd.; Dellis Construction Ltd.; The SUU Hotels; Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corp.; Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Ltd.; Avatar Real Estate Services LLC; Cem Kinay; Oguz Serim; William Tacon; Stephen Katz; Marjorie Kinay; Cenk Kinay; Mer Insaat; and Halis Sumer. The plaintiffs are represented by Todd Soloway of Pryor Cashman LLP in New York.
Windsong Resort seeks to employ a Housekeeping Supervisor Qualified individual should possess the following: • Computer Literate - proficient in excel and word • Excellent written and oral communication • Ability to work well with others • Minimum of five years experience in position or similar • Willing to work evenings, weekends and holidays • Ability to Manage department is the absence of Housekeeping Manager Salary range $7.00 - $9.00 (compensation based on qualification) Belongers need only apply Qualified individuals should email resume to: info@windsongresort.com
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FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
REGENT PALMS STRATA BOARD APPRECIATION TO MONICA NEUMANN The Board of Directors of the Regent Palms Strata, on behalf of its Owners want to recognize and sincerely thank Monica Neumann for her timeless commitment and dedication as our General Manager. Her integrity, elegance, consummate professionalism and exemplary guest service gave the Regent Palms unprecedented recognition, respect and awards throughout the travel industry. Recently, under the management of Monica Neumann, the Regent Palms was recognized in the prestigious Frommer’s Travel Guide as being “one of Grace Bay’s classiest resorts” and “damned near perfect now”. For the first time, the Regent Palms made the coveted list of “Travel + Leisure 500 – The Worlds Best Hotels 2011”, rated highest in the Turks & Caicos, Travel + Leisure’s 2010 #12 Top Resort in the Caribbean and the Robb Report Top 100 Resorts in the World. Your accomplishments Monica will not be forgotten and you will always be remembered as one of Grace Bay’s “classiest” General Managers. We wish you well in your new pursuits in the travel industry.
Air Turks and Caicos leads the way in the reliability charts
LOCAL NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
AIR TURKS AND CAICOS (AirTAC) is one of the most reliable airlines in the Americas. The Provo-based operator is leaving its US counterparts standing when it comes to ontime performance. And executives say they are determined to improve the already impressive figures further during 2011. AirTAC departures boast an 87 per cent on-time performance since February last year, while its domestic flights, since April, run at an excellent 94 per cent. The latest statistics for November show international departures at 89 per cent while domestic services for the month were a staggering 97 per cent. And AirTAC rates compare favorably against US Department of Transportation figures, which have just been released. They reveal that 19 carriers reporting on-time performance had an overall rate for 2010 of 81.per cent, up from 79.7 per cent a year earlier. A flight is counted as "on time" if it operated less than 15
minutes after the scheduled time shown in the carriers' computerised reservation system. AirTAC chief executive officer, Darrell Richardson, said: “AirTAC prides itself on its reliability and we are again pleased with our latest figures for November. “They show improvement and overall we are doing well, particularly when you compare us to the big US airlines. “But we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and we will be working hard to improve those figures further. “Our priority is offering a safe, efficient and reliable service to our customers and we will continue to strive for perfection in all areas.” November saw 180 AirTAC international departures with 160 operating on time. Meanwhile there were 618 domestic flights during the month with just 20 failing to meet target. “November’s domestic departures were very pleasing”, added Mr Richardson, “and I congratulate our staff on a 97 per
Lydon Gardiner
cent on-time figure. “The international departures for November were also good and it’s worth remembering that this is a busy time in TCI as it’s the start of the holiday season. “We now look forward to seeing December’s figures which I am confident will again make good reading for AirTAC.”
DEMONSTRATED SKILLS/ABILITIES • Ability to communicate in English and take instruction • Ability to work to timeframes Salary scale commences at U$ 25,000 per annum dependant on qualifications and experience ‘Per manent and Locum’- Please state preference on the application
LABORATORY TECHNOLOGIST
THE SUCESSFUL CANIDATE WILL BE REQUIRED TO: • Perform general laboratory duties as assigned or requested by the Laboratory Manager or designate • Undertake specific analytical tasks as specified in the laboratory operation manuals. • Write policies, processes and procedures as requested by the Laboratory Manager or designate • Maintain established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, quality assurance programs, accreditation requirements, safety, environmental and infection control standards. • Interpret data and prepare reports on work performed. • Ensure analytical tasks performed meet quality control guidelines as specified in the laboratory operation manuals. • Be aware of and observe health and safety regulations as they apply to the Laboratory. • Be responsible for providing a high quality service ensuring the satisfaction of all clients is maintained. • Undertake small projects as required by the Laboratory Manager or designate. QUALIFICATIONS• Bachelors or Masters Degree in Life Sciences, (encompassing Microbiology, Immunology, Bio-chemistry and Haematology). OR • Bachelors or Masters Degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. WORK EXPERIENCE• 5 years or more work experience in related field. • At least 3 years in multi-specialty secondary to tertiary care hospital setting • Demonstrated ability to operate with reduced supervision
Suitably qualified and experienced Belongers are encouraged to apply. Applications should be forwarded to pnicholson@interhealthcanada.tc The closing date for applications for either position is 4th March 2011
TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS HOSPITAL
Require the following positions:-
NURSE MANAGER NURSE SUPERVISORS
We have openings for a Nurse Manager, and two Nurse Supervisors, with the relevant knowledge, skills and experience, to lead/take forward nursing practice and clinical care within our state of the art facility. Nurse Manager for E.D. / OPD Nursing degree essential with evidence of relevant ongoing post graduate education; Extensive experience in Emergency.Department. with at least 5 years at supervisory / management level. Salary scale commences at U$ 34,000 per annum dependant on qualifications and experience. Nurse Supervisor Nursing Degree / Diploma with evidence of relevant post grad studies. At least 5 years experience, two of which as a senior registered nurse supervising / leading a team of nurses. Extensive experience and skills in Emergency Department is required for one post and in General Medical / Surgical / Dialysis for the other. Salary scale commences at U$ 25,000 per annum dependant on qualifications and experience Suitably qualified and experienced Belongers are encouraged to apply. Applications should be forwarded to pnicholson@interhealthcanada.tc The closing date for applications for either position is 4th March 2011
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TCI will not host CARIFTA this year
LOCAL NEWS
T URKS AND C AICOS I SLANDS is now out of the race against time to be a host for this year's CARIFTA Games. Turks and Caicos was one of the last frontiers for officials of the North American, Central American & Caribbean (NACAC) Track and Field Association, under whose auspices the Games are staged, to find a host for the region's marquee junior meet, which is scheduled for April 22 to 24. But officials in Providenciales have also joined the list of those turning down the chance to stage the Games, placing it in further jeopardy of being cancelled for the first time in its 40-year history. "We were actively pursued by Rita Gardiner, a spokesperson for the Turks & NACAC President Teddy McCook Caicos Amateur Athletic Association to host the CARIFTA Games 2011," Rita Gardiner, a spokesperson for will not be able to host the the Turks & Caicos Amateur CARIFTA Games." Athletic Association, told a local TV station in Jamaica on Tuesday. "This was just two weeks ago, and since then we have held a few meetings to see if it was possible." She added: "But we have not had a response from the Government and (Tuesday) was the final day to give NACAC a positive response. "So I reluctantly called and informed them that we did not think it would be possible. Right now, we
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Summary of Duties This position is the general overseer of all aspects of Provo Stevedoring Ltd. This includes providing leadership and motivation to promote the consistent execution of standard practices, policies and procedures. Should have a strong working knowledge of stevedoring operations business plan development and its implementation.
This is an all-encompassing, commercially orientated role that will suit a candidate with senior executive level management and strong financial academic background. The successful candidate will be expected to display initiative, be able to meet tight reporting deadline and have a strong work ethics. Salary: Commensurate with experience.
Main Duties and Responsibilities: Leading element in the chain of command in the supervision of Port of Providenciales and Port of Grand Turk. • The primary representative of the Board of Directors, continuously monitors and evaluates the productivity and efficiency of the Port of Providenciales and Port of Grand Turk • Oversees the other employees in their duties of the Ports” operational activity, financial stability, equipment maintenance and safety, including the ability to terminate employees. • Establishes and maintains a close working relationship with the Ports Authority staff and other Government Dept. staff. • Ensures adherence of PSL’s contractual compliance to the Stevedoring Agreement, the Ports Authority Regulations and applicable laws and ordinances governing the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Ports of Providenciales and Grand Turk. • Direct operational planning and logistics, cost controls and budgets, treasury, risk management, equipment preventative maintenance programs, safety programs and human resources administration. • Directly responsible for all communication to the media as directed by the Board of Directors. • Exercise courteous and respectful communications/relations with Customers, Vendors/Supplies and all individuals within the confines of the Port of Providenciales
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
The staging of the Games had been thrown into a state of chaos when St Kitts withdrew from their commitment to host the event, because of financial and logistical reasons. NACAC have been frantically trying to find a replacement over the last three months, and indications are they may now turn to the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, in a desperate bid to save the Games. "We couldn't hold out anymore," said Gardiner about the Turks and Caicos' decision. "It's two months away from CARIFTA. Whichever country is going to host the Games, they must be prepared to do some work. Economic state "I do not think that TCI can do it right now, seeing our economic state and the state of the national
stadium." She said: "We would have needed to put some work into the stadium and the track. I believe all of the stakeholders would have been willing to come together and do it, but I do not think we need that pressure, since it would be too much pressure right now and there are some other pressing issues." Jamaica turned down the request to stage the event because of its proximity to its International Invitational meet, which officials in Kingston stated would have stretched its human and financial resources. The Bahamas was also a strong contender, but they side-stepped the Games because of the failure to get a financial guarantee from NACAC. Trinidad and Tobago was also being considered, but Ephraim Serrette, president of the track and field body in the two-island republic, indicated they would have needed more notice to successfully stage the Games.
and Grand Turk. • Maintain the Cash Flow Operations (Budget and Financial Controls), Budgeting (Monthly Variance Analysis of actual/budget) and working with Bank to maximize interest income on cash balances as well as monthly Bank Statement Reconciliation. • Responsible for the preparation of monthly and annual financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). • Coordination with independent Auditing firm and working in conjunction with Partners Auditors and local Auditors on Year-End close out and Year-End Consolidated Financial Reports in accordance with GAAP. • Direct the procurement of goods and services to determine Budget impact and maintain general ledger. • Maintain all Financial Reporting responsibility including preparation of monthly Financial Statements and Management Report to track performance of operations for Provo Stevedoring (Providenciales and Grand Turk).. • Responsible for Maintaining accurate financial records, ensuring compliance of contractual obligations for the License Fee to the Ports Authority and coordinating with the Ports Authority and Partners for requests of financial information, cooperation with Ports Authority and Partners in independent auditing. • Preparation of statements for Partners to determine dividend distribution. • Develops and maintain the Accounting and Financial Protocol for the processing of financial information and documents as it relates to the stevedoring operations. ACADEMIC QUALIFACTION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: • Must have a Minimum Bachelors Degree in Finance, Accounting and Business. • Must have at least 15 years senior executive experience. • Must have at least 3 years directing stevedoring operations, heavy equipment maintenance, human resources administration and finance. • Must summit a clean police record. • Must summit a valid driving license. • Must summit a clean drug medical. • Must be willing to work extended hours, night/day, weekend and public holidays if required. FUNCTIONAL SKILLS: • Excellent communication skills • People management skills • Good negotiation skills
Please submit Resume and completed job application to the attention of Crystal Greene, Human Resources Manager by February 18, 2011. Job application forms can be obtained at Provo Stevedoring Limited administration office located at South Dock Road or call 649-941-8975.
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LOCAL NEWS
Police say crime in Turks and Caicos Islands decreased in 2010
By Vivian Tyson SUN Senior Editor
THE POLICE ARE reporting a six percent nosedive in criminal activities in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 2010 when compared with all of 2009, this according to official statistics released by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force during a news conference on Tuesday, at the Chalk Sound Police Station in Providenciales. Commissioner of Police, Edward Hall, noted that during 2009, 2,896 cases of crime were reported, while in during 2010, the number was 2,736 – a reduction of 160 or by six percent. Commissioner Hall said July, 2010, was the month that accounted for the majority of crimes – 273- saying also that was the only time on record that so many criminalities were reported in a given period. He attributed it to what he described as the peak in violent crimes spanning July and August. The lowest level of crimes reported was in November 2010, when 143 cases were reported. Commissioner Hall noted that operations Alpha One and Two played a significant role in nailing down especially serious crimes. “Certainly, the operations Alpha One
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
and Two severely disrupted the criminal elements, and I believe, certainly contributed to the crime reduction that we experienced for the last three months of the quarter,” Commissioner Hall pointed out. He noted also that detectives recorded a five percent increase in detection of crime in 2010 over the previous year. He revealed that the detection rate in 2009 was 21 percent, while in 2010 the police scored a 26 detection rate. Burglary topped the crime of choice list in 2010, with 810, followed by theft with 328, armed robberies came next at 146. Assaults and wounding accounted for 373 of the 2,736 crimes reported, followed by damage to property, 223; motor vehicle interference, 194; drugrelated offences, 116; and murders, four. Providenciales, the most populous island in the TCI chain, led the island-byisland crime breakdown with 2,182. The country’s capital Grand Turk was a distant second with 429 crimes over the period; South Caicos was the third highest with 86 crimes reported; while the predominantly farm island of North Caicos recorded 32. Two islands recorded single digit crime rates. They are Middle Caicos with four, including the murder of senior
Graceway IGA Supermarket / Kwatcha Holdings is seeking applicants to fill the position of a is seeking suitably qualified applicants to fill the following positions:WHOLESALE FOOD & SALES MANAGER . Job Requirements & Responsibilities:
• Responsible for overall management of product distribution and revenue of sales • Oversee the day to day management of wholesale department personnel to maximize sale productivity • Oversees and manages the Supermarket growing wholesale accounts • At least five (5) years Sales or Marketing experience. • Five (5) years Chef Experience. • Good knowledge of wholesale foods, liquor, wines and beers. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Competence in the use of Microsoft Word and Excel. • Good negotiation and interpersonal skills. • Must have a personal vehicle and a valid Driver’s License. • Must have pervious managerial experienced working in a supermarket retail environment • Applicant will be required to work weekends and holidays Salary range: $36,000.00 - $42,000.00 annually. GENERAL MANAGER Summary of Duties
The position is responsible for the management of all aspects of Graceway Gourmet Supermarket. This includes providing leadership and motivation to promote the consistent execution of standard practices, policies and procedures. Setting the tone and leading the stores culture/environment to ensure success in all aspects of customer service, profitability, operations, people development, merchandise presentation and merchandise assortment. Required Specifications and qualifications
• Over ten (10) years experience in supermarket retail and wholesale management with a minimum of five (5) years in a senior management position to include management of individual departments. • Experience in company expansion projects with the ability to lead and develop new store concept, design, layout, format and operations. • Proficient in the understanding of retail and wholesale accounting and good
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
citizen Charity Harvey allegedly by a young male teen and Salt Cay, which recorded three crimes. Commissioner Hall conceded that armed robberies posed the most challenge to crime-fighting in 2010, since the figure jumped from 112 in 2009 to 146 last year. “It is fair to say that the criminals exploited our vulnerability and created certainly, a need for concern through-out the community, especially here in Providenciales,” Commissioner Hall noted. He revealed that during the commission of the robberies, the criminals made off with approximately $213,952 in cash and $367,000 in jewelry. He said as a result of the apprehension by the police of several suspects, some of whom have been described as masterminds, coupled with the enactment of the new detention law, serious crimes have plummeted. The commissioner told the news conference that it has been the intention of the force’s hierarchy to bolster the investigation skills of its charges, so as to perennially improve all round police work in the Turks and Caicos Islands. “We are certainly continuing in our efforts to improving the investigations skills of our detectives by ensuring that
Commissioner Edward Hall
we source senior as well as junior detective training for our officers,” Commissioner Hall said. Commissioner Hall noted too, that based on the effects that especially armed robberies last year, had on the population, persons were now more willing to come forward and give information aimed as assisting the police in more efficiently combating crime – a move described by the top cop as encouraging, while urging for the trend to continue. During the news conference, the Commissioner was joined by other senior members of the force: Deputy Commissioner Hubert Hughes and Assistant Commissioners – Rodney Adams, who heads the Criminal Investigation Department (CID); Dave Ryder, Head of Operation and the Tactical Unit; and Sherman Clark, Head of the Marine Branch, Training and the IT Department.
business practices related to documentation and record keeping. • Strong current product knowledge of the retail industry and a proven record in the ability to achieve the budgeted financial and operating results, including sales, profitability, and wage percentage. • Experience managing and developing the human resources activities, maintain and develop organizational culture, values and reputation in market and with all staff, customers, suppliers, partners and governmental bodies. • Must have the ability to identify, develop and direct the implementation of business strategy and report to shareholders on organizational plans, financial disclosure and operational performance. • Ability to work extended hours including nights, weekends, and holidays. Salary rate will commensurate with experience and ranges from $60, 000.00 $72,000.00
REFRIGERATION TECHNICIAN The person selected for this position will be responsible for inspections and preventative maintenance on mechanical systems which includes calibration and repair of HVAC systems and pneumatic control systems. Summary of Duties:
Performing work assigned by maintenance supervisor; cleaning and repairing, HVAC systems and piping repairs; rebuilding compressors, duct work, inspections and troubleshooting; performing preventative maintenance on large refrigeration and HVAC systems. Required Specifications and qualifications • Vocational education in HVAC and Refrigeration systems • Training and experience in Electrical and plumbing maintenance • Computerized electronic controls and a working knowledge of computers preferred. • Five years experience in related fields. Drivers license mandatory. • Reading, writing and speaking the English language is required. Must be willing to be on call 24 hours, must be able to work nights, weekends and holidays. Salary ranges from $19,200.00 – $22,000.00/annum.
Deadline for submission of applicants is February 12th 2011 Submit to: Graceway IGA Supermarket main office complex or email: hr@gracewayiga.com
PDM welcomes major loan from UK
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT is welcoming the announcement by United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) totaling some 260 Million US dollars in funding. In a press statement, the PDM said: We remind all the voters and stakeholders in the Turks and Caicos Islands that the current financial condition was inherited by the Interim Administration and that new revenue and expenditure measures were inevitable after a devastating period of financial chaos in governance by the Progressive National Party (PNP) where much of what the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands had worked so hard for over the years was squandered and then compounded with the international economic downturn. The announcement today by the Governor’s office of a package of financial support for the TCI is good news and a great and bold step towards pulling the TCI Government and our people out of a period of uncertainty.” The press release added: “As we move closer towards detailing how these funds are to be spent we again
LOCAL NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
PDM Leader Doug Parnell
call on the Interim Administration to keep our people at the forefront of all decisions: remembering that government employees should now be assured of their monthly and weekly paychecks in order to meet living expenses, landlords can be paid back rents due, students scholarship fees can be met and unpaid Government bills can be funded.” The PDM renewed its call to the Interim administration to stimulate the
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economy and repair much needed public infrastructure such as the Middle Caicos causeway, the Millennium highway in Blue Hills, the Airport Terminal in South Caicos and the damage caused to the Ona Glinton Primary school in Grand Turk. Upon receiving the news Leader Douglas Parnell sent an email to top party brass which read: “Let us press on toward the mark of restoring our country's solid standing in the region by rebuilding confidence in the Turks and Caicos Islands. One of the ways we can do this is by speaking positively and insisting that our God given right to grow and prosper and aspire to build a better tomorrow for our children is never forgotten by those in authority.
We must move closer, even during interim administration, toward fulfilling this vision in our homeland. To supporters of our Great Party, we remind you that we promised our people after the last General Elections that even though we only received 43 percent of the vote that we would act as though we always represent 100 percent of the people.” The PDM release added: “We congratulate all those in the Ministry of Finance and throughout the service who worked hard in making sure that accurate information was gathered to support the request for funding. We now further request that the true state of the financial condition of the Government over the past years be made public for all to see how matters were handled, so that the truth about what this Interim Administration inherited can be made known. We also thank our former Chief Minister Derek Taylor, Samuel Harvey and Clarence Selver both former deputy Chief Ministers for accompanying the Leader of the party, Douglas Parnell, on trips to the United Kingdom to help make the political case for capital and financial support to those in DFID and at the FCO. We have consistently called for greater financial assistance from the UK to help the TCI people cope with its dire financial circumstances, the latest call came in October when earlier estimates were increased from 122 million to 175 million.”
Devon Mega Fitness Seeks
1 CaShier
Salary $6.50 per hour Mon-Fri Contact 243-0085 or 941-8014
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Make life difficult for criminals, says ACP Rodney Adams LOCAL NEWS
RESIDENTS OF THE Turks and Caicos Islands can do more to make life difficult for criminals to operate in their communities by taking certain precautionary measures, this according to Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Rodney Adams, who was addressing a news conference on Tuesday (February 1) at the Chalk Sound Police Station in Providenciales. ACP Adams was quick to acknowledge the increased interest and willingness shown by members of the public to be more involved in ridding the TCI of crime through their co-operation with the police and other law enforcement bodies. However, he urged that more could be done, but the onus would rest on the residents to ensure it success. “If we are to truly have the TCI remain one of the safest places on
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
planet Earth, you, as members of the public, have got to do more in terms of supporting your servants – your police force. We can only do so much; it has got to be about true partnership approach. “Certainly, we have seen some improvement in that area, but all we can do is appeal to you to do more in terms of taking some of the responsibility to ensure that you do all you can to make it more difficult for criminals to operate within your communities,” ACP Adams said. He noted that some of the prescribed measures would be to pay more attention to personal surroundings, ensuring that personal property is secured and not hesitate to report suspicious activities to law enforcers. “It is imperative that all of us see this as a partnership approach going
ACP Rodney Adams
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
forward, and at the end of the day, I am convinced that once we are given the tools, I am pretty much confident that we are capable and able of getting the job done,” ACP Adams said. In the meantime, the CID boss commended Commissioner of Police,
Edward Hall, for implementing measures that were proven successful in dragging down the crime rate in 2010. ACP Adams told the news conference that he would like to go on record congratulating his boss for the courage he mustered in ordering police operation Alpha Two, despite certain level of push back from members of the society, who believed the operation was a waste of time, and would never work. “As I have indicated some months ago, I want to go on record again, Commissioner, and thanking you for your vision in supporting the idea in moving Alpha Two – putting that in place despite the commence that others might have, that that was not the right thing to do at the time. It is my hope that going forward, those are the kinds of initiatives that are needed,” ACP Adams said. The CID head also used the opportunity to call for idle funds allocated for the force to be released so that policing work within the TCI can be improved.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
ELECTRONIC TECHNICIANS/ SECURITY SPECIALIST
Duties and Responsibilities Co-coordinating and Installing / Servicing of Electronic Security Equipment. Attend customer site to perform quotes regarding security Installation Accept after hour calls as required. Required Skills: * Capable of installing and servicing Verex, Caddx, Everfocus, DSC, and 515 equipment among others. * Capable of using Microsoft Word, Ex cell and Quickbooks. A driver's license. 10 years Experience installing Chi', Access Control, Alarm Systems and Fire: Panels. 5 years sales experience. Pay commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Contact:( 649) 941-4466
QUINCY JENNINGS Is seeking
A LAboUrEr
Salary $5.00 per hour Mon-Sat Please contact 241-3360
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‘I agree with Mark Capes’ FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
By Devon Williams
A RECENT COMMENT from Chief Executive Mark Capes has come under fire from a prominent local lawyer on a local whistle-blower web blog. In the statement entitled “Mark Capes and Visiting Private Jets,” Dempsey accused Capes of taking credit for something that he contributed little to. As a pro development TCI citizen I would like to respectfully ask Mr. Dempsey to withdraw his letter and in turn commend Capes for demonstrating the interim Government’s interest in attracting monied people to the TCI. From its inception, the interim government has been consistently asked to make more statement indicating their willingness to attract and encourage inward investments. Capes’ statement to the Caribbean News reporter demonstrates both a willingness to speak with media and the bravery to speak to a publication that routinely lambastes TCI administrations. Moreover, Capes’ acknowledgement that the TCI economy is shrinking indicates that he recognizes that the interim administration is in trouble and that something needs to be done soon. Mr. Dempsey’s claim that the interim administration is flooding the TCI with uncertainty is seriously overrated. For example the series of questions posed by Dempsey can be easily answered by applying a little common sense and by understanding the interim administration’s trends and policies. For the avoidance of doubt I will seek to answer Mr. Dempsey’s questions. When will there be elections? – 2012 AD, Will taxation be imposed? This is possible but highly unlikely because the two most costly items in the budget, (the SIPT and the Civil Service personal emoluments) are all scheduled to be eliminated or significantly reduced in a few years. Can I get a work permit / residency permit /PRC? – Yes and Mr. Dempsy would be please to offer you legal services, and What is Government’s position with regard to
LOCAL NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
new development? – The Government is pro-sustainable development and give any such project consideration. While in my view the interim administration leaves much to be desired, I would like to admonish Mr. Dempsey to refrain from statements that appear to castigate positive statements from Mr. Capes and others working with him as the obviously face a mammoth task and are woefully ill prepared. We must as a country encourage these men to do more positive things. After all the interim government’s inward investment efforts are lamentable. We must help them to do better. Every member of the TCI society, including Mr. Dempsey and Mr. Capes, is bound by a harmony of interest. And, as Adam Smith put it “People are (naturally) self interested, and People will unintentionally meet society’s needs as they pursue their self interest without government intervention.” We all have rules of operation that have developed from collective reasoning, and sharing of knowledge that promote a better TCI. In my view, blasting Mr. Capes on an incredulous blog site is not the behavior I would expect from a native and esteemed lawyer. Furthermore, I don’t see how a citizen of the TCI could even address a high level member of the interim administration without adjuring them for the sake of our people to submit to the democratic process and do so expeditiously. Finally I would like to encourage Mr. Dempsey and all legal minds in the TCI to come to the aid of the common man, and to the country to whose Barr they have been called, and challenge that contingent proposition called a draft constitution. …And as I close, I remind you all that when it comes to the notion that people with money love the Turks and Caicos Islands, I AGREE WITH MARK CAPES!!! Now Mr. Capes lets help those people spend their money here.
Read The SUN
ONLINE
www.suntci.com
Seeks to identify the following:
1 DJ / ENTERTAINMENT CO-ORDINATOR:
must be technically competent with microphone, amplifier, speaker and center console. Able to use laptop and other computer software to play and edit music live; must possess organizational skill, able to adequately promote all areas of Margaritaville (food, beverage, retail); able to adhere to policy to playing 85% Jimmy Buffet music; creatively host various games and entertainment without excluding or restricting guests / participants, interact with guests. Be able to articulate, get along well with others, work long hours, and stay calm under pressure.
1 RETAIL TEAM LEADER:
must have at least 2 years experience is a similar position; computer knowledge in Excel and Word; able to direct and lead team members, able to effectively communicate both written and orally, provide adequate support to retail captain and be able to work long hours – Salary will be commensurate with level of experience; KITCHEN HELPERS, SERVERS, BARTENDERS, BUSSERS / RUNNERS, STILT WALKER / MASCOT: $ 6.00 per hour
All must be willing to work public holidays and weekends. Qualified persons will be short listed; belongers will be given preference – proof of belongership is required.
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COME AND JOIN OUR WINNING TEAM!!! TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages and Spa, the only 6 Diamond all inclusive property in the Caribbean and its authorized Recruitment Agencies are inviting applications from suitably qualified Turks and Caicos Islanders for the following vacant positions. Applicants must have a clean police record and a good command of the English language both written and spoken. In addition candidates must be able to work nights, public holidays and week-ends. The Resort thanks everyone for their interest in advance and advises that only short listed applicants will be contacted for an interview. DINING ROOM DEPARTMENT REQUIRES:
Servers Requirements include: • One years experience in a restaurant with seating for over 100 persons an asset. • No food allergies • Physically fit Dining Room Cleaner Requirements include: • Physically Fit • Ability to carry out labour intensive cleaning task The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.00 an hour. BAR DEPARTMENT REQUIRES:
Bartenders Requirements include: • Ability to mix a variety of drinks alcoholic and nonalcoholic. • Outgoing personality • Physically fit The rate for the position listed above is $5.00 to $7.00 an hour.
Supervisor Requirements include: • Three years supervising a bar and inventory • Excellent customer service skills • Knowledge of wines The rate for the position listed above is $6.50 to $9.00 an hour. HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT REQUIRES:
Room Attendants/ Domestic Worker • Housemen • Public Area Attendants Requirements include: • One years experience in a hotel environment an asset. • Physically fit Linen Room Attendant/ Controller Requirements include: • Excellent mathematics skills. • Knowledge of inventory • Physically fit The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $7.50 an hour. KITCHEN DEPARTMENT REQUIRES:
Chef Gard Manger Requirements include • Must have worked in a Resort kitchen or medium to large sized restaurant • Ability to read and follow recipes • Ability to create new and innovative dishes The range in the rates for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $12.00 an hour.
Executive Pastry Chef Sous Chef Requirements include: • Ability to manage staff and multiple kitchens • Professional qualification an asset • Minimum of 5 years in relevant experience The salary for the positions listed above is $25,000.00 to $55,000.00 per annum.
• Background in customer service • Ability to go above and beyond for guest
OFFSITE PROPERTIES REQUIRES: Labour Care Taker Requirements include: • Physically Fit • Ability to carry out labour intensive task
The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $9.00 an hour.
PHOTOSHOP DEPARTMENT REQUIRES: Photographers 2 years experience in field The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $8.00 an hour.
GIFTSHOP DEPARTMENT REQUIRES: Shop Attendant Requirements include: • Two years sales experience a must • Ability to meet sales targets and quotas The rate for the position listed above is $5.00 to $7.00 an hour.
Supervisor Gift Shop • Maintain par levels in inventory • Ensure daily, week, monthly and yearly Sales targets are met The rate for the position listed above is $6.00 to $10.00 an hour. LAUNDRY DEPARTMENT REQUIRES:
Laundry Attendant Requirements include: • Physically fit • Previous experience in commercial Laundry an assist The salary for the position listed above is $20,000.00 to $30,000.00 per annum.
SPA DEPARTMENT REQUIRES: Cosmetologist Therapist Requirements include: • Knowledge or certification in Dermalogica Brand an assist • Ability to sell service and product • Ability to meet targets and sales quotas The rate for the positions listed above is Commission Based.
WATERSPORTS DEPARTMENT REQUIRES: Beach and Pool Attendants Requirements include: • Keep the pool /beach area tidy and clean • First Aid qualification an asset All persons in the Watersports Department must have the ability to swim and pass a swim endurance test
Bellman Requirements include: • Physically Fit • Outgoing and friendly attitude The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $7.50 an hour. STEWARDING DEPARTMENT REQUIRES:
Supervisor Requirements include: • Physically Fit • Knowledge of how to clean and maintain commercial kitchens and equipment
The rate for the positions listed above is $6.00 to $8.00 an hour.
STEWARD Requirements include: • Physically Fit • Ability to carry out labour intensive cleaning task
The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.00 an hour. ENTERTAINMENT DEPARTMENT REQUIRES:
Fun pals/Players & Dancers Requirements include: • An outgoing personality required • Ability to sing and dance
Kids Counselor/ Attendant Requirements include: • An outgoing personality required • Certificate in early childhood education an asset • First Aid qualification an asset The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.50 an hour.
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT REQUIRES: Electrician or Plumber Room Technicians A/C Technicians Cabinet Maker or Mason • Knowledgeable of in related fields both in theory and practical The rate for the positions listed above is $6.00 to $10.00 an hour. LABOURER Requirements include: • Physically Fit • Ability to carry out labour intensive task
The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.00 an hour.
The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.00 an hour.
Front Office Agent Concierge Agent Requirements include:
The rate for the positions listed above is $5.00 to $6.00 an hour.
ROOMS DIVISION DEPARTMENT REQUIRES: Butler Requirements include: • Member of the Association of English Butlers • Ability to go above and beyond for guest
GROUNDS DEPARTMENTS REQUIRES: Horticulturist Groundsman/lady Labourer • Physically fit • Ability to carry out labour intensive task
Applications giving full details of qualifications and experience should be sent to: mmvaughn@grp.sandals.com or Fax to: 941-4870 Attn: M McClean-Vaughn
The Human Resources Department Beaches Turks and Caicos P.O. Box 186 Lower Bight Road
and
The Labour Commissioner Labour Department Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands
and should reach not later than February 12th 2011. Otherwise, please call anytime for an appointment tel # 649-946-8000 ext 4138
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Tuberculosis discovered at Grand Turk Prison
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety has confirmed that a prisoner at Her Majesty’s Prison on Grand Turk has tested positive for tuberculosis on Wednesday, February 2. The name of the prisoner has not been officially released, but sources at the prison said he is African national Tony Egede, who was serving out his last few days of a fifteen month sentence for forgery. The son has learnt that Egede may have contracted the disease from another prisoner who months ago, was diagnosed with TB, but was treated after which he was placed in a cell with the African national another man. The SUN was told that Egede’s cell mates
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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
were not found to be carrying the communicable disease after health checks, but have been isolated as precautionary measure. “The diagnosed prisoner and his two cell mates were immediately moved to another part of the prison away from the rest of the prison population. There are no indications at this time that anyone else is affected,” statement from the Ministry of Health said. The statement also noted that prison and health authorities were quick to establish approved containment and testing measures, and all staff and prisoners have been notified, adding that Health Services personnel would begin the prescribed Mantoux tests for staff and prisoners beginning
Friday, February 4. This newspaper was told that prisoners at the facility became uneasy after news broke that one of their own was diagnosed with the disease. Speculations are that Egede, who is married to a local and is the father of one child, may have to stay in isolation a little while longer based on his situation, as the authorities were concerned that if released, the general public could be in danger. The SUN also understands that Egede’s contracting tuberculosis could have legal ramification, as his lawyers suspect that he may have contracted the disease from the man who health authorities said had recovered from his ailments month ago.
Dominicans object to Air TC’s San Juan route
LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS IN THE Dominican Republic, Asociación de Líneas Aéreas ComercialesALARCOM (Commercial Airline Association), Asociación Nacional de Pilotos-ANP (Dominican Pilot Association), and Asociación de Técnicos en Mantenimientos (Association of Maintenance Technicians) are not welcoming Air Turks and Caicos’ intention to fly between Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and San Juan, Puerto Rico beginning April 15. In a joint letter signed and sent to the Junta de Aviacion Civil-JAC (Civil
Aeronautics Board of the Dominican Republic) on Friday January 28, 2011, all three associations, among other points, objected to the commencement of service by Turks and Caicos, alleging that such actions violate fifth freedom rights. The fifth freedom, also referred to as beyond rights, allows an airline to carry revenue traffic between foreign countries as a part of services connecting the airline's own country. The freedoms of the air are a set of commercial aviation rights granting a country's airline(s) the privilege to enter and land in another country's airspace.
Air Turks & Caicos is seeking applications for:
PILOTS
To be a commander of the EMB 120-ATC. Must have a valid Airline Transport Pilots license, First class medical and 3,000 hours flight time aero planes, 1,600 pilot command including 500 hours experience on multi crew turbine propeller airplanes and 100 hours on type (jet prop). Salary commensurate with experience
ONE AIRPORT HOST
3-5 Years experience as an Airport Host servicing International Flights. Salary commensurate with experience Four Customer Service Agents: 3-5 years experience as a customer service agent. Qualified in but not limited to Customer Service Agents servicing Delta, US Airways and Air Canada. Salary commensurate with experience All 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 Salary commensurate with experience.
TwO LAbOuRERS
Should be able to work shifts, physically capable to do hard manual labour and lift heavy equipment. • Must be able to read and write English well. Salary $5.00 per hour
Belongers need only apply.
Interested person should apply to 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.
The rights were formulated to protect a nation’s air space as a result of disagreements over the extent of aviation liberalization in the Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944, (known as the Chicago Convention). According to the Group, For years freedom rights have protected local aviation markets primarily from the menace of United States and other foreign operators whose intentions are to create monopolies and take over markets belonging to national airlines. “Officials from the various associations have learned that even though Air Turks and Caicos has been approved by the United States government for a license to fly between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The Junta de Aviacion Civil of the Dominican Republic has yet to approve any permits for the carrier. “An application was formalized a few days ago by staff at the TCI national carrier. A public hearing must take place before the route is approved. The hearing date has not been set. All three associations have indicated they will be opposing Air Turks and Caicos application,” the statement said. “Hundreds of Dominican pilots, mechanics, flight attendants and ground personnel are out of a job and even airlines have folded in recent years because of the lack of incentives and protection to our local aviation industry by Dominican aviation institutions and government. It is unprecedented that all three associations for the first time united to take a stand with this and other problems affecting our members. If nothing is done to detain the Open
Skies policy of the Junta de Aviacion Civil, very soon we will not have an aviation industry to call our own” said Pedro Dominguez, president of the Dominican Pilots Association. The Dominican Republic has thirteen local airlines authorized by the IDAC (Instituto Dominicano de Aviación Civil) and approved by the JAC (Junta de Aviación Civil Dominicana). At least three of the carriers are currently flying to Puerto Rico on a scheduled or charter-ondemand basis. The group said most carriers have expressed interest in working with local hotel organizations, clusters, and tourism officials to discuss requirements and opportunities for new and future airlift, saying that Dominican airlines realize the importance of connectivity in the Caribbean region and are well prepared to meet the demands of the main economic activity in the country, the tourism trade. “There needs to be some type of restriction to protect our local aviation industry. The existing European Community Open Skies arrangements has seen its latest victim Lithuania, a country comparable to ours in size. Fierce competition and predatory pricing among neighbor state airlines (Air Baltic, Wizz Air and Norwegian Air Shuttle) have led to the demise of this country’s last national airline FLYLAL. “The policy is certainly unacceptable and needs to be revised or something similar can very well happen in the Dominican Republic soon” said Martin Maldonado Frómeta, secretary of the Dominican Commercial Airline Association
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91% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION In a Recently Conducted Independent Survey, PPC’s Customers Rated the Company’s Overall Customer Service at 91%
“Customer Service is at the core of our corporate values. It’s number one, every day. It is what drives us to constantly invest in our people and in new state-of-the-art technologies, and then combine and leverage competency, reliability, and technology in delivering one of the best electricity service anywhere in the world. We are not satisfied with 91%. World class is our standard.”
- Eddinton Powell, President & CEO, PPC Ltd.
PPC LTD. The Relentless Pursuit of Progress!
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TURKS & CAICOS SUN
FEBRUARY 4TH - FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011 TURKS & CAICOS SUN
FEBRUARY 4TH - FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
If you haven’t received your bonus TEXT 432-0000 with the code word ‘SHARE’ or stop by the store today. Take advantage of this amazing bonus offer and be entered to win romantic prizes for Valentine’s Day!
*See stores for details. Offer expires Feb 14, 2011.
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
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FEBRUARY 4TH - FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
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LIFESTYLE
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FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
Candy Herwin (centre), who posted most texts on behalf of Salt Cay, is presented with a Blackberry handset by Head of Marketing AvaDayne Kerr (left) and Trina Adams Advertising Executive
On Friday, January 28, the Enid Capron Primary School officially commissioned its multi-purpose court, which coincided with the presentation of $30,000 by telecoms company Digicel, as part of that company’s Christmas community project promotion. Having topped the competition, the multi-purpose court walked away with the prize. In addition to a cheque presentation, Digicel also presented handsets to individual winners of the promotion.
A section of the audience that turned out to witness the opening of the commissioning of the court
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
Jasmine Malcolm, Enid Capron Primary Infant Teacher welcomed the guests
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Deputy Director of Education, Edgar Howell brought greetings on behalf of Director Dr. Beatrice Fulford and the Ministry of Education
Director for the Sports Commission, Alvin Parker, presents a volleyball to Rachel Taylor, Principal for the Enid Capron Primary A smiling Gordon ‘Solie’ Williams accepts an award from Candace Malcolm, Vice Principal of Enid Capron Primary Digicel TCI CEO E.J Saunders shows off his award from Enid Capron Primary School
Jay Morley led the devotional exercise on behalf of his pastor Bishop Bryant Cox
Digicel representatives march in with the $30,000 to present to Enid Capron Primary for winning Christmas community project promotion This student was a model of concentration as he beat the drums
Pastor Gladstone Williams of Paradise Baptist Church brought greetings on behalf of his congregation
These students gave a scintillating performance during the event
West Indies Collegiate Student, Arnelle Taylor was voted second runner up after texting 200 times between December 30th and January 6th to support the Enid Capron Primary School Multi-purpose court. Arnelle won $500 Cash and a Blackberry Bold. She is presented with a Blackberry handset by Digicel representatives Ava-Dayne Kerr (left) and Trina Adams
Vice Principal for Enid Capron Primary presents Javon Laporte with an award
These students performed a poetry piece which could make the grade for a Digicel commercial
Rose Higgs of Graceway IGA Supermarket accepts an award from Enid Capron Primary Vice Principal, Candace Malcolm
Enid Capron Primary Principal Rachel Taylor and Digicel TCI CEO E. Jay Saunders cut the ribbon to officially commission the multi-purpose court
Students from the Enid Capron Primary School perform a dance
Fred Manchester accepts an award from Candace Malcolm, Vice Principal of Enid Capron Primary
Phillip Robinson, a parent, accepts an award from Candace Malcolm, Vice Principal for Enid Capron Primary
Tracy Alicia Excilus of Enid Capron Primary was voted second runner up after texting 80 messages in just two weeks into the promotion. She is being presented with $100, a Blackberry 9300 and a Digicel school kit and lunch cooler by Digicel representatives
Roxann Rowe (right) of Herzog Construction, is presented with an award by Candace Malcolm, Vice Principal of Enid Capron
The school’s cadet corps marches with the TCI Flag
President of the PTA Luther Rigby accepts an award from Candace Malcolm, Vice Principal for Enid Capron
Ian McLeod, local head of Crimestoppers, brought greetings on behalf of that organization
The multi-purpose court was said to be the brainchild of Ivorene Pitters, the Physical Education teacher of the Enid Capron Primary
Deacon Sherlin Williams invoked God’s blessing on the court
Brian Brown, a member of the PTA is presented with an award by Vice Principal Candace Malcolm
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LifestyLe
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FEBRUARY 4TH - FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
Oh no not flowers! -
Alternative Valentines Day Gift Ideas
Now it may be that Valentines Day is the one day of the year when you give/receive flowers and your partner would be disappointed with anything less. But for most people, flowers will just show a lack of thought or imagination. Is buying a dozen red roses for a hugely over-inflated price on Valentines Day really a romantic thing to do? ?Here are some alternative Valentines Day ideas, things to buy for your loved one, or things to do for them. 1. Make your own truffles – it really is quite easy – there are plenty of recipes on the internet you can use (here's one), and it smacks of the personal touch far more than shop bought chocolates. 2. Cook a romantic meal at home for your loved one, or maybe you could cook the meal together before sitting down to enjoy your shared creation. You don’t even need to do much cooking, if you pick some nice bits up from the local deli, you can make a nice romantic meal without too much effort. 3. ‘First Date’ meal out – If you are going to go for a meal out, try this for a bit of added romance. Even if (especially if actually) you live together, go out separately and arrange to meet up at a certain time at the restaurant. It will feel like you’ve just started dating again, for a few minutes anyway! 4. Buy a Plant – A plant will last much longer than flowers, it’s more environmentally friendly as you aren’t killing the plant, and it is likely to be a lot cheaper than the over inflated price you will pay for a big bouquet of flowers around Valentines Day. 5. Name a Star after them. A bit cheesy perhaps, but a sweet idea. 6. Plant a Tree, it will remain a symbol of your love long after you are both gone. 7. Buy your partner something handmade. Hand crafted items will come across as so much nicer and more thoughtful than mass produced products, despite the fact you haven’t made it yourself. Etsy is a great place to buy hand crafted items, and many items are surprisingly cheap.
8. Buy something that will last all year. If your partner likes chocolates buy them membership to the Chocolate Tasting club. Your partner will get sent a new selection of their latest chocolate creations each month. There are other such subscription clubs for different types of products. 9. Pay for your partner to have a massage / spa day. You can often go together, and there are treatments specifically designed for couples (such as a mud bath). 10. Love cheques – these are IOU promises to do something for them at a later date, whenever they ‘cash in’ a cheque. You can buy these quite cheaply, or even more romantic, you could write your own love cheques. You could write a cheque for anything, a massage, a romantic meal out, a night away, looking after the children while they go out to a game. If you are feeling really generous, write them a blank cheque for them to use on whatever they like. 11. Write a romantic poem for them, or get one written for you. 12. Scatter some wild flowers with them in a favourite spot, and watch them grow throughout the year. 13. Get a portrait or caricature painted of them, or of the two of you. 14. Do something unexpected, surprise them. Perhaps do something they've been wanting you to do for a while but you keep not getting around to. 15. Tell them you love them (hopefully you'll do this anyway, but just in case...)
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Featuring T-Pain So Listen up.. Ooh La La La If your girl wanna play, let her go, so let her go (La la la…) If your girl wanna play, let her go, so let her go (La la la…) If your girl wanna play, let her go, so let her go (La la la…) If your girl wanna play, let her go (Chorus) [T-Pain] Hey baby girl what you doin tonight I wanna see what you got in store Hey baby – givin it you all when you’re dancin on me I wanna see if you give me some more Hey baby – you can be my girl I can be your man And we can pump this jam however you want Hey baby, pump it from the side bend it upside down Or we can pump it from the back to the front Hey baby Ooh baby baby, La La La La La La La.. (Aaah) Ooh baby baby, La La La La La La La.. (Aaah) Ooh baby baby, La La La La La La La.. (Hey Baby) Ooh drop it to the floor, make you wanna say it Yeah you can shake some more, make you wanna say it Ooh you got it, because you make me wanna say Don’t stop it – I want you tonight I’m a Dade county, self paid self made millionaire I used to play around the world, now I’m around the world – gettin paid Girl problems, no problems – doin anything that won’t solve em I wanna get witcha mami, now let me see what the lord split cha
(Chorus) [T-Pain] Hey baby girl what you doin tonight I wanna see what you got in store Hey baby – givin it you all when you’re dancin on me I wanna see if you give me some more Hey baby – you can be my girl I can be your man And we can pump this jam however you want Hey baby, pump it from the side bend it upside down Or we can pump it from the back to the front Hey baby Ooh baby baby, La La La La La La La.. (Aaah) Ooh baby baby, La La La La La La La.. (Aaah) Ooh baby baby, La La La La La La La.. (Hey Baby) Ooh drop it to the floor, make you wanna say it Yeah you can shake some more, make you wanna say it Ooh you got it, because you make me wanna say Don’t stop it – I want you tonight Make money, make money – this chico right here gotta eat, baby You scared money – don’t make money, that’s how it goes in the street baby But when you remember about the nonsense, baby girl take a shot to your concious (?), but god I’m a monster Cause I hit all the baddest women in the world – gangster Ooh drop it to the floor, make you wanna say it Yeah you can take some more, make you wanna say it Ooh you got it, because you make me wanna say Don’t stop it – I want you tonight
Police investigating Lohan for jewelry theft
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
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ENTERTAINMENT
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$2,500 NECKLACE WAS TURNED OVER TO POLICE AFTER SEARCH WARRANT ISSUED FOR ACTRESS' HOME
LOS ANGELES — Lindsay Lohan is in the spotlight again for all the wrong reasons. Police got a search warrant Tuesday to look for a $2,500 stolen necklace at the troubled actress' home near Venice Beach, a freewheeling boardwalk known for its mix of performers, tourist shops and seaside gym. But before detectives could execute the warrant, someone — police wouldn't say who — turned in the necklace. Now Lohan, who is still on probation for a 2007 drunken driving case, is being investigated for possible grand theft, said Officer Bruce Borihanh on Wednesday. An e-mail message sent to
Lohan's attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, was not immediately returned. The store in Venice reported the necklace stolen on Jan. 22, roughly three weeks after the "Mean Girls" star was released from three months of court-ordered rehab that came after she admitted failing a drug test shortly after being granted early release from another treatment program. Lohan, 24, is due in court on Feb. 25 for a probation hearing. Lohan's frequent legal troubles, including lawsuits and two rehab stints and two trips to jail in 2010 alone, have led to the actress appearing more in court than on the big screen in recent years. Her role as porn star Linda Lovelace in a biopic was recast while
TWINS! MARIAH CAREY IS EXPECTING A BOY AND A GIRL
Husband Nick Cannon also reveals singer is 'cooking up a storm' to satisfy cravings Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are having a boy and a girl, a rep for the “America’s Got Talent” host confirmed to Access Hollywood. The couple first revealed their pregnancy to Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush in October 2010 and Nick came by Access Hollywood Live where he shared news about how Mariah is doing in the run up to the birth of the couple’s twins. “She’s been cooking up a storm,” Cannon said when Bush and Kit Hoover asked about whether Carey was “nesting.” “I didn’t know what it was,” Cannon continued. “I thought this was the way she dealt with her cravings. She doesn’t eat. She cooks all this food and her cravings go away and she makes me eat it, so I’m gaining all the weight.” Cannon also confirmed to Bush and Hoover that the rumors are correct — President Obama was the first to learn that the couple was having twins, and he explained to Bush and Hoover how that happened. “That was my wife. She was like, ‘Wouldn’t that be a great story to be able to share with our children — that the first people to know that they were gonna be people was the president and first lady?’” Cannon recounted. “So she told them at the same time.” In fact, President Obama seemed to know about the twins before Carey even uttered the words. “He’s the president, he knows these things,” Cannon said. In the run up to the birth of his first children, Cannon is hitting the road, having lined up two comedy gigs at The Pearl at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on March 5, back to back. “Everyone’s heard all the tabloid news and stuff, now you get to hear it from the horse’s mouth,” Cannon said of what he plans to address in his comedy outing. “This is so therapeutic to me,” he added. “This is Nick Cannon like you’ve never heard him before. I’m talking about being married, becoming a father, [and] all of the drama between.”
Lindsay Lohan
Lohan was being treated at Betty Ford.
The case of the stolen necklace is the second active police investigation that could return the former Disney star to jail if she is charged and convicted. Prosecutors in Riverside County are considering whether to press battery charges against Lohan over a December altercation the actress had with a worker at a Betty Ford Center facility in Palm Desert. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox warned Lohan at a hearing last year that he would send her back to jail if she violated the terms of her probation. The investigation into the stolen necklace was first reported by celebrity website RadarOnline.com. Police would not release additional details about the item Wednesday morning.
Chris Brown asks judge to remove restraining order
Chris Brown has completed the 52-week, court-mandated domestic violence counseling in connection with the 2009 assault against Rihanna, and on Friday, he asked a judge to lift the restraining order that still remains in place. Brown's attorney Mark Geragos told judge Patirica Schnegg that the order, which stipulates that Brown not have any contact with Rihanna for five years, “makes it difficult at award shows and such,” Radar Chris Brown was slapped with a restraining order after he was charged with domestic violence reported. The judge did not grant the request, but told Geragos he could modify the order with the cooperation of Rihanna's attorney, David Etra. Etra said he'd have to speak with Rihanna before making any modifications.
FARRAH FAWCETT'S RED SWIMSUIT GOES TO SMITHSONIAN
WASHINGTON – The red swimsuit that helped make "Charlie's Angels" actress Farrah Fawcett a 1970s icon is going to the Smithsonian in Washington. Fawcett's longtime companion Ryan O'Neal donated the swimsuit and other items to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on Wednesday. A 1976 poster of Fawcett in the dampened one-piece swimsuit sold millions of copies. Also donated to the Smithsonian were Fawcett's copies of scripts for the first season of "Charlie's Angels" and a 1977 Farrah Fawcett doll. The items will be part of the museum's popular culture history collection. Fawcett died in 2009 at the age of 62 after battling cancer.
KFWS • MindGym January 31, 2011
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TURKS & CAICOS SUN
FUN & GAMES
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January 31, 2011
King Features Weekly Service
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) St. Valentine’s Day magic rules the entire week for romantic Rams and Ewes. Music, which is the food of love, is also strong. The weekend offers news both unexpected and anticipated. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your aspects favor the arts — which the Divine Bovine loves, loves, loves. Also, for those looking for romantic love, Cupid is available for requests. After all, his mother, Venus, rules your sign. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Loving commitments continue to grow stronger. Ditto budding relationships. A recent move to help start up a new career-linked direction could soon begin to show signs of progress. CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Single Moon Children might be eager to take that proverbial chance on love. But your more serious side will feel better if you take things slowly and give your moonstruck self more time. LEO (July 23 to August 22) It’s a love fest for Leos and Leonas this week. Paired Cats might expect to be purr-fectly in sync. And with matchmaking friends, single Simbas searching for romance shouldn’t have too far to look. VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) More understanding on both sides can work miracles in restoring ailing relationships to health. Make the first move, and you’ll be closer to your much-wanted reunion. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Accept the fact
King Features Weekly Service Service
King Features Weekly January 31, 2011 January 31, 2011
EXTRAORDINARY DEFENSE
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This hand features a defensive play that some might deem difficult because it involves doing something that definitely runs contrary to a defender’s natural instincts. Nevertheless, the play should be found by a competent defender since it offers the only chance of defeating the contract. South arrives at four hearts as shown, and West leads the deuce of diamonds to East’s ace. What —17—should East do next? Before plunging ahead, East should try to estimate the number of tricks declarer will eventually take. It shouldn’t take him long to conclude that in due course, South is certain to score 10 tricks if left to his own
that you are worthy of being loved, and you’ll find proof in what is revealed to you over the course of the week. Also accept a compliment offered with great sincerity. SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Planning to take a new direction in life is exciting. And so is a new awareness of someone’s special affection. Expect a slow and mostly steady development of the situation. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Although you might still feel you weren’t treated quite right in a recent matter, all that will work out in time. Meanwhile, enjoy the week’s special qualities and potentials. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Deciding not to give up on a troubling romantic situation helps start the healing process. Expect to find some valuable insight into yourself as things move along. AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) The week is filled with positive potentials, but it’s up to you to make the right choices. The advice of someone who truly cares for you and your wellbeing can be priceless. PISCES (February 19 to March 20) It’s a good time to make yourself available to possibilities of the romantic kind. Already paired? Good. In that case, be sure to reassure that special person of your feelings. BORN THIS WEEK: Your generosity gladdens the hearts of others, and you bask in their joy.
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© 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.
devices. This determination is arrived at by weighing two different factors: First, declarer’s high-card tricks are counted, and this comes to eight — five hearts (for the one-heart overcall), two spades and a club. Second, West led the two of diamonds, marking him with no more than four cards in that suit. This in turn means that South has to have at least three diamonds, two of which can be trumped in dummy, if necessary, to bring his trick total to 10. East can thus see that if he just sits idly by, declarer will make his contract. The only chance is that a club trick can be developed before South discards his club losers on dummy’s spades. Therefore, at trick two, East leads a low club into dummy’s A-Q-8-4, hoping West has the jack. Declarer takes the jack with the queen, plays the K-A of trumps and leads a spade to the nine. East wins and returns a second club, driving out dummy’s ace. When East wins the next spade, he cashes a club to score a one-trick set. It is true that this plan fails if South has the club jack or only two clubs, but in that case, the contract cannot be defeated. © 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.
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r o e o g s d s . d r f e g
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Haiti sets up run-off in dispute-plagued elections
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
Haiti announced on Thursday that former first lady Mirlande Manigat and musician Michel Martelly would contest a presidential run-off next month as the country moved ahead with its dispute-plagued elections process. The definitive first round results from a chaotic November vote, which saw government-backed candidate Jude Celestin eliminated from the runoff, averted a showdown between Haiti's rulers and electoral officials and the Organization of American States and Western donors including the United States. Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council announced that opposition matriarch Manigat, 70, and singer and entertainer Martelly, 49, finished first and second in the November 28 first round election and would contest a March 20 run-off. Manigat did not gain enough votes to win outright. No percentages, just the positions, were immediately announced. But these positions were in line with a revision carried out by OAS experts, who, citing serious irregularities in the first round vote tallies, had recommended Martelly go through to the run-off instead of Celestin, who had originally been placed second behind Manigat in disputed preliminary results. After Martelly supporters rioted in December against these initial results, the United Nations, United States and other western donor governments had piled pressure on Haiti's leaders and electoral authorities to adopt the OAS recommendation. There were fears the unrest could escalate and derail the elections, threatening the handover of power by outgoing President Rene Preval and putting at risk billions of dollars of aid
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
Haiti's presidential candidates Manigat and Martelly speak to each other before a news conference in Port-au-Prince, January 29, 2011
pledged to help the poor Caribbean nation recover from a devastating 2010 earthquake. The results announcement came as a relief to some. "I'm very happy about this decision. I was very anxious because I didn't know what was going to happen if Martelly did not get into the run-off. Now I can open my business without fear," said Jonel Joseph, 42, who has an auto parts business. The Western Hemisphere's poorest state, which lost more than 300,000 people in the earthquake, is also grappling with a deadly cholera epidemic hampering reconstruction efforts. At the electoral council offices in Port-au-Prince guarded by U.N. and Haitian police, frustration among waiting local and foreign journalists had mounted through the night as the authorities failed to deliver on an original commitment to announce the results on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, amid fears of possible violence over the awaited election results, many banks, businesses and schools in Port-auPrince had closed early.
HAITI 'NEEDS CALM' Adding to the already nervous political atmosphere is the possible return of ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who has asked the government for a diplomatic passport so he can come home from exile in South Africa. Several hundred pro-Aristide protesters demonstrated on Wednesday outside the Foreign Ministry to demand Aristide be issued a passport. Washington and other Western donors, which are trying to keep the contentious presidential election on track, are wary that Aristide's return could inflame Haiti's fractious politics. The firebrand leftist ex-Roman
Catholic priest retains a passionate following in Haiti. He became Haiti's first freely elected president in 1990 before being ousted by an armed revolt in 2004. Outgoing President Preval's mandate formally ends on Monday, but he has parliament approval to stay on if necessary until May 14 so he can hand over to an elected successor. President Barack Obama's administration had signaled it was wary of the effect that Aristide's return could have. "We note that what Haiti needs right now is a period of calm, not divisive actions," a U.S. State Department spokesman wrote in an email response to a question about Aristide's possible return. Haiti's uncertain outlook has been further clouded by the reappearance of ghosts from its turbulent past. Former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier came home from exile in January, running into corruption and human rights charges, and Aristide is now preparing his own homecoming. Despite a visit on Sunday by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to emphasize U.S. backing for the OAS results option, the Provisional Electoral Council had kept Haitians and its foreign partners guessing over whether it would follow the OAS recommendation. Celestin, a protege of outgoing President Rene Preval, had refused to drop out despite pressure from his own INITE party. Ordinary Haitians were sanguine about whether the first round results could bring stability. "We take what they give us. Now I hope life can continue and we can live in peace," said Jonaldo St Jules, 20.
LIAT airlines profits take a nose dive
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Regional airline LIAT is forecast to register an EC$15 million (BDS$11 million) loss on its operations last year after registering a net profit of EC$8.9 million (BDS$6.4 million) the previous year. Chairman of the three shareholder governments, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, speaking to reporters after a shareholders meeting, said the airline was faced with a number of problems including escalating fuel costs, labour costs as well as maintaining the airline’s ageing fleet. “Last year we had a decline in passengers while we kept our fare base at the same level. “In 2011 we are budgeting for a loss of EC$1.5 million (BDS$1 111 000). But it will be worse if we are not careful with some cost-saving measures,” Gonsalves said after the meeting that was also attended by Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Baldwin
Spencer. LIAT, which serves 22 destinations in the Caribbean, last year carried 1.3 million passengers as compared to 1.4 million the previous year. The airline also made fewer departures, with the figure for 2010 being 46 597 as compared with 49 127 in 2009. Gonsalves said the cost of fuel was now US$102 (BDS$204) a barrel and with the ongoing situation in Egypt it was feared that the price would increase further. “That’s a problem which is ahead of us,” he said, adding that the meeting also examined “a number of budget measures to achieve profitability. “We are seeing in 2011 that we are probably going to have a two per cent decline in passenger traffic. We are hoping that this would not be the case, but you have to plan for what you see as the realistic numbers before you,” he said, adding that competition for the airline would also be a major factor.
He said the airline was also looking at expanding and improving its fleet that would allow it to look at markets beyond its traditional routes. “LIAT is not just an airline operating in the Caribbean, it is an institution for the people of the Caribbean and this has been demonstrated by the loyalty of the people,” he said, noting that the airline had been operating on some unprofitable routes that no commercial airline would consider. “We also recognise that without LIAT providing the service the people are the ones who would be suffering,” he said, urging other Caribbean countries that benefit from the LIAT service to “come on board” and help make the airline much more viable. He said while LIAT had been making such a call for a long time, there had been no positive responses. He told his colleagues that assistance could come in various forms including “route revenue guarantees for LIAT as they do for international airlines”.
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CDB predicts slow economic growth for the region CARIBBEAN NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – A senior official of the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Tuesday said that regional economies will recover slowly from the global economic crisis even as she insists that it is not all doom and gloom. CDB’s Director of Economics Dr. Denny Lewis-Bynoe told a news conference that the region’s economic recovery will hinge mainly on the performance of its key trading partners in North America and Europe. However, she noted that the global outlook is at best, fragile, and Caribbean economies are likely to post modest growth “The regional outlook for 2011 hinges mainly on external developments. In this regard, the fact that downside risks to the global outlook are still elevated and that the recovery is expected to remain somewhat asymmetric, with lingering weakness in advanced economies is critical. “Taken together with the fact that the business cycles of regional economies tend to be highly correlated with those of advanced economies,
especially key North American and European export markets, these factors imply modest recoveries for most economies in the region,” Lewis-Bynoe said. “However, as with the global outlook, there is a high degree of uncertainty surrounding these expectations.” The CDB noted that in 2010, economic conditions in the region were depressed even as the world economy rebounded from the 2008-2009 recession. It said that of the 18 Borrowing Member Countries, (BMCs), 12 recorded contractions while six showed growth last year. “Among the 12 that contracted, the contractions were marginal in Barbados, Jamaica, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago (under one per cent), moderate in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (one to three per cent ) and ranged from -3.9 and -8.5 per cent in Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis and Haiti,” she said.
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
The Bahamas, St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos Islands, Belize, British Virgin Islands and Guyana, posted growth ranging from 0.5 to 3.6 per cent. The CDB is also projecting improved performances in key sectors such as tourism, construction and financial services. But it however pointed out that job growth is likely to lag and unemployment levels will therefore remain high. The region’s premier lending financial institution also forecasts that governments will continue to cut their expenditure in a bid to reduce debt levels. It however warned that given the impact of rising prices in expenditure together with the unavoidable costs associated with hurricane rehabilitation, fiscal consolidation will remain a serious challenge for most regional economies. “As a result, with the exception of a few countries, deficits are likely to widen further and debt levels are expected to continue to rise, unless greater efforts are made to control expenditure,” Bynoe Lewis said.
Butch Stewart drops lawsuits against state agencies The Jamaica Government announced that hotel mogul Gordon 'Butch' Stewart has agreed to drop all suits filed by his company Gorstew Limited against the three state agencies in 2005 for compensation for losses suffered over the Sandals Whitehouse hotel in Westmoreland. Prime Minister Bruce Golding told Parliament while responding to questions posed by Opposition spokesman on tourism Dr Wykeham McNeill over the administration's recent decision to sell the hotel to Sandals Resorts International (SRI), said: "The chairman of Gorstew, the Honourable Gordon Butch Stewart, has confirmed to me that it will discontinue all claims against Ackendown Newtown Development Company Limited (ANDCo), the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the National Investment Bank of Jamaica (NIBJ)," Sandals Whitehouse is the property for which the UDC in 2001 entered into a joint venture for construction with Stewart's holding company, Gorstew Limited, which also owns the Jamaica Observer. Under that accord a tri-partite company, ANDCo, was formed with the UDC holding 37 per cent, the NIBJ 30
Gordon 'Butch' Stewart
per cent and Gorstew 33 per cent. The joint venture agreement provided for a 20-year lease of the property upon completion of construction to Gorstew, which manages the hotel through its Sandals brand. That construction should have run from July 2001 to December 2002 at an estimated cost of US$60 million. However, disputes, delays and massive cost overruns pushed the completion of the construction to 2005 and the costs escalated to US$117 million, an overrun of US$43.3 million. Up to recently several disputes had remained unsettled as to the liability for
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the cost overruns, with Gorstew filing for compensation in the amount of US$28.8 million for losses it suffered as a result of the failure to complete and deliver the project on schedule and compensation for brand damage. According to the Observer newspaper, the prime minister, in addressing whether the Government would settle all outstanding disputes and claims before the completion of the sale to SRI maintained that the outstanding disputes and the sale of the hotel were "distinctly separate issues". "Whether the Government sells or retains ownership of the property, the issue of cost overruns and Gorstew's claims for losses and brand damage will have to be determined," he said. "On the other hand, even if these issues are determined, the burden of ownership of the hotel on terms of the lease entered into in 2004 will result in recurring losses for the Government at least for the next 14 1/2 years." Golding went on to point out that the 2001 Heads of Agreement indemnified Gorstew from any cost overruns except those from design changes it may have requested. "Other than those cost overruns attributable to such design changes, Gorstew has nothing to lose in the outcome of the arbitrator's findings regarding responsibility for cost overruns. It is the government agencies that are more at risk," Golding said. ANDCo, UDC and NIBJ had in turn filed defences and counter suits against Gorstew. However, the parties had agreed to a stay of the claims and the matters referred to arbitration in 2008. That ruling has, however, still not been issued and in 2009 the parties executed a Standstill Agreement with the arbitrator to suspend the proceedings to allow for a negotiated settlement to be reached. That, however, was unsuccessful. At the insistence of Opposition spokesman on finance Dr Omar Davies, Golding further committed to next week present to the House in writing the commitment by Stewart to drop the suits. He however insisted that Stewart's
"word as his bond" was sufficient to allow for the announcement to be made yesterday. The prime minister also disputed claims that the hotel "is being given away". According to Golding, this was "not supported by rigorous financial analysis". "The most recent appraisal conducted in 2009 estimated the replacement value of the hotel at US$105 million. However, it is impossible for the hotel to fetch that price since under the terms of the 2004 lease the net income to the owners is US$2.3 million per year (less the cost of insurance and equipment replacement)," Golding explained. He said at a sale price of US$40 million the return on investment to a third-party investor would be 5 3/4 per cent, hardly an attractive investment prospect. "Even at the most optimistic yearround average occupancy level of 85 per cent it is estimated that annual rental income would be US$4.5 million with a net income after insurance and equipment replacement of US$2.9 million yielding a best-case return on investment of 7 1/4 per cent," he added. "I reiterate that the Government is determined to extricate itself from an arrangement that went terribly wrong and has cost the Jamaican taxpayers huge, inexplicable and unforgivable sums," Golding said. Contractor General Greg Christie last month announced that a high-level team from his office had commenced the process of evaluating the documentation on the particulars of the negotiations for the sale of the hotel Gorstew, in which he claimed "its functionaries have allegedly been secretly engaged". The administration has since said there was no mystique about its decision to begin sale talks with Gorstew, maintaining that the decision would bring "an acceptable closure to the sordid ordeal that has been a burden facing (his) Government since it took office" in 2007.
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US to offer amnesty for Caribbean accounts
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
WASHINGTON – The United States says it plans to announce a new amnesty programme aimed at encouraging wealthy Americans with hidden offshore bank accounts in the Caribbean to come forward, declare the funds and pay the necessary taxes. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) spokesman Frank Keith said that the programme would be formally announced “very shortly” and would not offer terms as generous as those put forth in a similar initiative last year. Senior tax lawyers say the announcement will most likely come within several weeks, ahead of the 2011 tax filing season. “The government wants to encourage people not to lie on their upcoming returns,” said Robert Katzberg, a criminal defense lawyer in New York with offshore bank clients in the Caribbean and Switzerland. The previous so-called voluntary disclosure programme, which ended last October, was carried out amid a crackdown on Swiss private banks and their clients who hid money from the government. The programme was used by more than 15,000 Americans with hidden accounts, some holding hundreds of millions of dollars, the IRS said. It said an additional 3,000 with accounts at various offshore banks, including the Cayman Islands, came forward after the October 15 deadline. Some taxpayers disclosed their smaller accounts at UBS, the Swiss giant that was at the center of the crackdown, but did not disclose their larger accounts at smaller Swiss banks, Katzberg said. He said that if caught, the omission could leave them exposed to criminal penalties for lying in addition to fines and penalties for taxes owed. The US Justice Department said it is conducting a widening investigation into the smaller Swiss banks, known as cantonal banks that may have allowed wealthy Americans to evade taxes, sometimes working with larger banks based in Switzerland. US prosecutors said they focused on a technique in which American clients were encouraged to open a small account and declare its contents to the IRS while keeping the bulk of their money elsewhere in undeclared accounts. Steven Miller, the IRS deputy commissioner for service and enforcement, said that the new initiative would be “somewhat similar” to the October programme. Under the previous program, taxpayers who came forward before October 15 were subject to a reduced penalty of 5 to 20 per cent, depending in part on whether their wealth was inherited. They were also penalised just once, on the highest balance in their affected accounts over the previous six years, instead of for each of the six years, a level that can leave account holders owing more in taxes than they have in the account.
AA defends decision to search Grenadian PM
CARIBBEAN NEWS
American Airlines has defended its decision to search Grenada's Prime Minister Tillman Thomas before he boarded one of its airlines at the Maurice Bishop International Airport last month. In a brief statement issued late on Friday, the airline said it always follows prescribed security screening procedures established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA). “These procedures are uniform and the screening of the Prime Minister of Grenada, the Honorable Tillman Thomas, was conducted in full consultation with the Government of Grenada’s Protocol Officer and conducted with the utmost respect in a private area of the airport away from the public. “This private screening procedure is frequently used for Heads of States traveling on American Airlines,” said the statement which directed inquiries to its media relation unit in Miami. Thomas told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) earlier this week that he had no problems with the search which occurred at the Airport’s VIP lounge last month. “It’s a complicated matter. It’s not something that I could clarify. The Airport Authority would have to clarify it,” Prime Minister Thomas said, adding “no I had no problem with it. It’s a procedure. To me it does not make a difference to me”. The incident has caused a major embarrassment to the Grenada Airports Authority (GAA) which has since written to the Prime Minister apologising for the ordeal, local media has reported. Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Mitchell described the search as a national embarrassment. “I was so embarrassed as a citizen of Grenada I made no noise because I feel it is embarrassing to the country” said Mitchell. “It does not matter to me what Tillman Thomas wants to do or allowed to be done to himself that’s his choice but he represents us. He is the Prime Minister of the country”. The security directive according to the TSA website notes that during the boarding process, the air carrier may exempt passengers who are Heads of State or Heads of Government from the measures and also lists certain categories of passengers who are travelling with the Head of State or Head of Government.
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Haiti to issue passport to former president Aristide
MIAMI - The Miami-based lawyer representing former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide says the Haitian government has agreed to issue a diplomatic passport to the ousted leader. Ira Kurzban told reporters that he was notified of Haiti's decision last week. He said he sent a letter to Haitian authorities on Monday requesting that Aristide’s passport be “issued immediately, and that plans for his return commence immediately. “To expedite this matter, President Aristide's passport may be delivered to the government of South Former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide Africa or to me,” Kurzban wrote in a letter addressed to two Haitian President Rene Preval, told reporters that the government was prepared to government officials. A senior Haitian government issue a new passport to Aristide official, under the direction of “without delay.”
Political observers say the decision is a significant reversal for Préval, who had refused Aristide’s request for a passport for years, partly in response to international pressure. Aristide, the firebrand slum Roman Catholic priest who became Haiti’s first democratically-elected president in 1990, was ousted from power twice. The last time was in 2004, under intense pressure by the United States and the threat of invasion by armed insurgents. Since then, Aristide and his supporters have made numerous public appeals asking officials to allow him to return to Haiti. Those appeals intensified two weeks ago when the former Haitian dictator Jean Claude Duvalier a surprise return home, ending 25
years in exile in France. The United States and several other countries, including France and Canada, which provide millions of dollars in support to Haiti, the Western hemisphere’s poorest country, have expressed concern that Aristide’s return could destabilize the country as it struggles to resolve a hotly-contested presidential election. Kurzban said Aristide wants to return as “a private citizen, to help his country.” Kurzban's request comes after Aristide wrote a January 19 letter in which he reiterated his interest in returning to Haiti after the 2004 rebellion sent the priest-turnedpresident into exile in South Africa. In the letter, Aristide also said that he was seeking medical attention for his eyes
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Bitter standoff in Cairo after six killed TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
CAIRO- A bitter and, by turns, bloody confrontation gripped central Cairo on Thursday as armed government loyalists fought prodemocracy protesters demanding the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. At least six people were dead and 800 wounded after gunmen and stickwielding Mubarak supporters attacked demonstrators camped out for a tenth day on Tahrir Square to demand the 82-year-old leader immediately end his 30-year rule. A literal stone's throw from the Egyptian Museum, home to 7,000 years of civilization in the most populous Arab state, angry men skirmished back and forth with rocks, clubs and makeshift shields, as the U.S.-built tanks of Mubarak's Westernfunded army made sporadic efforts to separate them. Away from the lenses of global media focused on Tahrir Square, a political battle was being fought with implications for competing Western and Islamist influence over the Middle East and its oil. European leaders joined the United States in urging their long-time Arab ally to start handing over power. His government, newly appointed in a reshuffle that failed to appease protesters, stood by the president's insistence on Tuesday that he will go, but only when his fifth term ends in September. Mubarak continues to portray himself as a bulwark against anarchy, or a seizure of power by Islamist radicals. The opposition won increasingly vocal support from Mubarak's longtime Western backers for a swifter handover of power. "This process of transition must start now," the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain said in a statement. U.N. Secretary General Ban Kimoon added his voice. They all echoed the message President Barack Obama said he gave Mubarak in a phone call on Tuesday. U.S. officials also condemned what they called a "concerted campaign to intimidate" journalists, after many were attacked by government loyalists. Opposition leaders including the liberal figurehead Mohamed ElBaradei and the mass Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood said again that Mubarak must go before they would negotiate. As he tended to some of those on the square, doctor Mohamed alSamadi voiced anger: "They let armed thugs come and attack us. We refuse to go. We can't let Mubarak stay eight months." Protesters, who numbered some 10,000 on Tahrir Square on Thursday afternoon, have called major demonstrations for Friday. Many formed human chains across roads to seal off the square.
FEBRUARY 4TH- FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011
A rock flies past an opposition supporter during rioting against pro-Mubarak demonstrators near Tahrir Square in Cairo
A man gestures as another throws a stone during clashes between pro and anti-Mubarak supporters clash at Tahrir Square in Cairo
This is a trial of strength in which the army has a crucial role as its commanders seek to preserve their institution's influence and wealth in the face of massive popular rejection of the old order, widely regarded as brutal, corrupt and wasteful. The government, which rejected assumptions by foreign powers that it had orchestrated the attacks on demonstrators, seemed to be counting on winning over the sympathy of Egyptians feeling the pinch of unprecedented economic dislocation. "I just want to see security back on the streets so that I can go on with my life," said Amira Hassan, 55, a Cairo teacher. "It makes no difference to me whether Mubarak stays or leaves." New Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq sought to appease anger at home and abroad by apologizing for the violence and promising to prevent a repeat. But he insisted he did not know the culprits. Vice President Omar Suleiman, seen as a possible interim successor to Mubarak, took up the theme,
promising to release detained demonstrators and to punish those who fomented trouble. He also confirmed that Mubarak's businessman son Gamal would not run for president to succeed his father. Ten days ago, that would been shock news. It surprised no one after the uprising. The protesters in Tahrir Square, dominated now by a youthful hard core including secular middle-class graduates and mostly poorer Islamist activists from the Brotherhood, barely listened. They have been inspired by the example of Tunisia, where veteran strongman Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced to flee last month. But many other Egyptians have more respect for Mubarak and seem willing to let him depart more gracefully in due course. Those supporting the calls for constitutional change and free elections saw the violence, unleashed on Wednesday by men they assume to be secret policemen and ruling party loyalists, as the desperation of a president who cannot count on his army.
It was a "stupid, desperate move," said Hassan Nafaa, a political scientist and leading opposition figure. "This will not put an end to the protests," he said. "This is not the Tahrir Square revolution, it is a general uprising." Though less numerous than earlier in the week, there were also demonstrations in Suez and Ismailiya, industrial cities where inflation and unemployment have fueled the sort of dissent that hit Tunisia and which some believe could ripple in a domino effect across other autocratic Arab states. Many analysts see the army seeking to preserve its own position by engineering a smooth removal of Mubarak, a former air force commander. Its course is unclear. On Monday it gave protesters heart by pledging to let them demonstrate. But on Wednesday, troops stood by as Mubarak supporters charged Tahrir Square on horseback and camels, lashing out at civilians. After dark, several demonstrators were shot dead. Only on Thursday morning did soldiers set up a clear buffer zone around the square to separate the factions. But that did not prevent new clashes, as groups pelted each other with rocks. Many believe Mubarak's efforts to hang on may create strains within the army, which may seek to cut short the confrontation. "There is a real threat to the integrity of the armed forces, the longer this goes on," said Faysal Itani of Exclusive Analysis. "The pressure on the army must be intense to put him on a plane or in a villa ... I'd give him seven to 10 days." Support for a new order is far from unanimous, however. Many of the 80 million Egyptians have much to lose from change, whether businesspeople enjoying lucrative concessions in the mixed economy or those employed by the extensive apparatus of the state and its security forces. An even greater number is losing patience with unrest after 10 days of disrupted business. "My work depends on tourists and there aren't any tourists coming any more," said Ragab Abdel Hamid Mansour, a 48-year-old cruise boat owner on the Nile in Cairo. "I want those protests to end now, and even not tomorrow. I can't live." Egypt was the first and so far almost the only Arab state to make peace with Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says revolution in Cairo could create an Iranian-style theocracy. Egyptian Health Minister Ahmed Samih Farid said six people died and 836 were wounded in the Cairo fighting. An estimated 150 people have been killed since last Tuesday.
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UK FOREIGN AID MONEY HELPED FUND POPE'S VISIT
LONDON – British lawmakers demanded an explanation Thursday into why 1.85 million pounds ($2.99 million) of foreign aid money helped pay for the pope's visit to the U.K last year. Britain's government initially estimated the price of the pope's four-day visit — which saw the pontiff address crowds in London, Scotland and central England — at 10 million pounds, excluding security costs. Officials said Thursday that the final tally will be lower, and is likely to be confirmed to Parliament next week. Malcom Bruce, chairman of Parliament's international development committee, said the revelation that development funds helped finance the trip will come as a surprise lawmakers and taxpayers. "Ministers need to explain exactly what this (money) was spent on and how it tallies with our commitments on overseas aid," Bruce said. Details of the spending came to light in a report from a committee inquiry into the accounts of Britain's Department for International Development. Bruce said lawmakers and taxpayers want to know if paying for part of the pope's September visit met global aid rules. A spokesman for the Department for International Development said the money transferred to the Foreign Office did not constitute official development assistance and was part of a cross-departmental funding effort. "Our contribution recognized the Catholic Church's role as a major provider of health and education services in developing countries," the spokesman said, noting that the committee also welcomed the agency's concentration on fragile states. "The committee acknowledges that we are right to focus on conflict-ridden countries, home to some of the world's poorest people," he said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. The committee's report, however, also cautioned that giving such countries priority for aid means it will be difficult to ensure aid money is well spent in environments that frequently suffer corrupt and incompetent governments. Well-run countries where aid money might prove more effective were bound to lose out as a result, the committee found.
Venezuela’s Chavez marks 12 years in power
WORLD NEWS
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CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez celebrated his 12th anniversary in power Wednesday saying he is ready to battle for six more years in next year's election. In televised appearances that lasted much of the day, Chavez touted his government's programs and also apologized for his errors, saying much remains to be done as he seeks to lead Venezuela toward socialism. "The battle has begun, and it's going to be hard and good," Chavez said of the 2012 presidential election as he visited a state-run supermarket. The president is facing a gamut of problems, ranging from rampant violent crime to 27 percent inflation. His popularity has been hovering around 50 percent in recent surveys, down from more than 70 percent in Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at a rally 2006, pollster and work so that "all Venezuelans can walk down the economist Luis Vicente Leon said Wednesday. The opposition has yet to select a presidential streets without fear." Among other problems, Chavez confronts an candidate. Chavez has been able to maintain the support of economy that has shrunk for the past six quarters and about half the population because he's a "very public frustration with faulty government services. The Venezuelan human rights group Provea said charismatic leader who has understood the DNA of the poorest Venezuelans, and in some way has spoken to the number of street protests in the country has grown them in their language," Leon said. "He doesn't solve from 459 in 2006 to 1,053 last year. In recent years, the Venezuelan leader has their problems, but he speaks to them, he includes nationalized firms in a number of sectors, including them." Chavez handed out computers to children at a petroleum, cement, communications, electricity and Caracas school and said the country is much better off banking. President Chavez has said he wants to today than it was when he took office in 1999. Later, improve the lives of the country's poor majority. But, he visited the state-run supermarket, part of a network critics say his policies are scaring off investors and will that has grown as the government has taken over hamper Venezuela's emergence from recession. Last year, the president's ruling Socialist Party private markets. "I ask forgiveness for my faults, for my errors, but won parliamentary elections as expected, but fell short I think ... we have been assuming a responsibility that of a two-thirds majority needed to override all aims to be always at the height of that hope," Chavez legislative opposition. A short time later, the said. "How much Venezuela has changed for the legislature, which was dominated by Chavez allies, approved measures letting him enact laws by decree. better." The law granting the president decree powers also The country's opposition coalition condemned Chavez's handling of the economy and crime, saying will allow him to enact measures involving land, in a statement that the government has failed to reduce finances, security and other measures. Critics described the legislative move as a clear violence. "In our country, they keep killing thousands of effort to sideline the new Congress, which now has Venezuelans, more than 130,000 people in the last 10 enough opposition members to block actions. The years," the opposition coalition said in a statement new legislature, with the larger opposition, has now been seated in Venezuela. Tuesday. Venezuela's new legislature faces a series of The government has not released complete annual murder figures in recent years. Chavez has said his problems such as rising inflation and unemployment, government is making strides against crime after he as well as an increase in violent crime due in part to the created a new national police force, and he pledged to illegal drug trade.
China Welcomes Year of the Rabbit
China has ushered in the Year of the Rabbit with firework extravaganzas - an age-old custom to ward off evil spirits and beckon good fortune - and family gatherings. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao told the Chinese in his annual New Year address the government will fight to control inflation and crack down on property speculators - two of the big issues facing the country over the next 12 months. Families gathered outside their homes at the stroke of midnight Wednesday to see in the New Year and to express their hopes - and fears - for the
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next 12 months. Li Yang works at the Forbidden City and spent New Year's Eve with her family making traditional dumplings before heading outside to let off fireworks. She says she hopes for sound economic growth for her family and her country. She says she trusts the government, which "has the capability to take the country forward" and improve the lives of [the] Chinese people. But not everyone is as optimistic. Ma Zhonghua, a taxi driver and is working over the holiday period, says it is becoming difficult to make ends meet.
He thinks it is now impossible for him to make enough money to buy a home as property prices are too high. But like most Chinese, he is keen to see a prosperous society. The just-ended Year of the Tiger was mixed bag for China. Its impressive economic growth continued but rising inflation and property prices caused hardship for many. Labor strikes and wage increases also rocked the economy. Like shoppers at the New Year markets, China’s government is concerned. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said in speech marking the New Year
holiday that the government would try to keep overall consumer prices stable. But he also warned the Chinese they would have to deal with thorny problems over the next year. Despite the cautionary tone, most people in China are taking the opportunity over the week-long holiday to spend time with loved ones, let off fireworks and hope for peaceful and prosperous Year of the Rabbit. South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam also are celebrating the New Year this week. Businesses in those countries have largely shut down and families gather for traditional feasts.
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WikiLeaks receives 2011 Nobel Peace Prize nomination WORLD NEWS
WikiLeaks, the whistleblowing website, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by a young Norwegian politician. The controversial proposal comes just days ahead of a court appearance by WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange, at an extradition hearing in London over allegations of sexual assault in Sweden, a charge he has repeatedly denied The Nobel Peace Prize committee is beginning to deliberate nominations, which closed on February 1. Members of parliament around the world, some academics and previous winners can nominate whoever they like for the award. Snorre Valen, 26, a Norwegian musician and politician, said he chose to nominate WikiLeaks for promoting human rights and freedom of speech. “Liu Xiabao was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his struggle for human rights, democracy and freedom of speech in China,” Mr Valen wrote on his website. “Likewise: WikiLeaks have contributed to the struggle for those very values globally, by exposing (among many other things) corruption, war crimes and torture.” Although it is hard to gauge how seriously the nomination will be
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considered by the Nobel committee, the prospect of giving such a highprofile award to WikiLeaks will outrage many in Washington and governments around the world. The US government has been exploring ways to prosecute Mr Assange for publishing vast quantities of state secrets online, many of which have embarrassed the US administration. Some observers did not rate WikiLeaks’ chances of winning. “To claim that [Mr Assange’s] actions have in some way promoted ‘fraternity among nations,’ to invoke the famous line in Alfred Nobel’s will, would be far-fetched, if not altogether inaccurate,” Scott London, a US journalist and Nobel Peace Prize specialist, told the AFP news agency. Army chiefs have often said that WikiLeaks’ publication of military secrets put at risk the lives of US troops in war zones and their local allies. But Mr Valen noted WikiLeaks’ “small contribution” to the revolution in Tunisia by releasing US diplomatic cables about the president. “It is always easier to support freedom of speech when the one who speaks agree with you politically. This is one of the ‘tests’ on liberal and
Mandela recovering 'very well' South Africa's government says former president Nelson Mandela is doing well in his recovery from a respiratory infection. Minister for the presidency Collins Chabane said Thursday that Mr. Mandela is responding to treatment for the condition. The 92-year-old anti-apartheid icon spent two days in a Johannesburg hospital last week. He was released last Friday and has since received care at his home. Chabane told reporters in Pretoria that Mr. Mandela continues to have doctors around him "all the time." The minister thanked those who are praying for the ailing former president and who have sent messages of support to his family. Mr. Mandela has grown frail in recent years and makes only occasional public appearances, most recently at the championship for the World Cup in July.
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democratic values that governments tend to fail,” Mr Valen said. “And many countries respond to WikiLeaks‘ obvious right to publish material that is of public interest, by seeking to ‘shoot the messenger’… It is not, and should never be, the privilege of politicians to regulate which crimes the public should never be told about, and through which media those crimes become known.” The nomination illustrates the scale of popular support for WikiLeaks. A divisive figure, Mr Assange won the readers’ poll for Time magazine’s person of the year in 2010, although the publication’s editors awarded their prize to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg instead. WikiLeaks recently signed a deal with the Daily Telegraph newspaper in the UK to continue publishing stories based on its cache of thousands of US diplomatic cables. The site had previously dealt exclusively with the Guardian and the New York Times, but it has struggled to contain its trove of secrets, with Aftenposten, a Norwegian newspaper, claiming to have received all the cables independently of WikiLeaks. Several WikiLeaks copycats and rivals have emerged in recent weeks, notably OpenLeaks, created by a
former WikiLeaks employee, and various regionally focused sites, including IndoLeaks in Indonesia, RuLeaks in Russia and Balkanleaks. Mr Assange is currently writing his autobiography, for which he has secured book deals worth more than £1m, which he said will be put towards his own legal expenses and operation of the site. WikiLeaks has been reliant on donations for its income, but withdrawal of payment processing support by Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Bank of America - along with spiralling operational costs - have left question marks over its financial stability. But the Nobel Committee is not known for shying from controversy. In 2009 it awarded the Peace Prize to U.S. President Barack Obama and in 2010 to the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo - both were divisive choices. "I do not think the Nobel Committee sees it as a value in its own right to play with controversy, but certainly many prizes have been controversial," said Harpviken. "And the Nobel Peace Prize has always been most interesting when it has been making a firm political statement." The Peace Prize winner will be announced in October.
Mugabe Declines to Intervene in MDC Formation Reshuffle Dispute A spokesman for Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has confirmed his boss will not endorse or intervene to implement a bid by Welshman Ncube, president of the smaller formation of the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change, to assume the position of deputy prime minister now held by Arthur Mutambara. The published comments by presidential spokesman George Charamba have added to tensions within the unity government. Mr. Mugabe had said earlier that he would decline to swear in Ncube as deputy prime minister unless Mutambara, replaced recently by Ncube as president of the smaller MDC formation, stepped down on his own. The state-controlled Herald newspaper quoted Charamba as reiterating this position and adding that President Mugabe cannot be Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe dragged into internal MDC party politics. "It is not the business of the president to use his powers as an appointing authority to resolve the problems of a political party," Charamba was quoted as saying. Charamba, also permanent secretary of the Information Ministry, added" "Welshman Ncube must deal with the political problems in MDC arising from that party's just-ended congress. That congress, Charamba, added produced a contested leadership. A dissident formation of the Ncube-led MDC formation has filed papers in High Court challenging the outcome of last month’s congress electing him president. The faction has written to Mr. Mugabe asking him not to swear in Ncube as deputy prime minister. Charamba said the president will wait for the judicial process to run its course. Lawyers are divided on the issue. Some say that the president, as appointing authority, has the sole prerogative to appoint or fire any member of the cabinet. Others say the president has no legal or constitutional powers to prevent Ncube from being sworn in. The latter group says President Mugabe could only refuse to swear in Ncube if he were barred from doing so by an order from a High Court justice. Mutambara himself has kept a low profile and has not been reachable all this week.
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WORLD NEWS
NASA TELESCOPE DISCOVERS 1,000 NEW POSSIBLE PLANETS
Journalists attacked by mobs and detained in Egypt
Two foreign photographers take cover as they follow stone throwing clashes between pro- and anti- government protesters in downtown Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011
CAIRO – Foreign journalists were beaten with sticks and fists by pro-government mobs on the streets Cairo on Thursday and dozens were reported detained by security forces in what the U.S. called a concerted attempt to intimidate the press. Foreign photographers reported a string of attacks by supporters of President Hosni Mubarak near Tahrir Square, the scene of vicious battles between Mubarak supporters and protesters demanding he step down after nearly 30 years in power. The Egyptian government has accused media outlets of being sympathetic to protesters who want Mubarak to quit now rather than complete his term as he has pledged. The Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini said its correspondent in Cairo was hospitalized with a stab wound to the leg after being attacked by pro-Mubarak demonstrators in central Tahrir Square. He has been released. A Greek newspaper photographer was also beaten. "There is a concerted campaign to intimidate international journalists in Cairo and interfere with their reporting. We condemn such actions," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. Washington Post Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl said on the paper's website that multiple witnesses had reported that Cairo bureau chief Leila Fadel and photographer Linda Davidson were among two dozen journalists arrested by the Egyptian Interior Ministry. The New York Times said two reporters working for the paper were released on Thursday after being detained overnight in Cairo. The Qatar-based pan-Arab broadcaster AlJazeera said in an e-mail that three of its journalists were detained by security forces and another was reported missing. Egyptian authorities have complained the network's round-the-clock coverage was slanted toward protesters and could encourage more unrest. Al-Jazeera also said its journalists' equipment had been stolen and destroyed during more than a week of unrest and it had faced what it called unprecedented levels of interference in its broadcast signal across the Arab world. The Arabic-language satellite channel AlArabiya pleaded on an urgent news scroll for the army to protect its offices and journalists. The Toronto Globe and Mail said on its website that one of its reporters, Sonia Verma, said the military had "commandeered us and our car" in Cairo. The injured Greek journalist, Petros Papaconstantinou, said on Kathimerini's website that: "I was spotted by Mubarak supporters. They ... beat me with batons on the head and
stabbed me lightly in the leg. Some soldiers intervened, but Mubarak's supporters took everything I had on me in front of the soldiers." A Greek freelance photographer was punched in the face by a group of men who stopped him on the street near Tahrir Square and smashed some of his equipment. The leaders of France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain said in a joint statement that the "attacks against journalists are completely unacceptable." Associated Press spokesman Paul Colford said that "AP journalists in Egypt have faced the same harassment and intimidation as other news organizations." One Associated Press location was disrupted by men wielding sticks, and satellite equipment was taken. Turkey's state broadcaster TRT, said its Egypt correspondent, Metin Turan, was beaten by a group of around 15 pro-Mubarak demonstrators with batons and lost a tooth in the attack. His camera, money and cell phone were stolen. Three other Turkish journalists were also stopped and roughed up near Tahrir square, TRT said. Polish state television TVP said that two of its crews were detained in Cairo. One was released after one of its camera's was smashed, it said. Government spokesman Magdy Rady said Wednesday that the assertion of state involvement in street clashes and attacks on reporters was a "fiction," and that the government welcomed objective coverage. CNN's Anderson Cooper said he, a producer and camera operator were set upon by people who began punching them and trying to break their camera in central Cairo on Wednesday. Another CNN reporter, Hala Gorani, said she was shoved against a fence when demonstrators rode in on horses and camels, and feared she was going to get trampled. "This is incredibly fast-moving," Cooper said. "I've been in mobs before and I've been in riots, but I've never had it turn so quickly." There were reported assaults that day on journalists for CBS, the BBC, Danish TV2 News, Swiss television and Belgium's Le Soir newspaper, among other organizations. Two Associated Press correspondents were also roughed up. Reporter Jean-Francois Lepine of Canada's CBC all-French RDI network said that he and a cameraman were surrounded by a mob that began hitting them, until they were rescued by the Egyptian army. "Without them, we probably would have been beaten to death," he said.
Researchers with the U.S. space agency NASA say a telescope has discovered more than 1,200 possible planets and hundreds of new multi-planet systems. NASA released data Wednesday from the Kepler planet-finding telescope. The telescope was launched into space in 2009 to find planets that could support life. Kepler is pointed at an area of more than 150,000 stars in a part of the Milky Way galaxy. New findings reveal there are more planets the size of Earth or smaller - rather than giant planets like Jupiter. Jonathan Fortney, an assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said the findings are "exciting" because researchers really did not know what to expect Kepler to find. Kepler tracks a potential new planet by watching it pass in front of a sun-like star it orbits.
Obama Signs Nuclear Treaty
President Barack Obama has signed the New START strategic arms reduction treaty with Russia. The treaty is to take effect by the end of the week. President Obama's signature is the next-to-last step in the process of putting the treaty into force. The agreement is expected to be final on Saturday, when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov formally exchange documents at the Munich Security Conference. The New START treaty will lower the limit on U.S. and Russian strategic warheads from 2,200 to 1,550 during 10 years. Shortly after the U.S. Senate ratified the agreement last December, Mr. Obama said New START will also reinstate inspections of both countries' strategic weapons. "This is the most significant arms control agreement in nearly two decades, and it will make us safer and reduce our nuclear arsenals along with Russia's," said Obama. "With this treaty, our inspectors will also be back on the ground at Russian nuclear bases, so we will be able to trust, but verify." U.S. defense officials say neither country has conducted any inspections since the 1991 START treaty expired in December, 2009. Both nations will be allowed to hold short-notice inspections of each other's nuclear facilities within 60 days of the accord taking effect. In addition to shrinking both countries' nuclear arsenals, President Obama said in December passage of the treaty would strengthen the important bond between the United States and Russia. "We will continue to advance our relationship with Russia, which is essential to making progress on a host of challenges, from enforcing strong sanctions on Iran to preventing nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists," added Obama. "And this treaty will enhance our leadership to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek the peace of a world without them." Mr. Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev originally signed New START last April in Prague. The U.S. Senate approved it on December 22, and the upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, ratified it on January 26. The final signing took place in the Oval Office with no reporters present.
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Food costs at record high as U.N. warns of volatile era TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
MANILA/MILAN- World food prices hit a record in January, the U.N. said, while its hunger arm warned bad weather meant a looming era of food volatility, an issue that has already helped spark protests across the Middle East. Up for the seventh month in a row, the closely watched U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Food Price Index on Thursday touched its highest since records began in 1990, and topped the peak of 224.1 in June 2008, during the food crisis of 2007/08. "The new figures clearly show that the upward pressure on world food prices is not abating. These high prices are likely to persist in the months to come," FAO economist and grains expert Abdolreza Abbassian said in a statement. Hammering home the point the U.N. World Food Programme's executive director Josette Sheeran said weather related problems and a backdrop of rising prices were ominous. "We are entering an era of food volatility and disruptions in supplies. This is a very serious business for the world," Sheeran told Reuters Insider TV on the sidelines of a U.N. Conference in London. Surging food prices have come back into the spotlight after they helped fuel the discontent that toppled Tunisia's president in January and have spilled over to Egypt and Jordan, raising expectations other countries in the region would secure grain stocks to reassure their populations. World Bank President Robert Zoellick urged global leaders to "put food first" and wake up to the need to curb increased price volatility. "We are going to be facing a broader trend of increasing commodity
World food prices hit a record in January, the U.N. said
prices, including food commodity prices," he told Reuters in an interview. SUPPLY THE KEY A series of weather events hitting key crops is likely to keep up the pressure on food prices as a massive cyclone batters Australia, a major winter storm ravages U.S. crop belts and flooding hits key commodity producer Malaysia. Drought in the Black Sea last year, heavy rains in Australia, dry weather in Argentina and anticipation of a spike in demand after unrest in north Africa and the Middle East has already pushed the price of wheat to its highest in 2-1/2 years. The FAO's Abbassian pinpointed crop conditions. "It is the supply situation. It is not the time when we get additional supplies from anywhere," he told Reuters. A mix of high oil and fuel prices, growing use of biofuels, bad weather and soaring futures markets pushed up prices of food in 2007/08, sparking violent protests in countries including
Egypt, Cameroon and Haiti. Economists in Europe picked up on the threat to economies from surging food inflation. Janis Huebner, economist at Germany's DekaBank said inflation partly fueled by increasing food prices could in turn trigger interest rate rises in several countries this year. "This could mean a slowing down of growth in the countries which raise their interest rates," he said. "This could involve Asian countries and other regions, this would somewhat brake growth but I do not expect a hard landing." White sugar futures hit a record high and raw sugar futures rose to their highest in more than 30 years on fears of the damage Cyclone Yasi would bring to the Australian cane crop. The worst winter storm for decades in the United States drove wheat futures to the highest in nearly 2-1/2 years, and Malaysian palm oil prices are at 3-year highs as flooding hit crops. STOCK BUILDING Some countries, particularly where
Value added tax: Senate weighs a tax reform Reagan once shunned
Here's one thing on which Republicans and Democrats generally agree: Reforming the US tax code is needed and could give a major boost to America's fiscal and economic health. But the political challenge – how to settle the details of reform – was visible in a hearing on tax reform held by the Senate Budget Committee. A focal point of the discussion was whether the US should impose a value-added tax (VAT), which would be similar to a federal sales tax. Other advanced economies lean heavily on such taxes as a way to efficiently collect revenue in a way that's compatible with economic growth. It's an idea that has long been controversial, especially with Republicans. Ronald Reagan, in the spotlight this week because of the 100th anniversary of his birth, declared in 1985 that he was "just not enthused" by the idea. One concern, then and now: A VAT could become a backdoor tax hike that might be out of view to most Americans. Fast forward a quarter-century. Republicans
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at Tuesday's hearing weren't ruling out a VAT, but they weren't declaring themselves enthused, either. It remains a tough sell politicially for a variety of reasons. (Note, though, that President Reagan himself didn't say "never" back in 1985.) Tax policy experts at the hearing, including a prominent conservative, said the idea should be a centerpiece of tax reform. "All roads are going to lead to a VAT," said Lawrence Lindsey, a former top economic adviser to President George W. Bush. "If we want to be competitive, that's where we're going to end up." Here's the chain of logic. Both sides say the current tax code is a complex mess that harms US job growth, while other nations are using better-designed tax systems to lure corporate investment. Tax reform could help the economy, and by making tax collection more efficient it also has the potential to reduce the persistent federal budget deficit. Politically, too, tax reform appears easier for both parties to strike a deal on than, say,
food prices loom large in household budgets, have been building up food stocks to try to contain prices -- and to limit the political and social fallout. In the run-up to the 2007/2008 food price crisis, the World Bank estimated that some 870 million people in developing countries were hungry or malnourished. The FAO estimates that number has increased to 925 million. "2008 should have been a wake-up call, but I'm not yet sure all the countries in the world that we need to support this have woken up to it," the World Bank's Zoellick said. Cameroon on Thursday said it had created a body to buy and regulate the price of basic food imports, a move to avoid a repeat of price increases which led to 2008 riots in which 100 people were killed by the African nation's security forces. Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, last week bought 820,000 metric tons of rice, lifting rice prices -although rice is one commodity that remains well below its 2008 prices. It has also suspended import duties on rice, soybeans and wheat. Algeria last week said it had bought almost a million metric tons of wheat, bringing its bread wheat purchases to at least 1.75 million since the start of January, and ordered an urgent speeding up of grain imports, a move aimed at building stocks. On a day of bloody confrontation in Egypt, where protesters are demanding an end to the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, the WFP's Sheeran said the world was now in an era where it had to be very serious about food supply. "If people don't have enough to eat they only have three options: they can revolt, they can migrate or they can die. We need a better action plan," she said.
health care reform. A makeover of the tax code could occur simply by streamlining existing rules for personal income and corporate taxes. The VAT would add a further twist: Proponents say it could help to roll back incentives for corporations to add jobs and factories outside the US rather than inside. Why did Reagan say in 1985 that the VAT idea didn't excite him, even though he was embarking on a major bipartisan tax-reform effort? "A value-added tax actually gives a government a chance to blindfold the people and grow in stature and size," he said at a news conference. "That tax can quietly be increased, and all the people know is that the price went up and they don't know whether the price went up because somebody got a raise or whether the company wanted to increase profits or whether it was government." He also argued that the federal government would be intruding on the terrain of states, since many states rely heavily on sales taxes for their revenue. But his main argument was that the VAT would be more or less hidden, compared with income taxes. "Taxes should hurt in the sense that people should be able to see them and know what they're paying," Reagan said.
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Economic data points to strong growth momentum
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WASHINGTON – Growth in the U.S. services sector in January was the fastest in more than five years, another sign the economy started the new year on a solid footing, with measures of employment showing some strength. While reports on Thursday continued to paint a bullish picture for the economy, they also showed some inflation pressures under control, in stark contrast to developments in other parts of the world. U.S. companies continue to hold the line on costs, despite a spike in commodity prices. The Institute for Supply Management's index of national nonmanufacturing activity rose to 59.4 last month -above economists' expectations for dip to 57.0 -- from 57.1 in December. A reading below 50 indicates contraction in the sector, and it was the 14th straight month of expansion in the nation's vast services sector. "The economic data continue to overshoot expectations. We are seeing an acceleration in economic activity that is less reliant on public support and more self-sustaining," said Scott
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Anderson a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities in , Minneapolis. The economy grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, accelerating from a 2.6 percent pace in the prior period, and economists believe strengthening domestic demand will translate into increased hiring of new workers. A report from the Labor Department showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits tumbled 42,000 to a seasonally adjusted 415,000, unwinding most of the previous week's weather-induced spike. Economists had forecast claims dropping to 420,000. The claims data falls outside the survey period for the government's closely watched employment report for January, scheduled for release on Friday. The economy probably created 145,000 jobs, according to a Reuters poll, after adding 103,000 in December. Reports on Wednesday suggested private hiring was gathering pace.
BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
JOBS OUTLOOK IMPROVING Expectations for a rise a pick-up in jobs growth last month were also bolstered by a jump in the ISM's employment gauge to the highest level since May 2006. The data had little impact on U.S. financial markets as stock market investors worried about increasing chaos in Egypt. U.S. stocks fell and prices for government debt also traded lower. The dollar rose against a basket of currencies. Though the downward trend in initial claims has been slowed by extreme weather in large parts of the country, economists believe they will soon drop below 400,000, a level believed to signal strong job growth. "We think the trend in claims is coming down because small firms are firing fewer people. With credit now easing we are hopeful claims will fall significantly further over the next few months," said Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, New York. A second report from the Labor Department showed that while
businesses were facing rising input costs, they keeping labor costs down by squeezing more output from workers, helping to keep inflation muted. Nonfarm productivity, a measure of hourly output per worker, increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent, after rising at an upwardly revised 2.4 percent growth pace. The increase, which was well above economists' expectations for a 2 percent growth rate, bodes well for company profits. Unit labor costs, a gauge of potential inflation pressures closely watched by the Federal Reserve, fell at a 0.6 percent rate after dipping at a 0.1 percent pace in the third quarter. Economists had expected unit labor costs to rise at a 0.3 percent rate in the fourth quarter. For the whole of 2010, unit labor costs dropped 1.5 percent after declining 1.6 percent in 2009. Total nonfarm output grew at a 4.5 percent rate in the last three months of 2010, the Labor Department said, after rising at a revised 3.8 percent rate in the third quarter.
Ford recalling F-150 pickups to fix door handles
WASHINGTON – Ford Motor Co. recalled nearly 365,000 F-150 pickup trucks in North America on Thursday to fix a problem with the interior door handles that could lead to the doors opening in a crash. Ford said the recall affects about 280,000 F150s in the U.S. from the 2009 and 2010 model years built from Jan. 18, 2008, through Nov. 30, 2009. About 68,000 of the popular trucks under recall are in Canada and about 14,000 are in Mexico. The Dearborn, Mich., company said there have been no crashes or injuries tied to the problem. The F-150 is part of Ford's popular FSeries pickup, the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. "Ford is committed to safety and is quickly
working to address this matter with our customers," said Wes Sherwood, a company spokesman. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its website that a spring in the interior door handle could break, causing the door to fail to latch properly. If the truck was struck by another vehicle on the side, the government said the door latch could open. The recall is expected to begin around Feb. 14. Ford said dealers would inspect the trucks and add reinforcements to the spring or replace the side interior door handle module.
Ford said the recall affects about 280,000 F-150s in the U.S. from the 2009 and 2010 model years
BP reports $4.9bn annual loss after oil spill costs
BP has reported a loss of $4.9bn (£3.1bn) for 2010, its first annual loss since 1992. The company said the replacement cost loss reflected a sum of $40.9bn set aside for charges relating to the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The loss compares with a profit of $13.9bn that BP had recorded in 2009. The company's chief executive, Robert Dudley, said BP would restore its dividend payment to shareholders, paying seven cents a share. The dividend pay-outs had been suspended in the wake of the Gulf spill. The company's chairman, CarlHenric Svanberg, said: "We have chosen a prudent level that reflects the company's strong underlying financial and operating performance but also recognises the need to fully meet our obligations in the Gulf of Mexico and to maintain financial flexibility."
The BBC's business editor, Robert Peston, said the suspension of the dividend for nine months cost shareholders £4.9bn. However, he said the level of the new dividend means that in total shareholders will be getting £3.2bn a year less than what they were receiving in 2009. The company said there was "considerable uncertainty" over the final cost to the company of the Gulf spill and that it hoped its partners in the well - which include Transocean and Halliburton - would pay the majority of the compensation payments themselves. BP's chief financial officer, Byron Grote, said: "Most of the cost we would view as charges to our partners. We're billing them for most of the costs that we're incurring." He did add that: "They've not responded." BP's profits during the fourth
quarter of 2010 were $4.6bn, a third higher than in the same quarter a year previously. Some of that increase was thanks to the rising oil price, which had climbed to $90 a barrel by the end of last year. BP also said in its results statement that it would sell two US oil refineries, including the Texas City refinery, where 15 workers were killed and 170 injured in an explosion in 2005. The company is restructuring its business and has already sold interests in Argentina, North America, Venezuela, Vietnam, Colombia and Egypt. Joseph Lampel, professor of strategy at Cass Business School, said he expected the company's strategy for 2011 to continue the path set in 2010. "BP will continue to emphasise safety and will be trying to generate
more cash," he said. "It has been fortunate that the oil price has been much higher, which has cushioned it to some extent from the effects of the problems last year." Injunction Last month BP announced a $10bn partnership with the Russian state-controlled oil firm Rosneft to explore for oil in the Russian Arctic. That deal has upset existing Russian investors in TNK-BP another Russian joint venture. On Tuesday, AAR - the consortium which owns half of TNKBP - won an injunction in the High Court to stop the new joint venture. AAR had argued that its arrangement with BP means that any exploration should be done with it, rather than a rival company. Before the High Court's decision, BP and AAR had already agreed to go to arbitration in Sweden in the week starting 14 February.
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Merlene Ottey says she’s 100% Jamaican
Merlene Ottey
“I am 100 per cent Jamaican," was the reminder from lifetime achievement award recipient Merlene Ottey last Friday evening at the RJR Sports Foundation National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards ceremony at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. Ottey, 50, a Jamaican sporting legend who has been representing Slovenia since 2002, underlined her affection for Jamaica and Jamaicans while accepting her award in recognition of years of excellent service on the track. The many-time Sportswoman of the Year has been living abroad for many years but only decided to don the colours of another country after her compatriots protested against her inclusion in the women's 100 metres at the 2000 Sydney Olympics at the expense of then National champion Peta-Gay Dowdie. "This feels wonderful and I'm very grateful for the attention that you all have been showing me," said a clearly moved Ottey, the first Jamaican woman to win an Olympic medal. "I have been in Jamaica for just two days and it has been an amazing feeling and thank you very much, I feel very special. I am very honoured to be in the presence of the most wonderful and supportive people in the world," said the athlete who, in a distinguished career, won nine Olympic and 14 IAAF World Championships (outdoor) medals. Ottey, the most successful athlete in the history of the IAAF World Athletic Championships, believes Jamaica's athletes will once again dominate the sprints at this summer's 13th edition of the game in Daegu, South Korea. Ottey won 14 medals in six championships from 1983 to 1997. She has been nominated for the Laureus world come back of the year award after competing for Slovenia at last summer's European championships at the age of 50.
Bolt teams up with Marleys daughter for Olympics TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
LONDON- Usain Bolt will be competing at the 2012 London Olympics in uniforms designed by the daughter of reggae great Bob Marley. The world-record holder in the 100 and 200 meters and the rest of his Jamaican track and field teammates will be wearing uniforms designed by Cedella Marley. "We both break records," Marley told The Associated Press on Wednesday in a telephone interview. "Marleys. Bolt. Legendary." Marley, the first-born daughter of Bob and Rita Marley, is a singer, author and fashion designer. She was picked by athletic apparel company Puma, the Jamaican team's sponsor, to create the clothes that the athletes will wear on the track, on the podium and in the ceremonies. "I can't think of a better person to design our Olympic outfits than Cedella," Bolt said in a statement. "Puma got that right ... hooking up with a legendary Jamaican. It's going to be inspirational to run in London with that energy surrounding me." Bolt broke the records in the 100 and 200 at the 2008 Beijing Games, and then did the same at the 2009 world championships in Berlin. With the possible exception of Bob Marley, Bolt is among the most famous Jamaicans. "Being a Jamaica No. 1, being a Marley No. 2, and then being able to outfit not only Usain but the entire team, it's a proud moment for all of us, everyone in my family," Marley said. Marley said she took her
Cedella Marley
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inspiration for the uniforms from music, various cultures and Jamaica from the 1970s and 80s. "I want to bring the old and the new Jamaica together," she said. "It should be Grace Jones meets Bob Marley on the track, and we're going to have fire on the field." When it comes to the uniform Bolt will be wearing next year in London, fans can count on something a little bit different from his teammates. "We're going to have something special for him. Only for him," said Marley, who has yet to meet Bolt but is expecting to work with him in March in Jamaica. It took a chance phone meeting between Marley and Puma chairman and CEO Jochen Zeitz to get the collaboration up and running. "I said, 'Yo Mr. Puma, how come you've not done anything with the
Usain Bolt
Marleys? Come on, you know, Puma, Marley, Jamaica. It makes sense,"' Marley said. "And he just said, 'Well, you know, Cedella, everything takes time.' And like two weeks later. I got a phone call. I guess it was time." Puma will work to make sure the fashion end of the deal doesn't interfere with the performance specifications. "A lot of people are going to be looking at Mr. Bolt," Puma chief marketing officer Antonio Bertone said of the 2012 Games. "It's going to be London. It's going to be an amazing location for the Olympics." As for Bob Marley's legacy, Cedella said, "This is a nice birthday present for him." Marley died in 1981 but would have celebrated his 66th birthday this weekend.
Trinidad wins Caribbean T20
Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival celebrations have started more than a month early. A huge party unfolded at Kensington Oval on Sunday night after the new Caribbean Twenty20 cricket champions were crowned in grand style. Already assured a trip to the lucrative Airtel Champions League in India later in this year before a ball was bowled, Trinidad and Tobago’s cricketers added the tidy sum of US$62 500 after a giving English county Hampshire a sound thrashing by 36 runs in the final before an electrifying atmosphere. If their 147 for seven was by no means an imposing total, they defended it with tremendous intensity from the first ball. At no stage in the chase did England’s Twenty20 champions look like they were competing and could only manage 111 for eight. When Star-of-the-tournament Lendl Simmons and flavour of the tournament Darren Bravo were together entertaining a crowd of more than 7 000 in a second wicket partnership of 77 from 52 balls, the expectations among those in the ground would have been for a total of around 180. The momentum dipped over the last ten overs which produced 67 runs compared to 80 that came from the first half of the innings. Trinidad and Tobago, however, fired back at
Hampshire right away, with pacer Ravi Rampaul, fast and direct, sending down a maiden at the start and legspinner Samuel Badree grabbing the key scalp of bighitting Johannes Myburg in the second that cost only one run. Man-of-the-Match Bravo stroked 41 off 28 balls with five fours and two sixes in another gem of a knock in which he repeatedly lifted the ball down the ground. Yet again, Simmons was a perfect foil during his 31 off 32 balls but when both fell to catches at long-off within five runs of each other, the brakes were applied on the scoring. As fast bowler Simon Jones, medium-pacer Benjamin Howell and left-arm spinner Danny Briggs combined to stop the flow of runs, Trinidad and Tobago couldn’t find the boundary until Ramdin smashed three in the 19th over. It is rare to see any side taking as many as 12 balls to score a run at the start of an innings in this form of the game, but Hampshire endured the misery against the tight Rampaul and Badree. Trinidad and Tobago also set a high standard of fielding apart from when Adrian Barath missed a head high chance at backward point that let off Jimmy Adams but he made up for it with a wonderful pick-up and throw to the keeper’s end from short third-man to run out the Hampshire captain before he profited.
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Third force Djokovic wins second Australian Open
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Jan 30 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic brilliantly dominated a listless Andy Murray to claim his second Australian Open title on Sunday to confirm the arrival of a genuine third force at the top of men's tennis. The 23-year-old bid farewell to the 'one slam wonder' club with 6-4 6-2 63 humbling of Murray to join Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Lleyton Hewitt as the only multiple grand slam winners active in the men's game. Seemingly condemned to being 'the best of rest' behind Nadal and Federer in a golden era, Djokovic's dominant performance suggested he was ready to carve out a chapter in the annals of the game for himself. "I'm living the dream of a tennis player, definitely," he said. "To be able to win in straight sets against a player like Andy Murray in the final of grand slam, it makes my success even bigger. "I don't want to stop here ... I'm only 23 and hopefully will have more chances to win grand slams. It really gives me a lot of motivation. It's a huge confidence boost." There were no tears for Murray as there were here last year when he lost to Federer but the Briton, who had again been hoping to end his country's 75-year wait for a major men's champion, had to admit he had been well beaten. "He played great, I would have liked to have played better," said the 23-year-old, who has now played three grand slam finals without winning a set. "But I think he would have beaten every other player on the tour if he played like that tonight. He served
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
Andy Murray of Britain looks as Novak Djokovic of Serbia holds his trophy after their men's singles final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 30, 2011.
well. He didn't make many mistakes from the back of the court. He moved really, really well. He hit the ball very clean. That was it." Djokovic's impressive three-set victory over Federer in the semi-finals had set up a first grand slam final without the Swiss or Nadal since Djokovic beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for his first title here in 2008. TITANIC STRUGGLES After the evening cool had brought relief from the first fiercely hot day of the tournament, a close contest between two well-matched players -born a week apart -- was anticipated on Rod Laver Arena. The pressure was etched on Murray's face and he started to struggle with his first serve -- he executed just 44 percent in the opening set -- paying the price with some titanic struggles to prevent the Serb breaking him. The rangy Murray hung in scowling, however, and an intense set
looked destined to be decided by a tiebreak until Djokovic edged a 39shot rally to grab a break point and his remorseless pressure won him the set when his opponent slapped the ball into the net. Murray gestured to his retinue to calm down but if it was supposed to be reassuring, his lethargy and lack of aggression against an on-fire Djokovic was not. "I had a tough match in the semi," said Murray, who beat David Ferrer over 226 minutes on Friday. "I felt like I could have moved a bit better tonight. And against someone like Novak you need to be firing on all cylinders." Djokovic pounced on a Murray drop shot to take a 2-0 advantage in the second and the fifth seed then simply folded as the rampant Serb raced to a 5-0 lead. A break back restored some dignity to the scoreline but only delayed the inevitable and Djokovic
duly summoned up another powerful forehand to take a two-set lead. Murray, who showed only glimpses of his superb shot-making, had said before the match he was going to attack Djokovic's serve and he did get a couple more breaks in the third set but his opponent was now surging with confidence. Djokovic continued to defend like a demon with one running forehand winner at full stretch summing up the difference in skill execution and fighting spirit between the two players. That the Serb's name would be etched on the Norman Brookes trophy for the second time was now beyond doubt and the two-hour 39-minute contest was brought to a close by Murray's 47th unforced error. Djokovic had credited leading Serbia to a first Davis Cup title in December with giving him a big confidence boost and his country was foremost in his thoughts straight after the match. "There has been a tough period for our people in Serbia but we are trying every single day to present our country in the best possible way, so this is for my country Serbia," he said on court. Another Serbian-born player had his name inked on to the Melbourne Park honour role on the final Sunday of the tournament when Daniel Nestor teamed up with Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia to win the mixed doubles title. Nestor, who moved to Canada when he was four, and Srebotnik edged Australia's Paul Hanley and Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan 6-3 3-6 (107) after a super tiebreak on Rod Laver Arena
Australia have an outside chance, says Steve Waugh Steve Waugh, who led Australia to victory in the 1999 World Cup, has said Australia are in with a chance to defend their World Cup crown despite inconsistent results since the start of 2010. He claimed India and Sri Lanka will be strong contenders but didn't rule out Ricky Ponting's team. "Australia have an outside chance because they have matchwinners," Waugh said at an event in Mumbai. "I don't think this is a weaker Australian side. "It's tough decision (to predict a winner). There are seven sides capable of winning but the side that has the momentum going into the quarter-final will be good. India are the slight favourites, as they know the conditions well and will have fantastic support. Sri Lanka have a very good chance too." It might come as no surprise for Waugh to back the defending champions on a day when Australia pulled off their highest chase in ODIs, against England in Sydney. Australia had pocketed the seven-game series last week, and their dominant form in the ODIs after a humiliating Ashes
drubbing only made Waugh two-time World Cup winner confident about his countrymen. including one as captain in "Australia are still ranked No. in 1999, said Lee would be the the world. In [Shaun] Tait, lynchpin for Australia. Lee [Mitchell] Johnson and [Brett] returned for the England Lee, they have the potential series after sitting out from matchwinners. Their batsmen October 2009 due to are also on top. Ricky is coming lingering elbow injury. But back from injury. Australian Lee has not compromised players are best when faced with on pace and so far is the adversity," Waugh said. highest wicket-taker in the Austrlia's winning series with 11 wickets at an percentage in 2010 in ODIs had average of 24 in the six taken a beating: of the 25 matches. "Lee will be my matches played, spread over impact player. He has seven series, they won 16 and amazing resilience, he is lost eight including the series bowling back at 150kph and defeat to Sri Lanka at home. But he loves touring India" Steve Waugh the return to form of seniors like Waugh said. Michael Clarke and Lee, along with the In the two World Cups held in the subcontinent matchwinning capabilities of Shane Watson, (1987 and '96), Australia have won 12 of the 15 makes Australia a dangerous opponent. Waugh, a matches they've played.
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London 2012 Olympic Stadium to cost half billion pounds INTERNATIONAL SPORTS
The design for the £500million stadium and focal point of the Olympics in 2012 , will seat 80,000 fans for the Games in a tight, compelling bowl. The atmosphere will be electric. But, once the Olympics are over, an unprecedented feat of engineering will see a tier of 55,000 seats lifted out. Those seats will be sold to be used again and the smaller stadium will have a new life as a major athletics venue. A key feature will be a fabric curtain wrapping around the arena to act as shelter for spectators and a backdrop for a montage of graphics, mosaics and Olympic-related images. Olympic organising committee chairman Lord Coe described it as a
"stadium for a completely new era that will be inspiring and have a lasting legacy".
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
With the fiasco of Wembley Stadium still fresh in everyone's minds - and yesterday was certainly
NBA fines Knicks $200,000 for prohibited workouts
The N.B.A. has fined the Knicks $200,000 and one of their scouts $20,000 after concluding that the scout, Rodney Heard, conducted workouts of college prospects that violated league rules, according to two people made aware of the league’s actions. The Knicks were notified of the punishment Wednesday, and the fines were announced Thursday afternoon. The punishments stem from workouts conducted by Heard in Atlanta in May 2007 and May 2010. “I accept the league’s decision, and I don’t have any other comments on it,” Donnie Walsh, the Knicks’ team president, said. “That’s my comment.” Walsh declined to answer any specific questions about the case and would not say how the penalties might affect Heard’s status. Heard, who has been with the club since 2006, was promoted to East Coast scouting director in 2008. The punishment is generally in line with previous cases that involved violations of draft workout rules, although some team executives had expected the Knicks to be forced to forfeit future draft picks as part of any punishment. The Knicks hold the option of imposing further discipline on Heard, who joined the organization when Isiah Thomas was the team president. Significantly, Thomas, who now coaches at Florida International University, was not cited by the N.B.A. in the penalties it handed down. Had the league singled him out, and tried to punish him as well, it might have affected his ability to rejoin the Knicks at some point in the future, something he clearly is interested in doing. As of now, he remains eligible to rejoin the Knicks’ front office if he leaves his job as a college coach. The Knicks attempted to hire Thomas as a part-time consultant last summer while he remained the coach at F.I.U., but were then informed by the N.B.A. that they could not do so because of the conflict it created. The Heard case stems from N.B.A. rules that prohibit teams and their employees from having contact with draft-eligible players
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before the league’s annual predraft camp, which is held every spring after the regular season ends. Once the camp concludes, teams can work out players individually but under strict guidelines set by the league. The league determined that Heard conducted secret workouts before the camp, presumably to give the Knicks an edge in determining whether a prospect was worth drafting. Brandon Rush, who now plays for the Indiana Pacers, sustained a serious knee injury in one of Heard’s workouts in 2007, according to Yahoo Sports, which first reported in October on Heard’s workouts. Heard also conducted workouts that year with Wilson Chandler, according to the Yahoo report. Chandler did not work out for any organization other than the Knicks before the draft, citing an injured ankle. The Knicks selected Chandler 23rd over all that June and he has turned into a formidable player; he has denied taking part in any illegal workouts. In 2010 Heard conducted several illegal workouts that included Baylor’s Ekpe Udoh, according to Yahoo. The Golden State Warriors selected Udoh with the sixth overall pick in last year’s draft. In the most recent documented case of workout violations, in 2005, the Denver Nuggets were fined $200,000 after Coach George Karl attended workouts at Marquette University, where his son, Coby, was playing. The visit violated rules prohibiting contact between team officials and players who are not yet eligible for the draft. The league initially suspended Karl for three games but later reduced the punishment to two games. In 2002 the N.B.A. fined the Cleveland Cavaliers $150,000 and suspended the coach, John Lucas, two games for including LeBron James, then a high school junior, in a team workout. Over the last decade the league has fined teams $50,000 to $150,000 for other violations of draft rules and in some cases suspended team officials who were involved.
not the time to mention the Millennium Dome - costs and timings are crucial. It had been expected to cost £280million but that has been revised to nearly £500million because early estimates did not include VAT and inflation. Architect Rod Sheard, of HoK Sport, said: "This is not a stadium that is going to be screaming from rooftops that it is bigger and more spectacular... this is just a cleverer building, a cleverer solution." London Mayor Ken Livingstone, sensitive to accusations that the stadium might become a white elephant, was was confident a longterm tenant for after 2012 would be found shortly.
World Cup will prove ODIs alive and well - Lorgat
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Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said next month's World Cup will prove that 50-over cricket can co-exist with the Test and Twenty20 formats. Since the inception of Twenty20 cricket and its raging success, the ODI format has been perceived to be under threat, but Lorgat said those fears were overstated. "I think the talk of poor interest in 50-over cricket is overstated. I firmly believe that all three forms of the game will coexist and in fact thrive at international level," Lorgat told ESPNSTAR.com. "To be frank, the talk of a demise of 50-over ODI cricket is way out of whack with what we are experiencing. Players, spectators, TV viewers and administrators still see great value in the ODIs. "I hope that the World Cup will add to reversing the poor perception of 50-over cricket as some of the recent matches already have." In an attempt to revitalise limited-overs cricket, Australia are experimenting with a split-innings format in their domestic
TURKS AND CAICOS SUN
Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive
competition, while England, South Africa and Zimbabwe have all shifted to a 40-over competition. However, Lorgat said the ICC doesn't have plans to tinker with the format of the game. "There are no plans to dramatically change the format of the 50-over game at international level. That said, we encourage our members to experiment with different formats and initiatives to see if there are ways it can be enhanced. "The ODI today has a very different look and feel to what it was 40 years ago when the first
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match took place in 1971. We have always embraced change and will continue to do so." Lorgat said the 2011 tournament, which starts on February 19, would be the most unpredictable World Cup in history. "It seems to me that the top teams are all playing some wonderful cricket at present and there is precious little to decide between them. "The Australians could make history by becoming the first team to win four in a row but they will be challenged as they are not as dominant today as they were four years ago. The other teams, no doubt, will sense an opportunity to wrestle the cup from their tight grasp." Lorgat said the passion for cricket in the subcontinent would ensure a successful World Cup. "Nowhere in the world can one find love and power for the game as in the subcontinent. We are expecting all the people from the three host nations to come out in force, support their teams and follow the tournament."
Pittsburgh Steelers Brett Keisel and his Beard
BRETT KEISEL'S BEARD A BIG, HAIRY SUPER STAR
FORT WORTH, Texas – The secret to the Pittsburgh Steelers' success is growing on Brett Keisel's furry face. No, really. The Pro Bowl defensive end believes there's something special going on with his phenomenal facial hair. "The beard is why we're here," Keisel said, a smile peeking through some wayward whiskers. "It's unleashed Super Bowl powers on our whole team and hopefully it can win us one more." Ungroomed and unmatched, Keisel's beard has taken on a life of its own. There are two Facebook pages dedicated to it, along with a Twitter account. There are also T-shirts, with some commanding you to "Respect the Beard!" and others to "Fear the Beard!"
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