TCI SUN Vol 7 Issue 15

APRIL MARCH15TH 25TH- APRIL - APRIL22ND 1ST, 2011

TURKS AND

E-mail: sun@suntci.com

Tel: (649) 946-8542 Fax: (649) 941-3281

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VOLUME 7 No. 15

$1.00

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND, 2011

By Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

HOTEL MAGNATE GORDON “Butch� Stewart is actively and aggressively pursuing the purchase of Veranda hotel, a five star fully-inclusive 123-room residence-style resort which is located right next to his sprawling Beaches Resort and Spa, in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.

Reliable sources informed The SUN that over the past few months, the Jamaica-born Stewart and Veranda owner Andre Serruys of Britain, held several meetings about the multi-million sale which would make Stewart the largest single owner of beachfront property in Providenciales and increase his majority percentage of hotel rooms in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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CLEMENT HOWELL HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL STANDS FIRM ...PG 8

AIR TURKS AND CAICOS NOT SOLD ...PG 9

PPC SPEARHEADS AUTISM CAMPAIGN

Daphne Penn (second right), The Manager of Corporate Serves at Provo Power Company PPC, presents a cheque of $2,500 to Barbara Hamilton (second left), Principal of Masters Academy and of the Dawn Programme for Autism and her daughter Nicole Cox, who is the driving force behind the Dawn Programme. The Dawn is a multi-faceted programme designed to provide a spectrum of services to the TCI community. Dawn is the first and currently the only programme in the TCI designed to provide Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy to children ages 2 to 5 who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

As a programme of The Master's Academy, the Dawn Programme also provides a route to mainstreaming children who have the capability through guided peer integration and immersion. The programme is directed by a staff of highly trained and qualified professionals recruited from the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize. Looking on at right is Eustace Musgrove, Environmental Officer for PPC.

PROVO COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO RELOCATE ...PG 10

MOTHER DRIVES VAN IN RIVER WITH KIDS

...PG 39

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Butch Stewart wants to buy Veranda

LOCAL NEWS

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Continued from Page 1

The Veranda is an $80 million investment. Sources told The SUN that the owner is asking for upward of $100million for the property which sits on 11 acres and has 800 feet of beachfront.

In recent weeks, there were reports in the hotel and tourism industry which suggested that the deal already had been closed, however this was denied

by Serruys in an exclusive interview with The SUN. “If the question is ‘have I sold Veranda to Beaches?’ then the answer is ‘no’. Butch Stewart and I are friends, it is a sad consequence of that to find that each time we meet it is generally assumed that it is for business reasons and specifically in regards to happenings on Provo it is assumed to mean that Beaches has bought Veranda,” Serruys said.

“If the question is ‘have we explored the possibility of a sale of Veranda to Beaches?’ then the answer is obviously ‘yes’. It is, after all quite logical to muse over the prospect of a marriage of two excellent adjoining resorts on the best beach in the world creating what certainly would be one of the finest ‘flagship’ resorts in the

Gordon “Butch” Stewart

entire Caribbean. No doubt we will continue to explore the possibilities but the outcome remains to be seen – for now it is business as usual.”

It is understood that one of the obstacles to closing the sale of Veranda is the terms and conditions of management contract which the resort has with Grace Bay Resorts, reportedly for five years, effective February 1, 2010.

Serruys is apparently trying to work out an arrangement that would

Veranda owner Andre Serruys

facilitate the sale and ensure a smooth and amicable transition, a reliable source said.

A British multi-millionaire, Serruys has had to deny accusations that the business he sold for more than £90m was shot through with “endemic” fraud, kick backs and “black money” scams.

He had his assets frozen without warning following allegations of fraud in May 2008, which were withdrawn by an entity called SITA when the case

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settled out of court late last year.

The case related to the sale of Serruys’ scrap metal business Easco to SITA in May 2007.

SITA said the business was “replete with dishonest practices” and “effectively worthless” - a claim the defendants strenuously denied and argued should never have been brought during five weeks of proceedings in the High Court.

Serruys and his business partner Richard Cubitt, were forced to fund a hugely costly legal defence against SITA UK, part of French-owned water and waste management conglomerate Suez Environnement, which has annual sales in excess of 12bn euros (£10bn).

The legal battle took two-and-ahalf years, and while he was allowed to fund a legal defence, the freezing order meant Serruys needed SITA’s permission to invest money in his businesses until the order was finally lifted.

Serruys said the order had cost him tens of millions of pounds in lost revenues, with key projects put on hold or delayed.

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The key to Haiti’s recovery

LOCAL NEWS

By P.J. Patterson

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if we expect the Government of Haiti to deliver a load in the absence of an adequate and administrative capacity.

Before the earthquake, Haiti's institutional capacity was admittedly weak and further decapitated by the disaster.

The restructuring, strengthening and building of Haiti's institutional capacity is the linchpin, and lies at the heart of any plan for National Recovery and Sustainable Development. Caricom regards strong, robust and flexible institutional capacity as a sine qua non for sustainable development, good governance

THE FOLLOWING is an edited version of the address by P J Patterson, special representative of Caricom on Haiti, to the UN Security Council on April 6, 2011.

I regard it as a singular privilege to have been invited to participate in this debate and to share insights as the special representative of Caricom Heads of Government, a community of 14 sovereign nations which includes Haiti.

We gather here 15 months after an earthquake that killed, maimed

By P.J. Patterson and dislocated unprecedented special representative of Caricom numbers of the population in Haiti, on Haiti decimated the economy and destroyed large sections of the natural and built assets of the country. and security.

And yet two days ago, despite the formidable The reinforcement of the capacity of the Haitian challenges of holding elections during the turmoil state is now of the utmost urgency. The pace of and turbulence associated with such severe progress will be retarded and the most immediate catastrophe, the Provincial Electoral Council was priorities of Haiti will remain at the bottom of the still able to announce the preliminary results of the ranking, unless the state has the administrative and national elections. technical capacity as well as access to the financial The outcome is a testament to what can be resources to provide the public goods and services achieved through partnership. that are unquestionably the responsibility of all The incumbent leadership of Haiti, the operators states. of the electoral system and political contestants, The Caribbean Community (Caricom) has working together with an array of external support decided to concentrate its direct support to Haiti in from international and regional organisations, and a the area of institutional development and number of committed nations all combined to augmentation by making available, experienced overcome formidable odds. personnel in different areas of governmental It represents a welcome victory for democracy administration; providing opportunities for training which must not fail to be rewarded by a premium to in areas of high need and helping to establish enhance the success of reconstruction efforts during regional standards in such areas as in the this phase of democratic transition and throughout establishment of a building code, regional standards the tenure of the new political administration. for goods and professional services. We seek to work When the Action Plan for the Reconstruction of with UN agencies, and hemispheric groupings who Haiti was adopted by the international community at have expressed an interest in these areas. the UN Headquarters in March 2010, we proclaimed We will need to avoid duplication. Our ultimate with great fanfare that it was to "be led, steered and goals must ensure that when the IHRC's (Interim driven by Haiti".

Haiti Recovery Commission) mandate expires, the It was posited on four main pillars: Territorial; Haitians have the tools and the capacity to continue.

Economic; Social; and Institutional.

Now more than ever, the people of Haiti are No one can question that these four sectors are entitled to see tangible democratic dividends which mutually reinforcing and vital for optimum have a significant impact on the quality of their lives, development. But if Haiti is really to exercise in particular durable shelter for those internally leadership in the process of reconstruction and the displaced, access to basic services which include development of its people, we only delude ourselves water and sanitation, and the provision of jobs.

Editorial Cartoon

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 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

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Hayden Boyce Senior Editor: Vivian Tyson Web Designer: Patrina Moore-Pierre Graphics Editor: Joleen Grant Office Manager: Dominique Rigby Distribution Manger: Kelano Howell Advertising and Marketing ManagerPatrina Moore-Pierre

The Turks and Caicos SUN is a subsidiary of The SUN Media Group Ltd.

We are committed to excellence in journalism, educating and informing our readers, serving and satisfying our advertisers and assisting in the overall development of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Throughout its existence, Caricom has maintained the inseparable links between governance, security and development. Social and economic development are tightly interconnected with security, stability and the rule of law. The recent report of the secretary general is a useful document which highlights the important role which the UN and MINUSTAH (UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti) have been playing.

It is within that context that the community endorses the view that we have reached that juncture where MINUSTAH must be guided to become even more actively engaged with the agencies of the United Nations in supporting and strengthening the core structures and capacities of Haiti. It should extend beyond security and stability to embrace support for strengthening the institutions of state in order to accelerate economic, social and territorial rebuilding.

We believe that the current MINUSTAH mandate is sufficiently wide and flexible -- to permit without requiring any change now -- to coordinate its resources with those from other sections of the UN system and the key development partners to assist the Government in addressing key areas for reconstruction and development.

The time has come to turn all our "weapons into ploughshares" and contribute to the realisation of the bold strategy approved 15 months ago that will result in the economic, social, political and institutional development of Haiti.

While we recognise and appreciate the accomplishments so far, we are concerned that the pledges made by the international community have fallen short and the inflows to the Haiti Recovery Fund have been insufficient to make a visible impression on the ordinary Haitian as another hurricane season draws nigh.

We contend that there is a compelling need for greater co-ordination between the multilaterals, the bilaterals and the NGOs to fulfil the urgent needs and priorities of the Government of Haiti and its people.

Rest assured that Caricom remains determined to work for Haiti as we seek, with the help and support of the international community, to rebuild and develop the most populous state within the single Caribbean Community to which we belong.

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Government admits not knowing of ex-convict advisor Baca’s background

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

IF TURKS AND CAICOS Islands Government knew that it had an ex-convict advising it on revenue collection, it would have given him the boot and searched for someone more suitable, says Governor Gordon Wetherell, during a news conference of the Advisory Council in Grand Turk on Wednesday, April 13.

Jorge Baca Campodonico, who was Minister of Economy during the regime of former President Alberto Fujimori's and was sent to prison in his native Peru for misappropriation of funds, was named among a team of European Union (EU) experts advising the Interim Government on how to establish the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) in the TCI. But Governor Wetherell, while hinting that someone with Campodonico background should not have been given the position, noted that his analysis and recommendations aimed at setting the country on a sound financial footing should also be taken into consideration.

“As far as TCIG were concerned, it was not aware from the information made available by the consultants of the allegations that have come to light since, and I think as we already said had the TCIG been aware of them, then we wouldn’t have considered particular person suitable for the role.

“However, having said that, we need to distinguish between that and the validity of the analysis that he contributed. And it is important to emphasize that the analysis was carried out by him as a member of a team, that we have no reason to believe that the work which resulted from whole team’s efforts and is now complete, was in any sense invalidated. The work was done by the team in a very professional manner,” Governor Wetherell said.

For his part, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Member of the Advisory Council,

Jorge Baca Campodonico was arrested in 2003

Delton Jones, noted that there was an international tender to select consultants for the undertake the studying of revenue of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

According to Jones, as part of the process, companies competing for the bid were required to submit information on their organizations and the consultants that they hoped to use, so as to prove they were fully compliant with the set of criteria that would place them in the running for the job.

He noted that TCIG appointed the company, and the company appointed Baca,

TCI Jews to celebrate Passover

THE PROVO JEWISH community in the Turks and Caicos Islands will celebrate Passover with a community Seder on April 18th and April 19th in Providenciales.

Each year on Passover (“Pesach” in Hebrew) Jews around the world recount their humble birth as a nation.

Forged out of the harshest slavery, they were redeemed from corrupt Ancient Egypt through God’s open miracles. In powerful Egypt, the Jews prospered until forced by their jealous hosts into slavery.

Egyptian barbarism increased, until king Pharaoh decreed that every male child born be drowned! One child saved, Moshe (Moses), emerged as the agent of that nation’s redemption – bringing the Divine call to worship, promising freedom.

Pharaoh’s stubbornness incited ten miraculous plagues to God’s omnipotence on the idolatrous Egyptians. Finally, He smote their first-born, “Passing over” the Jewish homes. The Jews marched out, only to be trapped by the Egyptians and the Red Sea, but God parted its waters and

they passed to freedom.

Rabbi Sholom Bluming, Visiting Chabad to the TCI noted: “Passover is the Time of our Freedom and in every generation, the Passover season brings with it a new liberation. Its highlight is the Seder, with colorful, tasty symbolism – Matzah, Four Cups of Wine, Bitter Herbs – that brings to life the power and the wonder of the Exodus, as we discover anew the freedom that is ours to bring to the world.

“Passover is a time to celebrate freedom from our daily restraints and limitations it’s a time to share love and hope to each other.”

According to Rabbi Bluming, Passover is a time for children to learn, ask and explore about what it means to be Jewish.

“At the Seder children are encouraged to ask about the rituals and customs that are being celebrated as parents and educators, the most important thing we can do is feed their curiosity and give them a appreciation for the Holiday on Passover we are reminded. We are only as strong as the links we create,” Rabbi Bluming said.

ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

THE ADVISORY COUNCIL met on Wednesday 13 April 2011 at the NJS Francis building on Grand Turk.

The Council received an update on negotiations between Jannish TCI Ltd and the DECR for an Exploration and Salvage licence and met representatives of Jannish. Council welcomed the fact that solutions to most of the outstanding issues were identified; and urged the company to work with DECR to ensure that all sites for salvage operations fell outside the Ramsar site.

The Ministry of Environment and District Administration reported to the Council on the growing problem of illegal settlements in the mainly forested areas in Providenciales, and its implications in terms of deforestation, forest fires, health and security. The Council recognized that this was a high priority issue and requested the Ministry to develop a plan of action for implementation by a team drawn from all interested departments.

The Council was briefed by the Adviser on Public Service Reform, Stephen Catchpole, on progress made in the first four months of his assignment

LOCAL NEWS

making it clear that the Interim Government did not handpick any of the consultants.

“And as far as the process which was undertaken was concerned we followed the procedures thoroughly, but we did not pick up anything relating to Mr. Baca’s background that was cause for concern at that particular point. And as the Governor indicated, had this come to light before we would have been in a position to act quickly. But we are still looking to see how this actually fell through,” Jones asserted.

In 2001, Peru’s Supreme Court convicted Campodonico for misappropriating state funds by diverting US$59.4 million from Government money to bail out a private bank, ordered him to repay US$666,000 to the state and barred him from holding public office for three years.

Fujimori is now serving 25 years in prison after he was arrested and tried for a number of crimes related to corruption and human rights abuses that occurred during his government.

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Clement Howell Principal defends his leadership, following petition

LOCAL NEWS

A NUMBER OF teachers at the Clement Howell High School have come out strongly in support of their principal Lloyd Fearon against what they believe is a deliberate attempt by a negligible bunch within the rank and file of the staff core to undermine his authority and intolerance for mediocrity.

The renegade group, this newspaper was informed, comprised seven of the 18 local teachers who make up the 70-member teaching staff.

The dissenting educators accused Fearon of victimizing local teachers at the institution and, and as a result, want him out, claiming that their collective confidence in him has been eroded.

But the close to 40 teachers who said they support the no-nonsense principal, argued that the judgment of their seven counterparts has been clouded in their clamoring to unseat Fearon, to the point where they have lost their focus and purpose to orchestrate the very duty that they were employed to do, which is, to teach and set a good example for the children.

On March 31, the seven teachers headed by Vice Principal Hugh Adams, wrote a letter stating that Fearon was being disrespectful to them by speaking to them in unprofessional tone.

The teachers charged that on March 31, Fearon walked into a room where a number of unassigned teachers were, and blurted out to them that classes begin at 8:25 and that they

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

needed to go to their classes.

According to the seven, even if there were assigned teachers in the room, the principal could have approached them in a more professional manner, further claiming that on April 1, he disrespected the school secretary in front of guests.

However, the teachers backing Fearon, said the letter drafted by the small group was not only fact-free, but also sought to taint his character and bring the school into disrepute.

“These accusations, laced with incendiary language are totally malicious. We must hasten to congratulate them on their linguistic panache and intellectual acumen. This ongoing saga seems now to have spiral out of control and it is our charges, the innocent children, who will be most affected by these ineffectual platitudes.

“We must remind persons of this ilk that it is expedient to demolish the enclave of idleness; stop blaming others for their own loss of credibility and abandoned these egregious actions, it has gotten them no further than Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

“Luckily their (continuous) (sic) vituperative utterances against Mr. Fearon, have been neither believable nor contagious,” the group said.

The group supporting Fearon also made a veiled swipe at the dissenting group for their lack of professionalism displayed at times on the job.

“Admittedly, like the principal, we are cognizant of the fact that the level of professionalism displayed on

the job should be of a very high calibre and we strive to attain such. Those who fail to do this will continue to flounder in the morass of their mediocrity and inefficiency,” the group added.

In the meantime, this newspaper has been informed that the education department is carrying out investigation against one member of the gang of seven for attacking the secretary after she failed to sign the petition calling for the principal’s head.

According to the secretary, whatever misunderstanding was there between her and the principal had been resolved and she did not see the sense of pursuing the matter any further.

It is alleged that as a result of her non-compliance, the secretary was physically attacked by the teacher, who hit her in the face with a disinfectant can, and as a result had to be rushed by ambulance to the hospital following a bout of hyperventilation, which medical officials declared stemmed from the incident between her and the teacher.

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Principal of Clement Howell High School, Lloyd Fearon

Staff members told this newspaper that the teacher, in addition to hitting spoke derogatory of the secretary’s body parts.

The Education Department, The SUN was told, collected statements from a number of witnesses, some of whom used themselves as shields to prevent the riled up teacher further battering the secretary with the aiming disinfectant can.

Air Turks and Caicos has not been sold

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

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LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

By Hayden Boyce Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST airline, Air Turks and Caicos, has not been sold.

Reacting to recent rumors that Air Turks and Caicos has been sold, Chairman Lyndon Gardiner says that is absolutely not the case. His company, like many others affected by the economic downturn and increased taxes, has been going through a rightsizing exercise in order to stay in the air. The company recently reached a long term lease agreement for its two Dehavilland Twin Otter aircraft with an airline in the Pacific, a move that should help improve the financial picture for the airline.

“It's cheaper all around to fly one aircraft type,” says Gardiner, “and we are committed to the Brasilias. We have three currently in the fleet, and have recently acquired more, some of which will be used for our purposes and some which will be sold.”

Gardiner points out that the recent revenue raising exercises by the interim government have increased his costs beyond the break even point. He notes that in addition to the Royalty Tax on Fuel, (the airline’s single largest cost after maintenance), there is now the imposition of the 4% new Customs Processing Fee on fuel and on spare parts (both formerly exempt from additional Customs fees for scheduled airlines) will hike the operating cost of the airline and make operating more of a challenge as price

A section of the Air Turks and Caicos fleet

Chairman Lyndon Gardiner

will have to rise.

Elaborating on increased costs and market conditions Gardiner says the cost to operate the airline has skyrocketed over the last year whilst the number of passengers needed on the flights to break even have steadily declined to numbers less than he carried two and a half years ago on his aircraft before the buyout of Skyking.

As an example he explained the annual cost of the airlines “Licence” or Air Operators Certificate was raised last year from $1,650.00 to $13,155.00 and Airworthiness Certificates for the individual aircraft was likewise increased from $450.00 to $2,800.00 all without warning or consultation.

“I went to pay my annual fees and CAA told me that was the price- and I

should pay it or stop flying! In addition to these costs TCI Airport Authority removed the exemptions given for over 35 years to scheduled domestic airlines and then back charged us to the day we bought Skyking with interest and a demand for immediate payment. These increases combine with the expected increase in work permit fees and 'out of control' fuel prices,” he added.

Gardiner says the airline has little choice but to resort to cost cutting measures of selling or leasing out aircraft; and, as is inevitable with the departure of these aircraft, laying off staff.

At the same time, the airline has suffered 'consequential loss' of business owing to the significant decline in travel on our international routes due to the time it takes to process Work Permit applications and

the non-issue of Travel Letters.

“You can't have it both ways,” says Gardiner. He is calling on Government to provide relief from some of the new increases in order to allow him to continue providing essential air services.

“Up until now, I have been providing my own airline subsidy through my other ventures,” he says, “but that can't continue much longer.

Government has to work in partnership with us as the absence of a safe, efficient and reliable schedule airline in the archipelago can have devastating consequences on the movement of persons and property throughout the Islands and this underscores the benefit reliable transportation services to the continued recovery of the Islands economy.”

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Community College Provo campus to change location

LOCAL NEWS

By Vivian Tyson SUN Senior Editor

THE PROVIDENCIALES CAMPUS of the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, which is now sited adjacent to Williams Plaza on Old Airport Road, is to be relocated in time for the start of the 2011/2012 school year, according to President of the College, Rev. Julia Adams-Williams.

However, Adams-Williams was not prepared to divulge the future location of the institution, telling The SUN that negotiations were still being done with the prospective landlords to work out the dynamics of the future site.

“We are not able to say anything as yet, but pretty soon we will make an announcement; we are just trying to work on something,” Rev. AdamsWilliams noted.

There is talk on the street that the Community College could be sited on the grounds of the New Age Academy and Language Centre, downtown Providenciales, but Rev. Williams was not prepared to confirm nor deny, saying that since plans were in train, it would be premature to make a public statement on the matter at this time.

However, she noted that an

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announcement would be made soon.

“We are not able to say that either (that the Community College will be sited at New Age Academy and Language Centre). We will be giving a report to the news media when we get things finalized. But I can say that we are looking to relocate for the September school year,” Rev. AdamsWilliams said.

Rev. Adams-Williams would not be drawn into the reason for the Providenciales College relocating from its present location, explaining that the reason would come with the announcement possibly later this month.

It has been banded about in some quarters that the Community College could possibly give way to the Providenciales Police Department Headquarters, which has been operating from a building condemned by the authorities more than a decade now.

The Providenciales Police Headquarters is slated to move to the Myrtle Rigby Complex which once housed Provo’s only public health facility.

However, some persons of influence in the community, The SUN understands, are not pleased with the

move, basing their disagreement on the understanding that the original plan was for the Myrtle Rigby facility to be transformed into living quarters for employees of the hospital following the opening of the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre.

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It is not clear what Government would do at this point with the facility, but new Commissioner of Police Colin Farquar, wants his charges to exit their current location in a hurry, since he believe it does not behoove any form of ideal working condition.

Vacancy Notice

Job Title: Veterinarian

SUMMARY OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

An exciting opportunity awaits you in the Turks & Caicos Islands Government Service for the post of Veterinarian within the Environmental Health Department. The incumbent in this position will provide regulatory and clinical veterinary services throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). He/ she will be expected to survey and investigate livestock and other animal diseases, as well as implement appropriate controls and prevention programmes. The successful candidate must offer services in the certification of permits, issuance of licenses, etc. in accordance with Local Legislation and International Guidelines as well as assist in the development and implementation of policies for the management of animals. Other duties include developing and monitoring veterinary/ animal health programmes; liaising with the Agricultural Sector to provide advice on improving animal husbandry practices in TCI; implementing welfare programmes for animals as well as offering Veterinary Public Health Services to protect human health and welfare by mitigating the risk of zoonotic diseases. The incumbent is also expected to monitor and examine the health and safety of animals and animal imported products into and exported from TCI. He/ she would also be expected to perform any other duties as may be required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A Masters Degree in Veterinary Medicine or related field, with at least five (5) years experience functioning at a Senior Level or; • A Bachelors Degree in Veterinary Medicine or its equivalent field with at least seven (7) years experience functioning at a managerial level.

SALARY: $48,600.00 - $51,840.00 per annum

For person recruited outside the Turks and Islands a two (2) year contract is offered. Other benefits offered in addition to basic salary includes a telephone allowance, housing allowance, end-of-contract gratuity of 15% of salary; return passage for family of up to two children under the age of sixteen (16) years, as well as duty free concession on the shipment of personal effects imported within six months of appointment.

Applicant’s resume including contact number or email address, two letters of reference and a police certificate should be sent to the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Susan Malcolm Office of the Public Service Management, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands. Fax (649) 946-1582. Email: recruitment@gov.tc Extension: 10318 ONLY SUITABLE CANDIDATES WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED

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Scotiabank Named Best Emerging Market Bank in the Turks and Caicos Islands

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

SCOTIABANK IS EXCITED to announce that it has been recognized as Best Emerging Market Bank in the Turks and Caicos Islands for 2011 by Global Finance, a leading international finance and investment magazine.

“We are excited to receive this award which acknowledges our ongoing commitment to our customers and communities across the Turks and Caicos Islands,” said Doug Cochrane, Managing Director, Scotiabank (Turks & Caicos) Limited. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication, hard work and commitment of our employees to meet the needs of our customers and run a successful and sustainable business.”

This is the eighteenth year that the magazine has selected top banking

LOCAL NEWS

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performers in emerging markets.

Criteria for choosing the winners included growth in assets, profitability, strategic relationships, customer service, competitive pricing, and innovative products. The report covers

Three new NIB directors appointed

THE NATIONAL INSURANCE Board (NIB) has three new directors.

They are Robert Bruce, Floyd Seymour and Audley Higgs.

They were appointed by Governor Gordon Wetherell on April 1st for three years.

the best banks in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe.

"While banks continue to operate under a challenging environment, a gradual global recovery is presenting opportunities for them to support the rebound through increased credit to companies and individuals," said Joseph Giarraputo, publisher of Global Finance. "This year's list of winners reflects those banks that are providing a level of performance and excellence that positions them as economic

drivers for the global market."

Scotiabank has been part of the Caribbean and Central America since 1889. It is now the leading bank in the region, with operations in 27 countries, including affiliates.

The Bank has more than 15,000 employees in the region, including affiliates, serving more than two million customers, with 450 branches, kiosks and other offices, more than 1,000 ATMs. Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With more than 70,000 employees, Scotiabank Group and its affiliates serve some 18.6 million customers in more than 50 countries around the world.

Scotiabank offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With assets above $541 billion (as at January 31, 2011), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS).

INTERISLAND AVIATION SERVICES GROUP

RAMP AGENT

Cook

HAB MANAGEMENT LTD.

Main Duties Prepare food items of consistent quality in accordance with production requirements and quality standards while maintaining a safe sanitary work environment. Start prep work on food items needed for the menu of the day. Organize all of the various prep items needed from different areas to ensure that all items are in place and ready for service. Inform the Executive Chef of any shortage of supplies that need restocking before items completely run out.

Requirements Applicants must have a minimum of three-year culinary experience working in a restaurant. Comprehend and follow recipes and cooking techniques. Must have thorough knowledge and understanding of food service sanitation standards. Thorough knowledge and understanding of standard kitchen equipment and its use. Applicants must be willing to work varied shifts, split shifts, nights, weekends and holidays as required by management. Perform other duties as assigned, requested or deemed necessary by management.

Applicants will be required to work on a full time basis. Must be able to walk, stand or stoop for the duration of shift (at least 8 hours). Applicants must be able to understand/speak/read/write English pro8iciently. Applicants must be detail oriented, must be hardworking and a team player. Work with minimal supervision. Salary ranges from $2,500.00 - $3,200.00 monthly commensurate with experience and training.

Interested applicants should contact Veronica Rigby via email by April 18, 2011 at ronnie@habgroup.com or by fax 649-946-5191. Only persons selected for an interview will be contacted by email or telephone to schedule an interview.

• Over 5 years experience in Ramp Supervising.

• Over 5 years experience in maneuvering heavy duty equipment e.g. (pushing and towing aircraft).

• Experience in general handling of General Aviation. Narrow body and wide body aircraft.

• British Airways, JAR OPS, Supervisor Aircraft loading qualified.

• US Airways fleet service door opening trainer.

• Awareness Certification of acceptance/refusal of hazardous material as per IATA regulations.

• Comprehensive knowledge in the operation of all Ground Service Equipment (GSE). Salary commensurate with experience.

GROUND MECHANICS:

Experience in repair and maintenance of the Airline ground service equipment gas/diesel engine etc. Ability to drive trucks, towing vehicles. Salary range $8.00-$10.00 per hour.

AIRCRAFT MECHANICS

Experience working on piston and turbo-propeller aircraft.

Responsible for inspecting, servicing, repairing and testing aircraft, engines and related systems as directed. Read, understand and work from aircraft maintenance manuals and specifications. 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 BELONGERS NEED ONLY APPLY. Interested person should apply to HR@flyairtc.com or via fax to HR Department 649-946-4040.

No phone call please. Qualified candidates will be contacted for interview.

Page 12

Telecoms Commission slashes rates

LOCAL NEWS

By Vivian Tyson SUN Senior Editor

PLAYERS IN THE telecommunications market are hailing the decision by Turks and Caicos Islands Telecommunications Commission to gradually lower Mobile Termination Rates (MTR) between now and 2013, to come into effect on May 1, 2011.

Mobile Termination Rates, which are subject to regulation in many Caribbean countries and the wider world, are the rates carriers charge each other for terminating mobile services on their respective networks.

The reduction in rates that one carrier charges the next should see mobile consumers paying less when they call another network providing that the rates are passed on to them.

The present termination rate for making calls to another network is 15 cents per minute.

But the Telecommunications Commission said under the new plan, the fees charged will be reduced to 8.50 cents per minute by March 2013.

After April 30 this year, the MTR is expected to fall 11 cents per minute, and to fall a further 9.75 cents per minute after March 31, 2012, and to 8.50 cents per minute after March 31, 2013.

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

E. Jay Saunders, CEO of Digicel

Both heads of the TCI major telecommunications companies – E. Jay Saunders, CEO of Digicel and Drexwell Seymour, Country Manager for LIME – agreed with the Telecommunications Commission that the announced reduction in MTR will foster healthier competition among carriers, while benefiting customers, since it will lower prices for calls across local mobile networks.

“At the minimum, it will bring down domestic rates. We at Digicel support the Commission it their endeavour to bring more value to the market, and we are happy to pass on

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS

PAYROLL CLERK Requirements: • Minimum Two years experience with full payroll responsibility at a similar size hotel or resort Duties • Prepare bi-weekly payroll based on the information of previous payroll working closely with Human Resources and operational departments • Create reports as needed by Finance and Operations • Distribution of payroll in timely and secure manner • Ensure employee data is updated accurately in payroll system • Maintain time keeping systemknowledge of time saver a plus Salary $28 per annum not including service charge but commensurate with experience & education

SPA THERAPIST/ ESTHECIAN Requirements: • Diploma in massage therapy or equivalent.

• Prior experience in a 5-star luxury environment.

• Extensive knowledge of Eastern style massage, wraps, facials and other treatments.

• Proficiency in English.

Duties Include: • Providing spa treatments to resort guests and day spa guests.

• Maximize the revenue of the department through massage and retail product sales.

• In addition to performance of the essential functions, this position may be required to perform a combination of support functions Starting salary $5.25 an hour not including commission and service charge

LABOURER Duties Include: • General laborer duties as assigned by the supervisor or manager.

• Willingness to work varying schedules, split shifts, nights, weekends and holidays.

Salary $6.00 an hour not including service charge WAITER/WAITRESS Duties Include: • One year experience in fine dining restaurant Luxury Resort as a Waiter/Waitress • Server food and beverages to guests in a prompt manner.

• Knowledge of food and beverages on the menu up sell and maximize revenue • Prepare, arrange and serve food or drinks that are attractive and appetizing to the guests.

Starting wage $6.00 per hour not including service charge

Interested applicants should apply to The Regent Palms Monday through Friday and bring along a recent C.V., or by emailing a recent resume to mdorsett@regentexperience.com.

Drexwell Seymour, Country Manager for LIME

those values to the consumer,” Saunders said.

Saunders said at the present, calling the US from the Turks and Caicos Islands is cheaper than making domestic calls to competing carriers, as the US charge is one cent per minute. According to him, it is more profitable for Digicel when its customers call the US rather than to make calls to other local networks.

For his part, Seymour said it was the intention of LIME to lower its rates in order to give its customers a better deal, and that the announcement by the Telecommunications Commission was

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

welcome news to his company.

According to him, landline users will also reap benefits when they make calls to cellular phones, since LIME plans to drop its rates from 40 cents to 36 cents.

“We always wanted to lower our termination rates anyway. We look forward to it, and anything that benefits the consumer we look forward to being part of it,” Seymour said.

In the meantime, Chairman of' the Commission, Heather Allen, said the lowering of MTR comes at a time when consumers need it most, since the country is going through a difficult economic period.

"We are very pleased that the Commission was able to introduce pricing reforms that will benefit all 'Turks and Caicos Islanders, and in these difficult economic times, provide some relief from price increases that are hitting so many essential services,” she noted.

According to her, the Commission will continue to foster improvements in services from the telecoms sector, and to press operators to ensure that TCI leads in the region in terms of the availability of state-of-the-art new digital communications services demanded by consumers and businesses, as well as by global visitors and businesses seeking to invest in the country.

Page 13

Education Dep’t registering only K1 for new school year

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

Parents converge at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Complex to have their children registered

By Vivian tyson SUN Senior editor

THE MINISTRY OF Education has taken the decision to register only Kindergarten One (K1) students into the primary system for the next school year since there is sever lack of space at all government primary schools on Providenciales.

Education Officer Sarah Kennedy told The SUN earlier this week during registration for K1 students at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Complex that primary schools were full to capacity and would not be able to accommodate students from K2 to Grade Six, hence the Ministry of Education’s decision to halt the registration of other grades.

“Remembering now, that schools are booked; they are full, so we are not having any registration for primary education. That’s just K1- students born in the year 2007. They must be four years old by December 31st this year, and that’s basically it,” Kennedy said.

This decision by the Ministry of Education and the Education Department will now force parents to register or keep their children in private schools, but a lot of parents have been complaining that they were

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

unable to afford to send their offspring to those schools since they have no funds to do so.

Some parents whose first choice for their children’s education was private schools, have been claiming lately that those institutions have become increasingly expensive, while their take home salary have dwindled over the past three or so years - a situation they claimed have rendered them almost incapable of meeting the education demands of their children.

As a result of the sparse school space in primary schools, only GSAT students would be accepted at the Clement Howell High School later this year, The SUN learned, since that institution has been bursting at the seams due to the recent influx of students, a number of whom did not begin at grade seven, but joined the institution in midstream.

The spike in public school population stemmed from a result of the country falling on hard times, and parents who once could afford certain lifestyle have begun to see their cash wither away.

And so, over the past two years there has been a mass migration of students from private to public schools, forcing some of the privatelyowned schools to chop their upper

Ianthe Pratt teachers (right) register children for the next school year

Parents waiting their turn inside the Gustarvus Lightbourne Centre to have their students registered

grades and focus primarily on early childhood education. The pressure became so severe on some private schools that they had to pull the plug on their operations, forcing dozens of teachers out of work.

The situation outside the Gustarvus Lightbourne Centre became chaotic at times, as parents braved the

sweltering sun to ensure that their children avail a space for the coming school year. Security and educational personnel had a torrid time keeping the anxious crown disciplined, as everyone wanted to barge their way inside the registration area as soon as the door was cracked open to allow a specified number in.

Julio D Gardiner Seeks

CAr tireS mACkeY’S Seeks

Salary $5.00 per hour Contact 346-5764

Salary $5.00 per hour interested persons should contact 346-3134

1 DomeStiC Worker

WANteD

1 LABoUrer

must be hardworking and reliable Salary $5.00 per hour interested person should contact Brenda Been @ 332-2084

2 Labourers

Page 14

Emerald Cay owner – Tim Blixseth in more money troubles

LOCAL NEWS

FORMER BILLIONAIRE TIM BLIXSETH, who allegedly owes TCIG several millions in real estate taxes for Emerald Cay – an island located off the coast of Chalk Sound in Providenciales – appears to be sinking deeper into financial troubles in the US, as authorities from three states are seeking to force him into an involuntary bankruptcy to extract tens of millions of dollars in unpaid taxes he allegedly stashed in Nevada.

However, Blixseth has said to have rejected the states' actions as based largely on "bogus" claims from Montana, where he developed the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club.

Officials there are seeking almost $57 million from the real estate baron, who now resides in Washington state.

Forbes Magazine once bannered Blixseth's value at $1.3 billion, but recent court document pegged the figure at roughly $230 million.

In December of last year, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, through the Civil Recovery Unit, brought a milliondollar law suit against Blixseth for underpayment of stamp duty in relation to Emerald Cay. According to the Government, adequate stamp duty was not paid, and that Blixeth, Emerald Cay Limited, Worldwide Commercial Properties Limited and Andrew Hawes were liable for the outstanding stamp duty of $1.7million, a penalty of $7million under section 8(c) of the Stamp Duty Ordinance, as well as damages, interest and costs.

The Government’s claimed that the companies underpaid stamp duties under the Stamp Duty Ordinance by concealing the true value of the land in August 2006. The Government alleges that the true price paid was $28 million whilst it was recorded on the Land Transfer Certificate as just $10 million, and that the defendants conspired together to enter into a scheme to avoid payment of stamp

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

Former billionaire Tim Blixseth

duty of $2.7million properly due, but

million in income taxes for Idaho and

instead they paid just $975,000.

His money woes plunged even further when a petition filed in a US bankruptcy court on Tuesday, declared that Blixseth also owes $1.1 million in Idaho income taxes and almost $1 million in California.

Blixseth, 60, is said to have built his early fortune in the timber industry, then rose to celebrity-page status with his founding of the Yellowstone Club. The winter playground for the rich in the Madison mountains near Big Sky includes Bill Gates, Dan Quayle and others from the country's elite among its members.

According to court documents, just before the resort's 2008 bankruptcy, Blixseth passed control to ex-wife Edra Blixseth as part of their divorce settlement and within days of giving up the club he started transferring his assets to a Nevada trust, Desert Ranch LLLP. He has said the trust was set up to benefit members of his family.

Creditors said he tricked his former spouse into a dubious deal that let him make off with $286 million — money originally billed as a loan to the club.

On Wednesday, Blixseth acknowledged owing of about $1.3

California. He said he intends to pay those debts.

But he said Montana's claim was concocted in a scheme by Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer in collusion with Dan Bucks and the current owners of the Yellowstone Club.

He described it as a plot to undermine his attempts in federal court to unravel the club's 2009 sale to Boston-based CrossHarbor Capital Partners for $115 million.

"It is bogus. It is fraudulent," he said of the petition. "Dan Bucks and the state of Montana, Brian Schweitzer — they're behind this."

"Where's the $219,000 tax bill?

Produce the bill sent to me," he added.

Bucks said there had been no communication between his office and Schweitzer about Blixseth's case and that such communications would violate the department's rules.

CrossHarbor issued a statement saying Tim Blixseth's tax problems had nothing to do with the firm.

If the petition succeeds, Tim Blixseth would be forced to sell off his assets to pay whatever debts the court determines he owes, said Idaho Deputy Attorney General Brian Nicholas.

Emerald Cay in the TCI was for sale in 2009, at $75 million, but the price has since dropped to $48million.

MARCUS FORBES Requires 1 Domestic Worker To work 4 days per week Salary $5.50 per hour Call 241-8247

Last year he appeared in a US court in connection with a $375 million loan he obtained from Credit Suisse in 2005. He was said to have spent more than $200 million of the cash for his personal use, buying everything from high-end real estate to airplanes.

Among other things, according to court documents, Blixseth used the Credit Suisse loan to pay off a $3.9 million balance on two private jets; buy Emerald Cay; purchase a $28 million chateau outside of Paris and a $40 million golf resort in Mexico; and make an $11.9 million payoff for the California home he once owned with ex-wife Edra - the 30,000-square-foot Porcupine Creek estate near Palm Springs, complete with a private 18hole golf course.

Emerald Cay in the TCI was for sale in 2009, at $75 million, but the price has since dropped to $48million.

The luxury island is accessed via a remote-controlled swing bridge and a Turkish marble driveway.

It encompasses approximately 30,000 square feet of interiors all wired for everything through a Crestron system.

A three-story great room has 45-foothigh cypress ceilings and there is also a three-story library, a master bedroom pavilion and a home theatre.

The estate includes three guest suites, a 6,000-bottle wine cellar, two adjoining swimming pools with a waterfall, a barbecue pavilion, tennis and volleyball courts, two boat slips, a boat house, a guest house, a caretaker's home, and two private beaches.

Page 15

Debbie Aharon chosen to head Caribbean FBOs new alliance

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

FBOS SERVING PRIVATE aircraft on 8 islands around the Caribbean have formed a new alliance and named Provo Air Center’s General Manager Deborah Aharon as their first president. According to Aharon, the purpose of the new association, called the Caribbean FBO Alliance, is to streamline customer service across the unique group of individually owned businesses and pursue opportunities for regional marketing.

The idea was first discussed by Aharon and her colleagues last October at the National Business Association Convention in Atlanta. As a first venture, an agreement was reached to cooperate at the upcoming European version of the trade show by sharing a booth and producing a Caribbean brochure, a cost that would have been prohibitive if each island had exhibited individually.

The young organization has already drawn a Provo Air Center’s General Manager Deborah Aharon lot of attention and support from the tourism sectors of the member islands proving, in Aharon’s view, that the Alliance will prove to be a powerful force in increasing high end Caribbean tourism. She says that several luxury resorts have purchased ads in the group’s island directory, which will be distributed through tradeshows directly to the private jet market.

Provo Air Center's Chairman, Lyndon Gardiner, said that he was pleased but not surprised at the selection of Aharon for the prestigious position. 'Debby is an obvious choice -she has the skills and creativity, and most importantly always has our best interests at heart. Her new responsibility can only enhance our position as a leader in the industry.'

The eight current members are from Anguilla, Antigua, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Turks and Caicos.

Career Opportunities: Grace Bay Club is looking for candidates that have the requirements listed along with an outgoing professional manner. They love to work with different types of people, meet challenges with a positive attitude and live the standards of our organization.

DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING Requirements: • Masters in Engineering • Minimum 10 years of total experience • Provide leadership and build an engineering team(s) to ensure engineering capability meets program requirements for various maintenance and modification programs and that associated drawings and specifications are accurate so that products are in accordance with proper engineering techniques and applicable specifications.

• Previous 5 star luxury opening Resort experience a must. Previous Caribbean and International hotel experience a definite asset.

• Previous experience with “Green Initiatives” a definite asset.

• Analyze problems associated with development of equipment or systems.

• Conduct property surveys to identify hazards to guests & employees recommending corrective actions.

• Strong written and oral communication skills. Ability to use MS Office products(i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel & Microsoft Project) Qualified Belongers need only to apply.

Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

ROOM SERVICE ATTENDANT Requirements: • Must possess a High School Certificate.

• English fluency required.

• Must have experience in food service, and a complete understanding of the room service department.

• Must have resort experience. Must be able to follow specific procedures to provide prompt, efficient and gracious customer service to hotel guests in their rooms, including answering department telephones, taking and delivering orders,

WINDSGONG OPENS HAVANA CLUB

The Windsong Resort in the Bight has introduced TCI’s first ever comedy and live performance club – the Havana Club – featuring live international stand-up comic and other performances.

Recently the Havana Club hosted students from the Precious Treasures Pre and Primary School, where they were treated to a live magician and comedy shows.

The magician act was performed by Christopher Thronebury, otherwise called BahaMagician. The comic section was performed by Inigo Zenicazelaya, also known as Naughty. In photos: BahaMagician performs an act while Naughty is seen during his comic act.

and preparing and presenting guest checks.

• Must be able to understand and respond to all guests needs and requests in a timely and professional manner.

Qualified Belongers need only to apply.

Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

SECURITY OFFICER Requirements: • Patrol premises to prevent and detest signals of intrusion and ensure security of the property.

• Must have good written and oral skills, English fluency required.

• Answer alarms and investigate disturbances.

• Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors, and other persons to guard against theft and maintain security of premises.

• Write reports of daily activities and irregularities, such as equipment or property damage, theft, presence of authorized persons, or unusual occurrences.

• Must be able to understand and respond to all guests needs and requests in a timely and professional manner.

Qualified Belongers need only to apply.

Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

SECURITY SUPERVISOR Requirements: • To deputize in the absence of the Security manager.

• Must have good written and oral skills, English fluency required.

• Must have the ability to prepare employee schedules, times sheets, etc.

• Manage and comply with statutory and legal requirements for health and safety.

• To assist in the supervision and application of all key control systems.

• Certification and experience in self defensive is a must, and must be able to train personnel in self defense methods.

• To provide escorts as required on the instruction of the Security Manager/Hotel Management.

Qualified Belongers need only to apply Salary Range: Commensurate based on qualification and experience

Interested persons can contact our Human Resources Department no later than May 2nd, 2011 @ (649) 946-5050 Ext. 1050 Email: veronica.clare@gracebayclub.com Fax: (649) 946-5758 P.O. Box 128 Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies

Page 16

LOCAL NEWS

I KNOW YOU'RE LYING BECAUSE I SEE YOUR LIPS MOVING

By The Torch

Please consider The Torch's rules for the proficient analysis and interpretation of the actions and statements of the Brit High Command: (1) Pay far more attention to what they do than what they say; and (2) Begin your analysis of what they say from the position that what they have said is not only a lie, but a cunning lie.

Note that this is not to say that everything the Brits say is a lie. Many of their statements are unimportant and therefore less likely to have to be lies. Also, if they lied all the time, it would make them less cunning, which they are not.

This is to say that your analyses will be more accurate and indicative of reality if you begin from the standpoint that what they have said is a lie and then analyze from that starting point. You will find that most of their important statements range from simply misleading to downright fraudulent.

You should also consider the issue as to whether it is a lie if you make a demonstrably false statement that is based upon your own genuinely held, but false, opinion. "To increase government revenue we have to raise taxes." Probably not a lie if you're obtuse enough to believe it when you say it, but certainly a pernicious form of either reckless or negligent dishonesty when viewed from an historical perspective.

"Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it." -- Thomas Sowell Through that prism of objective reality, consider the following few analyses offered by The Torch as samples of the proper usage of his rules. Then begin to formulate your own analyses of Brit-speak. It's fun.

1. Every Brit statement regarding the recently enforced budget is preceded by a "reminder" that the "dire financial situation" was "inherited from the previous administration?"

Remember our starting point - they lie. Then analyze from there.

Weren't the Brits an integral part of the prior administration? It wasn't these same Brits, but all FCO Brits are fungible. They've all been to the same Socialist schools, universities and seminars. They have to be interchangeable so that they can be moved around before the damage they do individually becomes apparent.

The Brits had a representative at every cabinet meeting of the prior administration. They had ultimate constitutional oversight over every single decision regarding external affairs, internal security, including the police force, and the public service expenditures of that prior administration.

The Brits had supervisorial oversight regarding the negotiation of the hospital, stevedoring, Socialist health care and PPC contracts? They created and supervised the corrupt crown land system and scholarship program.

They stood disingenuously blind and mute at the occurrence of every single corrupt and criminal deal of the prior administration.

The Torch suggests to the Brit PR writers, i.e. the liars, that they drop these downright fraudulent references to innocent Brit obliviousness during the prior administration.

While you're at it, chaps, also cut the insulting and misleading references to Brit loan guarantees, Brit grants and Brit payment for the SIPT. You wouldn't have those costs had you not been asleep at the wheel during the prior administration. More to the point, we TC citizens and residents wouldn't be $260M in the hole if you not been asleep at the wheel during the prior administration. Stop misleading us!

2. Compare the statements of the Brit High Command and the majority of the members of the Consultative Forum. Remember to assume that the Brits are lying.

The Torch finds the explanation provided by the members of the Consultative Forum to be reasonable.

They did not receive sufficient time (one business day) to read and analyze the long-promised and oftendelayed 250 page budget book before the impending meeting at which they would be expected, one might assume, to offer an intelligent critique of that material.

Two group briefings and a prior summary sheet are not adequate or responsible substitutes for the full and final budget material, and The Torch would doubt the motives of anyone who claimed they were.

Accordingly, the forum members were reasonable and diligent to request a relatively short postponement of the budget meeting. They should

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

have been accommodated by the Brit High Command, given its own molasses-in-winter approach to numerous urgent aspects of government in the TCI. Yet the reasonable forum members were not accommodated. Why not? Remember to look at the infrequent actions of the Brits as being much more indicative than anything they say.

They said, "...there are revenue measures which must be addressed immediately if the Government is to meet its obligations and to reach one of the milestones set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 December 2010." In other words, at 1728 on 4 April 2011, the time of the Brit High Command statement, action had to be taken the very next day to meet some deadline laid down 4 months prior, which itself occurred some 2 years after the arrival of the Brit High Command.

So forget what they said. It's profound nonsense.

Look at what they did. They rolled out the budget as a fait accompli the very next day. They didn't want any intelligent critique from the forum members!

That was why they had delayed the issuance of the budget books in the first place and that was why they then indignantly brought forth the budget at the speed of light.

3. Have you ever seen so much verbiage about any budget, let alone such an important one for the future of the TCI, with so few actual numbers being disclosed to citizens and lawful residents? The budget may well be just a plan for the next fiscal year, but where are the numbers that make up the plan? If we don't know the numbers, we don't know the plan.

The Torch lived for years in a ritzy gated community of 14,000 with an annual budget of some $30M, and all stakeholders knew from complete budgetary disclosures in the newspaper what the plan was for the coming fiscal year. We also knew from weekly P and L and balance sheet publications where every dollar came from and went and the condition of every capital and income account.

Much projected data is concealed by the Brits' use of percentages, rather than actual projected figures.

Why don't they want all stakeholders to have their projected actual figures? Remember - because those figures are misleading. They must support a particular pre-determined plan that covers their backsides, increases the size of government and increases taxation - the Socialist world view they can't help but bring to the table.

On the presumption that there are more revealing numbers disclosed in the 250-page Budget Booklet eventually provided to members of the Consultative Forum, how come we guys don't automatically have that booklet? Why do we have to request it? Why don't the Brits release it digitally now. Their actions speak far louder than their words.

4. What does "taxes on transactions" mean and why isn't it defined in the minimal data that has been released? Does that description include stamp duty only? If so, by what fantasy will said category increase from 25% of TCIG revenue in 2010/2011 to 31% in 2011/2012?

If actual TCIG revenue increases from $120M to $160M between the two fiscal years (as suggested by the Brit High Command in its "Guide to the Budget") that means "taxes on transactions" will increase from $30M to $49.6M. That's a fantastic 65% increase in one category of TCIG revenue in one year! On what do they base such fantasy? They refuse to tell us.

No wonder the Brits did not want either the consultative forum members or the rest of us wading around in their misleading figures and the inappropriate plans that flow from them.

5. "The government’s forecasts already assume the economy will grow by around 4 - 5% each year, driven principally by growing numbers of tourists." Good job we've got The Torch's rules.

The US, our biggest source of customers, expanded its economy at 3.1% in 4Q 2010. That's not enough even to keep up with population growth on a per capita basis. Exactly why would our expansion be 29-61% greater than that of our customers'?

Their answer is "tourism." Yet in 2007, when tourism was booming, the tourist accommodation tax accounted for only $20.27M or 9.8% of TCIG revenue, while the resident ex-pat driven customs and stamp duty sources produced $111.29M or 53.8% of TCIG revenue.

So the Brits are doubling down on the diminishing 9.8% when Cuba is opening its cheap tourism industry to our main source of customers. Yet they continue to ignore The Torch's Executive Residency program that

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

targets RIPE's (Rich Investor Professional Executives) that will not be attracted by anything Cuba offers.

The Brits have an absolute requirement in their pre-determined Socialist plan to stress tourism because they can control fleeting tourists. A large increase in wealthy ex-pats scares the Brits because those ex-pats will demand a better deal for their money. They are not transient and they are not Socialists.

6. "...in the case of electricity we will move to a carbon tax on electricity generators from 1 September 2011. .... It will encourage the generating companies to review their generating efficiency and mix of sources, including from renewable technologies, over time. It also has the advantage that it cannot be passed directly to customers."

Hey, that sounds like careful reasoned thinking.

Except we forgot our rules. Come to find out that the primary participant in this great plan didn't know anything about it. They were not even consulted.

This is how the cunning Brits operate in relation to despised Capitalist ventures like PPC. Take more of their profit (the only reason they are here) by force and they'll just automatically start to develop much more expensive renewable resources without passing on those costs. Yeah, that's brilliant Socialist thinking.

Just exactly how is it that when the Brit High Command moves the goalposts by taxing our sole energy producer, PPC's consequential increased costs of doing business "cannot be passed directly to customers?"

7. "The cornerstone of the new, reformed tax system for the medium term is the introduction of a Value Added Tax. .... In the Caribbean, it has been successfully implemented in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, and St Kitts and Nevis.... In many instances the revenues raised by VAT have been well ahead of projections, reflecting its efficiency as a tax and its self-policing nature."

Only when you remember that they must be lying, will you realize that if all of these named jurisdictions have a " successfully introduced " VAT, why are they all economic basket cases just like we. Most of these jurisdictions had VAT introduced years ago.

No one can know whether the implementation of a VAT in these other jurisdictions made things better or worse for them. What we can say is that none of them are economic successes after VAT. Shouldn't this mean that we need to distinguish ourselves from these competing jurisdictions who have tried a VAT to no overall effect in a worldwide recession? Why should we repeat their actions in the hopes that something different will happen to us?

If the Brits had not been misleading us with this long list of "successes," they'd have told us about one named jurisdiction, as similar to ours as possible, in which revenues raised by VAT were well ahead of projections. That would have been the honest way to persuade us. That's why it didn't happen.

A VAT is the Brit cornerstone because it represents an expansion of government and a reduced necessity to fire the 2000 or so unnecessary civil servants, some of whom will be shuffled sideways to a huge VAT department.

Perhaps if the Brits had not started from their preferred standard Socialist solution to any and all human problems, The Torch's rules would not be so accurate.

Why can't the customs department we already have and a more efficiently collected set of customs duties work as an effective tax collection system for a small island chain in a highly competitive world?

The Brits constantly claim that, " The current revenue system does not work." But they never say why. Is it the corruption alone? Do they think the VAT department won't also be completely corrupt.

The Torch suggests that it is apparent from the above (and much more) that the Brits are almost clueless when it comes to expanding Capitalist economies like ours. They are going page by page through the standard Socialist playbook. Their cornerstone solution is taxation. This will drive away the customers needed to expand our Capitalist economy. And when that happens, the Brits will have even more experts and government intrusion to resolve that problem. And so it goes when you have Socialists in to fix a Capitalist economy.

"We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much." -- Ronald Reagan By the way, 60 years ago the UK economy was Capitalist too. But then they had the Socialists in

Page 17

FirstCaribbean Bank kicks off Unsung Hero campaign APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

FIRST CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL Bank has begun its 2011 hunt for Turks and Caicos Islands Unsung Hero with the launch of this year’s renewal on Wednesday, April 13, at its Grace Bay branch in Providenciales.

The Unsung Heroes Programme, according to FCIB, identifies selfless individuals who continuously make a difference in their community without seeking recognition.

To qualified the candidate must be an individual dedicated beyond the ordinary towards social improvement, willing to have their cause profiled in the local and regional media, be a regionally focused person with a low media profile, be a Caribbean citizen/resident for at least five years, non political and not seek to directly promote any religious movement Individuals with high media profiles, government agency workers, those in political groups, registered charities, religious movements and those who are part of established service clubs are ineligible for nomination.

This year’s winner will join a rank of benevolent individuals who have dedicated themselves to a life of service.

The previous winners are:

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

From left – Jessie Forbes, Sherma Hercules, Althea Basden, Delores Connolly, Bianca O’Neil, Dulette Toussaint, Adelphine Pitter and Gordon Burton

• Ms. Susan Blehr, TCSPCA (2005) • Ms. Gloria Lucille Lightbourne, National Cancer Society (2006) • Mrs. Gloria Cox, secondary education/Clement Howell High School (2007) • Mr. Tanka Williams, Predators Youth Group (2008) • Mrs. Marion Williams, SNAP, Handicapped and Elderly (2009) and • Mr. Terry Drummey, Youth Centre & TCAAF (2010) Sherma Hercules, Country Manger for FCIB is encouraging the communities not to hesitate in

submitting the names of qualified candidates since there are many in the community that are deserving of the Unsung Hero award.

“FirstCaribbean wants to not only provide financial support but also, importantly, to bring attention to the work that is done day and night by ordinary men and women. As the preferred bank throughout the region we must do our part in nurturing and empowering our Caribbean societies,”

she noted.

2011 is the seventh year that the Turks and Caicos Islands have participated in the Caribbean-wide community outreach effort that brings the best of the Caribbean front and centre.

A committee made up of FirstCaribbean’s staff as well as respected community leaders will review the nominations from Turks & Caicos and will select one country finalist. Local finalists will be announced in October and the regional winners will be announced in November.

Among the judges this year are: Adelphine Pitter for Grace Bay Resorts; Delores Connolly and Gordon Burton.

The deadline for completed nomination forms in Turks and Caicos is June 30, 2011 and nomination forms are available at all FirstCaribbean’s locations throughout TCI. For further information about the Unsung Heroes programme or to submit your nomination online visit www.firstcaribbeanbank.com/sponsorsh ip/unsung_heroes.htm.

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Digicel countdowns to 500,000th All Pass subscriber

LOCAL NEWS

THE COUNTDOWN TO Digicel TCI’s 500,000th All Pass subscriber has officially begun.

With the mark just around the corner, Digicel has launched it’s countdown promotion which will award the 500,000th person to subscribe to the All Pass Plan $500, A new Blackberry Torch and an upgrade to the improved VIP Pass which gives the same calling plan access as the All Pass with the additional upgrade of

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Unlimited Blackberry Data Service for 24 hours.

The hugely popular All Pass plan launched in July 2010 and provides the Best Value for customers to call locally, regionally and internationally (USA, Canada and UK Fixed lines). For only $2.50 customers are granted a 24 hour pass to Unlimited local Digicel to Digicel calls, 100 minutes to Digicel regional numbers and 30 minutes to the USA, Canada and UK fixed lines.

Head of Marketing, Ava-Dayne Kerr noted “the popularity of the All Pass goes to show that Digicel’s Best Value plans appeal to our customers and allows them to reach

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

out to more of their loved ones in more places. We look forward to celebrating with the lucky winner of the countdown and we encourage customers who have not tried the All Pass to take advantage of the Plan and be a part of the countdown to the big prize.”

Digicel’s 500,000th All Pass countdown commenced on April 11 and will continue through to date of the big announcement. Persons can find out more by becoming a fan of Digicel’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/digiceltci or by visiting the website www.digiceltci.com .

The lucky winner will receive a new Blackberry Torch among other prizes

3 Labourers WANTED

For Gardening and small construction duties.

Wages $5.00 per hour Work: 8:00am to 4:00pm Mon thru Fri.

1 Domestic Worker

(Female) for part-time Mon, Wed & Fri $5.00 per hour 7:00 am – 12:00 noon Contact 241-9411 after 6:00 pm Dr Anniest C Hamilton Rappel

Grand Turk Fire Fighters recognised

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

LOCAL NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

THIS WEEK, THE Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety recognized the outstanding work of Grand Turk fire fighters who continue to perform diligently in their limited temporary quarters after losing their fire station to the destructive winds and rains of hurricane Ike. The Ministry in an awards ceremony on Thursday April 14th commended the firefighter’s attitude, character, dedication and determination to succeed and said their accomplishments during these testing times are proof that they are committed to excellence. Their most recent challenges included the Ona Glinton Primary School and the Turks and Caicos Utilities Power Station, where the thirteen (13) fire fighters worked with great energy to bring the fires under control.

Under Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety Ms. Barbara Higgs said: “As we recognize the efforts and dedication of all our Fire Fighters in driving forward service improvements, we realized that we would not have been able to achieve this without the support of each and everyone who have been instrumental in delivering changes to produce an effective and modern fire and rescue service that all Turks and Caicos Islanders can be proud of."

All thirteen (13) fire fighters were awarded

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The firefighters proudly display their certificates

Certificates of Appreciation for their hard work.

They were reminded of their commitment to the Grand Turk community and encouraged to continue being the best they can be.

The firefighters receiving awards were:

Kevin Garland, Shirley Ann Carter, Jarrett Forbes, Mauquita Carter, O’Brian Quelch, Anthony McIntosh, Raymano Taylor, Earl Walkin, Roosevelt Glinton, Cleopatra Dickenson, Jeanty Aristil, Wendy Belzy and Wendy Aristil.

B & F VARIETY STORE SEEKS

1 STORE ATTENDANT Salary $5.00 per hour Contact 242-5773 IMMEDIATE OPENING

CAICOS MARINA & SHIPYARD

PAINTER/FIBERGLASS INSTALLER Requirements: • Prior experience painting and installing fiberglass in a marine environment.

• Keen attention to detail.

• Some weekends and holidays may be required.

Salary $11.00 Per Hour

CREEK VIEW RESTAURANT Located in Bottle Creek North Caicos Seeks

1 ChEF

To work part-time Specializing in Jamaican Cuisine Salary negotiable Contact 345-0484

Yard Hand Requirements: • Must have proven experience Hauling

and blocking boats.

• Keen attention to detail.

• Some weekends and holidays may be required.

Duties: • Sand and Paint boat bottoms using antifouling paint. Pressure wash boat bottoms. Must have the art of blocking boats in the correct areas on blocks or stands.

Salary $8.00 Per Hour

Interested applicants should send Resume/CV and references to Donovan Dunbar, at dbdunbar1@hotmail.com within 2 weeks of the date of this notice.

Suitable candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Tel: (649) 232-1905/ 946 5600

Page 20

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

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LOCAL NEWS

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APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Lucky The Dog had the most fun at the event

The Rotaract Club of Providenciales also attracted a number of young people

ion was The TCI Diabetic Associat also present at the event

Gordon Burton manning the Crimestoppers desk

The TCI Environmental Club attracted a number of volunteers

Brownies from the Wesley Methodist Church in all their spelendour

The Native Men’s Fellowship desk

MK Connections was there to showoff its various beauty tools and school utensils

Volunteers sighing up to become members of the Kiwanis Club

There was a great deal of information at the desk of the Turks and Caicos Islands Red Cross National Youth Hotline desk

The Salvation Army desk

tion

Community Care Access Associa

The Wesley Metho Girls Guide mem dist were out in full fobers rce

Prospective volunteers seeking more information from the Kidney Foundation

The TCI Environmental

Club

A number of young people signed up to become members of civic youth group Rap Port

The TCSPCA gained a great deal of traction from the many visitors to the event

The Emergency Management Ser vice (Ambulance Ser vice) was one of the desks that many people found fascinating

The TCI Youth Department

desk

A prospective volunteer (right) seeks information on the TCI Tennis Foundation

The Fire Department desk attracted a lot of people

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LifestyLe

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

SET A LIMIT Figure out your maximum number of participants before the hunt and stick to it. Hand out only that number of egg collection bags in the beginning to help keep your hunt under control. Ask a local store to donate the bags—it’s free advertising for them!

DRAW A MAP Keep things interesting by setting up a treasure hunt for kids, says Brown. Give each child a map using picture clues for non-readers. Cut out a picture of a chair, for instance, or draw a coffee table to show them where the eggs are. Then be a bit sneaky by hiding another map at one of the clues. Use riddles for older kids and lead them to more difficult places, such as a specific novel on the book shelf.

USE DIFFERENT COLORS Color code the eggs according to age, says Judith Manley, a mother of eight and grandmother of eleven, who remembers hunting for eggs with her children in Lewiston, New York. Get two- to four-year-olds looking for blue eggs while those four to six search for green, and so on. “That way the little ones have an equal chance at finding the eggs,” she says

.Planning

a neighbourhood or church group hunt? Here are a few tips from the organizers of the Guinness World Record holder for the largest Easter egg hunt.

SET BOUNDARIES For safety, establish borders when planning an outdoor hunt, suggests Jane Brown, mother of four in Whitby, Ont.. Tell kids to stay between the house and the first maple tree, for instance, or to go no farther than the mailbox.

“I forgot one year and the kids were in the woods behind the house for ages,” says Brown. “They came back very upset that they hadn’t found anything.”

USE PLASTIC EGGS Real eggs can crack and it’s time-consuming to cook and dye a huge batch.

Instead, choose the plastic variety and ask everyone to return them at the end of the hunt so you can reuse them next year. Also thy can get very smelly if all the eggs aren’t found on time.

SUPPLY GOOD PRIZES Every child should get a candy prize for participating. For the grand prize, choose something that kids will really love, such as a huge chocolate bar or a toy or Easter basket filled with items such as games, colouring books, small toys, and other party favours..

Easter Egg Treasure Hunt Clues, Riddles and Hiding Place Ideas

Easter Egg Hunt Plan It's a good idea to plan two separate hunts.

The major one is where the kids move from clue to clue (perhaps with a reward for each one), while the second is more casual, with miniature eggs easily stumbled upon as the kids follow their clues.

A great tip is to wrap individual small eggs in cling film. Not only is this more hygienic, but you can also twist the excess cling film, making it easier to tie or stick them to objects. Whether this is an outdoor or indoor easter egg hunt, start by noting some unusual hiding places. These might include: • Under the kitchen table.

• In a half-empty egg box.

• In dad's sock drawer.

• Taped to a football.

• Taped to mum's back.

• In the laundry basket.

Narrow your list down to about six or eight of the best places.

HIDE THE PRIZE INSIDE Go for random winners, rather than the children who have the most eggs. Simply place a note inside a certain number of eggs to declare the victors. The winners can receive small toys or party favours.

STAY SAFE Think about your location carefully beforehand, and be aware of hazards such as water and traffic. An open space such as a football field is ideal. Make sure everyone knows where the boundaries of the hunt are, and if you have a large number of kids, have parents be responsible for keeping an eye on them.

Happy hunting!

How to Do an Easter Egg Hunt Let's assume that we've decided to use the six hiding places listed above. The laundry basket is probably the best place for the final cache as it's nice and spacious. The next job is to work out the order of clues. Keeping plenty of distance between hiding places gets the kids running all over the place and heightens the suspense.

On Easter Sunday the kids will demand their eggs. A cover story is needed. With a sad face, present them with a large bowl, empty save for a note and one small egg rattling inside. The note might say: "Dear Children, I am afraid that on my way to deliver your eggs my naughty little brother stole them from me! He says that he's hidden them all over the house and the only way to find them is by solving his clues. I've tried, but the clues are too hard for me. I hope you have better luck than I did! Love, Easter Bunny."

The note then reveals the first clue and the hunt is on!

CLUES AND RIDDLES The clues could include anagrams or drawings or very simple word searches, but here are a few ideas for riddles and rhymes: • The egg box: "Six bald heads / In their cardboard beds / Thin shells and much to fear / Please find your next clue here."

• The sock drawer: "For your next nice treat / Think of Dad's big feet / What keeps them cosy? / Open a drawer!

Be nosy!"

• Under the kitchen table: "Next you'll need to get down low / In a room downstairs that you know / Where lunch and dinner each day is made / Here's where your clue has been laid."

• Mum's back: "The next clue can move about! / Stop it now with a shout! / If you see Mum but not the clue / Follow her 'til she shows you!"

• On a football: "'Where to next?' I hear you yelp / I suppose I should try and help / It's easy to get out this hole / Just go outside and score a goal."

• Laundry basket: "I have to admit you're rather smart / You've shown a lot of brains and heart / Go back inside and use your eyes / Soon you will find your big prize / Think of dirty shirts and co. / Before the washing machine, where do they go?"

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

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Jennifer Lopez named People's most beautiful woman

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

Jennifer Lopez has been named People Magazine's most beautiful woman in the world.

The 41-year-old New York City-born singer, actress and current "American Idol" judge, joined former winners Halle Berry, Jennifer Garner and Beyonce Knowles to top the magazine annual list of the world's most beautiful people, the magazine said on Wednesday.

"I feel not worthy, you know? I feel happy and proud. Proud that I'm not 25!" she told People.

Lopez, who is married to singer Marc Anthony with whom she has twins, has a new album, called "Love?" due out in the United States in May. Her single off the album, the dance pop hit, "On The Floor," has been topping singles charts around the world.

Asked by People whether she felt better now than aged in her twenties, she replied, "Yes . . . In my 20s, I just wasn't there in my mind and my soul and my spirit. It's just great to be in the position I'm in now and be able to share that with the world."

Obamas return to Oprah, as TV chat show winds down

CHARLIE SHEEN SAYS HE'S BEEN IN TALKS TO RETURN TO 'TWO AND A HALF MEN'

Could Charlie Sheen return to Two and a Half Men this fall?

As unlikely as a reconciliation may seem after all the viscous insults he’s hurled against his former employer Warner Bros. and Men showrunner Chuck Lorre — not to mention his $100 million lawsuit against both parties — the Warlock claims he’s been in talks to get his old job back.

“There’s been discussions, but I was asked not to divulge anything,” he told Boston radio station WBZFM on Tuesday night. “Had they told me at the end of season 8 that that behavior wasn’t going to be cool, I would have adjusted it.”

Sheen also suggested he’s not receiving money for his back-end participation on the hit show. “I’m supposed to [be getting paid], but that’s — what’s the term? — being withheld,” Sheen said.

The actor’s exodus from primetime production likewise hasn’t helped CBS. Freshman hit Mike & Molly was posting strong ratings after original episodes of Two and a Half Men earlier this season, but fell to a series low Monday night after CBS tried out the show in the Men slot. Last month there were unconfirmed reports that CBS chief Les Moonves wanted Sheen back if the actor could work out his issues with Warner Bros. and Lorre.

Meanwhile Sheen returned to the Radio City Music Hall stage on Sunday night after Friday’s epic bombing and, well, at least he wasn’t booed. “Friday night got a little hijacked, because I let people get into my magic f—in’ brain,” he reportedly said.

President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will appear together on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in May, as the TV chat show queen nears the end of her 25-year reign.

The White House and publicists for the daily TV show said on Tuesday the Obamas would tape their appearance in Chicago on April 27, and the show will air on May 2.

Publicists said it would be the Obamas' first joint appearance on "Oprah" since 2006.

Winfrey, regarded as the most influential woman on U.S. television, campaigned publicly for Obama in his 2008 run for the White House and helped raise millions of dollars for his campaign.

She has interviewed Obama several times in the past, both before and after his election.

Winfrey announced last year that she would end her popular syndicated TV show, which airs

CATHERINE ZETAJONES TREATED FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER

LOS ANGELES – Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has been treated for bipolar disorder after the stress of husband Michael Douglas's battle with advanced throat cancer, her representative said on Wednesday.

"After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her Bipolar II Disorder," the actress's publicist Cece Yorke said in a statement.

"She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films," the statement said.

People magazine, quoting an unnamed friend of the Oscar-winning star of "Chicago", said she had spent about five days in an unidentified facility.

It was not clear when her treatment took place.

Douglas, the star of "Wall Street," underwent chemotherapy for stage 4 throat cancer last year but said in January his tumor has gone. In a turbulent 2010, Douglas's son Cameron from a

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle

in some 140 countries, in order to focus on her new cable TV channel OWN, which launched in January. The last original episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will air on May 25. previous marriage was sentenced to prison on drug charges.

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness marked by sharp mood swings and erratic behavior. Bipolar II is a milder form of the disorder and is marked by less manic "up" moods but more depressive episodes, according to medical experts. It can be treated with medication or therapy.

"There's no question it's been a stressful year," the friend told People magazine.

"Catherine has had to deal with Michael's illness and that's been hard. She went in for a few days because she's about to start working, and wanted to make sure she's in top form, which she is."

Zeta-Jones, 41, was photographed at Buckingham Palace in London in February where she was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire medal by Prince Charles for her services to charity and the film industry.

She has two children with Douglas. According to movie website imdb.com, she is attached to three movies due for release in 2012, including the sports-themed comedy drama "Playing the Field" with Dennis Quaid and Gerard Butler, and comedy "Lay the Favorite" with Bruce Willis and Justin Timberlake.

Her last feature film was the 2009 romantic comedy "The Rebound"

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

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FUN & GAMES

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

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APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

FUN & GAMES

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FUN & GAMES

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

March 2011 deadliest month in The Bahamas recorded history

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

More murders happened in The Bahamas in March 2011 than in any other month in the country's recorded history, according to police statistics.

A total of 16 murders were recorded last month.

According to police statistics, the highest number of murders in one single month previously stood at 12 and before that the record was 11.

As noted by Sergeant Chaswell Hanna of the Royal Bahamas Police Force in his recently published book — "Reducing murders in The Bahamas: A strategic plan based on empirical research" — the previous record of 11 murders was achieved four times: October 2005, December 2006, Nov-ember 2007 and September 2009.

In January of this year 12 murders were recorded.

"So now this is the most murders we've ever had in one month," said Hanna, referring to last month's murders.

He added that March is typically

one of the quieter months.

The first murder last month occurred on March 8, when Tamaro Johnson, 24, of Grand Bahama, was stabbed to death.

The following day, Patrick Lewis, 42, of Lewis Yard, Grand Bahama, died as a result of gunshot wounds.

That same day in New Providence, police discovered the body of Rashard Hanna, 23, on a track road off Bacardi Road. He was shot multiple times.

On March 12, Jamal Edgecombe, 23, of Palm Beach Street, was found on a track road off West Bay Street with his legs and arms tied. He was also shot multiple times.

The following day, Jeffonya Rolle, 14, was gunned down in front of her family's home.

On March 19, Javado Miller, 30, was shot in the chest off Kemp Road.

He died on the scene.

Three more people were killed in separate incidents the following day.

Renaldo D'Jon Appoleon, 20, of

White House Coral Gardens Seeks

1 Domestic Worker Salary $5.00 per hour Contact 941-3713

SEVEN SEAS WATER GROUP

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

This position requires five (5) years of relevant experience and a high school education. Accounting or bookkeeping experience preferred. Strong verbal and written communication skills and Microsoft Office proficiency with an emphasis on Excel are also required. Excellent organizational, customer service abilities and the ability to maintain professionalism in stressful situations are required. Attention to detail, initiative, maturity in thought and action, sound decision-making, maintaining confidentiality and working with limited supervision are required. Responsible for the day-to-day operation of the business office, assisting the General Manager with overall organization and scheduling, maintaining databases, support billing and collections activities collecting, compiling and transmitting accounting and operational data; and maintaining accurate records and files.

Applications should be submitted to: Seven Seas Water Corporation Human Resources at BFalkenrath@7seaswater.com or submitted on-line at the SevenSeasWater.com. Closing date for applications is May 1st 2011. Salary is commensurate with experience and applicable credentials.

Coconut Grove, was stabbed to death on Fourth Street and Palm Tree Avenue; a man believed to be Brandon Humes, who was on bail after being charged with three murders, was found burned beyond recognition in a jeep; and Derick Johnson, 24, of Bowe Avenue, was shot to death near his home.

Two others were murdered on March 21: Elex Tina McKenzie, who was found with duct tape around her hands and face and left on the side of the road in a garbage bag, and Alton Ferguson, 36, who was shot at Exclusive Salon on Cordeaux Avenue. He died hours later.

On March 23, Stephen Clarke, 26, was murdered in front of his

father at their family home, and on March 24, Cyril Hanna, 29, was stabbed to death at Lily of the Valley Corner.

Sharado Wallace, 30, of Mason Addition, and Torrie Vincent McPhee, 25, of Saunders Acres, were killed on March 26 after an altercation in an East Street lounge.

They were both shot.

And Haitian mother Carrol Jean Jacques, 31, was shot dead off Bacardi Road on March 30 Between 2005 and 2009, the least number of murders were recorded during the months of March and May. Hanna pointed out yesterday that April is historically one of the deadlier months.

Only December and January recorded higher numbers.

So far there have been two murders this month.

UNITED CONSULTANT IMMIGRATION SERVICE On behalf of clients: JID BARBERSHOP, ISLAND TECHNOLOGY, CELESTE LIGHTBOURN, BON0APPETIT REST. MIDDLE CAICOS GROWING, RUDOLPH B. HANDFIELD, DIVAS BEAUTY SALON & MILAGRO GARDENER

3 Domestic Workers $5.00 per hour 2 Farmers $5.00 p/h 1 Babysitter $5.00 p/h 2 Cashiers $5.00 p/h 1 Cook $7.00 p/h (to cook Dominican & Island Food) 1 Waitress $5.00 p/h 2 Hairdressers 1 Cosmetologist $5.00 p/h 2 Sales Persons $5.00 p/h 1 Sales Clerk $5.00 p/h 1 Green Keeper $5.00 p/h 1 Waiter $5.00 p/h 1 Kitchen Helper 1 Nail Tech $6.00 p/h Contact: unitedconsultant@hotmail.com

EDRICE ARISTILDEARISTILDE SEEKS

1 LABOURER SALARY $5.00 PER HOUR CONTACT 242-0388

Presidential Management Services Seeks

1 TRANSLATOR

Salary $5.00 per hour Mon-Fri Interested person should contact 242-0388

Page 34

Cocaine trade a big problem for Caribbean countries, says Gonsalves

CARIBBEAN NEWS

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados Cocaine from Latin America is posing a “real challenge” to Caribbean countries such as Barbados and St Vincent, even as these countries make progress in controlling the marijuana trade.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, of St Vincent and the Grenadines, cited the problem as he spoke with the Barbados Nation at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus on Monday night.

The Prime Minister had earlier touched on the subject of illegal drugs in his country when he addressed students in the Henry Fraser Lecture Theatre on Challenges Faced By Caribbean Nations In Achieving Developed Nation Status.

Gonsalves told the packed room he had resorted to going after financial accounts of people in St Vincent suspected to be involved in the illegal drug business, as a means of crippling the trade.

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves

In an interview after, Gonsalves stated: “The way to deal with them is the way I deal with them in St Vincent. I go for them individually . . . . I go for their money.”

However, he was concerned that the real challenge “is not so much marijuana but the cocaine

from Latin American”.

“It is not a situation where it is only that ganja is coming from St Vincent to Barbados. It is the drugs coming through Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Barbados, to St Vincent, sometimes coming through Barbados first, going up the road.”

Gonsalves said through heightened co-operation between the region’s security forces which worked bilaterally through the Regional Security System (RSS), there had been the exchange of information on “who the bad guys and girls are”.

He said such intelligence had been responsible for the apprehension of several people here and in St Vincent engaged in the illegal drug trade.

Gonsalves said there had been “tremendous improvement” in the reduction of marijuana cultivation in St Vincent, though his life had at times been threatened.

IMF says growth prospects for the Caribbean look good

WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says while the growth prospects for Latin America and the Caribbean looks good, there remains “significant risk” of overheating economies in the region. In the latest edition of its World Economic Outlook, the Washingtonbased financial institution, said the region’s economies are expected to grow 4.2 per cent in 2012, on par with overall 4.5 per cent global next year.

The latest IMF prospects show improvements of 0.4 percentage points for this year and 0.1 percentage points for next year, with respect to the previous outlook.

It said the main reason for the upward revision is “greater confidence in the strength of the global recovery and improved prospects for commodity prices”.

The IMF said though growth prospects for 2011 are modest in comparison to last year's figure of 6.1 per cent, they remain well above those for more advanced economies.

Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, as well as the world's eighth-largest, is to grow 4.5 per cent this year and 4.1 per cent in 2012, compared to 7.5 per cent in

2010, the IMF said.

It said economic conditions in Central America and the Caribbean are improving, “with the recovery in outside demand and rebound of remittances from expatriates”.

Prospects for Central America stand at four per cent this year and 4.3 per cent next year, after last year’s growth of 3.6 per cent, while growth in the Caribbean is forecast at 4.2 per cent this year and 4.5 per cent in 2012, after last year's 3.4 per cent, the IMF said.

“The LAC region (Latin America and the Caribbean) has weathered the global recession well and must now contend with the policy challenges of managing two strong tail winds - high commodity prices and strong capital inflows,” the IMF said, warning however that “deficits are widening and are projected to continue widening on the back of robust domestic demand.

“Macroprudential policies need to focus on maintaining and enhancing the resilience of these economies to potential problems from accelerating domestic credit and significant capital flows,” the IMF said.

CUBA RECEIVES ITS ONE MILLIONTH TOURIST THIS YEAR APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

Cuba rolled out the welcome mat to receive its one millionth tourist last Sunday, 13 days earlier this year as compared with 2010. Up to the present, the country has seen a 10.4 % growth on tourist arrivals as compared with 2010, says a press release by the Cuban Tourism Ministry (MINTUR).

The increasing number of tourists coming from Canada, Russia, Argentina, United Kingdom, Chile, Poland, Venezuela and Belgium has contributed to the achievement.

This adds to the resuming of operations of cruise companies in Cuba with the arrival of cruise ships like Thomson Dream, Gemini, Discovery and Adriana in the island.

This year, 2.7 million foreign tourists are expected to travel to Cuba, according to Jose Manuel Bisbe, MINTUR Sales Director.

Bisbe said a priority for this year in the sector is the improvement of tourism offers and this year is the restoration of the whole hotel infrastructure of around 50,000 rooms, 65 % of them in four and five stars hotels.

Regarding new projects, the press releases announced the construction of new hotels in the Santa Maria Key, off north Villa Clara;, and Varadero.

The press release also confirmed the nine of the 25 hotels operated by Spanish chain Sol Melia will be remodeled.

In relation to events, MINTUR announced the upcoming 31st International Tourism Fair FITCuba 2011 to take place at the Morro-Cabaña Fortress Complex from May 2-7.

This is the most important event within the leisure industry in Cuba.

Multi-million dollar marina for Barbados

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Barbados is to construct a US$101 million marina consisting of approximately 80 berths in the capital, Finance Minister Christopher Sinckler has announced.

He said that a memorandum of understanding (MOU)has been signed by the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc for the project “which has been under consideration by several administrations for many years”.

He said the MOU was signed with SMI Infrastructure Solutions Inc. under a build, own, lease nd

transfer (BOLT) financing agreement.

“The total cost of the marina has been estimated at US $101 million.

Based on this cost, annual lease payments are US$10.1 million at an annual interest rate of 8.8 per cent.

Lease payments will reduce over time in accordance with the quantum and timing of cost recovery.

“Total payments over 25 years are US$252.5 million with the interest charge over the same period of US$151.5 million. Cost recovery is estimated at US$66 million from

reclamation of lands and sale of berths,” Sinckler said.

He said this transformational tourism infrastructure project will assist in repositioning the Barbados tourism product offering, while being the catalyst for the regeneration of Bridgetown.

“The tourism product offering will be moved further towards the upper end of the tourism market by attracting more high net worth individuals who can be expected to own berths at the super yacht marina. They will also purchase condominiums on the 10 acres of

prime real estate that will be created through the reclaimed lands which are the by-product of building the marina.”

Sinckler said that other economic benefits include the injection of foreign exchange into Barbados; creation of hundreds of jobs during construction and permanent jobs after construction; repositioning of Barbados’ tourism product; and the marina acting as a catalyst for major new investment along the Bay Street corridor.

He said that construction should commence in nine months.

Page 35

War of words continues between Anguilla Governor and government

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

THE VALLEY, Anguilla – The Anguilla government Wednesday accused the British appointed Governor Alistair Harrison of using “residual powers which he alleges to have under the constitution “for banning Home Affairs Minister Walcott Richardson from issuing visa wavers for persons wanting to visit the British Overseas Territory. Richardson has hinted at the possibility of taking legal action against the Governor over the remarks he made when he addressed the visa waiver issue.

In a statement, the government of Chief Minister Hubert Hughes said that the Governor was also selective in his criticism of the minister on the waiver issue.

Harrison told Richardson that he should immediately stop issuing visa waivers to persons after indicating that known criminals had benefitted from the initiative.

"I have become concerned that the Minister’s practice of issuing visa waivers, which is not permitted under the Immigration and Passport Act and hence an abuse of his office, is threatening the security of Anguilla in a number of ways," Harrison said in a statement.

Harrison said that the issuance of

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

the visa waivers legally falls under the authority of the Chief Immigration Officer and not the Minister of Home Affairs - whose portfolio includes Immigration.

The government and Richardson have been at odds for some time with the British government representative making allegations of ‘misconduct in public office' by the local government minister in the past.

But in its statement, the Hughes administration said that at an extraordinary Executive Council meeting, summoned by the Governor, the British official presented a similar document in which he sought the Council's approval.

“The majority of the ministers challenged His Excellency on the content of the document. Rather than the matter being deferred as is the normal practice of Executive Council in matters that need further consideration, the Ministers of Government have observed that the Governor has chosen to exercise residual powers which he alleges to have under the constitution ostensibly on the basis of issues pertaining to security," the statement said.

"The Government of Anguilla will make a full and detailed statement

within the next few days. The Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Walcott Richardson has instructed his Solicitors to review the Governor’s press release with a view of taking legal action for any defamation of his character contained in the release and in earlier documents issued by His Excellency the Governor." the release added.

Harrison had said that the Executive Council on Monday received a briefing on the crime and security situation in Anguilla from the Commissioner of Police, Rudolph Proctor, who explained the link between visa waivers and possible criminal activity.

The Governor said following the Police Commissioner's presentation he presented proposals to Executive Council recommending that the practice of issuing visa waivers by the Minister of Home Affairs should cease, given the threat it presents to Anguilla’s security.

"By a majority, the Ministers on Executive Council declined to accept my recommendations. I have therefore reluctantly concluded that I need to exercise my residual powers under the Constitution which enables me to issue directions to Ministers and public

Jamaican Gov’t rolls back gas tax under threat of protest by Opposition THE Golding administration in a last moment decision, rolled back the rate of ad valorem tax on fuel from 15 per cent to 10 per cent, effective Thursday, in an apparent bid to ward off national protests.

Following an extended Cabinet meeting, the Government said the reduction in the gas tax which will cost the administration some $3.5 billion, will be temporary in nature and would lower petrol prices by between $4 and $5 per litre.

The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) said it would take to the streets if the Government did not respond to calls by various interest groups to cap the tax on fuel.

Following the government’s announcement, the PNP said it would "stand down" on the originally planned protest action but would continue its advocacy on behalf of Jamaicans for a permanent cap on the gas tax.

The PNP pointed out that the government was still silent on its demand for the removal of the general consumption tax on electricity. However , it said they “anticipate, and advise the Administration to address these matters meaningfully in the upcoming Budget,” and would be addressing this matter in a press conference later today.

For weeks, groups such as the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers' Association and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Alliance have been calling for the capping of the ad valorem tax on petrol.

However, the administration said the reduction of the ad valorem tax was a temporary measure aimed at cushioning the impact of rising world market oil prices on local consumers. It said this would be reviewed on a quarterly basis,

CARIBBEAN NEWS

in keeping with changes in world oil prices.

"In taking this measure, the Government has rolled back and reduced the tax take on fuel to what it was when the price of oil on the world market stood at US$80 per barrel," a release from the Office of the Prime Minister stated.

The Golding administration pointed out that the increases in the price of fuel were being driven by the price of oil on the world market and not by taxation.

In its release, the Government said the decision to roll back the tax on petrol effective ahead of the presentation of the new Budget was in the interest of continued economic stability.

Wayne Jones, president of the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA), said the executive committee of the association would today examine the matter at its monthly meeting.

He said that the skyrocketing petrol prices and the ad valorem tax were having a significant negative impact on thousands of public-sector workers.

"The Government needs to take urgent action to relieve Jamaicans of the pressures that are brought on by the constant increase in oil prices and the attendant inflation in the prices of goods and services that affect, in particular, the poorer people of the working class," Jones pointed out.

The JCSA head insisted that there was need for a review of the tax. "It's a direct tax on the people, even though it is not being taken directly from their salary, because they must eat and they must travel and buy other services, and so to that extent, we believe the Government needs to reduce its take from the gas tax to bring some relief to the people," Jones added.

Governor Alistair Harrison

servants in matters affecting the security of Anguilla, for which I am responsible.

“These directions suspend the practice of the Minister issuing visa waivers. The Chief Immigration Officer can still issue waivers in accordance with the established policy, but must report them immediately to EXCO," Harrison said.

The Governor said that persons who have entered Anguilla on a visa waiver will be allowed to remain for the duration of the stay that has been allowed, but will not be able to extend it.

He said persons who are nationals of countries requiring visas to enter Anguilla and who are in possession of a visa waiver but have not yet entered Anguilla should apply for a visa from the nearest British Embassy or High Commission in the usual way.

SENIOR LITIGATION ATTORNEY REQUIRED Senior Litigation Attorney required with background and experience in dispute resolution and all aspects of commercial, civil and criminal litigation.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements to be admitted to practice as an attorney in the Turks and Caicos Islands, have in excess of ten (10) years post qualification experience and be able to handle routine to complex legal matters. Identifies and analyzes legal issues, draft court documents and negotiate and resolve disputes with limited guidance from senior legal staff.

Advocate and effectively present legal points to influence clients and to represent clients as legal counsel. Builds, enhances and maintains client relationships; educate self and partners on legal developments affecting the practice and provide innovative strategies to address those developments. Perform other related duties as assigned or required.

The starting salary is US$60,000.00 to US$75,000.00 per year depending on experience, plus profit sharing to be negotiated with the successful applicant.

Send all inquiries to: Administrator, Chalmers & Co., Al, Windsor Place, Leeward Highway, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands or by Email: admin@chalmersandco.com

Page 36

NATO united on removing Gaddafi

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies sought last night to bridge their differences over Libya, insisting they were united in wanting to see the back of Muammar Gaddafi even as they remained divided on strategy.

Foreign ministers meeting in Berlin played down any rift after France and Britain had earlier pressed allies to contribute more combat jets to the mission and intensify the raids against regime tanks and artillery that are shelling civilians.

Meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the start of her visit, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said all nations in the alliance were united in the aim of removing Gaddafi from power.

"We are also sharing the same goal, which is to see the end of the Gaddafi regime in Libya," Mrs Clinton said. "And we are contributing in many ways in order to see that goal realised."

The Berlin meeting came as NATO planes put on a show of force last night above the Libyan frontline, with rebels reporting jets were bombing targets on the road leading west, towards the key oil town of Brega, and beyond that Gaddafi's

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

home town of Sirte and, further, the capital Tripoli.

The whoosh of warplanes flying too high to be seen was nearly constant above Ajdabiya, the eastern Libyan town that has been fought over for the past week by rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi. Previously, their presence was only rarely heard.

Earlier the port area of Libya's third city, Misratah, came under heavy attack by Gaddafi's forces, who fired dozens of Grad missiles and tank shells which killed at least 13 people and injured 50, a rebel spokesman said.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, whose country shocked allies by refusing to back the UN resolution authorising the military operation, said in Berlin that NATO supported the aspirations of the Libyan people.

"We are united by the common goal that we want a free and democratic Libya. The dictator Gaddafi, who started a civil war against his own people, must go," Mr Westerwelle said at the start of the two-day meeting.

But differences remained over the air raids against forces threatening the population, which are being

conducted by just six of the 28 allies.

Rebels have urged NATO to step up the air campaign as the mission has failed to shift the balance of power so far.

Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen, whose country is among those conducting strikes, said more nations should contribute to the bombing missions.

"I think it is relevant to discuss burden-sharing to put pressure on those countries that haven't started to contribute yet," she said.

But Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jiminez said her country would not step up its contribution and would take part only in an arms embargo and a no-fly zone.

Germany and France played down their differences, agreeing to disagree over the military intervention. "We have to be honest . . . We have the same objective, and this objective is to allow the Libyan people to enjoy democratic freedoms," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told reporters.

"The divergences lie in the means of achieving this objective . . . We disagreed on this but at no point was trust or dialogue broken."

Calls to arm Libya's rebels and ramp up the bombing raids on Gaddafi

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

NATO united on removing Gaddafi

forces have put the Obama administration on the defensive, after the US scaled back its role in the military campaign last week.

Washington left open the option of arming the rebels, and said that after handing over to NATO last week, US warplanes continued to attack Libyan defences.

At a meeting in Doha on Wednesday, the international contact group on Libya - comprising 20 countries, NATO, the UN and the African Union - moved to give cash to the rebels through a "temporary financial mechanism".

Former Egyptian president Mubarak and two sons detained Egyptians exulted Wednesday over the detention of their ailing former president and his two sons in a probe exploring the killing of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the center of the country's dramatic uprising earlier this year.

Former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons, Gamal and Alaa, were taken into 15-day detainment Tuesday in connection with the protesters' deaths, according to Ahmed Hemeida with the Justice Ministry.

Mubarak has decried accusations of his responsibility in the deaths, saying the probe is aimed at tarnishing his reputation and that of his family. The detention and questioning of the former authoritarian leader is unprecedented in the modern Arab world.

Saddam Hussein, Iraq's late leader, was captured by U.S. troops and put on trial after his regime was toppled more than eight years ago.

But Mubarak's case is different because his detention didn't involve the West. In contrast to Saddam's case, the government made the arrest amid domestic demands that he be held.

People on the street in Cairo saw the arrest as a positive sign. One smiling taxi driver stopped in traffic, crossed his wrists in front of himself as if he was handcuffed and yelled "Mubarak 'cuffed!'" in Arabic.

Mahmoud Amreya, who cooks chicken and beef shawarma sandwiches over a hot grill, beamed. "I am very happy," he said.

Ahmed Abdulsalem, an accountant in a coffee shop, said Egypt "has taken a big step forward" with people regaining their dignity.

"In the previous regime corruption gave way to more corruption. And it was survival of the fittest," he said. "Corruption. The country was spiraling downwards from bad to worse, in all cases. What we

Egypt’s Former President Hosni Mubarak

are living today is much better than what it was under the oppressive regime."

The developments came a day after the former president -- who earlier was summoned for questioning on corruption allegations -- was admitted to a hospital after complaining to his doctor that he felt unwell.

Egyptian state television reported Mubarak suffered a heart attack during questioning over possible corruption charges.

But Egypt's health minister, Ashraf Hatem, later said that Mubarak's condition was stable enough to allow prosecutors to resume questioning at the hospital, according to the state-owned Al Ahram newspaper.

However, there were conflicting reports on Wednesday about Mubarak's precise whereabouts and

grim reports about his health.

Mubarak remained at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital and is in "unstable" condition, the state-run MENA news agency reported Wednesday, citing a medical source. State TV reported that Mubarak is suffering from a "nervous breakdown" and might be transferred to a hospital in Cairo.

But Alla Mahmoud, an Interior Ministry spokesman, told CNN that Mubarak was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Cairo on Wednesday.

The younger Mubaraks have been transferred to Cairo's Tora Prison, Hemeida said.

Mubarak and his family were believed to have been living on his estate in the Red Sea resort since February 11, when he stepped down and handed power to the military.

In response to accusations that his family had grown wealthy at the expense of the Egyptian people, Mubarak, in a brief audio message aired Sunday, promised he and his family would account for everything they own. He said he agreed to allow the prosecutor to contact governments around the world to take "proper legal steps" to reveal whether he or his family own any property or real estate outside Egypt.

Mubarak was brought to Cairo for questioning last month, and Egypt's attorney general issued an order to freeze the assets of him and his family, and prohibited them from leaving the country.

Mubarak had back surgery in Germany in 2004 and returned there in 2010 to have his gall bladder removed. He had largely withdrawn from public view in recent years, until this year's uprising prompted him to make televised speeches.

Mubarak ruled Egypt for nearly three decades.

His regime was toppled by a groundswell of popular protests that began January 25.

Page 37

Obama tries to regain control of deficit debate

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

President Barack Obama's proposal to cut the U.S. deficit by $4 trillion over 12 years is as much about preparing for the 2012 election campaign as it is about balancing America's books.

Obama's proposal is aimed at moderate and independent voters who swept him into power in 2008.

The proposal likely will form the basis of tough negotiations in the next few weeks between Republicans and Democrats in Congress on the bloated U.S. deficit.

Obama made an appeal to the political center. He said he could match savings that Republicans seek from the Medicare government health insurance program for the elderly and disabled and the Medicaid government health insurance program for the poor, without gutting services that opinion polls show Americans from both parties hold dear.

Obama, criticized for failing to show leadership on the issue, answered that complaint with a barrage of numbers that he said created a framework for lowering the budget deficit.

His speech was an attempt to reclaim control of the debate by identifying the sources of the deficit savings, borrowing from a bipartisan fiscal commission, and talking about the need for tax reform.

But beyond broad goals to squeeze savings from defense, healthcare and other government spending, his proposal was scant on specific measures and did not identify any programs to axe.

WORLD NEWS

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

It calls for a bipartisan group led

by Vice President Joe Biden to begin negotiations next month, meaning more talk that postpones hard decisions. And on defense and Social Security he punted outright and called for further consultations.

The savings he outlined go toward those sought by Republicans in return for their support for raising the U.S. borrowing limit, which is expected to hit its current $14.3 trillion ceiling by mid-May. But Republicans, who control the U.S. House of Representatives, say they will not permit tax hikes and were already objecting on Wednesday to Obama's proposal to allow taxes on wealthier Americans to rise.

Obama's proposal may appeal to more moderate members of both parties by laying out a path to lowering debt as a share of the economy to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2015, compared with the 3.2 percent projected in the president's fiscal 2012 budget proposal.

Obama proposes a "debt failsafe" trigger to impose cuts if the debt levels do not decline as planned. This is designed to improve investor confidence by showing the U.S. government is serious about tackling the debt problem and would have the tools to deliver on its promise.

Failure to curb rising debts could lead investors to demand a higher return for lending the country additional money, forcing up interest rates and hurting growth.

WHICH COUNTRY WORKS THE MOST EACH DAY?

US President Barack Obama

Obama took care to answer complaints from liberals, who were dismayed by last week's 11th hour budget deal to avert a government shutdown that resulted in $38 billion in government spending cuts.

They have demanded Obama stand up for Medicare, Medicaid and the Social Security retirement program. In his proposal, Obama limited cuts from healthcare programs to $480 billion by focusing on controlling cost growth and reducing Medicare's high spending on prescription drugs.

In his first major speech since announcing he was running for reelection, Obama set the parameters of the debate on the budget, which may be a pressing issue for voters in 2012.

Obama cast the Republicans as the party that favors the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.

"We cannot afford $1 trillion worth of tax cuts for every millionaire and billionaire in our society. And I refuse to renew them again," Obama said.

Who works the most minutes each day at home and work?

Japan may be the first to spring to mind, with its legendary work ethic, but according to the latest study by the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, Japan comes in second place with an average of 540 minutes, or nine hours, spent doing paid work and chores such as shopping and cooking.

So what nation is the hardest working in the world? Mexico, according to the OECD. As the chart above shows breaking down daily minutes of work, Mexicans spend 594 minutes, or 9.9 hours, doing paid or unpaid work each day.

The nation that works the least, according to the survey of 29 economies, is Belgium with a total of 427 minutes (7.1 hours) of work each day.

The OECD average was 277 minutes (4.6 hours) of paid work, and 207 minutes (3.45 hours) of unpaid work each day.

How much some other major economies worked: China (8.4 hours of paid and unpaid work), The U.S. (8.3 hours), India (8.1 hours), Australia (8 hours), the UK (7.8 hours), France (7.5 hours) and Germany (7.4 hours).

In total minutes of paid work only, Japan worked the most with 6.3 hours on average each day. Denmark worked the least paid time (3.75 hours).

Mexico had the highest average of unpaid work (4.2 hours) and Korea the least (1.3 hours).

French spent the most unpaid time doing shopping each day (32 minutes) while Koreans did the least (13 minutes).

Police divers search for NY serial killer victims

HEMLOCK COVE, New York — New York police divers scoured the gray waters near a popular beach Wednesday as the search widened in a suspected serial killer case feared to have claimed up to 10 victims.

Suffolk County police on Long Island closed off a stretch of scrub-covered bank leading down to the inlet at Hemlock Cove in their latest check on the grisly body count piling up in the nature reserve about an hour from New York City.

Three divers in hooded black and orange dry suits waded into the fog-shrouded water carrying digging implements and metal detectors.

Investigators are officially still focusing on the search for Shannan Gilbert, a prostitute who vanished nearby in May last year. However that probe has morphed into a far more chilling hunt after the discovery of at least four other slain prostitutes and possibly six more sets of human remains.

The latest finds -- bones and a skull -- came Monday and police confirmed that they are human, although not necessarily from different people.

There have also been unconfirmed reports of the skeleton of an infant or fetus being found.

All the remains have turned up in the same stretch of thick, almost impassable scrubland and dunes lining the lonely Ocean Parkway as it runs through Gilgo State Park.

The park is part of a huge, seemingly pristine beach area that is desolate in winter, but will soon be frequented by crowds of bathers and tourists in

the summer.

Police appear to have little in the way of leads so far and are being hampered by the extreme density of the seaside brush. Clearly they have been taken by surprise.

"Who'd think that we'd go looking for one missing person and find 10 others?" a police official who asked not to be named said. "On the other hand, imagine they'd gone and found Shannan Gilbert right away."

In Point Lookout, a fishing village near the now notorious dumping ground, residents say they are scared and appalled.

"It's horrifying. The world's crazy and obviously there's a sicko out there," said Patrick, 55, a house painter, who would not give his last name. "People are worried."

Shuffling down Point Lookout's sleepy main street, mother of nine Margaret Eberhart, 82, was concerned that the killer might be a local.

"It's awful. He's a maniac, whoever it is. But he must know that section," she said. "Everybody's worried. You never know, do you?" she said, looking over her shoulder.

Police are keeping their cards close to their chest so far but are under increasing pressure from the public and media to solve the macabre mystery.

Crime scenes along the desolate beach road are regularly crowded with journalists and live-TV trucks.

"I want everybody out. This place is dangerous," an exasperated sergeant said in a futile

attempt to disperse the media scrum Wednesday.

He wasn't worried that the killer might suddenly appear -- rather that reporters might stray into oncoming traffic.

Despite the absence of hard facts, local newspapers are quoting unnamed police sources on lurid details that point to an ever-more complex case.

The New York Post reported that vegetation was sprouting from the latest sets of remains indicating that they had lain there far longer than the four identified bodies of prostitutes.

Possibly these remains were the work not of the current murderer but convicted serial killer Joel Rifkin, who confessed to 17 slayings and is serving a life sentence, the report said.

Investigators have also been quoted speculating that not one, but two murderers may be using the bleak site as a graveyard.

Others have quoted police indicating that the latest killer to terrorize Long Island has covered his tracks so carefully that he must understand police methods -- or even have served in uniform himself.

On Wednesday the swirling fog and drizzle accentuated the spookiness of the location and the physical challenges facing police as they race the onset of spring, when foliage will make the scrub even thicker.

As officers stretched out yellow crime scene tape, the only set of bones visible were the remains of some large, black bird crushed into the sand.

Page 38

Japan equates nuclear crisis severity to Chernobyl

WORLD NEWS

TOKYO – Japan ranked its nuclear crisis at the highest possible severity on an international scale — the same level as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster — even as it insisted Tuesday that radiation leaks are declining at its tsunami-crippled nuclear plant.

The higher rating is an open acknowledgement of what was widely understood already: The nuclear accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant is the second-worst in history. It does not signal a worsening of the plant's status in recent days or any new health dangers.

Still, people living nearby who have endured a month of spewing radiation and frequent earthquakes said the change in status added to their unease despite government efforts to play down any notion that the crisis poses immediate health risks.

Miyuki Ichisawa closed her coffee shop this week when the government added her community, Iitate village, and four others to places people should leave to avoid long-term radiation exposure. The additions expanded the 12-mile (20-kilometer) zone where people had already been ordered to evacuate soon after the March 11 tsunami swamped the plant.

"And now the government is officially telling us this accident is at the same level of Chernobyl," Ichisawa said. "It's very shocking to me."

TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

Japanese nuclear regulators said the severity rating was raised from 5 to 7 on an international scale overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency due to new assessments of the overall radiation leaks from the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.

According to the Vienna-based atomic energy agency, the new ranking signifies a major accident that includes widespread effects on the environment and people's health. The scale, designed by experts convened by the IAEA and other groups in 1989, is meant to help the public, the technical community and the media understand the public safety implications of nuclear events.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Japan's decision did not mean the disaster had been downplayed previously.

Early actions by Japanese authorities — evacuations, radiation warnings and the work at the plant to contain leaks — showed they realized the gravity of the situation, Denis Flory, an IAEA deputy director general, said.

The upgraded status did not mean radiation from the plant was worsening, but rather reflected concern about long-term health risks as it continues to spew into the air, soil and seawater. Most radiation exposures around the region haven't been high enough yet to raise significant health

QUEEN ELIZABETH II'S HUSBAND TO MARK 90TH BIRTHDAY

LONDON – Add another celebration to the British royal family's packed calendar: the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II's husband.

Buckingham Palace said Tuesday that the family will mark Prince Philip's milestone with a service at Windsor Castle's chapel and reception on June 12, two days after his actual birthday.

The occasion comes at a busy time for the 84-year-old queen. In Prince Philip the coming months, she will celebrate the April 29 wedding of grandson Prince William to Kate Middleton and the July wedding of granddaughter Zara Phillips.

The palace said it had created a dedicated website, where well-wishers can peruse photos and leave a birthday message for Philip, who in 2009 became the longest serving consort in British history when he outlived Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. In honor of his 90 years, the palace created a list of 90 facts about Philip. Website visitors might be surprised to learn that in addition to the Duke's penchant for collecting items like penknives, the queen's husband also enjoys painting landscapes in oils.

The list shows that he also had an affinity for technology, evidenced by his early adoption of a prototype cell phone in the 1950s and his current use of a laptop.

On his actual birthday on June 10, Philip will perform a round of official duties at Buckingham Palace — standard practice for the Duke, who the palace estimates has made about 5,000 speeches and lectures over the course of his public life.

concerns.

Workers are still trying to restore disabled cooling systems at the plant, and radioactive isotopes have been detected in tap water, fish and vegetables.

Iitate's town government decided Tuesday to ban planting of all farm products, including rice and vegetables, expanding the national government's prohibition on growing rice there.

Japan's prime minister, Naoto Kan, went on national television and urged people not to panic.

"Right now, the situation of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plant has been stabilizing step by step. The amount of radiation leaks is on the decline," he said. "But we are not at the stage yet where we can let our guard down."

Japanese officials said the leaks from the Fukushima plant so far amount to a tenth of the radiation emitted from Chernobyl, but about 10 times the amount needed to reach the level 7 threshold. They acknowledged the emissions could eventually exceed Chernobyl's, but said the chance that will happen is very small. However, regulators have also acknowledged that a more severe nuclear accident is a distinct possibility until regular cooling systems are restored — a process likely to take months.

"Although the Fukushima accident

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

is now at the equal level as Chernobyl, we should not consider the two incidents as the same," said Hiroshi Horiike, professor of nuclear engineering at Osaka University.

"Fukushima is not a Chernobyl."

In Chernobyl, in what is now the Ukraine, a reactor exploded on April 26, 1986, spewing a cloud of radiation over much of the Northern Hemisphere. A zone about 19 miles (30 kilometers) around the plant was declared uninhabitable.

Thirty-one men died mostly from being exposed to very high levels of radiation trying to contain the accident.

But there is no agreement on how many people are likely to die of cancers caused by its radiation.

No radiation exposure deaths have been blamed on the leaks at Fukushima Dai-ichi. Two plant workers were treated for burns after walking in heavily contaminated water in a building there.

The tsunami, spawned by a 9.0magnitude earthquake, knocked out cooling systems and backup diesel generators, leading to hydrogen explosions at three reactors and a fire at a fourth that was undergoing regular maintenance and was empty of fuel.

Workers have been improvising for weeks with everything from helicopter drops to fire hoses to supply cooling water to the plant.

NASA announces new homes for its retiring space shuttles The three retiring U.S. space shuttles will be going on display at museums in Florida, California and Virginia, the U.S. space agency NASA said Tuesday.

Museums around the United States had competed for the aging shuttles, which are being retired because of high operating costs and to free up funds for a new generation of spacecraft that can fly farther from Earth.

The mothballing of NASA's shuttle fleet this year will hand over human space transportation to former archrival Russia 50 years after the first human space flight.

"Take good care of our vehicles. They have served the nation well," said NASA administrator Charlie Bolden, who announced the shuttles' final resting places at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle flight.

The shuttle Atlantis, which is being prepared for the 30-year-old shuttle program's 135th and final flight this summer, will stay in Florida, roosting at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center.

Endeavour, which is now at the launch pad for its final liftoff on April 29, is promised to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. And Discovery, which completed its final mission last month, will go to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in northern Virginia.

The Smithsonian also will transfer the shuttle prototype Enterprise to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City. The Intrepid is a decommissioned U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.

With the shuttles' retirement, Russia takes on the job of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station, a $100billion project involving 16 nations.

U.S. dependence on Russian space transportation will end only if commercial companies develop passenger spaceships.

A handful are trying to do just that.

They include the Boeing Co., Space Exploration Technologies, Orbital Sciences Corp., Sierra Nevada Corp., and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.

"This is a necessary step that we had to take so that we can go on to do the next step," NASA astronaut Ron Garan said recently from aboard the orbiting space station.

"Our goal is to get out of the business of low-Earth orbit, turn that over to the commercial enterprises, and to get on to what NASA and the other government agencies are really designed for -and that's exploration."

Rather than spend $4 billion to $5 billion a year to fly the shuttles, the U.S. plans to develop spaceships that can travel beyond the station's 350-kilometrehigh orbit, where the shuttles cannot go.

Mother drives minivan into river with kids

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

The unhinged mother who drove her minivan off a Newburgh dock and into the Hudson River told her four children that she wasn't leaving this world alone.

"If I'm going to die, you're going to die with me," Lashanda Armstrong told the children before the vehicle sank to the bottom of the river just before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, the only surviving child told authorities.

Armstrong's 10-year-old son, Lashaun, escaped the doomed family minivan - opening a power window and swimming to safety in the two minutes it took for the vehicle to sink.

But as he wriggled out of the window, his mother snatched his pants leg. "I made a mistake," she said before finally releasing the boy, the child told authorities.

After swimming to shore, the dripping-wet Lashaun made it to the road, where he was picked up by Meave Ryan, a good Samaritan who took the boy to a nearby firehouse.

"He was waving his hands, screaming 'Help me!'" said Ryan, 31.

"He said, 'My mommy just drove the car into the water.'"

Shivering and barely able to speak, little Lashaun told firefighters how his mother had launched the van into the river with his siblings inside and how, just moments before, she dialed her dad for help, the kids screaming in the background.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to do something crazy," Armstrong said, according to the boy's story.

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Lashanda Armstrong (right) drove her minivan into the Hudson, killing 2-year-old Lance (back), 5-year-old Landon (front center) and 11-month-old Lainaina (below). Lashaun (left), 10, survived.

That prompted a 911 call that brought police to her Newburgh home, but it was too late.

Police wouldn't confirm details of the domestic dispute that preceded the murder-suicide inside the tan van, but neighbors said Armstrong and longtime boyfriend Jean Pierre were frequent fighters in their second-floor home.

Armstrong, who battled with Pierre over his womanizing, had twice asked to get the apartment locks changed in a sixmonth period - most recently in March, the building landlord said.

Pierre - nicknamed "Prime" - was

US air traffic control head quits over tower sleep row

The head of the US air traffic control agency has resigned after a number of incidents where air traffic controllers fell asleep while on duty.

Hank Krakowski submitted his resignation, said Randy Babbitt, chief of the Federal Aviation Administration.

On Thursday, Mr Babbitt pledged a "top to bottom review" of the air traffic control system.

In the past month, several planes have landed safely at US airports without controller guidance.

"Over the last few weeks we have seen examples of unprofessional conduct on the part of a few individuals that have rightly caused the travelling public to question our ability to ensure their safety," Mr Babbitt said in a statement.

"This conduct must stop immediately."

Mr Babbitt said David Grizzle, chief counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), would assume Mr Krakowski's duties as acting head of the Air Traffic Organization.

The issue rose to prominence last month when two jets were forced to land at about midnight at Reagan National Airport, just by Washington DC, without help from the local control tower.

The pilots, who carried 165 people aboard the two planes, were unable to raise the tower controller on the radio, and a subsequent investigation revealed he had inadvertently fallen asleep during the shift.

Within the past week, the FAA revealed that an air traffic controller at a major airport in Seattle had fallen asleep during a morning shift on Monday; the FAA said he had also fallen asleep on two separate occasions during an early evening shift on 6 January.

And a controller in the US state of Nevada was asleep and out of communication for about 16 minutes on Wednesday while a medical plane was landing, federal officials have said.

An air traffic controller in Tennessee was found to have lain down for a nap during an overnight shift in February, the Washington Post reported.

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the father of the three dead children. He began dating Armstrong, 25, when they were in high school.

"They went to the prom together, put it that way," said the dead woman's aunt, Angie Gilliam, who made the futile 911 call.

It was unclear if Pierre, 26, was at the apartment before Armstrong's inexplicable death ride - a six-block drive from her home to a concrete boat ramp and into the river.

A 22-year-old neighbor said she and Pierre had a three-month affair while Armstrong was pregnant last year

with her last child, 11-month-old Lainaina.

The baby, along with her brothers Landon, 5, and Lance, 2, died with their mother.

Armstrong knew about Pierre's roaming eye, and it became an ongoing argument.

"There was nonstop arguing late at night - normal kind of stuff," said the neighbor, who later befriended Armstrong. "Why are you back so late?

Who were you with? But I can't picture her putting the kids in the car and doing that."

Cops released Pierre on Wednesday night after a day of questioning. He is not expected to be charged.

Weeping members of the Armstrong family released three starshaped white balloons on Wednesday at the boat ramp where the van lurched into the 45-degree river.

They lit candles and left flowers, along with three stuffed animals for the lost children: An elephant, a monkey and a dog. Relatives retrieved clothes from the family apartment for 10-yearold Lashaun. "My nephew's doing fine," Gilliam told reporters. "He's really not talking."

An hour-long search turned up the sunken van, holding the four bodies, about 75 feet offshore in 8 feet of water.

Shortly before Lashaun reached the firehouse, Gilliam called police about the domestic dispute. They arrived to find the apartment empty; Gilliam arrived a short time later to word of the deaths.

FBI TO USE HIGH-TECH PHOTO EQUIPMENT IN SEARCH FOR MORE BODIES ON LONG ISLAND

The FBI will deploy high-tech aerial photography in the hunt for more bodies dumped by the killer or killers who have buried at least 10 victims along miles of Long Island beach.

Officials with the Nassau County Police Department announced Thursday that the search will focus on areas that have been inaccessible by foot. Objects were previously spotted there by helicopter.

Police sources also say the remains of the 10 victims could be the work of two serial killers, according to local press accounts.

A Nassau police spokeswoman, however, would not confirm that police are hunting two killers, saying only that authorities are waiting for reports from the medical examiner on the age, sex and condition of the latest remains found.

"We're still waiting for those reports," the spokeswoman said. "We can't confirm anything -- that's all speculative right now."

Police looking for missing New Jersey escort Shannan Gilbert found the remains of four prostitutes wrapped in burlap bags along a deserted stretch of ocean parkway in December. The women, all in their 20's, had advertised their services on Craigslist. When authorities resumed the search for Gilbert in March, they found another four sets of human remains -- one was reportedly a child and another a man, the New York Daily News reports. Police then discovered two more sets of remains -- a torso and skull -- near Jones beach on Monday.

Police sources told WCBS-TV that the killings may be two patterns and the work of two killers. The New York Post reports that the

most recent remains found, which predate the escorts, could be victims of Long Island serial killer, Joel Rifkin, who is serving a life sentence for the deaths of nine prostitutes.

Three of his victims have never been found.

Suffolk County Police Chief Richard Dormer said Wednesday he will not speculate on the "age, gender or condition" of the latest victims found.

Police divers searched the waters just off the Cedar Beach marina Wednesday for "any evidence" connected to the remains found.

No suspect or person of interest has so far been named, and Dormer said Wednesday that investigators are "interviewing a lot of people."

Dormer also said police have received more than 600 tips in the case.

Police sources have said evidence suggests that whomever dumped the four bodies discovered in December is knowledgeable of police investigative tactics and familiar with the area of Long Island where the bodies were found.

Law enforcement sources also told WCBS-TV that they have a working profile of the killer -- a white male between the ages of 25 and 40, and intelligent.

Dormer said Wednesday that he believes the four murdered women found in December were targeted because they were sex workers, and he cautioned other prostitutes to "be very careful who they meet and where they meet them."

In an attempt to calm local residents' fears, Dormer said, "We don’t have someone running around Suffolk county with blood dripping from a knife."

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EU banks threaten global financial stability: IMF

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WASHINGTON – Unhealthy European banks are the biggest threat to global financial stability, and they need to find fresh capital, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.

"Many institutions -- particularly weaker European banks -- are caught in a maelstrom of interlinked pressures that are intensifying risks for the system as a whole," the IMF said in its Global Financial Stability Report.

"Remaining structural weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the euro area still pose significant downside risks if not addressed comprehensively," it said.

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The 187-nation IMF warned of a looming funding challenge for both banks and countries struggling with sovereign debt problems, "particularly in some vulnerable euro area countries."

As a result of the global financial crisis, it said, "banks have sought to raise both the quantity and quality of capital, but progress has been uneven, with European banks generally lagging US banks."

"These low levels of capital make some German banks, as well as weak Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish savings banks, vulnerable to further shocks."

Europe will not escape, IMF

economists said, a restructuring of failing banks and a recapitalization of viable banks.

"But it is likely that some of the capital will need to come from public sources," they said.

The Washington-based Fund said financial institutions could build capital by reducing dividend payout ratios and retaining a greater proportion of earnings.

Another possible measure would be a gradual downsizing of balance sheets to reduce capital and funding needs.

Such moves could help avert fire

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

sales of assets, which would only intensify problems in the global financial system.

"Global banks face a wall of maturing debt, with $3.6 trillion due to mature over the next two years. Bank debt rollover requirements are most acute for Irish and German banks," the IMF said.

"Heavy debt burdens weigh on economic activity and threaten financial stability by making balance sheets more fragile. When debt is at high levels, its sustainability becomes increasingly sensitive to changes in funding costs and rollover rates."

Leading app maker said to be planning Twitter competitor

UberMedia, which owns several popular applications that interface with Twitter, is outlining plans to build a social network that could compete with that popular microblogging platform, said three people who were briefed on the plans.

The service would seek to attract users by addressing common complaints about Twitter, such as its restriction on the length of a message and how it can be confusing to newcomers, according to these sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the plans.

UberMedia is a leading developer of apps and Web-based services that help users communicate on Twitter and other social media platforms. The Pasadena, California-based company has amassed a small empire of apps -- among them UberSocial, Echofon and Twidroyd -- that connect to Twitter and offer features beyond Twitter's own software.

Together, those UberMedia programs accounted for about 11.5% of tweets sent on one day last month, according to a study by market research firm Sysomos. UberSocial is the third most-popular way to send tweets, behind Twitter's website and official iPhone app, the study found.

TweetDeck is tied with Twitter's own BlackBerry app as the fourth most-popular software for sending messages, Sysomos said. UberMedia is in talks to acquire TweetDeck, but that deal hasn't been finalized, according to a person familiar with the matter. Industry website TechCrunch first reported on the talks.

"The audience for TweetDeck is very different" from the people who use Twitter's official apps, Tony Haile, a general manager for Betaworks, said a year ago. The technology incubator is where TweetDeck started. "We never competed on core functionality."

Twitter has experienced rapid growth since its launch five years ago and now has about 200 million registered users. Last week, Twitter said users were sending 155 million tweets a day, a 282% increase over a year ago. Sign-ups over the most recent quarter were up 52% compared with the year before, Twitter said.

Twitter competitors such as FriendFeed or Google Buzz have failed to catch on with mainstream users -- although some, like Tumblr, are growing.

Nine out of 10 people actively using Twitter access the service through the website or an official app at least once a month, Twitter wrote last month in a memo to third-party developers.

That memo caused a bit of an uproar among

developers, who were unhappy that Twitter was discouraging them from developing standard client apps. Twitter has instead asked independent programmers to build software that presents Twitter data in unique ways, such as mashups, rather than showing a conventional list of messages from followers.

Developers took to blogs and message boards to vent, accusing Twitter of abandoning the unpaid evangelists who helped grow the service early on.

A Twitter spokesman declined to comment, but executives say they're trying to guide developers toward a path that doesn't duplicate the functions Twitter already offers.

Twitter held a conference around this time last year called Chirp, aimed at developers, where it launched the first official apps for smartphones.

Mobile was previously a niche reserved for third-

party developers, and they were put off by Twitter seemingly encroaching on their territory. Twitter has not said whether it will hold a Chirp event this year.

The relationship between Twitter and UberMedia appears to be especially strained.

Twitter temporarily shut out three of UberMedia's apps in February, saying they were in violation of company policies. Twitter asked UberMedia to change the name of one of the apps, formerly called UberTwitter and now UberSocial, said UberMedia CEO Bill Gross.

UberMedia's proposed Twitter competitor could be a backup plan, implemented only if the relationship with Twitter becomes untenable, said a person familiar with the matter. Gross, who sources say has been briefing people on the project for months, declined requests for interviews through a spokesman.

Flip handheld video camera gets the ax

The popular Flip video camera - the top-selling camcorder in the United States last year -- is getting the ax as part of a revamp at parent company Cisco Systems, CEO John Chambers said on Tuesday.

The move to kill a gadget that won rave reviews for jumpstarting low-cost handheld video comes less than a week after Chambers said he had to make "tough decisions" about cutting spending on some product areas.

Cisco bought Flip in 2009 for $590 million in an acquisition spree to build a stronger consumer business.

The surprise decision to shut down Flip rather than sell it underscores pressure on Chambers to whittle down Cisco's money-losing consumer division.

Cisco spokeswoman Karen Tillman did not say why the

company decided to kill the Flip business rather than sell it.

Last year Cisco sold 23 percent of all camcorders in the United States, ahead of Sony and Eastman Kodak, according to market research firm NPD Group. Those figures exclude

sales by Wal-Mart and some club stores.

Cisco said it would clean out its Flip phone inventory before ending the product line.

It is almost unheard of for a manufacturer to kill a top selling product in its category.

Social networking site Twitter was abuzz with tweets about the news, and "RIP Flip" was one of the day's most discussed topics. "Too bad.

I still love my Flip!" tweeted one user.

Flip has recently lost some of its cachet, primarily because mobile phones makers now offer devices with similar functions incorporated into their handsets. It has also faced strong competition from other handheld camcorders, including Kodak's line of PlaySport devices.

Cisco plans to cut 550 of its 73,000 jobs. Chambers has previously said the company would focus on five areas: routing, switching and services; collaboration; data center virtualization; architectures; and video.

US lagging in using technology, study shows

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

The United States continues to lag other nations in its use of computing and communications technology, according to an annual study issued Tuesday by the World Economic Forum.

For the second consecutive year, the United States finished fifth in the study’s comparison of 138 countries that make up 98.8 percent of the world’s total gross domestic product. Sweden was first, followed by Singapore, Finland and Switzerland.

These rankings, for 2010, are based on an index of 71 economic and social indicators, as diverse as new patents, mobile phone subscriptions and availability of venture capital.

The annual reports began in 2001,

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after the collapse of the Internet bubble.

The World Economic Forum, based in Davos, Switzerland, holds that technological progress is the principal driver of innovation, productivity and efficiency.

“What we are trying to address,” said a co-author of the study, Soumitra Dutta, a professor of Information Systems at the Insead business school, “is what is the capability and what is the level of success of a nation to benefit from the network economy?”

The study showed the rapid progress of the so-called Asian Tigers, whose governments have invested heavily in technology. Besides Singapore, Taiwan was ranked 6th,

South Korea 10th and Hong Kong 12th.

Japan was 19th.

China ranked 36th and India 48th, falling five places from 2009. Rounding out the large developing BRIC countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China — Brazil was 56th and Russia 77th.

The country making the most progress in 2010 was Indonesia, which jumped 14 places to 53rd — in part because of high educational standards and in part because of the importance the government has placed on information and communications technology.

Among Western nations, Canada was 8th, Norway 9th, Germany 13th, Britain 15th and France 20th. The two lowest countries were Burundi and

Amazon to sell the Kindle Reader at a lower price, but with advertising added

SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon is shaving another $25 off the price of its Kindle ereader, this time with the help of advertisers.

The newest Kindle is $114.

Amazon will sell its e-book reader at the lower price by showing ads as screen savers and at the bottom of the home screen, and by selling special offers, similar to Groupon and other daily deal sites.

Amazon is also showing how far it is willing to go to remain a front-runner in the ereader price wars. The new Kindle is $35 less than Barnes & Noble’s least expensive Nook and $66 less than Sony’s least expensive Reader. It is also several hundred dollars cheaper than an Apple iPad. “This is really about having a Kindle that’s more affordable,” said Jay Marine, director of Kindle at Amazon.

The device, known as “Kindle with Special Offers,” will have the same hardware as the most recent, $139 Kindle, with Wi-Fi, a one-month battery life and an 8.5-ounce body. But instead of the typical Kindle screen savers, like images of authors, Amazon will show ads from brands like Buick, Procter & Gamble and Visa. The ads will also show up on the home screen, but they will not appear inside e-books.

Amazon will give users a say in which ads they see, borrowing a page from the playbooks of Hulu and TED.com. People can vote, either online or on a Kindle app called AdMash, for their favorite of two ads, like a close-up of a model’s face versus a photo of a jar of cream for Olay.

They can also tell Amazon whether they want to see more or fewer ads with landscapes or illustrations, for instance.

Readers will also be able to get discounts through their Kindles. Amazon will open the offers to advertisers, but to

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start, the deals are all from its site, like $10 for a $20 Amazon.com gift card or 50 percent off a Roku streaming player from Amazon.

The ads and offers appear to be another significant step toward Amazon building its own tablet and competing more directly with the iPad, said James L. McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research who studies digital media and consumer electronics. Amazon opened an Android app store last month and has been hiring Android software developers.

An Amazon tablet could tie together the seemingly disparate parts of the company’s business, Mr. McQuivey said, including e-commerce, e-books, video and audio.

“I can so easily see them selling a tablet in the future at a dramatically reduced price,” he said. “To me, this is a way for them to test that out and to start talking to advertisers.”

When asked whether the new Kindle was a move toward a tablet, Mr. Marine said, “I don’t want to speculate.” He also declined to say when the Kindle would have a color or touch screen, both elements of the Apple iPad and Android tablets made by Motorola, Samsung and others.

Chad.

The United States was uneven on many measures that affect economic competitiveness. For example, it ranked 76th in the rate of mobile phone subscriptions, 48th in low-cost access to business phone lines and 24th in percentage of households with a personal computer — behind Bahrain, Singapore and Brunei, among others.

Professor Dutta said the United States ranked 52nd in math and science education.

The World Economic Forum has created an ambitious Web site, weforum.org/tgt, to display the findings, including a visualization tool useful for exploring the data.

US fast food chains bet on India to drive growth

MUMBAI – The scramble by global food companies into India's fast food sector intensified on Monday as several U.S. chains announced plans to enter the country, hoping to tap the surging spending power in Asia's third-largest economy.

Restaurants like Denny's Corp, known for serving pancakes and sausages all day, and Rita's Water Ice, which would be the first foreign competitor to local water ice brands like Gola, which operates out of little stalls placed mostly on streets, plan to enter India over the next two years.

Pollo Tropical of Carrols Restaurant, known for Caribbeanflavored chicken, Applebee's and Johnny Rockets, known for its hamburgers, are also looking to cash into the Indian quick-service restaurant market worth $13 billion.

All brands will face challenges as they compete with incumbent McDonald's and Yum Brands, not the least of which would be adapting a meat-centric menu to a largely vegetarian palate.

Denny's Corp, which plans to make an Indian foray in 2012, has set up a supply chain network and customized its offering to suit local palates, William Edwards, chief executive of EGS, which handles the company's international expansion.

He said the menus would be stripped free of beef and pork, and would focus on fish and vegetarian dishes instead.

"In India we are planning to have regional licensees with 10, 25 or 50 units," Edwards said, adding that every 10 units required an investment of about $5 million.

Others wanting a foothold include Wendy's, Arby's International, CKE Restaurants with Carl's Jr and Focus Brands with Schlotzsky's Deli, all known for sandwiches and burgers.

BannaStrow's Crepes and Coffee, Moe's Southwest Grill and Carvel Ice Cream are also in line.

"We are excited about the opportunity in India and are hopeful that the franchises we have brought with us will see an opportunity for expansion here," said Nicole Y.Lamb Hale, the assistant secretary for manufacturing services, U.S. Department of Commerce, who accompanied the franchises into India.

Starbucks Corp and Dunkin Donuts recently announced plans to enter India, taking advantage of a growing preference for coffee and a culture that is increasingly socializing in cafes.

India caps foreign ownership in single brand retail at 51 percent, forcing all foreign chains to seek partnerships to do business in the nation of 1.2 billion people.

The franchise owners plan to meet the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in the coming days.

The franchise market in India, estimated to be worth $3.3 billion, is growing at a rate of 30 percent.

Casual dining chain Applebee's and Johnny Rockets also said they were in talks with several players in the country as they sought franchise partners.

"We are still in talks and will probably start our operations with Mumbai, Delhi," Phil Crimmins, president of Applebee's international division said.

Johnny Rockets said it was also open to joint venture opportunities.

"We are hoping to sign a deal in the next 6-8 months and after that start operations in the next 6-9 months," Steve Devine, senior vice president, international development at Johnny Rockets said.

Caribbean Predators lead Female Beach Football table

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APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

CENTRAL STORAGE BOYS LEAGUES CONTINUE

Leeward Knights continued to dominate the U17 Boys Central Storage League with victories over Long Bay Revolution and Five Cays FC (both 30).

Luis Turbyfield found the net on three occasions for the Knights and with Herby Magny (2) and Hendry Gedeon (1) rounding off the scoring. In the two other games, Five cays FC beat Blue Hills 3-0 with goals from Jeff Joseph (2)and Kevin Innocent howevere Blue Hills rounded off the day with a 3-0 win against Long Bay Revolution with goals from Jackenson (2) and Vacany. With three weeks left to play Leeward are in a strong position with Five Cays just behind them. Both Blue Hills and Long Bay will have a lot to do if they are to challenge for the top places. MVP for the day was Luis Turbyfield.

SAILROCK UNDER 14 GIRLS LEAGUE

Shrimps and Warriors

THE WOMEN'S BEACH Soccer League finished its fourth round of games at the weekend and for the first time this year Caribbean Predators have been knocked of the top of the table.

The Beach Soccer Ballers now sit proud as league leaders courtesy of their 7-6 win over their nearest rivals. In another close game, both teams were tied 6-6 after the regulation three periods but it was Sarah Cenary who scored the winner in extra time.

Both teams had played an exciting and competitive game and lead switched between teams several times. Pekiera Brooks scored four goals for the Predators but it was the improving Kadine Delphin who was the stand out player for her team creating many chances and scoring two goals herself.

Yarileny de la Cruz played another great game in goal for the Predators but even her heroics could not stop the lethal Cenary from scoring five goals on the day. Patrice Senior-Clayton and Yarielca De La Cruz rounded off the scoring for the new league leaders.

The second game was just as competitive with the New Wave Warriors securing a 7-6 win against the All Star Shrimps which moves them into third

place just two points behind the league leaders. The game appeared to be heading into extra time before Gaya Smith's pass allowed Jancilia Cox an opportunity to slot home the winner.

The game had exploded in action with the Warriors taking a 5-2 lead after the first period only for the Shrimps to get back into the game and finish the second period just one goal behind at 6-5.

Christina Hinds scored a hat-trick for the Shrimps who also had goals from Jacinda Alfrena, Jo Tyson and Shinaydine Pluviose but it was not to be enough as Cox's double hat-trick and Willandra Elliot’s effort made the difference.

MVP for the day was Jancilia Cox of the New Wave Warriors.

The Women's league has one round of games to be played before the easter break this Sunday (17th) which also sees the start of the Da Conch Shack Men's Beach Soccer league whose teams played a series of friendly games in preparation for what promises to be a very exciting and skilful competition.

Games begin at 3.30 on Grace Bay beach in front of Flamingoes Bar and Restaurant.

Knights, Lions reach Provo Basketball League final

The following are playoff games of the above mentioned league. In game 3 of the playoffs Friday 8th April: Knights 75 defeated South Caicos 73. Michael Cumberland from the knights scored 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Jonathon Paul scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for South Caicos!

It came down to two free throws by Alvardo Hall from the knights to seal the victory for a place in the finals against Kingston Lions!

Knights will faceoff against the Lions in game one of the best out of 5 series on Friday, April 15.

Before that game, Lady Flamingos will go up against CHHS Eagles in a woman’s league game. The Eagles are looking to reclaim glory after being grounded by the flamingos earlier in the league.

With only two weeks left two play it looks as if Five Cays FC and Blue Hills Sharks will be contesting for the right to be the first ever Champions of the Sailrock U14 Girls League.

Five Cays beat Bight United 2-1, then Leeward Knights 5-1 before drawing 1-1 with Long Bay Revolution.

Blue Hill Sharks claimed two wins against Bight United (3-0) and Leeward Knights (1-0) with Mykelor Michel and Shinaydine Pluviose scoring two goals each. Long Bay moved into third place with their 2-0 win against Bight United, Raynin Lightbourne, Sharika Been and Olivia O'Connell scoring for the Revolution.Other scorers on the day included Waldine Pierre (1) for United but it was Five Cays who again top scored.

Sydney Lawson scored twice and Guerline Hall and Kennia Herilien also found the back of the net but three goals from Yarileny De La Cruz ensured she remained the leagues top goalscorer with11 goals. MVP was Sharika Been of Long Bay Revolution who attends Whole Gospel School

SAILROCK UNDER 11 BOYS LEAGUE

The sailrock Under 11 Boys League completed its fourth round of games at the weekend with all four teams winning and losing a game each.

The results ensured that the teams remain close to each other on points and that all four teams can still win the league which has two weeks left to run. league leaders Blue Hill Sharks lost their opening game 1-0 to Leeward Knights before coming back to defeat Five Cays FC who had earlier disposed of Long Bay Revolution 2-1.

The Revolution ensured they kept themselves in the hunt for the league title with a close 1-0 win against the Knights. The fact that each game was decided by a single goal shows how competitive the league is and although the Sharks have the upper hand at the moment it should go down to the last week of the league to determine the winners.

MVP for the day was Steven Jennings

WI drop Gayle, Chanderpaul, Sarwan for ODI series

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

The West Indies have dropped experienced batting trio Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan for the upcoming one-day internationals against Pakistan.

A statement from the West Indies Cricket Board said the trio had been left out of squad for the opening two games in the five match series as part of a policy to encourage the development of younger players.

The move comes after widespread disappointment with the displays from senior players during the recent World Cup, where West Indies again failed to impress.

Nonetheless, the dropping of three former captains who have made up the bulk of the Caribbean runmaking in the past five years is a drastic move.

Jamaican Gayle is 31, Sarwan is 30 and fellow Guyanese Chanderpaul is 36.

Ernest Hilaire, chief executive of the board, said the aim was to bring in players who could improve on the disappointing World Cup campaign which ended with a quarter-final defeat to Pakistan.

"With a view to the stated goal of winning the 2015 Cricket World Cup, in the 2011-2012 phase the Selection Committee will expose

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Chris Gayle

players to international cricket who could potentially play a vital role in the 2015 Cricket World Cup campaign," Hilaire said.

Antiguan leg spinner Anthony Martin is the only uncapped player named in the squad for the opening two games against the touring Pakistanis in St Lucia.

Marlon Samuels, the 30-year-old Jamaican batsman, is named in the ODI squad for the first time since serving a two-year international ban for passing on team information to an Indian bookmaker.

Among the players who will

TICKET SALES FOR CARIFTA GAMES AT FULL BLAST

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Ticket sales for next weekend's 40th Carifta Games to be held at the Montego Bay Sports Complex from April 23-25 is said to be going "extremely well".

Patsy Thomas, who is in charge of ticket sales at the Kingston-based offices, told the Observer they had already received orders for 1'000 season tickets, including from overseas territories like the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and the Cayman Islands.

Of the 1,000 season tickets already ordered, she said the Bahamians had booked 150, with T&T and Cayman Islands ordering 50 each.

A total of 6,500 tickets would be sold each day at the stadium which will be hosting an international track and field event for the first time.

Jamaica will be staging the Carifta Games for the sixth time in its 40-year history and the first time since 1996, with the other occasions being 1974, 1979, 1988 and 1990. The championships are being held outside of Kingston for the first time.

And a number of the 26 eligible teams have been naming their squads, with Jamaica and the Bahamas both naming 70-member outfits on Monday.

The Jamaica team is expected to move into the Games Village at the Grand Palladium Hotel in Point, Hanover, on Thursday, team manager Langley Robinson said.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

have a chance against the Pakistanis are Barbadian batsman Kirk Edwards, Guyanese leg spinner Devendra Bishoo and Trinidad opening batsman Lendl Simmons.

Trinidad all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has recovered from the knee injury he sustained in the recent World Cup and returns to the squad - he will be vice-captain to skipper Darren Sammy.

After a Twenty20 game on April 21, the opening ODI games in St.Lucia take place on April 23 and 25 before two games in Barbados and the final ODI encounter in

Ramnaresh Sarwan

Guyana.

The teams will also face off in two test matches in May in Guyana and St.Kitts before West Indies host world champions India for a single Twenty20, five ODIs, and a three test series.

West Indies squad for first two ODI games v Pakistan: Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain),Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Devon Thomas.

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INTERNATIONAL SPORTS

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APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

Kobe Bryant fined $100,000 for gay slur

APRIL 15TH - APRIL 22ND 2011

LOS ANGELES- The NBA fined Kobe Bryant(notes) $100,000 on Wednesday for using a derogatory gay term in frustration over a referee’s call.

NBA Commissioner David Stern issued a swift disciplinary ruling after the Los Angeles Lakers’ five-time NBA champion guard cursed and used the homophobic slur when referee Bennie Adams called a technical foul on him during the third quarter of a victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

“Kobe Bryant’s comment during last night’s game was offensive and inexcusable,” Stern said. “While I’m fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. …

Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society.”

Stern’s action drew praise from gay-rights organizations that had demanded a fuller apology from Bryant and condemnation of his words by the Lakers. Bryant, the sixthleading scorer in NBA history, issued a statement earlier Wednesday saying

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Kobe Bryant

his words came strictly out of anger and shouldn’t be taken literally.

Solmonese said Bryant personally called him to apologize.

“He told me that it’s never OK to degrade or tease, and that he understands how his words could unfortunately give the wrong impression that this is appropriate conduct,” Solmonese said. “At the end

of a difficult day, I applaud Kobe for coming forward and taking responsibility for his actions.”

Bryant’s words and actions were captured by TNT’s cameras during the network’s national broadcast of the Lakers’ regular-season home finale.

Bryant punched his chair before taking a seat on the bench, throwing a towel on the court near his feet in frustration after picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter. He got his 15th technical of the season for arguing the call, one shy of the cumulative trigger for a one-game NBA suspension.

“What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period,” Bryant said in a statement issued through the Lakers.

“The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.”

The 32-year-old Bryant is a former league MVP, a 13-time All-Star, the leading scorer in Lakers franchise history and sixth on the NBA’s career list after passing Moses Malone last

Manchester United seal semifinal place as 10-man Chelsea crash out

Manchester United ended 10-man Chelsea's hopes of winning a trophy this season with a 2-1 home victory that put Alex Ferguson's side into the semifinals of the Champions League for the fourth time in five seasons.

A goal in each half from Javier Hernandez and Park Ji-Sung ensured a 3-1 aggregate win for the English Premier League leaders, who beat Chelsea in the 2008 final on penalties in Moscow.

United will next face either defending European champions Inter Milan or Schalke, who hold a 5-2 lead ahead of Wednesday's second leg in Germany.

The future of Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti is now in considerable doubt after a disappointing season which has seen the London side's domestic title reign realistically over with seven games to play.

The Italian raised eyebrows when he chose to start misfiring $80 million signing Fernando Torres up front with Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda flanking him, leaving former spearhead Didier Drogba on the bench.

The Ivory Coast striker made an immediate impact after replacing Torres at halftime, and got Chelsea back into the match soon after Ramires' 70thminute sending-off -- only for poor defending to allow United to regain a two-goal overall lead straight away.

"A lot of people thought Drogba would play," Ferguson told reporters. "I thought having signed Torres for the money they did they had to play him. I wasn't 100% sure but I couldn't see how they could leave Torres out."

Ancelotti admitted he might have made a mistake in starting the Spain striker, who has not scored since leaving Liverpool at the end of January.

"Maybe. Could be. I told you a lot of times this season I wanted to start with Fernando for this kind of game, these type of tactics," the former AC Milan coach said.

"Didier played well in the second half. I wanted to put more pressure up front because we needed to

score. Didier was fresh and he could use his power up front. This was the reason I took out Fernando."

The home side, having survived some early scares, thought they had scored in the 27th minute when Hernandez stole in at the near post to head home Wayne Rooney's cross, but the Mexico international strayed marginally offside.

The breakthrough came two minutes before halftime as veteran Ryan Giggs combined well with John O'Shea to burst into the right side of the penalty area and slide a pinpoint low cross with his favored left foot to an unmarked Hernandez at the far post.

Ancelotti replaced Anelka, the club's top scorer in Europe this season, with Salomon Kalou after an hour but United could have gone further ahead as goalkeeper Petr Cech did well to keep out a low shot from Nani and then Giggs aimed a weak header after more good work by Rooney.

Ramires, who was denied a penalty in injury-time in the first leg at Stamford Bridge last week, received his second yellow card after a tackle from behind on Nani.

The first, also for a foul on the Portugal midfielder in the opening half, had already meant the Brazil midfielder would have been suspended for the first leg of the semifinal if Chelsea had progressed.

With Nani replaced by Antonio Valencia in the 75th minute, Chelsea took advantage to level on the night as Michael Essien picked out Drogba with a lofted through pass and the 33-year-old chested the ball down and fired a low shot past Edwin van der Sar. But Chelsea's excitement lasted less than 30 seconds as United surged forward, with Rooney and Giggs combining to set up hard-working South Korean midfielder Park -- who slotted in a low leftfoot shot.

It was the 37-year-old Giggs' third assist of the quarterfinal, having also set up Rooney's first-leg winner.

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month. He was the MVP of the last two NBA finals while leading the Lakers to back-to-back titles.

Bryant has been among the NBA’s most popular players worldwide for most of his 15-year career, spent entirely with the Lakers, even after he was arrested and accused of sexual assault in 2003 in a case that was later dropped. He has several lucrative endorsement deals with companies ranging from Sprite to Turkish Airlines.

His No. 24 jersey was the league’s best-selling uniform among fans during each of the past two seasons, and Bryant’s jersey finished second to LeBron James’(notes) new Miami uniform in the NBA’s annual rankings released earlier Wednesday.

Known as a fierce competitor with a nasty edge, Bryant has ranked among the NBA’s top 10 accumulators of technical fouls during each of the past six seasons, and he has edged right up to the line of serious NBA discipline this spring. He ranks second only to Orlando’s Dwight Howard(notes) in technical fouls this season, mostly for arguing with referees.

SCHWARTZEL CHARGES TO VICTORY AT MASTERS AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fifty years to the day after Gary Player, the godfather of South African golf, became the first international player to win the Masters, his countryman Charl Schwartzel won the 75th Masters on Sunday, breaking though a chaotic afternoon shootout by birdieing the final four holes at Augusta National Golf Club.

As roars exploded like cannon fire through the pines, saluting eagles and birdies by the seven other players who either held or shared the lead, Schwartzel, 26, a thin man with a muscular game, came from four strokes off the pace with the day’s low round of 66 for 14-under-par 274.

Schwartzel joined his countryman and friend Louis Oosthuizen, the reigning British Open champion, in giving the PGA European Tour all four major championship trophies. He brushed off challenges from the Australians Jason Day (68) and Adam Scott (67), who finished two strokes back; and from Tiger Woods, who charged with a 67, Geoff Ogilvy (67) of Australia and Luke Donald (69) of England, who tied for fourth at 10 under.

“So many roars and so much atmosphere out there,” the soft-spoken Schwartzel said after becoming the third South African to win the Masters, and the first since Trevor Immelman three years ago.

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

No one had. Never before in the 75 years of the Masters has a champion birdied the last four holes in a final round, though Jack Nicklaus did play them in four under with an eagle, two birdies and a par in his stirring 1986 win. And if the eight golfers who held or shared the lead at some point during the raucous afternoon did not set a record, they could not have been far off.

It is the second win of the year for Schwartzel, who won the Joburg Open. It gives him all the perks that come with a major — a five-year exemption into the United States Open, the British Open and the P.G.A. Championship and into all the World Golf Championship events.

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TURKS AND CAICOS SUN

APRIL 15TH- APRIL 22ND, 2011

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