VOLUME 9 ISSUE 19

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

Website: www.suntci.com

VOLUME 9 - No. 19

Email: sun@suntci.com

Tel: 649-946-8542

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Fax: 649-941-3281

www. twitter.com/suntci

BUTCH STEWART SPEAKS OUT

BY HAYDEN BOYCE PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

H

Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Owner of Beaches Turks and Caicos Islands

LILLIAN BOYCE CONDEMNS INHUMANE BULLDOZING OF HAITIAN HOUSES

otel magnate Gordon “Butch” Stewart says “economics” was one of the main reasons why he will be forced to close Beaches Resort in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands for six weeks, from September 1st to October 19th, this year.

In an exclusive interview with The SUN, Stewart dismissed as “rubbish”, reports that he was playing hardball with the Turks or Caicos Islands government or trying to hold the country to ransom.

“The closure is economics,” Stewart said. “If I wanted to close Beaches to serve lessons (to the Turks and Caicos Islands government), I have the reputation for saying I’m going to do it.”

He added: “Every year that we’ve been here we lose a fortune in the months of September and we lose half a fortune in the month of October, but because of the partnership that I believe we’ve had with the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, we’ve absorbed the costs every year. But in the last year we’ve had so many unusual costs, for example, we’ve had the Veranda from last December and we could have had it opened but we ended up having to close it. Can you imagine how

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CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST TWO AMERICAN TOURISTS

CORRUPTION ENDEMIC IN CAYMAN ISLANDS

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much money it cost us over the past five months? The Norovirus cost us about $9million because it forced us to close, although it never started with us. Then, we also had some stupid costs that could have been alleviated by attentive management.

But the bottom line is that this year we just could not absorb those losses. So really and truly we are closing and that’s unfortunate. Nobody seems to worry about Beaches when we are taking economic and financial pain.”

Although he did not mention it specifically, the “stupid costs” could have referred to the $12million which Stewart’s Sandals Resorts paid to the Special Investigations and Prosecution Team (SIPT) as part of a settlement.

This agreement, which was without any admission of liability by the company, its directors and/or officers, and does not prevent the prosecution of any other persons in respect of any facts and matters, was due in part to the co-operation of the company with the United States authorities to a degree that has been acknowledged to be both extraordinary and unique and included the early and voluntary release of valuable evidence that has been shared with the SIPT. When asked about some of the other issues that were affecting Beaches, Stewart identified the beach access and the labour protocol as the two main ones, and he also touched on the ongoing negotiations over a revised development agreement.

Regarding the beach access between Veranda and Beaches, he said: “We are going to have to cut holes in a chain link fence for our guests (from Veranda) to go through to access the services, restaurants and pools (at Beaches) and when the trade magazines take pictures of that, it is going to look very bad CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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BUTCH STEWART SPEAKS OUT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

on the Turks and Caicos Islands. If that’s how you treat a Five-Star set of guests, it is not good.”

As it now stands, there are two beach accesses on either side of the Veranda; one between Beaches and Veranda and the other between Veranda and The Alexandra, which is less than 100 metres away. Beaches has proposed to close the one between Veranda and its property and it has already gone ahead and spent close to $500,000 constructing a new and wider beach access with fenced parking at Forbes Road, in The Bight, west of Beaches property.

As it relates to the Labour Protocol which governs Beaches’ hiring practices, Stewart said: “We have a good Labour Protocol but nobody has ever paid any attention to it, so the Government breaks its own rules. You are a businessman, Hayden. Can anybody tell you how many people you must employ in your business? Well, how are they going to tell me how many people to employ? This is not a condo-hotel. This is a full-service 5-Star hotel. If you run a typical hotel with a restaurant and rooms you can run

it with an average of less than one person per bedroom, but we need two people per bedroom to carry out the various services.”

According to information provided by Beaches’ management, in 2012 the company held 16 job fairs and conducted 542 interviews but there were 435 no-shows. In 2012 Beaches hired 317 persons who were either Belongers or PRC holders, and 75 non-nationals. So far this year, the company had 10 job fairs and 402 persons did not show up. This year, Beaches hired 149 persons who were either Belongers or permanent residents and 76 non-nationals. The company has 1537 staff now, but still needs 537 more employees.

Commenting on the Development Agreement the 71-year-old Stewart said: “It’s going around in circles, but at this point I am not in a hurry. I have a good development agreement right now that goes back to 2006, but they want a new one. I like what I have now…until they are ready. You know, I hear the country saying that they have to collect money to pay off the loan. Well, they could have collected another $1.5million or $2million easily in accommodation tax if we were up and running (Veranda) for the winter, an

you also would have had more taxi drivers benefitting, more duty benefits and more people paying rent and so on” While closing temporarily, Beaches will also undertake a wide-ranging enhancement programme.

In a press statement about the closure issued earlier this month, Stewart stated: “Becoming the best and staying there does not happen by accident and we will be using this time to undertake a wide range of resort enhancements and service delivery programmes as well as providing an opportunity our hardworking team members to take a well-earned break.”

Upon reopening, Beaches Turks and Caicos will boast an expanded waterpark featuring an exciting new ‘Sky Slide’, upgrades to the 20 existing gourmet restaurants and many more back-of-house operational developments that will take the resort’s award-winning service delivery to even greater heights and further cement the Turks and Caicos Islands’ reputation as one of greatest destinations in the world.”

Guests booked to arrive at Beaches Turks and Caicos during the period are being offered the chance

to relocate to any of other 17 Sandals, Beaches and Grand Pineapple properties in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Antigua and the soon-to-open resort in Grenada and will receive a refund of any flight change costs they may incur. Those guests wishing to reschedule their stay for Beaches Turks and Caicos will enjoy the same rate as their existing booking along with any flight change fees.

Wedding parties will be rescheduled for a new date or relocated to another property as well as a free “Second Honeymoon” vacation next year and a complimentary candlelight dinner for the bride and groom during their stay.

But despite all of this, Stewart conceded that the closure of Beaches, the largest private sector employer in the Turks and Caicos Islands, will have an impact on the country’s economy.

He stated: “There is not one single human being living in Providenciales for sure, that does not benefit or get money from Beaches in one way, shape or the other. Our only job and desire is to make the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands happy and improve their way of life.

That’s our only job.”

CASES DROPPED AGAINST AMERICAN TOURISTS CHARGED WITH AMMUNITION POSSESSION

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he cases against the two American tourists, Cathy Davis and Horace Norrell, who were charged with ammunition possession in the Turks and Caicos Islands, have been dropped.

A press release from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution Joanne Meloche on Friday May 17th, said: “The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force have conducted a thorough investigation into this matter. After a review of the available evidence and taking into account all the circumstances, it is the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions to discontinue the criminal proceedings pursuant to section 100(2)(c) of the Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2011.”

Norrell, an 80-year-old retired neurosurgeon of Sarasota, Florida, and Davis, a 60-year-old co-owner of a Dallas real estate firm, were arrested and charged by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force for carrying ammunition at the Providenciales International Airport on Thursday April 25th and Friday April 26, respectively.

They were released on $4,000 cash bail and the matters were adjourned to a sufficiency hearing before Chief

Justice Edwin Goldsbrough on Friday June 7th 2013.

The charges sparked raging debates in local and international social media, led to scathing reports in several US newspapers and television stations.

In a recent press release, Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing said the Turks and Caicos Islands “welcomes and appreciates visitors from North America who choose the Turks and Caicos Islands as a prime vacation destination enjoying the beauty, tranquility and security of this small British Overseas Territory”.

He added: “We value our relationship with the United States and its people and will continue to wholeheartedly welcome and embrace tourists from that country. In our efforts to ensure the safety of the traveling public, including our valuable tourists, stringent airport security screening measures are in place at our International airports, which have been designed to conform with and are operated at high international standards.

We will continue to recognize the ongoing efforts of those security personnel and agents responsible for the detection of security breaches at these sensitive ports of entry as they ensure safety for all.”

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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Job Fairs & Recruitments for 2012 & 2013 2013 Job Fairs 2013 Belongers/PRC Holders Hired

10 168 HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

2012 Job Fairs 2012 Belongers/ PRC Holders Hired

16 317

Via Email

mmvaughn@grp.sandals.com

Via Fax

941-4870

Via Resume Drop Box

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9LD /DERXU 'HSDUWPHQW RI (PSOR\PHQW 6HUYLFHV

7HO ([W )D[ URL: http://www.labour.tc/

(Including Veranda Recruits)

,QIRUPDWLRQ FDQ EH YHULÂżHG E\ WKH 7XUNV &DLFRV 'HSDUWPHQW RI (PSOR\PHQW 6HUYLFHV

For more information applicants are encouraged to contact the Beaches Resorts Human Resource Department at 946-8000.

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LOCAL NEWS

The agony of Caribbean travel re-visited

BY SIR RONALD SANDERS

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oncerns surrounding State-owned airlines in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries clearly exist amongst a wide cross section of the Community. Evidence of this arose not only from the fact that fellow writer on Caribbean affairs, David Jessop, tackled this issue in the same week that I did, but also from the comments that have been sent to me.

This commentary features some of the comments that I have received.

A Caribbean person, who travels extensively in the region, bemoaned the failure to establish a regional airline and said the following: “The Air Jamaica take-over by Caribbean Airlines is merely window dressing - a lost opportunity for meaningful regional integration. Furthermore the name “Caribbean Airlines” is a misnomer to that particular carrier.

It is a Trinidad Airline and not behaving in a Caribbean friendly manner, which is perfectly fine as T&T are entitled to do what they wish with their resources - money and oil. But it shouldn’t pretend to be something it is not!!

Our leaders seem incapable of collaboration for the greater good. So it would appear that, unless and until, a supra-structure of a Caribbean Commission, Caribbean Parliament and Caribbean Council are established to serve the best interests collectively for the Caribbean region, we are not going to have any meaningful change in areas like this.

Secondly, an inappropriate business model is still being used to operate Caribbean Airlines at great cost and heavy losses. We now have to compete in a 21st century global air travel industry. We need to look around and see how others do it - it can be done. Thirdly the airline should be run by business people on commercial principles”.

A seasoned Caribbean public servant who has served the area regionally and internationally, asks the pertinent question: “Would a regionally owned airline be financially viable? Essentially combining Caribbean airlines with LIAT. Should the region give up the idea of a regional airline if collectively they can-

not afford it”?

A former foreign diplomat, who served in the Caribbean for many years, seemed to anticipate that question by saying: “It would be interesting to know whether an efficiently-run purely inter-island air service could be sufficiently financially viable to avoid a drain on the public purses of the countries served”.

And then a representative of the airline industry in the region summed up the issue of a regional airline to serve the needs of the region as follows: “That regional airline has existed for over 50 years. It was once owned by BWIA but was then sold to Court Line. After the demise of Court Line in 1974 the prospect of losing this essential link was about to become reality and it was taken over by the governments of the Caribbean to ensure that the intra-Caribbean travel needs of the people would continue to be served. Other airlines and their state owners pursued vanity airlines as you have described while LIAT did the unglamorous donkey work.

LIAT can be self-sufficient. It probably should not be expected to be profitable considering the role it plays in the economic life of the region. It is, after all, an essential service that no outside player has wanted to undertake. It can easily acquire the capability for modest linkages with the Americas to ensure that we will not be cut off.

I am convinced that I am correct, that Caribbean Airlines’ absence would not be missed in the marketplace. The same is not true of LIAT. History has not shown that Trinidad and Tobago is supportive of LIAT, but it is mightily proud of its flagship. Are they ready to allow it to sink? Who knows? Oil don’t spoil”.

What emerges from all this is a clear concern that the collective interest of the region is not being served by the continuous attempt to maintain “nationally-owned” airlines to fly internationally, particularly when they are government-owned and they become a burden on tax payers. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on loss-making airlines over the years that could have been spent on building needed infrastructure or on education, training in new technology and health.

Turks and Caicos Sun Suite # 5, Airport Plaza Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands Tel: (649) 946-8542 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 Offic e Manager: Dominique Rigby Information Technology and Production Manager: Kelano Howell Design by Design2pro.com 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.

A further dimension of this issue is whether even the CARICOM region as a whole would be able to operate a profitable Caribbean airline that flies internationally? There is no evidence to suggest that such a regionally-owned airline would be more profitable than the nationally-owned airlines that operate now and that have operated in the past.

It may very well be that the countries of CARICOM should focus their attention on improving their tourism product to make it competitive and superior in the global market place. They can then forge strategic alliances with foreign carriers and with tour operators and travel agents to ensure sufficient international airlift into their countries.

Another certainty in this entire issue is that travellers within the Caribbean are being subjected to high cost of travel that includes high government taxes. Beyond that, the service being provided by both the present scheduled airlines – Caribbean Airlines and LIAT - is less than reliable. Frequent flight delays and in some cases cancellations have cost Caribbean travellers and tourists both money and inconvenience.

It may be the case that, even collectively, CARICOM governments cannot afford an international carrier, and, therefore, they should abandon the idea. In doing so they might more reasonably focus their resources instead on an airline that provides inter-Caribbean service only.

Inter-Caribbean service is vitally needed for tourism and commerce and there are no foreign carriers providing such a service. The Caribbean business community that benefits from inter-Caribbean transport should be encouraged to participate in such an inter-Caribbean airline, sharing the risks, contributing to decision-making at board level and providing the benefit of their business experience and knowledge.

The agony of Caribbean transport is crying out for focussed attention.

Sir Ronald Sanders is a Consultant and former Caribbean diplomat.

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LOCAL NEWS

Tourist arrivals continue to fall Figures for the end of first quarters this year during the period of last year - 2012 - and also the showed that the country recorded a little less recent outbreak in Grand Turk during the first ourist arrivals to the Turks and Caicos Islands than 54,000 arrivals. This is in comparison to the quarter of this year that resulted in the cruise for the first quarter of this year experienced more than 300,000 that visited out shores in 2012, ships (stopped) coming to Grand Turk a period of a dip in comparison to the corresponding peri- the premier revealed. about a month,” he said. od over last year, according to Premier and Min“To date, as to the first quarter in 2013, we have According to him, the 64,968 difference in ister of Tourism Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing, who was a total of 253,751 visitors to our shores; this com- tourism figures this year when compared with answering questions from the Opposition during pared to similar period of the first quarter of last last year’s number could be pinned solely on the the House of Assembly meeting on Wednesday, year 318,719 visitors. And that is a first quarter dif- cruise port virus outbreak.

May 15. ference (deficit) of 64, 968,” the premier pointed In addition to the plummeting of cruise ship out. passengers for the first quarter of this year, EwGiving the breakdown, Premier Ewing said ing noted that there has been a slight plunge in that at the end of the first quarter this year the land-based tourist arrivals over the same period country recorded 253,751, of which 172,888 were last year. cruise and 80,863 were land-based or long staying “When you look at the arrival of land-based visitors. tourist, the difference for the first quarter of this The first quarter figures also marked a fur- year when compared to last year is about 2,000 – ther decline in visitor arrival experience all of last so we are about 2,000 short this year compared to year. The premier pointed out that at the end of the last year period,” Ewing emphasized.

2012, the country’s tourism arrival figure stood at It is still being determined how much rev969,775 - a 30,225 drop form the more than one enue government was robbed of as a result of million plus tourists that came to the Turks and the Grand Turk Cruise Ship Centre’s closure. It Caicos Islands in 2011. speculated that the figure could surpass a milPremier Ewing told the House that two signif- lion dollars. The port was closed for more than icant events are to be blamed for the decline in a month. Approximately 3000 tourists visit to tourist arrivals last year and the first quarter of seaport on a daily basis and pay a head tax of this year. One, according to him, is the Norovirus $2.50 each. outbreak that affected many of Providenciales’ hotels last year and the viral outbreak at the Grand Turk Cruise Center earlier this year.

“You could apprecihe Minister responsible for wealth countries to fight the globate that there are two Health & Human Services the al epidemic of mental health probsignificant events that Hon. Porsha Stubbs -Smith left the lems and the dire economic and occurred during these island on Thursday May 16th 2013 social impacts on individuals sufperiods. There is the to attend the 2013 Commonwealth fering with mental disorders, their event of the NoroviHealth Ministers Meeting in Gene- families, communities and ultirus outbreak at the hova, Switzerland. mately their nations. tels in Providenciales Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing Hosted by the Commonwealth · How Commonwealth GovernSecretariat Office, this meeting ments are addressing such issues of is being held under the theme stigma in relation to mental health.

The highly anticipated tradition “Mental Health: Towards Ecoaims at bringing locals back to the · The methods used by Comnomic and Social Inclusion” and monwealth countries as a means of “Big South” which is deemed the is expected to provide ministers assisting people living with mental fishing capital of the Turks & Caiand delegates with opportunities health problems to engage meancos Islands to participate in a four to share best practices and expe- ingfully towards recovery and indeday celebration. Public Relations eaches Resort Villages & Spa, Manager of Beaches Resort, Elanor riences particularly with regard pendence. the leading All Inclusive resort Finfin Krzanowski commented on to the stigma of mental health Minister Stubbs -Smith will be in Providenciales has signed on as the importance of supporting such in countries across the Common- accompanied by Director of Health one of the premier sponsors of the an important cultural event, “The wealth.

Services Dr. Nadia Astwood and Dr. 46th Annual South Caicos Regatta resort is excited to be a part of this The meeting will seek to address Alicia Malcolm Acting Director of scheduled to take place on South year’s extravaganza which is promthe following: Mental Health.

Caicos May 23-25, 2013. · Mechanisms and strategies ised to showcase the culture and The Minister returns to the TCI A tradition that began in 1967 history of these beautiful islands,” that may be available for Common- on May 21. when Queen Elizabeth visited she said, “We understands the imSouth Caicos, the South Caicos Re- portance of promoting and protectgatta remains one of the oldest fes- ing the culture of the Turks & Caitivals of its kind to be held in the cos Islands and we are very happy Turks & Caicos Islands, and this to be a part of this momentous fesyear the Beaches Resort is partner- tival that has been preserving Turks ing with Regatta Committee pres- and Caicos history since 1967.” ident, Kathleen Durham and DisThis year’s festivities will betrict Commissioner, Yvette Cox to gan on Thursday with a Regatta bring this year’s festivities to new Cultural Show featuring the Little heights.

Miss Regatta Beauty Pageant then “The South Caicos Regatta has the Miss Regatta beauty pageant, been in existence for 46 years and Talent and Comedy Show with a we are very happy to have Beach- cultural flavor and a live band on es Resort as our main sponsors this Friday. Saturday’s festivities will year,” said Kathleen Durham, “This include a 5:30 a.m. Jump-Up with sponsorship certainly helps in mak- We Funk Junkanoo Band, an Opening this year’s regatta grand and also ing Ceremony, triathlon, kite flyhelps us to continue to promote ing, dominoes, Boat Races, tug-o’our history while showcasing the war and much more. The Regatta many aspects of our culture for lo- festivities will conclude on Sunday cals and visitors.” with the annual Gospel Concert.

BY VIVIAN TYSON

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MINISTER OF HEALTH TO ATTEND COMMONWEALTH MEETING IN SWITZERLAND

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BEACHES RESORT SPONSORS 46TH ANNUAL SOUTH CAICOS REGATTA

B

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LOCAL NEWS Most government jobs posts filled

BY VIVIAN TYSON

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ajority of the close to 150 available positions in government have been filled and steps are taken to satisfy the remaining positions, according to Attorney General Hon. Huw Shepheard.

Last year the Dr. Rufus Ewing Administration announced during a news conference that there were approximately 150 positions in the public sector that needed to be filled, so that government could carry out its work more effectively. The government said at the time that one of the key hindrances to filling those posts was possible cash flow, but government would endeavor to have those slots filled as soon as possible.

On Wednesday, during the sitting of House of Assembly, Attorney General Shepheard was asked

by Opposition Leader Hon. Sharlene Cartwright Robinson as to status of the filling of the slots, and declared the majority have already been filled.

“At the beginning of this year there were 128 vacant posts, which included a number of posts in the police. In the period from October 15th to 31st of March, 2013, some 82 people were appointed to the government service, 65 of whom were Turks and Caicos Islanders and the remaining 17 were expatriates,” the

Hew Shepheard attorney general disclosed.

Except for the police, the attorney general did not provide information as to the areas the individuals that were filled, opting instead to lay the document on the table of the House, affording members the opportunity for perusal in finer detail.

Almost all the available positions were created at the end of a severance scheme carried out by government last year, to cut the civil service from approximately 2,500 to about 1,700. Other openings became available through retirement and resignations.

More positions could have become available had government not denied some of those who applied for the redundancy package under the scheme. Some key areas of government were affected by the severance scheme, including law enforcement and education.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Imperial Dry Cleaning & Laundry Centre is currently seeking qualified individuals to become members of our growing Team.

Laundry Manager

Job Description: ŏ Directs the overall activities of the laundry facility through development and administration. ŏ Implementation and enforcing that universal accepted policies and procedures are adhered. ŏ Manages departmental financial processes of forecasting, budgeting, and purchasing. ŏ Payroll and inventory control ŏ Analyze data and compile reports on expenditure and supplies. ŏ Select, train, monitor and evaluate team members’ performance. ŏ Ensures laundry facility and equipment are in optimum operating condition ŏ Ensure over all cleanliness and sanitation of the laundry premise ŏ Weekly productivity report Requirements: ŏ 5- 10 yrs experience as a Laundry Manager ŏ 3-5 yrs commercial laundry experience ŏ Team player ŏ Ability to work with a diverse team ŏ Knowledge of DCC System ŏ Knowledge of Textiles and Chemicals ŏ Knowledge of Laundry Equipment, Techniques and maintenance ŏ Knowledge of QB, Word and Excel ŏ Must have written and oral skills ŏ Customer Service Focused Salary Scale: $20,000.00 to $29,000.00 per annum based on qualification and experience.

Laundry Technician

Requirements: ŏ Install, repair and maintain laundry equipment, electrical, plumbing and related systems. ŏ Identity and source specialised components and tools. ŏ Prepare and maintain an effective preventive maintenance program and spare parts inventory. ŏ Excellent analytical and problem solving skills. ŏ 5 years experience in a commercial laundry with additional knowledge of water management and maintenance residential, commercial and industrial properties. ŏ Knowledge of relevant building codes, legislation, regulations, polices and current standard procedures for installation and maintenance. ŏ Effective communication and negotiation skills Salary Scale: $7. 00 to $10.00 per hr. based on qualification and experience.

Sales Associate

Job Description: ŏ 3-5 yrs commercial laundry experience ŏ Bachelors Degree in Finance & Banking ŏ Knowledge of DCC System ŏ Monitor and handle all telephone calls and response to queried ŏ Arrange Meetings ŏ Draft letters, memos and proposals ŏ Maintain systematic filing system ŏ Oversee outgoing and incoming correspondences ŏ Assist in daily operations ŏ Perform weekly bank deposit and record in QB ŏ Must be able to work on weekends ŏ Knowledge of QB, Word, Power Point and Excel ŏ Customer Service Focused Salary Scale: $17,000.00 to $19,000.00 per annum based on qualification and experience.

Pressers/Seamstresses

Requirements: ŏ 2 – 5 yrs experience as a Presser ŏ A minimum of 2 yrs working in a commercial laundry ŏ Knowledge in Textiles and Chemicals ŏ Makes garments, such as dresses, coats, and suits, according to customer specifications and measurements. ŏ Discusses with customer type of material, pattern, or style to be used in making garment. ŏ Measures customer to determine modification from pattern, using tape measure. ŏ Alternations of garments. ŏ Drafting standard pattern according to measurements of customer and adapt pattern to obtain specified style. ŏ Be able to maintain productivity standards on a daily basis ŏ Operational Knowledge of Machines ŏ Ensure that dry cleaning standards and practices are used with client’s linen/garments. ŏ Must be able to suggest treatment care to clients ŏ Customer Service Focused Salary Scale: $5. 00 to $7.00 per hr. based on qualification and experience.

Application giving full details of qualifications and experience should be addressed to: Office Manager or Fax to: 946-5627 Attn: Office Manager The Administrative Department Imperial Dry Cleaning and Laundry Centre in Receivership Long Bay Road Providenciales Turks & Caicos Islands, BWI and should reach no later than May 25, 2013, for further information/appointment you can contact us at Tele: 649-946-5633.

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LOCAL NEWS

Government will not suffer from cruise ship suspension

BY VIVIAN TYSON

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overnment does not stand to suffer any financial fall-out from the suspension of calls to the Grand Turk Cruise Center in March this year based on a prepaid cruise passenger agreement signed between the country and the Carnival Cruise Line prior to the opening of the Grand Turk Cruise Center in 2007.

However, if those passengers who were to have arrived here at the time of the center’s closure did not bother to book to return later this year, then government could lose out on arrival head tax.

The disclosure was made by Minister Finance Hon. Washington Misick, while addressing the House of Assembly on Wednesday, May 15.

Misick told the House that at the time of penning the contract, Carnival agreed to make departure tax prepayment in excess of 300,000 passengers annually, and so, government coffers would not suffer as a result recent berth fallouts.

Giving a detailed explanation of the agreement, Misick said that government and Carnival entered into a prepaid agreement departure tax structure for the first 300,000 persons annually.

“The departure tax was prepaid. So, we would have reached the 300,000 passenger mark in the month of May – if the ships were not cancelled.

That means that (from) those passengers we would have already received that money based on the advance payment that was made at the beginning of the contract with Carnival. As such, we are not expecting to receive any money from 64,876 passengers (that did not arrive at the cruise

Hon. Washington Misick port),” he explained.

He said however, that if the passengers did not rebook to come here later this year, Government could lose off arrival head tax of about 137,752.

“If we were to assume that those passengers did not rebook with Carnival for 2013, the potential loss to TCIG would be based on the head tax due from arrivals in excess of the 300,000. The figure currently is around $2 per head.

“If they have in fact rebooked to come here in

2013, there would be no loss to the Government.

Now, potentially there is loss to the vendors. I am not in a position to calculate what the loss would be,” Misick noted.

In the meantime, the finance minister said that his government would ensure that such fallout would not be repeated in the future. This, he said, would be done by putting in stringent and enforcement regulations in place to combat such anomaly. The finance minister also apologized to the business community on behalf of the government for the port’s closure during the period.

“This event has taught us a lesson. It has highlighted the importance of cruise port as a major contributor to the revenue of Grand Turk, and both Carnal and Turks and Caicos Government have resolved not to have a repeat of this situation,” he affirmed.

In his answer to a supplementary question advanced by Hon. Edwin Astwood, Misick said that he could not speak to Carnival making additional calls to the Grand Turk Cruise Centre to make up for the suspension, but disclosed that since it would want to maximize its revenue, could very well add ships to the route.

In the meantime, Misick lamented the fact that as a result of the seaport’s closure, the 64,876 passengers were denied the opportunity to enjoy the tranquil Grand Turk life.

“The closure of the Grant Turk Cruise Center was an unfortunate situation. Our cruise visitors missed the opportunity to experience the rustic charm of Grand Turk, including the donkeys.

There were a total of 24 calls (missed,” he pointed out.

NOTICE TO DESIGNATED NON FINANCIAL BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS (Also referred to as Non-Regulated Financial Business) Pursuant to provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Ordinance 2007 and The Anti-Money Laundering and Prevention of Terrorist Financing Regulations 2010, (The Regulations), the Turks and Caicos Islands Financial Services Commission makes known its intention to immediately commence registration of all relevant businesses and professions in accordance with Regulations 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28.

Registration is required for; a) A person who by way of business; 1. Provides accountancy or audit services or 2. Acts as a real estate agent b) An independent legal professional c) A high value dealer.

Relevant businesses, who submitted Applications to Register in early 2011 and subsequently, are asked to re-submit their application.

The deadline for the initial registration of existing businesses is 28th June 2013. Subsequent to that deadline new relevant business must register prior to commencement of activities.

Application to Register Applications to Register together with Guidance Notes are available on the Turks and Caicos Islands Financial Services Commission Website; www.tcifsc.tc Departments –› Designated Non Financial Businesses and Professions.

Paper copies of completed applications must be delivered to the Head of Designated Non Financial Businesses and Professions at the Financial Services Commission offices in either Grand Turk or Providenciales.

Further Information Further information may be obtained from The Head of Designated Non Financial Businesses and Professions, Financial Services Commission on (649) 946 5314/ 941 8311 or by email to dnfbp@tcifsc.tc

Page 10

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

320 people did not show up for Beaches interview

BY VIVIAN TYSON

M

inister for Border Control and Labour Hon. Don-Hue Gardiner has revealed that less than half of the number of persons recommended by the Labour Department to Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa for job interviews did not turn up for their appointments.

Responding to questions from the Opposition on the job situation in the Turks and Caicos Islands and how locals were fitting in the scheme of things, Minister Gardiner told the House that since the start of the year 722 persons were referred for employment at Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa. Of that number Gardiner said 402 of them did not turn up for the interview.

“Three hundred and twenty did, and of that 320, about 168 were successful in obtaining employment,” Gardiner revealed.

The minister also informed the House that more than 100 persons were terminated from the resort since the start of the year, the majority of whom were Turks and Caicos Islanders.

“During the same period there were 109 persons terminated at Beaches. Of the 109 that were terminated, 65 were Turks and Caicos Islanders, 11 were PRC holders and persons that had the right to live and work here, and 33 were work permit holders,” he further informed the House.

In response to questions from Opposition Leader Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, as to why so many persons did not turn up for interview and what steps the Employment Services would take to probe the incident, Minister Gardiner

Minister Don-Hue Gardiner said that the service, in the next two weeks, is scheduled to hold a job fair, where it would invite everyone who may need a job, to come out and register.

“Now what we intend to do, sometime in the next fortnight or so, we will sponsor, through the Employment Service Department, a job fair.

And we will invite everybody that is looking for work to take part, whether they are unemployed or under employed or retired and want to go back to work; we will invite them to participate.

And then we would work with them to, as best as we are able, see that they are placed in appropriate job settings that maybe available,” Minister Gardiner informed the House.

He said also that investigation was carried out into why so many persons did not make the employment grades at the hotel, but the sampling done was negligible for the department to arrive at a specific conclusion.

In the meantime, Minister Gardiner said also that the Employment Services Department has been assisting individuals to draft resume’, also providing them with transportation to and from job fairs for those who cannot afford commuting expenses. He said also that Employment Service personnel actually sit in on interviews and assist them during the process.

“Employment personnel actually sit in on every interview and assist them in the waiting area with information that they would need. People receive coaching as to the dress code and how to handle an interview. It is to their credit - the Employment Service Department - the amount of work and effort that they have actually put in,” Gardiner emphasized.

Overall, since the start of the year - adding those recommended by the Employment Service Department and others who independently sought employment - Minister Gardiner said that approximately 244 persons were hired by Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa. Of the number, 133 were belongers; 35 were PRC holders, British Overseas Territory citizens and those who did not need a permit to work, while 76 work permit holders.

CAICU NANIKI SPORTS ADVENTURES Assistant Manager responsible for: • Swim training • Swim race management • Whale watching packages • Import and marketing of surf and stand-up paddle boards • Tours to Northern Haiti Must have extensive open water swim training and swim competition experience with proven ability to teach swimming in pool and open water and take triathletes and open water swim clients on open water swim excursions.

Must have at least 3 years hands-on experience in all aspectsof organizing, promoting, and managing swim races. Must havedemonstrated ability to design open water swim race courses.Must have demonstrated ability to develop and implement open water swimrace safety plans. Engagement with local and international swimming organizations a plus.

Must demonstrate ability to set up and schedule whale watching packages for tourists.

Must demonstrate ability to import and market surfboards and stand-up paddleboards and related equipment in Turks & Caicos. Ability to surf and paddle board a plus.

Must have at least 10 years experience organizing trips to northern Haiti,including setting up tours to the Citadelle and arranging for travel and accommodations for clients going to Haiti. French or Creole a plus.

Must show ability to work with hotels, insurance agencies, airlines, local government officials, and tourists.

Contact Chloe 232-4030

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 11

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

Shemika Parker grabs $1,100 worth of grocery in LIME shopping spree

BY VIVIAN TYSON

I

magine spending just $3 in a telecoms company text messaging competition and won a shopping spree that allows you to pick up any amount of grocery in 60 seconds. Well, Shemika Parker does not have to dream it because she has lived it.

Parker was declared the LIME Shopping Spree winner of which the prize was a one minute shopping.

The exciting event took place early last Saturday morning (May 11) at the Graceway IGA Supermarket along the Leeward Highway in PRovidenciales. Parker confessed that she surprised herself by pick-

Parker (centre) celebrates while LIME TCI Country Manager, Drexwell Seymour and Sales Manager Delleriece Hall share in the moment breathing slightly above normal after the minute’s adrenalin rush, explained that after LIME representatives turned up at her workplace and told her she was the winner, quickly contacted her mom, who devised a game plan – “head straight to the meat section�. “When I heard I won I told my mother and she said head straight to the meat and make sure get me a bucket of pigtail, so I got her two,� Parker laughed. “I feel great,

A pleased-looking Parker points at the total on the cash register screen after completing her check-out (Shopping Spree4) ing up $1,155 worth of items within the minute allotted.

Local sprint sensation Delano Williams would have been proud after watching Parker cantering up gangway number two in an attempt to make an assault on the meat section for the one-minute grab-all-you-can foray.

While on her way up the aisle, the Clement Howell High School secretary scooped two high deďŹ nition TVs off the shelf into her cart,

hardly slowing down to achieving that feat.

Sirloin, tenderloin, pork chops, rib racks, giant turkeys and two buckets of pigtails all fell victims to Parker’s 60 second raid on the meat section. And before Ken Burns, Managing Director at Grace Way IGA Supermarket could end his count down; Parker had already wadded one trolley and was charging to stack up another.

The slim-build Parker, who was

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very exciting, could do it again.�

Explaining what she did to win Parker said: “I texted to LIME a dollar three times. They actually came to my workplace to me (to tell me that I won), and I was very excited.�

Meanwhile, Burns told reporters that the shopping spree suggestion by LIME was a great one, and ran with the idea as soon as it was presented to the entity. “Unless you have alcohol and tobacco included, the meat department would be the ďŹ rst choice, because that is normally where most people go; that’s the best value for your money,â€? Burns said. Of Parker, Burns said: “I thought she did a great job. She got everything I would pick up.â€?

Meantime, Country Manager for LIME TCI, Drexwell Seymour, said that the contest would resume on Monday (May 13). He said that Parker did extremely well to gather so much grocery in just 60 seconds. “She only spent $3 and she got over one thousand dollars worth of grocery. And this is only the beginning; we are going to have this (shopping spree) on a regular basis,� he said.

GILLEY’S ENTERPRISES REQUIREMENTS: • Completion of a recognized Is looking for a accounting designation with minimum 3-5 years post Financial Controller RESPONSIBILITIES: • Day to day administration of all functions associated with finance and accounting. • Preparation of monthly financial statements. • Management of daily working capital requirements • Preparation of annual budgets • Settings up accounting systems for new businesses. • Financial analysis, preparation of year end working papers • Implementation and monitoring of internal controls. • Inventory monitoring and controls.

qualification experience.

• Bachelor of Business, Accounting Finance or Commerce.

• Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) qualifications preferred.

• Computer skills proficiency, knowledge of point of sales and knowledge of counter point.

Salary: Depending on experience Please forward resume to: Discount Liquors/The Wine Cellar Fax# (649)946-4871 Or email: discountfinance@tciway.tc NO PHONE CALLS

F CHAMBERS A modern law firm in the Turks and Caicos Islands seeks • 1 QUEENS COUNSEL DEFENCE ATTORNEY (25 years + experience) • 1 SENIOR DEFENCE ATTORNEY (10 years + experience) • 1 DEFENCE ATTORNEYS (10years + experience) • 1 DEFENCE ATTORNEYS ( 5years + experience) Specialty: all aspects of criminal and civil practice, in particular: Corruption Fraud Money Laundering Bribery Defending Civil Recovery Claims All resumes and cover letters should be sent to: Unit 007 SDR Complex 176 South Dock Road P.O. Box 666 Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands hr@fchamberslaw.com

Page 12

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS

Former minister Lillian Boyce speaks out against inhumane bulldozing of Haitian houses in Five Cays

BY VIVIAN TYSON

L

illian Boyce, former Deputy Premier and Member of Parliament for the Five Cays Constituency is calling on government to regularize squatters in the community whose homes are marked for demolition under 30 days.

Boyce was speaking to The SUN shortly after meeting with troubled citizens of the community, who illegally constructed houses on Crown Land adjacent to the South Dock main road and are now in fear that those dwellings would be reduced to rubble in a few days.

She met with the residents on the grounds of the Felix Morley Community Centre in the community on Monday (May 13).

“I am here to help sort out what has gone wrong in their community. I believe that the government should give them an opportunity to be regularized because more than half of these people are Belongers of the Turks and Caicos,” Boyce revealed.

She added: “What is so interesting and ironic is that you have a situation where the PNP has admitted that it has squatted on the land

Former Deputy Premier and former MP for Five Cays, Lillian Boyce on which the headquarters is built and they went to the High Court and asked the judge not to demolish the building, but give them a chance to regularise the situation by paying some arrears so that they can keep the property on the land.

Why couldn’t that same approach be adopted with the Haitians? The way they went about it was inhumane. They should have given the people a chance to seek alternative accommodation instead of going in

there and pushing down their houses. These people are human beings.

They have children. They work for people and businesses in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Where are they supposed to sleep and live after you push down their houses without giving them a chance?”

Boyce also criticised the current Progressive National Party (PNP) Government for how they handled the situation.

“How can they be in Government and not know what going on around them This is not good enough. When are they going to stop blaming the Governor or the Brits? If you’re in government, act like you’re in Government and stop finding excuses. I’m not saying you should condone squatting, but where is the human element in all of this. You have to look out for all of the people regardless of colour, race or nationality,” Boyce said. “You can’t just go to the Haitians and ask them for votes at election time and then discard and ignore them after that. That is shameful and it is so wrong.”

A number of structures in the community were bulldozed on Friday (May 10) by the Physical Planning Department. Of the buildings demolished, about three could have been considered almost ready for occupancy. The others ranged from foundation to belting area.

There have been charges that one of the dwellings destroyed was occupied by Evelyn’s Beaubrum Landy, who showed the media a Fortis power bill for the property. However, the Planning Department said that each structure was examined before the wrecking crew was given the green light.

The citizens complained that the destruction took place two days after receiving a 30-day demolition notice from the Physical Planning Department.

Boyce reminded that squatting problem was not new to the TCI, saying that her former administration was faced with the problem.

But she pointed out that those matters were addressed primarily by regularizing many of the squatters and allocating land, considering that a lot of them were Belongers and needed places to live.

“Yes, we have had these problems before while I was in government, and yes, we have regularized many persons. We have to put a stop to it (squatting) somewhere. But what is heart wrenching is that the document (for notice of demolition) given on May 7, that homes would be demolished in 30 days. Two days later Evelyn’s (Beaubrum Landy) home was broken down. That is wrong.

In two days it was broken down instead of being 30 days,” the former

minister of education emphasized.

She further noted: “Why am I appealing for Belongers? It’s because these are our people. We have a lot of social problems already. We have a lot of poverty already. How much more can a people take? How much more can a country take? Why break down their homes when you can actually regularize them and give the land to them – the small piece that they have built on?”

In the meantime, Boyce appealed to persons not to erect illegal structures on land that does not belong to them, since there is a high price to pay.

“And this is wrong. I know that even if you are a Belonger you cannot and should not squat. It’s a crime, it’s against the law. So I am talking to the Haitian community and asking them to put a stop to squatting – not to build on government land; not to build on (any land that is not theirs) because some of the land is also private land, owned by other people, because they (squatters) would have invested their hard labour into the land and then their homes are demolished. All of them agreed with me,” she pointed out.

In the meantime, Boyce said that during the meeting the squatters have expressed some level of contrition about capturing the land and have pledged not to allow any further illegal construction on the property, while pledging to make restitution.

“They are sorry for what they did.

From this meeting I have asked them to put a task force together, to make sure that not another structure, not another foundation, not another house is built on Crown Land illegally. When they see a structure going up, they should make sure that the person has Planning document approved for the land and that they are a Belonger of this country. They have agreed to that,” noted.

Boyce declared that names of the affected persons would be collected and sent to the Rufus Ewing government and the Governor’s Office for their consideration.

“Once I have collected their names and their status in the country, we can give it (list) to the premier, and the minister (in charge of) Planning and Social Development, because this will become a social issue. We would also give it (a copy of the list of names) to the governor and see what can be done to regularize them,” she said.

Boyce also believes that the Planning Department should reestablish a task force similar to that of her former government. Under the programme whistle-blowers on that ground who would alert the authorities whenever a new structure is being raised.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

Page 13

Page 14

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

<HOORZ BUTTERFLIES

NHIB ceases accepting bank payments from customers

SEEKS 1 BABYSITTER CAREGIVER Salary $5.50 per hour Interested person should

Contact Delitha Russell

244-3572

BY VIVIAN TYSON

WANTED

T

he National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) has stopped accepting payments through banks, the company said in a statement and follow-up interview with The SUN. The entity said the changes took effect on May 1. The bank payments ceased include, over the counter, online billing and automatic internet fund transfer to NHIB account. It

Live in housekeeper, must take care of 2 residences be able to tend for elderly lady, cook and clean.

Must also be familiar with dogs and house pets to take care of them. Fluent English, written and spoken is a must.

Must be able to work 6 days a week and evening if necessary.

Please call Chloe at 649

232 4030

CASA BENDIJO Seeks to employ

1 Babysitter

Salary commensurate with experience All in favor of position please drop off your resume at 007 SDR Complex, 176 south Dock Road

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To work 5 days per week Salary $5.50 per hour

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1 SECURITY GUARD Male/Female Must have at least 3 to 5 years experience Salary $7.00 per hour

Contact Contact

244-9040

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

241-8062

said that customers are now required to make payments (on Providenciales) at the Saltmills Office in Grace Bay and the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre. On Grand Turk payment should be made at the newly-opened NHIB office there.

South Caicos payments are required to be made through Kisa Services, while in North Caicos payments are to be made through Kandra Been. The entity said that payments should match and be supported by: • Employers: contribution statement print out from E-Services • Self Employed (Lower income bracket) approved payment coupon • Self-employed (Higher income bracket) not applicable The Providenciales and Grand Turk payment centres will not accept cash but rather cheques, bank draft and debit or credit cards. However, the payment centres in South Caicos and North Caicos will accept both cash and cheques. Persons paying through debit or credit cards must show one valid ID with signature in order to complete their transaction.

When contacted, a representative at the NHIP office in Providenciales told The SUN that the move, among other things, was geared to cut the time that customers took to have their transaction done. The representative said that the decision was taken by the board at one of its recent meet-

ings.

“Before the change, you used to come here (NHIB office in Grace Bay) for a paper to take to the bank.

You don’t have to do that anymore. The instruction came from the board that we should not take payments from the bank any longer, and we passed it out to the community.

Now when you come here you pay your bill at once, so it is easier this way. In the past it was a lot of back and forth, which some people said wasn’t necessary, so we changed it, and right now you can come in, make your payment and go about your business in quick time. It is as simple as that,” the representative said.

Payments can be made Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 4:00pm and on Friday from 8:30am to 3:30pm. Persons who want more information can contact NHIP at (649) 9468861 (649) 946-2611/2622 and 2322555 or via email at info @ tvinhip.tc.

The National Health Insurance Board is the body responsible for the National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) collection on behalf of the InterHealth Canada-run hospitals – the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in Providenciales and the Cockburn Town Medical Centre In Grand Turk, which were open in March of 2010.

The Cheshire Hall Medical Centre replaces the Myrtle Rigby Clinic in Providenciales, while the Cockburn Town Medical Centre replaces that Grand Turk Hospital on that island.

Both have been dubbed as state of the art, capable of dispensing complex medical procedures, while cutting back on overseas medical outsourcing.

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Page 15

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

Autism advocacy group forms in TCI

BY VIVIAN TYSON

T

here is no diagnostics or treatment mechanism in the Turks and Caicos Islands for children with autism, but the HOPE Foundation for Autism Awareness intends to change that.

The newly-formed advocacy group, which was officially launched on Thursday, May 16, at the Windsong Resort in Providenciales, said it intends to not only lobby the powers that be, to provide funding for local children with autism and its traits, but also to bring awareness to the community so that parents and educators can be more educated on the disorder and would be able to detect early and know where to go for solutions.

The foundation is chaired by Maxcia Rigby. Her husband Almando Rigby heads the public relations division, while well-known basketball coach, Keith Cox, is the treasurer.

The Rigbys said that the HOPE Foundation for Autism Awareness was inspired by their son Israel, who was diagnosed with the disorder some two years ago.

Explaining some of the traits of autism, Maxcia Rigby told journalists that the disorder is associated with brain development. She said it causes the child not to have much social interaction, and would slow speech development.

“It is characterized in many different ways. One of the ways is social interaction, which we noticed with our son Israel. He didn’t have much social interactions. Imagine you, as a mother, where you bring a child into the world and you realized that at about age two your child isn’t saying ‘Mama’, your child isn’t saying ‘Dada’, ‘Juice’, nothing.

“They don’t try to hug you, they don’t want to cuddle. They don’t want any kind of interaction with you. They just want to stay alone in a corner. You would obviously know right away that something is wrong,” she reasoned.

She said that most children with autism also have challenges with non-verbal languages, meaning that they have problems responding to certain non-verbal emotions shown by others, including happiness and anger.

“We also communicate non-verbally. If you see my face upset, you would know by my facial expression that I am not happy. Autistic children are not able to recognize those non-verbal communication signs.

And there is also the most important aspect is repetitive behaviour.

Executive of the Hope Foundation. From left - Keith Cox, Maxcia Rigby and Almando Rigby Autistic children have repetitive behaviours that are noticeable and that are not common among the community. And these behaviours continue to repeat themselves for no apparent reason,” she said.

Meanwhile, her husband explained that the HOPE Foundation for Autism wants to bring widespread awareness to the TCI in general that the problem of autism exists here. He said the entity wants to impress upon the authorities to provide the necessary resources to diagnose and the treat the condition. And also to bring awareness to teachers, so they may be able to identify those children affected by autism.

“A lot of people have children that might have autism or might be showing some traits or signs of autism and they don’t investigate it any further. They normally say the child would get better and so they brush it off. This foundation wants to encourage people to get the child tested. But more importantly we want our local authorities to create the avenues for them to be tested,” Rigby asserted.

Rigby said that since there is no facility in the TCI to detect and/or treat autism, such functions would have to be done overseas, which he said is costly. He said if those provisions were available in the TCI, more children suffering from the disorder would get help at a cost that would not burn the pockets of their parents.

“A year ago our son, Israel was diagnosed with autism. Even before that, the challenges that we had was that we saw some traits in him that were kind of off. We investigated it and were not able to get a diagnosis here. We had to travel to the U.S. The challenges for traveling to the U.S. of course, is cost. It took us eight months to get an appointment. After the diagnoses we realized that we couldn’t get treatment

here in Provo, and again we had to go overseas.

“One of the things we taught about was the amount of expenses it costs to travel to the U.S. to get a diagnosis and then how costly it is to get treatment for a child with autism. We wondered about persons who might have children in Turks

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and Caicos with signs that they might see and don’t know it is autism, how do they get the child diagnosed; How do they get the child treated.

“It could make you feel hopeless and, so part of the name – the HOPE Foundation - is to give people hope.

To let them know that if you have a child that you can see some stuff in, that might be off, to investigate it further, there is hope,” Rigby noted.

Rigby said that the therapist for their son was located through the Dawn Programme – a local autism entity run by Nicole Cox. He explained that going forward; the HOPE Foundation plans to forge alliance with the Dawn Programme so as to tackle the disorder more effectively.

“She (Nicole Cox) was a great support to us. Persons who we would want to recommend for therapy, we want to do it through her organization – the Dawn Programme,” Rigby said.

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Page 16

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS IME LAUNCHES MORE AFFORDABLE INTENET RESIDENTIAL PLANS

L

IME launches new internet residential plans starting as low as $29.99 per month for new customers who sign up for these services during the month of May. Customers will also get an additional 100 minutes free on net either on mobile or ďŹ xed line. In addition customers will receive a free modem and installation costs will be waived.

General Manager Drexwell Seymour said he is very pleased that LIME is offering the best internet residential value in the Turks and Caicos Islands and is encouraging customers to embrace these affordable and attractive plans from LIME. Mr. Seymour further stated, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unlike the other mobile carriers that are providing home internet plans, LIME customers are guaranteed unlimited internet access for the validity period of their plans and do not have to worry about replenishing their plans or paying for overage.â&#x20AC;?

Our valuable customers also continually ex-

press how ecstatic they are with our unlimited internet access whereby they can download an unlimited amount of data using LIMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s internet services.

LIME has been providing reliable and high quality residential internet services to the Turks and Caicos Islands since 1995.

For more information on our new LIME internet packages, customers can visit any of our LIME ofďŹ ces.

LIME is the Caribbeanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest telecommunications company with a proud history in the region, and which is always working to improve life in the Caribbean. LIME delivers the very best communication services to governments, businesses and families in 14 Caribbean countries with one unifying promiseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;building, connecting and serving communities. LIME is part of Cable & Wireless Communications PLC, one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading communications companies.

Rita Gardiner made patron of Gender Department O

n International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day March 8th 2013, Mrs. Rita Gardiner was made Patron of the Gender Department in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Mrs. Gardiner was the ďŹ rst Director of the Gender Department and served in the position for over ten years. During her tenure, she worked tirelessly to ensure womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s active and equal participation in the decision making process in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

She was a staunch advocate for improving health and ďŹ ghting diseases among women and girls; and reducing poverty and gender based violence among women, girls and men.

Mrs. Gardiner made it her platform to set goals for the education and training of young girls and women and pursued it as a priority. She has for many years played an active role in sports, and empowered girls and young women to participate in all areas of athletics and the sporting arena.

Mrs. Gardiner was once

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Rita Gardiner quoted as saying: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is my hope that the energy generated by the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movement some ten years ago, in the Turks and Caicos Islands with the inception of

the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Desk, will propel our efforts towards the realization of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full equality with men.â&#x20AC;?

Mrs.Gardiner is truly a trailblazer.

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Boiler Mechanic Technician Requirements: â&#x20AC;˘ Knowledge and experience in repair and maintenance including preventative maintenance of property systems and equipment.

Duties include: â&#x20AC;˘ Maintain proper preventative maintenance to laundry equipment and boilers â&#x20AC;˘ Maintain proper inventory on designated parts to avoid down time â&#x20AC;˘ Maintain proper amount of chemical injection on boiler feed tank and proper conductivity at boilers. â&#x20AC;˘ Preventative maintenance to steam traps and steam lines â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts Starting salary $10.00 per hour not including service charge.

Spa Therapist/Esthecian Requirements: â&#x20AC;˘ Diploma in massage therapy or equivalent. â&#x20AC;˘ Prior experience in a 5-star luxury environment. â&#x20AC;˘ Extensive knowledge of Eastern style massage, wraps, facials and other treatments. â&#x20AC;˘ Proficiency in English.

Duties Include: â&#x20AC;˘ Providing spa treatments to resort guests and day spa guests. â&#x20AC;˘ Maximize the revenue of the department through massage and retail product sales. â&#x20AC;˘ In addition to performance of the essential functions, this position may be required to perform a combination of supportive functions, with the percentage of time performing each function to be solely determined by the supervisor. â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts Starting salary $5.50 an hour not including service charge Room Attendant/Public Area Attendant/Houseman Requirements: â&#x20AC;˘ Ability to work with heavy cleaning machinery. â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts Duties include: â&#x20AC;˘ Ensuring that standards of cleanliness and organization are met at all times in assigned areas. â&#x20AC;˘ Responsibility for care and maintenance of all equipment and machinery â&#x20AC;˘ Restock linens and amenities on carts â&#x20AC;˘ Run needed items to guest floors â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts Starting salary $5.25 not including service charge Landscaping Manager Requirements: â&#x20AC;˘ Minimum of 5 years experience in managing the landscaping department of a 5 star Luxury Caribbean Resort. â&#x20AC;˘ Post secondary degree or equivalent qualification by experience â&#x20AC;˘ Expert knowledge of Zone 9 Caribbean landscaping. â&#x20AC;˘ Vast knowledge in horticulture, native plant species and chemical usage towards the prevention of plant disease and insect control. â&#x20AC;˘ Must have extensive experience with Irrigation systems and landscape maintenance. â&#x20AC;˘ Must have strong supervisory skills and demonstrated experience managing a grounds department. â&#x20AC;˘ landscaping, tool safety, chemical usage and operation of lawn equipment.

â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts.

Duties Include: â&#x20AC;˘ Impeccable maintenance of grounds and landscaping. â&#x20AC;˘ Ability to identify areas for improvement and keeps abreast of latest trends in regards to plants, irrigation, landscape maintenance and chemical applications. â&#x20AC;˘ Ensuring proper utilization and maintenance of equipment. â&#x20AC;˘ Managing overall cleanliness of work, storage and space areas.

Starting salary $35,000 per annum, not including service charge Waiter Duties Include: â&#x20AC;˘ Serve food and beverages to guests in a prompt manner and anticipate guest needs. â&#x20AC;˘ Knowledge of food and beverages on the menu included. Mix drinks and be aware of any menu items which are not available. â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts Starting Wages $5.50 per hour not including service charge.

Internal Technology Technician Requirements: â&#x20AC;˘ Minimum of 3 years experience as an IT Technician â&#x20AC;˘ Post secondary degree or equivalent qualification by experience â&#x20AC;˘ Must have experience working with Opera and Visual One, Mitel Phone System, Cisco CCTV System, Fiber Optic Music System (fiber optic), Micros, Data Works and Premier Spa â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able to respond quickly and effectively to diagnose and resolve hardware and software problems for all systems, and document tracks and reports on deficiencies, progress and follow-up â&#x20AC;˘ Must read, speak and write English fluently â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able to work all days and shifts and be on call for emergency service request Duties Include: â&#x20AC;˘ Providing routine maintenance of hardware, software and systems â&#x20AC;˘ Installing/configuring computers/telephones and point of sales equipment and other systems equipment. â&#x20AC;˘ Installing, maintaining and repairing wifi system equipment â&#x20AC;˘ Installing/maintaining/repairing CCTV System â&#x20AC;˘ Repairing/upgrading hardware and software. â&#x20AC;˘ Troubleshooting printers/scanners/copiers. â&#x20AC;˘ Maintaining inventory of equipment and supplies. â&#x20AC;˘ Maintaining server room(s) and ensuring proper security for such. â&#x20AC;˘ Completing system backups according to required schedule. â&#x20AC;˘ Providing infrastructure support: â&#x20AC;˘ Installing cabling â&#x20AC;˘ Researching, learning and evaluating new software and hardware â&#x20AC;˘ Documenting and maintaining record keeping for all systems â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts Starting salary $32,000-$35,000 not including service charge Pool and Beach Attendant Requirements: â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able to work in all outdoor element, rain, sun, etc. as required â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able to work long hours on feet â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able to lift 30lbs or more â&#x20AC;˘ Must be trained and certified in CPR, First Aid. â&#x20AC;˘ Life guard experience is a plus â&#x20AC;˘ Must be able and willing to work all days and shifts Duties Include: â&#x20AC;˘ Creating a luxury guest experience through delivery of high level service for all pool and beach services Starting salary $5.50 per hour not including service charge

Interested applicants should apply to Regent Palms, Human Resources Department, Monday through Friday and bring along an updated resume or by emailing marjorie.dorsett@regenthotels.com no later than May 24, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

120 truckloads of garbage collected off Provo streets in one day

BY VIVIAN TYSON

A

n island-wide clean-up campaign across Providenciales staged by members of the Haitian Community on Saturday (May 11) yielded a staggering 120 truckloads of garbage.

The clean-up exercise, which was held at strategic points across the island, including the Leeward Highway, Kew Town, the Bight, Blue Hills and Five Cays, forms part of a list of activities by the ethnic bloc leading up the Haitian Diaspora Day (Flag Day) celebration that was scheduled for Saturday, May 18.

Donald Metellus, one of the organizers of the event, said the clean-up campaign was born out of an idea put forward by the local Haitian Consulate, urging countrymen and women living here to make more positive impressions on the country. And after some level of brainstorming, one member of the community proposed a clean-up day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all formed ourselves into one group; we met with the churches and other organizations to join up. We asked for donations, but we did not col-

MINISTER OF HAITIAN DIASPORA COMMITS TO WORKING WITH TCIG

P

Volunteers cleaning a section of Blue Hills lect money â&#x20AC;&#x201C; people were required to donate but not money. We then purchased stuff from Haiti, such as Haitian Hats, T-shirts and stuff like that for volunteers to wear during the clean-up,â&#x20AC;? Metellus explained.

He said that the overall cleanup task was successful and the volunteers so enthusiastic that they plan to carry-out clean-up exercise every two months. He said that future clean-up campaigns could take the form of a competition with the winning community receiving attractive prizes.

Metellus said that the truck that he drove made more than 20 trips to the dump laden with garbage, while other volunteers said they ferried similar amounts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had a lot of trucks. Me, myself, I made more than 21 trips, and there are other guys who volunteered to drive the trucks that said they made a lot of trips as well. We can say that with the amount of garbage, we made more than a 115 trips to the dump. We worked from early morning until 7 oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock in the evening,â&#x20AC;? Metellus said.

remier of the Turks and Caicos Islands the Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing met today, May 16, 2013 with the Hon. Dr. Bernice Fidelia, Minister of the Haitian Diaspora to discuss the issues and concerns of the government in respect to illegal migration of Haitian nationals to the TCI. Minister Fidelia along with a delegation of senior ofďŹ cials from the Haitian Government, travelled to the TCI at the invitation of the Premier to have frank discussions on how the two nations can work together to address issues of border security, illegal squatting, deforestation (illegal charcoal making), trade relations and potential investment opportunities.

The Hon. Fidelia gave strong commitments to working with the TCI Government through its Council to aid in communicating the various laws of the Turks & Caicos Islands to the local Haitian community, but more importantly the Haitian people living in the North Coast to inform them of the realities of illegal travel to Turks & Caicos Islands and the legal approach if they desire to visit and work in the TCI. The Premier expressed delight and congratulated the Hon. Minister on behalf of the TCI Government on the upcoming ďŹ&#x201A;ag-day celebrations, which commemorates their independence and commitment to strengthening the relations between Haiti and TCI through a Memorandum of Understanding.

N IO T C U A IC L B U P Y B E L A S F NOTICE O Notice is hereby given that the Chargee (holder of charge) pursuant to the Registered Land Ordinance, will cause to be sold by public auction the following property at the offices of Garland & Co Unit 12, La Vista Azul, Turtle Cove, Providenciales at 10.00 a.m. on 31 May, 2013:

Title No 10403/79, East Suburbs, Grand Turk Registered Proprietors: Edouard Joseph Kaelbel & Rhonda Ornelia Charles 0.33 acres of residential adjourning raw land located in East Suburbs, Grand Turk.

Conditions of Auction and draft Agreement for Purchase and Sale, Block Plan and Registry may be collect from the Chargeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorneys, Garland & Co, Unit 12, La Vista Azul, Turtle Cove, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. Tel: 649-941-5905, Attention: Alvin Garland.

Interisland Aviation Services Group is seeking: Uncertified Aviation Repairman:

DIAMONDS INTERNATIONAL GRAND TURK STORESTORES

ARE RECRUITING

Must have 15 years on the job training at a TCI CAA Approved Maintenance Organization/Exposition.

Have Qualification/authorization issued by a TCI CAA Approved Maintenance Organization/Exposition.

Willing to work Shifts, weekends and Holidays.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Belongers need only apply.

Interested applicants should apply to HR@flyairtc.com or via fax to HR Department 649-946-4040.

No phone calls please. Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview

SALES PERSONS NEEDED REQUIREMENTS: Â&#x2021; $W OHDVHW \HDUV RI VDOHV H[SHULHQFH LV PDQGDWRU\ Â&#x2021; ([SHULHQFH LQ MHZHOU\ VDOHV ² DGYDQWDJH Â&#x2021; ,PSHFFDEOH UHIHUHQFHV DQG SROLFH FOHDUDQFH Â&#x2021; ,PSHFFDEOH (QJOLVK RWKHU ODQJXDJHV ² DGYDQWDJH Â&#x2021; +LJK OHYHO RI FXVWRPHU VHUYLFH DQG FXVWRPHU DWWHQGLQJ VNLOOV Â&#x2021; 6DOHV UHIHUHQFHV DGYDQWDJH

FAX NUMBER IS 649 946 1988

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MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

LOCAL NEWS NHIB OPENS OFFICE ON GRAND TURK

I

n its bid to ensure the wellness and health of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the National Health Insurance Board (NHIB) opens an office on the capital island Grand.

The office opening took place on May 1.

The Office is located on the Larry Coalbrooke CBC building on the North Side of the Red Cross Office on Hospital Road. Chief Executive Officer for the National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Mrs. Zaneta Burton said that the office was long overdue and comes at a time when there needs to be NHIP presence on that island.

“The opening of the Office in Grand Turk is long overdue. We are happy that we are able to have the Office opened in the Nation’s Capital. It comes at a time when NHIP needs to have a physical presence in the nation’s capital,” she said.

Health care, Burton said, is not a new concept, as since the 19th century countries in Europe enacted some form of national health care plan.

“A national or ‘single-player’ health insurance system provides medical coverage to each citizen. Within such a system, medical decisions would remain with the patient and doctor. However, in the Turks and Caicos the NHIP is established to oversee health care financing,” she said.

Burton went onto to remind residents that NHIP is dedicated to the health and wellness of all Islanders and legal residents of the country. She said national health insurance is a form of Health coverage that insures the entire eligible population against meeting the cost associated with ill health

Seafarers Boat Fest Announces Boating Extravaganza For August T

he executive team of the newly established Seafarers Boat Fest committee unveiled three days of events for the Emancipation Day (August Monday) holiday in Providenciales; and the list of activities are sure to keep all eyes on the stunning waters of The Turks and Caicos Islands.

“We wanted to create an unlimited boat lovers experience in an area we believe needs the promotional push, has recently proven that it can draw a crowd and to have it all during a holiday weekend which is often pretty quiet. Five Cays is the perfect spot for the events scheduled, explained Herbert Swann Jr, president and founder of the Seafarers Boat Fest.

The first of its kind event will set up at Bugaloo’s in Five Cays and will feature sloop sailing, model boat racing, kayak racing and the adrenaline pumping thrill of speed boat racing.

The announcement on April 20, 2013 is the culmination of months of talks to ensure the area is suited to the events, to ensure there is a wide range of professional expertise involved and to ensure the Seafarers Boat Fest is working in tandem with government agencies.

“There will be a number of

boat races and all owners of race boats whether sail boats or motor boats, are invited to bring their vessels to this area to compete.

We have a number of categories, including power boat race where there are classes: Class A- 85 hp to 100 hp; Class B- 150 hp to 200 hp; Class C- 250 hp to 400 hp and Class D- unlimited. For the sail boat races, we have A - all local traditional built sail boats; B - local modernize built sail boats and C- kayaks.”

It was also noted by Henry Wilson, who is an officer with DEMA that all areas for boat racing will be properly marked and the rules will be made known prior to the races.”

“It was important to us to have the support of DEMA, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, the Culture Department and Tourism as we move toward the Boat Fest weekend, and the bigger vision which is to develop a world class extravaganza which will continue to appeal to us here at home, and to draw in boaters from around the world,” shared Swann.

Add to the fun in the water, there will be excitement on the beach with native cuisine, live entertainment and old fashioned play time for the children. David Bowen has agreed to ensure there

is a lot of activity onshore.

“I am very pleased that the Seafarers Boat Fest Committee has taken up the mantel to support and showcase our Turks & Caicos maritime cultural heritage, both traditional sloops and new power boats, by organizing a new exciting maritime festival to be enjoyed by all.”

The Seafarers Boat Fest has various teams working on all of the important elements to make the weekend memorable, and we are also pleased to have the help of the Provo Sailing Club and other volunteers. We are taking about safety in the water, on the water and for spectators.

Gordon Kerr, legal adviser and executive with the Boat Fest explained: “Critical for us at this juncture though is sponsorship.

We are looking to corporate TCI and our residents to deliver on the financial support this fabulous idea needs. The Boat Fest committee believes in a short time, this August event will be a major tourism draw with spin off benefits to the entire country.

We can begin to more firmly establish ourselves as a boaters’ paradise.”

The Seafarers Boat Fest will be held August 3-5 at Bugaloo’s in Five Cays.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT THE TURKS AND CAICOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced persons for the following full-time lecturing positions at the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College for the semester commencing 3rd September 2013.

Providenciales Campus Building and Design Technology with AUTOCAD Business Studies (2 positions) Hospitality and Tourism Studies Grand Turk Campus Building and Design Technology with AUTOCAD Lecturers and required to teach across different academic levels from the G.C.E. Advanced level, Caribbean Advanced Proficiency and up to the Associate and Bachelor Degree levels Minimum qualifications for these posts are a Master’s Degree from an accredited and recognized institution plus a Teaching Certificate/Diploma or postgraduate Diploma and no less than three years post qualification teaching experience. A Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of a second class honors or other postgraduate qualifications, teaching certificate/Diploma and experience in teaching at Tertiary level may be considered.

Salary is in the scale Level I US$27,399.90-$39,102.30 per annum.

Level II US$40,210-$43,488.40 per annum.

Entry point will depend on qualifications and experience. In the case of staff recruited from overseas, appointed is on contractual terms for an initial period of two years. A gratuity is payable at the end of satisfactory contractual service at the rate of 10% of salary drawn during the period of service. A housing allowance is payable at existing rates.

The College is also seeking Part-time, qualified Lecturers at the Grand Turk Campus in the areas of HVAC Plumbing Electrical Engineering Auto Mechanics Applications with copies of qualifications (including official transcripts), two character references, a police record and a recent testimonial from current place of employment should be sent to the PRESIDENT, TCI COMMUNITY COLLEGE, P.O. BOX 236, LIGHTHOUSE ROAD, GRAND TURK, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS to reach not later than 31st May 2013. Where possible applicants should email or fax their applications.

FAX 649-946-1661, TELE 649-946-1163 EMAIL president@tcicomc-edu.com

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

LOCAL NEWS

Lands Administration Training For Land Division Of The Attorney General’s Chambers S

eventeen members of staff within the Land Registry, Crown Land Unit and The Survey & Mapping Department will today be the proud recipients of Certificates of Participation after having successfully completed the first ever local Training in Land Administration Practices and Procedures. This course was organised by the Commissioner of Lands with funding provided by the Overseas Territory Programme Fund (OTPF) of the Foreign and Commonwealth through the Governor’s Office.

Governor Ric Todd noted: “This training initiative aligns with the UK Government’s goal to strengthen engagement between the Overseas Territories and the UK. It is about investing in people and building the technical capacity within the islands. We will continue to identify opportunities similar to these, to increase the capacity and expertise of the TCI public services”.

The Commissioner of Lands Mrs. Tatum Clerveaux explained that it was necessary to hold such training courses in order to up-skill staff, with a view to improving efficiency of both the front and back offices of these Departments. The training programme was

designed to equip staff of the Lands Division with a detailed and comprehensive in-depth knowledge and understanding of certain aspects of Land Law and practices at the Land Registry and the Crown Land Unit.

“Our vision is to put service to the customer first, and what better way to do this, than to improve the knowledge base and skill set of our staff, in order to provide a better service,” Mrs. Clerveaux said..

She added, “The training course has provided the participants with a better understanding of how the various statutes, including the Registered Land Ordinance, Stamp Duties Ordinance and the Crown Land Ordinance and concepts of land law relate to the daily operations.

Equipped this knowledge staff will be more confident and analytical in solving land related problems. This should then result in an improvement in the turnaround time of documents and transactions lodged in both the Land Registry and the Crown Land Unit.”

The Attorney General also expressed his delighted in the success of the programme and noted that this training course was just one of

several initiatives that planned to develop and encourage staff within the Lands Division.

• The training course, which ran from 22 April 2013 to 9 May 2013, entailed three weeks of intensive lectures provided by Derek Evans from Teraquad, a UK consultancy firm with extensive practical experience in delivering training in this field.

• Mr. Evans has almost forty years of land administration experience with Her Majesty’s Land Registry in the UK. As a technical training specialist, Mr. Evans possesses extensive mentoring, training and development skills earned as the principal tutor on numerous land registration training courses. He has presented information sessions to several law societies, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, and various law schools and has regularly given training seminars on examination of title to trainee lawyers in national firms.

• The foundation level training programme presented the statutory background to both the Land Registry and Crown Land Unit day to day operations and related administrative practices, including the law governing personal and real proper-

ty, with emphasis on legal and equitable interests in land, the acquisition and transfer of such interests by purchase and adverse possession, priority rules, leases, mortgages and easements. Particular attention was also paid to the application of the Registered Land Ordinance and the Crown Land Ordinance to the dayto-day procedures. Emphasis was also placed on the importance of transparency and accountability in land administration.

• Participants also had an opportunity to process practice transactions and undertook technical assessments at the end of each study topic to test their grasp of the material and understanding of the procedural and statutory requirements.

• Each participant also received a detailed training manual, written specifically for the TCI Land Division.

• Other staff development initiative that is planned for staff within the Lands Division includes in-housing training in areas such as Surveying and GIS tools. The Division is exploring opportunities for long and short-term secondments to equivalent or more advanced agencies in UK and/or BCOT.

OFFICE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

VACANCY NOTICE

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR DEPARTMENT: Human Rights Commission

LOCATION: Providenciales

SUMMARY OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

This is an administrative support position which ensures the smooth operations and functions in the office. The successful candidate in this Supervisory position will be responsible for managing the day to day operation of the office located at Graceway House, Providenciales.

The incumbent is also expected to provide support and assistance to the Commission in its efforts to promote and bring about an awareness of human rights throughout the country; provide assistance to the Chairman and members of the Commission in carrying out the functions and for the discharge of these functions by the Commission. The incumbent must be able to perform general office duties, supervise the performance of office staff, and any other related duties connected with the work of the Commission as may be required.

• A Bachelors Degree in Business Management or similar discipline.

• Must have good working knowledge in one or more of the following disciplines: Law, Finance, Humanities, Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology.

• 3 years carrying out similar duties in an office environment.

• Knowledge of Human Rights Laws would be an asset.

• Ability to speak and write Spanish and Creole will be a plus.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES: • Working knowledge of office administration.

• Competent with Microsoft Office applications.

• Good written and verbal communication • Excellent customer service skills • Good organization and time management skills • Good Leadership and Management skills • Good interpersonal skills • Demonstrate sensitivity for the nature of human rights work • Flexibility and ability to travel • Public Finance skills

SALARY: Range: $36,000.00 – $42,000.00 per annum.

Resumes with current contact information must be accompanied by a Cover Letter, two letters of reference (one preferably from a former employer), copies of educational certificates, a Police Certificate and a copy of the Passport photo page.

Current serving officers of the TCIG must apply through their Heads of Department.

Applications should be addressed to the Chairperson, Office of the Human Right Commission, Suite 249, Graceway House, Providenciale. Envelopes should have the subject: Office Administrator Application clearly marked on the front.

Belongers only need apply APPLICATION DEADLINE: 30th. May, 2013.

Page 20

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

Graduations Prom & Birthdays!

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We Cater For: Showers Group Lunches/ Meetings Church Functions School Functions Private Parties Weddings Birthday Parties Private Villas

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MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

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MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

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MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

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MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

“Mirrors” Aren’t you somethin’ to admire?

Cause your shine is somethin’ like a mirror And I can’t help but notice You reflect in this heart of mine If you ever feel alone and The glare makes me hard to find Just know that I’m always Parallel on the other side Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul I can tell you there’s no place we couldn’t go Just put your hand on the glass I’ll be tryin’ to pull you through You just gotta be strong ‘Cause I don’t wanna lose you now I’m lookin’ right at the other half of me The vacancy that sat in my heart Is a space that now you hold Show me how to fight for now And I’ll tell you, baby, it was easy Comin’ back into you once I figured it out You were right here all along It’s like you’re my mirror My mirror staring back at me I couldn’t get any bigger With anyone else beside of me And now it’s clear as this promise That we’re making Two reflections into one Cause it’s like you’re my mirror My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me Aren’t you somethin’, an original Cause it doesn’t seem merely assembled

And I can’t help but stare, cause I see truth somewhere in your eyes I can’t ever change without you You reflect me, I love that about you And if I could, I Would look at us all the time Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul I can tell you there’s no place we couldn’t go Just put your hand on the glass I’ll be tryin’ to pull you through You just gotta be strong I don’t wanna lose you now I’m lookin’ right at the other half of me The vacancy that sat in my heart Is a space that now you hold Show me how to fight for now And I’ll tell you, baby, it was easy Comin’ back into you once I figured it out You were right here all along It’s like you’re my mirror My mirror staring back at me I couldn’t get any bigger With anyone else beside of me And now it’s clear as this promise That we’re making Two reflections into one Cause it’s like you’re my mirror My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me Yesterday is history Tomorrow’s a mystery I can see you lookin’ back at me Keep your eyes on me Baby, keep your eyes on me

‘Cause I don’t wanna lose you now I’m lookin’ right at the other half of me The vacancy that sat in my heart Is a space that now you hold Show me how to fight for now (please show me, baby) I’ll tell you, baby, it was easy Comin’ back into you once I figured it out You were right here all along It’s like you’re my mirror My mirror staring back at me I couldn’t get any bigger With anyone else beside of me And now it’s clear as this promise That we’re making Two reflections into one Cause it’s like you’re my mirror My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me You are, you are the love of my life [x10] Now you’re the inspiration for this precious song And I just wanna see your face light up since you put me on So now I say goodbye to the old me, it’s already gone And I can’t wait wait wait wait wait to get you home Just to let you know, you are You are, you are the love of my life [x8] Girl you’re my reflection, all I see is you My reflection, in everything I do You’re my reflection and all I see is you My reflection, in everything I do You are, you are the love of my life [x16]

TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

Angelina Jolie reveals she had preventive double mastectomy after discovering cancer gene A

ngelina Jolie says she underwent a preventive double mastectomy earlier this year after learning she carries a gene that increases her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

In a New York Times op-ed published late Monday, the 37-year-old Academy Award winner writes that after genetic testing she learned she carries the “faulty” BRCA1 gene.

The risk of developing cancer due to the gene varies, but Jolie says doctors estimated she had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.

Jolie — whose mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, died from cancer — says she decided to have the preventive mastectomy to be “proactive” for the sake of her six children with her partner, Brad Pitt.

“My mother fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56,” Jolie writes. “She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But

ANGELINA JOLIE my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.”

Jolie said she has kept the process private so far, but wrote about with hopes of helping other women.

“I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy,” she writes. “But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need

to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.”

She is anything but private in the details she provides, giving a step-bystep description of the procedures.

She writes that between early February and late April she completed three months of surgical procedures to remove both breasts.

“My own process began on Feb. 2 with a procedure known as a ‘nipple delay,’” she writes, “which rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area.”

She then describes the major surgery two weeks later where breast tissue was removed, saying it felt “like a scene out of a science-fiction film,” then writes that nine weeks later she had a third surgery to reconstruct the breasts and receive implants.”

Many women have chosen preventive mastectomy since genetic screening for breast cancer was developed, but the move and public announcement is unprecedent-

ed from a star so young and widely known as Jolie.

She briefly addresses the effects of the surgery on the idealized sexuality and iconic womanhood that have fueled her fame.

“I do not feel any less of a woman,” Jolie writes. “I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”

She also wrote that Brad Pitt, her partner of eight years, was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center in Southern California for “every minute of the surgeries.”

Jolie, daughter of Hollywood luminary Jon Voight, has appeared in dozens of films including 2010’s “The Tourist” and “Salt,” the “Tomb Raider” films, and 1999’s “Girl, Interrupted,” for which she won an Academy Award.

But she has appeared more often in the news in recent years for her power coupling with Pitt and her charitable work with refugees as a United Nations ambassador.

Chris Brown confirms breakup with Rihanna: ‘I can’t be focused on wifing someone that young’ I

t’s official. Rhanna and Chris Brown are officially over…or at least for now.

The former couple spent the weekend 3000 miles away from each other, with Chris living it up in Vegas for his birthday, and Rihanna spending her Saturday at the Barclays Center. Rihanna looked unimpressed with the Nets vs. Bulls game (which postponed her concert) as she sat courtside with Ty Ty and Jay-Z’s granny in eye-catching Brian Atwood Gladiator Sandals.

For some time now, Chris and Rihanna have been keeping their fans guessing on whether they were on or off, but Chris finally let the cat out of the bag during a recent interview with “The Kyle and Jackie O Show.” When asked what he’d consider to be a good gift, Chris made the comment that he wanted to see as many girls as possible in Vegas, which prompted the radio host to ask if he was rolling solo: Yeah, I’mma do it solo. I mean at the end of the day, shawty doing her own thang. She on the road…

It’s always gonna be love… I’m a grown man, just gotta fast forward.

When asked if he felt as though Rihanna was his soul mate and if they would always end up back to-

CHRIS BROWN AND RIHANNA gether, Chris responded: I’ll just put it like this, one thing I always want to do is never disrespect nobody or put nobody down.

The way I look at it is that I am always gonna love that person and people have different wants and needs. At the end of the day, she’s a young girl. I can’t really be focused on wifing someone that young.

And I’m young too so I can’t focus on that right now. I gotta step forward and be a man and be the best Chris Brown I can be instead of worrying about whoever else is gonna be on my side pocket.

He was also asked if his recent

track, “I Can’t Win” was about Rihanna, and he responded: For me, it’s basically about anything in general. My music speaks for itself. Whatever you take from it, it’s exactly what I wrote.

Meantime, Rihanna and Chris have definitely been drifting apart since their recent split, and at times it has even seemed like they hate each other now. But a source close to the ‘Unapologetic’ singer tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY that Rihanna is just ‘disappointed’ in Chris after giving him so much, and not getting enough in return.

Rihanna is a tough girl — there’s no debating that. Her steely exterior can sometimes make her seem angrier and more hateful than she actually is. So when she recently blasted her ex Chris Brown on Twitter, it was easy to just assume that she had begun to despise him.

That is not the case.

“Hate is a strong word,” a source close to the singer told HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. “Disappointed would be a better word choice.”

The source explains that Rihanna’s disappointment stems from a feeling that Chris did not put as much love into the relationship as she did. “When you love someone as much as she does, and then they constantly push you to the limit, a girl can get exhausted.”

“It’s frustrating for her because she has a big heart,” the source says. The relationship stalled because Rihanna expected Chris to have as huge of a heart as she does, and she was sorely disappointed to find out the hard way that he doesn’t.

“She gives and gives and loves him hard but there is only so much a girl can do,” says the insider. “She doesn’t think Chris knows that or even cares.”

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

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TURKS & CAICOS SUN

MAY 18TH - MAY 25TH, 2013

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News CARIBBEAN

Corruption in the Cayman Islands is endemic, says former Auditor General

D

an Duguay, the former auditor general of the Cayman Islands, said corruption is a widespread problem that impacts the perception of Cayman among international investors.

Citing several examples of alleged corruption, he said the dollar amounts involved are not large, but corruption in Cayman is insidious. “The numbers in the [corruption] examples from the Cayman Islands are quite small by comparison, but I think they have a big impact in regards to how people view the region and whether they are going to put their money in there.”

Mr. Duguay made his remarks as part of a presentation on corruption in the Caribbean at the Offshore Alert conference in Miami on Tuesday, 7 May. “Perhaps the worst situation that Cayman could have, has recently come into play. The premier was indicted,” he said in reference to the charges of theft involving a government credit card, abuse of office and corruption brought against former Premier McKeeva Bush.

According to an article in the Caymanian Compass newspaper, while Mr. Duguay reminded conference delegates that these were only allegations that have not been heard in court, he said every time a premier is thrown out of office “it sends a terrible message to anybody who is thinking about investing in the Cayman Islands”.

Mr. Duguay said examples of misuse of government credit cards are not uncommon and, in his time as auditor general from 2004 to 2010, he had seen many officials who used their government credit cards for personal use. In these cases the money was paid back. The examples of alleged corruption given by the former auditor general included recent charges against ex-premier Bush and Joey Ebanks, the Cohen and Company refinancing deal, a proposed financing of the Turtle Farm, the abuse of Gas Boy cards for the government refuelling station and the selected paving of private parking lots using government resources in Cayman Brac.

The former auditor general said corruption in Cayman is supported by a sense of entitlement,

lack of investigative resources at the Anti-Corruption Commission and a lack of will to bring criminal prosecution.

Although the examples of alleged corruption are small, people are well aware of it, he said.

“Everybody knows it and accepts it and perhaps the biggest question is how can I get my share of that?

“And to some extent everybody expects that you are going into politics to make your money.

And you should get some if you are in politics.”

Although Cayman has an Anti-Corruption Law and an Anti-Corruption Commission, the commission does not have investigative resources of its own. Mr. Duguay noted, it is not effective to only have the support of the police department, which has other duties and may have different priorities.

Police Commissioner and Chair of the Anti-Corruption Commission David Baines said he wholeheartedly concurs with the sentiment that the lack of investigative resources available to the commission is a problem and has to be covered by police investigators.

“Bids to secure dedicated resources for the Anti-Corruption Commission have stalled in the past two years due to financial cuts in government. We have a willingness to prosecute and have demonstrated the same with arrests; we have further investigations in the pipeline awaiting resources but we are having to prioritise our actions,” Mr. Baines said. “Additionally, legal support has to be secured when available, as we have no dedicated staff committed to this area of complex and difficult legislation.”

Mr. Duguay also questioned the position of the auditor general as a permanent member of the Anti-Corruption Commission, stating that he was not comfortable with the dual role.

Asked why many of the corruption allegations have not led to criminal prosecution, Mr. Duguay said it is in part due to the lack of resources and in part the reflection of an attitude “of once they are found out, that’s punishment enough”.

“I never did understand that point of view,

quite frankly, because if there is something criminal then you should go through the criminal process.”

Mr. Duguay added, “there seems to be a lack of will”, for example regarding allegations of embezzlement of several hundred thousand dollars

by Hassan Syed, the former president of the University College of the Cayman Islands. “My office uncovered it. We sent it over to [the] Financial Crimes [Unit] and they said: ‘Well he’s gone now, we can’t get him back, so we are not going to prosecute.’” Mr. Syed left the country before the affair became public in 2008.

Commissioner Baines said the investigation remains open and efforts continue to bring Mr. Syed to face justice in Cayman. “Evidence in relation to this matter has been put before the courts in Cayman and, as a result, an international arrest warrant has been issued. When he is traced he will be arrested and transported back to Cayman to face justice,” Mr. Baines said.

Former chairman of the Monetary Authority Tim Ridley, who attended the Offshore Alert conference, said Cayman’s very success requires honest, transparent and accountable government.

“This is essential for the community, including legitimate business both local and international.

At the same time as we tackle corruption head on through law enforcement, we must also eliminate the culture that breeds and treats corruption as acceptable behaviour,” he said.

“This requires not only changing those of our elected officials and appointed public servants who want to dance; it requires us all to refuse to tango. After all, corruption needs a partner; if it remains unrequited, it must wither and die.”

Mr. Duguay named the abuse of government cards for the refuelling station for government vehicles as an indication for this sense of entitlement. “When we went and did an audit of that we found that pretty much everybody in Cayman had a card for that facility and nobody was monitoring it. It was amazing. One guy had six different cards. And nobody really thought that this was all that unusual,” he said.

Belize contractor issues apology for destroying historic Maya archaeological site B

ELIZE CITY, Belize - The man at the center of the destruction of a Maya archaeological site in northern Belize, Denny Grijalva, has expressed regret at the razing of the Noh Mul monument and has launched an internal investigation into the incident.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Grijalva said he is “committed to fully cooperate with the authorities in their investigation into this regrettable incident.”

He explained that his company De’Mar’s Stone Company “obtained permission from a landowner to ex-

tract material from his property from which material has been excavated for well over a decade.”

According to Grijalva, heavy machines started extracting material from the Noh Mul Maya archaeological site at 8 am on Thursday, May 9 and the destruction of the Maya archaeological site happened “on a private property between the villages of San Pablo and San Juan in the Orange Walk district.”

He said the material excavated from the site was used for the “construction and rehabilitation of roads in Douglas Village also in the Orange

Walk district.”

He said the Noh Mul site was chosen for excavation by the foreman of De’Mar’s Stone Company, after material from a first site was rejected.

“The Chairman of Douglas Village was reportedly not satisfied with the quality of the material and as such he obtained permission from a landowner to extract material from his property from which material has been excavated for well over a decade.”

He said on the morning of May 10, after a full day’s excavation of the archaeological site, officials of the Na-

tional Institute of Culture and History (NICH) showed up at the site and “instructed the company foreman to halt operations informing that the site is of archaeological interest.”

Grijalva said that his foreman sought instructions from him and that he, Grijalva instructed that the operation be brought to an immediate halt.

All machines were removed from the area on May 11.

The Government of Belize has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the destruction of the archaeological site.

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CARIBBEAN NEWS

US House Speaker John Boehner’s daughter marries Jamaican dreadlocked construction worker T

he daughter of House Speaker John Boehner has tied the knot with her Jamaican-born love in an intimate sunset ceremony set amid a lush Florida garden.

Lindsay Marie Boehner, 35, married construction worker Dominic Lakhan in a flowing white strapless gown that showed off a huge tattoo etched across her arm.

Her 38-year-old groom looked

ceremony took place under heavy security as wedding guests were handed blue wristbands to separate them from diners at the hotel’s restaurant. At least a dozen plainclothes cops were seen patrolling the hotel grounds.

A uniformed, shotgun-toting Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy stood by his squad car in the parking lot while Delray Beach

Last month, Dominic was spotted enjoying a McDonalds in Florida, with his dreadlocks piled high on his head underneath a knitted cap.

In 2006, Lakhan was arrested in Pembroke Pines, Florida for misdemeanor possession of two grams of marijuana during a traffic stop, the National Enquirer first reported.

The police report from the inci-

JOHN BOEHNER

LINDSAY MARIE BOEHNER

DOMINIC LAKHAN

smart in a grey suit with his waistlength dreadlocks on display as he waited for Boehner to walk Lindsay down the aisle at Sundy House in Delray Beach on Friday.

The couple said their vows with the House Speaker looking proudly on - despite the fact Dominic had previously arrested for possessing marijuana.

Dominic was arrested in 2006 and this may not have gone down well with Boehner, a Republican who is a staunch opponent to legalizing the drug.

However, if there was any tension it was firmly pushed to one side as Boeher, who had donned an orange tie for the occasion, wore a grey suit to match his new son-inlaw.

About 60 guests gathered at the wedding, including Lindsay’s younger sister Tricia, 32, who married James Kinney in 2011.

Boehner and his wife Debbie were later seen joining their daughter for pictures at the venue which features pretty ponds.

The newlyweds had registered at Macy’s for wedding gifts - but kept things low-key, with the most expensive gift being a Pistachio-coloured KitchenAid for $499.99 - and the cheapest, Kassatex Bath Towels, which were on sale for $7.99 Male guests sported Hawaiian shirts and slacks while the women were clad in sun dresses and semi-formal gowns.

According to Gossip Extra, the

cops were parked on the street.

The blinds at the restaurant were pulled down and diners who wanted to lift them up to watch the wedding were told they couldn’t.

The wedding guests, meanwhile, took place in the tiny banquet room about 8pm. and cheered wildly when John Boehner and his wife, Debbie, and the newlyweds walked in half an hour later.

Guests helped themselves to a buffet prepared by Sundy House Chef Lindsay Autry, a star of the Bravo show Top Chef‘s Season 9.

However, one waitress on hand said she could not believe the wedding party had opted for a buffet, saying: ‘You’d think that they’d splurge on a five-course, sit-down meal! I thought they’d all be much richer!’

Just after 10pm, John Boehner was spotted asking the groom to allow him to dance with his daughter as a three-piece band played The Turtles‘ So Happy Together.

The congressman also cut a rug with his younger daughter, Tricia.

The Jamaican side of the family, it seems, including Dominic’s sister Delicia, reportedly stayed off the dance floor.

David Schnittger, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives, tweeted his best wishes to the newlyweds, writing: ‘Paparazzi rent-a-chopper over Boehner family wedding tonight. Hope you got some good pics. Congrats Lindsay and Dom.’

dent states that ‘upon making contact with the driver,’ an officer ‘observed in plain view a 16 oz. Natural Lite beer can opened in the driver door.’

The officer ‘also detected the odor of burnt cannabis emitting from the interior of the vehicle,’ the police report continues.

‘A search of the vehicle revealed two bags containing approximately TWO grams of suspected cannabis… inside the center of the ashtray.’The arresting officer reported that Lakhan admitted to possessing the marijuana and said it was for personal use.

Court records show Lakhan, who is originally from Jamaica, was also arrested in 2003 for possession of an open container while driving.

Lindsay Boehner lives in a four-bedroom home in Hollywood, Florida, less than an hour from Lakhan’s home in Delray Beach.

Boehner has one other daughter, 32-year-old Tricia, who lives in Ohio with her husband, James Kinney.

Boehner has said in the past that he is ‘unalterably opposed’ to legalizing marijuana, even for medical purposes.

‘Whether it is the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society - all of those people, by and large don’t believe there is any medicinal value in marijuana,’ Boehner told CNN in 2009. (Reproduced from Daily Mail)

AMERICAN KILLED WHILE TRYING TO STOP A MUGGING IN THE BAHAMAS

N

ASSAU, Bahamas – Kyle Bruner, a sailing enthusiast from Chicago working on a tall ship, was shot dead over the weekend in the Bahamas, according to his family and media reports.

Bruner, a 34-year-old former special education teacher, was said to have been trying to help a woman being mugged by two armed men early on Sunday when he was shot in Nassau.

The Nassau Tribune reported that Bruner was walking with another man and two women when they were accosted by two men dressed in dark clothing who demanded cash.

One of the bandits was armed with a handgun, and Bruner was shot when he apparently tried to prevent them from stealing jewellery from one of the women, police told the Tribune.

An altercation was said to have ensued, during which the American was shot in the neck. He was rushed to hospital by ambulance and later succumbed to his injuries.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson told the Nassau Tribune that police have two suspects in custody in connection with Bruner’s killing and are searching for a third man.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the victim’s parents learned of their son’s slaying early Sunday when they received a call from the American Embassy in Nassau.

Rick and Ginny Bruner said their son, who was born in Maryland and attended high school and college in Indiana, discovered his love of tall ships several years ago in California. In recent years, he had considered Chicago home.

Bruner had worked across the continent and had been living aboard the ship in Nassau while it prepared for its summer trip to its home port in Boston.

He was due to leave the Bahamas next week and was planning to join another crew for the summer, a tour that would have included a stop in Chicago, according to his father.

Kyle was described by his father as a smart man with varied passions. During high school, he would play the first half with the football team, change into a drum major’s uniform, conduct the marching band and be back in pads for the second half.

A former artilleryman in the Indiana Army National Guard, Bruner loved helping others, his father told The Tribune.

“Maybe we wish he had walked away from the mugging,” his father said.”But if he had, he wouldn’t have been the person we know.”

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CARIBBEAN NEWS

Caribbean nationals could benefit from new US Immigration Bill W

ASHINGTON – The United States Congress has started formal consideration of a sweeping immigration reform bill that creates a “path to citizenship” for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, including Caribbean nationals.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to finish work on the bill this week adopting Republican amendments aimed at stronger border security.

The immigration bill requires the US federal government to gain almost total control of the border, authorizing money for drones, Customs and Border Protection officers and prosecution of illegal entries.

Under the bill, new guest worker programmes would be established, particularly for low-skilled workers, and employers would be required to verify the legal status of all employees.

In exchange, Caribbean and other immigrants now in the US without legal status would be eligible for provisional status if they paid fees, fines and taxes.

They could gain legal residency 10 years after the border was declared secure. After 13 years, they would be eligible for citizenship.

The eight senators in the bipartisan group that drafted the bill – four of whom are on the

18-member Judiciary Committee – were successful in fending off changes that would derail the bill.

Immigration advocates and legal experts say no previous Congressional effort to change immigration law has offered such a broad, swift reprieve to immigrants deported by the US. The bill would give a legal second chance to thousands of Caribbean and other deportees without serious criminal records who have a child, parent or spouse with a green card or American citizenship.

Many deportees brought to the United States before their 16th birthday would be eligible to return as well.

An amendment from Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, who is among the bill’s most vocal critics, has sought to strip out the deportee reprieve.

But other opponents have welcomed it as a political godsend, describing it as such an overreach that it would make the entire immigration bill easier to defeat.

Some Democrats and immigrant rights groups have pledged to defend the deportee return, characterizing it as an important step in righting a wrong.

“We have had four million people deported since 2002 and close to two million since 2008,”

Study calls on regional governments to modernize tax system W

ASHINGTON – A new study published here is urging Latin America and Caribbean governments to renew efforts to modernize their tax system.

The study done by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) suggests that while Latin America and the Caribbean have made great strides in boosting tax collection in recent years, they need a new generation of fiscal and tax reform to reduce income inequality, cut evasion, boost productivity, strengthen local governments and preserve the region’s natural resources.

The study published here under the title “More than Revenue: Taxation as a Development Tool” was launched at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Every year, the IDB conducts an in-depth comparative study of an issue of concern to Latin America and the Caribbean. This year’s edition presents taxation in the region as a missed opportunity.

The study argues that taxation is largely viewed in the region as a means of generating income to pay governments’ bills, rather than as a valuable instrument to achieve important development goals.

“Taxation is one of the unfinished areas of reform left for the region to tackle,” says Ana Corbacho, IDB Sector Economic Advisor

and co-editor of the book.

“Smart tax policies will help us fight poverty and inequality, diminish the effects of climate change, and improve private sector productivity.”

The book outlines advances made in the region’s tax systems in recent years and proposes tax reforms to advance equitable development.

Countries in the region have strengthened their tax administrations, boosting collection by 2.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the past two decades, the fastest rate in the world. However, the region still takes in just 17 per cent of GDP in tax revenue, less than it should, given its per capita incomes.

IDB Vice President for Sectors and Knowledge, Santiago Levy, said existing tax policies stymie the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), contributing to the low productivity that plagues the region.

“Tax systems should be modernized to encourage the formation of larger, more productive companies in the formal economy,” he added.

The IDB said that taxes that help protect the environment are another largely untapped source of revenue in the region. In Europe, such taxes collect an average of 2.5 per cent of GDP, but in Latin America barely one per cent.

said Angelica Salas, director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

“This is the only way to reunite families that have been destroyed by our outdated, broken and cruel immigration policies,” she added.

The Senate bill would reduce future deportations by giving millions of immigrants in the United States provisional legal status.

But a Senate aide involved in legislative negotiations says deportees would not be granted an automatic right of return; they would have to apply.

He said Caribbean and other deportees would be ineligible if they had been expelled for criminal reasons, or if they were convicted of a felony or at least three misdemeanors. The waivers would be granted at the discretion of the secretary of homeland security.

Immigration lawyers, however, say that could mean approvals end up being inconsistent, adding that some immigrants would likely not trust the system that had deported them.

“It’s arbitrary. It depends on who picks you up, when, and where they pick you up,” said David Leopold, general counsel for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

“So who will become eligible or ineligible in terms of illegal re-entry is really luck of the draw,” he added.

Caribbean Airlines records estimated losses of US$70m P

ORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The state-owned Caribbean Airlines (CAL) recorded losses estimated at US$70 million last year, Finance Minister Larry Howai has said.

He told the Senate on Tuesday that the figure does not include the US$40 million in fuel subsidy to the airline even though he insists that the airline remains solvent.

“Government has made certain provisions for the airline to restructure its balance sheet. One of the things they have done is to use a lot of their cash to actually do acquisitions of the planes and I have instructed a new restructuring of the balance sheet where you would need to borrow and replace the cash which was being used.

“It’s better to leverage the assets rather than leave it unencumbered but having the company incurring significant debt obligations,” Howai added.

But Opposition legislator Dr. Lester Henry said he was “astounded that the minister could describe as solvent a company which cannot cover its costs and no money in the bank”.

But Howai insisted that while the company may be cash-strapped but it had assets.

“Perhaps the decisions made in respect of how those assets would be leveraged and what kind of leveraging you have for the balance

sheet were not addressed perhaps in the way that others might have done,” Howai said the preliminary unaudited figures showed US$32 million of the $70 million loss was incurred by the Air Jamaica route, with the London route also accounting for a major part of the losses.

Caribbean Airlines, which began operations in 2007, acquired Air Jamaica in 2011. The Jamaican Government has a 16 per cent stake in the Trinidadian air carrier.

“On the Jamaica route, it has cut flights to Jamaica and on the London route, it has terminated the wet-leasing arrangement,” Howai said, adding he expects to “significantly reduce the losses of the airline during this year”.

The finance minister said the airline used a lot of its cash in the acquisition of planes and that he had instructed that a new restructuring of the balance sheet be done where the airline would have to borrow and replace the cash which had previously been used.

“It is better to leverage the asset rather than leave it unencumbered while having the company incurring significant debt obligations.”

Howai said the US$40 million fuel subsidy applies to Air Jamaica and CAL. He said it was the same as last year and would end in 2015.

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News W

RLD

Suspect says Boston bombing was payback for hits on Muslims

B

oston Marathon bombing victims were collateral damage in a strike meant as payback for U.S. wars in Muslim lands, the surviving suspect wrote in a message scribbled on the boat where he was found hiding, a law enforcement source told CNN Thursday.

In the message, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev also proclaimed that an attack on one Muslim is an attack on all, and said he would not miss older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev -- who died after a firefight with police three days after the bombing -- because he would soon be joining him, according to the source.

The writing on the inside of the boat dovetails with what Dzhokhar, 19, told investigators questioning him in a Boston hospital room shortly after his capture, the source said.

CNN has previously cited U.S. officials in reporting that Dzhokhar said U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq were motivating factors behind the April 15 attack, which killed three people and wounded 275.

According to authorities, the Tsarnaev brothers fashioned explosive devices from pressure cookers and other materials and detonated them near the finish line of the race.

Three days later, authorities released their images to the public as suspects in the case. Investigators believe they then killed MIT police Officer Sean Collier and hijacked a car before battling authorities in a wild firefight on a Watertown, Massachusetts, street.

DZOHKAR TSARNAEV Nearly 24 hours later, police found Dzhokhar hiding in the boat after the owner called police to report someone was inside of it.

Dzhokhar -- who suffered gunshot wounds to the head, neck, legs and hands -- is being held a federal Bureau of Prisons medical facility in Devens, Massachusetts. He has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Tamerlan was secretly buried in a rural Virginia cemetery this month following protests from Massachusetts residents and officials against burying him in that state.

Authorities have said they believe the brothers acted alone, but are investigating whether they could have learned from or been aided by terror groups, including groups overseas.

Of particular interest has been Tamerlan’s

IRS scandal: Outgoing chief apologizes for ‘foolish mistakes’ W ASHINGTON -- The outgoing head of the Internal Revenue Service apologized on Friday for “foolish mistakes” made at the U.S. tax agency which he said resulted from a heavy workload, not a partisan mission.

At a congressional hearing, acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller said he did not find political motivation among the employees who were processing conservative groups’ applications for tax-exempt status.

Miller was fired on Wednesday as President Barack Obama sought to stem criticism over IRS targeting of conservative groups for special scrutiny. On Thursday, Obama chose White House budget official Daniel Werfel to replace him as acting commissioner.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp said that the scandal had exposed deep problems with the federal tax system, saying it needed to be overhauled.

“Trimming a few branches will not solve the problem when the roots of the tree have gone rotten,” Camp told a Capitol Hill hearing on the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

“That is exactly what has happened with

our entire tax system. It is rotten at the core, and it must be ripped out so we can start fresh,” the Republican congressman said.

Also testifying was J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, whose findings were released earlier this week, days after an IRS official first acknowledged that conservative groups applying for nonprofit status had faced additional and intrusive reviews.

“Our report, issued earlier this week, addresses three allegations: First, that the IRS targeted specific groups applying for tax-exempt status; second, that they delayed the processing of these groups’ applications; and third, that the IRS requested unnecessary information from the groups it subjected to special scrutiny,” George said in his opening statement. “All three allegations were substantiated.”

“These findings have raised troubling questions about whether the IRS has effective management oversight and control, at least in the Exempt Organizations function,” George added.

Camp said “revelation goes against the very principles of free speech and liberty upon which this country was founded.”

2012 trip to the semi-autonomous Russian republic of Dagestan, home to numerous Islamic militant groups that have warred against Moscow’s rule.

Russian authorities asked U.S. officials to investigate Tamerlan before the trip, saying they believed he was becoming increasingly involved with radical Islam. The FBI investigated, but found no evidence of extremist activity, FBI Director Robert Mueller reiterated Thursday during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.

Mueller said Russian authorities told the FBI that Tamerlan and his mother appeared to be “very religious” and that Tamerlan seemed “intent on returning and perhaps participating in jihad, in Russia.”

The FBI conducted a thorough investigation and found “no ties to terrorism,” Mueller said.

U.S. officials learned after the bombings that Russian officials had intercepted a 2011 phone call between the suspect’s mother, living in Dagestan, and one of her sons, in which they reportedly had a vague conversation about jihad, a law enforcement official told CNN earlier.

Some lawmakers, particularly Republicans, have been critical of how law enforcement, intelligence agencies and the administration of President Barack Obama handled the Russian tip.

While Tamerlan and his mother were added to a terror database following the FBI investigation, Tamerlan was allowed to make his Russian trip in 2012, returning six months later.

UN CALLS FOR POLITICAL TRANSITION IN SYRIA

U

NITED NATIONS — As the bloodletting continued unabated in Syria, the 193-member General Assembly passed a nonbinding resolution on Wednesday calling for a political transition to end the civil war there, putting the onus on the government of President Bashar al-Assad to stop the killing.

But even as the vote was being tallied, members recognized that it, like every other diplomatic initiative, would probably fail to stem the violence or coax out a political solution.

While the resolution passed 107 to 12, it fell far short of the 133 votes in support of a similar resolution last August.

The 59 abstentions reflected the widespread sentiment that the new initiative might not help push both parties toward new peace talks in Geneva proposed by the United States and Russia.

At the very beginning of the debate, Vuk Jeremic, the president of the General Assembly, raised the official United Nations death toll in Syria to more than 80,000, compared with 60,000 at the beginning of the year. “At least 80,000 have perished since the start of the hostilities, with most of these casualties believed to be civilians,” he said.

The Obama administration co-sponsored the measure, which was drafted by Qatar under Arab League auspices.

They turned to the General Assembly because the Security Council has deadlocked on the issue, with Russia and China vetoing three resolutions on the war. Both voted against Wednesday’s measure.

General Assembly resolutions, because they are nonbinding, are considered a kind of global opinion poll designed to bring pressure. There was heavy Western support for the resolution.

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WORLD NEWS

Obama picks temporary IRS head as Tea Party rallies on scandal U

.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday chose a White House budget official to lead the beleaguered Internal Revenue Service temporarily and vowed to ensure that the tax-collection agency will not single out any more groups based on their political beliefs.

Danny Werfel, the controller of the Office of Management and Budget who served as a point man on the controversial automatic spending cuts known as “sequestration,” will start in the new post on May 22.

Obama is racing to get out in front of a scandal that threatens to derail his second-term agenda as Republicans and conservative groups accuse his administration of using the levers of power to persecute political enemies.

“I think we’re going to be able to figure out exactly what happened, who was involved, what went wrong, and we’re going to be able to implement steps to fix it,” Obama said at an unrelated

news conference with the Turkish prime minister.

“It is just simply unacceptable for there to even be a hint of partisanship or ideology when it comes to the application of our tax laws,” he added.

Obama has said he did not know about the actions of IRS employees who targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny as they sought tax-exempt status before the news became public last week.

Obama has faced a series of recent setbacks that could threaten his ability to pursue priorities like immigration reform and a budget deal.

Republicans have hammered the administration’s handling of a deadly militant attack last year on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, and the Justice Department has been criticized for seizing phone records of journalists from the Associated Press as part of a criminal probe into intelligence leaks.

ACCUSED CLEVELAND KIDNAPPER PLANS TO PLEAD NOT GUILTY

Arizona jury finds Arias eligible for death penalty in ex-boyfriend’s slaying

T

he man charged with holding three women captive and raping them during a decade in his Cleveland home plans to plead not guilty to criminal charges, one of his lawyers said on Wednesday.

The lawyer, Jaye Schlachet, said in a phone interview that the suspect, Ariel Castro, 52, is on suicide watch in Cuyahoga County jail in Ohio, but it was not clear whether Castro planned to go to trial.

Castro last week was charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape. The three women kidnapped, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight along with a six-year old girl that Castro fathered ARIEL CASTRO with Berry during her captivity, escaped from his home in a working class section of Cleveland.

The news that the three had been held for so long in such a populated neighborhood stunned the close-knit community. Two of the women were held in harsh conditions, restrained with chains and duct tape for long periods of time.

In an earlier interview with Cleveland’s WKYC television, another of Castro’s lawyers, Craig Weintraub, said his client was not a “monster.”

“The initial portrayal by the media has been one of a ‘monster’ and that’s not the impression that I got when I talked to him for three hours,” Weintraub said. “I know that family members who have been interviewed by the media have expressed that as well.”

Castro’s brothers, 50-year-old Onil and 54-yearold Pedro, in an interview on Monday with CNN, described their brother as strange and aloof.

“I hope he rots in that jail,” Onil said.

An Ohio prosecutor last week vowed to try to bring murder charges that could carry the death penalty against Ariel Castro.

Those charges would stem from forced miscarriages that police say were suffered by one of his victims. The initial police report on the case said that at least five times after impregnating Knight, Ariel Castro starved and beat her in the abdomen to induce miscarriages.

The IRS scandal has prompted at least three congressional probes, as well as a criminal investigation by the Justice Department. Obama fired the agency’s acting director on Wednesday after an internal IRS watchdog found poor management led to an “inappropriate” focus on conservative groups.

Werfel has a track record of coolly responding to harsh questions from lawmakers. He testified multiple times this year about the damaging budget cuts that kicked in after Congress and the White House failed to reach a larger deficit reduction deal.

“The American people deserve to have the utmost confidence and trust in their government, and as we work to get to the bottom of what happened and restore confidence in the IRS, Danny has the experience and management ability necessary to lead the agency at this important time,” Obama said in a statement.

J

odi Arias, a California woman convicted in a sensational trial of brutally murdering her ex-boyfriend, is eligible for the death penalty after an Arizona jury found on Wednesday that she had inflicted extreme cruelty on her victim.

The same jury convicted Arias last week of first-degree murder in the death of 30-yearold Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix area home five years ago. She had stabbed him 27 times, slashed his throat and shot him in the face.

The jury, which recessed for the day after rendering its verdict in the penalty phase of the trial, was due to return to court on Thursday to weigh additional evidence to decide whether to actually sentence Arias to death or to life in prison.

Arias appeared agitated and tearful at times during Wednesday’s proceedings, wiping her eyes and nose with a tissue and mostly keeping her gaze downward.

She had been placed on suicide watch in a psychiatric ward following her conviction a week ago after saying in a television interview that she would prefer the death penalty to life in prison, but she was returned to her jail cell on Monday.

The petite, 32-year-old former waitress had sought unsuccessfully to convince the jury during the four-month trial that she acted in self-defense.

She admitted shooting Alexander, an ex-boyfriend with whom she was having an on-again, off-again affair, but said she opened fire on him with his own pistol after he attacked her in a rage because she dropped his camera while taking snapshots of him in the shower. She said she did not remember stabbing him.

The lurid circumstances of the case, which went to trial in January and featured graphic testimony, photographs of the blood-sprayed crime scene and a sex tape, became a sensation on cable television news and unfolded in live Internet telecasts of the proceedings.

On Wednesday, prosecutors focused on the grisly details of Alexander’s slaying in their bid to cast the crime as especially cruel - a legal stan-

Jodi Arias listens to prosecutor Juan Martinez addresses the jury on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 during the sentencing phase of her trial at Maricopa County dard for aggravating factors that would qualify Arias for the death sentence.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez recounted how Arias attacked Alexander in his own shower, repeatedly stabbing him for two minutes as he tried to escape from the bathroom. She then followed the bleeding victim down a hallway and slashed his throat when he was too weak to get away.

Alexander knew he was going to die and was unable to resist his attacker at that point, Martinez said.

“Each and every time that blade went into his body, it hurt,” Martinez told the jury. “It was only death that relieved that pain. It was only death that relieved that anguish, and that is especially cruel.”

The defense argued that adrenaline would have prevented Alexander from feeling the pain of the knife blows, thus reducing his suffering.

If the bullet wound to his forehead came first, rendering him unconscious in seconds, then Alexander would not have suffered, defense attorney Kirk Nurmi said.

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WORLD NEWS

Once jailed and exiled Nawaz Sharif poised to form government after Pakistan poll T

oppled in a 1999 military coup, jailed and exiled, Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif has made a triumphant election comeback and looks set to form a stable government capable of implementing reforms needed to rescue the fragile economy.

Sharif may not win enough seats to rule on his own but has built up enough momentum to avoid having to form a coalition with his main rivals, former cricketer Imran Khan’s Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

The steel magnate held off a challenge from Khan, who had hoped to break decades of dominance by Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and the PPP, led by the Bhutto family.

The two parties have formed governments whenever the military, the most powerful institution in the nuclear-armed nation, has allowed civilian rule.

U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Pakistanis for the successful election and said the United States would work with the new government as an equal partner.

“By conducting competitive campaigns, freely exercising your democratic rights, and persevering despite intimidation by violent extremists, you have affirmed a commitment to democratic rule that will be critical to achieving peace and prosperity for all Pakistanis for years to come,” Obama said in a statement.

But facing Islamist militant violence, endemic corruption, chronic power cuts and crumbling infrastructure, even Sharif has described Pakistan

NAWAZ SHARIF as a “mess”.

Khan put up a strong fight and he is likely to remain a force in politics, possibly becoming the main opposition figure. The PPP, which led the government for the last five years, has done badly and could come in third place.

Television channels said of the results declared

by Sunday evening, Sharif’s PML-N had captured 94 of the 272 contested National Assembly seats.

Based on trends, it was likely to get around 130, and should easily be able to make up the required majority of 137 with support from independents and small parties.

The PTI has secured 21 seats while the PPP won 19.

The elections, held on Saturday, were marred by a campaign by Islamists to block the voting.

Despite pre-poll violence and attacks that killed at least 40 people, voter turnout was a robust 60 percent.

Once it establishes a majority, Sharif’s party would be allocated a majority of 70 other parliamentary seats that are reserved for women and non-Muslim minorities.

Sharif has waited patiently to rule Pakistan again. As the main opposition leader, he avoided undermining the PPP when it was in trouble, and analysts describe him as more cautious than when he was prime minister twice in the 1990s.

But Saturday’s vote failed to realise the hopes of many that the hold of patronage-based parties would end after years of misrule and corruption.

Sharif, 63, is almost certain to become prime minister for a third time. The religious conservative has said the army, which has ruled the country for more than half of its turbulent 66-year history, should stay out of politics.

But he will have to work with Pakistan’s generals, who set foreign and security policy and will manage the country’s thorny relationship with the United States as NATO troops withdraw from neighboring Afghanistan in 2014.

Sharif also believes Pakistan should reconsider its support for the U.S. war on Islamist militancy, which has earned the country billions of dollars in aid.

Dead man comes back to life at his funeral M

ourners attending a funeral in central Zimbabwe were shocked when the man they had come to bury “returned from the dead.”

Family and friends were filing past a coffin with the remains of Brighton Dama Zanthe, 34, when one of them noticed the dead man’s legs twitching.

One of the mourners, Lot Gaka, who employs Mr Zanthe at his transport company, said: “I was the first to notice Zanthe’s moving legs as I was in the queue to view his body.

This shocked me. We called an ambulance immediately. It’s a miracle and people are still in disbelief.”

Mr Zanthe had been unwell for some time and was laid to rest inside a coffin last Monday after “dying” at home the day before.

Mr Zanthe told The Chronicle newspaper, that he has no recollection of how he “died” nor how he was “resurrected,” as his memory only returned when he woke up in a hospital in Gweru 140 miles southwest of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare.

“Everything is history to me.

What I can only confirm is that people gathered at my house to mourn but I was given another chance and I am alive. I feel OK now.” Mr Zanthe was discharged after spending nearly two days on life support.

It’s fortunate that Zanthe recovered in time, though not quite a miracle. Stories of people assumed dead but waking up just before burial are weird, but are more common than most people think — especially in Third World countries where modern medical treatment is rare, and

PHILADELPHIA ABORTION DOCTOR GETS THREE LIFE SENTENCES FOR BABY MURDERS

A

Philadelphia doctor was sent to prison on Wednesday to serve three life terms without parole for murdering babies during late-term abortions and other crimes at his squalid clinic.

In a deal that spared him from the death penalty, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, faced a judge in a twoday sentencing at Philadelphia Common Pleas Court after waiving his right to appeal his conviction on three counts of first-degree murder.

Graphic trial testimony about Gosnell’s actions at the now-shuttered Women’s Medical So-

confirming death may sometimes be little more than guesswork.

Consciousness does not suddenly stop when the heart stops beating, and people who appear dead in some cases may not be. Cases of people who were presumed dead but woke up shortly before burial — or, in some horrific cases, shortly after burial — have been around for millennia, and may have contributed to belief in vampires and zombies.

Fears of premature burial obsessed many in the Victorian era and in fact some caskets were equipped with tubes and equipment leading to the surface so that bells and flags could be raised to alert groundskeepers in case the “dead” awoke.

In centuries past, doctors used a variety of curious methods to determine death, ranging from holding a

ciety Clinic in West Philadelphia, which served a predominantly black and low-income community, cast a spotlight on the controversial practice of late-term abortions.

A seven-woman, five-man jury convicted Gosnell on Monday in the case that focused on whether the infants were born alive and then killed. A clinic worker testified during the trial that the doctor had delivered live babies during botched late-term abortions and cut their spinal cords.

Gosnell’s defense had claimed there was no evidence that the babies were alive after they were aborted and that any noise or movement would have been involuntary spasms.

mirror under a person’s nose to detect moisture in their respiration to pricking the eyes with needles. Usually those sorts of crude measures are enough, but every now and then the vital signs will be too shallow to detect.

The same remains true today, and sometimes medical monitoring machines make errors. Doctors are only human and sometimes they make mistakes. Medical personnel typically don’t spend any more time than necessary with patients they believe to be dead. Instead they, quite reasonably, turn their attention and resources to the injured or diseased patients who they know are living. No one has the responsibility of staying with the dead for hours or days to make sure that they stay dead.

After the sentencing, Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams called Gosnell a “monster” and said imprisoning him for the rest of his life would prevent him from harming others.

“Kermit Gosnell will never kill another baby, he will never kill another woman seeking medical assistance,” Williams said. “He will never again subject poor women to barbaric procedures performed in squalor under less than third world conditions.”

Gosnell’s lawyer, Jack McMahon, said Gosnell maintained his innocence.

“He believes what he did was not homicide.

He believes he never killed a live baby,” McMahon told reporters.

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WORLD NEWS

Obama aims to halt perception of passive president W

ASHINGTON — Faced with a trio of controversies, President Barack Obama is trying to halt a perception spreading among both White House opponents and allies that he has been passive and disengaged as unexpected developments consume his second term.

The new strategy, underscored in a flurry of new White House actions, signals an Obama team anxious to regain control amid controversies that have emboldened Republicans and threatened to plunge the president’s second term into a steady stream of congressional investigations.

On Wednesday, Obama released a trove of documents related to the Benghazi attacks amid revived pressure from Republicans. He asked Congress to revive a media shield law that would protect journalists from having to reveal information, a step seen as a response to the Justice Department’s widely criticized subpoenas of phone records from reporters and editors at The Associated Press. And he forced the resignation of the top official at the Internal Revenue Service after the agency targeted conservative political groups.

“Americans have a right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it,” Obama said of the IRS actions. “I will not tolerate this kind of behavior at any agency, but especially at the IRS, given the power that it has and the reach that it has into all of our lives.”

The president, seeking to keep up his more robust profile on the controversies, also said he would take questions from reporters Thursday at a previously scheduled news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The president had addressed the IRS controversy on Monday, but his measured words left many unsatisfied, particularly given that he had waited three days to address the developments.

He also repeatedly asserted that he was waiting to find out if the reports were accurate, even though top IRS officials had already acknowledged the controversial actions.

Adding to the narrative of a passive president were White House efforts to distance Obama from the IRS scandal, as well as the revelations that the Justice Department had secretly obtained work and personal phone records of journalists.

US President Barack Obama under pressure during his second term In both cases, the White House insisted the president had no prior knowledge of the events and learned about the matters like the general public — from news reports.

Obama’s cautious response, combined with his lack of awareness about controversies brewing within his administration, opened him to quick criticism from his Republican foes.

“If Obama really learned about the latest IRS and AP secret subpoena scandals in the news, who exactly is running the ship at the White House?” Republican National Committee spokesman Kirsten Kukowski said.

But in a worrying sign for the White House, some Democrats also criticized the president for not being more aggressive in responding to trouble within the government.

Robert Gibbs, Obama’s former White House press secretary, said the president should have appointed a bipartisan commission of former IRS officials to look into the issue of targeting political organizations. And Gibbs gently chided his former boss for using passive language when he first addressed the political targeting during a White House news conference Monday.

“I think they would have a much better way of talking about this story rather than simply kind of landing on the, ‘well if this happened, then we’ll look at it’,” Gibbs said during an appearance on MSNBC.

The pair of new fresh controversies coincided with a resurgence in the GOP-led investigation into the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.

Congressional Republicans launched another round of hearings on the attacks last week. And on Friday, a congressional official disclosed details of emails among administration officials that resulted in the CIA downplaying the prospect that the attacks were an act of terror in talking points used to publicly discuss the deadly incident.

Obama aides insisted the emails were either taken out of context or provided no new information but resisted pressure to make the emails public for five days, before finally disclosing the documents to reporters Wednesday. The emails revealed that then-CIA Director David Petraeus disagreed with the final talking points, despite the White House’s insistence that the intelligence agency had the final say over the statements.

The White House has publicly defended its handling of the controversies. Obama spokesman Jay Carney has insisted it would be “wholly inappropriate” for the president, in the case of the Justice Department matter, to weigh in on an active investigation, and in the case of the IRS controversy, to insert himself in the actions of an independent agency.

However, legal scholar Jonathan Turley disputed those assertions, saying there is no legal reason a president would be precluded from learning about the investigations before the public or commenting on them, at least broadly.

“These comments treat the president like he’s the bubble boy,” said Turley, a law professor at George Washington University.

David Axelrod, Obama’s longtime adviser, acknowledged the White House could have acted more aggressively in “the interest of stagecraft.”

But he insisted that the president’s handling of the matters will ultimately be vindicated.

“One virtue he has is that he takes a long-range view,” he said. “It’s easy to get whipped up by the frenzy, but it’s responsible to react to the facts. It has short-term liabilities, but in the long-run, it’s a quality you want in a president.”

Russia expels US diplomat in spy scandal R

ussia expelled a U.S. diplomat on Tuesday after saying he had been caught red-handed with disguises, special equipment and wads of cash as he tried to recruit a Russian intelligence agent to work for the CIA. Apparently detained in an incongruous-looking blond wig, with props reminiscent of a schoolboy’s spy kit, U.S. Embassy Third Secretary Ryan Fogle hardly looked like a Cold War secret agent.

But the announcement still came at an awkward time for Washington and Moscow as they try to improve relations and bring the warring sides in Syria together for an international peace conference.

Nevertheless, there was little sign that either country wanted to escalate the affair beyond a minimum response.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul to discuss the case

US diplomat Ryan Fogle on Wednesday and released a statement ordering Fogle to leave Russia.

“Such provocative actions in the spirit of the Cold War will by no means promote the strengthening of mutual trust,” it said.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell suggested the episode was unlikely to affect broader U.S.-Russian relations or plans for the Syria con-

ference.

“I’m not sure I would read too much into one incident one way or another,” Ventrell said. He confirmed that an embassy officer had been briefly detained, but declined further comment.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Fogle had been detained overnight carrying “special technical equipment”, a disguise, a large sum of money and instructions for recruiting his target.

Russian television showed grainy footage of a man identified as Fogle, in a blond wig, being arrested and pinned to the ground.

WIGS, GLASSES AND COMPASS A photo published by the staterun Russia Today channel on its website showed two wigs, apparently found on him, as well as three pairs of glasses, a torch, a mobile phone and a compass.

Also displayed was a wad of 500euro ($650) notes and a letter print-

ed in Russian and addressed to a “Dear friend”.

“This is an advance from someone who has been highly impressed by your professionalism, and who would highly value your cooperation in the future,” the letter said.

It offered an initial payment of $100,000, and $1 million a year for long-term cooperation, plus possible bonuses for useful information.

The FSB, a successor to the Soviet KGB, said Fogle worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and that he had been handed over to embassy officials at some point after his detention.

RT footage showed a Russian official haranguing Fogle, a senior U.S. embassy official and two others in an FSB office. The speaker says Fogle twice called his target - an officer involved in counterterrorism in the restive North Caucasus - and proposed that he spy for the United States.

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usiness B AND

T O

ECHN LOGY Airlines lose $552 million in first quarter

U

.S. airlines charged more in fares and fees and reduced debt as they improved their financial performance in the first quarter.

They still lost money, which is typical for the year’s first three months travel slows after the holidays and delays rack up from snow storms. But the deficit was $552 million — or $3.30 per passenger — compared with $1.7 billion in same period in 2012.

The industry’s second-quarter results could show a hit tied to federal budget cuts. Looking further out, summer travel should pick up over last year but still trail its pre-recession peak, according to Airlines for America, the industry’s lobbying group.

Airlines have been making a concerted effort to get their costs under control, said John Heimlichm, chief economist for the lobbying group, during a media presentation Thursday.

That’s a big challenge. Fuel accounts for more than a third of the airlines’ costs and is largely out of their control. Airlines were able to lower debt and interest payments, Heimlichm said, but the biggest gains came from increasing airfares and charging more in fees.

Total operating revenue rose 2.5 percent year over year, Heimlichm said.

As airlines take in more cash —

and remain profitable in other quarters — they are investing in new planes, better first class seats, improvements to airport terminals, increased in-flight entertainment and better technology for tracking luggage.

Airlines are likely to take a financial hit to their second-quarter results due to lengthy delays in April caused by furloughs to air traffic controllers.

The Federal Aviation Administration had furloughed controllers for one week as part of a long-standing budget fight between Congress and the White House. About 7,200 flights were estimated to be delayed because of the controller shortage.

Airlines for America estimates that 600,000 passengers were delayed, costing the airlines $50 million.

Looking ahead to summer, the lobbying group expects 208.7 mil-

lion people to fly in June, July and August, up from 206.6 million last year but still down from the 2007 peak of 217.6 million.

Planes will again be packed, the group predicts, with 86 to 87 percent of seats filled with paying passengers, about the same as the last four summers.

International travel — with its more expensive tickets — will continue to aid the U.S. airline industry: 27.4 million of this summer’s travelers will be coming from outside the country, a record.

The lobbying group used Thursday’s media briefing to reiterate it criticism of the Department of Homeland Security for a decision to open a customs and immigration pre-clearance facility in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

The only airline to fly directly from there to the United States is Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, a rapidly-growing carrier seen as a threat to many Western airlines on their lucrative international routes.

Heimlichm said the U.S. government should be focused instead on dealing with the much larger amount of passengers coming from London, Toronto, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Paris and reducing their wait times.

“This is wrong,” he said. “We need to fix the situation here.”

IMF board OKs Cyprus loan, warns of risks T

he International Monetary Fund’s executive board approved a $1.3 billion, three-year loan to Cyprus on Wednesday, part of a larger international bailout to help the Mediterranean country avoid defaulting on its debt.

But IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said Cyprus’s bailout was subject to “substantial risks,” as the economy is likely to contract for the next two years.

“The macroeconomic outlook is subject to high uncertainty and risks to the program are substantial,” Lagarde said in a statement.

“There is no room for implementation slippages. Full and timely implementation of the program is critical to maintain credibility and

achieve the program’s objectives.”

Cyprus had to comply with certain conditions - including winding down its second-largest bank and imposing losses on large depositors - in order to receive the bailout from the IMF and the European Union, which totals 10 billion euros ($13 billion). The approval of the IMF’s board means Cyprus immediately gets $110.7 million.

The Washington-based global lender said the financing package is meant to stabilize the country’s financial system, achieve sustainable government finances and support economic recovery.

Lagarde said Cyprus’s first priority must be to stabilize the banking system. The outsized banking sec-

tor led to the country’s problems in the first place, after it was burned by losses on loans to crisis-hit Greece.

Independent auditors on Wednesday said the banking system is more vulnerable to money laundering than previously thought.

The government also must consolidate public debt to about 100 percent of GDP by 2020 in order to ensure it is sustainable, the IMF said.

The IMF said its projections for the program assume Cyprus’s economy will contract 9 percent this year and 4 percent in 2014, before starting to recover in 2015, similar to falling economic activity in other countries with a banking crisis. ($1 = 0.7705 Euro)

APPLE REPORTS SECOND QUARTER RESULTS

37.4

Million iPhones Sold; 19.5 Million iPads Sold CUPERTINO, California —Apple recently announced financial results for its fiscal 2013 second quarter ended March 30, 2013.

The Company posted quarterly revenue of $43.6 billion and quarterly net profit of $9.5 billion, or $10.09 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $39.2

billion and net profit of $11.6 billion, or $12.30 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 37.5 percent compared to 47.4 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 66 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

The Company sold 37.4 million iPhones in the quarter, compared to 35.1 million in the yearago quarter. Apple also sold 19.5 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 11.8 million in the year-ago quarter. The Company sold just under 4 million Macs, compared to 4 million in the yearago quarter.

“We are pleased to report record March quarter revenue thanks to continued strong performance of iPhone and iPad,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software, and services and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.”

“Our cash generation remains very strong, with $12.5 billion in cash flow from operations during the quarter and an ending cash balance of $145 billion,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. Apple is providing the following guidance for its fiscal 2013 third quarter: • revenue between $33.5 billion and $35.5 billion • gross margin between 36 percent and 37 percent • operating expenses between $3.85 billion and $3.95 billion • other income/(expense) of $300 million • tax rate of 26%

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BUSINESS AND T ECHNOLOGY

Google launches streaming music service ahead of Apple S

AN FRANCISCO - Google Inc launched a music service on Wednesday that allows users to listen to unlimited songs for $9.99 a month, challenging smaller companies like Pandora and Spotify in the market for streaming music.

With its new service, announced at its annual developers’ conference in San Francisco, Google has adopted the streaming music business model ahead of rival Apple Inc, which pioneered online music purchases with iTunes.

Google’s “All Access” service lets users customize song selections from 22 genres, ranging from Jazz to Indie music, stream individual playlists, or listen to a curated, radio-like

stream that can be tweaked. It will be launched for U.S. users first, before being rolled out to several other countries.

Google unveiled a string of improvements to other services, including new mapping features and a voice-activated search, at the conference. The focus was on giving more options to users of mobile devices using its Android software, the operating system that now runs three out of every four smartphones sold.

Shares of Google, the world’s largest Internet search company, jumped more than 3 percent while Pandora Media Inc shares were down more than 1 percent on Wednesday afternoon.

Google’s new music service amps up the competition in the nascent market for subscription-based, streaming music. Amazon.com Inc and Apple are among the Silicon Valley powerhouses sounding out top recording industry executives, according to sources with knowledge of talks.

Pandora is spending freely and racking up losses to expand globally. Even social media stalwarts Facebook and Twitter are jumping onto the streaming-music bandwagon.

All these companies see a viable music streaming and subscription service as crucial to growing their presence in an exploding mobile environment. For Google and Apple, it is critical in ensuring users remain

loyal to their mobile products.

With a music service, Google further “locks” consumers into its sphere of products and services, said Chris Silva, an analyst with Altimeter Group.

“They’re trying to sell an ecosystem,” he said. “The more things I’m doing, the more things that tie me to Google services.”

At $9.99 a month, Google’s service is costlier than the $3.99 required for Pandora, but on par with Spotify.

The music service features millions of tracks from Universal Music, Sony Entertainment Group and Warner Music Group, as well as from thousands of independent labels, according to a Google spokeswoman.

COPYRIGHT OWNERS CAN’T SUE YOUTUBE AS A GROUP

A

U.S. judge on Wednesday denied class-action status to copyright owners suing Google Inc over the use of material posted on YouTube without their permission.

U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton in Manhattan denied a motion to certify a worldwide class of copyright owners in a long-running lawsuit over videos and music posted to the popular website.

“The suggestion that a class action of these dimensions can be managed with judicial resourcefulness is flattering, but unrealistic,” Stanton wrote.

The case ran in parallel with a $1 billion lawsuit filed in 2007 by Viacom Inc over Google’s alleged unauthorized hosting on YouTube of clips uploaded by users from “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “South Park,” “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Stanton threw Viacom’s case out on April 18, a year after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the copyright infringement case.

The proposed class action lawsuit was filed in 2007 and included as named plaintiffs the English Premier League, the French Tennis Federation, the National Music Publishers’ Association and individual music publishers.

One part of the proposed class would have included any copyright owner whose allegedly infringed videos were blocked by YouTube after it received a so-called takedown notice and blocked it.

Another part of the proposed class covered music publishers whose compositions were allowed to be used on YouTube without proper permission.

But Stanton said that while the legal analyses he would have had to apply in the case would have been similar for the various plaintiffs, each copyright owner’s case would need to be decided based on facts particular to their individual claims.

“Generally speaking, copyright claims are poor candidates for class-action treatment,” he said.

Allowing the case to move forward as a class action would turn it into a “mammoth proceeding,” Stanton said. The plaintiffs said the members in their proposed worldwide class action would have numbered in the thousands.

Charles Sims, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the law firm Proskauer Rose, said his clients were “going to think about their options,” including asking the court for permission to appeal.

Abbi Tatton, a spokeswoman for Google, declined to comment.

The ruling marked the second major defeat in recent weeks for litigants suing Google over the unauthorized hosting of copyrighted material on YouTube.

In the Viacom case decided last month, Stanton sided with Google in finding that it was protected from Viacom’s copyright claims thanks to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The 1998 federal law made it illegal to produce technology that could circumvent anti-piracy measures, but also limited the liability of online service providers over copyright infringement by their users.

Viacom has filed a notice of appeal from Stanton’s ruling.

Chipotle profit jumps, immigration probe expanded C

hipotle Mexican Grill Inc posted a big jump in quarterly profit and said federal investigators have expanded their probe into the popular burrito chain’s compliance with immigration laws.

Chipotle shares were up 3.5 percent in extending trading after cost cutting helped insulate earnings from cooling sales growth and higher food prices.

The news from Chipotle landed as restaurant chains fight for frugal diners and as lawmakers embark on renewed efforts to reform immigration.

First-quarter profit at Chipotle rose to $76.6 million, or $2.45 per share, from $62.7 million, or $1.97 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue was up 13.4 percent to $726.8 million.

Sales at restaurants open at least 13 months, a closely watched gauge of industry performance, rose 1 percent - just matching analysts’ average estimate compiled by Consensus Metrix.

Food costs were 33 percent of revenue, an increase of 80 basis points from a year ago, largely due to salsa ingredients and other produce, dairy and chicken. Chipotle uses organic ingre-

dients and antibiotic-free meat when possible. As a result, it is less able than many rivals to lock in ingredient prices.

Denver-based Chipotle - the subject of a three-year federal probe into its hiring practices - said on Thursday the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia requested work authorization documents for all of its workers since 2007, plus employee lists and other related documents.

Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators unveiled an immigration reform bill that, among other things, would open the door for millions of undocumented workers to one day become U.S. citizens.

The shares of the nearly 1,500-restaurant chain peaked at just above $440 about a year ago. In after-hours trading on Thursday, shares of Chipotle, which has ramped up advertising and introduced catering to drive additional sales, gained $11.64 to $340.

But the red-hot growth that propelled the stock to those levels has cooled under pressure from food costs and rivals that have mimicked Chipotle’s menus.

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Sports LOCAL

Ira Baptiste’s century for Quality sinks KB Home

BY VIVIAN TYSON

A

blistering even century from ace batsman Ira Baptiste guided Quality to an easy 94 run win over KB Home on Sunday, May 12 in the Turks and Caicos Islands Cricket Association Provo T20 League, played at the Down Town Ball Park.

The former Police player punched seven 4s in his onslaught at the crease in which he reached the three figures from a mere 53 ball, and was ably supported by fellow former Police batsman Calvin chase, whose quick fire unbeaten 57 came in just 36 balls.

Baptiste and fellow opener Earle Henry put on 37 for the first wicket before Henry was caught by Vikram John off the bowling of Blair Mason for 9, in 4.3 overs.

Baptiste and Chase, who batted at number three put on 133 runs for the second wicket in 15 overs. Both batsmen showed little regard for the KB Home bowlers. Both batsmen took likings to Paul McKenThe Quality team

Ira Baptiste hit an even century for Quality

zie, Blair Mason, Mark Butler, Jamie Tate and Ranald Shultz.

It was a relief for the KB Home players when Baptiste was caught

by Shultz off the bowling of Butler with 18.2 overs gone.

Heavy hitter Sabutan John, who joined Chase at the crease, united in the run fest, smashing 24 off 14 balls before the overs ran out on them.

Chase hammered six 4s for his 57, while John scored two boundaries.

It was a bowling figures that the KB Home bowlers would want to forget in hurry. Butler, after his four overs gave up 46 runs; Mckenzie was hammered for 44 runs in his three over spell; Tait gave up 34 runs in four overs; Mason surrendered 37 runs off his four overs; Shultz was hit for 35 from his four overs, while Garvin Bruno, a former Police front man, gave up 18 runs off his one over bowled.

In reply, the KB Home team got what can be considered a solid start but after the loss of Vikram John, approaching the fifth over, who was bowled Lydon Tyson, it was all downhill from there. Three balls later Butler fell to Tyson’s bowling, this time caught by Baptise for six runs.

The first ball of the sixth over claimed another wicket, this time the scalp of Paul Collis, who fell yet

again to a Tyson bowling, this time caught by Jeremy Jones.

Shultz then joined Bruno in the middle, but when it looked like the two was building a credible partnership, Bruno departed with 10.3 overs gone, caught by Andy Kathalingam off the bowling of Earl Henry for 34, with the score on 88. He and Shutlz posted a 24 run partnership.

Tait was the sixth KB Home wicket to fall, having gone down in 10.5 overs. He went for one run, having caught by Chase off the bowling of a Henry bowling.

Shultz finally went with the score one 100. He was caught by Ebbon Cesar of the bowling of Ian Heath after making 8 runs from 9 balls. Six runs later, Mckenzie, who scored five runs off five balls, including a boundary, was sent back to the dressing room after a returned catch to Henry.

The remaining batsmen were skittled out for a handful of runs, folding the innings on 125 runs.

Henry, Heath and Tyson finished with three wickets apiece. Henry gave up 26 runs from his allotted four overs; Heath gave up 20 runs from his three overs, which included a maiden; while Tyson, who was the most economical, gave up just 15 runs from his four overs.

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LOCAL SPORTS

Purple and Pink score wins in Captain Marvin’s Beach Soccer T

he Captain Marvin’s Women’s Beach Soccer league produced another entertaining Sunday afternoon of football as the Purple Pirates and Pink Mermaids won two crucial games to create some space for themselves at the top of the league standings.

In the opening game the Blue Marlins opened up a two goal lead over the Pink Mermaids through Alina Ayer and Yarielca De La Cruz before Kadine Delphin scored twice to level the score going into the final period. The last 12 minutes were intense as the Mermaids took the lead through Delphin before De la Cruz and Chrystal Stirling scored to open up a 4-3 lead for the Marlins.

Some impressive defending made it difficult for the Mermaids to create chances however when Yarileny De La Cruz came out of goal, her skills enabled Kadine Delphin and Guerline Hall more space to create chances. Three quick goals, two from Delphin and a fierce shot from Hall saw the Mermaids snatch victory from the Marlins who had put in an equally entertaining and competitive performance.

In the second game the Purple Pirates overcame resilient Great White Sharks to win 5-2. Sarah Cenary scored twice to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead before Alyssa Laing pulled a goal back for the Sharks. Cenary would add two more goals and Shinaydine Pluviose fired in a long range effort to complete the scoring for the Pirates and an own goal for the Sharks ensured that the final minutes would be a tense one as the Pirates tried to hang on to their lead.

Some strong defence from Pluviose ensured that the Pirates won the game and as result remained top of the league standings on goal difference over the Pink Mermaids.

Technical Director Matthew Green was deligheted with the performances.”every week the games just get better and better. The girls are playing some excellent football. The competition is fierce but respectful and the skill levels are improving all the time.

We have seen some great goals throughout the season, especially from the likes of Kadine Delphin and sarah Cenary who are just two of the many stars in this league”.

MVP for week 4 was Kadine Delphin whose five goals helped the Pink Mermaids overcome the Blue Marlins in and exciting and competitive game.

Games are played every Sunday at 4.30pm and 5.30pm.

Sharks, AFC Academy out front in Bugaloo’s Beach Soccer T

he Bugaloo’s Beach Soccer League started last weekend and if first impressions are anything to go on it promises to be an exciting and closely fought league.

The opening game was an entertaining encounter between SWA Sharks and the TCIFA U15 Center of Excellence Boys. The young stars got off to a bright start and held a 3-2 lead after the first period as Myrohn Pereira had scored an early hat-trick. However, the Sharks’ experience and physical strength saw them fight back in the second period to take a 5-3 lead.

The final period was very open as both teams seemed intent on winning the game but the Sharks, inspired by player-coach Chris Bryan were more composed in front of goals running out 11-5 winners. Pereira Found the back of the net for the COE Boys as did Evelson

Jean but Chris Bryan ended up with an impressive 6-goal haul for the Sharks, with additional goals scored by Steven Hayes (3), Paul Collis and Courtney Tain.

The second game pitted two Provo Premier league rivals against each other as Teachers FC took on AFC Academy. The young Academy team made a blistering start to the game opening up a four goal lead within three minutes before Dane Ritchie pulled a goal back for the Teachers.

Herby Magny and Jensen Joseph each added another goal in the first period to complete their hat-tricks and open up a 6-1 lead. However, the Teachers rallied in the second period and pulled the game back to 6-4 with strikes from Fed Dorvil (2) and Ritchie before a long range strike from Rodney Davilmar ensured AFC Acad-

emy had the edge with a 7-4 lead.

The final period was an even affair as further goals from Joseph, Magny and James Rene ensured the Academy team took the honours although Dorvil and Marc Nicholas scored late consolation goals for the Teachers.

Technical Director Matthew Green was pleased with the opening day. “The standard has improved from last year and the teams are beginning to show signs that they can adapt to this version of the game. It is particularly pleasing to see players of all ages enjoying the game which bodes well for the future.”

MVP for week 1 was Chris Bryan whose 6 goals helped SWA Sharks defeat a competitive and energetic COE Boys team. Games are played every Saturday at the TCIFA Academy at 5.00pm and 6.00pm.

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Sports CARIBBEAN

Michael Holding says new T20 tournament can spur development

B

RIDGETOWN, Barbados – Legendary fast bowler Michael Holding believes the Caribbean Premier League represents an excellent opportunity for the development of professional cricket in the region.

The 59-year-old, known for his strident criticism of the shortest form of the game, said the CPL was special as it had the potential to birth a new generation of professional cricketers in the Caribbean. He has signed on as the ambassador for the development programme.

“I think cricket has lost a lot of young people in the Caribbean who are thinking ‘why bother with cricket because unless you are playing for the West Indies then there is nothing there for you,’” said the former paceman who took 249 wickets in 60 Tests.

“The advent of the CPL means West Indian youngsters can now think to themselves ‘hey, I can make a reasonably good living from playing cricket.’ Now there is something here in the Caribbean they can play in, they can make a reasonable living and they can go on and play cricket again.”

The cash-rich CPL is set to bowl off in July, with franchises based in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.

Each outfit is stipulated to have 11 of their 15 players qualified to play for the West Indies, with

MICHAEL HOLDING four required to be under the age of 23.

Holding said it was clear the CPL’s objectives would result in new international players being identified and properly developed, even for the longer forms of the game.

“The CPL is looking at a development programme which they will start rolling out in January 2014, I understand,” said Holding, now an internationally renowned broadcaster.

“They will have about 60 young cricketers, 10 from each of the six franchise regions, who they will put on contract and create programmes to improve their cricket. That is what I am interest-

SLC seek change in Caribbean Premier League schedule S

ri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has asked the West Indies Cricket Board to reschedule the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL), in order to avoid a scheduling clash with the Sri Lanka Premier League, SLPL director Ajit Jayasekara has said. The CPL is scheduled between July 29 and August 26, while the SLPL is penciled in for an August 10 start. SLC cannot postpone their tournament because the Champions League T20, which will feature SLPL winners in the qualifying stage, begins in mid-September.

“There is quite a big overlap there, and because we announced our tournament last year and have set that window aside, we have asked the Caribbean Premier League tournament to move their tournament up,” Jayasekara said.

“Those discussions haven’t started yet, but we are hopeful we can work something out.”

The scheduling clash was brought into focus this week after former Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan signed with the CPL. Muralitharan said he has not yet decided which tournament he will prioritise. In addition to being one of the SLPL’s biggest draws, Muralitharan was also the icon player for his Uthura Rudra’s franchise in the inaugural tournament last year. However, as one of only six international signings, he is a major asset to the CPL as well.

Chris Gayle also has an SLPL deal for the next two years, but his contract with the Uva Next franchise is fitted with an escape clause, and he is almost certain to forego the SLPL to play in his home board’s Twenty20 tournament. In addition to player unavailability, the presence of a competing Twenty20 league undermines SLPL’s global

broadcast value as well.

Jayasekara said SLPL’s organisers were in discussions with several new foreign players, and will be announcing new signings in the months to come. Last year’s tournament was played at only two venues - Colombo and Kandy - but the 2013 tournament is likely include more venues, Jayasekara said.

“We only had one production crew last time, but we have two this year, so that gives us more options. We are looking at Hambantota, Galle, Moratuwa and Dambulla as venues as well.”

The Uva Next franchise won 2012’s SLPL but was unable to move ahead of the qualifying stage of the Champions League T20 in South Africa. The tournament itself was mired in a series of controversies, including late player payments, but turned a minor profit for SLC.

ed in.”

He continued: “It is not easy to start with Twenty20 cricket and go into Test cricket and David Warner (of Australia) is the only person who has come even close but if we can develop some young cricketers in the Caribbean, even if a lot of them are tempted to play Twenty20 cricket, then maybe we can still find one or two who are quite happy and even capable of playing Test cricket too.”

Superstar Chris Gayle headlines a list of West Indies stars that have been confirmed as franchise players, incuding Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels.

These will play alongside international franchise players like Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Ross Taylor, Mohammad Hafeez, Herschelle Gibbs and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Holding said having players of this quality in the CPL augured well for the development of younger cricketers.

“If the youngsters rub shoulders with those guys they will certainly learn a lot about cricket, not just Twenty20 cricket but cricket in general,” he said.

“Youngsters will love to be able to be with those guys, be in the same squad with them, going to team meetings and listening to those people they will be playing with.”

USAIN BOLT CONFIRMS ZURICH DATE

P

ARIS: Sprint legend Usain Bolt will compete at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich in August, the Jamaican athlete confirmed on Monday.

“I am excited to go back to Zurich. I love the electric atmosphere at the stadium and both the competition and the events during the week of the meeting are always extremely well-organised,” he said in a statement on the International AssociaUSAIN BOLT tion of Athletics Federations (IAAF) website.

The fastest man on the planet and defending 100m and 200m champion from the Beijing and London Olympics said he will decide whether to run the longer or shorter sprint nearer the time of the meeting on August 29.

Bolt’s appearance will be his first outing after the World Athletics Championships in Moscow from August 10-18, where he will be hoping to regain the world title he lost to training partner Yohan Blake in Daegu, South Korea, in 2011.

Bolt won last year’s 200m at Zurich in 19.66secs.

In 2009, he won the 100m in 9.81secs and the previous year in 9.83secs. In 2007, he was second in the 200m in 20.19secs.

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Sports W

RLD

David Beckham retires from football

E

ngland’s best known footballer David Beckham announced his retirement on Thursday after a career laden with trophies and glamour that had a worldwide impact that went way beyond soccer.

The 38-year-old former England captain, who this month helped Paris St Germain to the French league title to add to titles won in England, Spain and the United States, will hang up his boots at the end of this season.

“I’m thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level,” the midfielder said in a statement.

“I want to thank all my team mates, the great managers that I had the pleasure of learning from.

I also want to thank the fans who have all supported me and given me the strength to succeed.”

Beckham earned 115 caps for England, a record for an outfield player, and won the Champions League, six Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Manchester United.

He also won league titles with Real Madrid in Spain, LA Galaxy in the United States and PSG in France.

The London-born Beckham started his career at Manchester United, the club he supported as a boy, making his first team appearance at the age of 17 in 1992.

His trade-mark free kicks and pin-point crosses established him as a key player, while his good looks made him a pin-up for teenage girls and later his marriage to former Spice Girls band member Victoria Adams established him as an off-field celebrity.

The stunning goal he scored from the halfway line against Wimbledon at the start of the 1996-97 season announced him as a special talent and he even had the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ named after him.

While his commercial appeal, personal fortune and his friendships with Hollywood A listers grew, his main passion of soccer - and in particular England - held firm.

“To this day, one of my proudest achievements is captaining my country,” Beckham said.

David Beckham – “To this day, one of my proudest achievements is captaining my country.”

“I knew every time I wore the Three Lions shirt, I was not only following in a long line of great players, I was also representing every fan that cared passionately about their country. I’m honored to represent England both on and off the pitch.”

As well as the highs, there have been the low points for Beckham such as his sending off against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, a cut on his face after being hit by a boot kicked by United manager Alex Ferguson and missing a penalty at Euro 2004.

But like the trend-setting haircuts that youngsters asked their barbers to recreate, Beckham’s skills and personality ensured he became a brand that everyone wanted a part of.

He was a key member of the bid team that helped London win the right to host the 2012 Olympics and brought the torch by speedboat to the stadium at the opening ceremony.

There was public disappointment when he was not selected for the British Olympic team and his retirement has prompted messages from the highest quarters including British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Former United team mate Gary Neville said he

had been “the most influential player out of England in transforming football”, while England manager Roy Hodgson said he had “iconic status”.

DREAMS REALISED Beckham’s announcement comes in a big week of retirements at his former club after manager Ferguson and midfielder Paul Scholes called it a day, which is perhaps fitting in the context of his love for the club.

“If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over 100 times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy,” Beckham said.

“I’m fortunate to have realized those dreams.”

After a decade at Old Trafford, where he won six Premier League titles, he left for a four-year spell at Real Madrid where he won La Liga in his final season.

He then crossed the Atlantic in 2007 to become the biggest name soccer import in the United States, joining LA Galaxy with a mission to raise the profile of the sport in the country.

“We were honored to have him here,” LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena told Sky Sports News.

“He did wonderful things for our club and our league. He is a global icon and a terrific ambassador for the game.”

He won the MLS championship twice with the Galaxy before moving to Paris in January for what turned out to be his last hurrah.

There he demonstrated one of his other sides as his salary was paid to a children’s charity in the French capital.

Away from soccer, underwear modeling and ambassadorial roles, Beckham is known as a family man and thanked those closest to him for what they had done for him.

“I wouldn’t have achieved what I have done today without my family,” he said.

“I’m grateful for my parents’ sacrifice, which made me realize my dreams. I owe everything to Victoria and the kids, who have given me the inspiration and support to play at the highest level for such a long period.”

Miami Heat beat brave Chicago Bulls to reach Eastern final M

IAMI - The Miami Heat reached their third straight Eastern Conference final after a 9491 win over Chicago on Wednesday secured a 4-1 series victory for the defending NBA champions.

Miami will face the winners of the series between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Indiana currently lead 3-1 going into Thursday’s Game Five in New York.

A series that began with a Chicago upset win in Miami and included some fierce, physical encounters, ended with a strange game as

Miami blew an 18-point first quarter lead but somehow managed to claw their way back to victory.

“It was very challenging to be up like we were and then to be down like we were in second half. Mentally, we had to not get too high, not get too low in the whole game,” said Miami’s LeBron James, who ended with 23 points.

“Emotionally, this game took a lot out of both teams,” added the league MVP, who said he was left with “no energy”.

The Heat made a blistering start,

putting up 10 unanswered points to start the game and upped their advantage to 18 in the first quarter but once again the Bulls fought back.

Miami’s sharp movement of the ball fell away dramatically, as did their shooting, as Chicago, led by the livewire Nate Robinson and powerhouse Carlos Boozer, roared back.

Chicago led 53-47 at the half and went into the fourth quarter with a 77-69 advantage but Miami got their second wind when it mattered.

LEBRON JAMES A three-pointer from Shane Battier and a Chris Anderson dunk helped Miami close the gap before Norris Cole’s left-handed dunk put the Heat back in the lead with 6:40 left on the clock.

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WORLD SPORTS

Boxer Floyd Mayweather tops highest-paid US athletes list U

ndefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the highest-paid professional athlete in the United States with expected earnings of at least $90 million this year from just two bouts, according to Sports Illustrated magazine.

The 36-year-old welterweight - considered the best defensive boxer of his generation - topped the magazine’s Fortunate 50 list, issued on Wednesday. Mayweather also took the top spot last year, earning an estimated $85 million, again from just two fights, the magazine reported.

Miami Heat basketball star LeBron James, 28, a four-time National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, came in this year in the number two slot, earning a total of $56.5 million.

The list is calculated by combining estimated salary, winnings and endorsements. Mayweath-

Floyd Mayweather er’s total earnings are even more impressive considering he received no endorsement money ei-

India’s July tour to Zimbabwe on hold I

ndia have put their ODI tour to Zimbabwe that was scheduled for July “on hold”. A BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo that the “fatigue factor”, which will follow the Champions Trophy and a tri-series in the West Indies between June 28 to July 11, was the reason for the board’s decision to put the series on ice.

The Future Tours Programme had pencilled in three ODIs to be hosted in Zimbabwe but there was talk of that being extended to five. The BCCI has given an assurance it will “respect” its commitment to Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) and intends for India to travel there at some stage, but it has not set a deadline for taking a call on when to reschedule.

Both ZC and broadcasters SuperSport are unaware of the proposed postponement. Zimbabwe’s cricketers are under the impression they will start training to compete against India in two weeks’ time, having just completed what Brendan Taylor called a “satisfactory” series against Bangladesh, while a spokesperson for the television production told ESPNcricinfo they had not heard about any reschedule and are “due to host broadcast and transmit the series”.

An India no-show will have wide-ranging consequences for Zimbabwean cricket, most notably financially. ZC is running on close to empty and is in severe debt. Match fees to some players are still outstanding and there has been no clarity on the scheme

for funding franchise cricket next summer.

The cost of hosting Bangladesh in April and early May will not have helped that situation.

There are also scheduled tours by Pakistan in August and Sri Lanka in October, for which they will likely make a loss.

Some of the money could have been recovered by the big drawcard of India because of the substantial television rights fees they bring with them. It could also have helped ZC clear some of their outstanding bills. One of them is some of the commentators who worked on the Bangladesh series. They were not paid

by ZC at the time but told they would be reimbursed after the India series.

Another cost they could have thought of covering is putting up the floodlights at Harare Sports Club, something that has been in the works for close to three years. The pylons have stood bare for several years while the lighting units were stuck at customs because ZC was unable to pay the money for their release. They were due to go on auction but ZC were able to secure them before that. During the second Test against Bangladesh they arrived at the ground but there is still no timeline for when they will go up. A source close to ZC estimates it will cost in the region of US$250,000 to install them. ZC will also need to secure a power source if they hope to play daynight cricket.

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. DON’T MOVE YOUR CAR WITHOUT YOUR SEATBELT ON

ther this year or last.

James’ $56.5 million income combines a $17.5 million salary with an additional $39 million in endorsements.

Golfer Tiger Woods, the highest paid U.S. athlete from 2004, when the list was first published, through 2011, dropped to the No. 5 slot on this year’s list, earning $40.8 million.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano came in as the 50th highest-paid U.S. athlete with an estimated $18.2 million.

Candidates for the list must be U.S. citizens and compete in a U.S.-based league.

Internationally, soccer great David Beckham is estimated to earn more than $48 million, landing him the top spot on the magazine’s annual list of highest-paid athletes worldwide, The International 20.

NBA owners vote to keep Kings in Sacramento DALLAS -- NBA owners have spoken: They, too, want the Kings playing in Sacramento.

Owners from the league’s 30 teams met here Wednesday for nearly four hours and voted to reject the Kings’ proposed move to Seattle, backing last month’s recommendation from a relocation committee to keep the team in Sacramento. Sources say the vote in favor of keeping the team in Sacramento was 22-8.

NBA commissioner David Stern said afterward that the Maloofs’ proposed sale of the team to a Seattle group headlined by lead investor Chris Hansen “ended effectively” with the results of the relocation vote. Stern confirmed at an evening news conference that the Maloofs “have the right to retain ownership” of the Kings but expressed confidence that a sale to Silicon Valley billionaire Vivek Ranadive’s consortium eventually will go through.

“It is my expectation that we’ll be able to make a deal with the Maloofs and the Ranadive group,” Stern said. “... It’s not a certainty, but we’re going to work [toward] that result.”

The Maloofs, by all accounts, do not want to sell the team to the group led by Ranadive, who has worked closely with Stern during the past few months in Sacramento’s scramble to try to prevent the Kings from leaving town.

It’s the second time since 2011 that the Maloofs have made plans that would have ended in relocation for the Kings. The first target was Anaheim, Calif., but Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, a former All-Star guard, convinced the NBA to give the city another chance to finance a new arena.

In a last-ditch bid to try to trump the relocation committee’s unanimous recommendation to block the Seattle sale, Hansen last week increased the value of his offer for 65 percent of the Kings from $358 mil-

lion to a record $409 million, pushing the overall valuation of the proposed transaction to $625 million.

Hansen also offered a relocation fee payout of $4 million per team -- for a total of about $116 million -- to try to sway owners to bypass the relocation committee’s recommendation.

The potential Sacramento ownership group also includes 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, former Facebook senior executive Chris Kelly and the Jacobs family that owns communications giant Qualcomm.

Seattle has been without an NBA franchise since the SuperSonics moved. Led by star Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder have made the playoffs four straight seasons, reached the Western Conference finals in 2011 and lost to Miami in last year’s NBA Finals.

The NBA’s relocation committee, coincidentally headed by Bennett, voted unanimously last month to reject the bid to move the Kings.

Seattle fans again feel jilted as many believed this was the best opportunity to bring the NBA back. Political and public support was at its peak since the messy and ugly departure of the Sonics for Oklahoma City following the 2008 season.

“This was not an anti-Seattle vote, but a pro-Sacramento vote,” Stern said.

“I share the disappointment of Sonics fans about today’s vote. But we are in this for the long haul,” Seattle mayor Mike McGinn said. “The memorandum of understanding we have with Chris Hansen is for five years, and we will continue working to bring the NBA back to Seattle.”

In a post on sonicsarena.com, Hansen thanked the city of Seattle for its support while remaining optimistic that the Emerald City will someday get another NBA franchise.

“Our day will come ... and when it does it will just be that much sweeter for the struggle.”

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